This Town |NH|

Chapter Fifty Two

I made my way home that night. It had been awhile since I had been home, too. My appearance was a surprise to my family, which they were pleased with. I told them I'd only be in town for a day or two before heading to LA to start really recording this song I had been working on.

I woke up early the next day and made my way to the cemetery. I found her father's grave and sat down on the ground. She clearly hadn't arrived yet. I cleaned up some of the leaves around his headstone before I began talking to him,

"Hey Dylan. It's me, Niall. I'm sorry to say that I haven't kept my promise, not that I haven't tried. Siobhan won't speak to me but in the few occasions I've seen her, she looks like she's doing well. She's been traveling, from what I've been told, although I'm sure she has told you that. She made a record. I've seen her perform a couple of times now, and she still sounds amazing. I wish she had taken that chance with me. But, then again, I wish a lot of things. I wish I had taken a few more chances."

I was about to say more when I heard a branch snap. I turned around and there she was. She stopped when she saw me, just as I quickly I stood up. She turned to leave but I stopped her, "Siobhan, stop!" As I caught up with her and moved in front of her. She tried to walk around me but I took a hold of her arm. "Siobhan, please, come on! This is ridiculous! You do not need to go."

She removed herself from my grip, which wasn't exactly very tight to begin with, and turned back around towards her father's grave. I watched as she sat down where I had been sitting and began picking at a few weeds. She placed the flowers in her hands down and sat there. About 15 minutes went by before I heard her voice, "Well, are you just going to stand there and watch me or come over here with me?"

I was startled, I first thought I had dreamt it, but she turned around and looked at me, "Well?"

I made my way over to her and sat down next to her. She had a knapsack with her from which she pulled out a bottle of Irish whiskey and opened it up. She took a swig from it before handing it to me. I took it from her and took a drink from it and handed it back to her. We did that for a good ten minutes, in silence, before she spoke again,

"I'm sorry."

"Huh? For what?"

"For running from you in London, at the pub. I saw you when I was on that stage and I panicked. I don't know how you feel about the way things went the last time we saw each other."

"Not gonna lie, I am confused about all of that. Especially by you running away from me. It hurt. I thought the last time we sat here, we had had a sort of quiet reckoning that things would be okay." She only nodded as she brought the bottle back to her lips. "Why did you run? That last night we were together? What was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"That I was leaving. But, I suddenly felt that if I had told you, you would've wanted to come along or help me. And, as I stood there, in your room, a room I had entered a billion times before, I realized that I couldn't let that happen. I needed to do it on my own. I suppose the way things went that that was my way of saying goodbye."

"If that's the way you say goodbye to me, then you should do that more often." She cocked her head a little at that and raised an eyebrow. I drunkenly giggled at that before getting serious again, "But in all seriousness, I would've understood that. Okay, okay, I probably wouldn't have at first, but eventually, I would have, I hope."

She just shrugged as she took another sip before passing me the bottle. "I needed to do this on my own. I needed to be alone. I had thrown myself head first into taking care of my father after we broke up that I hadn't really processed it all yet. And then, Rory died, and Conor and I kinda bonded with our shared grief, but I realized that's all it was. I could never love him. And I didn't want to be that person that just found someone to fill the void."

I looked at her from across the sleek bottle. "Did I hurt you that much?"

"Yes and no. I know you didn't do it on purpose, and I think now, I know you were just scared, but that's what hurt the most. How could you be scared when we had each other?"

"I was an idiot." She made a little giggle at that statement. We both got quiet again.

"I saw you last night, in Dublin." She turned to look at me for the first time since I sat down, "Sneaky little Irishman, thinking he could hide from me in a dark corner." She gave me a little smirk.

"Well, I didn't want you to run away from me again. I still don't understand why you did."

"Because I wasn't ready to face you. After the way I left, no note, no explanation, no goodbye. I felt horrible about that, by the way."

"Good." She turned to look at me, shocked. "Well, you did sleep with me and were gone the next morning! I ran out looking for you and you were gone. Everything was left behind except our photos."

"I am sorry about that. I should've never done that. That was poor, drunken judgment."

"I didn't mind it, so much. I had missed you. I was mad that was the way you left things, but I would never say I regret how that night went for us. I had you back where you belonged; where I belonged."

"Niall, don't say that. We can't be there anymore."

"Why not? Why can't we? We've both grown up, matured. I'm not that idiotic teenager anymore. I've learned a few things about this thing called life and I know where I am supposed to be."

"It's too late for that."

"Is it?"

She turned away from me before saying, "But, perhaps, we could be friends again?" She turned back at me, a question mark on her face.

I smiled at her. A small smile. It wasn't what I wanted, but it was a start. "I'd love that, Siobhan. I'd love to be your friend again."

We sat there for a few more minutes before she finally decided she wanted to go. We had actually spent a good portion of the day there, that it was beginning to get dark when we finally left the cemetery. We walked quietly next to each other, looking around.

"It's funny how things never change in this old town. Isn't it?" She asked aloud.

"Ha! Yeah, it is. Well...almost everything. We've changed."

She smiled and nodded. "Well, this is me, she said, coming up to one of the hotels."

"You got a room? What about your house?"

"Oh, I sold that awhile ago."

"What? Why?"

"Because it's not my home anymore." We stood there for a moment, unsure of what to do or say next.

"Umm, can I have your number?" I asked, shyly. "I mean, since we're friends again?"

"Sure." I handed her my phone and she put it in and dialed, she laughed when she realized that I hadn't changed mine, "See, some things never change." She handed my phone back to me and our fingers touched. I swear, on everything I am, there was something there.

She said goodnight and went inside. I walked back to my mother's house in the dark. "Some things never change," I whispered, "But some things do." I looked up at the stars above my head, "How did we get so far?"

A few days later, I was off to LA. I had decided not to give my demo to Siobhan, afraid she would change her mind on being friends. I made the song and by the end of September, it was released. I was super nervous but also so excited. I made the announcement on my social media pages, with the link to the song.

I was thrilled with the response. The only person I didn't hear from was her. I got back to London and texted her, "Hey, I'm back in London. Was wondering if we could actually give this 'friend' thing a go?"

It was a few hours before she responded, "Sure thing, pal. Where and when?"

Itexted her a local pub, feeling that we might be more comfortable starting outin a crowded room versus my house or hers.