Foreign Exchange (A Nouis Story)

Chapter 11: The Party

Niall POV

"So Niall, have you been enjoying England so far?" Louis's mum asked me, drying the dishes that I volunteered to wash after dinner. Host-mum bonding and all.

"Yes! It's been absolutely incredible, I couldn't be happier," I replied. And it was the truth. Doncaster was treating me very well, and I couldn't have gotten a better family to stay with.

"Good." Jay smiled her appreciation, but her lips were thin and she had a far away look in her eyes. I could tell she was holding something back.

"What?" I asked, my voice soft now.

"Well, I probably shouldn't be telling you this, I don't want to create any tension, but Louis wasn't entirely happy with the idea of a foreign exchange student in the beginning," she admitted, scrubbing a plate dry and placing it in the cabinet.

"Hmm," I hummed a response. I wasn't surprised. After 2 weeks of being around the lad, it was obvious Louis wasn't much of an extrovert.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I hope he's been giving you lots of attention, being polite, yeah?" She questioned.

"Oh, yes, ma'am, Louis has been wonderful to me." I assured her.

"Great, great, that's good to hear," she nodded smiling a bit. "Louis has told me you've made lots of friends so far. You seem like a very nice boy, Niall. I can tell that you're comfortable with being yourself."

I nodded slowly, confused. Where was this conversation headed?

"I know this seems like a.. strange request, since Louis is your host and all.." Jay hesitated. "But would you be interested in bringing him out a few times? He's a junior this year, and I'm afraid that if he doesn't allow himself to have any fun with his classmates, he'll regret it later when he graduates. He's not scared or anything, he just needs a bit of pushing. Do you understand, Niall?" She asked after a pause.

"You mean, like, bring him to a party?" My voice rose in surprise, and her finger flew to her mouth, quieting me so Louis wouldn't hear us from upstairs.

"You want him to party?" I tried again in a softer voice, still shocked.

"Well, yes. I know he trusts you, Niall. There's something about your friendship.. he acts genuinely happy around you, he's comfortable. If anyone can break Louis out of his shell, it's you," she smiled encouragingly at me.

"Sure, if that's what you really want." I didn't want to disappoint Jay, and besides, getting Louis to loosen up a bit didn't seem like a bad idea at all.

***

Niall POV

"Hey."

Louis looked up from his laptop as I stood in the doorway of our bedroom.

"What's up?" He asked, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. I could tell he was tired, but hopefully that won't ruin my plans.

"Nothin, you?" I answered too quickly, and sat down at the foot of his bed.

"Just working on my English paper."

"On a Friday night?" I was bewildered. "Take a break, Lou, that's what the weekend is for!"

"No, I'm fine, really-" He started.

"No, you're stressed, I can tell," I cut him off. "Hey! Why don't we go out tonight? I'm sure Liam is having people over." I suggested impulsively, like the idea had just now popped into my head.

I waited for a snappy response from Louis, but his dark blue eyes were squinted and I could tell he was actually considering it for once.

"No thanks, Niall," he politely declined after a minute. "I'm kind of tired and you know how I feel about going to parties. But you go, have a good time," he reasoned.