S E V E N
"So, what does Zayn do?" Katherine asks as I fold yet another jacket into my Louis hardcase.
"You know, he does a little of everything." I reply, laughing. Katherine and I had taken a strong liking together and when she'd offered to help me pack for the trip, I couldn't decline.
"And he doesn't know yet that you and Niall are dating?" She must notice the way I stiffen at her voice, for she shakes her head and sets her wine down. "You've got to tell him at some point."
"Tell who what?" Zayn asks as he bursts through the door, his long hair windblown.
"Zayn, this Katherine, Niall's best friend. Katherine, Zayn, my best friend." Zayn smiles warmly at her.
"Hello." He takes two long strides towards me and pulls me into his warm arms. "What's all this?" He surveys the bed with confusion. "Going somewhere?"
"Yes, I have an emergency work trip to Ireland." Katherine raises her eyebrow at me. "Zayn..." I say slowly, not taking my eyes off Katherine's bemused face.
"Elouise..." he mimics, making me roll my eyes.
"I, um, well. Sit down. I have something to tell you."
He obeys with an amused glint in his eyes, his little pink tongue caught between his lips. "Yes...?"
"Well, I..." In all honesty, Zayn and Niall did not get along. They'd only met twice, but they were obviously oil and water, and Niall didn't really approve of Zayn's tattoos and unconventional way of life. "I, um." I didn't know why I was so nervous to tell Zayn. Relationships had never been a big deal to us, just topics mentioned in passing like the weather or sports. "I... I think you need a haircut."
"A haircut?" He asks, not buying my cover-up in the least. His long fingers rake their way through his black locks, surveying them for a minute before letting his hands fall limp to his sides.
"Yes." I squint my eyes at him. "You look like some type of Italian prince. I can't handle that kind of majestical-ness in my life--"
"Elouise," Katherine snaps, giving me her best 'are-you-kidding-me' glare.
"Ok, fine." I huff, jumping onto the bed beside Zayn. "I know you're not his biggest fan, but, Niall and I are... together. Like together, together."
His eyebrows shoot up to the sky, and I'm worried he's about to freak out or something. He turns to Katherine and asks for her to give us a moment of privacy and she nods gently, giving me a small smile before stepping out. "Ok, El, what's going on?"
"Niall and I are dating," I reply, clenching my fists as I force the lie between my teeth.
"Dating?" His eyes narrow. "Since when?"
"A few... wee--months."
"A few wee months?"
"Ye-es." I nod, not trusting my voice.
His large hand encloses my much small one, "El, you're my mate. Be honest, what the heck is going on?"
"What, do you think it's impossible for Niall to fancy me?" I spit, hating the tone of my voice. Everyone's surprise was seriously getting on my nerves. When I'd told Calinda this afternoon, it took her fifteen minutes and a confirmation from Niall to get her to actually believe we were together.
"No. I think it's impossible that you would fancy him." His eyes glare intently into mine until I'm forced to look away. "I know you're not telling me the whole truth, and I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to find out."
"Please don't start trouble. Please just except this for what it is. I really... like him." I mumble, my cheeks burning. There was a shame to my voice that I couldn't explain.
"Well, Elouise, I don't know what to say. I didn't think you were one of those girls." He moves away from me towards the door, giving me one last disdainful look before leaving, and a few seconds later I hear the front door slam shut. Could've been worse, I grumble to myself as I push more jackets and scarves into my hardcase.
"I take it that didn't go as well as it could've." Katherine murmurs from the doorway, another full glass of wine in her hand.
"Not entirely," I sigh, zipping the bag shut. "He doesn't like your best friend much, though."
"Why?"
"Something about Niall rubs Zayn the wrong way. Niall feels the same too, I know it." I flop down on my bed at pat the spot beside me, inviting Katherine to join. "Niall and I have so much to work out." I mutter thoughtlessly, forgetting that Katherine doesn't know about our arrangement. Which brings me to the question I'd been dying to ask her about. "What did you mean this morning, when you apologized?"
She turns her head to gaze at me for a few seconds, her expression guarded. "I was apolozing about the prostitute. It's been all over the news. You and Niall were together for that, right? He cheated on you--"
"Yeah, but..." I search for the right words to say. "It's all behind us now, stupid mistake. We're hoping that the..." I stop myself just in time to reword my thoughts, "announcement of our engagement will put that story to rest."
