Turning Pages (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Fourteen

I walked away from the laptop and looked out the small window Cat had near her bed. She was still reading the story and hadn’t made her way down to the comments yet. Maybe she wouldn’t read them. I felt my eyes fill with tears and a small lump formed in my throat. I hated crying in front of people. I was a short little thing and crying just made me feel even more vulnerable. People liked to think that because I was short, they could push me around. I wanted to appear as strong. I held back the tears and let out the small breath I had been holding.

I treaded back over to Cat and folded my legs underneath me. Her cool comforter felt good on my bare legs. She finished up the article and rubbed my back.

“I’m going to go grab a quick shower.” She announced and got up to her feet. I closed the laptop and found my coffee mug sitting on the floor. I picked it up and brought it to my lips.

Cat sauntered off to the bathroom and I heard the water run. I lay down and covered myself up. I didn’t care if the pillow or sheets would mess with my curls. I just felt the urge to lie down. I stared up at the low ceiling and then closed my eyes. I listened closely to the sound of the water hitting the shower floor and the small hum coming from Cat’s lips.

My eyes shot open once I caught the buzz of my Blackberry. It was sitting on the tiny table next to the coffee pot. I quickly fumbled over to it, my feet getting caught in blankets. The vibrations were longer which meant it was a phone call. I cringed thinking it was my mother but read the caller I.D. It was Niall.

“Hello?” I asked. I sounded a little too frazzled. Why was he calling me? Maybe I had messed up.

“Aye! This is Danielle, right?” He asked.

“Mhm.” I made the sound without moving my lips.

“Listen… I know that this is short notice and you don’t have to say yes, but I wanted to ask a favor from ya.” He paused. “My mum is having this get together back in Ireland and I was wonderin’ if you would come with me… She wanted me to bring a date and I can’t think of anyone better who would fit the description.” I could feel the smile spread across his face on the other line. He knew how to hide his flirtatious sentences and gestures so well.

Niall’s POV:

She was quiet across the phone lines. I played with the bottom of my shirt, rubbing the thin fabric between my thumb and fingers.

“I’ll pay for everything.” I added on. Honestly, I really wanted her to come. I didn’t want to find anyone else.

“When do I need to be ready by?” She breathed through the phone. I had a silent victory dance around the couch and back to the window I was standing by before.

“Umm… in a couple hours. I could swing by and pick you up.” I assured. I heard noise in the background. A voice called for Danielle.

“Yeah, I’ll be ready by then. I’ve got to go. Text me when you’re on your way?” She asked quickly.

“Yeah.” I stated. I heard the line go dead after she ended the call.

I called up my mum and told her I was free. I had already checked with my schedule and asked around to make sure we had nothing planned. She was ecstatic. I was excited as well. I hadn’t seen her in awhile and I missed her. She was one of the family members I was closest to.

I turned on the telly while I found a small suitcase in the back of my closet. The load in the dryer was almost dry so I shuffled it all into my arms and carried it to the couch. I hated packing. I grabbed a few clean garments of clothing and shoved them in my luggage case. I went to my closet and snatched a few hoodies from the hangers they were hung on. I picked up all the products in my bathroom and tossed them in the small suitcase. I then zipped everything up tightly and set it by the door. I strolled over to my bed and snatched up my black backpack that was sitting the floor next to it.