*Katie's POV*
"I can't believe you fractured your hand." Lou snorted from the couch across from us.
I was currently lying down on the couch; legs lifted up on the arm rest while my head lay in Niall's lap. He was running his fingers through my hair over and over again, calming my stress to a point of weakness. It was just so calming; it was by far my favourite feeling. If there was an official list of the top ten best feelings in the world, I would vote the feeling of someone playing with my hair to be number one. I absolutely love that feeling.
And one of the few people who know that is Niall.
"Harry's jaw is as hard as a rock." I justified, peeking a glance over at Lou. Harry was sitting right next to him on the couch, fidgeting with his phone.
"Well, did you at least punch him like I taught you to punch?" Niall asked with a small smile as he continued to run his fingers from the roots of my hair all the way out to the tips. It was true though; Niall was the first person to teach me how to throw a proper punch. Him and my brother, that is. I remembered the time when I was six and Niall had just turned eight, and him and my brother were teaching me self defence that they learned from jujitsu classes while we were playing in my backyard.
"Like this!" Eight year old Niall exclaimed, showing me how to put my hand into a fist.
"Am I doing it right?" I asked Nialler, looking up at him. He has always been taller than me.
"You're doing it wrong." My brother pointed out, pulling my thumb out of my fist and placing it over my fingers instead of under. "If you tuck your thumb inside of your fist you can break it." He informed, stepping back and smiling at the finished product of my fist.
"See? Now, if we ever aren't there to protect you, you will know how to protect yourself." Niall said with a smile that was missing two baby teeth.
And he was right.
I snapped back to reality at the feeling of Niall's fingers running through my hair. I smiled as I thought back to that memory.
He was protective even back then.
"Yep," I responded proudly, "even made sure not to tuck my thumb in." I said with a smile.
"She must have. Anyone who can damage my rock hard jaw is bound to know how to throw a proper punch." Haz added in with a teasing smirk.
"I'm still sorry about that." I replied with sympathy. "I really did think you were a robber."
"Let's just say that now you owe me twice." He replied with a big smirk spreading across his face.
Uh-oh.
"Fine." I grunted. I did not think this was fair. At all.
"Then it's only fair that you owe her, too." Niall pointed out with a grin. "I mean, your jaw did fracture her hand." Once again, Haz's jaw dropped open.
"Just... forget it mate." Liam added as he laughed at his expression, walking in from the kitchen. "Just let it go."
"By the way," I started, remembering the issue of my clothing this morning. "mind telling me how I ended up in your shirt and no pants last night?"
Niall smirked.
"Well," He started, his lips now holding a full on grin.
Uh-oh. This doesn't sound good.
"Basically you fell asleep when I was giving you a piggy back ride last night. So I just carried you all the way to the flat." He started to explain. I could feel the pink tinge started to show in my cheeks. "When I put you in bed, you made a fuss, saying you didn't want to sleep in your clothes because they were uncomfortable. At this point I'm pretty sure you were half asleep, seeing as you don't remember any of this." He laughed before continuing. "So you basically asked my to undress you and then refused to wear pants. You said you wanted to wear one of my shirts and that's it."
Oh my God.
I could feel my cheeks start to burn as I took in this new information. I asked Niall to undress me? Does that mean he saw me in my panties and bra? Obviously it does if he undressed me. I looked around the living room to see all of the boy's stares on us. They had a mixture of emotions plastered on their face. Liam and Lou looked like they were about to explode with laughter, while Haz and Zayn seemed the opposite. They seemed... angry?
"Don't worry about it." Niall leaned down to whisper into my ear. "It's not like I didn't enjoy it." He added with a playful wink. At that, I slapped him in the arm with my good hand as a new rush of blood made its way into my cheeks.
"Shut up, Niall." I grumbled, not being able to make eye contact with him.
"Um, Niall... I think you should see this." Lou said hesitantly as he held up his phone in indication.
Niall stopped playing with my hair.
"What?" He asked hesitatingly. I took that as my queue and took my head off of his lap as I sat up.
"Pictures are all over twitter..." He started.
Uh-oh.
"Which ones?" Niall asked immediately.
"The ones taken today of Haz and-"
"Let me see." Niall said, cutting Lou off as he grabbed the phone out of his grasp. I leaned over his shoulder to see what all the fuss was about. Sure I had a twitter, but I had like ninety-seven followers last time I checked. Then again, that was before today. I pulled out my own phone from my pocket and clicked on my twitter app. I was now at five hundred thirty four followers.
