Stay with Me (A Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 26

Today is Holi and so our college is closed.

Holi is a festival of colors and a major festival in India. People play with colors and enjoy while gulping down drinks and sweets. I have always loved this festival with me and Jenny playing like crazy maniacs. During school generally we had our final examinations approaching at this time but still we didn't care. We played with different forms of colors like the dry ones as well as the wet ones (which leaves color marks on your body for a longer period of time) and resulted in having pink, red and green patches of colors on our bodies. Our mom used to tell us to apply coconut oil all over our skins before going out to play but we never listened as we liked having the marks of colors. It was a sign that we played real good.

Since the car accident snatched away my entire family from me last year, I have stopped playing Holi. I didn’t play last year and I planned to not play this year too or ever actually. Playing Holi without my sister felt incomplete. My flat-mates play it every year with great enthusiasm but other than Mrs. Gandhi nobody cares to ask me and frankly, I am glad for that. It would've been quite difficult for me to reject everyone.

Yesterday, in college when I told Niall about today being a national holiday due to Holi, he impressively remembered about the festival. He remembered me telling him about it the day we went to that fair in Salt Lake. He seemed pretty excited and insisted me in playing with him but I just couldn't find the heart to agree. Jenny’s laughing and color filled face appeared before my eyes as if requesting me to not play with him or anyone without her. I couldn't betray her.

The clock struck 11.00 Am when I sat on my couch with the bowl filled with cereals and milk in my hand. I studied till quite late at night yesterday hence, I got a bit late to wake up even though there was no college. I turned on the television and browsed through the channels. All the news channels were all about people celebrating Holi all around India and everything related to it. I switched those channels again and again until Vh1 appeared playing Taylor Swift’s ‘You Belong with Me’. I kept checking my phone to see if any message came from Niall.

Maybe he is sleeping.

Just then I heard my door-bell ring. I growled and thumped the bowl on the centre table as I went towards the door. I thought it must be Mrs. Gandhi. She must have come to convince me to play Holi with everyone in the flat. However, when I opened it I was stunned to notice Niall standing before me with different shades of dry colors all over his face and arms and tee. He wore a white vest and a blue shorts reaching his knee-ends. The white ankle boots on his feet were replaced by green ones and his blonde messy hair dazzled.

“What in the God’s name are you doing here?” I inquired.

“I just wanted to do this with you.” He said and fetched out a small paper bag from his short’s front pocket. He grabbed a handful of dry herbal color with his left hand and smeared it all over my face.

“Niall……..ahhh….don’t do this….I told you, I don’t wanna play……” I couldn't speak properly as I kept moving my face away to restrict him from smearing the colors on my face.

“Happy Holi” He said in his strong Irish accent and laughed.

I kept my head down trying to breathe a little after the vigorous smearing from Niall before lifting it up and hitting him on his right forearm.

“You irritate me so much.” I screamed.

He kept laughing before suddenly grabbing me by my waist and kissing my lips deeply. The colors around our lips got inside our mouth but we were too lost in the kiss to care about it.

“You’re ridiculously crazy.” I said as we pulled our lips away and touched our foreheads.

“I know.” He laughed softly attracting one from me too.