What A Feeling

Becca grabs her phone, seeing Niall’s smiling face on the screen. “Niall?” Nothing. Looking down, she sees he’s hung up.
“Why did you answer my phone?”
“It was ringing.”
She shakes her head, already wanting to kill her new co-worker. “Don’t ever answer my phone again. Can you please drive me to my hotel now?”
She pushes the button to redial Niall. “Do not ever call me “Babe” again. Got that?”
“Yes, Ma’am. Geez.”
The call goes straight to his voicemail. She opens her mouth to leave a message, pushing the end button instead.

As she stands, waiting for her co-worker to bring the car around, she receives a sports news alert text about Croke Park. Remembering vividly Niall standing outside of Croke Park, telling her she didn’t need a wall around her heart; that he would protect it and never break it.
But you did, Irish.

The first few days at Becca’s new job, her mind was filled with thoughts of Niall. Even sitting in a baseball stadium, watching her favorite sport, she finds herself wishing he was beside her. Turning to look up at the very suite where he had made her fantasy come true.
She worries about him, wondering if he’s alright. Ironic, considering he broke her heart. Pulling out her phone, she dials Kara. No answer, she leaves a short message. “Hi Kara, I miss you….How’s Niall?”


***********************************************************************

“Adam? This is Becca’s friend, Kara.”
“Oh yeah. Hi, Kara. Are you calling to ask me out?”
She smirks. “You wish.”
He laughs. “Well…..”
“We’ll discuss that later, Player. Right now, I need your help.”
“Sure. With what?”
“Your idiot friend.”

Adam and Kara knock on Niall’s door. Willie answers. “He’s in his bedroom.”
Adam looks to Kara. “Be gentle.”
“Gentle isn’t my specialty.”
Adam smirks.
Kara shoves him towards Niall’s room. “Again, you wish.”

Adam opens the door slowly. “Niall? Hey, mate.”
Kara chimes in. “Niall! Get your ass out to the living room!”

She stands in the living room, arms crossed, waiting for him. Watching him walk in the room, she feels a little bad for him; he’s a mess. Most definitely not the cheerful leprechaun she’d come to call her friend.
“What the hell were you thinking, Horan?”
He shakes his head.
“I told you that day, not to pull any stupid guy shit; and what did you do? You pulled the stupidest damn guy shit I’ve ever seen. You broke my friend’s heart. I think I need to kick your ass.”
As she stares him down, the tears slip out of his eyes. He quickly wipes them away.
Sitting beside him, she softens her tone. “Why did you do that, Niall? Why did you send her away? I know you love her.”
He swallows hard. “That’s why I did it. I do love her, and I thought I needed to be selfless. So that she could be happy. I really wanted to beg her to stay.”
Kara blows out a breath. “You didn’t need to beg her. She had already made the decision to stay here in England, with Sky Sports, with you.”
His head shoots up. “She had?”
Kara nods. “She was going to tell you that night. All you needed to do was listen; maybe communicate how you were feeling, rather than assume.”
“She was willing to give up covering baseball for me?’
“Apparently. So who gave you this horrible advice?”
“Willie.” Niall replies without thinking.
Kara stands up. “Willie!” She heads into the other room to give him a piece of her mind.
Adam sits beside Niall. “Look, mate, I know you made a mistake. The thing is, if you really love this girl then you need to find a way to fix it.”
“I do love her, Adam. The first moment I saw her, everything changed. It’s like puzzle pieces, falling perfectly into place.”
Adam smiles. “Hey, that sounds like song lyrics.”
Kara returns. “Well?”
“Will you help me fix this, Kara?” Niall pleads.
“Well, Leprechaun, you better channel your inner Disney prince.”
He smiles, for the first time in what feels like forever.
“Now give me your credit card. We need three seats on the next flight to California.”

Notes