"Are you sure Niall you don't," Jolie began to say, asking if he wanted to join her and Liam for lunch. He was about to open his mouth and respond because his palette had missed Jolie's cooking but Liam's stare was telling him to walk away. Making a face at his band mate, Niall sighed.
"No Jolie, it's okay, I'll catch some food myself. You two have fun." Niall waved them off into their taxi while he went off on his taxi. Another red carpet and another meal of him being ditched by his mates for their birds.
"Liam, but," Jolie could be heard protesting but Liam lightly pulled her into the cab with him and off they went.
"Anywhere you want to go?" The taxi driver asked Niall when he slumped in his seat.
"Where do singles go to eat when their mates ditch them?" Niall complained rhetorically, half jokingly, half serious.
"McDonalds?" The driver answered, thinking he was actually asking.
Niall looked up, blinking twice.
"Sir?"
"You know what, why not." Niall threw up his hands. "Might as well get some chips and is there a store nearby?"
~~~
Ara prided herself on the fact that even though she wasn't a genius with skyrocketing intelligence, she worked hard and had more than decent grades as a result. But sometimes studying was boring, beyond belief.
"I heard that," Ryan, her current study buddy said not even looking up at her long drawn out sigh.
"Ryan, how about we take a break and-"
"No you told me before we started to tell you no when you ask for breaks." He responded, cutting her off.
Ara looked up, her gaze catching the shelf of books currently surrounding them. "I did," she sighed once more. "Fine..." She trailed off only to get cut off by her own cell phone.
Ryan eyed her for picking up her phone but Ara didn't pay him any mind, a little preoccupied with fumbling because flashing on her phone was Niall's name.
"Hello?"
"Ara!"
"Niall, I'm-" Ara sheepishly burrowed into herself to ignore her study buddy's judging look.
"Nooooo, Ara I need you, you can't-"
Ara blushed at the words, her red face actually making Ryan raise his brow.
"Okay," She managed to squeak as she sent Ryan a look to not judge her, she had a weakness for Irish accents.
"Remember those cookies you sent me, well I'm at the store now, and... sure." Niall said only to get interrupted by a few straggling teenagers coming up to him.
"Niall?" Ara asked only to hear partial bits of Niall talking to what sounded like fans.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you Niall." The blonde girl said before dragging her friend away.
"Sorry just a few fans, anyway, I'm bored and the lads all ditched me or other things, Liam..." Niall drew out the latest culprits name. "Then even as I left, there was a German model that I'm not even going to attempt her name, I know I would more than butcher it, and she was all over Harry,"
"Sorry?" Ara said unsure where this was going but Niall was sounding a little sorry for himself.
"Oh no I had a few flirting with me too but I was too hungry to notice if any of them were attractive, I mean they are all attractive, all you girls, women are? Er anyway it's just... They have someone other than their family, you know who would just drop everything and be here if they needed the girls. Melina may give Louis a hard time but when he needs her, she's there and threatens to use her bat on people or him if he's the problem,"
"That's good,"
Niall laughed at the confusion in Ara's tone. "Mostly, it sometimes knocks some sense into him or at least makes him laugh at the image. And even though Harry's not even with Hope," Niall actually rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the two, as he put a bag of crisps in his cart. "We all know the girl would be on a plane here if Harry was in some crisis, and don't even get me started on Jolie and Kate. "
"Uh huh," Ara actually agreed, sticking out her tongue at Ryan who was now making fun of her by mimicking her expressions, though rather exaggeratedly so in her opinion.
"And, I just, feel so darn unlovable. Ara why doesn't anyone love me? I can't marry my mom like I thought when I was a toothless kid, and... Delicious fat velvety looking cake two feet away." Niall's eyes widened at seeing the baked goods.
"Holy firetrucks that's just...Go for it." Ara encouraged before throwing her pen at her so called study buddy who was laughing at her.
"And this is why you're the best. Already a step ahead of you." Niall grinned, waving happily at the baker in the back. He took one more sniff just because fresh baked goods were seriously intoxicating. "I'm gonna bake later, this cake has my name all over it to drown my single blues in. Hilton, you want a piece too?" Niall turned around to ask his body guard who had been hovering back to let him have his space and let Niall's fans approach him. "I'm gonna go now Ara, thanks for talking to me. I feel much better now, a little less whiny."
"Niall I'm sure a lot of people find you very lovable and bye?" Ara asked with a small laugh just because of how random Niall could be sometimes.
"Bye Ara!" He practically sang with a laugh too, her laugh just doing that to him. "Oh and I'll be flying over with Louis soon-ish. You have any time for little ole me?"
"Of course." Ara said softer this time. "Bye,"
"Bye Ara..." Niall whispered, his word lingering but Ara had already hung up.
Ara threw one more pen at Ryan just for the heck of it before jotting down a note to herself.
~~~
The next time Niall called her, Ara was waiting for the bus, going home after nearly three hours of studying. She was smiling at everyone, practically preening in her accomplishment. Ryan had left her after she declined a ride, he needed to go run errands and she was fine waiting for the bus. He shaking his head at her and poking her forehead, reminding her of stranger danger before leaving.
"Niall," She chirped, like it was no big deal that Niall Horan had called her twice in one day.
"Hi, Ara?" Niall half said, half asked because of the sing song way Ara had answered.
"I'm going to ace this Latin test tomorrow,"
"Really? That's awesome!" Niall exclaimed.
"Thanks, its just so satisfying to feel ready," Ara couldn't help but sigh happily.
"Yeah," Niall laughed.
"Anyway, what's up?"
"Eating lunch by myself. Harry just ditched me again to run off with Zayn, there's apparently a showing of artistic tattoos nearby and they're bored. Might mean more tattoos with those two." Niall said as he looked around the empty hotel room where he was currently sitting at the table near the balcony. He sighed at the thought of the two.
