Something Great

Chapter 10

Natalie's POV

Walking into the kitchen on wobbly legs, I grab a glass of water and stand at the counter sipping it, using the brief respite to calm my nerves, slow my heart, and take stock of the situation. I'm deliberately avoiding Harry, and I'm sure he's aware of it. When he even approaches the area I'm in, I move away. The one thing I can't escape however, is his penetrating gaze. His eyes have been following me, for much of the evening. However, what's unnerving is that his face doesn't carry an expression of guilt or longing, but anger. It truly bubbled to the surface when I was chatting with Niall. I can't even wrap my brain around what his problem is at the moment. HE shows up with a date, only days after declaring his desire to see me again, but then has the audacity to throw ME dirty looks all evening, simply for making friendly conversation with his bandmate, who happens to be a childhood pal of my roommate's? It's such an obvious double standard, I want to laugh at how ridiculous it is, but when I try, I seem to choke on the sound. How fitting. It occurs to me again that I really should go home. I started out the evening sexy and powerful. Now my provocative black dress and stacked heels make feel like a little girl playing dress up, wearing somebody else's clothes.

I'm shaken from my thoughts by Niall walking into the kitchen. I watch him surreptitiously as he grabs a glass, fills it with water, and comes to stand near me, drinking casually from his cup. He doesn't make eye contact, but the set of his shoulders tells me that he's thinking hard about something. Abruptly, he sets the cup down on the countertop sharply, making me jump, and turns toward me. He narrows his eyes, and crosses his arms on his chest, but doesn't make a move to speak. I continue to sip my water, glancing up at him expectantly. Finally, he breaks the silence.

"Harry's crazy about you. You realize this, right?"

All I can do is stare at him dumbly. I set my glass down shakily before I drop it. My heart leaps into my throat, wanting desperately for what he's saying to be true, but then plummets back down, knowing the current situation contradicts his words. I wrack my brain for something witty and cutting to say, but I can't find the words. "I know him well enough to know when he's in it, so to speak. Harry doesn't just talk, for hours, to anyone. Trust me – he's into you." I pause, for the briefest of moments, to consider his words. I prepare to spit out my rebuttal before I can really think about it, but Niall beats me to it. "Don't you get it Natalie? I see what you're thinkin. You're NOT her. That's just it. You're -" He looks like he's going to say more, but his eyes dart up to over my shoulder, and for a minute he looks distinctly uncomfortable, guilty even. Like a kid caught doing something he shouldn't. Briefly, he sighs. "Nevermind. Hey H. You want another beer?" Startled, I spin around to see Harry, leaning in the doorway, his eyes flitting between Niall and I. Disgruntled that I'm obviously not going to get any more out of Niall at the moment, I turn back to see him with his back to me, rooting in the fridge. He pulls out two bottles, swings the door shut with his foot, and brushes past me, handing one of the bottles to Harry on his way out of the kitchen. Harry stares at the bottle for a moment, like he doesn't know how it got there. He then walks past me to the kitchen sink, avoiding my eyes. However, the subtle tic in his jaw says a great deal.

So nonchalant that I can tell he's trying to APPEAR nonchalant, he sets the bottle on the counter and starts washing his hands. My stomach churns and tears threaten as I realize he's no longer interested in speaking to me, our former chemistry obviously a thing of the past. Sadly, the only thing I'm hoping to salvage at this point is my pride. I go to leave the kitchen but his voice brings me to an abrupt halt.

"You and Niall, huh?" he asks, his voice coming out a bit sharper than I'm sure he intended. My eyebrows shoot up my forehead. He can't be serious. I let out a little surprised huff of laughter. "Um, NO," I state plainly. "Why on earth would you think that?" This finally gets his attention and he rounds on me. While I was hoping for the look on his face to be one of amusement (maybe he was totally kidding with the whole Niall remark?), what I see is much colder and makes me reflexively take a step back.