The Lessons. (Niall Horan)

Chapter Five.

 It'd been a few months since Niall had confessed his feelings to me at the party and we haven't spoken since... I wasn't avoiding him, I just had some other things going on, like trying to keep up with my new relationship with Zayn, which was a hell of a lot harder than I'd imagined it would be. Although to be fair, I really did miss Niall, not for the sexual antics or anything... but for the company, Niall was a great person to talk to, he always knew what to say to make me feel better, but I suppose I had someone else for that now, it was just going to take a little bit of getting used to. 

I know it seems incredibly soon for Zayn and I to be together, but it didn't feel that way, we'd started hanging out more and more after the party and a month after it he asked me to be his girlfriend, to which I obviously said yes. Zayn was great, he treated me like a queen and never stepped a foot out of line around me. We'd gotten to know each other so well and it honestly feels like I've known him forever, I don't think I'm in love with him yet, but I know I'm not far from it.

"You okay?" Zayn mumbles as he leaves small kisses along my jawline – we were currently in his flat, cuddled on the sofa as we watched old reruns of The Big Bang Theory – "M'fine," I smile and he nods, kissing his way up to my ear. "You had no idea how badly I want to fuck you," he groans as he nibbles on my earlobe. I slowly push him off me, "Baby, you know I'm not ready for that." I tell him softly as he looks at me. A small sigh passes his lips and he backs off, crossing his arms to watch the TV, even though we both know he had no interest in what was on it.

We like that for a while, Zayn not even so much as breathing too loud beside me, I knew what was wrong, and I knew how to fix it – but I refused to give in. Zayn and I had only been dating for a month, and I just wanted to make sure he was all in before I gave him the most intimate part of myself. "Is that all you want from me?" I ask him, my voice low. "Of course not, Y/N. Why would I use you for something that I could get off anybody else?" he asks and immediately my eyes go wide and my nostrils flare the minute he's finished his sentence, how fucking dare he?! I immediately stand from the sofa, "Well, if you can get it anywhere else, then maybe you fucking should!" 

"No, babe, s'not what I meant!" he shouts after me as I storm out of his apartment, his voice calling my name as I run to the lifts, absolutely fuming. What fucking right did he think he had to say that to me?! He thinks he's so fucking amazing that he can just go and pick up girls anywhere he wanted and fuck them? Fine, he can go and do that! WHAT AN ASSHOLE.

I storm into my bedroom the minute I get home and get into bed, cursing at Zayn both aloud and in my head. My phone hadn't stopped going off from I left Zayn's, I knew it was him, but I wasn't going to answer, I deserved so much fucking better than how he had just treated me. I somehow manage to fall asleep in a pool of my own thoughts. 

- 

I wake up the next morning to my phone ringing and I groan loudly, picking it up just as the ringing stops. As my eyes finally adjust I see that I have 10 missed calls and 4 text messages – all from Zayn. I sigh and find myself ringing him back, maybe I should just listen to what he's got to say. Immediately he answers after the second ring, "Baby..." he mumbles, his voice low. "You called?" I ask, wanting to get straight to the point. "Y/N, I'm so sorry for what I said, you know I didn't mean it like that." he says quickly and I sigh, "I know... but Z, you have you understand that I'm just not ready for sex yet, and when I am, you'll be the first to know, just please stop rushing me into it." I tell him directly and I can almost hear him nod on the other end, "I respect that, baby, I promise, I do. I can wait, and I want you to be completely comfortable with me... you're worth the wait."

The minute those words come out of his mouth I can't help but let a large smile take over my face. We stay on the phone for a while longer, and then hangup when he has to go to work. I get out of bed at around 10 in the morning and head for the shower, washing all the filth from my body. I shave everywhere and moisturise my body before changing into a pair of jeans and a hoodie. I was incredibly grateful to Mr. Sutton for cancelling our classes today in order for everyone to catch up work for deadlines. I was lucky, I had only got one essay and I only had another thousand words to write.

