Drama
Chapter 28: Happiness Awaits
Niall’s P.O.V.
“Niall,” my mum quietly calls, shaking my shoulders. “Niall, wake up. It’s the big day!”
Groaning, I roll over from her grip.
“Niall, please wake up. There’s so much we still need to do! Guests have already started arriving!” she declares, opening my window shades before running out of my room.
I lie in bed for a few more moments, soaking in my last few minutes of sleep. The clock reads 9:05 and I groan again as I realize it’s early. Well, it’s not too early, but I hardly got any sleep last night because my brain did not want to shut down. That’s when I remember I’m going back to LA today.
Sitting up fast, I get out of the warm covers and pad into the bathroom, taking my clean underwear and tank with me. I shower, brush my teeth, and change into my undergarments, then head back into my bedroom.
I open my closet and take out my half-filled suitcase. Setting it on my bed, I unzip it and throw the rest of my clean clothes in there, not bothering to fold them. I run into the bathroom and grab my toiletries, also chucking them in the bag when I reenter my bedroom. Looking around, I try to think of anything else I might need. That’s when I spot my music book sitting on my desk. I walk over to it and pick it up, placing it neatly in my suitcase. I will definitely be writing songs when I get back to LA. Luckily, one of my guitars is already over there, so I have my source of music.
Inhaling a deep breath, I feel satisfied and zip my suitcase back up, rolling it into my closet so my mum doesn’t see. I don’t want her to stop me from going to LA tonight. I want to be gone and for it to be too late before she knows so she can’t do anything about it. I need to get back there; I can’t let anyone stop me.
After that whole business is taken care of, I put on my classy suit for the wedding. Taking one last glance in the mirror and adjusting my bow tie, I’m ready. I descend the stairs and to the outdoors, the sight overwhelming me.
Decorations are floating everywhere: balloons and streamers tied to anything, circle tables with gleaming white cloths covering them, and colorful flowers dotting every table and around the house. Guests in their flowy dresses and sharp tuxes are wandering throughout the decorations, eager for the wedding to start. Two familiar guys walk towards me and I realize it’s Greg and my uncle.
“Hey, bro. Your flight leaves at 7:17 tonight and Uncle Charlie will drive you to the airport,” Greg begins.
“We’ll be leaving around 5,” Uncle Charlie states, smiling. “You really want to go back, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say, half-smiling. “There’s just so much happening and I…”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me. Just meet me out front at 5 ready to go. That includes your luggage," Uncle Charlie cuts me off.
“Nobody tells mum or dad or anybody until I’m gone, alright?” I make sure.
“Promise,” Greg replies.
“Deal,” Uncle Charlie agrees.
“You better get ready,” I nod to Greg.
“I sort of am already,” he responds. “Catch you later!”
Greg runs off back inside the house and I stand alone with Uncle Charlie. I haven’t seen him in a few months since our last family gathering and it feels great to catch up with him. Uncle Charlie leads me over to one of the tables and we chat for a good while.
Soon, the wedding starts and I get in my place as Best Man. The guests seat themselves in the chairs provided and the wedding goes by quickly and smoothly. I do have to say, Denise and Greg are a great couple and she looks quite dashing today.
The reception picks up after that and I’m a little nervous to say my speech, but all goes well and my family applauds me. My main priority is food, so I pile my plate high with whatever I can fit on it. It’s going to be a long day; I need my strength. The food is devoured quickly and the DJ begins spinning hits, so many of the guests party on the open floor. I take my chance and dance with a few of my little cousins, making them happy and giggle like crazy, causing me to smile, too.
The sun slowly makes its way across the sky and before I know it, I’m rushing inside the house and scrambling to take my tux off. I have about 15 minutes until I need to meet my uncle at the front and I realize, how am I going to sneak my suitcase, and myself, through my house without anyone seeing? There are a ton of people downstairs mingling and drinking and what not. Oh, boy.
As soon as I finally get the complicated tux off and hung up neatly, I quickly throw on my jeans and t-shirt and grab my suitcase from the closet. Wait a minute. Who’s going to pick me up on the other side? Leila doesn’t know I’m coming. Shit.
I pull out my phone and dial her number, hoping she picks up. I calculate the time difference and it’s about 9am in LA right now, time for her to still be sleeping. I try again and I let out a breath of relief when her voice comes through.
“Hey, Niall,” she chimes, obvious she’s just woken up.
“Hey, babe, I’ve got good news,” I start.
“What is it?” she questions, yawning.
“I’m coming back to LA early. I’m leaving my house right now, my flight leaves in about 2 hours, and I’ll be arriving there around…9pm tonight, I believe,” I explain.
“Oh, my God, I love you, Niall,” Leila breathes. “But what about the wedding?”
“It went fine, the reception is still going on, but I’ve been here for half of that. I’ve experienced the most important stuff, and Greg was the one who booked me an earlier flight,” I inform.
