Recluse

Chapter 11

*clink*

At first I swear I imagine the soft thud from across the room. I snuggle deeper into my bed, waiting for sleep to take me.

*clink*

I groan and force myself to a sitting position. I know I didn't imagine it this time. I wouldn't have imagined it twice.

*clink*

Now I have turned the lights on and am standing tensed up in the middle of the room. My eyes are squinted, still adjusting to the rather bright light. My hair is a mess and pieces of it fall in front of my face. I stand there in such a strong silence that I swear I hear my heart beating.

*clink*

"Aha!" I say aloud. It's coming from the window.

I grab a book off of the floor to use as some kind of defense if some creep is attempting to murder me or something. I slowly make my way over to the window and ease it open. I look down into the yard, at first seeing nothing. Then I hear the voice.

"Madi!" It hisses. I look to the left of my yard and there he is, the last person I expected to see at this time of night. Niall.

The naive, love struck part of me is squealing and giddy at the sight of him. But the accepting, wiser part of me knows that the man before me is a ticking bomb who will eventually destroy me if I let him.

I shake my head and begin to shut the window. But as I do, he continues calling up to me, "Please come down here, I want to-"

"If I recall correctly, you don't want me, remember? We just aren't good for eachother. Not even as friends. I stabbed your fucking friend and your family hates me. And I don't want to be with you. Any of that ring a bell?" I quote his words exactly, venom falling from my lips. Maybe I'm being too harsh, maybe I'm not being harsh enough. In this moment, I'm not entirely sure.

But I am sure that I need to close this window right now before he says anything else.

He begins to talk and I use all of my upper body strength to shut the window.

"Madison, I really-"

The window clangs shut and his voice becomes muffled. I sigh in relief, turn off the lights, and sink back into my bed. Although instead of drifting off into a peaceful slumber, I lay staring at the ceiling. Very slowly, I recognize a hollow ache in my heart that demands its presence known. And before I know it, my pillow is soaked with fresh tears.

After a very long time of dwelling in my own misery and struggling to fall asleep, I begin to drift off.

When I'm teetering on the edge of unconsciousness, I'm pulled back into reality by a loud knock.

I immediately leap out of bed and turn the lights on, staring wildly around the room. My eyes widen when I see him.

Niall is standing right outside my window, gripping onto it for dear life. My house is two stories so I can't help but wonder how he managed to climb up here.

I stand there, frozen for a moment, making eye contact with him. His gaze shows completely different emotions that earlier. Swimming around his oceanic irises are no more remorse or coldness, only desperation.

I sigh. I can't leave him like that, he'll probably fall and break something or die. Or worse, my family will find him there and he'll get an even worse punishment.

I scurry to the window and heave it open once again. Niall scrambles into the room, falling onto the floor with a sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He whispers.