I grabbed my wallet, which had my debit cards and provisional and an ass load of pence that I had no use for whatsoever. They all cheered at my acceptance and dragged me to the door before I could even blink.
As we were heading down the lift, I cursed.
“Shit- I forgot my mobile!”
Mattie groaned and reached forward to press the button that would stop the lift from taking us down when Ariel stopped her. “If Niall or her mum needs to get to her, they’ll just call us when they don’t get through. It’ll be fine.”
She agreed but I didn’t really care anyways. I used to be attached to my mobile and if I wasn’t with it I would feel empty. But now, if could go days without even thinking about it.
“I’m pretty excited,” Janessa smiles at us. “It’ll be nice to finally get back into the real world! The only time one of us leaves the flat is when Mattie goes to buy food!”
“Testify,” Meredith smirked as she leaned against the wall. “Preach it.”
I laughed, but stopped almost immediately. That had been the first time I laughed since he left- really laughed. For those few seconds, I was blissfully unaware of my emptiness.
“I’m glad I have you guys.” I grabbed Mattie and Ariel’s hands and looked around at my four best friends. “I’m really blessed to have you looking out for me.”
There was silence, but of course Meredith broke it. “Can someone say ‘hellz yeah’?”
She was right. Not about what she just said, but what she said earlier. This shopping trip was going to make me feel loads better.
~*~
We laughed. We sang. We even danced a little.
For once in a while, I felt… free. Like anything was possible and everything was going to be okay. Sure, I constantly had Niall in the back of my mind, but I was with my best friends and that was all that mattered in this moment.
I walked out of the restaurant, a drunken Meredith on one arm and Janessa on my other, and a wallet half empty. It was two in the afternoon and I’d spent roughly six hundred pounds on clothes and presents for the others. It was nice to be able to give back after so many years of being a poor parasite. Of course, they’d protest and say it was too much, but I always bought it for them in the end.
“I feel like,” Meredith paused, stumbling a bit. “Even though I’m legal… I shouldn’t be able to drink.”
Ariel laughed, skipping ahead with full sobriety. “Meredith, you’re such a light weight! You had one drink, and it wasn’t even that strong! Janessa can hold liquor better then you!”
“Hush, my child.” Meredith raised a finger at Ariel and smiled. “All I need is a cold shower or whatever mums say…”
“Yeah, I think it’s time to head home now.” Mattie picked up Meredith’s mobile off of the sidewalk, which fell out of her relaxed hand. She would have fallen over long ago if I wasn’t for my supporting arm. Mattie held up the mobile and pointed it at Meredith. “But first, I think Louis would love to see his darling lover in this state.”
“Oh my gosh!” Janessa laughed and rushed over to help hold Meredith up. “How much did you drink?”
“One million,” Meredith said while holding up two fingers. “Whaddyou think?”
“Louis, this is fair warning!” Mattie smiled at the camera on the front of Meredith’s mobile and I could see Louis smiling on the screen.
“Get out while you still can!” I joked, and could hear Louis chuckle.
YOU ARE READING
Tonight's Cloudy Sky (Niall Horan Fan Fiction)
FanfictionA very wise man once said that- when it came to life- you never knew what you were going to get. It's a sort of philosophy for Amelia, who's experienced her fair share of downs and is currently waiting for the ups. And when they finally do come to h...
