Stay with Me (A Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 35

I have always been a very peace loving person. When I was a kid, I remembered myself to be the docile and calm child whose brain couldn’t hitch ideas more notorious than throwing away the nutritious but awful breakfast through the window or sit back and watch Tom & Jerry constantly without taking a bath. I have always kept myself miles away from problems, troubles or struggles. A smooth and stress free life is all that I’ve always craved for. However, my fate planned something entirely opposite to my desires which I discovered last year after my family died in that car accident. I was crushed, hopeless, broken and lonely with not a single idea of what to do and where to start from. But my docile character concealed a fighter beneath it as well and during my moments of need, it rescued me from hell. It nuzzled me in its hopeful and enduring arms while guiding me towards a probable silver lining.

To say that I’ve found my silver lining after meeting Niall would be incorrect. I have known him for three months only and even though I’m deeply in love with him, I couldn’t take the silver lining for granted. However, I could at least say that it appeared attainable being present at a visible distance.

Today is our farewell party in college. I woke up in the morning after having a pretty nice sleep because somehow the nightmare didn’t return yesterday night. However, what still kept me anxious and frightened were Jolene’s words from yesterday.

“Well, fine even if I consider that he genuinely loves you, have you thought about the consequences? The limit of this relationship?”

I haven’t been able to stop brooding over it trying to extrapolate its probable if not exact meaning. That she didn’t lie was proved by Niall himself as he agreed to have had sex with Nora. However, it would be wrong if I suspected him on grounds of this because I knew everything and his reasons too. Had he had any intention to simply sleep with me and forget me, he wouldn’t have done what he did for me. He wouldn’t have come to my house just to see if I was okay after I screamed at him for making me lose my job, he wouldn’t have picked me up after I fainted at my doorstep and called a doctor for me, he wouldn’t have drenched in rain to bring me medicines, he wouldn’t have had a fever for me, he wouldn’t have helped me find this great job, he wouldn’t have confessed my worth to him before Madam Priyanka when he had a chance with her and most importantly he wouldn’t have introduced me to his friends and family.

But what kept bugging me was something that was more deeply embedded in this matter. Jolene’s interrogation of the ‘limit’ of our relationship signaled something very complicated than Niall breaking my heart. I realized that even if I split my hairs and bite off all my nails, I wouldn’t be able to analyze the matter so I better go with the flow and stay excited for the farewell in the evening.

I spent the whole morning watching Friends on rerun. During the weekends, the later seasons were played on marathon from the morning till noon and again from evening to night. I knew semesters were starting after a week but I was too excited and saturated with thoughts to concentrate on studies. I consumed some toasts with scrambled eggs for breakfast and cooked khichdi (a preparation of rice with pulses and spices) along with potato chips for lunch. After the lunch, I was so full that I decided to lie down a bit before I start to get ready for the farewell party.

My mobile burst into a song. I grabbed it from beside me to witness Niall’s number flashing. I picked it up.

“Hello” I said in a hoarse voice.

“Woah…what’s with your voice?” He inquired.

“Nothing, I’m just feeling a bit drowsy.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes, I’m perfectly fine.”

“Good, what are you doing?” He gasped.