Valentine

I still can’t believe that he went around told everyone that I threw myself at him! Well not everyone… but how do I know he only told his sister? I am sure everyone that lives in that house thinks I am some cheap whore who threw herself at him and that is the reason he spared my life! Just the humiliation of the situation makes me want to cry. But I don’t cry. How could he be so deranged? Why did he say that? To humiliate me? But whatever did I ever do to him? I half thought today Raven would accuse me of doing something else with her brother but she wasn’t in school. Her bench in the cafeteria was empty. I thought of going and sitting there but the thought of her lead to Zayn and that made me despise the whole bench altogether. I know it’s stupid but she had no right of accusing me of sleeping with her brother when I, against better judgment helped him clean his wound – I have no doubt he got from a gang fight or something. AND not to forget the crucial fact – it was HIM that kissed ME.

I am looking myself in the mirror and I see myself to be almost ready. I didn’t put much effort into dressing up because Niall had said it was a casual party. He said he’d even pick me up from my house and I agreed. I thought I’ll have to rebel against my parents to go to this party but they surprisingly agreed. It was later that I came to know that Niall’s father was my dad’s boss’s boss or something, thanks to my mother’s ‘subtle’ hints. I wore a simple floral print skirt and a bottle green sweater above because I tell you this weather sucks. Even in September it feels like its’ December. I don’t want to know what December here feels like.

When I walk down with my vans in my hands, my mother gasps. “What are you wearing? You should wear a dress, and not those, heels!” she is looking at me like I am wearing a jute sack and paper bag over my head. For all I know she thinks that. “Mum it is not a date. We are going to a party. There are other people there too. And will you stop trying to set me up with him? For all you know he already has a girlfriend!” I shout. I always have a low level of tolerance for her bullshit. Today he dropped me home and like some sort of gentleman he asked my mother to let me go to this party. My mother was very delighted thinking that he was some sort of lottery – I don’t doubt he is – and she delightfully agreed. “He wouldn’t drive you around and put up with you if he wasn’t interested in you” she says in that fake, condescending voice of her that I’ve seen her use many time on her ‘friends’ when she is trying to win an argument. It only makes me grit my teeth and ball my hands in fists.

And what the fuck does she mean by drive me around and put up with me? He just dropped me home and that too after me insisting constantly that he didn’t have to. But leave it to my mother to provide me with a backhanded compliment. I put on my vans all the while earing that disapproving look from my mother. “At least let me do something with your hair” she suggests forcing a smile. I know that smile too. It is the smile she uses when she is holding back her nasty comment. It is basically a polite way of her say ‘You look terrible in that hairstyle’. “No, I’m good” I shrug. I hadn’t even put on that much make up. Honestly I didn’t want to go but staying alone in my room would only fill my thought more with Zayn. Plus I didn’t want to stick around to find out whether tonight my parents would be in love or at each other’s throat.

The doorbell rings and I rush to open the door, hoping I would slip out but as soon as I open the door my mother appears behind me. Niall is standing there wearing a light blue colored shirt and dark blue jeans. he was also wearing black rimmed glasses that showcased his blue eyes. He smiled at me. I smiled back. “Niall, come on in” my mother is all smiles. “No, we are already running late” I say and nod towards Niall hoping he’d understand my hint. He understands and nod. “Uh… yes we are. Mrs. Sawyer, I brought you these” he hands her a small arrangements of white roses and wild flowers. It is simple and elegant.

“Why, thank you darling. It’s so thoughtful of you” she smiles. I just stand there like a piece of log. Well what am I supposed to say? I pick at my nails while my mother actually flirts with Niall. I am beyond repulsed. She is pregnant with (I hope) my dad’s child and yet here she stands flirting with a guy who is her daughter’s age. The only compensation in this whole ordeal is that Niall looks as uncomfortable as I feel but he keeps his charming smile on his face. I actually pity him. I finally decide to intervene. “Mom, we are getting late” I say and she gives me a pointed look but smiles again. “Yes, yes, sure go ahead and remember your curfew” she says sternly.

“I’ll bring her home by twelve Mrs. Sawyer” Niall smiles, relieved we were going. “Oh please, call me Katie” she smiles her coy smile that – from past observations – has most men at her feet. Niall just nods and leads me to his car. I apologies immediately to him once we are in the car. He brushes it off and engages me in small talk. For once I welcome it.

