The first sound I heard on Christmas morning woke me up faster than a bombshell. The most obnoxious, loud Christmas song ever created blasted its way into my room; the horribly cheesy lyrics tearing me out of sleep. I knew the culprit immediately, and if I’d had the energy I would have thrown my pillow at her.
Instead, I burrowed underneath my blankets, shouting as loud as possible, “Shut it off!”
The volume increased and I groaned, knowing I wasn’t going to get anywhere. Morgan tittering voice yelled, “It’s Christmas! Get up! I made cinnamon rolls!”
Reluctantly, I flung myself out of bed, the cold air hitting me immediately. I rushed out my bedroom door and flung my hand down to hit the stop button on the player. Relief flooded through me when the awful music finally ceased.
“You’re a jerk.” I mumbled, a sideways grin adorning my face.
“A jerk who made cinnamon rolls!” She giggled, proudly lifting the plate up for me to see. My senses were suddenly overwhelmed with the fantastic scent of cinnamon and sugar, my anger melting away.
“Merry Christmas!” She sang.
I nodded enthusiastically, my eyes never leaving the pastries. “Merry Christmas, indeed.” I plucked a roll off the plate before she could take them away. “Although the wakeup call was a little rough,” I growled in between bites.
“Oh, come on.” She wined, childishly. “That song is a classic.”
“It turns a religious holiday into something oddly romantic, when it is clearly not meant to be.” I argued.
“Downer, much.” She scoffed, plopping down on the couch. I shrugged, taking a seat next to her as I finished off my food.
“By the way,” Morgan brought up nonchalantly. “Niall came by this morning.”
My blue eyes must have grown three times their size as I snapped my neck around. “He did?”
“Yup,” She popped the last of her roll into her mouth, ignoring my reaction. “He figured you weren’t awake but he just wanted to drop some stuff off.”
“Drop some stuff off?” I wondered aloud, confused. I wondered if I’d forgotten something at his flat the other day.
She gestured to the two red and green cards stacked neatly atop of the TV box. “He’s so sweet. One’s for me too.”
A smile spread around my face at his generosity. “That was so nice of him.”
“Like I said, he’s a sweetheart.” She set her plate down on the ottoman and sprung up to grab the cards. She handed the one with my name written out in a boyish scrawl to me swiftly, “I wanted to wait till you were up before I opened mine.”
For a few seconds the only sounds were ripping paper and breathing. I put my finger underneath the flap and tore across the top. A beautiful Christmas card was nestled inside. I slide it out and opened it slowly. An event ticket lay inside and as I read I realized it was a ticket to an ice show this afternoon.
Morgan’s gasp of surprise confirmed my prediction that we’d each received one, “He got us tickets to a Disney ice show.”
I looked up at her with a massive grin across my face, “He did.”
“Ness,” she looked at me sternly but with a hint of humor in her green eyes, “If you don’t marry him, I will.”
I was too flattered and delighted to address her remark with anything more than an amused laugh. I wished I could see him and thank him for doing this, not only for me, but for my sister as well. Maybe I could pay him a visit before we left for the show, if he’s home that is.
Just as I was about to close the card, I noticed more of the same hand writing on the inside behind the ticket. My heart fluttered tangibly as I read the words:
*
Merry Christmas, Ness!
These are from the five of us. The boys wanted to get something for you and Morgan for Christmas. But don’t worry; you will get something special from me tonight. ;) I’m keeping my promise and not coming till later; I’m visiting some family friends today anyways. I hope four or five is okay to come over. If not, I’m coming anyway. I can’t wait to see you. I missed you. See you soon and have fun.
Niall xoxo
*
Four other signatures and Merry Christmas were written next to the thick paragraph. My smile broadened as my top row of teeth bit over my bottom lip. His little note shouldn’t have affected me in such a huge way but I couldn’t deny the fact that I had indeed missed him more than intended yesterday. The thought of glancing at his smiling face again set butterflies in my stomach.
