Enchanted N.H

Chapter 8

His lips move perfectly against mine and I wrap my arms around his neck, pulling him closer so that his chest is pressed against mine.
Nialls hands wander down to my waist and we stay like that until we get out of breath.
"I hope you have wonderful dreams tonight Vic", he whispers and I can feel shivers running down my spine.
"You too Niall", I peck his lips one more time before I let go of his neck.
"So you aren't asking me in?", he chuckles and I shake my head.
"Not so fast Horan", I tell him and he fake pouts.
He looks adorable and a certain part of me really wants to take him up to my shitty flat and do a lot more than just kissing.
"Can I see you tomorrow then?", Niall asks and places a piece of my hair behind my ear.
"My internship starts tomorrow", I tell him and he raises his eyebrow.
"That doesn't mean I can't see you", he states and kisses my temple.
"I will pick you up from work and we can go back to the bench on the hill and just talk", he offers and I know I can't say no to him.
"I would love that", I tell him and we share one last kiss before he walks back to his car.
"Bye", he yells and I try to shush him, the people in the flats around us are probably already asleep.
I wave until his car is out of sight and only then I walk inside.
Once I am in my flat, I kick off my shoes and jump on my bed burying my head in my pillow.
I squeal and let the pillow swallow the sound of my voice.
"Niall Horan kissed me", I whisper to myself after I have calmed down a little bit.
My phone makes a noise and I see that I have a lot of missed messages.
My mother again, asking me to call her soon.
Elise telling me that she arrived back in Berlin and that she needs to hear all the details from my date.
Lastly it's Niall.
Niall:
"Tonight was great, can't wait to see you again tomorrow X"

I blush and my heart skips a beat.
It is late and I should be sleeping but my head is spinning in circles, the way Niall makes me feel is incredible.
I decide to call Elise on the way to work tomorrow because right now I cannot think straight.
Instead I message Niall.
Vicky:
"I can't wait for tomorrow!X"
Somehow all my fears and doubts are gone and I can actually picture me with him.
With that thought in my mind I drift off to sleep still dressed in my clothes.
My alarm wakes me up and I groan tiredly.
I definitely did not get enough sleep but I need to get ready and hurry to work.
I prepare my tea before I hop into the shower, washing my make up from last night off.
After I get dressed I have a small breakfast and check the playlist Niall made for me.
I smile when I find a Taylor Swift amongst the songs.
The good morning message he sent me fits perfectly.
"He is a softie", I chuckle when I think of Niall listening to Taylor Swift.
"I was enchanted to meet you", was part of his message and I can only agree.
It is like he got me under some sort of spell and I don't want to break it.
I double check the description on my phone on how to get to my new workplace so I can make sure I won't get completely lost.
With my bag back on and my headphones in I am ready to go.
It is super early but again Londons streets are crowded.
I wonder if this city is ever empty as I hurry to catch the right bus.
Luckily my workplace isn't that far from my flat but I still manage to get off at the wrong bus stop.
In the end it turns out that getting off at the wrong stop was a good decision because I find the cutest little café where I get a croissant and a refreshing cold ice tea.
Nervously I stand in front of my new work and I can already hear some children screaming inside.
"Just go", I scold myself as I ring the bell and I am immediately greeted by a little blonde girl with a big gap between her teeth.
I bend down to her and she offers me another smile.
"Dana, I told you don't open the door", a woman in her thirties hurries over to us and pulls the girl behind her before she takes a look at me.
"You must be Victoria", she states and pulls me into a hug.
"I am Emma and I work here as well", she introduces herself and ushers me to come with her.
The hallway is filled with children's paintings that are glued on to yellow walls.
Everywhere I look are small shelves stacked with toys or children's books.
Emma, Dana and I walk through the hallways and they show me the different rooms.
A room where the children can go to if they feel overwhelmed, mattresses were placed on the floor so that it looks like a giant bed, with stuffed animals and pillows piled on it.
In the arts room is plenty of space for the kids to craft, paint and draw.
The staircase that leads upstairs is beautifully painted with a lot of flowers and positive words.
There are two big dorms for the children to sleep in.
One for the boys and one for the girls but they both look the same.
Both are painted in a pale blue with clouds on the walls, the beds are all air themed.
The bathrooms are also big and nice, with natural light flowing in from the windows.
Downstairs there are two offices, one for the house staff like me and one therapist office where the therapist has sessions with the children or the legal guardians. The kitchen is big and the dining room is overlooking the huge garden.
I didn't expect the garden to be so big since we are still in the middle of London so I am even more excited when I see it.
"That concludes our tour", Emma tells me and Dana pulls on my leg.
"You staying?", she asks me and her big brown eyes are shining happily when I nodd.
"I am honoured to be able to work here", I tell Emma as we walk to the office to meet the rest of the house staff.
A tree with all the children's names and pictures is painted on the wall opposite to the offices.
I smile when I look at the pictures and I am proud that I am now also able to help these kids.
The house is a programm for young children that have experienced toxic stress to relax and regain self confidence.
Most of them come from difficult households or usually live in children's home.
Their legal guardians decide for them to take part in the project and they are allowed to visit on visiting days.
Here the kids learn how to deal with their emotions and how to react to potential triggers of stress.
The project has only been around for a few months when I applied for the internship and now it has been a year and some kids have already successfully finished the program.
I am part of the day staff and I am here to watch the kids, do laundry, cook and look after the house.
After I met the rest of the staff we head to the kitchen and all of us start preparing the food for lunch.
With me there are five women and three men working here as day staff.
There are currently 40 children staying at the house and I am already struggling to remember all their names.
We joke around while we cook one other staff member is my age, she is originally from the east of England and we get along well very quickly.
I can already tell that I will love this job but today I can't wait to get out of here and meet Niall again.
Oh what an impact this boy already has on me.