All I Want For Christmas Is You

The next morning at like four AM:


I was tired, but we were all packed up, we lined up our suitcases neatly against the door frame. It was a surprising sight to see the room so neat and orderly. It wasn't like that for the long time we were here.

As I was packing the last of my stuff, I noticed a brochure stuck in the side of my tote bag. I pulled it out, and it was a brochure to the University of London. Well I'm not going here, I thought to myself as I hesitantly tossed it in the trash bin behind me.

"You almost done packing?" Karla asked as she set her bright green tote bag on top of her zebra print suitcase, which was setting next to my purple Coach suitcase, with my matching Coach purse sitting on top. "Almost," I sad in an almost sad tone as I zipped up the bag I was holding and set it near the rest of our luggage. My phone vibrated on the end table nearby, and I ran to catch it. On the screen showed a number was calling me, I picked it up slowly.

Me: "Hello?"
Niall: "Hey Cat, it's Niall, I got your number from Harry's phone,"
Me: "Why are you calling me, why are you up? Are you going to yell at me like Louis did?"
Niall: "I couldn't sleep, and I called for something else, wait... Louis yelled at you? I'm going to kick his arse,"
Me: "Yeah, but ... yeah... anyway, why are you calling?"
Niall: "Are you girls doing anything tonight?"
Me: "Um... kind of,"
Niall: "I wanted to take all of you to see my family for fun. Nothing serious,"
Me: "Why?..."
Niall: "Well, I heard about you and Harry. And I think Liam and I are the only guys out of us who are not mad at you. I totally understand you to be honest,"
Me: "He told ya'll?"
Niall: "More like I was at his flat to play his PS4, and he came in crying his eyes out, and didn't notice I snuck in,"
Me: "....."
Niall: "It's okay, but anyway, you want to come? Ask Karla too,"
Me: "Uhm..."
Niall: "Liam is coming too. His family is gonna be there too, in fact we are just taking a trip to Wolverhampton. My family is flying in from Ireland,"
Me: "I don't know... um... Where are the rest of the boys going to be?"
Niall: "Zayn and Perrie are going to be with her family, Louis is going to Doncaster of course, and Harry didn't say, but I bet he is going to Holmes Chapel. He always does every year,"
Me: "Oh, okay,"
Niall: "So what are you gonna do? You wanna come?"
Me: "I don't ... I can't,"
Niall: "What?"
Me: "I can't. Harry sent me plane tickets to send me home,"
Niall: "What?"
Me: "He did. He went that far,"
Niall: "I could never see him doing that,"
Me: "Well he did,"
Niall: "Wow,"
Me: "Eh-yeah,"
Niall: "So you, Val and Karla are leaving?"
Me: *deeply sighs* "Yeah,"
Niall: "We, well I won't loose contact with you,"
Me: "Thanks,"
Niall: "I wish you a good trip,"
Me: "Thanks, I'll try,"
Niall: "Well, I guess this is goodbye,"
Me: "Until you come help us to the airport, and call me again," *giggles*
Niall: "Of course I'll be there in a few,"
Me: "Merry Christmas Niall,"
Niall: "Merry Christmas Cat,"

"Who was that?" Karla asked, putting her long hair in a ponytail. "Niall," I said, before tossing my phone on the bed. "It was? What did he say? Did he say anything about me?" "He asked us if we wanted to go to Christmas with he and Liam tonight. They are going to Wolverhampton, Niall's family is flying in, but I said no, we are going home. Back to the states,"

"WHAT?!" Karla exclaimed, jumping in place. "Sorry?" I said, not understanding what she wanted me to say. "Why did you say NO?" "Um... because our plane tickets are this morning." I answered, knowing it was her idea to leave today anyway. "Oh yeah," she said, looking down at the comforter, and feeling along the edge of it with her index finger. "You're right," she continued. "We are just going to forget this all happened," she finished as she walked into the bathroom. I then saw Val's stride slowly towards me. She sat on the edge of the bed, close to me, and I thought I heard her sniffle. "Are you alright babe?" I asked her, tilting her head up more than it was before. She didn't speak or make note of any mood. "Val," I said, as I looked into her eyes. They were her usual green, but they were darker than usual, and they were tear-stricken. Her cheeks were flushed and around her eyes was puffy. "Val, what's wrong?" I said calmly and softly. "I don't want to go home," she admitted as a tear raced down her cheek. "I want to see Louis again! I want you to be with Harry! I want to play with Lux! I don't want to go home to no home!" she cried. I tried to calm and quiet her down, but it wasn't working. "Val, I'm sorry. We have to go. In fact we need to leave soon, like now," I said as I got off of the bed and started dragging our bags into the hallway. I walked to the breakfast bar, which had nothing out since it was pitch black outside and four in the morning.

