Two Weeks Later
"Happy birthday!" someone screamed in my face, causing me to pull the covers up over my head. I squirmed around a bit in my bed until I couldn't ignore the talking and giggling anymore. I emerged from the pile of blankets to see my mom, dad, twin brothers, and Jo standing at the end of my bed, holding a bunch of balloons. I smiled widely through my exhaustion, and gave each of them a big hug.
"Come downstairs Stells, we have breakfast for you!" my brother Aiden said with a smile, before turning and sprinting down the stairs. I smiled at his enthusiasm, but would never understand how he could be so awake so early in the morning. I pulled on a cute hoodie in order to look a little more presentable, because I was sure there would be many pictures taken. Eighteen was an important birthday, after all.
I checked my phone quickly before I joined my family downstairs, remembering how I had fallen asleep while texting Niall. There was one new message from him:
Enjoy your last day of seventeen my love. Sweet dreams. Xoxox
I smiled at the screen, thinking of the last two weeks. He had called me every day, and we talked for at least an hour, learning more about each other all the while. Sometimes Jo and I would group skype with the five boys, talks which were never awkward but always entertaining, especially with Harry and Louis's constant attempts to get Jo to spill about her new boyfriend. I wished I could say that it was as if Niall had never left, but it wasn't. I constantly ached for his contagious laugh and his cute remarks and his big blue eyes. Six more weeks, I reminded myself as I jumped down the stairs.
I entered the kitchen and saw a huge plate of French toast on the table. "Oh my goodness, my absolute favorite!" I squealed, hugging my mom. "Thank you so much!"
She just laughed at me as we all sat down at the table and dug in. When we finished, Jo and I went upstairs so I could get dressed. I was just pulling on my yoga pants and plaid flannel button-up when her phone rang. "Hello? Yes. Yeah, that's the one. Er, can you text me? Yeah I'm with Stella right now. Okay, talk to you soon." She dropped the call and rolled her eyes, although a grin was growing on her face.
"Who was that?" I asked, not really interested.
"Just Zack." Zack was Jo's crush of two years and boyfriend of almost two weeks. He had asked her out the day after we returned home from LA, and she was completely ecstatic. "Hey Stell, let me fix your hair." She plugged the flat iron in and straightened my hair, even though I had done it the night before.
"Why do I need to do my hair?" I complained. "We're just going to get our nails done!"
"Yeah, but we're going to dinner later, so this way you won't have to worry about it this afternoon." I saw her point, so I didn't press the issue. She stopped frequently to send texts, and every time she did, her smile grew bigger, although her fingers drummed nervously on the table.
"Stop flirting with Zack! I think my hair is straight already," I said, looking in the mirror and brushing through it with my fingers.
"No! I mean, uh, I need to fix the back! One second," she pleaded as she pulled out her phone yet again.
"Ugh fine, whatever." I pulled out my own phone and sent Zack a message, hoping to get my way on my birthday.
Stop texting Jo when she's trying to do my hair!
Zack and I weren't particularly close, but he replied within the minute.
I'm not texting her. Happy birthday though!
My eyebrows pinched in confusion as I reread the message. He wasn't texting her? Then why would she tell me he was? At that moment, the doorbell rang. I didn't think too much about it, as one of Aiden or Micah's friends were always stopping by. I heard my mom answer the door downstairs, and although I couldn't distinguish individual words, it sounded like she invited someone inside. Great, I thought. She's supposed to be taking us to the nail salon! I heard a male voice answer her by the door and assumed it was one of my brothers' friends' fathers.
That theory was soon discarded as both Aiden and Micah ran into my room. Surely if their friends were downstairs, they would be with them, not with me, right? They nodded at Jo and smiled suspiciously before jogging back down the stairs. Jo turned to me, finally powering off the iron. "We have a surprise for you," she said, clearly very excited.
I stood up, a smile growing on my face. "Okay, where to, chief?" I asked.
"Just stand up and close your eyes." She took my hand and led me down the stairs and into the living room. I heard hushed voices around me and could've sworn I saw a camera flash from behind my closed eyes. Is this some sort of surprise party?
Jo stood me in what I thought was the middle of the room. I still had no idea what was happening. Maybe there's a present on the table? Jo released my hand. "Okay, open your eyes," she said, her voice shaking with excitement.
