out of the blue / n.h

Chapter 28

MELANIE RICHARDS

“I have an extra room in the corner and well it’s nearly 10, if you decide to stay here—but not like—I’m asking you to stay, you know, just in case—“

“Just in case you don’t want to bring me home?” I smirk.

“Just in case, you don’t want to be home late. Just like at the party.” He reminds me, rolling his eyes dramatically.

“Yeah, right. . .” I respond as I take a seat on the couch, opening my KFC meal.

As we finish our food, telling jokes and all, we move on to our deep talk and it’s actually really nice to have him here just to spend our time together by confessing each other’s deep thoughts.

“Wait, your dad lives here right? Why don’t you live with your dad? It wouldn’t cost so much money.” I ask as I lay my back on the sofa.

“Yeah, my dad lives here. But I decided to live by myself, but well, sometimes I visit him.” He lays his head up.

“What happened between you and him?” I start to get this conversation into a heart to heart situation.

He exhales. “I was really close to my dad ‘til I was 14. He left us for the job and for a better life he said. He left my mum when I was 5, and my life wasn’t really miserable until my dad decided to send me here because I came home late all the time, making my mum worried every most of the day." He scoffs. "And when I was sent here, I was 18. I became a lot messier than I was back in Ireland. I used to go to the pub with my friends and spent time there. But here, I party every most of the time. Every day is a party. That’s why I’m going to be sent home to Ireland, all over again. But I refused, I don't want to.” He says, holding the water bottle in his hand and opens it to take a gulp. “But, somehow, I manage my future well enough.” He smirks.

I roll my eyes as I laugh. “Wait, why you didn’t want to go back to Ireland?” So many questions are hitting me on my head.

“I don’t want to live with my mum and her new husband. I can’t afford any of other apartments there because my dad literally pays for all the things here. My mum wanted me to live with her. That’s the problem.”

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“Brother, he’s married and they have a son. They lived just an hour drive from my mum.” I nod.

“Wow, good for your brother.” I smile. I suppose his brother isn’t really a messy thug Irish guy like Niall, even though he seems to be one of the honoured students in campus.

He nods and chuckles. “What about you? Would you mind telling me about your family?”

I gulp down through my throat. My dad’s letter flashes through my mind, begging me to cry. I sigh and looks directly at Niall who is curling his body, looking right into my eyes. “Do you really want to know what happened that made me cry back at my house?” I shift my eyes to the ground.

“Well, if you want to share anything, then I’m always here.” He strokes my hand. The little touch between us, somehow making my stomach flutters. I lift my hand and place it on my lap, wiping the sweats away and avoiding any physical contacts that make me flush and nervous.

I exhale then explain everything that happened from studying to the scene where I read the note, to my uncle advised me and cried with me trying to calm me down and I made him promise that my mom don’t have to know about it. Every details I describe with such bravery through my tongue. And to my surprise, I don’t have to avoid the tears coming from my eyes and I don’t have to hold the hiccups to continue to talk. It feels like the right moment where I open up to Niall and that he’s not the wrong person I shared my miserable past to.

Niall looks at me with those pitiful eyes, lips fully parted and his nostrils flaring in and out. He looks pale. He doesn’t make a move. I adjust myself to sit up and smile warmly.

“But it’s over, so, let’s just talk about anything else—“

“Melanie, you’re a great person.”

“What?”

“I said, you’re a great person. There are not much of a person like you out there and I’m,” He furrs his eyebrows. “I’m so glad I met you.” He states still doesn’t make any move. He stays stiff.

I stay quiet and take in every words he just said. “I know.” I giggle. It’s really nice to open up to him and knowing that you are not crying anymore.

“Come here.” He opens his big arm widely and gestures me to lay into him with his big arm securing me. I obligate his offer and I lay my head on his chest, in his securely tight arm around me. My arms are around his waist, pulling him closer to me and press my ear against his broad chest.

In that moment, I feel something alive. I feel a loud drum coming through his chest into my ear. His heart beats louder and faster that makes my whole organ system vibrates sending me chills. Without my awareness, my chest begins to reply his blatant heartbeat. Maybe I've been holding it for quiet long time because it trots like crazy.