stranded with one direction. ➳ horan.

Chapter Seven.

"Because I'm... Because I'm allergic to food." I made up the worst lie ever, avoiding their gazes.

I was usually pretty good at lying, not today. They all knew it because they all gave me the you've-got-to-be-kidding-me, that-is-the-worst-lie-ever look.  I sighed.

"Because I just don't like to eat okay, can we please just drop it? I'm perfectly fine.  I was just tired because of that long swim.  Just let it go." I said this in an angry tone.  I don't think it's that big of a deal, why are they?

"Let it go?! Let it go?! How we could let something like that go?! You haven't eaten in two days!!! You're starving yourself and it's not healthy! That's why you passed out, the swim just added to it!!! We need to find you food, like now!" Liam shouted at me.

He was concerned, and I appreciated it, but it was honestly nothing.  I had gone longer.

"You've gone longer without eating?" Niall asked.  His voice was so small and weak.  Wait, how would he kn- Shit! I said it out loud.

This was when I looked up and directly at him.  It seemed that his eyes were brimming with tears.  Oh my god.  I could not make Niall cry.  I would be the worst person ever.

"Oh Niall.  No, it's okay.  I'm sorry. Don't cry." I said all of this quickly, as I pushed myself off the sand and rushed over to him.

I kneeled down next to him and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and brought him closer to me.  I just held him there for what seemed like forever.  I just rocked back and forth a little and rubbed up and down his biceps.

I had forgotten the other boys were there for a while.  I just focused on comforting Niall.  Finally he pulled himself away from me, and looked at me.  It made me uncomfortable because I honestly felt like he was trying to see my soul.  I quickly looked away, but he brought my face back to look at his.

"Why would you do this? You are beautiful the way you are.  You don't need to starve yourself.  Please don't do this, okay?" His voice was just above a whisper.

"I-I-I can't.  I need to lose this weight.  I'll stop once I lose the weight." I replied, in the same voice he used.

"Lose weight? If you lose any more weight, you're going to have nothing left on you.  You're like the size of a twig." He said, his voice rising with anger.  It scared me a little.  Niall does not seem like the one to ever get angry.  

"He's right Pey.  Since when are you fat?" Liam asked me.

"There's more to me that you don't know.  And I was planning on keeping it that way, but clearly I just dug myself into that hole.” I sighed before I continued.

“So when I was 13, I was... chubby? I wore a size six jean.  And before you even say it, I know.  A girl's beauty shouldn't be determined by the size of her jeans. But I did, and I got teased about it, a lot.  I didn't have many friends.  I was a fat little loner.  Well, it got worse.  I would hate myself, but stupid me didn't stop eating.  No, I ate my feelings away.  So I gained even more weight.  I was a size eight by the time I started high school.  Well, that's when I decided to lose it.  I stopped eating.  I would cut out as much as possible.  I would eat in front of my parents, but it would just be small portions.  Other than that, I never ate.  That's how I lost all my weight. Then I got to meet my ex.  I kind of stopped the eating disorder.  But when he started calling me fat, I started doing it again.  I have been since we broke up." I took a big breath because I said all of that really fast.

Whenever I tell people something personal, I can never really look at them.  So, I was looking at the sand during all of that, but I was still next to Niall.  I didn't dare look at him.  I knew I would break down if I did.

"Peyton?" Niall questioned in his small little voice.

God, why does he do this to me? I can't not look at him, especially when he uses that voice.  I used every ounce of strength I had not to look at his as I said, "Yeah, Ni?"

He took my chin with his index finger and made me look at him.  God, I hated this boy sometimes.

"Please stop.  No one will ever call you fat again.  I will promise you that."  Niall said, those words held so much emotion behind them.

"How can you promise something like that? You can't control people.  And it's not like you're always going to be around to be there for me if someone does."

It was true though.  As much as I would love to be with him forever, as soon as we get off this island, we are never going to see each other again.  Well, I doubted it anyways.

"What if I said I could?"  He said, almost hopeful.

"How can you? Once we're found, you guys will go back to live your fabulous life.  And I know you invited me, but it doesn't change the fact that I have to go back home after." I pulled my face away from his hand and looked down at the ground.

I heard a slight cough coming from the boys.  Whenever I was with Niall, I seemed to forget that they other boys were around.  I looked up to see who coughed, but they were looking at Niall.  Louis moved his head from Niall to me.  When he saw that he was looking, he continued the movement even more. I looked at all the boys with confused looks.  What is going on?

"Um, I am clearly missing something here.  Would someone like to fill me in?"  I said.

They all smirked, but looked at Niall.  So I followed them.

"Well, Pey, I was talking to the boys this morning, or yesterday, seeing as though we don't really know what time it is, and well... I was wondering... if ya, you know, wanted to be, my girlfriend? Oh fuck, I didn't mean it. Well, yeah I did.  Would you be my girlfriend?"