Affection | N.H

Chapter 37

("The best part of life is not just surviving, but thriving with passion and compassion and humour and style and generosity and kindness." -Maya Angelou)

The next morning when I woke up, Niall wasn't beside me and neither was his smell in the room. Instead, Sophie was sitting on her bed, listening to music and eating chocolates. "Is he gone?" I ask Sophie with my crocked voice.

She pulls out her ear phones and asks, "What?"

"I was wondering if Niall left." I mutter.

"Niall? He wasn't here. I came here last night and you opened the door for me. I don't think you remember though but Niall wasn't here." She shrugs and puts her earphones back in.

Niall wasn't here? I am pretty sure he was. We kissed and I clearly remember the taste of his lips. What has happened to me?

"Oh by the way, just letting you know that we have no college today." Sophie mutters with her mouth full. I nod in response.

I still have my saved up money for a car. I planned to buy a car of Louis's choice but he has disappeared. I think I should really call him today until he receives my call.

I run my hand through my hair and pull it up into a bun. I grab my jumper and my phone and walk out the room. I might as well go for a walk as it is not even 7am yet. I dial Louis's number and wait for someone to answer the call. I have called Louis a countless times in the past one week but he never received my call. I will not be very surprised if my calls remain unanswered even today.The winds are very chilly and there is absolutely silence on the roads. Not many cars and no people at all are in sight. I walk down the road and keep calling his number. At last, someone picks the call. "Can you stop calling me?" Louis yells into the speaker.

"Louis it's me Tari-"

"I know it's fucking you. Just stop calling me! Don't you understand that if I don't receive your calls, it means I am not interested to talk to you?" He groans.

"Louis, I think you are misunderstanding, it is me, Tarisha?" I confirm him. Louis would never talk to me in such a manner. He is my best friend, isn't he?

"Oh god! I know you are Tarisha Indie Kraft, and I am not at all interested to talk to you, the friendship we had is long gone. Now stop bothering me will you?" I hold on to a bench beside the road and sit down before I collapse out of shock.

"But, Louis, I thought we were friends?" I ask with my shaky voice and clutch onto the handle of the bench, waiting for Louis to crack up laughing and tell me this is all a big fat prank.

"Were Tarisha, note the word there. I came back to Melbourne ages ago but I haven't met you yet, you know why? Because I don't like your presence in my life anymore. Yes, maybe we were good friends but please close those memories away in your past like I have. I don't know why I was hanging by you because honestly, I had grown sick of you and your habits. I mean the way people look at you because you are not attractive; it just embarrases me. You are not even fun to be around as I am always the one trying to make a conversation. I have always been around hot girls and no offense but you know you're not that good looking. I am sorry for all these over the phone, I just didn't know how to say these on your face. Moreover, I don't appreciate keeping a person in my life, who is so fucking depressed." and with those piercing last words, Louis hangs up the phone.

My phone slips out of my hand and breaks into pieces on the concrete. I sit there on the bench feeling shocked, betrayed, small, useless and simply insignificant. Louis was the last person I expected to hear those words from. How can he forget all those moments we have been through? How could he do this to me? How could he intentionally rip my heart apart like this? If a stranger came up to me and threw these to my face, I think I would be less hurt.