Morgan noticed my changed in demeanor instantly and raised her eyebrows, “Did leprechaun do something extra for you?”
I merely kept grinning as I sprung up from my spot and glided toward my bedroom door, “Just excited to go to the show. Oh and Niall’s coming at around four or five.” I disappeared shyly behind the door before she could question me further.
- - -
“Ahhh, the perks of your boyfriend being in a famous boy band,” Morgan announced as we slid into our front row seats at the rink.
“I guess so,” I mused, my eyes scanning the surroundings.
She set her purse on the floor, “Is there anything that boy can’t get?”
My mouth twisted as my shoulders shrugged to end the conversation.
Our seats were absolutely spectacular. We were practically in the middle of the rink with only a few feet separating us from the slick ice. Both of us would have been perfectly content with being closer to the back and had expected it but Niall had exceeded our expectations tremendously.
The show was only about ten minutes from starting. The place was packed with people; it was hard to even maneuver out of a seat to use the washroom. I could only imagine how they managed to snag these seats for Morgan and I.
“So... What did the note say?” Morgan winked, flicking her bangs out of her face casually. I should have suspected that she would have snuck a glance at the card.
I shook my head. “What, you didn’t read it?” I grumbled.
“Of course I didn’t!” She turned her neck to address me, seemingly appalled at my accusation. “I wouldn’t do that. It’s private.”
“But you did peek.” I coaxed, smirking slightly with amusement.
She sighed. “It was way too tempting. You know how I am.”
“I do indeed.” I chuckled, giving her the benefit of the doubt. “He just wanted to tell me he was coming over later.”
Morgan let out a brash, obnoxious laugh, clearly startling the people around us. “You and I both know that that is bullshit.”
“Morgan!” I smacked her across the shoulder sternly. “We’re in a public venue surrounded by people.”
“Oops.” She giggled, biting her lip. “but seriously, something that simple doesn’t make you blush like that.”
“Like you said before,” I smirked. “it’s private.”
“You seriously suck.” She stuck her tongue out at me immaturely before taking a swig of her water bottle. I chuckled, completely satisfied, before she probed me with another question, “Are you ever gonna tell him?”
My eyes were focused on the people gliding across the rink. “Tell him what?”
“About dad. And mom, for that matter.” she blurted, setting the bottle back in the cup holder.
All the oxygen in my body flew out in one quick blow that her words had given me. “Pardon?” I shifted awkwardly in my seat.
“You can’t keep them locked away in your head forever.” she stated factually, clearly not wanting to dance around the subject.
“I know.” I said too quickly, Morgan seeing how awkward and tense I was around the subject. “But I don’t see how they concern Niall. He doesn’t need to know.”
“Of course he does. Isn’t it the reason you are so precautious and against getting close to people?” The usually hint of humor that tainted her face was gone without a trace.
“Well, yeah,” I gulped nervously, rubbing my dewy palms across my thighs. “But he’s leaving soon anyway.”
“You make excuses for everything.” She rolled her eyes dramatically. “Just because he leaves doesn’t mean the feelings go away.” I opened my mouth but she stopped me before I could respond. “Look, I know what you’re attempting to do. You want to make him leaving as painless as possible. You think that you’re detached enough to never contact him after he leaves. But, obviously, you’re wrong.”
“That’s not exactly what I was thinking.” I mumbled, my hands fidgeting. “I just don’t think it’s logical to think a long distance romantic relationship would work, especially with someone like him.”
“Logical.” She scoffed, leaning back in her seat. “I recall telling you multiple times that logic is not the answer for everything. Please think about it, it could do you a lot of good.”
- - -
I did think about her request, so much in fact I was barely paying attention during half of the performance. I got the basics of the storyline and talent of the acting ice skaters but most of my mind was consumed with thoughts of the relationships of my past. From the first time my lips collided with someone else’s, to the first boy I ever fell head over heels in love with and the last. It was, no doubt, the last thing I wished to or thought I would be doing on the twenty fifth of December.
