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Khalia : Hi, can I bring one of my friends tonight? She just arrived from Birmingham and don’t know anyone
Khalia’s message makes me smile a bit too much for the news it brings. Now I know I have enough food for everyone and won't be eating pasta for the rest of the week. One day I will be able to correctly estimate food when I go shopping for groceries. But it also reminds me that the party is starting in three hours and nothing is ready to welcome my friends.
And Khalia’s friend, don’t forget it will be her first impression of you.
It’s okay, it’s not like she was going to change my whole life during one dinner.
I finally get my head settled with all the things I need to do before people start showing up and open the cupboard where I store the tablecloths and everything else I will need for this party. My friends are well aware that I will not be calm during it, I always want things to be perfect and always clean things up when I’m supposed to be enjoying the evening with them.
I guess we can say I’m a bit of a Monica when it comes to dinner parties.
Once the table is ready with candles and some fresh flowers sprinkled on the tablecloth to warm it I start cooking the actual dinner. People are not going to eat my decorations, I won’t let them. I care way too much about my candles to know that they will be off the table the minute someone gets a bit too tipsy.
John : I heard that Khalia was inviting one of her friends…
Niall : Nothing will happen, stop trying to set me up with every girl I meet. I’m fine on my own, I even made a song about it…
John : Right but love songs are way better
He’s got a point but it’s clearly the end of my worries for the moment. Right now, I just want to see my friends before another pandemic arrives and cancel my plans once again. I was supposed to tour the world this year, celebrate my second album with my fans but apparently life had other plans.
I ignore the new text that John just sent me and finalized the lasagna I’m making. It’s not the most complicated dish in the world but it’s the most efficient and I’m sure everyone will love it. Now I just have to take care of the appetizers, I’ll put the dish in the oven when most of my guests are there so it’s not overcooked.
The clock is ticking and reminding me I only have one hour left to place the furniture in a nice space so it will look friendlier and to prepare myself for the party. I have to be quick if I want to be able to redo my hair before everyone gets here.
I move the couch so it’s facing the bay window and ad a couple more chairs next to it so we all be able to sit. Even if I know deep down that some of us are probably going to end the night sitting on the carpet with no explanations, just because it’s more comfortable when alcohol is involved. Fortunately my house is big enough for people to sleep in without taking the risk of driving completely hammered.
Okay only thirty minutes left and I’m sweating like hell from all the running between the stairs I had to do. I definitely need to take a shower now if I don’t want to look like a teenager who forgot all sense of basic hygiene.
Twentynine minutes now.
Right, less thinking, more action.
I sprint upstairs and found a mountain of clothes on my bed. That’ll be a problem for another time, I have to get ready and it’s not like someone will actually end up in my bed except for myself. That can stay there for at least another night before I motivate myself to deal with it.
I grab a white shirt and a blue jean from the pile and close the bathroom door. The fabric is a bit wrinkled but nothing I can’t cover by tucking it in the jeans, it will do and people don’t actually care about what others are wearing, right ? They’ll have more important things to do than watch if my shirt is perfectly ironed.
When I get out of the bedroom, the doorbell rings and makes me run down the stairs to welcome my first guest.
Don’t fall, don’t fall.
When I open the door, John is standing in front of me with a big smile and probably a terrible idea in head. Why am I friends with him again ? I have asked myself the question everyday since we first met.
“So is she here?” he asks without even a hello.
“You're the first one. And stop trying to set me up with her, you don’t even know what she’s like!”
My irritation makes him smile a little more which only makes my heart beat faster. That’s the thing, none of us—except Khalia— knows what she’s like, I don’t even know her name. Maybe I should have asked Khalia that info before they show up ?
“I’m sure she’s lovely or she wouldn’t be friends with Khalia.” John is still trying to figure out the mysterious girl when two other people enter the room.
Did I let the door open ? It seems so or they opened it with the key I hid underneath one of the plants.
“What is he talking about?” wonders Mila while taking her coat off.
“Khalia is bringing a friend and he is convinced that she is going to be my soulmate.”
“She could have a boyfriend…” says Mark.
“Or a girlfriend.” cut Mila.
“Anyway we don’t know her, stop making assumptions we’ll see when they’ll get here! What do you want to drink?”
I go back to the kitchen to take care of their drinks and bring back some beers and a bottle of rosé wine.