Whoa. News really does spread fast.
I had mentions from so many of my followers; basically all asking if the rumours were true. What rumours, you may ask?
Well, apparently I was pregnant.
With Harry's child.
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?" Niall yelled from beside me, making me jump as I dropped my phone. Luckily I caught it with my foot. How? I don't know; I'm just that awesome. "PEOPLE HAVEN'T EVEN SEEN YOU BEFORE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY THINK YOU'RE PREGNANT?" He exclaimed, a look of bewilderment making its way to his face. "WITH HIS BABY?" He pointed at Harry.
"It's not my fault!" Harry exclaimed, raising his hands in surrender.
"Niall, it's fine! We can fix this!" Liam said, trying to calm him down. Wow. When Niall got protective, he got really protective.
"How?!" He exclaimed, handing Lou's phone back to him. "Everyone out there thinks that she," he pointed to me, "is pregnant with his," he pointed to Haz, "baby. How are we going to clear that up. It's all over the Internet!"
"Well, if we all confirm that it's not true, then they have to believe us, right?" Liam suggested helpfully.
Well, this sucks, I thought. I get introduced to everyone around the world as Harry's slut. Fantastic.
"I guess." Niall said, sounding some what more relaxed than before. "But we should still do a twit cam tonight."
"Yeah mate, we'll explain everything tonight." Lou said encouragingly.
"Harry, you better be expecting a call from management." Zayn snickered as he got off the couch and started towards the kitchen. It was then that I realized I hadn't had breakfast and it was already six o'clock.
Whoa.
I haven't eaten for more than twenty-four hours. As if in agreement with my thoughts, my stomach decided to let out a loud growl.
"I'm gonna go get something to eat." I informed Nialler, getting off the couch as well. "Do you want anything?"
"I'll get something after. Don't worry about me." He replied with a small smile. He pulled out his phone and turned to the others. "Might as well call management and tell them what's going on. Right Harry?" Was the last thing I heard from Niall before entering the kitchen.
"You hungry?" Zayn's voice asked from the fridge. I could hear his smirk in the way he said it.
"Kind of." I said with a sheepish smile. "I haven't eaten today."
"What?!" He exclaimed. "How are you still alive?"
"I don't know." I laughed, loosening up a bit. I was starting to find it easy to be myself around him. "I was kind of busy today." I joked.
He laughed at this.
"I would say." He said with a big smile. My, was he just... gorgeous. "Well then, sit down and let me make you something."
"What? No! Don't worry, I can make myself-" I started, but he cut me off.
"Nope. You fractured your hand. The Doctor said not to use it if it's not necessary." He said with a smug smile. Man, this guys is good. "So what do you want to eat? We've got it all."
"Well, I was just going to make a grilled cheese..." I started, my voice wandering at the end.
"Then a grilled cheese it will be, Miss Katie." He said with a wink before turning around and getting to work. Which I was glad for. That wink brought on the light pink tint to my cheeks that I would rather him not see. I took a seat on the tall stool next to the long, bar-like counter top. "By the way, I still need to sign your cast."
I laughed.
"None of the boys signed it yet. It feels so empty." I said with a fake pout. He laughed at my expression. "So," I started, "what's this whole twit cam thingy about?" I asked. I knew it was like a Skype that everyone could watch, but I didn't know anything else.
"Basically, we're just going to introduce you... officially to the fans. Then we'll clear up the rumours and it's done. Liam usually likes to spend a lot of time doing the twit cams because he loves the fans. We all do, but he just feels the need to reply to every single one of their comments." He laughed.
"Comments?" I asked with confusion laced into my voice.
"Yeah. Our fans can comment. It's like a chat room on the side of the screen. You can answer their questions if you want, but obviously nobody is going to force you to." He answered with a shrug, his back still turned to me as he flipped my grilled cheese in the pan.
"Yeah..." I said quietly, not knowing how to respond. I really had no idea what I was signing up for when I agreed to live with Niall and the boys.
"Anyways, enough of that talk." He said, placing a plate with my grilled cheese in front of me.
"Thank you." I said with a smile.
"No problem." He replied with a cute smirk making its way onto his face. "So, I still feel like I don't know you. Tell me about yourself."
Tell me about yourself.
I never did like that phrase. I mean, how am I supposed to respond to that? I was already an awkward person in general, and broad questions like that left me feeling like I can't even come up with a suitable answer. And then that makes me feel like I have to explain to them somehow that I'm actually not stupid, I'm just awkward.
