Chapter 35: Story of My Life (by One Direction)

                                    

                                          
        
                          
I still can't believe I left my phone at the bar last night. I am so thankful that James was coming in early to clean. When I arrive at the bar, I knock on the door and wait for him to let me in.
                          
"Good morning sunshine," he said brightly as he opened the door.
                          
"Don't even start. It is way too early and some bartender over served me last night."
                          
"Don't blame your drunken mistakes on me," he replies while wiping up the bar.
                          
"Just hand over the phone so I can go back to bed."
                          
"Or do you mean so you can call your boy band boyfriend?"
                          
"Ugh, not you too? He's..." and before I could complete my sentence, James interrupts me, "not your boyfriend." 
                          
"You really shouldn't eavesdrop on other people's conversations."
                          
He smugly smiles as he says," It's one of the perks of serving drunken assholes tequila all night."
                          
He winks at me as I grab my phone from his hand.  "You know James, I can't decide if I will miss you or not when I leave."
                          
When I get outside, I try to turn my phone on but it's dead. Just my luck, I really wanted to talk to Niall.  I owe him a proper apology for walking out on him.
                          
As I begin to walk down the street, I notice a guy coming out of my apartment building.  He resembles Niall and is even wearing a hat that looks like his favorite tweed news boy cap. I am really tired and convinced my eyes are playing tricks on me, he should be in Seattle right now not Philadelphia walking down my street at 8am.  I decide I need a closer look just to be sure that it's not him.  Once I cross the street, the guy starts to walk in the opposite direction as me.  I quicken my pace but he is too far ahead of me so I decide to call his name to see if I get a response.
                          
"Niall!!!" 
                          
The guy stops and turns around. My heart stops beating when I catch a glimpse of his face. I can't believe this.  What is he doing here?
                          
I walk quickly down the quiet city street to catch up with him.  Once we are face to face I can see that he looks sad and defeated and will barely make eye contact with me. 
                          
"Niall, what's going on? Why are you here?" 
                          
He replies, "I needed to talk to you and you wouldn't return my texts messages or phone calls." 
                          
I hold up my phone. "Sorry, I left it at the bar last night and it died. I just went by to pick it up."
                          
"It's ok. It was a mistake to come. I see that you are back with Vinnie."
                          
"What? NO!" I exclaimed in complete shock.  "Where did you get that idea?"
                          
"I went to your apartment and Vinnie answered the door.  He made it sound like..." he stopped talking. 
                          
"Sound like what? What did he say to you?" I ask in a rushed tone.  "I'm going to kill him!" Even after our talk last night, he is still being a dick. I look at Niall and he hasn't responded.  He is just standing there, staring at me, waiting for me to give him an explanation.  "Vinnie and I ran into each other last night and we ended up having a really long and open conversation. We talked about everything that happened and I closed the Vinnie and Liv chapter of my life. I am done.  We are never getting back together." 
                          
"Then why is he at your place?" he asked sounds a little pissed off.
                          
"Niall it is not what it looks like. We all had a lot to drink last night and I didn't want to send him home alone.  It was innocent.  I slept on the couch."  I move closer to him and reach my hand out to touch his arm.  I look at him and ask, "Niall, why did you come to Philadelphia? I figured when I left Seattle you would be done with me."