One Last Time - We Are Defencless - Sequel

Chapter 51 - Niall

"What are we even doing? I'm tired and traumatized."

Harry ignores my whining as he drags me out the back exit to the hotel. For once we're leaving in clothes we'll be easily recognized in on purpose. Especially in the streets of New York when Everyone knows we have a concert later today.

I can already feel the anxiety starting to manifest in the pit of my stomach the second we're out in the open and in the eyes of the public and the paparazzi I already know are lurking everywhere.

It's New York.

"You've got to let it go, Niall. You're not that innocent.", Harry points out as we walk shoulder to shoulder, doing our bests to keep our heads down. At least I am.

I scoff, "Now that's just insulting, Harold." "Fuck off Nigel."

"No but seriously.", I do anything to distract myself from whatever reason Harry has for insisting that he drag my poor arse around New York. "Because I would love to know what the hell you're up to that you need me to come with you. My innocent self can't come up with something other than murder or bank robbery."

Harry snorts. His head is turning to look at me with a smirk, that I know for a fact is just for show. His eyes don't shine the way they do when he's actually gloating. "I would love to break all the laws that exist with you, Nialler. But you see. I have this thing that I may or may not have agreed to.", he explains vaguely.

I grab the sleeve of his knitted, blue sweater to force him to look at me. My heart breaks into a million pieces when I see the moisture filling his eyes behind the hair that's fallen out of the roughly styled quiff he did as a joke to mock Zayn after walking in on Liam and Zayn nearly fucking on the couch this morning.

"This better not be what I think it is."

When Harry doesn't say anything, it takes everything in me not to leave him right here and track down Simon or Joanne's hotel rooms and scream until my throat is dry.

Harry's hand around my wrist might be holding me back too, but that's besides the point.

"Harry. This isn't okay. They can't do this to you again. You're not what they're trying to make you out to be, you idiot. You're not fucking into anyone but Louis fucking Tomlinson who is also a part of the same band as you with sass the size of Jupiter.", I lower my voice when people start looking, praying that no one heard anything.

Harry wraps his arms around my shoulder so he can get close enough to whisper in my eat, the sound of cameras clicking making me hug him back, "We're going to go meet a girl named Zara. She's 24. She's supposed to be my new beard. But it is going to look better if you're there with me. If you're uncomfortable with it, then we won't. We'll just go back to the hotel and eat pizza until we nothing short of throw up."

I shake my head. "No Haz. I'm here for you, ok? But why do you want me to go with you and not Lou. It would be hilarious to see him try to keep from biting her head off."

Harry chuckles, giving my shoulder a squeeze before letting go of me and ushering is to keep walking to wherever he is planning on ending my life. "You, my friend, are one sadistic motherfucker.", he laughs, "You and I both know that poor girl wouldn't have as much as a fingertip left after Lou is done."

I shrug, feeling at ease now that we're joking about it. Humour is good. Humour is something I understand. "Or maybe he and her become best friends and she steals your cuddle privileges."

Harry gasps in faux offence, "You did not go there."

"Oh but I did.", I throw my arm across his shoulders, cursing the tall frog for being taller than me. It is not ok. Never had been.