ChatRoom101

Chapter 22

"So what's this all about?" Niall asked me.

Currently, we were riding in the van again, on our way to a Nandos joint the boys decided to hire out for the afternoon. Niall was overjoyed when he found out and hugged each boy in turn, thanking them.

"Well, my parents surprised me with plane tickets to here so I could visit you for your birthday. I didn't find out until a few days ago and Alexis and I didn't let the boys know till about two days ago," I explained.

He blew out a huge breath, ruffling his hair. "Wow. I have to thank your parents for this. This is amazing, best birthday ever."

I laughed, "I'm glad you're happy but I'm not actually the birthday present. The boys were just mucking around. Lexi and I both got presents for you too."

He smiled, "You're enough for me, everything else is a bonus."

I giggled, "Aw!"

I looked out the window and marvelled at the London sight. It's a beautiful city and I just knew I had to go sight seeing in the next two weeks. When we got to Nandos, the place was literally dead but that was understandable enough since it was hired out.

When the doors were opened however, people popped up everywhere! "Happy Birthday Niall!" they all shouted. I felt Niall slightly jump beside me and I giggled.

He let go of my hand and ran to his mum, then his dad then again to his older brother. It's amazing that I still know who they are after all these years. "What are you guys all doing here?" he asked, still shocked.

"We wanted to surprise you, lad. I guess it worked," Greg, his older brother said.

I looked around at everyone else standing around and I recognised a few people. Amongst the crowd was Ed Sheeran, Cher Lloyd, Matt Cardle and Olly Murs. There were other familiar faces and the others must be his friends from before he became famous.

Everyone got into tables and soon the food was served. I was placed in a table with the boys, Alexis and Ed.

"So you must be Lucy and you are Alexis," Ed said, nodding at us. We nodded and smiled back, not really knowing what to say. Alexis and I were both fans of Ed's music so we were a bit star struck. We didn't really have to talk much though since the boys started up their own conversations.

Niall had dug into the food while everyone talked to other people and I laughed at the sight of him. He looked up from his food and grinned at me, pushing his plate of Peri-Peri chips towards me. There was collective gasp from the table and we both looked up, wondering what the commotion was.

"You must be really special," Ed remarked. I looked at him questioningly. "Niall just shared his food with you. He never shares!"

I laughed loudly and saw Niall blush deep red. After that, everyone just ate, the place was full of laughter and talking. As Niall finished up, I grabbed his hand from under the table and he turned to look at me.

With my other hand, I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out the box that contained his pick. I laid his hand palms up on my thigh and placed the box in his hand. "This is my real present," I whispered.

He closed his hand around the box and opened the lid. "It's perfect. Thank you, Lucy," he said before kissing me on the lips.

I giggled, "I'm glad you like it."

He grinned widely. He stowed away the little box into his own pocket and grabbed my hand again. "Excuse us. I'm gonna take Lucy around to everyone," he said, standing up and pulling me with him.

First he pulled me to the table with his family and I smiled at them. "Hello, Mr and Mrs Horan. Hello Greg," I greeted them all, giving a small wave.

"Lucy!" they said and stood up to hug me.

"Oh it's great to see you again! It's been too long, dear. How are your parents?" Niall's mum, Maura, asked.

"They're good, actually, this was their idea. They sent me here to see Niall."

"Ah, your dad still good?" Bobby, Niall's dad asked.

I nodded, "Excellent."

"So, Niall's finally got the guts to ask you out, eh? After what, 12 years, li'l bro," Greg teased, ruffling his little brother's hair.

I laughed. "Hey! Gimme a break, I haven't seen her in 12 years," Niall protested. We laughed again. "Well, I'll see you all later, she's got more people to meet."

"Drop by soon, Lucy. We're still at our house in Mullingar and take you parents next time you come," Maura said.

"Will do," I replied then Niall steered me away.

He led me to every table, introducing me and sharing a banter with his mates. It was a really good day and I finally got to meet Niall's friends and family. They were all a nice bunch and I'm still stoked that I got to meet his celebrity friends.

Not once did Niall let my hand go and he kept me close by the whole time. I loved the way his hand dwarfed mine, I had missed this feeling.

As we made our way back to our original table, Niall made it a point to lean into my ear and whisper, "I love you, Lucy."