Start All Over (On Hold)

25. Sorry, I'm Irish

The sound of mine and Niall's phones going haywire interrupted the episode of Bates Motel we planned on watching before having to actually get ready for Thanksgiving.

Last night he slept in the guest room like he was supposed to and I didn't sleep as soundly without him. Something about his presence always seemed to comfort me, and I guess my unconscious recognized that as well. I tossed and turned, my anxiety having its fun with my vulnerable mind. Worries about how the dinner with Niall and my family would go consumed my every thought, making it impossible to get more than an hour of sleep at a time. 

I was tired, but being fully woken up by a knock on my door then Niall coming in with two bowls of corn pops cereal wasn't something I would complain about.

"What the fuck?" The boy questioned aloud before picking up his phone and I did the same with mine.

We were stuck in a group text with Shelly, Harry, and Liam, and each one of them was spamming us with 'GET ON SKYPE!!!!'

"Get on Skype!" Niall jokingly demanded, and I rolled my eyes at him as I climbed out of my bed. His hand playfully tapped against my behind, making heat rush to my cheeks as I yelped. I replied by giving him the middle finger and he chuckled at me while he put Netflix on pause.

I grabbed my laptop off of my desk before sitting back down next to him, and opening it up. As soon as I started up Skype, the call alert sounded, and Niall excitedly pressed the accept button.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Our three friends all said at once, their faces crammed together so we could see each of them equally. My fingers quickly combed through my hair as I spotted in the camera view of me and Niall that I still had a bad case of bed head.

I didn't want to look too stupid in front of my friends, though they had probably seen me looking even worse than I did now.

We hadn't even been away from each other for very long, but I found myself wishing that they could all be here. Zayn, Parker, and Louis included. They'd become a second family to me, and not seeing them or talking to them for more than a day just felt wrong, especially when I was so accustomed to seeing them everyday. 

Them initiating the video call reassured that they probably felt the same way about me and Niall, making my heart swell in my chest.

"Happy Thanksgiving!" Niall replied with a broad grin, throwing his arms in the arm with excitement while we smiled and laughed.

"I miss you guys," I told them once things had quieted down, "what have you been up to?"

"Mr. Gilmore took us to the shooting range!" Harry grinned and I tried not to frown as Niall pouted.

Liam chuckled and leaned in closer to the camera as he pretended to whisper, "Harry didn't hit the target once."

"I came close!" The curly haired boy defended himself.

Shelly tossed her long locks behind her shoulder as a proud smirk painted her pink lips. "I was the best at it."

With a teasing, uneasy laugh I shrugged my shoulders. "For some reason, that doesn't surprise me. Maybe it's because you tell me that if someone ever breaks into our room, you'll kill them first before they get the chance to come near one of us."

The guys broke into laughter and I grinned as I saw my roommate's cheeks go red.

"At least you're safe living with me! How are things in pencil?" She asked, tapping her fingertips on her desk.

"No one calls Pennsylvania that," I reminded her.

"I do!"

Niall put his arm around my shoulders and the smile that took over his face was so big that his happiness was radiating onto everyone that saw it, making all of us smile in return. "They're great! Joss and I have been have a lot of fun just hanging around, and her mum and sister are fit."