"Oh," Ara responded less than enthusiastically.
"Not a big fan?" Niall asked causing Ara to squirm, unsure if she should tell the truth or not since these were his mates. "Anyway I tried once, failed." Niall shrugged. "So I'm just going to say its not in my cards, anyway... so I,"
Ara waited only to hear nothing because at the moment Niall took a bite of his food.
"So there's this archaeologist that's staying at the hotel with us, there's even a convention about some kind of excommunication... that's not right." Niall shook his head.
"Excavation?" Ara provided with a laugh.
"Yeah! That's it! But I thought it was so cool because you want to be one too right?"
"Yeah."
"And so I talked to him and about you,"
"Me?" Ara, said, cringing when she could hear the squeak in her voice.
"Yes..."
~~~
"Thanks for being my date and keeping me company," Niall said, polishing off his lunch with the dessert he had bought at the store.
"Wha, what?" Ara said, literally stumbling as she got off the bus just as Niall's hotel door opened.
"Nialler!" Harry and Zayn both said his name loudly at entering the hotel room.
"And the two ditchers are back, gotta go!" Niall said before hanging up before Ara could ask him what he meant by her being his date?
You take a myths class?
Yes. Greek myths
Watch me on the red carpet tonight! :D
Ara stopped to stare at the message just as she was about to enter her room because well, Niall was like some kind of bouncing ball that was forever on a tangent, his conversations going from from wall to wall, or maybe that was just how he talked to her, either way, her head was slightly reeling from the many conversations they went through in such short time.
Should she be worried about what he wanted her to see?
~~~
Around six, Bradley went up to check up on his sister who had told him to come get her around then for something "important". Eating his fruit, he eyed his sister at seeing her face down midst her homework and textbooks.
"Hey its six," He simply said, poking her head, smiling a little at watching her head bounce back whilst she groaned. For good measure, he was about to poke her once more but at her saying his name in warning and looking up, her rimmed glasses enlargening her baby brown eyes, he resisted the urge.
Ara couldn't help but narrow her eyes at her brother, her nose scrunching slightly causing her to have to push up her glasses.
"You have a red spot on your forehead nerdy." He said before leaving her.
"Brothers," Ara scoffed before looking at her laptop, her eyes widening at the time. "Crap!"
~~~
"Niall, did you get a tattoo?" The announcer asked, almost shocked at seeing something peeking on the edge of Niall's forearm.
Niall stuck out his tongue a little before turning his arm over for the tattoo to be seen clearer.
The tattoo had little stars that could be seen making the shape of an altar. Underneath said in Ara in fancy writing, curly cues and all.
"Harry and Zayn ended up going to the tattoo showcase and ended up with nothing but buying this for me! Melina helped me put it on and told me all about the myth behind it, with Zeus and the other gods. Its only temporary though, about twenty hours but isn't it cool?" Niall flexed his arm. "Ara's a greek constellation!"
"Is there any special meaning behind it?" The interviewer asked with a laugh this time at Niall's childish glee at his tattoo.
"Yeah," Niall smiled.
The interviewer said nothing, expecting Niall to say more but the Irish one said nothing.
~~~
Ara had her head cocked, her feet tucked under her while watching the interview. She blinked several times just because she really had no idea how to react.
"Are you two dating?" Bradley asked, coming in from the kitchen, this time with a drink in his head. He peered at her, making sure to watch her reaction thoroughly.
"No!" Ara shook her head furiously.
Bradley looked at her a little more before looking at the T.V. He eyed both of them. "You sure?"
Blushing furiously Ara threw her brother a look. "Yes!"
"Well..." Bradley began but wasn't quite sure if he wanted to have this conversation with Ara. "Nate never had a chance did he?" Bradley just sighed this time before upping and leaving.
"What? What?" Ara asked after him, flabbergasted by his comment.
~~~
The world wide web's social networks were full or excited girls who were gushing and announcing proudly to the world that their names were Ara.
~~~
"Nialler," Harry said as a heads up when the blonde one walked into the room.
At Niall looking up, Harry lightly threw Niall a package. "From Ara," Harry added before going back going back to reading the novel that Ian, Hope's brother in law had sent him.
Eagerly opening the package, Niall couldn't help but laugh out loud at Ara sending him another box of her cookies. Niall didn't even hesitate before opening the taped up box to grab a cookie. Finishing off the treat in three bites, Niall took out his phone. However when he tried to call, after the second ring, his call went straight to voice mail.
"Um," Niall hesitated, quite like the voice mail he had given Ara to apologize for the birthday debacle. "Hi," He began only to get interrupted by his phone ringing, signaling a message.
Sorry in class. Is everything okay?
Yeah, got your cookies :D
Good, just about broke now because of the airmail :P
Then I appreciate them more
Harry looked up to see Niall chuckling, he couldn't help but shake his head wondering when Niall would figure things up.
Good and Niall if you needed someone I would be there, might have to bargain to give my first born to Bradley or maybe spend the rest of my life as his slave, yeah prob the latter but I'd be there
Thanks Ara
You're welcome Niall. I have to go
Okay, bye
Bye
I actually don't like bye, it sounds so awkward and depressing. Esp with us. See you soon-ish
Lol
Crap teacher looking this way!
Stop texting me!
adopt taxing nr
taxing?
afkj
asghksaf back at you
Harry only shook his head more before getting up to lightly whack Niall who was currently red faced from laughter before stealing a cookie and making his escape.
"Harrold you, you!" Niall yelled after him.
~~~
Thank you so much for reading, I know its a slow ride, but the best relationships are those that stare from friendship and that's what I'm trying to write here with the two!