The Player

Chapter 3

"Well that's exactly it. I wanted to get to know you, and I wanted you to get to know me."

"But I already know who you are."

"There's more to me than you think." The waiter returned then with our drinks. When he left again Niall looked at me waiting for a response. After I didn't give one, he spoke again.

"Just tell me what you wanna know." He said. I sucked on my straw for a bit, thinking. I did want to know other things about him, understand who he is more. It would be nice to find out that's he's not as messed up as I had him thought out to be.

"Okay, I have a question."

"Go for it."

"Why do you do what you do with girls? Like why are you such a player?"

"Beautiful women are my kryptonite." He said with a smirk. His eyes dug into mine.

"Okay for real, why do you do it. That's not an answer."

"What do you mean it's not an answer? Just because it's not what you wanted to hear?" he challenged me.

"It doesn't matter what I want to hear. What matters is that you tell the truth. I know that's not the real answer."  This dinner is already off to a bad start. 

"I just love women." He said putting his hands up and then taking a sip of his coke.

"Seriously Niall, give me a real answer or I'm leaving. You're the one who wanted me to ask you these questions. If those are the real answers then I don't know why I'm wasting my time with you."

"Okay, okay. I do it because I love women and their fantastic bodies." I stared at him with a straight face. I was done at that point. I didn't even respond. I grabbed by clutch, got up and started walking out of the restaurant. I didn't even know what I was doing. I should have known this whole thing was a mistake.

"Ella stop! Come back I'm sorry." I stopped walking and waited for him to continue. I don't know why I did, I should have just continued walking and left the restaurant. Although how would I get back to my dorm? He was my ride.

"I'll answer you truthfully, I promise. Just come back and sit down." I thought for a moment and knew I shouldn't listen to him, but my legs found themselves taking me back to the secluded table. I sat down and placed my clutch on the table.

"I'm sorry. I'm being a real dick. I'll answer you truthfully."

"Fine." was all I said

"I really don't know why I treat girls the way I do. I know it's wrong but I still do it. I always blame it on my father. He married my mom young, fresh out of college, and they had me. As I grew up, I could tell my mom was upset a lot. My dad was never home. I found out later that he was out with other women at clubs, getting drunk and sleeping with them. I never knew why he did it, but it crushed my mom. She loved my dad, but he didn't get it, because he was never even there. I never knew how she could love such a dick head like my father. My mother divorced him after a few years of him cheating on her. She took me with her and raised me on her own. But now look at me. I'm just like my father. I know it's not an excuse for the way I treat girls, blaming it all on him, because I chose to do it. I know it's not right, but I guess blaming my father makes me not feel as bad about doing it."

"I'm so sorry Niall, about your father."

"Eh it's alright, he's probably living life as he always has anyways. He doesn't need me or my mom." I didn't know what to say. I wasn't expecting Niall to open up like this to me.

"I know I pretty much forced you to tell me the truth, but why are you telling me all of this?" I asked him.

"Cause I don't want you thinking I'm some asshole who has no respect for girls."

"I've hated you all this time. Why does my opinion all of a sudden matter to you?"

"I don't know. Maybe I just don't want to have this reputation anymore. And I thought, maybe you might understand. I mean never really being with me and all." He said. I nodded in understanding.  

The waiter came back over to take our order and when he left it was silent between me and Niall, but it was almost a comfortable silence.

"So what about you?" Niall asked breaking the silence. "What's your family like?"

"Oh um..." Since Niall opened up with a pretty depressing topic about his parents, I decided to say my own. "Well, it's just me and my dad. My mom left when I was five."

"Oh I'm sorry. That must have been tough."

"Not really, I never really knew her, since she left when I was younger." I was lying through my teeth. I remembered everything about my mom. I used to cry every time I thought about her, but not so much anymore. I never knew why she even left in the first place. I woke up one morning and she was gone along with all of her things. My dad wouldn't tell me anything, and still won't tell me to this day.

"Well I'm glad it wasn't to hard on you." Niall said.

"Yeah."

The rest of the night went smoothly. We made small talk throughout dinner about our hobbies and other random things. By the end of dinner Niall felt like someone I had known for a long time.

"I'll pay the bill." Niall said grabbing the check.

"Why don't we split it?"

"No don't worry about it, I got it." I wasn't gonna argue with him. I was getting to tired anyways. We paid the check and then left the restaurant. We got in the car and made our way back to campus. I must have fallen asleep on the ride back because the next thing I knew, Niall was shaking me awake.

"Ella, we're back. You should go to bed." I opened my eyes and nodded, making a mumbling noise. He got out of the car and helped me out.

"I'll walk you up to your dorm." He offered.

"No, um I think I'm okay." I said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, but thank you for tonight. It was nice." I said before walking up the sidewalk to the building.

"Yeah it was fun. Let's do it again sometime. Goodnight Ella." He said.

"Goodnight Niall." I made it up to my dorm room before kicking off my heels, changing into sweats and passing out for the night.