A couple more people arrive as the hour goes by but still no trace of Khalia or her mysterious friend. Maybe they had a problem getting here. Yeah there must have been an accident on the road that slowed their trip.
“So I guess they’re not coming…” starts John.
“Well you’re going to go home with food leftovers because I definitely made too much.”
“Just another day at Niall’s.” jokes Tom.
At the same time the doorbell rings and a weight leaves my chest hearing that sound. They’re here. I don’t even know why I’m so excited at the idea of meeting Khalia’s friend, maybe because I was once in her position of moving to a new city without knowing anyone.
It ended quite well in the end.
Yeah, we can say that.
“Hi, welcome!” I announce while opening the door.
“Hi so sorry we’re late, the tube was crazy.” complains Khalia.
“No worry, we were just talking.”
Khalia hangs her coat with the others in the closet and walks towards the living room where I can hear Mila and Sam fighting about probably something stupid. I look back at the girl who was standing next to her and stay there open-mouthed by her beauty. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful women in my life, lots of models and she could easily be one of them. With her long chestnut hair and her grey eyes she looks like an angel.
“Hi, I’m Niall by the way.” My cheeks are probably bright red, I need to compose myself and get back to the party.
“Mia. Well Amelia but the people I like call me Mia.” she introduces herself with a cute smile.
We walk to the living room and a smile draws on my face seeing all my favourite people in one place, speaking like they have known each other forever.
“I hope you enjoy chaos.” I joke.
I don’t have the time to listen to her answer that I can smell something burning in the kitchen. Looking over my shoulder I can see Khalia bringing her a glass of wine and introducing her to the others.
“If you’re ready, dinner is served." I declare from the kitchen.
“Do you need any help?”
I turn my head to the door and see Amelia standing there with her smile and her carefree attitude. How can she be a natural even when she doesn’t know anyone in the room ?
“Yeah I think I could use some. You can take the salad bowl and I’ll be right behind you with the lasagna.”
She agrees and takes the bowl while I try to avoid burning myself with the dish.
“That smells lovely.” she says when we’re all around the table.
“Niall does know how to make pasta.” declares John.
“It’s not the hardest thing to do but it brings people together.” I explain. “It’s something comforting.”
Everyone agrees before the conversation goes on another subject. But I can’t help trying to talk to Amelia on any occasion, passing salt, serving more wine, anything to hear her voice one more time.
Why am I so obsessed with her ?
Two hours ago I didn’t even know her. She was just a friend of a friend but now I can’t stop looking at her or wanting to know every little aspect of her life.
Dinner passes like they always do, everyone’s drinking and commenting one thing or another while my playlist is playing in the background.
I just love this kind of evening. The ones where I’m not popstar Niall but just Niall, just a normal person.
“Does anyone want coffee?” I ask.
“At this hour? We're not going to sleep anytime soon.” laughs Mila.
“Because you were planning on sleeping? We didn’t even play!” announces John.
Everyone laughs before telling me who wants coffee.
Three hours and an incalculable number of stupids games later, some of us are sitting on the roof to watch the sunrise.
“Do you do that often?” asks Amelia joining me on my part of the roof.
“Hosting parties or watching the sunrise?”
“Both?” she laughs.
“It’s kinda poetic watching the day begin. All these colours, they’re just perfect.”
She smiles and rests her head on her knees. If it wasn’t weird I would take a picture of her at this exact moment. She looks so happy, so perfect, so beautiful when we didn’t sleep all night and most of us fell on the carpet trying to catch a stupid cereal box.
I didn’t know wearing jeans and a t-shirt could be so attractive, but it is on her.
“So why are you in London?” I finally ask.
“I just got a new job.” She smiles before telling me more about it.
I don’t even pay attention to my friends leaving the roof to—probably—go back to their house. There’s only her on my mind.
“Thank you for inviting me, I know it was a bit last minute…”
“I’m glad you came. Maybe we could see each other another time.”
She nods with a smile. “I would like that a lot.”
I lend her my phone to write her number but all I can focus on is the name she put : Mia.
“Mia. Well Amelia but the people I like call me Mia.” she said when she introduced herself earlier, so I guess I’m now part of these people.
Maybe she is the inspiration that was missing for my third album…
Maybe she is really going to change my life…
Ever since I saw your face
Ever since I've known your name
Oh, I'll never be the same
Mia - Niall Horan