Feeling bored and alone were two of the worst feelings in the world, and there was nothing worse than feeling them both at the same time. Nobody likes feeling alone. Yeah, it's nice to have time to yourself every once in a while, but after spending three days alone, it isn't very nice anymore. You can only watch movies and read books for a little while before it becomes boring. After a few days of sitting around my apartment, I called into work and asked if they had anything for me to do.
Here I am, on a Thursday afternoon, counting coins at the bank. I've reached a level of boredom I never thought was possible. Everyone sat in silence here, no music on the speakers, no conversations for me to eavesdrop on, just complete and utter silence. If there weren't any customers entering the building or talking to a teller, there was no noise. If I knew I was going to be bored out of my mind here, I would have preferred to be bored out go my mind at home.
I was starting to consider getting a new job, where I could work a part-time schedule. For the past few years, I've been fortunate enough to not need to work in order to support myself. With the money I had made from the movie and different brand deals, I didn't need to work too often. But maybe it was time to actually start working and making use of my time. Even though I won't be as bored once Celina gets back, getting a consistent job was starting to seem like a good idea.
Celina has been in the States for about a week and a half and I haven't heard much from her. We would FaceTime every once in a while, but she was busy with her job and I found myself envious that she had things to occupy her time. I ended up texting Niall quite a bit, but he and I hadn't seen each other since we had lunch over a week ago. We talked on the phone a few times, but I understood that he was busy with his tour and album release coming up soon.
Niall announced his first solo tour, which he titled the Flicker Sessions. Tickets sold out more quickly than anyone anticipated and I was more than happy for him. I texted Niall to congratulate him and he responded by FaceTiming me. His smile was the biggest and most genuine I had ever seen and I was beyond excited for him. I know how much this meant to him, especially with him doubting himself and I wanted to be there to support him.
By the time my lunch break rolled around, I highly regretted volunteering to come to work. I've been counting money for so long, that my mind is mixing up my numbers and I feel miserable. I sat in the break room with some of the others who work here and I felt bad because I didn't really remember their names. No one sat directly next to me. Everyone seemed to enjoy their personal space and valued their alone time. It was just as quiet in here as it was behind the desks.
My phone buzzed against the table, interrupting the silence in the room. I pick up my phone and read the notification.
Niall
Movie night tonight? I've got your favorites
I tried my hardest to stay calm and not freak out in front of the people I worked with. I pinch my lips together so my co-workers don't notice me smiling like an idiot. I type my response, even though Niall probably already knows my answer.
I'm down, my place or yours?
He doesn't respond right away, so I start to pick at my lunch. I push the food around in the container, no longer hungry because of the excitement coursing through my veins. I practically jump out of my seat when my phone goes off again.
Mine
I'll come by around 7, if that's okay.
Niall responds quickly this time.
Sounds great!
Before I got the chance to send something back, Niall sent me another text with his address. I quickly type a response and hit send before returning back to work.
By the time my shift ended, I still had a few hours before I told Niall I'd be over. When I got home I took a shower and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a cropped t-shirt. After my shower, I made myself dinner and did whatever I could to kill time. I spent two and a half hours reading my book of quotes and listening to music.
***
My Uber dropped me off outside of Niall's front door. I entered the code that Niall had given me and took the elevator up to the floor he lives on. I felt my hand shaking as I went to knock on his door. I quickly tried to calm myself down while I waited for the door to open. The door swings open and I'm met with a familiar pair of blue eyes and a wide grin.
"Béa!" Niall smiles, pulling me in for a hug.
I chuckle, "Niall!"
He steps back and gestures for me to enter his apartment and I do, stepping past him. His apartment was much bigger than mine and had a much better view of the city. He had a giant sectional couch in his living room and a pull-down movie screen hanging in from his ceiling.
"Woah." I laugh, "You've got quite the movie set-up."
"I take movie nights very seriously around here." Niall jokes.
I chuckle, "I can tell."
I take my shoes off and set them next to his door before we both make our way into his living room. I sit down on the couch while Niall grabs the remote before sitting next to me. He turns on the screen and the titles of the different movies he downloaded appear. There were many movies, most of which I had never seen. His selection ranged from romance to cartoons to sci-fi.
