Always On My Mind (Sequel to Always In My Heart)

Chapter 11- Life

"Thank you very much," I say gratefully to the Starbucks worker, grabbing both me and Nikki's drinks from the counter. I pull two straws from the little bin and begin to walk off.

"Sure thing!" the teenage boy responds cheerfully with a smile and a nod. Nikki has ordered a Vanilla Bean Frapuccino while I ordered an Iced Green Tea. I leisurely walk over to our little table, Nikki watching me with a bit of curiosity and concern. I gently set the drinks down on the table, tossing the straws down next to them.

She stares at me with big, green eyes, tapping her fingertips on the table. I take a deep breath and sit down in my chair across from her, reaching to pull my tea over to myself.

"So, what is it that you needed to talk about so bad?" she asks curiously, putting the straw in her drink and taking a sip. I blink quickly, hitting the end of my straw on the table to puncture the wrapper.

"Uh, well... I kind of figure that you are going to be okay with it," I begin, bringing the straw up to my mouth and shooting the wrapper at Nikki from across the table. She laughs slightly and pulls the wrapper out of her lap, crumpling it in her hand.

"Stop stalling, Louis. Spit it out," she prods, reminding me so much of when Harry told me this yesterday. I take a deep breath and put my straw in my drink, wiggling it around a bit to stir up the tea.

"Okay, I am assuming you will be okay with it, but I'm not sure," I repeat again, taking a sip of the tea before setting it back down on the table.

"Okay...?" Nikki asks curiously, raising her eyebrows and chewing on the end of her straw before taking another sip. I look up at her, locking eyes before I swallow hard.

"Yesterday, Harry asked me to move in with him," I quickly say, immediately taking a big drink of green tea. I watch from under my eyelashes as Nikki quickly blinks a few times before sitting back in her chair. She crosses her legs with a small smile, tapping her fingers on the sides of the plastic cup.

"And why were you so afraid to tell me this, Lou?" she asks with a cocked eyebrow and a look of pity. I blush slightly, looking down at my fingernails in my lap.

"I don't know," I respond, shrugging my shoulders. "I guess because I was afraid you would be mad. You know, because we have lived together for so long now," I admit, swirling the straw around in my tea again awkwardly.

"Louis, why would I ever be mad over something like that? That's so exciting!" she exclaims, making me smile a bit. I blink in surprise up at her, not believing how well she is taking this.

"R-really?" I ask curiously, chewing on my straw. She smiles wide and nods, quickly standing up to walk over and hug me tight. I sigh contently, so relieved that she isn't mad at me.

"Of course! This is so exciting, boo! We have always talked about this, remember? This is the beginning of another chapter of your life!" she says happily, gently pulling away from the hug with tears in her eyes. I smile joyfully and nod in understanding, tears suddenly filling my eyes. Nikki walks back over to her side of the table, sitting down and drinking her frapuccino.

"I didn't tell Harry this," I begin with a sniffle,"but I am a bit nervous about the adjustment," I admit, looking down at my hands. I see Nikki nod out of the corner of my eye.

"When Harry and I would get into arguments, our apartment was always my save haven. I always had that backup for when things would get bad," I explain, looking up at Nikki with a worried expression.

"And you will still have that, Louis," she says reassuringly, taking a sip of her drink with bright eyes. I sniffle a little and blink quickly, trying not to let any tears fall.