Laced

Laced - Chapter 7 (Awkward Dinners)

I shot up. "Really?!? What about-"

"He's going to be gone for an hour or so - so hurry. He left me in charge for the time being."

I ran to the closet, throwing on whatever was in front of me. I wasn't going to miss this chance. Not for anything.

In under two minutes, I was dressed and Niall motioned for me to follow him.

As I fell in step with Niall's pace, I looked up at him. "Will you get in trouble for this?"

He shook his head. "No. He left me in charge. I do what I want."

"Why are you doing this for me?" I asked him curiously.

He stopped walking, turned around and put a hand on my shoulder. "Because, Zayn's being a prick. He shouldn't punish you for not being able to control himself. He's being childish and he needs to start owning up to his problems. Now, come. Dinner's gonna get cold."

He led us to the dining hall, where about fifteen girls sat, all around my age, though there were a few younger and older. I spotted Liam, Harry, and Louis all sitting down next to each other. There was light chatter, but they all looked up at us as we entered.

Niall cleared his throat. "Guys, this is Abby. She's new here."

I was greeted by a few smiles and hellos, and then they returned to their conversations and eating.

Harry grinned at me, motioning for me to sit next to him.

I quickly walked over to him, pulling out a chair and settling into it. "Hey."

"Abby! How come I never see you around?" He poked my side playfully.

"I get dinner served to me in my room."

"Ooh, you're so special." He winked at me, flashing his dimply smile.

"Not really," I shrugged. "I'd rather eat with everyone else."

"So why don't you eat with us?" He asked me.

Niall, who had been overhearing our conversation, answered him. "Because Zayn's avoiding her."

Harry gave me a knowing look.

A servant I hadn't seen before placed a tray in front of me. "Your dinner, Abigail."

I quickly thanked him, and inspected my tray. A small side salad, a water bottle, and a piece of baked salmon all stared up at me.

I quickly dug into the salad, avoiding the salmon like the plague. I absolutely hated fish.

Harry nudged my side with an elbow. "You don't like fish?"

I shook my head. "It's gross."

"Here, have some of my steak. I get more leeway on what I want to eat. Just don't let Liam see -since he set up your eating plan." He chuckled, slicing a piece of his steak and sliding it onto my plate.

"Thank you so much, Harry." I grinned.

"Anything for the pretty lady." He flirted, smiling.

I poked his side playfully. "You're not too bad yourself."

He laughed, and then dug into his food. "Eat, Abby."

I sunk into my own plate, savoring the taste of steak with each bite.

I turned around to thank Harry again, and froze.

Zayn had walked into the room, and obviously hadn't noticed me yet. "Sorry I'm late, everyone. Niall, ask one of the servants to get me som-"

His eyes landed on me, and his words caught in his throat. I quickly looked down at my plate, staring intensely at it to avoid Zayn's glare.

"I'm done here," I whispered to Harry. "Please take me back to my room?"

He shook his head. "Just act normal." He whispered back.

Zayn had finally shaken out of his shock, and hung his leather jacket on the back of a chair before pulling it out and taking a seat.

Everyone had gone back to talking quietly, and I kept my eyes down on my plate. "Please, Harry." I whispered.

He shook his head. "Just eat. Don't worry."

I pushed back my seat, and it screeched against the wooden floor. If no one was going to take me back to my room, I'd leave myself. I didn't want to be where I was unwelcome.

Standing up, I quickly wiped my fingers on a napkin. "Excuse me." I blurted, and rushed out of the dining hall.

All eyes were on me as I left the room. All, except Zayn's.

When I exited the room, a lump stuck in my throat, and tears were threatening to spill.

A hand fell over my shoulder, and pulled me around. Emarld green eyes looked into mine.

"Harry, leave me alone."

"Abby, wait, listen-"

"No! Let go!" I attempted to duck out from under his arm, but he grabbed me before I could escape.

He wrapped his arms around me hugging my chest against his, and I struggled to break free of his grasp.
"Relax, Abby!"

"Fucking let go of me!" Tears were running down my face, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be in my room alone. "Let me g-"

And then, his lips crushed mine.

I was shocked at first, but then I responded to his kiss. His lips were soft, smooth, and tasted of the dinner he just ate. His arms loosed a bit, and his hands fell to my waist, pulling me lightly against him.

I rested my hands on his hard chest, and stepped on my tippy toes so that I could reach him better.

The kiss was light, sweet, and short. Harry pulled away and looked down at me quickly, before pressing a quick peck to my lips again. "Are you okay?" He said softly, making no effort to pull away from my body.

I nodded. A hand that had been resting on my waist clasped around my hand, and he pulled on it. "C'mon, let's go back to your room."

I nodded again, and let him pull me along the long maze back to my room as I remembered how his lips fit perfectly with mine.

Author's Note

And Monday is once again upon us.

I've cringed so much reading these last few chapters that my facial muscles are sore. The cringe literally does not stop, lmfao.

Anyway, I think I'm doing better(ish) this week. I hope y'all've had a pretty decent weekend yourselves :)

What do you all look forward to as we approach the end of the year? I'm really excited for some relief from this heat. And I love the festive vibe this time of the year. Everyone seems to be in a better mood, happier, more carefree.

I love you all. Thank you all for still being here with me these many years later. 🥺

Anyway, until next time: keep up your self care, recite those positive affirmations, and be kind to yourself. 🥹🫶🏻♥️

IS