Cigarettes and Hickies [n.h]

vingt

"Hello?" Niall spoke, his voice was tired and Ocean could hear some voices in the background. "Hello?" He repeated again, slightly more forceful as he got no reply.

Hearing his voice, made Ocean's stomach churn. For a moment, she froze; she didn't know what to say, he was rendering her speechless and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. All the things she wanted to say to him, were soon leaving her head and she was finding it hard to find her words.

"Damn," She mumbled as she switched her phone from ear to ear considering hanging up. This is stupid, she thought. A small curse slipped from her lips, and Niall immidately recognised the voice.

"Ocean?!" He asked as he straightened up in his seat; a smile was already making its way to his lips.

"Hi," She finally said slightly uncertain. She felt captivated even if he wasn't there, and so she thought that she might as well go along with this call. She wasn't one to coward away, and Niall knew that.

"Hi," He replied, and Ocean could feel him grinning. Her eyes rolled and a small scoff left her chapped lips as she pictured him doing so. Suddenly, the voices in the background were lowered, and Ocean realised they were coming from the TV.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she didn't know what else to say. The silence was making her uncomfortable and she knew the question in itself was making the moment awkward, but the words were arlready out and flying in the air.

"Watching a match; but it's half time..."

A small light in the back of her head came on as she wondered about what match it was. She hoped West Ham weren't playing, as her day was already shitty enough to have to add the missed match to it too. "Oh, so that's why you didn't pick up."

"If I had known it was you, I would have picked up straight away."

A smile hung from the corner of her lips as an involuntary blush crept to her cheeks. "Even if it was in the middle of the match?"

"Even if they were about to score a goal." He said frankly, blushing slightly as the words escaped his mouth. That meant a great deal, and it even surprised Niall himself, upon saying them. The world could be crushing around him, and he'd still want to end the game; yet, somehow, Ocean seemed slightly more important than that at the moment.

He heard a laugh on the other end of the line, and he bit his lower lip already expecting the insult that was about to leave her lips.

"Why would you?" She asked slightly baffled. "I will never answer a call during a match; especially if they were about to score a goal! Like, are you crazy?"

There were so many things that peaked Niall's interest in those words. The fact that she just so openly declared her liking to football, was completely drawing him in even more. This couldn't be happening, he was supposed to hate her; now more than ever. Especially after being so sure she was was with Jasper. But as he thought about Jasper, he felt as if someone had punched him in the chest.

"Because it's you, Ocean." He said firmly, slightly thwarted that he had to keep telling her that he was beginning to feel something for her. His actions were obvious, and it aggrevated him that she would still choose that bastard.

"But I don't like you, Niall."

Her words came as an even bigger blow to his chest, as he heard her mumble them so casually. Niall laughed in defense trying hard not to take it to heart, as he cursed under his breath at still being surprised with her unpredictability. He knew he didn't like her like that, he only cared for her. Yet, her words were like venom striking at his heart.