~

The party is different from the last one. It is more… well expensive. No other word for it. It is in a big house with wine and champagnes instead of beers and expensive foods are arranged around the room and pop music played in the background. I laugh. The girls here are dressed in designer dresses and the guys were in expensive shirts. I knew even Niall’s shirt was from some large designer brand. I felt underdressed. Should I have listened to my mother? Well Niall had said that it was a casual party.

“Niall, you came” a girl in a black lace dress comes up to Niall and hugs him. I recognize the girl as the one I met in the mani-pedi salon. She went to the same school but was a sophomore. “Mary, how could I miss?” Niall says hugging back. The hug lasts a little longer than necessary and I again stand there uncomfortably. When they finally break apart he introduces me to her. She smiles sweetly at me. Too sweetly. “Hi, I’m Mary Ann. I don’t think we’ve met before” she speaks just as sweetly and I raise my eyebrow. Okay. I partially think of calling her out on the lie. I am pretty sure she remembers me from that day but one of the things my parents have taught me is it’s all about appearances. So I play along. I don’t exactly know why she’s doing this but I don’t really want to.

Niall introduces me to the rest of the group, one of them being Christopher. He is surprised to see me here. I realize that the party he had suggested me in that company party thing was actually this one. I really don’t feel bad about turning him down. He’s an ass. I talk and meet familiar faces, mainly because I’ve seen them in school. I also meet some from a different school. I talk and walk, all on autopilot. There are not many topics to be discussed. They all talk about the exotic winter holidays they’ll be going on or how their petty problems with the right pair of heels and the guys though still in high school are discussing business. It amazes me that even when I’ve moved miles away from Boston, the people here in Bradford are very similar to the ones back home. Places changed, people didn’t.

I nodded and talked to them, mainly only when they directed question at me. I took a bit or two of the food there but then again these weren’t my food. I craved a big mac and French fries. There were many people around and somehow Mary Ann had pulled Niall away to dance and others from the group I had met dispersed into the crowd but Christopher stuck around.
“Wanna dance?” he extends his hand. “I’ll pass” I say and look around. I keep glancing at my cell. It is past ten. I am just waiting for it to turn eleven-ish so that I could make up an excuse and get away from here. There was only so much obnoxious people I could tolerate at one go.

Niall shows up beside me just then. “Sorry I left you. Mary pulled me into the dance floor and –” “It’s okay” I say forcing a smile. I am not mad at Niall but I really do not want to be here. “You’re bored here aren’t you? I shouldn’t have brought you here. We should’ve gone somewhere else” he looks guilty. I shake my head. “No the party’s –” I should say the party’s good but it is not. I am bored and I do not want to be near Christopher any longer than necessary but he just keeps tagging along. I am getting looks from most of the girls, I am pretty sure is because I am not wearing a designer brand. And I am sure most people I have talked to tonight think I am socially inept because I can’t seem bring up a topic for discussion and neither can I hold onto the thread of monotone of their conversation. So to sum up, no the party is definitely not good. “– it’s okay” I finally say since he is waiting for me to finish.

He looks guiltier. “I’m sorry. I know you don’t most people. Let you in a secret, I don’t either. And can ii be honest? I brought you along with me because I didn’t want to endure it alone” he shrugs helplessly. I narrow my eyes at him. Is he saying this to make me feels better or is he telling the truth? “Wanna head out and go someplace else?” he said and looked at his watch. “We still have time”

I had two options, stay here and endure torture or go out with Niall, alone. Neither seemed appealing. Not because Niall was bad, but because I was not really interested in him and now I got the hint that he was interested. But then again I didn’t want to talk about meaningless topic for another hour and try not to be rude straight to their faces. “Sure where’d wanna go?” I ask, following him because he’s already walking out. “You’ll see” his vague answers makes me wanna reconsider my decision but I let it go and follow him. Once we are in the car he drives off. The drive is silent. We don’t talk much but it is not uncomfortable. The radio is playing a recent upbeat song and it keeps my mind occupied. He comes to a stop in a drive through.

“What do you wann have?” I look at the menu. The only drive through I’ve been to was of McDonald’s and this wasn’t it. “Whatever you prefer” I shrug. He nods and presses the switch and orders us two special burgers two medium coke and chips. Which I assume would be French fries.

