The Exchange Student / English Version

77. Time of waiting

Niall

The blond young man is sitting there petrified. Cold air swept through the room. Niall leans forward a little and takes a deep breath of the breeze. The curtains move silently. His head goes crazy. He doesn't know if he just dreamed about Baker visiting him or if it was reality. He shakes his head again and again. The thoughts stick in his mind and don't let themselves be shaken off.

Niall rises, props himself against the table and lets his gaze wander. The clock ticks every second. Clack. Clack. Clack. The minutes run through the fingers and nothing can stop them. They say time heals all wounds? Maybe at some point it will heal his too and let him calm down.

He remembers the previous conversation. Old Baker paid him this strange visit and subliminally asked him to take revenge, if he understood him correctly. What for? What is his intention?

For himself, a retaliatory strike would be perfectly logical. After all, it is Rose, his sister, whom he loves adoringly. But now that she's being taken care of by the Styles and Niall has air to breathe again, his thoughts of revenge slowly fade. He will never be completely free of them, but they no longer mark his everyday life.

Of course, his relationship with Harry has suffered a rift. If he is honest with himself, he's already given up his plans to harm Harry. The Irishman wants nothing more than rest, plenty of rest. His focus is on the Pakistani exchange student, whom he wants back. The snag is that Harry is in love with Zayn and Zayn is in love with him. And that's where Harry comes in. The curly head is always in his way.

But is it worth it, to solve problems - and Harry is becoming a real problem - in a rude way? Niall is struggling with this aspect and has no answer yet. He has to think about it.

Go back to Baker. What would be the doctor's advantage if Harry was getting out of the way, and why does he care so much? It's too late to involve the police in this case. Two long years have passed, Rose is now well taken care of. What kind of punishment did the man actually think of?

The conversation in the kitchen with his grandmother comes back to his mind. You are a good person , she said. You have a good heart. Niall cannot disappoint her a second time. He has to bring love into his hurt heart, he has to repair the many rifts to finally find his happiness.

Niall won't be Bakers's partner in crime.

Baker

My visit to Rose's brother wasn't as successful as I thought. The blond sent him away and owed him the answer. Too bad. He probably needs time to think things over. If you've held out for two years of waiting, a few days more or less won't matter. Baker has time.

His plan has long been elaborate and every detail precisely written down. He doesn't necessarily need the young man to carry it out; rather, he needs him as a shield.

Niall will never tolerate a relationship between him and his sister. I am too old. The doctor is aware of this. On the other hand, he thinks, I could guarantee her a pleasant, carefree life. A life that her brother always wanted for her.

On the way back to the hotel Lee Baker checks again the details of his plan to let Harry atone. In a small black leather booklet, he has been writing down various ways. He leaves nothing to chance, his risk is too great. He doesn't want to be linked with the crime. His life would be ruined forever and he would never see Rose again. And that's exactly why he needs Niall. The Irishman is perfect to make the people think, he commited the crime. Lee will pull the strings behind the scenes and wait. No one will doubt that Niall is guilty. Everybody knows how much he hates Harry.

Already his mother always said to him: You just have to be patient. This sentence was deeply memorized in his mind. Truly, he can wait, but two years of waiting are enough, he decides and now he's losing his patience.