I opened my eyes and gazed upon the scene before me. Niall was standing right in front of me, smiling widely with his arms already outstretched. I was somewhat aware of Liam, Zayn, Louis, and Harry standing next to him, but I couldn't process much else before I jumped into Niall's waiting arms, nearly knocking him to the ground. I couldn't believe it. He was here! He put me down and kissed my forehead, keeping his arms around me. I kissed his cheek, then turned to hug the other boys.
"Liam!" He hugged me tightly and kissed me on the cheek before turning me over to Zayn, who picked me up and spun me around.
"Happy birthday, sweetheart," he said with a smile, putting me down.
Harry and Louis hugged me at the same time, both of them talking simultaneously so I couldn't understand a single word.
Not quite over the shock of seeing them, I asked, "What are you guys doing here?!"
I wound my way back to Niall and wrapped my arm around his waist, turning to look back at the others.
"Jo told us your birthday was coming up, and we decided that we couldn't miss it for the world," Liam responded sweetly, smiling down at me.
"I cleared the whole thing with your parents, so don't worry about that," Jo tacked on, causing me to laugh.
"You guys are the best, I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present!" I squealed, leaning into Niall and feeling his lips on my hair.
Louis piped up, "Seriously, you think we're your present? That would be so lame. Dude, we got you an awesome present though." He grinned at me and came to give me another hug.
"Should we give it to her now?" Harry asked the other guys, but it was Jo who answered.
"You might as well, it will put her in a better mood for the rest of the day." She winked at me at me.
My parents and brothers walked into the room right then, and I made all the introductions. When Aiden saw my arm around Niall's waist, he said, "Ah, so you're Niall. We've heard so much about you." I blushed light pink, sending my brother a death glare.
Micah, picking up on some sort of twin telepathy, picked up where Aiden left off. "Oh mom and dad, you just have to meet him, he's the sweetest boy I've ever met in my whole life," he said in a poor imitation of my voice. "And he's absolutely adorable! Those big blue eyes make me melt—"
"Okay enough!" I yelled, now bright red from embarrassment. Everyone in the room started laughing, including myself, and Niall gave my shoulders an encouraging squeeze.
"We wanted to be here when they give you your present," my mom explained. Did everyone know about this except for me?
"It's not exactly wrapped, but it's a present all the same," Liam said, turning to look at me. "Niall, I think you should do the honors."
"Alright then," Niall responded, "drumroll please!" Everyone in the room clapped their hands against their legs, creating a convincing drumroll. My heart pounded, not sure what to expect. "Stella, would you like to join us for the last six weeks of our tour?"
I gaped at him, expecting a "Just kidding!" or a burst of laughter. Instead, he gazed back at me, excitement evident in his eyes, waiting for my answer. I looked across at all the boys, who stared back at me expressions similar to Niall's. Once Jo and I made eye contact, though, I realized that this wasn't a joke. Her expression reassured me and sent tingles down my spine at the same time. I was going on tour with One Direction.
"Yes!" I screamed, jumping on top of Niall again, earning applause and laughter from everyone in the room.
After dinner that night, the five boys, Jo, Zack, and I gathered around the firepit in my backyard. Everyone was huddled in close to the flames except Niall and I, who were swinging gently on my hammock a few feet away. We were speaking in low voices so none of the others could hear us, talking about nothing in particular, just glad to be in each other's company.
"You two having fun over there?" Louis asked rather obnoxiously, throwing a marshmallow at Niall's head. I stuck my tongue out at him while Niall gave him a thumbs up.
I was just telling Niall a story about my devious twin brothers when he abruptly turned to face me, interrupting my thoughts. "I love you Stella. I've loved you ever since our first date, it just took these last two weeks apart for me to realize it. I love you so much."
I stared at him in wonder, gazing into those beautiful blue eyes that were now filled with emotion. Not caring that six of our friends were sitting just a few feet away, not caring that my family was probably watching us through the window, I leaned over and pressed my lips against his. I leaned into the kiss, feeling his mouth smiling against mine.
When I finally pulled away, I said what I had been feeling ever since I first met him. "I love you," I said simply, a smile stretching across my face. He smiled back at me, twining my fingers with his. And like that, we lied back against the hammock, enjoying the laughter of our friends and the bliss of each other's company, overjoyed that our time together seemed to stretch out indefinitely before us.