Looking Through Stain Glass Hearts || Nial Horan Fic

Chapter 36

The lads and I rushed around in circles trying to not only get ready, but clean up the apartment to perfection since Lila was home and we didn't need her getting angry because her room was messier then when she left.

Finally, we were all dressed and the apartment looked brand new. I stopped quickly in Keigan's room, knowing it was still left in pristine condition I felt a magnetic pull towards it. I stepped in and took a deep breathe and was suddenly surrounded by her scent once it entered my nostrils. Vanilla lavender. I remember the last week on tour I had become desperate so I went to a perfume store smelling everything they had. By the third store, I finally found her body spray, and out of desperation bought it and sprayed on my things. I realize now it was a little rash, and when the lads found out they thought I was losing it.

It may have even been the catalyst to Harry and Bonnie's scheme. I personally, just felt lost and needed something to reel me in. Louis then barged into the room.

"You coming man?" he asked, looking at me a little worried.

"Yeah," I answered, following him out after one last look. We met the girls in the hallway and Lila was staring at me in a funny way. I couldn't really read it. We walked in silence for the first block, which was better than fighting I guess. Although, somewhere between the first block and the bar, Liam and Sam were laughing and telling jokes. I had to admit it was nice to see normalcy. Anything that resembled the way things used to be because it gave me hope that we could get there, it wasn't insane.

Once we entered the bar, Daniel was there and of course he wasn't happy. He looked at all of us, and glared at Liam and Sam, because they were still laughing. I honestly don't know what happened between them, but whatever it was I liked it because it made me feel better and Daniel was seething.

"So since we suddenly have ten new hands, I suggest we put 'em to work," Daniel said in such a sadistic way, I almost waiting for chains to start being tied around my wrists. All the girls seemed uneasy by his marching orders, however I wasn't going to back down to this punk.

"I think the tough guy and Mr. Rogers should take inventory," he began and I, for one was really confused.

"Who?" Liam asked, trying to clarify although it only made Daniel groan in frustration.

"You and Harry, he called you tough guy cause you are pretty muscular and him Mr. Rogers because he is a TV show host who wore a lot of sweaters," Samantha clarified patting the two of them on the shoulder before leading them towards the back.

"Stripes and pretty boy can clean the floors," Daniel started up, but this time his nicknames made sense so Louis and Zayn were led to the side by Sadie.

Then Daniel turned to me, "peroxide baby, since you treat women like trash why don't you take out all the trash?"

I glared at him, but didn't disagree. I just glowered for a mere second until he pushed me towards a trashcan and ordered, "let's go!"

I begrudgingly starting peeling off the plastic bag from the rim and tying it in knot, then taking it out to the dump in the back. I was growing tired of the repetitive nature that this job entailed. It only made it all the more easy to have my mind wander. I never surprised myself when my thoughts went to her. Although, I tried to think of other things like the Olympics and food, but Keigan was better than those things.

After my final bag, I sat on a chair took off a nearby table and sat down. Those bags were heavy and there were many of them. Then there was a strong grip on my shoulder.

"I know your style is giving up and running away, but here, when you are done, you help out a fellow co-worker in need, got it? Oh and think about redoing your roots, eh, peroxide baby," Daniel asked me, before slapping my shoulder and sauntering off towards Sadie who was talking with Sam. I looked around and noticed Lila was clearing off the stage so I timidly approached her silently and just began mimicking what she was doing so I wouldn't have to talk with her. She scared me after her speech, just like Sadie did.

"What are you doing?" I heard Lila ask and I just dropped the wires as if they had electrocuted me, and took two steps back before replying,

"Nothing, I was only trying to help, I didn't mean to mess anything up."

I looked up thorugh my eyelashes to find a guilty look cross Lila's face, "would stop doing that? It's hard to be mad at you already because of your baby face, now you are acting really nice. It is just frustrating, okay?"

I smiled before saying, "sorry."

Lila just smiled back at me then asked me the ultimate question, "why'd you leave her?"

I looked up from the ground and bent down to help wth the wire although, in realty I was just rubbing my fingers ove rthe rubber casing. I took a dep breath.

"I couldn't give her the life she wanted," I replied and Lila looked beside herself.

"Really, Niall? She would have adjusted her life for you," Lila answered.

"But she shouldn't have to adjust or settle. She deserves to have everything she initially wanted," I stated and Lila laughed and I gave her a puzzled look.

"Niall, relationships are all about sacrifices, and even though pop culture drills into us that the guy is supposed to do all the sacrificing, in reality, girls have got to do it too."

I knew she had a point, I just couldn't place it.

"Okay, I'm giving you this, and you cant tell anyone where you got it from," she whispered and scribbled on a small piece of paper seven numbers in messy handwriting.

"What is it?" I asked her while trying to make out what numbers she wrote.

"Keigan's cell. You need to call her and tell her what you told me," she said.

"But she probably won't want to hear what I have to say," I said defeated with the whole situation.

"God, you are such a boy. Let me tell you something, girls love it when a guy tells them something like this. Girls love it when you talk to them in general, so you are going to call her," Lila said with a smile, I on the other hand was beaming. I stared at the seven digits as if they were my golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory.

"Hey, I wasn't implying for you to call her in twenty four hours, I meant now." I nodded to Lila as my goodbye before heading over towards the curtains and whipped out my phone. My palms were sweaty with anticipation and my hands were shaking so it made it impossible to type in the correct number. Once I finally entered the difficult code, it rang twice before an answer.

"Hello?" her angelic voice rang and I was frozen for what seemed like forever before answering.

"Hi Keigan," I called back.

"Who is this?"

"Niall."

Then the line went dead.