Foreign Exchange (A Nouis Story)

Chapter 2: Airport Awkwardness

Judging from the papers mum forced me to read from the Foreign Exchange company and the sign my father was holding up, his name was Niall. Niall Horan. He was 18 years old, from Ireland. As the day went on, I became anxious to see the boy who was going to live with us for the next 4 months, although I wasn't too pleased about it. Rooming with another teenage guy was definitely not written on my desk calendar. But after hearing my parent's announcement only yesterday, I didn't really have a choice. I just hoped that he wasn't an ass.

"Flight 83 has just arrived." The recorded voice echoed through the entire airport. Hearthrow was extra crowded today, and I was lucky to have my bum on the same bench for the past 40 minutes while we waited for Niall's plane to arrive.

"Louis, dear, could you go pick up Niall's luggage for him? He's had a long flight and I'm sure he would appreciate it."

"Ah, sure mum." I shoved my Kindle into my bag and took off for baggage claim. I needed a break from Tolstoy anyway.

I joined the line of passengers waiting for their luggage and shoved my hands in the pockets of my navy Jack Willis hoodie, trying to look casual. I sensed someone staring at my backside, and looked out the corner of my eye. A tall blonde boy was behind me, wearing grey sweatpants, red Supras, and an Ed Sheeran hoodie. He noticed I was looking at him and nodded a greeting at me, embarrassed that I caught him looking. I smirked and turned back around awkwardly, feeling my internal organs go slightly numb at the sight of him. I felt this strange urge to turn back around and talk to him, something I usually didn't do. Especially with hot strangers.

The woman attendant at the counter spoke into her headset: "Niall Horan, your bags are ready. Passenger number 503, Niall Horan." Phew. I was eager to escape the beautiful boy behind me, afraid I would collapse if I saw any more of him. I walked up to the counter and was surprised to see not only a green monogrammed duffel bag waiting for me, but a guitar case.

I large hand brushed mine slightly and reached out to grab the duffel at the same time as me. "Sorry lad, these are mine." A low voice came from behind me. One with a faint Irish accent.

Oh dear god.

I closed my eyes and prayed with everything in me that the person behind me wasn't blondie. I turned, and gulped. It was.

I felt his gaze on me, and I immediately became self-conscious. Then I realized that he was staring at our hands. We were both still holding the strap of the duffel bag. Being awkward in public wasn't unusual for me, but I literally couldn't function in front of this boy. I looked up into his bright blue eyes, and for some reason I could bring myself to pull away. I mentally thanked myself for wearing my contacts today instead of my glasses. I didn't want him to think that I was any more of a geek than I already revealed.

"Oh sorry, I uh... didn't realize. My mum... asked me to get--" I struggled to finish my sentence. His face suddenly lit up.

"Oh so you're Louis! From the host family! I saw the name 'Tomlinson' on your backpack but I didn't think anything of it," Niall chuckled, adjusting the green snapback on his head. "Well. This is awkward."

I laughed, relaxing a little after I realized just how funny the situation was. "Ehm...yeah. Here, I'll take your bags," I replied, feeling like an idiot. The sleeves on his hoodie were snug against his arms, and I knew he could obviously handle them. But it was the nice thing to do; after all, he was our guest for the next 4 months. I pushed that realization to the back of my mind as I led him over to my parents back at the waiting benches. I was suddenly very grateful that the airport was so busy; I could take a few deep breaths without him noticing.

"Well hello there! You must be Niall? I'm Jay Tomlinson, and this is my husband Mark. I see you've already met our son, Louis." Mum's smile was unusually wide as she introduced us. Either she was trying to make a good first impression or she liked Niall already... Not that I blamed her.

"It's great to meet you! England is beautiful so far, from what i've seen out the plane window. I'm a lucky lad," He laughed and held out his hand to greet us. If he was nervous, he definitely didn't show it.

"Oh, let's not start off formal, Niall, dear. C'mere!" My mom exclaimed, pulling him in. I couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked as he crouched down to hug her back.

"You're family now!"

Oh yeah. Family. Right.