"Oh my god, the cutest guy from the Chemistry Department, my first kiss,"
Niall looked at her amazed and coughed on his drink, he knew she was drunk and embarrassing herself addressing him very openly. "I didn't know that is how you think of me,"
"Of course everybody thinks of you that way," she said laughing.
"OH! Great to know, are you alone?"
"No am with friends, what about you? Where is that bossy, clingy, possessive girlfriend of yours?" And Niall chocked on his beer once again, looking at her, she didn't seem to care at all.
"No, Clara isn't here today, am here alone," waving and asking his friends to leave.
"Very good," she patted his shoulders.
"Come here," she asked him to come closer with her hands. and he doubtfully moved his stool and sat a bit more closer to her. She moved her face towards his ear and whispered slowly.
"You deserve better," but she was way too loud for everyone around them to hear here.
"That's not a secret now," he said smiling, feeling ticklish as he felt his heart going unexpectedly crazy, pounding fast, and she shrugged smiling. He instantly moved his stool back, sweating a bit.
"Do you know you are a bad drinker and awfully drunk right now?" he asked and Miranda giggled.
"Uh-huh," but he couldn't help smiling. She was cute. The drunk Miranda looked so cute and childish. It was the first time he had seen her with her guards down. A little bit introverted girl from The A-Team, with her guards down.
"You should never let others see you this way," he told her. "do you do this often, god you shouldn't," he kept his beer down.
"Cutie, do you know something?"
"What? Tell me," Niall looked at his watch and answered her. He took out his phone and texted someone
"Are you leaving too?" she asked him.
"No," he said keeping the phone down sending signals to the bartender to not serve any more drinks to Miranda. "No not at all, tell me,"
"It hurts," she said frowning. "It hurts badly,"
"What happened?" he looked at her in a serious expression hearing her.
"Today everyone vacated the hostel. Everybody is going back and going to study,"
"It happens. It's alright. What about you?"
"Am going to work, but I didn't tell them why?"
"You are going to work? But why? This is the age to study!"
"I chose to work because I love him, I do cutie I do but I can't tell my friend this," Niall felt a stab on his chest, and pain that he wasn't familiar with. He didn't expect it. He didn't expect himself to feel this way, more importantly when he has Clara. "But I don't know this either, I don't know what to do, am not sure,"
"Then don't do it," Niall said and Miranda looked at him in a blurred vision, tears filling her eyes.
"Is this what love does to people? Lose their senses?"
"Yes Mira," Niall said. "This is what It does to people, it makes people prisoners, look at me, I can't get out even if I wanted to, in the name of love, and my life had turned into pure hell,"
"I feel you cutie,"
"So don't do it, and Call me Niall," he said smiling rigidly at her this time.
"I always wished to do post-graduation and wanted to pursue a career in teaching, but life is unpredictable. Instead am going to work in a publishing field I have no clue about, just for Darren,"
"You are dating him? Why would you date him? How did you even end up with him?" he felt another stab on his chest. 'If the Darren you mentioned currently in publishing then it's him, dear lord,' Niall thought.
"Shhh.... It's a secret Niall," Miranda hushed him. And accidentally Miranda spilled drink oh his white shirt as she took them from the table. Niall stopped her from drinking, taking her glass away and it spilled more in his black pants.
"Am so sorry," She apologized and stood up, taking a tissue and wiping his shirt as he tried to stop her.
"There you are," Peter came looking for her. "She is here guys," he called out the others. "We were looking for you silly girl,"
Miranda introduced Niall to everyone, and Sasha came forward, "Of course we remember you, Niall," making eyes at Fanny and Bonnie.
"Oh yes Miranda's prank guy," George said out loud. And everyone made sounds together.
"Honey, we are taking off, its time,"
"It's just 7," Miranda said.
"We better go, before we miss the bus, it would be a hustle if we miss it,"
"I will go later, you people better leave,"
"Take care Miranda," Bonnie hugged her. Everyone hugged her before they took off.
"I will drop her at college, am going there anyway," Niall told them suddenly. Everyone looked at Niall surprisingly. But they trusted him since he already has a girlfriend. They waved goodbye and left one by one. It tore Miranda's heart as she watched them leave and she walked out of the club a bit later. Niall walked behind her silently. He asked her to get in the car, and he took off, driving slowly. He bought her a cup of coffee and a wrap in between as she threw up in the middle of the ride.
"I swear I will never touch alcohol again," she babbled. Miranda took off her heels, her jacket and unbuttoned her blouse, "Why is it so hot, I hate summers,"
"It is not Summer Miranda," Niall reminded her.
"Whatever," she said and closed her eyes. Niall with his one hand on the wheel tried to take her jacket and cover her.
