Road Trip

14- Niall's Secret

Chapter Fourteen

"I need to get a, uh, birthday gift for me mum! And I know if I don't get it now, I won't ever get it!" Niall said to TJ, nervously laughing.

"Okay, I'll come with! What kinda things does she like?" TJ offered.

"No!" Niall said loudly. "I, uh, mean no thanks. Jessica said she will help me. And I don't wanna keep you from eating, that would be terrible of me. So you should go eat, you and Harry." Niall rambled on, running his hands nervously through his quiff.

TJ gave him a strange look, before turning to Jessica. "Do you want me to order for you?"

Jessica nodded. "Yeah, just get me orange chicken, bourbon chicken, and fried rice."

TJ nodded and looked at Harry. "Come on, let's go." She threw one last glance at Niall before heading towards the food court, Harry in tow.

"Really smooth, Niall. You didn't act suspicious at all." Jessica said sarcastically.

"I know! I just hate lying to her and she knows something is up, and did you see the look she gave me?" Niall bemoaned.

"Don't worry, just remember when she asks you about what happened, make eye contact. TJ's good at telling if someone is lying to her." Jessica told him.

"Great." Niall sighed. "Let's just go get her gift before she hunts me down."

The two walked into a little store. They looked around for a bit before Jessica picked up a gleaming gold cross necklace. In the center of it, a sparkling diamond was nestled. The chain was made of thick gold rope.

"Jessica, this is perfect! She's gonna fucking love it!" Niall exclaimed excitedly. Jessica beamed with pride.

Carefully, he took the necklace out of her hand and carried it up to the register.

"Welcome to 'Things Remembered,' where we help you remember the little things in life." The cashier said to Niall. "Well isn't that a beauty! Is it for that special someone?"

Niall turned pink. "Yeah it is. I was wondering if I could get it engraved maybe? Like on the back of it?"

The cashier took the necklace from Niall and closely examined it, before nodding his head. "Depending on the engraving."

"I, uh, I'm not really sure exactly..." Niall trailed off. He glanced at Jessica for help.

"Oh, how about," she thought for a moment. "'N.H+T.L.'? It's like what couples carve on trees."

Niall nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, yeah, I like that a lot!" He turned to the cashier. "Is that doable?"

The man nodded. "Of course. It should be ready in about an hour. You can pay now or when you pick it up."

"I'll pay now." Niall said, pulling out his wallet from his front pocket.

"The total is 149.99$." The cashier rang up.

Niall handed him his card.

"Alright, thank you for your business! See you in about an hour." The man said before taking the necklace to the back of the store to begin engraving.

Niall and Jessica walked out the store and made their way to the food court.

"Holy shit, Niall. That's a lot of money." Jessica said, eyes widened in surprise.

"What? Oh, yeah I guess." He shrugged. "I worked a lot the past year to save up for this trip, so it's not too bad. Besides," he added. "TJ is worth it." He looked down at his high tops and stuffed his hands into his pockets.