I did see a car pull up. It was Harry's car.

As I paced by the front door, panicking inside, I saw a leg step out of the driver's side. It was Niall.

My panic dissipated, but I felt a coolness go through me. I wanted to see Harry, but I didn't. I'm just glad Niall came to help us. "Hey I just talked to ya!" he said as he came through the glass doors I knew all too well now. I gave a slight smile and nod as I led him to our room. "Ha! Good thing you are on the bottom floor. I wasn't gonna walk up stairs," he said as he opened the door for me. "Niall's here," I said to Karla as her face lit up. "NIALL!" she said as she hugged him. "Niall, oh I am the worst person alive, I just hate myself! I am not like that in real life I promise I was just drunk and --" "Shh! Karla! You are gonna wake everyone in the hotel up!" Niall said putting his fingers to her lips. She smiled as she noticed how close she was to him. "But, yeah, I'm sorry, and to be honest, I don't remember anything that happened... if anything did," "Nothing happened," Niall said with a smile, and Karla sighed a glad and relieved sigh. "So, you two need to help me get these bags to the car. I brought Harry's because his car had a bit more room than mine," Niall said as he pulled the lever up on Karla's suitcase. I grabbed the handle on mine and followed them out the door, Val following behind me with her little Disney Princess suitcase in her arms.

Niall opened up the trunk for us and I set my suitcase on the ground while he and Karla talked to themselves, and Niall threw the bags in the back. I tried to walk back to the hotel like Val did, but my feet slipped on the morning ice, it had obviously been raining last night, and I fell onto the car, but the passenger door was open, and I fell into the gray leather seat. I then looked over the middle part of the car, where you can set drinks and stuff, and saw Harry's Ray Ban sunglasses. I smiled as I put them on and pulled the mirror down. I pretended to model in them and then I heard Niall speak louder, so I quickly shoved the sunglasses back to where they came from.

I then took a deep breath in and looked outside the car, where it was still pitch black. I noticed that there were absolutely no people out on the roadways. Of course. Then I turned back into the car and turned my head to the right to look in the backseat. There, lying on the connected back seat was a black wad of fabric. "What's this?" I mumbled to myself as I grasped the material and held it out in front of me. In printed letters it read: "Pink Floyd Dark Side of The Moon World Tour 1973" It also had a graphic of a beam of white light entering a prism and turning into an array of colors. This was defiantly Harry's shirt.

Checking to see if Karla and Niall were talking, which they were, I held the fabric up to my nose and I smelled his familiar scent. I hadn't been with him for long, but I knew his scent like I knew the smell of freshly baked pizza.... and I know what that smells like. I held it up to my nose again, and I noticed that the shirt wasn't wrinkly. He must have worn it recently since it was wadded up in the back of his car. That made it even more irresistible to hold onto. I sniffed in his scent one more time, but this time, Niall looked into my window and looked quizzically at me as I held the black shirt to my nose. I rolled the window down slowly and gave an embarrassed giggle. "I uh.. found this," I said, holding out the shirt to Niall... I didn't know what else to do with it. "I can tell," he said laughing. "It's Harry's so you can keep it," he said, indicating for me to get out of the car. I stepped out of the car and set the shirt in the backseat as I went back into the hotel to get the last of my possessions. I also checked to see if Val and Karla didn't forget anything. After my careful room inspection, I left the hotel card key on the end table where the phone, that rang that awful shrill noise, was. I looked around once again before stepping out of the room and closing and locking the door behind me.

Notes