Before You Go [N.H]

9.4 - Roadtrip - Ireland

Lucy's POV

'Niall, baby... I'm not sure this is a good idea. Maybe be we should go back.'

'Darling, it's gonna be fine! Besides, it's a bit too late for that now. We're way past Dublin now. Almost home.'

'We could always turn back and go back to the airport and take a flight back home to London.'

'We're not doing that! Darling, it's gonna be fine. You're just nervous and anxious but I promise they're the nicest people. You're gonna love them.'

'Yeah but they're not gonna love me.'

'Who told you that?? I talk to my parents all the time about you and they already love you.'

'Did you tell them everything? That I'm fucked up and make your life a living hell sometimes.'

'No, because it's not true. You don't. But yeah I told my mum everything.'

'And?'

'And what? It doesn't change anything. You're still a wonderful person that makes me happy and gives me a purpose. Don't think too much about it. It's just lunch with my dad and his girlfriend and my brother and then dinner with mum.'

'I... I can't Niall. I... I'm sorry I can't.'

'Alright. Just calm down. Breathe.' He says holding and squeezing my hand in comfort without looking away from the street.

'You're not turning around?' I ask after a while.

'No, I'm not. You've been up all night. You're tired. We'll get there at 10 am. We'll have a little time before we need to meet them for lunch. You'll feel better by then.'

I don't say anything. I don't want to upset him or disappoint his family. He's been talking about it all week. Can't blame him for being excited about it. But it didn't really help my anxiety. It kept building it up in my head. Being such a huge event that is happening. The paranoia hitting that I'm gonna do something to ruin it. And then his parents will hate me and Niall would break up with me because he can't be with someone his parents don't approve of. And then I'll be miserable because I ruined the one good thing in my life.

'You're not gonna ruin anything. It'll go great. Trust me.'

'Was I thinking out loud?' I ask.

'No, but I know how you think by now.'

'Fair enough.'

I look outside as we're driving through town, watching the people, the endless string of pubs. The perfect balance between a city and a village. Not too big, not too small. With some breathtaking views. Niall suddenly parks the car on the side of the road where there's a small park by the river. I let him do what he wants even though I don't think it'll work. I don't see how he can just calm me down enough to go meet his family.

'I used to come here with my friends after school. We would sneak out of the house and come here instead of doing our homework.' He explains.

'And what would you guys do here?'

'Just hang out. Play some games. I would sing and they'd just carry on with their stuff. We would dream about our futures and all the places we would go. All the people we would meet. What our future wives would be like. Where we would live with our families.'