And that would be horribly embarrassing. Especially if Zayn Malik were to know.
"What do you want to know?" Was my genius response.
"Whatever you want to tell me."
Touché.
And so I told him.
I told him about how me and Niall met and how grew up together and how we have always been best friends. I told him about how I had to move to Canada when I was twelve and how it was both the worst and the best thing that has ever happened to me. I told him my hobbies and I told him all about my likes and dislikes. I told him and then he told me. He told me about his life, his family and his friends. About his likes and dislikes and all of his hobbies aside from being a part of One Direction. And he told me about the girls that he used to date and how with every girl that he broke up with, the more he was starting to believe that true love was just a myth.
And that was when I realized that we were full of the same stories but in different perspectives.
"Are you an only child?" He asked as he connected his gorgeous hazel eyes with mine.
"No. I have a younger sister and an older brother." I replied.
"Oh really? How old are they?"
"My sister is eleven and my brother is twenty-one." I said with a smile as I though of them. I haven't seen my brother in forever.
I missed him.
"But my brother's in the Army so I don't really get to see him." I added, breaking our long held eye contact. I could feel my shield starting to come down as I opened up to him. This conversation needed to end before I let my guard down all the way. I already told him so much about me, I felt that if I went any further I would be an open book.
"He's one brave guy." Zayn said with an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, he is." I said with fondness.
"GUYS!" Niall suddenly yelled from the living room. "WE'RE DOING THE TWIT CAM NOW! COME!"
"I guess we better go." Zayn said with a chuckle. I grabbed my plat and made my way to the sink, rinsing it and then putting in into the dishwasher. I was raised like that; everybody has the responsibility of cleaning up after themselves. "You can just leave it." Zayn commented when he saw me do this." We have cleaners who come in a couple times a week."
"I like to clean up after myself." I said with a smile and a shrug of my shoulders.
"If you insist."
We made our way back into the living room where all of the boys were setting up the lab top on the coffee table so that they could all appear on the screen.
"Niall, do I have to do this?" I asked with dread.
"Yes." He replied without even looking at me, his eyes busy with the screen.
"Why?" I nagged. I really didn't want to do this. What if they didn't like me? Chances are fans were going to hate me and call me rude things like whore and slut because I'm living with these boys.
And because I was apparently pregnant with Harry's child.
And I don't want to be there when all of the guys see the comments rolling in saying how much they hate me.
"Because." He stated.
"Because what?" I persisted.
"Because." He repeated.
"That's not a valid explanation." I said with a frown as I crossed my arms across my chest.
"Yes it is." He insisted.
"No it's not." I replied.
"Yes it is."
"No it's not."
"Yes."
"No!"
"Yes!-"
"Guys!" Lou butt in, standing in between us. "Katie, people need to see you in order to believe it. It will only take a few minutes and then you can go if you want to."
"Okay." I replied, still not too happy about where this situation was headed.
"How come you listen to Lou and not me?!" Niall exclaimed with disbelief as he stood up from his crouching position.
"Because Lou here," I started, putting my hand on Lou's shoulder, "gave me an explanation. Unlike you."
"I did so!" Niall argued, crossing his arms. I couldn't help but notice how his well developed biceps bulged.
Man, has he changed over the years.
I suddenly felt embarrassed at myself. This was Niall I was talking about. He's my best friend. And only my best friend. Nothing more.
"And what was your explanation?" I asked smugly, knowing that I was going to win this bickering battle. But before he could retort, Liam shouted for all of us to gather around.
"It's gonna start in a minute guys!" He yelled. The boys all gathered around the couch. Zayn, Liam and Lou were sitting and Niall and Haz were standing in the background. I was still standing off to the side, not knowing weather I should wait until after it started to show myself. The boys were so focused on the lab top, that it occurred to me that they wouldn't even notice if I slipped out of the room. Just as I was about to make a move, Niall called me out.
"Katie!" He whisper-yelled, looking at me disapprovingly. He shook his head, as if he knew exactly what I was going to do. I huffed and crossed my arms, and then realized how awkward it felt to cross your arms with a cast on.
Man, I thought. This was going to be bad.
*Niall's POV*
"HEY GUYS!"
The boys and I greeted the fans as the twit cam started. And just as I thought, the comments started flooding in. We were reading things like :
'OMG ONE DIRECTION I LOVE YOU!'
and
'OMG MARRY ME!'
oh and don't forget
'YOU'RE ALL SO HOT I CAN'T. OMG AHHHH!'