As painful as it was to merely think about these memories, verbalizing them to Niall would be salt in a reopened wound. I’d hoped to avoid the topic indefinitely but analyzing it now, the hope was rather farfetched and ridiculous. I’d dug myself a hole by mentioning to him briefly about the complications of my past relationships and asking him not to be curious would be an insult to human nature. Most likely, he would bring it up at one point or another.
The question now held as to whether I would be the one to bring up them or he. Allowing Niall to start conversation had the possibility to catch me completely off guard and prevent me from preparing myself emotionally. If I started the dreaded conversation I had the chance to graph out exactly what I wanted to tell him and how much I would reveal. But how to mention the situation without it seeming off topic and awkward?
By the finale of the show I had driven myself to a throbbing headache. Emotions and logic mixed into one is truly a horrible combination.
Morgan was hyper and enthused as we shuffled out of the arena. She’d loved the performance, and was raving about the male lead whom she’d found outrageously attractive. If not for the migraine and swirl of thoughts nagging at the back of my brain, I’d have made at least twenty sarcastic remarks by the time we hailed a taxi.
The closer we got to the front of our complex, the more prominent the anxious butterflies in my stomach felt. Not only was I now nervous about the revealing of my past tonight, but I was embarrassingly eager to see Niall. A day without seeing him was a requirement, but that didn’t necessarily mean it was enjoyable. I’d grown so used to seeing him these past few weeks and the sudden break seemed to have put me on edge.
I nearly did a face plant onto the ice covered ground whilst stepping out of the car, just managing to catch myself on the door. Morgan walked around the back of the car chuckling, “You seem just a tad nervous there, Nessa.”
“A little.” I mumbled, staring down at my shoes.
Morgan paid the taxi driver and followed me inside, her arms crossed over her chest. “Don’t worry.” She shot me a reassuring smile. “It’s not like anything would have changed in a day.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about,” I answered mildly, kicking off my boots with a thud. “I’m just really excited to see him…”
“Fair enough, however, I’m not seeing where all these nerves are coming from?” She inquired, gaging my expression carefully.
“Well, that’s actually your fault.” I smirked, shooting a playful glare in her direction.
“Excellent.” She beamed, a reaction I was not quite expecting. “That means you’re thinking about what I said.”
“Yes, and unfortunately I can’t stop thinking about it.” I seethed, realizing that this conclusion was probably what she had been hoping for.
“That clearly means you’ve realized that I’m right.” She said smugly, knowing exactly what was going through my head.
I groaned, following her into the living room. “Yeah, I figure I’ll probably have to say something about it eventually.”
“But why not tonight?”
“Are you insane?” I accused, my thumbs twiddling around my wrist. “No way!”
Morgan’s eyes narrowed as she blocked the path to my room. “And I suppose you have an excuse?”
My eyes flickered nervously to the clock. It was 3:58pm and Niall could be here any minute. I needed the time to change before that could happen. “Can we discuss this later?” I pleaded, trying to sidestep her.
She continued to block my attempt with outstretched arms, “Only if you promise me something.”
I slumped my shoulders childishly and closed my eyes. “What?”
“If he asks, then you have to answer. No more of this ‘dancing around the subject’ bullshit.”
I felt decently confident that tonight would not be the night for such a question to enter his brain, so I agreed. “Fine. Will you let me get ready now?”
She finally stepped aside, a satisfied smile planted on her face. “Wear something pretty!”
“Of course!” I called back, flailing my hands dramatically before entering my room.
Morgan just might well be my cause of death.
- - - - - - - - -
Thank you all for getting me 400 votes on this story!! I was so happy to log on and see that.
And I just want to say that I cannot wait to post the next two chapters—they might actually be my favourite part of the whole story so please get voting and commenting so that I can update!!:D:D I wanna see how many people are still reading:) thanks again you all are fabulous xo