Dancing With The Stars *Narry AU FanFic *Transgender!Niall

22 - Last Dance

I continue to press myself against the wall of my apartment for ten minutes after my family has left. My phone is going off in my pocket, I can hear the Skype chime, but I already know it's Meghan trying to grovel.

I'm trying not to cry, but it is particularly hard when all I can think about goes straight back to this dilemma. I feel like the life I fought for, the one I built for myself, the one I tried so hard to create, has been ripped away from me in the matter of seconds.

The chiming is suddenly cut off my a louder, more natural ringtone. I know I only have a few people set to this one, so it's definitely not Meghan, or any of my family trying to contact me. My first guess would be Harry, since he can't seem to leave me alone for longer than an hour.

"Hey." I answer right away after checking that my guess is correct, holding the phone a little bit away from my face so he can't hear any sniffling that I am doing.

Sadly, he catches on right away. "What's wrong? I was expecting you to text me right as you got in."

"I never said I would do that anyway." I wipe my cheeks for any rogue tears.

"I know, but it would have been nice to know that you didn't get home and fall asleep before even saying goodnight."

"You're so needy." I smile but don't allow myself to laugh, just in case it sounds forced. He'd definitely know something is wrong if I did that.

"Maybe I am, and I have a confession to make."

"Don't tell me you're still sitting outside my apartment, just waiting for me to come back down so you can take me back to yours. I must say, I was quite surprised when you immediately took me home, instead of assuming I would stay over like you usually do."

"No, I'm not still in the car park in front of your apartment building; I can promise you that."

"Oh goodie."

"But, I do want you to come over and stay tonight. I don't know, I guess I just want to savour the last few weeks we have together before I have to go off and start working again."

What he says just seems to make me more upset, as I remember my parents telling me how soon we will be leaving.

"I... alright. Stay there, I'll catch a bus or something."

"You don't need to do that. Hang on, I'm getting my keys now."

"I don't want you to do that. Stay right there; I'll be there soon."

"Are you okay, love? You sound like you've been crying."

"I'll see you soon." I decide to say. I was planning on muttering the usual, half-assed 'I'm fine' that everyone says so people will stop asking.

_-_-_

I'm surprised that the bus system was still running this late. The public transportation was fairly empty compared to how it would be during the day time. There's only a few business people and hospital workers that are going to and from work. The bus is mainly quiet, except for a few typing clicks on someone's phone at the back of the bus. I chose to sit in the front, so that just explains how quiet it was since I could hear it all the way from the back seats.

There isn't a bus stop directly in front of Harry's barricaded neighbourhood; it's actually quite a bit down from the actual entrance, but I don't mind the walk. It gives me a bit of time to think about what I'm going to say and do when Harry sees the remains of the state I was in less than an hour ago.

I also had a chance to send a text to Harry when I'm about 20 feet from the gate so I could be let in immediately and the gate-guard wouldn't have to buzz into Harry and get permission if I could progress forward. I'm not actually sure if the man at the front has ever actually met me, so he might buzz for him just in case.