In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Fifty

Chapter Fifty 

I had been curled up on the sofa watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” when I got Harry’s call. That house he asked me to look at was still sitting on the market and he wanted to have a look at it.  However, his real estate agent was out of town for the holidays, but she gave him the gate code and told him to go on ahead. He was hoping I could meet him there to show him around. In an hour. Typical Harry.

“Hey Ni.” I called toward the bedroom, not bothering to get off the couch. George Bailey was walking through Pottersville for the first time, a bewildered look on his face as he sees his beloved Bedford Falls transformed. Niall came out from the bedroom and sat down on my lap, blocking my view of the t.v., his bony ass digging into me. “Harry just called.” I said, peeking at the screen through the gap under his arm. I noticed that he was wearing a new outfit. “Where are you going?” I asked.

“This movie is so lame.” He said. I shoved him off my lap and onto the floor. “I just felt like getting dressed, since you washed all of my clothes.” He said, grabbing a throw pillow and placing it beneath his head on the floor. “What’d Harry have to say?”

“He asked me to meet him to do a walk-through of that house. It shouldn’t take long. Want me to pick up some steaks for dinner on my way back?”

“Sounds good.” He said, focused on the t.v. screen getting, sucked into the movie he claimed was “so lame”. “When are you going?”

I looked out the window and saw the snowflakes flying. “Now, I guess.” I said, stepping over him. His hand reached up and grabbed my calf.

“Can you do me a favor?” he said, giving his biggest smile. “My love?” he added for good measure. I stared down at him, waiting to hear it. “Take those couple of boxes to the post office before it closes? They need to get to my cousins in the U.S. by Christmas.”

I put my hands on my hips. “Really, Horan? You’re pushing it.” I sighed.

“Really, Collins? You’re taking my car! Whaddaya want me to do?” he mocked.

He had a point, and I conceded. Crouching down, I kissed him, blowing a little bit of air through my lips raspberry-style. “Gross.” He muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

___

The gate was open as promised. The tires crunched over the snow-covered gravel as I made my way down the winding driveway toward the house. The landscaping was lit perfectly, the leaf-less trees casting shadows on the white-covered lawn. A few of the windows were lit up, so I knew Harry must have beaten me, though his car must be parked in the garage. Poor guy probably didn’t even own a snow brush.

I climbed the three steps to the large porch and reached into my coat pocket for my phone, pulling up the key code for the front door that Harry had text me just in case I arrived first. I could probably just ring the bell, but why waste an opportunity to scare the shit out of him? 200315 My fingers pressed the numbers into the back-lit keypad and I turned the handle.

The antique wooden door swung easily on its hinges. I kicked the snow from my shoes and removed them just inside the door. I couldn’t quite tell where in the house Harry was. It wasn’t an enormous place, and the main floor was pretty open-concept. I heard a creak in the floor above my head and knew he must be taking a look at the bedrooms upstairs. I hung my jacket on the hook by the door and headed to the kitchen, which was dark except for the pendant light above the large granite island.

I decided to tuck myself behind the door leading to the basement to wait for Harry to come around the corner. I stood atop the landing and reached to pull the door closed just as something caught my eye. There, on the counter top was a tiny wooden box.  I stepped back out into the kitchen, and felt along the wall for the switch plate, flipping the levers until the large light mounted in the middle of the ceiling lit-up.