I plop down on the pull out chair, placing my laptop on my knee as I change the TV channel to one that's playing music. "Do you mind?" Sarah asks as she looks up from her laptop, "Sorry, I didn't think you were watching anything." I chuckle and she nods, "I'm sure, babe." I wink back at her and she laughs, "Much more work d'ya have?" she questions, typing away on her computer. "Just a thousand words left on the essay about Lennie's disability and how it affected George on the ranch." I tell her as I open up the document. "I've still got that one, which I haven't started and the one about how the death of Candy's dog affected his mood during the rest of the novel," she groans loudly, "But I've only got another five hundred words on that one." she laughs and I shake my head. "Been spending too much time with the boyfriend," I smirk and wink at her to which she sticks her tongue out at me. "Probably true, but the sex is hella good, so it's worth it." she smirks with a devious hint to it. I throw a pillow at her and it hits her up the face, "Shut up!" I laugh and she laughs back.

-

I tie my apron tightly around my waist as I stand in the kitchen of the restaurant where I worked, I grabbed my pen and small notepad as I head for the dining area. "Y/N, get table 5, please." Lucinda calls to me as she rushes to another table, three plates balanced on her hands. I chuckle at her and nod, heading to the table. I keep my head down as I get the notepad ready, and lift it once I get to the table. "Hello, I'm Y/N and I'll be your server today, what can I get ya?" I smile and lift my head from the notepad, my eyes widening when they meet with Niall's as equally shocked ones. 

I look back and forth from him and what seems to be his date and I smile at him. I was extremely glad to see him here on a date and that he hadn't been dwelling over the whole thing that happened between us. "I'll take the steak with mash potatoes and veg, plenty of gr–" "Gravy." I chuckle, finishing his sentence for him, "I remember." I wink and he smiles at me as I write down the order, then turn to his date. "And what can I get for you, ma'm?" I ask, smiling at her scowling face – wow, she does not look amused. "Just a chicken salad, please." she mutters, "Dressing all over?" I ask, writing it down. "Obviously." she says snarkily and I ignore it, looking towards Niall for any source of defense, but alas, nothing, his expression is as straight as a pole. 

"And for drinks?" I sigh, "Actually, could someone else take our drinks, and bring the food out?" she rolls her eyes, "And for what reason?" I ask, raising an eyebrow, "I'd just prefer a waitress that didn't eye fuck my date," she barks. "Well, I'd love to get you a new server, but I'm all that's available right now, so would you care to tell me what you would like to drink?" I ask once again, trying my best to keep my cool – I needed this job and I was certainly not going to lose it over some overly jealous cunt.

"Just get us a jug of water and go away," she groans. I look to Niall once again for some sort of support, but he just clears his throat in emphasise of the fact that he is indeed ignoring me, and not even in the slightest caring about how rude his date is being. I roll my eyes when I'm out of sight and give the orders to the chef, sighing as I get a clean jug, filling it up with water, ice and a lemon slice. I grab the jug and two glasses, bringing them straight out to Niall's table. I set it down and place a glass each in front of them, and hurry away again, not wanting to stay for any more of the verbal abuse. 

The minute the food is ready I bring it back out to them, placing Niall's in front of him first as his was the heaviest plate, I then set the other plate in front of his date. "This water is too warm." she remarks the minute the food is placed in front of her. "There's ice in it." I furrow my brows, "Well take it back and redo it. Add more ice this time," she shrugs and smiles sickly sweetly at me. "You know what, I'll go see if we have any other servers, because I refuse to serve rude customers." I tell her, giving her the same sickly sweet smile as I storm away.

I'm not looking where I'm going and slip on a puddle of water, where a yellow wet floor sign should have been. "Fuck!" I curse as I hit the ground, trying my best not to cry right then and there. With the way Niall had been ignoring me, the way his date had been treating me and the fact that I've just fallen in front of everyone was a little too much for me to handle all at once, so my emotions were going to get the better of me. Immediately I feel two hands wrap around my waist, bringing me up from the ground onto my feet. 

I knew who it was straight away, I knew his scent. I pushed him away as fast as I could, "Don't fucking touch me!" I shout, Niall looks at me wide eyed, "I was just helping ya out!" he shouts back, "You can help me now, but not when you're fucking date was treating me like shit?!" I shout again and he stays silent, looking down. "Just leave me alone, don't come near me again." I mutter as I run towards the employee bathroom, tears now streaming down my face.