Lights, Camera, Action [N.H]

04

<3 my apologies, i have exams and i've had to rewrite a bunch of chapters already cause im not happy with the way things panned out. enjoy this one!

The next morning I woke up, and the last I remember was drinking a glass of water in a club. How fun of me. I looked around for my phone, my bag, or literally any of my belongings. I was, once again, planted on Claire's couch, my purse on the coffee table, my phone on the floor next to me, and my borrowed jacket hanging off the end of the couch. Surprisingly, the one glass of water I remember consuming did me good, as I barely had much but a headache. I looked around the room, not seeing Claire, and grabbed my phone to check the time. It was late, 10:14 am. I immediately shot up. Shit, had I missed work? I didn't even know where I was meant to be, Claire had been walking me around like a lost shelter puppy for the past few days. I freaked out until I remembered it was a Sunday. Although I was gone for a month, I remembered we still got Sundays and Mondays off. Prior to last night, I thought I'd use the days off to explore the city, but honestly, the only thing I'd be exploring today was the nearest, strongest coffee cup.

I swiveled off the couch, making myself a cup of coffee, turning on the TV, and rotting away in front of it. Claire eventually woke up and emerged from the bedroom, as she began to make her own coffee and we exchanged stories from last night. She filled in the rest of the night for me. Apparently, no one really lasted much longer than me and I was unceremoniously carried through the apartment floor and put onto her couch by none other than Niall himself, who thought it was absolutely hilarious I had basically passed out moments after drinking water, of all things. I, on the other hand, was extremely embarrassed that at my new job, I had already made a drunken fool of myself in front of the woman and man who were technically both my bosses. Claire told me not to stress, assuring me everyone at one point or another had done something similar, and they did "those kinds of nights" specifically to get new hires to loosen up in a very stressful, highly coveted kind of environment. She says most of their new hires basically get scared of Niall because he's famous, so it usually allows him to meet you, and vice versa in a relaxed environment. Although it didn't make me feel 100% better, it definitely lifted a bit of the weight off my shoulders. 

I asked her about our plans for the day, and if she had anything in mind, as I was unsure myself as to what I should be doing in a city I'd never been to before. Claire gave some suggestions, and we got dressed in some comfortable but nice outfits much later in the day and headed out for an early dinner together. It was a beautiful restaurant, but casual. The lighting was moody, we sat in the corner, once again gossiping as she asked me about my job prior to being here, and I responded to each of her questions intently, gazing at the other people within the space, some of which were playing pool at the tables scattered around. By the end of the evening we were both tired and relaxed, and after I returned to my room, basically fell asleep as soon as my body entered the bed. The next day consisted of a bit more of the same, but less tiredness and more shopping. Since I hadn't really spent much more than a dime since I arrived, I had a decent amount of money to spend out and about shopping. We finally stopped for lunch, exhausted by the sheer volume of bags I was carrying,

"You've outdone yourself, haven't you!" Claire exclaimed. I laughed,

"Isn't that how it goes? Something about... how shopping is always more fun when it's not at home?" I questioned jokingly. 

We both ate a small lunch and sat in comfortable silence, before continuing on shopping. I was starting to appreciate greatly how open, friendly, and comfortable I was feeling with Claire. Despite our almost 6-year age gap, I felt like she was not only my age but my best friend. Speaking of which, I hadn't spoken to my actual best friend in a few days. I'm sure she was dying to hear all about what had been happening. I made a mental note to call her later. When Claire and I finally finished shopping, we booked an Uber back to the hotel. I dropped all the bags I was holding, and we went to our separate rooms once again. I sent a text to Ashlee before I forgot.