Trouble. (niall horan au)

chapter 11 - first date

"He clearly thinks he's asking me out."

Niall subtly cracked the knuckles of his right hand. "I'm going to need to talk to this guy. And by that I do mean beat the shit out him. Doesn't he know who I am?"

I attempted subtly move away, but his grip tightened. Sighing, I said slowly, "Niall. You realize that we aren't like- dating or anything? We aren't in a relationship. To be honest, I don't understand the whole thing we have going on here."

Niall glanced over at me, the anger melting off his face and being replaced with a glowing smile. "We have this thing where I'm pinning after you, and you fancy me even though you try to act like you don't, and I always think of touching you."

I was rendered speechless as he lifted my hand up and pressed a kiss to my palm. After a moment, I stupidly replied, "No."

"Yes."

"I don't remember ever agreeing to that."

"I don't remember ever asking."

I thought about Scott, and tried to vaguely put together what I remembered about him. His hair wasn't lilac, that's for sure, but a normal brown. Teachers adored him and parents loved him. He probably didn't have a record with the police. He would never be accused of dealing drugs. He would ask me properly if we were dating.

But he also probably would never run barefoot through the grass with me, fleeing from the police, laughing as though everything was funny. I glanced back over at Niall and admired the way light from outside filtered through the window, the golden rays lighting up his hair to the softest shade of purple.

Scott was the safe choice and Niall was not and I was clearly very, very stupid.

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"I will drag you out of this car." Niall threatened, giving me a questioning look. "So, are you going to get out walking, or over my shoulder?"

I frowned and pressed my forehead against the window, watching the enormous crowd of people flocking all around booths at the fair. "I don't like crowds."

Niall had deemed it too dangerous for me to leave his sight, as he feared that Scott would swoop in with "those stupid button down polos and dumb ass khakis" and whisk me off to mini golfing.

"You can come with me." Niall had said, veering down a different road instead of taking me to my house. He purposely sped up the car, knowing that I would- and had moments earlier -jumped out of his car while it was moving. "I have to meet a few people at the fair. Then we can do rides and all that shit."

"You make it sound like a blast." I said sarcastically, crossing my arms and sinking into my seat. I had never been to the fair, for obvious reasons of course. It was too big of a crowd. The entire town was there, crowded onto an empty lot, pushing and shoving and touching. I could feel myself breaking out into a sweat already.

Now at the packed fair parking lot, Niall got out and came over to my door. I stayed stationary in my seat as he observed my obvious discomfort. "I'll be with you the entire time, sweetheart."

And so I went to the fair for the first time.

Like how the hallways parted at school for Niall when he walked through, it worked the same here, everybody instantly moving aside when they spotted him. There were certainly some benefits to his frightening aura. I trailed behind him, taking everything in. The air was stifling with the smell of popcorn and funnel cakes. Screams and laughter rang across the rides as kids darted around with plush toys they had won.

"Wait." Niall said, stopping so abruptly I bumped into him. A small boy ran past holding a red balloon, which Niall easily reached out and plucked from his chubby fist.