The Time Traveler

Chapter 17: Was this becoming a thing?

“Are you okay?” He said, shifting closer to me.

“Uh... I just...” I couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Just promise you won’t get mad.”

“Why would I get mad at you?” He said in a soothing voice. It definitely helped.

“Not at me.” I replied. I could feel him staring at me. It was a few seconds before I built up enough courage to even open my mouth, but as soon as I looked him in the eye, he knew.

“What did Niall do?” It sounded more like a demand to know, instead of a question.

“He...” I couldn’t.  “Niall...” I had to.

“Rose.” He said my name sternly

.“He kissed me.”

“He....” He said to himself. “He kissed you.”

I looked for his reaction. I couldn’t read anything. Did he hear me? Of course he did!

“Hm.” He hummed.

“Okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m not mad.”

“Really?”

“At you.” He turned away from me and started for the door.

Before I could stop him, he was already on his way down the hall towards the elevator.

“No.” I whispered to myself.

No, no, no, no, no, no. This was not good. This was not okay. I had to do something. I couldn’t just stand here and hope Harry didn’t do anything to Niall! But the rage I saw in his eyes seconds before he left, was a rage I had never seen in anyone’s eyes before. And it wasn’t really rage, it was agitation. He looked irritated and disturbed. I bit my lip. I closed the door behind me and ran down the hall.

“Harry!” I called. “Harry!” It was too late.

I watched as the elevator doors closed. He paced inside.

“No.” I found the elevator button and pressed it like crazy, desperate for another elevator. It seemed like hours before I heard a ‘ding’ to the next elevator. I ran inside of it and closed the doors as soon as I could. I almost tripped over myself, and I began to breathe harder and harder. I was scared.

The elevator doors opened to Niall’s floor, and I began to sprint to Niall’s room. I came up to his room, almost passing it from how fast I was running, and I heard the sound of voices shouting at each other.

“WHAT HELL WERE YOU THINKING?” I heard Harry’s voice screaming.

I yanked the door open and saw them standing in front of each other, two inches apart. Harry was looking down at Niall with loathing eyes. They were in the same stance that the boys at my school always were before pounding each other’s faces in.

Niall shoved Harry away from him and before Harry swung his ready fist, I tackled my body at his legs, making us both hit the ground. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for putting me in soccer when I was 7. If I hadn’t sprinted my way over here, one of these boys could have been seriously hurt.

“Rose!” He said, prying me off of his legs. I refused to let go.

“NO!” I screamed. “DON’T HIT HIM!”

When I first saw Harry, half-naked and all, my crazed hormones couldn’t help but stare at his body. Of course, about 6 other things were going on when I did meet him, but I didn’t forget how strong his arms looked. Now, I knew how strong they were. He still managed to pull me off of his legs and jump right back up on his feet like a boxer.

Niall looked frightened, but prepared as well. He was wearing a tank top, and I could see he probably did some working out, too. I was tempted to look at my untoned arms and compare them to both of the boys’, but I realized there were more important things to do than observe my own muscles.

This was all happening over a matter of seconds, and it seemed like Harry was about to strike again until the door swung open.

“PAUL!” I screamed from the ground. He looked me, then at the boys, then back at me, then back at the boys.

“What the hell is going on?” He demanded.Immediately, the boys separated.

At the command of Paul’s deep, Irish voice, they ended up on opposite sides of the room. Niall, standing in his usual pose. Hands crossed under his underarms, and Harry was helping me up. He had a dominating arm around my waist, and he was staring down Niall. This wasn’t over yet.

“Do I have to repeat myself one more time?” Paul said.

“Nothing.” Niall muttered.

“No, first I hear Rose screaming Harry’s name and then I see her throw herself into an elevator. I follow her, and I hear you guys yelling from down the damn hall. I come in here, I see poor Rose on the floor, and the two of you ready to beat each other. What the hell is going on?”

“It’s.... just-” Harry began.

He looked at all of us while I looked at him, and the rage that was previously there was now gone. He had calmed down just as fast as I saw him get angry. I saw him make eye-contact with Niall. Niall had the same exact look in his eyes, and it didn’t take a genius to know they were mentally apologizing to each other.

“Rose, I’m sorry. I’ll be back in our room in a while... I have to talk with Niall.

”Even I could feel Paul staring at Harry.

“...and Paul.” He finished.

“Harry.” I said, my hand on his arm.

“Rose, go.” He said, once again, sternly.

Was this becoming a thing? I sure hope not.

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