Protection // h.s.

Chapter 10

"Obviously," Liam muttered.

"Hey," I screeched, making Liam laugh. I laughed along with him, and continued the search until I found cereal. I grabbed Lucky Charms, and made my way over to the island. "Dar, got get Matt! James, come get ready to eat!"

"Okay," the exclaimed in unison. Liam and I exchanged a glance, and then quickly looked away from each other. James walked into the kitchen, taking a seat by Liam.

"What's for breakfast?" I lifted the box of cereal, and James cheered. Once everyone was in the kitchen and eating, no one talked. We ate in silence, until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," I said, handing Matt to Liam. I ran to the living room, opening the door. Niall stood there with his hands full. "Hey, I'll show you to your room." He gave me a friendly smile, as I tried taking a bag.

"I'm good," he said quickly. I furrowed my brows, shutting the door behind him and walking towards his bedroom. "Hey Liam," he hollered as we passed the kitchen. We kept quiet, neither one of us wanting to say a word. Why did Niall refuse to give me one of his bags? He always likes it when I help. Shrugging it off, we reached his bedroom. "Thanks, help me unpack?" I nodded, as he handed me a bag. I walked over to the dresser as he walked into his personal bathroom. "Where's Harry, Gemma, and Anne?"

"Shopping." I replied, unpacking his clothes, including his boxers. "Where's Shay?"

"Her mums. She missed them, so I bought her a ticket to go visit them for a month. She was really excited." I smiled, not knowing how to respond, so I just unpacked the rest of his clothes until my hand touched something metal. It made me get cold chills, made me feel numb. My head started to pound, as if something was trapped and they were dying to get out. My stomach started to ache and churn. It felt like blood was oozing from my scars, but nothing was bleeding. Instantly, I knew what it was. A gun. I felt paralyzed on spot, but I still moved my hand away from the bag.

"Well, I'm gonna go back downstairs. See you later." I quickly backed out of the room, and ran down the stairs. Darcy, Matt, and James, were watching cartoons in the living space. I ran into the kitchen, and looked at Liam.

"You okay?" I shrugged my shoulders. Was I okay? Probably not. Confused? Most defiantly. Was I scared? Heck to the yes. "Ris?"

I leaned over to Liam, making sure my mouth was at his ear. "Niall has a gun," I whispered into Liam's ear. The hair on the back of Liam's neck stood straight up. I leaned back, watching Liam's facial expression. It was unreadable. Great.

***Seven Hours Later***

Anne, Gemma, Eleanor, Harry, Louis, Zayn, Liam, Niall, Darcy, James, Matt, and I were all sitting at the dinning table, enjoying conversation and getting stuffed. I on the other hand, held Liam's hand secretly. He was the only one that knew about Niall having a gun, and Harry sat across the table from me, and right next to Niall. "So, how have you all been?"

"Good," Louis, Liam, Harry, Eleanor, and Zayn answered in unison. Gemma laughed, looking over at me from her seat next to me. She noticed Liam and I holding hands, and then looked into my eyes to see horror in them. Confused, she looked away.

"Well, it must be hard to stay crammed on a bus for ever. Especially when there is so many people!" Everyone nodded. "Well, Harry will you get the dessert?" He nodded, getting up. "The burgers were good, were they not?"

"They were really good," I answered, making Anne smile. I returned the smile, feeling someone's gaze on me. I knew who it belonged to. Niall Horan. Liam gave my hand a squeeze, as he quickly released my hand before we were caught by Harry. "What's for dessert?"