In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Fifty- Nine

Chapter Fifty-Nine 

Roxy’s POV

I sat at the usual table; the one with the best view of the street. There was nothing better than watching the passersby over a cup of coffee. I always found myself inventing back stories for them; where they’re going, or more often, where they’ve just been. I wonder statistically how many of them are in love, or how many of them have a secret they’ve never told. 

I wonder what people assume about me.

The door clanged open and closed and she rushed in, unraveling her chunky-knit scarf from around her neck. She spotted me quickly, knowing just where to look. I had been agonizing over the next fifteen seconds. Do I smile? Do I stand? Should we hug?

Where do we start?

“Hey.” I said, smiling- but not too big. “Good to see you.”

Niall’s POV

I took my bowl to the couch and turned on the t.v. for a little background noise. I’ve only been alone in the house a handful of times, and I don’t care for the quiet. Roxy always had music going; a carefully selected station to suit her mood or task. I tossed the remote back to the table, the sports replays and commentary filling the empty space as I slurped the last bit of milk from the bottom of my bowl.

I was hoping Roxy would be down for a quiet night in. I pulled off my socks and tossed them on the floor, a bad habit to be fair, but she sure is cute when she scolds me. I can already see her with one hand on her hip, the socks pinched between her thumb and forefinger. I pulled my computer to my lap and pried open the lid. I refreshed the page of Derby results and opened a new tab for Twitter, absentmindedly browsing my mentions for the first time in weeks.

It seems that the topic of the day was Roxy.

Roxy’s POV

She stood there awkwardly for a moment before sitting. “It’s good to see you.” She said. “I’ve missed you.”

The words stung me, and I didn’t expect it. Penny and I had been texting for over a month now, and we’d finally gotten to a place where we both knew we’d need to meet face-to-face. She has made it very clear that she wants to repair our friendship. But, I still have that acid feeling in my throat when I think about how she betrayed me. How could we even bounce back from that? Why would we want to?

All of these questions I’ve asked her, and she says she has an answer. So, that’s why I’m here in this café; I am giving her the benefit of the doubt, and an open ear. Keeping an open mind might be a bit more of a struggle.

We exchanged the common pleasantries, but didn’t really have all that much to catch up on. I knew that she’d left Kyle, and found a better job. She’s in a place on her own now, dating around but not looking for anything serious. A lot can change in six months, apparently.

The way she was skirting around the topic told me that she was uneasy. “So, tell me why you thought it would be a good idea to sell my personal property to the press.” I said, taking a sip of my water; the condensation sticking to my fingertips. I thought it best just to cut to the chase.

She paused for a moment and sat back against her chair.  I expected her to be remorseful, maybe even shed a tear. Instead she sat there coolly. “It was a misunderstanding.” She said plainly.

I felt myself growing irritated. I had no interest in extracting an explanation. If there was one, she needed to be on with it quickly. I resisted the urge to toss a sarcastic “Oh, okay.” her way.