"You should never be drinking," he told her seriously. Within 45 minutes they entered the campus and parked in front of her hostel. He made some calls and got out. Pacing left and right in front of the car, he looked pretty tensed. A tall slim figure appeared from the distance, walking towards him. Their conversation was too loud that it interrupted Miranda's sleep. She woke up to the screaming noises.
"You are not a bit trustworthy Niall, one moment I let you off the hook, and you try to get together with this girl,"
"Enough Clara, I have been with you for all these years and you still think of me this way, why the heck can't you just let me go then?"
"I am leaving tomorrow and I wanted to meet because we won't be meeting for a few days, is it wrong to ask a boyfriend that?"
"We went on dates the past whole week and I hanged out with some of my friends and I happened to meet her gang, they left trusting me, why can't I have the responsibility of taking care of a friend? You know her very well than I do!"
"I hate that girl,"
"That's not my problem, it's yours, I just took someone to a safe place as far as am concerned, am here suffering with you every single day and yet you choose to torture me again and again Clara, remember that, you know it very well the moment you let our families know before I did, I lost everything I had for you,"
"Are you dating her, Do you love her, tell me the truth," Clara questioned him changing the topic when he asked her about going against his will.
"What if I do?" Niall took all his courage and answered her.
"Enough," Miranda screamed back trying to get out of the car and stumbling down as she got out. Nial ran towards her and helped her stand on her feet holding her arms. "This guy is too good to you Clara, you don't deserve him," Miranda snapped. "Do you know he is willing to be with you even though everybody tries to steal him," Miranda talked rubbish but truth to Clara's face unaware and blacking out. "For your information. I love Darren, Cutie loves you, but Clara, you," Miranda paused. They waited for her to continue. "Clara, you don't love our Cutie, you are just obsessed, he is just a possession for you, a treasure you don't want to lose, and it's not love, love is when you let him go knowing your heart and his are different."
"Cutie?" Clara asked Niall while he stood there trying his best to not smile listening to drunk Miranda speaking loud against his girlfriend.
'I am here with my girlfriend, I shouldn't fall this time, don't make me fall for you,' he kept telling him like chanting a mantra in his mind.
"Okay that's enough," Niall said and covered her mouth. Miranda bit his finger struggling to take his hands off, but he endured it until she stopped trying. Looking at Clara who turned red with anger. He could feel the smoke coming out of her nose. "Take her to her room," Niall asked Clara to take Miranda to her room and got in the car. He left as Clara stood there with Miranda, dragging her into the hostel.
The next day, first thing in the morning, Miranda took her suitcases and rushed to vacate her hostel. The apartment owner would be waiting for her in the studio to handover the key. 'New Beginnings,' she thought smiling. She met Clara in the hallway and smiled at her as they stood in the queue. "Good morning," Miranda greeted her. But Clara didn't.
A minute later Clara turned back to strike a conversation with her. "What happened in the club?"
Miranda looked confused. "Nothing happened."
"Why were you drunk then?"
"Ah that. You know my friends vacated and left the campus yesterday, so we went to lunch together and hit the club, I was too upset and drunk all kinds of stuff then I think I took a bus and came to the hostel, did you see me yesterday?"
"Took the bus?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You don't remember anything?"
"Is there anything that I should?" Miranda asked back looking confused and doubtful.
"Not at all, leave it, see you around someday," Carla said, vacated and left. A few minutes later, Carla watched Miranda getting into a car with a guy in a black striped suit. She was shocked to see that Miranda did say the truth about her dating someone. And somebody she didn't even expect. 'How could it be?' she thought.
Darren gave her a hand to carry the luggage as Miranda got into the car and he drove off the campus. Miranda looked back to say goodbye to her second home and chatted with Darren until they reached her new apartment. With the salary, she gained from the 3-month internship, and a little help from parents, she was able to afford a small studio near her workplace that saves her from traveling.
Miranda remembered part of her blackout moments that happened in the club and confronting Clara, "Oh no!" Miranda said keeping her hands on her head. 'Am I really the reason, could I be one of the reasons. Noway! How the hell could I not remember it at all!' she thought to herself. Miranda picked up her bag locked the apartment behind her going down to wait for Niall in the nearby café. For some reason, she was feeling excited, eagerly waiting for him to come back. She walked towards the table in the back of the café. Something fell off from her backpack. It was her keychain that had initials D and M. someone suddenly picked it up from the floor from his chair and looked at her, smiling. The table was occupied by two people. A man in a casual navy blue printed shirt and a blonde woman in a white Fendi t-shirt and blue jeans.
"Surprised to see you still carrying this," a familiar voice said.