“You’re gonna love the burger. It’s the best burger in Bradford” Niall grins and it makes him look like a small boy. We drive through and he parks near the window. There is no one else in the drive through and it makes me doubt this place’s popularity. But I don’t comment on it. “Hey Niall. Nice date. Hello I am Tina” a thin girl with geeky specs and lots of jewelries greet us with a smile. “Hi, Valentine” I say. She recites our order and goes to get it. “So you’re a regular here?” I ask him. “Well I kinda have to be, I work here” he shrugs. I am too surprised to hide it. He works here? “Surprised?” he arches one eyebrow. I open my mouth to say something but nothing comes to mind. “You know you are prejudiced to our kind of people” he says. ‘our kind of people’. That is what I hate. Before I can say it Tina returns with our orders and Niall pays before driving off.

“See that is what I hate. There is no our kind or their kind. This isn’t hunger games. We are all people. Some just more pretentious than others” I say and sip my coke. Niall bites back his laugh. “You think I’m pretentious?” he gives me a quick glance before looking back at the road. “Never said you were” I don’t elaborate. To elaborate would be talking more and frankly I feel like I’ve talked more in these past weeks here in Bradford than I did in my entire year in Boston. He just nods and drives. We finally come to a standstill. There is a large house here and I didn’t pay much attention coming here but the surrounding and everything… it is a farmhouse. I was so lost in m thought s of Boston, I didn’t realize we were in miles away from nearest civilization.

“Come on” Niall opened my door and I got out holding the paper bag of food and the cokes. He took the bag and led the way into what I assumed was a field. “Where are we going exactly?” I ask nervous. I just have a bad feeling that anything that starts with people heading into a deserted field late at night cannot possibly have a happy ending. Plus I also think about the last time I entered a deserted wild area. I saw someone die. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you… yet” he says in a low voice teasing me and maybe a couple of weeks ago I would have cracked a smile but the ordeal I’ve gone through in my time in Bradford, him teasing does not really help me think of good things. Niall must have seen m pensive face. “Hey, I was joking” he nudges my shoulder.

“Where are we exactly?” I repeat the question again. “Well if you must know, we are in outskirts of Bradford. This… this is my parent’s estate. There is this cleared area, more like a place for picnic really, where you have a clear view of stars. And tonight it’s not cloudy so you’re in for a treat” he flashes me his signature smile and pops a French fry in his mouth. The only thing that stuck in my head out of the whole thing was that we are in the outskirts of Bradford. And I knew about estates. Even if it was a small estate – which I doubt it is – the nearest neighbor will easily be a good mile away. So if Niall turned out to be a psychopath, there was a good chance that I was going to die.

I wasn’t very social but my unfortunate encounters with Zayn had made me paranoid. I bit my lips and continued walking. After about five minutes of silent walking we reached a cleared space where two long tables and benches were arranged and some swings and see-saw on other side. But they weren’t the thing that caught my breath. Niall wasn’t kidding about the view. The night was clear of any clouds which was actually surprising and gave a very good view of the twinkling stars and the almost full moon. I let out a content sigh. It was beautiful. “Wow” Niall’s voice made me look at him. he was a couple feats away looking at me. “Yeah” I say. The view was really nice. He chuckles. “No, I mean you, your eyes were actually sparkling. You have really nice eyes” he says and heat creeps up my neck and I – for the first time in the entire night – am actually glad for the darkness.

“Um… thank you” I manage a weak smile. “You don’t talk much” he said and sat on one of the benches pulling out the food on the table. I sit on the opposite side. “Yeah” I say because I don’t know what else to say. He chuckles. “So I know that your family shifted here for work and that’s why you’re here. So… let’s see what can I ask you?” he makes a humming noise. “Okay since we’re in our senior year, which college do you wanna go to?” he finally asks. I swallow my bite. “I initially wanted to go to Boston University but now I don’t know” I answer honestly. “Well you can always to there after completing high school here” he shrugs. I want to tell him that’s a fat chance, given how controlling my parents are. Like my mother would allow me to go to Boston for four year and let me live there alone. I can imagine her chastising me for embarrassing her friends and then neighbors there. but I don’t say that and instead smile.

