Honest Illusions [niall horan]

Chapter 15

Aubrey's P.O.V.

The month of May quickly came to an end in the blink of an eye. Over the past two weeks, my anticipation to board my flight for London increased day by day. Niall had been texting every day since his call to invite me, updating me on the wedding preparations. His updates included everything from the type of cake frosting being used to the nerves he had giving his best man speech. There was no denying the rush of amusement I got whenever I read over his messages. I think it was safe to say that Niall and I were back to being the best friends we had been years ago.

Things between Pete and I had patched up a bit, but not to the point where everything was perfect between us again. For some reason he remained bitter and hostile towards my trip to London- nothing seemed to make him budge. Despite the number of times I reassured him I was truly going to a friend's wedding, he still continued to be stubborn. My mind was still drowned in confusion since our argument at his mom's house a few weeks ago. He seemed so tense and frustrated, looking like he was about to explode into a raging fit at any moment. And he did, ultimately taking it out on me.

Of course, just like how all our other arguments were resolved, he finally came to the realization that he was wrong and apologized. I, on the other hand, didn't forgive him so easily this time. He really disappointed me this time, and it made me wonder if the rest of my life going to be a rollercoaster of ups and downs with Pete. Granted, no relationship was perfect but I didn't want to spend my marriage filled with sadness and disappointment.

Throughout the past couple days, his spirits lifted a tiny bit, giving me a morsel of hope he'd stop being so hardheaded. He stopped by my office earlier, brought me flowers, took me out to lunch; it was sweet. Taking me by surprise, he wished me a safe flight and to have a great time. At that, I nearly choked on my sandwich piece I was chewing. I just couldn't manage to understand the way Pete's mindset worked, even though I've known him for years. Maybe this time, he came to the conclusion that he was overreacting.

Now, that I was finished typing out the agenda for the next few days at work for Rachel, I quickly added a remainder to call or text me just in case she needed anything before emailing it over to her. Currently, Rachel was helping me brainstorm new topics to look into as a reference point for the next issue. Our window of time was pretty good, so I wasn't too worried about leaving her with such a task.

Thankfully, I remembered to pack ahead of time rather than putting it off until an hour before I was set to leave. After internally debating back and forth, I decided it would be best if I took one suit case. I was only staying there for three days, two and a half days to be more precise. I packed all my essentials including make-up, straightener, flats, a few dresses, and a couple jackets. With London's unpredictable weather, I wanted to be prepared to be dressed comfortably. Paranoid with my outfit selections, I kept on checking the weather there for the next few days just in case I needed to drag an umbrella or rain boots with.

"All packed?" Lauren's voice sounded from the entrance of my room. As much as I would have loved to bring Adam with me to London, I couldn't. Coincidentally, this weekend was the second of the four play off games his league was entered in. On top of that, school was still in session, and there was no way I would take him out now, especially with there only being a few weeks of school left for him. Being the life saver she is, Lauren agreed, without any hesitation, to watching him while I was gone.

"I think so," I breathed out, shutting my laptop and securely placing it back inside my case. Lauren stepped inside my room, walking closer and closer until she was able to sit at the foot of my bed. "Thanks again, Laur. I know I'm putting a burden on you," I said, stressing how thankful I was to have a best friend that resembled a sister to me.