*Chapter 34: The Heart to Heart and the Plan*
*Ariel's POV*
*Two Hours Later*
Once Niall came back on the bus about 30 minutes after Liam shared the story, it felt completely awkward. At least it did for me anyway. Liam went back to his bunk a few minutes before Niall came back, so he is saved from this awkwardness.
"So, we should be arriving at our next location in a couple of hours, so get some rest. You guys are going to be rehearsing for a couple of hours as soon as we arrive." Simon said, finally breaking the awkward silence that filled the room.
"Okay, I'm going to take a nap." Louis said, getting up and leaving the room, probably trying to avoid more of the awkward silence.
"Me too." Zayn, Harry, Aubrey, and Paul said in unison and followed Louis to the bunks.
Niall and I just sat on the couch awkwardly as Simon stared at us, which, by the way, was making me even more uncomfortable.
"Well, I think I am going to go check up on Liam and Amanda." Simon said and left the room, leaving Niall and I in awkward silence.
I stared at Simon with wide eyes as Simon walked out of the room. Wow, thanks for leaving me in this awkwardness.
"You're probably wondering what the rest of the story is." Niall said for the first time since he entered the bus.
"Actually, Liam told us." I admitted.
"Liam? There's no way. He barely gets out of his bed. Barely even says a word." Niall said in disbelief.
"Well, it's true." I told him.
When he didn't say anything in response, I decided to say something else.
"You know that you didn't have to go through that alone." I said.
"I didn't go through it alone." Niall mumbled.
"I don't mean telling Liam half the story. I mean, he barley had his life together. You had Zayn, Louis and Harry too." I told him.
"I didn't know there numbers. It was a struggle to even get Liam's." He replied.
"Well, I know someone you could have called that didn't change their number that would have been happy talk to you." I told him
"Who?" Niall mumbled.
"Simon." I replied.
"I know. But I was afraid." He mumbled again.
"Afraid of what? That he was going to hate you?" I questioned.
"Maybe." Niall replied.
"Niall, there was nothing to be afraid of. Simon would have helped you in a heartbeat. I know some people that would have helped you in a heartbeat also." I told him.
"Who's that?" Niall asked.
"The One Direction Fandom." I replied.
"They hated us at the time." Niall told me.
"Niall, the fans would never hate you. They were just going through a hard time, just like you were. You guys could have used each other." I explained.
"You're right." Niall replied after a moment of silence.
"I know." I mumbled.
There was a moment of silence before Niall bursted into tears. I was a little thrown off at first, but I immediately engulfed him in a hug. He wrapped his arms around me and held me so tight, like he was afraid to let go.
"I miss her so much." Niall sobbed into my shoulder.
"I know you do." I whispered as I rubbed his back.
*Simon's POV*
"I miss her so much." Niall sobbed into her shoulder.
"I know you do." whispered as I rubbed his back.
All of us retreated from the doorway and walked back towards the bunk.
"Is it me, or does anyone else feel bad for Niall?" Aubrey questioned.
"Don't worry, it's not just you." Louis replied.
"I think we need to find Niall a girlfriend." Harry said randomly.
"How are we going to do that? Niall lost the love of his life three years ago. Do you really think he's going to be up for dating again?" Zayn stated.
"Exactly three years ago. I think it's time that we get him a date." Harry says.
"Har-" Louis started, but Aubrey interrupted him.
"No, he's right. It's about time." Aubrey says, while staring out into space.
"What?" Zayn and Louis asked in disbelief and confusion.
"Yeah, I have a couple of friends back home that would be a good fit for him." Aubrey replied, now looking at them.
"Simon, are you hearing this?" Louis asked me in disbelief.
"Yeah." I replied simply.
"Don't you think this is a little ridiculous?" Zayn asked.
"No." I replied simply.
"What?" Zayn and Louis replied in disbelief and shock.
"Listen, Niall is struggling to be a single parent. He has us for now, but what happens when he goes home. He needs someone." I explained.
If you are wondering where Amanda is while we are currently having this conversation, well I can tell you right now that she has no idea that we're currently having this conversation. She is currently watching Toy Story with Liam in his bunk. She was still upset when he went back to the bunks, so Liam decided to cheer her up with a little Toy Story.
"Fine. But what if he doesn't want to start dating?" Louis asks.
"He might be afraid at first, but he'll get used to the idea." Paul replied.
"What about Amanda? How will she react to the fact that her dad is dating again?" Zayn asked.
"She didn't meet her mom, so she might not be affected. Or she might think that one girl is replacing her mom. You never know." I said.
They simply nodded and we all went our separate ways. Some of us went to go watch TV, some of us went to take a nap. We still have a couple of hours until we get to the location, so we're doing the best we can to stay occupied until then.