“What do you want to do after college? Wait let me guess? A writer? Do you paint?” he asks and I smile for real this time. “I suck at painting and no I don’t want to be a writer” “then what’s the plan then?” he asks sipping his coke. The plan. If I told him he’d laugh. And if I told my parents they’d send to the shrink claiming that shifting here was making me take rash life decisions. “Nothing special. What about you? What’s your plan?” I try changing the topic. I look up again at the sky. The sky was starting to get scattered clouds on it. At first I thought this was creepy but it is oddly calm and maybe even a little bit romantic. “I’ll tell you mine, if you tell me yours” Niall winks. I shake my head. “Promise you won’t laugh or think I’m weird?” I ask. “I already think you’re weird” he says and I throw a French fry at him.

“No, I’m serious. What’s your plan?” he asks. “Why do you want to know about me so bad?” I ask. “Because you don’t talk much. It’s hard to know anything about you. And aren’t you even a little bit curious about me?” he asks and smiles. “Fine. I… actually want to open a small café” I say and wait for his reaction but he looks at me with confusion and amusement. “What type of café? And why?” he is trying to understand me. I don’t like the feeling. Letting someone see this means that I’m letting them in. “I... I don’t know” I lie. He knows I’m lying but doesn’t comment on it. “So your turn” I say.

“Well what do you want to know? I’m an open book” he extends his hands for effect. “What do you want to do?” “Right now? I want to get away. Get away from everything” he says, a grimness falling over him like a veil but it is fleeting. “Why? I can’t be that bad of a company” I try to lighten the mood and he smiles. “No it’s not you. You’re a very pleasant company. It’s my life. I want to go on a long vacation where I’m not bothered by anyone” he says. I understand him. I feel that way a lot of times. My reason being my family. Maybe his reasons are his friends. He said he didn’t like them. “Friends?” I ask. He shakes his head. “My parents… they recently got divorced. And now my dad’s getting married to a girl I went to high school with” he says casually. I don’t how to react or what to say. I am not really good at this kind of things. So I say what first comes to my mind except the word ‘sorry’.

“You’re still in high school” I say. He smiles but this time it does not reach his eyes. “Shelly. She was in her 7th year when I was on my 4th” he says. I nod. An uncomfortable silence falls over us. And this is why I hate conversations. “Too much of drama. Sorry to make you uncomfortable” he says. “No it’s alright. And… is your dad happy?” I ask after a silent pause. He looks at me unsure what to say and then gives a brief nod. “Then you should be too. I know it is hard to see your parents getting a divorce and it must be hard on all of you but… if they did get a divorce, it was because they were unhappy. Maybe now they’ll be happy” I say. It is what I have tried explaining myself all these years when I saw my parents fighting. I kept asking why they do that. If they are unhappy then why are they together?

Niall barks out a laugh. “Nah, they didn’t a divorce because they were unhappy. They got a divorce because he was cheating, sleazy, son of b – sorry I’m…” “It’s okay. So is there any story behind this estate?” I ask trying to shift the topic because clearly this is upsetting him. His mood instantly rises at the mention of the estate. “What do you wanna know about it? I know every nook and corner of this place. I grew up here” he smiles.

“Really? How was it? Like staying here alone? Do you have siblings?” I ask. I can’t imagine growing up in a place so desolate. “Nah, only child. But I did have a nanny named marigold. She was babe” he smiles fondly at the memory. I smile, happy to see that his mind has shifted to happier things. “I feel bad for her. You must have been a handful growing up” I tease him. “You bettcha” he says and winks. I laugh. I don’t know if I really laughed like this after coming to Bradford. His aura was contagious.“You’re cute” he says and I smile. “You’re not so bad yourself” I honestly mean it. He holds my stare and it looks like it means more than just a stare. I look down at my cell and see it is past 11:30. I get up. “Niall, we gotta get going. The curfew” I remind him and he nods get up. “You really have beautiful eyes” he says and takes a step towards me.

He is toe to toe with me. I feel uncomfortable and nervous about the lack of distance between us. “Thank you for taking my mind off… things” he says in a low voice. I just smile. “Thank you for bringing me out here. It really is a nice view” I say and look up. The sky is marred with dark grey clouds threating a storm. “I’m glad I brought you here” he says and leans in.




A/N: HEYO PEOPLE! UPDATE!!!
OKAY A LOT OF EXCLAMATION MARKS. BUT DID YOU ALL LISTEN TO THIS TOWN???
I LOVED IT.
AND I KNOW...
*HIDES BEHIND A CHAIR*
...CLIFFHANGER!

Notes