In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Fifty One

Chapter Fifty-One 

Roxy’s POV

“Niall!” I groaned. I flopped backward on the floor, the various carpet samples and cataloges strewn around me in a semicircle. He wasn’t even here, but I shook my fist at the ceiling, sending a silent curse to him as he was out gallivanting around London with his Irish friends while I sat here and tried to decide which blue would be best for the master bath. Drizzle, Reflecting Pool, Open Seas all of these stupid names failed to exude a sense of tranquility, and instead made me want to drown myself in the huge bathtub.

“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic?” Ryan said as he stepped over my crumpled form and sat down in the chair. I just continued to lie there, the open binder of fabric swatches covering my face.

“Uhhhh.”

“Ooo, ballsac blue is nice!” He laughed.

“Shaddup.” I groaned from beneath my mask.

It was true that I was bringing this on myself. Niall lived in his flat for nearly five years, and didn’t manage to get a single photo hung on the wall. He didn’t really care. But, since the house was a bit of a bigger deal, he wanted to make sure it felt like his, or ours. Like home. We argued for an hour last night about it. He wants to hire a designer, and I think it’s a waste of money. I’m a project person, so I figured it wouldn’t be that big of a deal.

I was wrong. I was way out of my element. I had gotten dressed and left him in bed early this morning to head out and get all of these samples and magazines in order to get cracking. And now I’ve been defeated by fifty shades of blue.

We were leaving for Mullingar in a few days, and then we’d be headed “across the pond” as they say, back to the house I grew up in, and the simple life I used to lead. Niall didn’t want to be bothered with the stress of moving, so he’d already arranged for our flats to be packed up and all of our stuff moved to the new place while we were gone.

And he thinks that’s all there is that needs to be done. Just box it up, move it, unpack it, turn on football, have a couple beers. There was so much more to it; from picking out furniture to ordering window treatments to these stupid paint colors. And as good as I was at managing a project, I had no vision. Plus, I was a little unsure of how to navigate all of this. I mean, it’s his house.

“Phone.” I said, extending my open palm to my brother, who snagged my cell from the coffee table and plopped it into my hand.

                Roxy: Why am I the worst at everything?

                Niall: Not everything. Want me to make some calls tomorrow?

                Roxy: Fiiiiine. How’s the craic?

                Niall: Craic’s good. You comin up?

It was only ten o’clock.  “Wanna go to the bar, Ry?” I said, loading the remnants of my failed attempt at interior design back into the thick plastic bag I brought them home in. He cracked open a bottle of beer and pulled his Xbox headset over his ears.

“Nah.” He said, thumbs already clicking away at the raised buttons on the black controller.

“Whatever.” I said, heading to my room to find something to wear. “Hope you get laid in virtual reality.”

Harry’s POV

I jammed my hands further into the pockets of my peacoat and walked along the path, the drifts of snow moving easily as my feet scuffed the pavement. The knit scarf around my face served as an excellent disguise. It was late, and the park was fairly empty, the Christmas lights strung on the trees and lampposts illuminating nearly every inch of it.