"See any movies that you fancy?" He asks, already knowing the answer.
"You do know how much I love Ratatouille." I chuckle, looking back at the screen, my attention going straight to the title card of my favorite movie. My vision drifts to the title next to it and I can't help but chuckle, "I didn't peg you as a Lion King kinda guy."
"I'm not. I've never seen it." He says, "But it kinda fits with your whole obsession with talking cartoon animals."
I let out a playful gasp, "First of all, it's not an obsession! It's one movie." Niall shakes his head. "And second, we're watching The Lion King first."
"Okay." He chuckles, "But I'm picking the second movie."
"I wouldn't have it any other way," I tell him.
***
Halfway through The Great Gatsby, which was Niall's first movie choice, I felt him shift next to me. I'm not sure how we got sitting so close to each other, but it was comforting. I was leaning against him, my head almost resting on his shoulder. His arm was on the back of his couch, but his wrist and forearm were resting on my shoulder opposite to him.
"I'm happy you were free tonight," Niall says, catching me off guard.
I feel the heat start to rise to my cheeks, "You were?"
"Yeah." He states, "I like spending time with you, you know."
"I like spending time with you too." I smile.
"I don't really know how much time I'll have to spend with you before I leave, so I figured I'd better take advantage of the times when we're both free," Niall explains.
I look at my lap and then return my gaze back up to Niall, "I don't like the fact this could be the last time I see you for a few months."
"It won't be, I'll make sure of it." He says.
I smile, "I'm going to hold that to you."
Niall sighs, "But I am heading back to Ireland on Saturday for my nephew's birthday and to visit with my family before my show there."
"That's sweet." I smile, "How old is he?"
"He'll be four on Sunday." Niall smiles.
"That's adorable. I bet he'll be excited to see you." I tell him.
"I hope so," Niall says.
"What did you get him for his birthday?" I find myself asking, and I hope I don't come across as nosy.
Niall's face lights up, "Got 'em a lot of little toy cars and race tracks to go with them." He chuckles to himself and then continues, "I also got him a music set with a bunch of different instruments because I know the little sounds will drive my brother crazy."
One thing I've noticed from hanging out and talking with Niall is that he's very family-oriented. He glows when he's talking about them and it's clear he cares about them a lot. Listening to him tell stories about his family makes me wish I spent more time with my mother.
I let out a small laugh, "That's genius."
"I don't think Greg and Denise would agree with you on that." Niall chuckles.
"I bet they would, I'm a very agreeable person, you know." I joke.
"Oh trust me, I know." Niall laughs.
***
I must've fallen asleep sometime during Interstellar. I woke up to light tapping on my shoulder. At first, I didn't recognize where I was when I opened my eyes.
"What time is it?" I yawn, pushing the blanket off of my body.
"A quarter past two," Niall says, holding out his hand to help me up.
I sigh, "It's late. I should get going."
"No!" Niall quickly protests, "Stay."
"Are you sure?" I ask, "It's not a big deal, I can Uber home."
"Don't be silly, it's late. You can stay here. Come on." Niall says, gesturing for me to follow him. "Let's go to bed."
I follow him into his bedroom, and he turns on a lamp that's on one of the bedside tables. His room is natural toned like the rest of his apartment. He pulls back the dark grey comforter on his bed and looks in my direction. Without letting myself think about it too much, I walk over to the side opposite of him and fold back the blanket. I found myself hesitating until Niall got in on his side, almost like I was making sure he was okay with me sleeping in his bed. I didn't want to overstep and mess things up between us. He watches me as I get in next to him, pulling the comforter up to my shoulders.
Niall turns off the lamp and the room fills with darkness, except for the moonlight shining through the window. We both instinctively turn to face each other, Niall's contagious smile plastered across his face. He leans forward and quickly presses his lips to mine.
"Goodnight Béa." He smiles.
I feel myself blushing, "Goodnight Niall."
I'm sorry for the long wait. I've been a bit overwhelmed with my writing class. I've spent most of my time writing for that class and then I don't have the motivation to write here. But I'm almost done with the semester, so hopefully I'll be updating more frequently.
Until the next chapter, Mwah!