Enchanted N.H

Chapter 32

Lias grip on my arm is getting stronger as we near the location of the charity event.
"I think I will throw up", she whispers in my ear and I turn around to face her.
She is pale, paler than usual and her eyes look glossy.
I quickly take both of her hands in mine and soothe her with gentle words.
"You will be fine Lia, they will love you and I won't leave your side".
"I feel like I look hideous", she plays with the fabric of the emerald green dress she is wearing and bites her lip.
"You look gorgeous, shut up", I elbow her side and she gives me a wry smile.
"What are you two whispering about?", Lewis speaks up and I shake my head.
"Nothing", I answer for the both of us, there is no need for them to know that Lias nerves are skyrocketing.
When the car stops, Lewis gets out first and helps Lia before I scramble out behind her taking Nialls hand as soon as he is out too.
Cameras are shoved in our faces and I can hear my name being yelled by various different people.
Lias eyes grow bigger and she tightens her grip on Lewis arm, causing him to focus his attention on her and discard the question that the journalist asked him.
I give her a reassuring smile and follow Niall who wraps his arm around my waist while pulling us over to a journalist of a teen magazine.
I let Niall answer most of the questions and just smile, from time to time I shoot a glance at Lia to make sure she is fine and luckily she is.
"Yes, we are very happy together, right babe?", Niall draws my attention back from Lia to him.
"Yes we are very happy, he is amazing and I am incredibly lucky that I can call him mine", I gush about him and he blushes a little at the compliments I throw at him.
The journalist smiles and wishes us luck before we continue our walk down the red carpet.
We pose for a couple more pictures until we are being lead inside of the venue.
Lia and I sit down next to each other and she turns to me.
"My heart is beating so fast I feel like it's going to leap out of my chest", she tells me but the big smile on her face tells me that she is happy.
I grin before we clink glasses with Lewis and Niall before taking a sip of the bubbly alcohol.
Eleanor and Louis join our table just before the show starts and Niall switches seats with her so that all of us girls are able to sit together.
Niall smiles at me from his new place and blows me a kiss that I catch with a smirk.
I love his goofy and childish side, when he is being himself and doesn't need to behave a certain way because he could be caught on camera.
Eleanor and Lia get along well and I am so glad to see that Lia is relaxing a little more every second that passes.
I watch Niall throw his head back when he laughs at something Louis said and I sneakily get out my phone to snap a few pictures.
"I love seeing them so happy", Eleanor whispers with a dreamy look on her face while watching the boys.
"Sometimes when all you see online is hate you wonder if you will ever laugh that freely again", she says now directed towards me and I gulp at the sudden change of emotion.
"I am sorry El", I begin but she shakes her head, dismissing my pity for her.
"Honestly most days I am numb to it but when we came here someone shouted some nasty things about me and Lou, and that gets to me", she mumbles and I reach for her hand.
"You two can be glad that you haven't had any hate spread about you", she adds and Lia looks scared.
The boys noticed that we got quiet even over the music of the jazz band playing an upbeat song.
They start to engage us in the conversation they had and I let go of Eleanors hand again, now knowing that she is fine.
When we walk to the toilet for a quick touch up for our hair and make up we fall back into the topic of hate and rumors.
Lia asks countless questions and keeps apologising and I keep checking on both her and El not wanting them to feel completely bad tonight.
"It is manageable, and you knew that you are not going to be liked by everyone when you started dating famous celebrities.", Eleanor states the obvious while wiping away some smudged mascara with a piece of toilet paper.
"You need to get used to it and you will! Most importantly you are not alone, we have each other and our boys and they will protect and stand up for us", she smiles in order to cheer us up.
"I am scared, I am just normal and completely average", Lia mentions and I touch her shoulder in a comforting manner.
"All of us are normal and average but it doesn't matter because it is us that date our boyfriends not anyone else", I tell her.
When we head back to our table we promise to not talk about this topic anymore until we need each others support because otherwise we will just pull each other down with our imaginary scenarios of encounters with hate in the future.
The night ends with all of us being more or less drunk and Niall falls asleep on a passed out Lewis in the taxi.
Lia and I take the opportunity to take some more pictures to feed to the fans and we decide to stay at Nialls place and have a small sleepover.
It is hard work getting two drunk and sleepy boys up the stairs and into the living room.
Lewis feels sick so I quickly rush to find a trash can and some water, Lia is rubbing his back and soothingly hums into his ear.
I lead Niall to the bedroom because I know he will throw up if he smells Lewis sick.
"I love you so much, I want to marry you", Niall slurs and my heart skips a beat.
"Baby you are drunk", I remind him of the state he is in but he grabs my shoulders, shakes his head and looks me straight into the eyes.
"Don't you wanna marry me?", he asks seriously and I bite my lip.
Marriage is serious, a bond for live and we are only dating for a few months.
I know he is drunk but isn't there  a saying going drunk words are sober thoughts?
"Let's get you to bed and if you remember this conversation in the morning we will have a proper talk baby", I kiss his nose and help him get into bed.
Before I join him I check on Lia and Lewis, both of them are curled up on the couch and out cold.
I place some pain killers next to the water bottles and turn off the lights.
Niall is asleep when I come back upstairs and I play with some strands of his hair.
"Marriage", I quietly mumble and shake my head at the same time.
Of course I love Niall but especially after the conversation with Eleanor and Lia I doubt that I am strong enough to be his fiance.
She was right I need to endure some hate in order to become used to it but I can't even take criticism without being upset by it.
A single tear runs down my cheek and I catch it with the tip of my tongue.
I love him there is no doubt but do I love him enough to promise him forever?