Chapter 27 - Falling

“Hey,” Niall greets me as soon as I walk into the stable. “You took longer— what happened?” He asks next, noticing I’m not smiling and in fact I’m frowning.

“Rhonda happened,” I reply still frowning as I keep walking towards him.

I would normally go to Ares and let him calm me down, but this time I walk right up to Niall who’s waiting for me with his arms wide open, and as soon I step in front of him his arms wrap around my body, pulling me towards him tightly, his lips on my forehead with a light kiss.

I close my eyes and let him comfort me and surprisingly, it’s almost as good as when I brush Ares’ hair. The horse still wins, but Niall does it quite nice, too.

I breathe in deeply, trying to push the picture of Rhonda and her instructions to help the stepsnakesaway. I don’t even want to see them, I don’t want them to ruin things for me. This has been a pretty decent summer so far and I don’t want them over me for what I have left. I’m so close. So close.

“Wanna tell me what happened? Exactly happened,” he offers and I sigh deeply again, hugging him a bit tighter.

“I’ve neglected my duties as stepsister, according to her,” I tell and he pulls back to look at me, a frown on his own. “You know about my stepsisters, Kimberley and Jennifer. Well, the thing is that I’m supposed to be like their personal maid and do what they want. This summer they asked me to spy on, well, you guys. You and Harry, to be precise, because they are madly in love with you both,” I mock and he raises one eyebrow. I just shake my head. “And I’ve avoided them lately and Rhonda doesn’t want that. She wants me to help them to get you and Harry for them, especially now that you are single.”

“But I’m not,” he says, almost alarmed and I chuckle lightly.

“Yeah, but she doesn’t know that,” I clarify and his smile comes back as he lowers his head, pressing his forehead against mine. “This means those two stepsnakes have been bitching about me and now they’ll come nagging me and I really don’t wanna deal with them.”

Niall brushes his nose against mine softly, almost like a game and I can’t help the smile from coming to my lips as he does that. “Maybe you should just forget about this and leave. You already are accepted and the uni fund is legally yours. You can pay for your whole mayor,” he says and I sigh because I know that.

During this time we’ve got to meet I’ve told him about my dreams and plans, how hard I fought to be accepted in my dream university and how happy Charlie and I were when we actually got accepted to Oxford. I’ve told him my whole story, as well, how I ended up here and the legal part, but he still has problems understanding why, despite being eighteen already, I keep working here.

“It’s more complicated than that,” I say still brushing my nose against his. “If I quit now it’d be like accepting she won, like she defeated me. If I leave when the contract expires, it’d mean I did it, that I managed it and I’m better than her. She didn’t make me quit. And it would also mean that all what I went through already was worth it because I finished it.”

“So it’s a matter of pride,” Niall ventures.

“No… I mean it’s uh…” He looks at me defiantly and I sigh. “Okay, fine, yes it is a matter of pride. I like winning.”

He chuckles and instead of saying something he just closes the distance between us and kisses me. I have to admit it, not all our kisses are magical like the one at the ball, but they are all really good kisses and I enjoy them very, very much.

I kiss him back and slowly all my thoughts and worries get pushed to the back of my mind and I only focus on the present. This present with Niall. And I do that until we break the kiss.

“If you decide you don’t want to deal with Rhonda and your stepsisters, let me know. We can run away together,” he offers and I burst out laughing.

“And run into the sunset together?” I joke and he shrugs, making me laugh even harder. I have to actually pull back and put some distance between us.

“It’s an option.”

“You don’t change, do you? You’re made of cheesiness,” I tease him and he shrugs again as if saying ‘what can you do about it?’, for which I laugh again.

He walks towards me and only stops when his hands are around my waist again. “But you still like me, sappy as I am, you still like me.”

“I guess I’m not as clever as I thought, then,” I joke and he sighs, accepting I can’t just reply with something as cheesy as that. I just can’t help it, it’s in my nature to make fun of clichés all the time.

“One day I’ll really get you to embrace your sappy side and you’ll reply with some cheesy line,” he promises and I shake my head, but he seems only more determined as he pulls me towards him, keeping me very close. “I’m gonna make that my life goal. I swear. First thing on my bucket list.”

“Then you’ll die without completing it,” I defy and he shakes his head.

“I’m stubborn too, and competitive. I like to win, always,” he says and I raise my eyebrows defiantly now. I want to pull back and fold my arms over my chest, just to look more imposing, but he’s hugging me tightly so I can’t. Plus, he then kisses me and I just forget I’m trying to look serious.