If one thing was for sure, it was that our fans were absolutely crazy.
In a good way.
"So, we have some clearing up to do," I started, looking at the screen. The comments were now saying thinks like "OMG HARRY's GIRLFRIEND IS PREGNANT!" I laughed at that. I went on to explain the whole story about why Katie is living with us and why her and Harry were at the hospital, changing the story a bit so that magazines wouldn't twist our words.
"So, do you guys want to meet Katie?" I asked once I was done talking. They were all answering with yeses. I looked over to were Katie was sitting on the other couch. She was practically falling asleep; probably because of the busy day she has had.
Poor girl.
She lifted her head off of the couch's arm rest when she saw me motion for her to come. She got up and walked towards me, trying to decide where she was going to sit. I did her the favour of deciding for her and pulled her small body down onto my lap.
"This is her!" Lou said with a cheeky smile as he put his arm around her. I started to read the comments.
'She's so pretty!'
'OMG I'm so jealous of her!'
'She's sitting on Niall's lap! How cute!'
'They would make the perfect couple!'
Katie blushed as she read the comments as well. "Hey guys!" She said with a smile as she waved her left hand. We all went on to answer the fans' questions and talk a little while longer until Katie finally spoke up again. "Alright guys, I'm heading off to bed. It was nice meeting you all!" And with that, she lifted herself off of my lap and made her way towards the stairs. I couldn't help but feel empty when the cold air hit my lap that was just occupied moments earlier.
"I'm signing out too, guys!" I added, deciding that I would rather spend time with Katie right now. I could already feel myself growing even more attached to her than I had before; like I can't stand the thought of her being alone. "Goodnight!" I said before getting up and following Katie. When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I spotted a small figure sitting in front of the window in the giant, empty space under the stairs.
Katie.
*Katie's POV*
Deciding it was a good idea, I said goodbye to the fans and made my way to the stairs. I was so tired and I didn't even know why. Then again, the Docter did say that I was going to need a lot of rest for the next two weeks. I intended to go up to the bedroom, but the spare empty space under the staircase caught my eye. Looking behind me to check if anyone was there, I slowly stepped farther into the empty space until I was standing directly in front of the floor to ceiling window wall.
The view was even more fantastic that what I thought it would look like during the night.
The city of London looked like it was made out of diamonds. Small, glittering lights were everywhere, giving off the impressions of twinkling stars in the night sky. I could see the Big Ben and the London Eye lighting up from where I stood.
It was absolutely breathtaking.
Instead of going back to to me and Niall's room, I decided to stay exactly where I was. I sat down right in front of the window on the cold, hard, empty floor, resting my head on my good and hand, while my injured one lay limp in the lap of my crossed legs.
Yep, I thought. This would definitely be the perfect place for me.
It was just so calming. Sitting here, looking at the twinkling city lights on the ground and the shining stars in the sky. It was perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
"Katie?" A quiet voice said from behind me. I lifted my chin off of my hand and turned, seeing Niall at the base of the stairs leading upstairs.
"Yeah?" I asked, my voice just as quiet as his.
"What are you doing?" He asked with confusion.
"Enjoying the view." I replied simply, turning back to face the window. I wonder if Paisley and my mom and dad and my brother and sister saw these same stars. Surely they would, even if we are all separated.
"Mind if I join you?" Suddenly, his voice was whispering right next to me ear; but I didn't even flinch. I was just so used to his voice. To him. I patted the spot next to me on the floor with my good hand.
He sat.
"Isn't it pretty?" I asked softly, looking out into the night sky. I leaned my head to the side so that it was resting on his sturdy shoulder.
"It's not the prettiest I've seen." He stated simply.
"What?" I asked with disbelief. He didn't think this was pretty? It was stunning!
"It's not the prettiest I've seen." He repeated with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Then what's the prettiest thing you've ever seen?" I asked with curiosity.
"I wouldn't call it a thing." He said.
"What would you call it?" My eyes were now closed as I listened to his steady breathing. He was like my own personal lullaby; everything about him was so calming. His breathing, his heart beat, his words.
Just... him.
"You." He said simply. "You're the prettiest thing I have ever seen."
My cheeks went crimson.