"Oh, Elouise, you're such a nice girl." She breathes a big puff of air towards the cieling. "I don't know how I could forgive someone I love for doing that to me. You're brave." I knot my eyebrows at her. "The media's going to tear into it. You've got to be strong." She squeezes my hand and smiles, licking her lips before continuing. "But I can already tell that you are. Ni's family is going to love you."
"Tell me about them," I whisper quietly, trying to soothe the lump in my throat. I have no idea why I am so emotional now, but I can feel tears pricking the back of my eyes.
"Oh, they're all so nice... there's Maura, Niall's mum, she's just about the nicest person in the world. And Greg, Niall's brother, right chap, just got married to Denise, and they've got a son, Theo. He looks just like Niall if you ask me." She goes on for a while about Niall's family. Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmothers, the whole time smiling gently. As I watch her, I grow more and more upset. It's evident that Katherine's in love with Niall, and here I am, not even loving him, taking everything away from her. Taking him when he isn't even mine to take. I sit up in the middle of a story about teaching Theo to walk and strap on my shoes.
"I'm so sorry Katherine, this is shit of me, but I have to go. I just--I have to talk to Niall about something."
"Have I upset you?" She asks as I slide my arms into my jacket.
"No, of course not. You're--you're my only friend right now." She smiles at that, and my heart drops lower into my stomach. "This is crap timing, but it's important."
"Am I free to stay?"
"If you'd like. Zayn will be back soon, I promise he doesn't bite." She laughs at that and gives me a slight wave that I return before turning on my heel and fly down the stairs, slamming the front door behind me. As I get into a taxi I text Niall for his address, relaying the message to the taxi driver as we take off down the dark city streets, my little apartment disappearing behind me.
***
The elevator dings at the top floor and the shiny metal doors slide open, revealing Niall sitting on a brown leather couch, his legs shoved into a pair of skinny jeans that look quite good on him. His apartment is quite large, with a staircase visible from the corner of my eye, and the large kitchen peeking out from behind a cracked door way.
"Elouise?" He inquires, his eyebrows raised.
I'm aware of my slightly scary appearance: disshelveled hair, wet cheeks, crazed eyes. "I'm sorry for coming here," I whimper, drawing slightly closer to him. He stands up slowly, walking towards me until our feet are mere inches from each other.
"It's ok," he says softly, and I'm grateful for this kind voice instead of his usual one. "What's wrong?"
"I don't know," I sigh. "Actually, I do. Did you know Katherine's in love with you? In love, Niall. Why didn't you pick her? She's perfect and you obviously like her. And, she loves you. Why didn't you suggest her when Mr. Tomlinson asked? Now Zayn's mad at her and I know nothing about your family or Theo or Denise. And Katherine knows every single thing, like she calls your mom every week to check in on her. Do you know that?" I ask harshly, tugging at my hair. "I don't even know what your mom looks like or what your favorite color is!" I snap, taking a shaky breath.
"Elouise, what is this all about? You don't need to know any of those things." His blue eyes are clouded by milky confusion, which only frustrates me more.
"Yes, I do! If we're going to convince your family that we're in freaking love, and getting married--" I spit the word "--then we have to know things about each other!" I declare, tapping his chest angrily. "I told Zayn today and he asked me how long we'd been together and I didn't even know what to tell him. How long? Why? I'm totally unprepared Niall, I can't do this. I'm going to make a fool out of myself--" Niall suddenly grabs both my shoulders tightly and pulls me to him, one hand grabbing the nape of my neck and pushing my mouth onto his, effectively shutting me up mid-sentence as his cool, soft lips grab hold of mine. It's a weird sensation, kissing Niall. It's not bad, and he's a good kisser, but I can't get comfortable enough to kiss back or enjoy it. I'm more relieved than anything when he releases me, wiping his lower lip with a smirk.
"Well that finally did it. I'll have to keep that in mind."
"What the hell was that?" I snap, my emotions on overdrive. I was in no mood for mind games.
"You were having a panic attack." He says simply, shrugging. He gestures to his brown couch that he'd previously been occupying. "Sit, I'll be right back."