Well… I’m not complaining, though. I quite like doing this, too.

+ + + + +

It’s just a normal day, I’m cleaning the rooms of the guests, hoping the hours will pass soon so the day will be over and I’ll be closer to be out of here. And I also get to see Niall. It’s funny how whatever happened during the day doesn’t matter when the sun sets, because I see him and he distracts me and makes me enjoy my time here. During the day I have Charlie and Liv, to joke and make fun of everything, and after twilight I have Niall.

I’m more blessed than I thought I would be. This is turning to be a great summer.

I keep pushing my cart through the halls and I stop in front of the next room. I can’t help the smile to come to my lips when I see it, recognising it immediately. It’s Niall’s room, I know it perfectly.

You see, that boy is made of fluffy Disney movies —reason why I’ll never let him and Charlie meet or I’ll fall in a diabetic coma— so every day he makes sure to leave something in his room for me. A note, a doodle, sometimes even a flower he picked on his way back from the stables the night before. And although it’s cheesy, it’s really cute and I would never admit this out loud, but I keep those things. As tokens of this time with him. Of our secret relationship.

As I slide the key card through I wonder what he left this time for me to find but as I make my way I don’t have time to find a note or anything before a couple of arms grab me from behind, pulling me against a body.

Following what’s expected in that situation, I scream and try to escape. Until I hear his laughter, his familiar laughter and then I stop before I get angry.

“You idiot!” I shout, slapping the hands that are on my belly, holding me. “Don’t scare me like that, Niall!”

And he keeps laughing. “Sorry, I just wanted to see you earlier today. I hate that we only get to be together after dinnertime.” He turns me in his arms, making me face him. “I wish you weren’t as busy as you are.”

Yeah, sometimes I wish I had more time, too.

I don’t reply, instead I just kiss him because that’s the best I can do for now. I can’t stay longer in his room and I really need to tidy up and do my job, but I can have some minutes with him. And he really wants to spend more time with me because he even helps me to clean his room, just to be with me.

He’s really a sweet boy, not a good maid, though.

“You know,” he says as we make his bed together, one at each side. “I want this summer to end ‘cos that means you’ll be done with all this. But then you’ll start Uni and I’ll go back to work and it’s gonna be so hard to see you.”

“Yeah, it’s gonna be hard,” I agree. This is the first time we talk about this. “But possible, right?” I venture, a bit unsure and he smiles brightly at me.

“Totally. Louis and Eleanor do it all the time. Zayn and Perrie, as well. They are even getting married soon,” he tells me and I’m impressed. I didn’t know that part. “I’m sure we can make it work, too. You’ll be really busy, though.”

“So will you,” I add and we both sigh.

I don’t know how we’ll make it work, but I know one thing for sure. I don’t just want to give up on us when the summer is over. I really like him, I know I’m falling for him hard and I don’t even want to think about breaking up with him because we don’t have time. I actually want to try. I know this was never part of my plan, but maybe I can make it work.

“We’ll manage,” he says and I nod. I don’t know how, but I have hope. “I’ll come to see you every time I get a chance and I’ll even help you to study.”

I raise my eyebrows not fully believing that. “You’ll let me practice with you? I’ll be studying medicine, you know?”

“Yeah,” he replies. “I can be your anatomy model.”

I don’t know at what I laugh harder, whether it’s Niall’s cheeky smile or what he just said. Maybe both. I just burst out laughing.

“Silly,” I say but he looks at me seriously, which only makes me laugh again. “But in all seriousness, I’m sure we can manage something. Or at least we can try, right?”

“Yeah,” he says as we finish with the cover and pick the pillows. “We’ll find a way to make it work.”

And I really hope he’s right because as I walk up to him when we are done with the bedand hug him closing my eyes as I bury my face in his chest, I realise how hard I’m falling for him and how I really don’t want this to end soon. I’m happy and comfortable with him, something I didn’t think would happen.

He’s no prince charming, he’s better because he’s just a guy, a normal guy and I don’t want to lose him because we don’t have time to be with each other. I want to believe this is our time to be together, we just have to try.

But of course, not all our wishes can be granted. Not all what we want to believe is real. Sometimes things are just not meant to be, even it that breaks our hearts. Even if we have a hard time accepting it. Sometimes it’s just not the right time.

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Dedication to @iDirectioner69 because yes, I'm a heartless woman ❤

Bel, xx