Barred (nh au)

IX. Make Up

Read the A/N in the end for important news.

NIALL'S POV:

I sighed as I plopped down on the couch, opening my laptop. That guy Aaron was fucking with my head. If it weren't for Haley I would've beaten the shit out of him, I'm not even kidding. Doesn't he have any respect for privacy? I swear to god he is vile and I'm not sure how long I'll be able to stand him before I beat him.

It had been a frustrating day for me. Haley had been very distant with me and I very well knew the fucking reason behind it. I tried talking to her so many times but she only spoke a few words, that is until a few minutes ago when she hugged me. It's crazy how I missed hugging her even if it had just been a day.

I let out a sigh as I logged on to Skype and saw my mum online so immediately called her.

Soon enough, her face popped on the screen in front of me and a wave of nostalgia and home sickness washed over me.

"Hey, mum. How are ya?" I asked her, a wide smile on my face.

"I'm good, Ni. How's Manchester treating ya?"

"This place is amazing. I've made some really good friends. And it reminds me a bit of Ireland, so yeah, it's pretty great. I miss ya, though."

"It's alright, my dear. You'll get over it soon. We miss ya so much here as well. Theo keeps asking about ya." She chuckled, making me smile as well.

"Is he around? I really wanna see him." I sighed.

As soon as those words came out my mouth, I heard a squeal of delight and quick padding of footsteps. And in a matter of seconds, a little boy with blond hair was sitting on my mother's lap, a huge grin on his face, showing off his teeth.

"Hey, little man! How are ya? Are ya taking good care of everyone while I'm gone?" I asked him.

"Yes! Theo is taking care of everyone!" He cheered, making me laugh.

"Mommy won't listen to me!" He pouted which made me laugh even more.

"Just take care of yourself, little man." I chuckled.

Just then the doorbell rang.

"Hang on a second, mum. I'll be right back." I said and got up.

The door opened to reveal a flustered looking Haley, a box of pizza in hand. I was beyond surprised to see her here.

"Hey, Niall. I just thought we'd, um, you know...have a pizza night or something..." She trailed off, slightly embarrassed now.

This gesture of hers touched me. It was very thoughtful of her to decide this. Plus, I was glad she wanted to spend some time with me. She had been distancing me off for the past whole day and I was extremely gutted by it. I wasn't liking it at all.

"Niall? Who is it?" I heard my mum's voice from the laptop and looked up at Haley.

"Hold on, mum!" I called out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're having some family time! I'm sorry to interrupt. You carry on, I'll...we can do this later sometime." She said, her face falling.

"Oh no, no! It's alright. Mum will probably want to meet you now. Stay. I really appreciate this." I told her, sincerity clear in my voice.

"Are you sure? I mean, am I not intruding? Seriously, Niall, family is family. We can do this some other time." She pressed.

"It's alright, Haley, really. Come in." I urged, opening the door wider for her to enter. Now that she was here, I wasn't gonna be stupid enough to get her to leave. Nope, not a chance.