“Really?” Leila exclaims, surprised.
“Yeah. We had some brotherly talks and he agreed I need to be there for you guys,” I tell her.
“Aw, cool,” she responds.
“Okay, well, I’ve got to go, my uncle is waiting for me,” I reply. “See you in about 12 hours?”
“See you later,” she speaks. “Love you.”
“I love you, too. Bye,” I say, and press “End” on my phone.
Now the hard part. I peer around my door and I see that the hallway is clear, so I quietly walk down it until I reach the stairs. The stairs lead right to outside, and luckily no one is blocking that, so as sneaky as a mouse, I descend the steps with my luggage in my hands and slip out of the front door. Not many people are around the front (thankfully) and I spot my uncle with his car across the road. I quickly make my way over there but I’m stopped by my own brother.
“You weren’t going to leave before saying goodbye, were you?” Greg teases, pulling me into a hug.
“Nah, that wasn’t my intention,” I reply.
“Good luck, stay safe, bro,” he responds, and then lets me go.
I nod at him and continue on my way to my uncle’s car. I throw my bag in the trunk and head around to the side of the car, opening up the passenger’s door and climbing inside. My uncle greets me and with one last glance at the party on my lawn, we drive off.
Leila’s P.O.V.
Madison and I get back from the hospital and it’s too much for me. I can hardly move, I can hardly eat, I don’t even know what to do. It seems like forever since I woke up this morning and everything was fine. All of this happened in one day. One fucking day.
“Movie night?” Madison asks me as soon as I crash on the d couch.
“As long as it’s something funny and interesting,” I reply.
“Okay, okay, go put on your pajamas,” she instructs me.
I do what I’m told and pad into my bedroom to put on my fuzzy pajamas. When I emerge, Madison’s already got popcorn made and the movie is loading.
“You’re amazing,” I tell her as I sit back in my place.
“I know,” she responds, smiling.
I fall asleep in the middle of the movie, but wake up some hours after that and head into my bedroom to sleep. I’ve been over this before: those couches aren’t very comfortable to sleep on.
Niall’s phone call is my alarm in the morning and his news surprises me. I thought he wasn’t coming back until tomorrow, but I guess I’ll meet him at the airport tonight. That’s enough for me to get up and start my morning.
I enter the kitchen and immediately make some coffee, my head pounding from last night’s events. After I set up the coffee, I take some Aspirin to help that fact, hoping my headache will be gone soon. While I wait, I turn on the TV to something interesting, but it’s 9 o’ clock in the morning. There’s nothing that interesting this early.
I let something play and decide to shower and clean up. After that, the coffee is ready and I prepare breakfast. I don’t go all out, but I make some simple pancakes and it reminds me of the time Niall and I tried making some, but the white powder mix got all over the kitchen. I giggle as the thought passes through my brain.
“Someone’s in a good mood this morning,” Madison greets from behind me, causing my heart to jump.
“Shit, don’t scare me like that!” I exclaim, smiling at her.
“Sorry,” she replies, snorting.
I set a plate of the fresh pancakes in front of her along with a cup of coffee and do the same for myself, sitting next to her on the stools to the counter.
“So, what are your plans today?” Madison asks.
“Nothing, actually,” I respond. “Wait, we have to pick up Niall at the airport tonight.”
The news catches her off guard and she chokes on her pancake a little.
“Tonight?!” she shouts.
“He called me this morning and said he’s flying in early,” I explain. “He actually should have just gotten on the plane right now, if it’s on time.”
“Well, I’ll put that on my list today,” Madison says, regaining herself. “The other thing I was going to mention is that the girls and I are going to go bowling this afternoon, you wanna come?”
“Sure!” I answer. “That’ll be a distraction and I’m all for it.”
“Great, I’ll let them know you’re coming with,” she delivers, pulling out her phone and texting her friends.
We finish our breakfasts in silence and Madison gets ready for the day while I take care of some chores that have slipped throughout the week. As I do, I think of the fact that Niall’s going to be back here in less than 12 hours. It just doesn’t feel real. He wasn’t supposed to come back until tomorrow but I’m definitely not complaining. I miss his cheeky little face and his comforting arms and his blue eyes that make me melt within one glance. Just the thought of him drives me insane.
Soon, the chores are done and Madison and I kill time watching TV before it’s time to go bowling. It’s nice to relax after having so much stress built up inside of you, and now I’m going to let that stress go in the bowling ball, hopefully resulting in a happy period of time also known as a strike. I need happy more than ever now, and my happiness is arriving later today. I want the clock to tick faster.
And just like that, Madison’s friends arrive to pick us up. We scramble off of the couch, gather our stuff, and we’re out of there. I’m ready to put everything into this bowling. Every last bit of it.
