Letters Not Sent, Voices Not Heard {A One Direction Fan Fiction}

Chapter 20 ~ The Boy Is Dying While She's Thriving

March 2013

Niall’s P.O.V.

The crowd was going insane that night in Dublin. It was our first show there and I couldn’t wait for it to be over so I could go see mum, dad, and Greg. Mum had said we were to have dinner with the McCallahans the next day. I was hoping that maybe Bailey would have come home for a break and I could talk to her. But another part of me didn’t want to see her because I knew how painfully awkward it would be.

It was a great homecoming concert for me and my best buds were there even, with signs in the crowd. I caught up with them after the show, making plans for a night out later that week.

But nothing was going to take my mind off of Bailey.

Every word I sang on every stage for every song had her in mind. I missed her more than was healthy. The boys knew this, always trying to cheer me up but I wasn’t going to be happy until she was with me again.

“Niall!” Bailey’s mum hugged me tightly as I walked into her home. “It’s so good to see you!”

“It’s nice to see you too Regina,” I smiled at her before shaking hands with Bailey’s dad. I noticed right away that Bailey was absent. Not that it surprised me. She had a job in New York, she couldn’t just fly home for dinner…much less if it was dinner with me.

We all sat down for Regina’s home cooking and I knew I was in for an amazing meal. Her mum had always made the best food.

They asked me about the lads and the tour and I told them how well everything was going. And then I asked about Bailey.

“Oh Bailey,” Regina said. “She loves New York. She has a great job and she’s doing really well at it too. She’s really thriving there.”

“That’s good,” I smiled half-heartedly as my heart shattered. She loves it there. She’s thriving. She doesn’t need to come back to Europe, come back to me.

“Where is she working?” my mum asked and I tried to block out their conversation as they began to talk about Bailey.

“Oh she’s working for Seventeen magazine. She’s interning there. She wants to go into fashion photography and from what I’ve heard, they’re really helping her.”

“Where is she staying?” my dad asked.

“She’s living with a girl named Delilah in an apartment. She’s said they get along just fine,” her dad answered.

I was focused on my dinner as I continued to attempt to block the conversation out. An effort that wasn’t working.

“So is she seeing anyone?” my mum asked. I choked on my water and everyone looked at me as my dad clapped me on the back.

“Sorry,” I said.

“Anyway,” Regina smiled at me. “No she isn’t. She doesn’t have much time to go out, she’s so busy with work.”

“Is she going to be able to make it out for the wedding?” my mum asked. I choked again. I had forgotten Bailey would probably fly out for my brother’s wedding at the end of the month.

“Niall stop eating so quickly!” my mum laughed. “You’ll kill yourself by the end of the night.”

I smiled weakly as Regina finished, “No I don’t think so. I’m sorry Maura but I don’t think her job will let her leave.”

“That’s fine,” my mum smiled. “I understand. Niall will eat an extra plate of food anyway.”

Everyone laughed as I sighed in relief as the topic turned to my brother’s upcoming wedding and Bailey was no longer the point of attention. I missed her so much and having dinner with her parents as they talked about her was killing me. A part of me was happy she wasn’t going to be there so I wouldn’t have to see how much I had hurt and angered her, but I wanted to see and talk to her at the same time. I couldn’t call her. Not when she might hang up on me or just scream at me and make me feel worse.