Like Dreamers Do (Niall Horan Fan-Fiction)

Chapter 3

The next two weeks consisted of me visiting the Greenhouse each day and helping my grandad sort it all out. The children came in Monday to Friday and I helped Lucy plant her flowers. Many of the other kids had also taken a shining to me, insisting that I help them out with their planting and growing. The weekends saw more serious plant growers come in and look after their varioustomato plants and vegetable gardens, but I didn’t spend as much time with them as I did with the children.

Every night I went home, drank tea and went to sleep. I hadn’t met anyone my own age. I didn’t particularly want to. I knew there was still a lot wrong with me, I had no idea how I would go in a social situation. 

Occasionally I would call my friends and ask them how they were going. I would Skype them overthe internet. Not often, I didn’t particularly like the computer after my experience with it on my first day here. 

Everything was going relatively smoothly. Things seemed normal for the first time in a long time. 

That was when my grandad decided to change that.

I was helping Lucy plant a new set of flowers when he sprung the news upon us. He came up behind us and kneeled down, taking him a long time considering his age.

“I have a surprise for you Lucy!” He smiled, instantly getting her attention.

“Oooh what it is?” She asked excitedly, dropping her small shovel and turning to my grandad. He had a twinkle in his eye, winking at me.

“You know that band you’ve been talking about for so long now, what’s their name...”

“ONE DIRECTION?” Lucy called out interrupting grandad and jumping up and down. I laughed at her reaction. She had been talking about them ever since I met her, her little crush showing. 

“Yes that’s them!” My grandad teased, smiling to himself. “Well, I’ve got something I think you might like. A little birdie told me that the boys are doing a meet and greet in a few days, and I’ve got you a ticket. Now don’t get too excited, I’m very old and-”

But there was no point to that. Lucy had picked herself up off the ground in excitement and thrown herself on top of grandad in a massive hug, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. 

“THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!” She squealed, before turning her attention to me. “I’m going to see them Elli! I’m going to see them!!”

I grinned down at her, feeling genuinely happy for the first time in a long time.

“That’s wonderful Lucy.” I exclaimed, picking her up and whirling her about. “But we got to get you a fancy new dress, you can’t go in your little overalls!”

“Well in that case, we’re going to have to get you some new clothes as well.” Grandad interrupted, a sly look in his eye. I turned to him and frowned.

“Why me” I asked, putting Lucy to the ground again. My grandad simply looked to the ground and didn’t dare look me in the eye.

“Because you’re taking her. It was a radio competition and I won two tickets.”

Exactly two days later, I found myself in granddads old car with a bubbly and excited Lucy next to me. She was jumping up and down in her seat, her bright blue eyes sparkling. I too was nervous as all hell, but not for reasons people might think.

I hadn’t been with anyone my own age in a while. I wasn’t even sure how to act around teenagers anymore. I prayed to God that I could act normal, especially seeing as my grandad had let me in on a little secret.

“It’s not just a meet and greet, you’ll be sitting in an audience with about twenty other girls as they do an interview. You get to meet them after that.”