“Niall,” my mum quietly calls, shaking my shoulders. “Niall, wake up. It’s the big day!”
Groaning, I roll over from her grip.
“Niall, please wake up. There’s so much we still need to do! Guests have already started arriving!” she declares, opening my window shades before running out of my room.
I lie in bed for a few more moments, soaking in my last few minutes of sleep. The clock reads 9:05 and I groan again as I realize it’s early. Well, it’s not too early, but I hardly got any sleep last night because my brain did not want to shut down. That’s when I remember I’m going back to LA today.
Sitting up fast, I get out of the warm covers and pad into the bathroom, taking my clean underwear and tank with me. I shower, brush my teeth, and change into my undergarments, then head back into my bedroom.
I open my closet and take out my half-filled suitcase. Setting it on my bed, I unzip it and throw the rest of my clean clothes in there, not bothering to fold them. I run into the bathroom and grab my toiletries, also chucking them in the bag when I reenter my bedroom. Looking around, I try to think of anything else I might need. That’s when I spot my music book sitting on my desk. I walk over to it and pick it up, placing it neatly in my suitcase. I will definitely be writing songs when I get back to LA. Luckily, one of my guitars is already over there, so I have my source of music.
Inhaling a deep breath, I feel satisfied and zip my suitcase back up, rolling it into my closet so my mum doesn’t see. I don’t want her to stop me from going to LA tonight. I want to be gone and for it to be too late before she knows so she can’t do anything about it. I need to get back there; I can’t let anyone stop me.
After that whole business is taken care of, I put on my classy suit for the wedding. Taking one last glance in the mirror and adjusting my bow tie, I’m ready. I descend the stairs and to the outdoors, the sight overwhelming me.
Decorations are floating everywhere: balloons and streamers tied to anything, circle tables with gleaming white cloths covering them, and colorful flowers dotting every table and around the house. Guests in their flowy dresses and sharp tuxes are wandering throughout the decorations, eager for the wedding to start. Two familiar guys walk towards me and I realize it’s Greg and my uncle.
“Hey, bro. Your flight leaves at 7:17 tonight and Uncle Charlie will drive you to the airport,” Greg begins.
“We’ll be leaving around 5,” Uncle Charlie states, smiling. “You really want to go back, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” I say, half-smiling. “There’s just so much happening and I…”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to tell me. Just meet me out front at 5 ready to go. That includes your luggage," Uncle Charlie cuts me off.
“Nobody tells mum or dad or anybody until I’m gone, alright?” I make sure.
“Promise,” Greg replies.
“Deal,” Uncle Charlie agrees.
“You better get ready,” I nod to Greg.
“I sort of am already,” he responds. “Catch you later!”
Greg runs off back inside the house and I stand alone with Uncle Charlie. I haven’t seen him in a few months since our last family gathering and it feels great to catch up with him. Uncle Charlie leads me over to one of the tables and we chat for a good while.
Soon, the wedding starts and I get in my place as Best Man. The guests seat themselves in the chairs provided and the wedding goes by quickly and smoothly. I do have to say, Denise and Greg are a great couple and she looks quite dashing today.
The reception picks up after that and I’m a little nervous to say my speech, but all goes well and my family applauds me. My main priority is food, so I pile my plate high with whatever I can fit on it. It’s going to be a long day; I need my strength. The food is devoured quickly and the DJ begins spinning hits, so many of the guests party on the open floor. I take my chance and dance with a few of my little cousins, making them happy and giggle like crazy, causing me to smile, too.
The sun slowly makes its way across the sky and before I know it, I’m rushing inside the house and scrambling to take my tux off. I have about 15 minutes until I need to meet my uncle at the front and I realize, how am I going to sneak my suitcase, and myself, through my house without anyone seeing? There are a ton of people downstairs mingling and drinking and what not. Oh, boy.
As soon as I finally get the complicated tux off and hung up neatly, I quickly throw on my jeans and t-shirt and grab my suitcase from the closet. Wait a minute. Who’s going to pick me up on the other side? Leila doesn’t know I’m coming. Shit.
I pull out my phone and dial her number, hoping she picks up. I calculate the time difference and it’s about 9am in LA right now, time for her to still be sleeping. I try again and I let out a breath of relief when her voice comes through.
“Hey, Niall,” she chimes, obvious she’s just woken up.
“Hey, babe, I’ve got good news,” I start.
“What is it?” she questions, yawning.
“I’m coming back to LA early. I’m leaving my house right now, my flight leaves in about 2 hours, and I’ll be arriving there around…9pm tonight, I believe,” I explain.
“Oh, my God, I love you, Niall,” Leila breathes. “But what about the wedding?”
“It went fine, the reception is still going on, but I’ve been here for half of that. I’ve experienced the most important stuff, and Greg was the one who booked me an earlier flight,” I inform.
“Really?” Leila exclaims, surprised.