I obey, plopping down on the soft leather couch and removing my jacket. Niall returns a few seconds later, two glasses of wine and three rather large binder-looking things. "You're making me do work?" I grumble as he sets them down on the coffee table in front of us. He sits beside me, and I have a sudden impulsion to feel the black fabric of his skinny jeans, as if to verify that Niall Horan actually wears skinny jeans.
"No," he chuckles, pushing a glass towards me. I take a much needed sip of the Burgundy substance, craving it's soothing qualities. He places the first binder in my lap and flips it open. As he opens it I realize it's a photo album, and the first picture is a woman who looks somewhat like Niall, holding a screaming baby wrapped in a blue blanket. "This is the day I was born. I had terrible colic for the first three months. My poor mum." He flips the page and I smile. It's a slightly older Niall sitting up in the tub with the help of his brother. "Why do parents feel the need to take pictures of their children naked? He flips through a few pages quickly, and I make a noise of complaint, wanting to see more pictures of baby-Niall. He laughs, "don't worry, El, you'll see plenty this weekend."
We carry on through his albums of photos, laughing together at the awfully embarrassing photos of Niall naked. I coo at his sweet toddler photos, remark how cute he is during is elementary school photos, wrinkle my nose at his good looks during his teenage years. We go through endless birthdays, Christmases, New Years's, family reunions. It's not until the later years that Niall's bright eyes begin to loose their happy shine and turn to their steely glare like they usually are at work. I become familiar with the faces of Niall's family, and learn most of their names.
I've longed finished my wine by the time we reach the middle of the third album, our voices mixing with the Frank Sinatra album Niall's put on. I'm snuggled into his side unintentionally, neither of us really realize how close we'd gotten as we talk. We talk about my family, too. My much smaller family doesn't compare to the numbers of people between these three albums.
"I used to only listen to Micheal Buble," he admits as we stare at a picture of pre-teen Niall singing in the back of the car. "I would dance in my room... God I was a dork."
"Really?" I ask, giggling. "That's kinda cute, Horan."
"I'm not cute," he mutters, but his small smile gives him away. The song changes on his iHome, and it's, ironically, a Michael Buble song starts playing. It's something about dancing with the woman he loves, I vaguely recognize it.
"Show me how you used to dance," I urge, giving his shoulder a shrug.
"Oh, no."
"Please," I beg, sticking out my bottom lip for emphasis.
"Only if you dance with me," he challenges. I call his bluff by narrowing my eyes and standing up, extending my hand to him. He takes it slowly, and we stiffly move together in a circle for a moment before I meet his eyes and we both start laughing. He grips my waist and pulls me closer to his chest, and I take a deep breath, trying to relax a little. I loosen up and wrap my arm around his neck, our chests settling against each other.
The song changes to something slower and we slow down even slower, gently swaying in his cozy living room. "I like this song," I whisper softly, my fingers crawling to the nape of his neck. He spins me away from him slowly and then pulls me back in, his steady hand meeting my waist naturally.
"I needed someone I could trust," he whispers abruptly, surprising me.
"What?" I ask, spinning away from him again.
"I needed someone I could trust, Elouise. That's why I choose you. I know I can count you." I don't reply, and he sings along to the song in my ear for a while. After the song is over, we break apart and I check my phone for the time.
"Crap. It's so late. I should probably go. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time," I say as I pull on my jacket.
"Don't be," he hands me my shoes and I smile gratefully. "I had a good time, Elouise... I know... I know this isn't the easiest situation, but I do... appreciate what you're doing."
My cheeks heat as I press the button, turning to face him. "Thank you." I murmur, smiling a little. I take one last look at his lips as I step onto the elevator, our eyes locked in on each other until the door shut and block out his near perfect face from my view. Once the doors are closed, I lean my head against the wall and exhale deeply. "Dear God, Elouise, what have you gotten yourself into?" I ask myself aloud, but smile widely. He trusts me, and that made me damn happy, even if I didn't know why.
***
well that was different than how i planned but i thought it was sweet.
next chappie little el goes up on a big jet plane with mr horan! stay tuned!
T U M B L R: elouisewatsonca.tumblr.com
grooveshark: http://grooveshark.com/#!/playlist/Corporate+Affairs/101919576
P O L Y V O R E: http://www.polyvore.com/corporate_affairs/collection?id=4036348
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