"You're lying." I said without hesitation. I was really horrible at accepting compliments. I just found it extremely awkward when someone complimented me, because I never know how to respond. There was no way that I was the prettiest thing he has ever seen. He's been all around the world; seen so many beautiful places. So many girls that are prettier than me. And I hate to admit it, but I doubt I was prettiest thing he has ever seen. Because trust me,
Niall has seen a lot.
"I'm not." He said turning to look me in the eyes. His eyes were so captivating; so extremely clear blue it was hard to believe that they were natural. My eyes then shifted down to his lips which were now lifting into a teasing smirk. "You're blushing."
No shit, Sherlock.
"Thanks, tips." I mumbled as I lowered my head, allowing my hair to act as a shield for my face.
"You're so cute." He chuckled, tucking my hair behind my ear and pushing the rest of my long hair behind my bare shoulder; courtesy of my loose, off-the-shoulder top. His fingers grazed against my bare skin, sending shivers through my body. It's been so long since I felt like this. My ex-boyfriend was too much of a douche to treat me the way Niall does.
"I think I want to sleep here." I said without thinking.
"Here?" Niall asked, sounding amused. "On the ground?"
"I wouldn't mind." I stated with a shrug.
"Katie, you can't sleep on the ground. Especially with your hand." He explained. "Come on. We'll open the blinds over my bed so that you can see the stars. And that way you won't have to sleep on the ground." He said with a low chuckle.
So that's what we did.
Niall held my hand as he lead the way up the stairs and into the bedroom. I figured that there was no point in asking him to turn around so that I could change, because he was the one that undressed me last night anyways. So once he closed the door behind us I pulled off my pants and socks before turning to look at Niall.
"How am I supposed to take my shirt off?" I asked with humour evident in my voice. This cast was going to make things much harder than they had to be.
"Here." He said, coming over to stand in front of me. "Lift your arms."
I did as I was told.
And once again, Niall was undressing me. Only this time, I was fully awake. His fingers trailed up my stomach, sending tingles where ever he touched me.
Stop thinking like this. He's your friend, not your boyfriend.
"Thanks." I said, taking my shirt from his hands and putting it with my pants onto my dresser. I spotted Niall's shirt that I wore last night and grabbed in, pulling it over my head and through my arms. It covered everything that needed to be covered. Niall just stood there, staring at me. I chuckled. "Niall, you going to bed or what?" His eyes snapped back to mine before giving me a cheeky grin. He had no shame. Pulling his shirt off has well, I observed the way his muscles flexed and rippled. Soon he was standing in just his boxers, the same cheeky smile on his face.
"Take a picture, it lasts longer."
"Shut up." I said with a smile. "You've changed. A lot." I commented with a nod of my head towards his well developed muscled body.
"I can say the same for you, miss 'I-like-to-seduce-my-best-friend'." He said with a smirk. I blushed.
"I'm going to bed." I stated.
"Wait!"
"What?" I asked, watching Niall as he made his way towards the giant window behind his bed's headboard. He then pulled the rope on the side, making the curtains pull apart to reveal the night sky littered with magnificent stars.
"You said you wanted to see the stars." And with that, and brought the pillows to the foot of the bed were our feet would usually go when we slept. He lifted the covers and got into bed before turning his body towards me; propping up his elbow and resting his head on his hand as he waited for me. "Well? Are you coming or what?"
And I went.
And we both lay down as he pulled me to him, engulfing me in his comfortable warmth as I rested my head on his chest. And we looked at the night sky, counting the air planes that would pass by accompanied by the sound of our hearts beating in synchronization. And it was him and me. Me and him.
It was us.
Together.
Just the way we wanted it.
***
I'M BACK.
Let me just start off by saying this: I'M SORRY! I've been so extremely busy with school because exams start in a week and a bit and I just finished all of my final assignments so I need to start studying hardcore! I have simply not had time to write, which explains why this chapter sucks (no point in denying it ). SO please forgive me. Also, you guys should know that I was not going to upload this but instead I was going to wait another two weeks until I had finished my exams because right now I'm supposed to be studying. JUST SHOWS HOW MUCH I LOVE YOU GUYS! Last chapter's comments and votes were INSANE! You guys are simply awesome, so thanks for making me smile :) AND I listened to you guys who were begging for more Natie action, because you got it in this chapter! Also, keep commenting your ideas on what you want to see happen! You never know, I might actually use it! Anyways that's it for me! No update until I'm finished my exams! Stay Safe!
~ Skylar xx
P.S. Do you guys think I should star out letters in swear words? (ex. Sh*t)