“Yeah. We had some brotherly talks and he agreed I need to be there for you guys,” I tell her.
“Aw, cool,” she responds.
“Okay, well, I’ve got to go, my uncle is waiting for me,” I reply. “See you in about 12 hours?”
“See you later,” she speaks. “Love you.”
“I love you, too. Bye,” I say, and press “End” on my phone.
Now the hard part. I peer around my door and I see that the hallway is clear, so I quietly walk down it until I reach the stairs. The stairs lead right to outside, and luckily no one is blocking that, so as sneaky as a mouse, I descend the steps with my luggage in my hands and slip out of the front door. Not many people are around the front (thankfully) and I spot my uncle with his car across the road. I quickly make my way over there but I’m stopped by my own brother.
“You weren’t going to leave before saying goodbye, were you?” Greg teases, pulling me into a hug.
“Nah, that wasn’t my intention,” I reply.
“Good luck, stay safe, bro,” he responds, and then lets me go.
I nod at him and continue on my way to my uncle’s car. I throw my bag in the trunk and head around to the side of the car, opening up the passenger’s door and climbing inside. My uncle greets me and with one last glance at the party on my lawn, we drive off.
Leila’s P.O.V.
Madison and I get back from the hospital and it’s too much for me. I can hardly move, I can hardly eat, I don’t even know what to do. It seems like forever since I woke up this morning and everything was fine. All of this happened in one day. One fucking day.
“Movie night?” Madison asks me as soon as I crash on the d couch.
“As long as it’s something funny and interesting,” I reply.
“Okay, okay, go put on your pajamas,” she instructs me.
I do what I’m told and pad into my bedroom to put on my fuzzy pajamas. When I emerge, Madison’s already got popcorn made and the movie is loading.
“You’re amazing,” I tell her as I sit back in my place.
“I know,” she responds, smiling.
I fall asleep in the middle of the movie, but wake up some hours after that and head into my bedroom to sleep. I’ve been over this before: those couches aren’t very comfortable to sleep on.
Niall’s phone call is my alarm in the morning and his news surprises me. I thought he wasn’t coming back until tomorrow, but I guess I’ll meet him at the airport tonight. That’s enough for me to get up and start my morning.
I enter the kitchen and immediately make some coffee, my head pounding from last night’s events. After I set up the coffee, I take some Aspirin to help that fact, hoping my headache will be gone soon. While I wait, I turn on the TV to something interesting, but it’s 9 o’ clock in the morning. There’s nothing that interesting this early.
I let something play and decide to shower and clean up. After that, the coffee is ready and I prepare breakfast. I don’t go all out, but I make some simple pancakes and it reminds me of the time Niall and I tried making some, but the white powder mix got all over the kitchen. I giggle as the thought passes through my brain.
“Someone’s in a good mood this morning,” Madison greets from behind me, causing my heart to jump.
“Shit, don’t scare me like that!” I exclaim, smiling at her.
“Sorry,” she replies, snorting.
I set a plate of the fresh pancakes in front of her along with a cup of coffee and do the same for myself, sitting next to her on the stools to the counter.
“So, what are your plans today?” Madison asks.
“Nothing, actually,” I respond. “Wait, we have to pick up Niall at the airport tonight.”
The news catches her off guard and she chokes on her pancake a little.
“Tonight?!” she shouts.
“He called me this morning and said he’s flying in early,” I explain. “He actually should have just gotten on the plane right now, if it’s on time.”
“Well, I’ll put that on my list today,” Madison says, regaining herself. “The other thing I was going to mention is that the girls and I are going to go bowling this afternoon, you wanna come?”
“Sure!” I answer. “That’ll be a distraction and I’m all for it.”
“Great, I’ll let them know you’re coming with,” she delivers, pulling out her phone and texting her friends.
We finish our breakfasts in silence and Madison gets ready for the day while I take care of some chores that have slipped throughout the week. As I do, I think of the fact that Niall’s going to be back here in less than 12 hours. It just doesn’t feel real. He wasn’t supposed to come back until tomorrow but I’m definitely not complaining. I miss his cheeky little face and his comforting arms and his blue eyes that make me melt within one glance. Just the thought of him drives me insane.
Soon, the chores are done and Madison and I kill time watching TV before it’s time to go bowling. It’s nice to relax after having so much stress built up inside of you, and now I’m going to let that stress go in the bowling ball, hopefully resulting in a happy period of time also known as a strike. I need happy more than ever now, and my happiness is arriving later today. I want the clock to tick faster.
And just like that, Madison’s friends arrive to pick us up. We scramble off of the couch, gather our stuff, and we’re out of there. I’m ready to put everything into this bowling. Every last bit of it.
Notes
Twitter: @leikelamichelle and @Drama_1DfanficRachel :)
Make a Sequel please.
9/13/14