Niall
Over the last few days of my time here in LA with Harry, we spent most of it going to the beach in the evening to watch the sunset. It was nice and romantic and it was just perfect. Right now, we're both lying on a picnic blanket, watching the orange and pink sky above us. I'm lying on Harry's bear chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat while our legs are a tangled mess at the bottom of the blanket. Harry has one hand rested behind his head while his other hand is entwined with my own, our fingers laced together. Thankfully, the beach is surprisingly empty so there's no one around us to disturb us and it's literally just a five minute walk from Harry's house. We're both quiet and neither of us are saying anything but to be honest, we don't have to. There's nothing to say anyway, we can just enjoy each other's company in peace and occasionally, Harry would let go of my hand just to trace aimless patterns up and down on my arm. Like I said, it was perfect. Too perfect.
"I wish I didn't have to leave." I hear myself mumble, looking up at him with my chin resting on his chest. His fingers stop brushing against my skin and he looks at me and he looks into my eyes.
"Then don't. Stay here." He croaks, his chest vibrating against mine with his low and deep voice.
"You have an unborn child to think of." I point out and he sighs heavily, resting his head back on the picnic blanket and removing his arm.
"Way to kill the mood, Niall." He groans and I frown.
"I didn't kill the mood." I reply defensively and he chuckles a little bit but doesn't say anything.
"You have a job to think of as well." He points out and it's my turn to groan.
"I know." I say reluctantly.
A gentle night breeze brushes over us and I can feel myself shivering.
"Cold?" Harry asks groggily and I hum in respond. "Got it." He adds and grabs both edges of the picnic blanket and wraps it around us like it's some kind of cape. I smile lazily and rest my head back on his chest, cuddling close to him. That's when my stomach starts to rumble and ruins the perfect moment.
"Was that your stomach rumbling?" Harry counters and I'm quick to answer.
"No, no! Of course not. Not hungry at all." I assure him. Because being hungry meant getting up and moving. And that meant leaving this perfect moment with Harry. I didn't want that. I didn't want to go back to reality. Harry wasn't convinced when my stomach growled even more louder than before.
"I think someone's hungry." Harry sighs and he slowly unravels himself from me. I whimper in disappointment and my shoulders droop but as he turns around he holds out his hand for me to take and I gladly clutch onto to him as we make our way back the mansion, with the picnic blanket slung over his left shoulder. As soon as we enter the flat, Harry's phone starts to ring in his pockets and he lets go of my hand. From over Harry's shoulder, I can see Cassandra's name flash on the screen. I groan before stopping myself and Harry gives me a pitied look.
"I'm sorry, I...I just need to make a few calls and then I'll take a shower. But don't worry, we'll order something, yeah?" Harry adds hopefully. I nod and smile and after he tells me to make myself at home, he disappears up the stairs. I sigh heavily and saunter into the living room, which is next to the lobby. There's an iPad sitting on the coffee table, which is used instead of the remote. A stereo sits under the window and there's a built-in fire place at the back, next to the sofas. I sit down on the sofa and grab the iPad. The iPad is used instead of the remote control and it connects the lighting and the music of the stereo. I swipe a switch across the iPad and the lights begin to dim a little. I smile triumphantly and swipe another switch which turns on the stereo and Michael Buble starts to play through the speakers.
Humming along to Michael, I set the iPad back down and make my way over to the kitchen. A few maids are scattered here and there and every now and then we catch eye contact but they don't bother me now. I know that Harry said we'd order something but I wanted to make him something instead. I grab a cookery book from one of the cabinets and start to flick through the pages, looking for special ingredients.
"Anything I can help you with, Mr. Horan?" A voice asks. Startled, I turn around and find a maid hovering in the doorway, a fond smile on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." She apologizes but I shake my head dismissively.
"You didn't. And it's Niall." I add smugly and she giggles shyly.
"Do you need a hand with anything, Niall?" She corrects herself and I shake my head but thank her all the same. I end up making chicken arrabbiata, which is some sort of fancy dish. The meal is warm and spicy once I'm finished cooking it and when I've set the cutlery and drinks out, I wait for Harry to reappear again. Except he doesn't. It's been an hour since he left and the food had gone cold. I'm aimlessly holding a bit of chicken on a fork and I take a bite but them grimace in disgust before shoving the untouched plates in the bin.
A maid is watching me close by and when comes to tell me that Harry's in his study, I go and search for him. When I find him in the study, he's showered and changed. He's wearing a loose shirt with the buttons undone again and a pair of shorts and a green SnapBack of mine hung over his head, a few short strands of curls sticking out the end. Even though I was undoubtedly mad at him, I still find him gorgeous. He doesn't even acknowledge me when I appear in the doorway. His face is scrunched together with concentration as he stares at the screen on his computer.
"Forget about dinner, did we?!" I snap at him, anger boiling inside me.
"I'm booking our flights home." Harry replies smartly, slamming down his laptop shut before standing up, pushing his hair back. I do a double take and my heart skips a beat.
"What?"
"It's Nadine, Cassandra told me she collapsed again." Harry explained, a tired expression on his face.
"And you really believe that bitch?" I press and he glares at me but then his expression softens.
"I didn't at first, so I phoned Nadine but she wasn't picking up." He reasons.
"What if Cassandra's triggered her phone?" I challenge.
"So what if she has? Am I suppose to just risk Nadine's life in the hands of Cassandra because I'm too busy focusing on you?" Harry spits angrily and he pushes past me and heads into his bedroom. I follow him and stop dead when I reach the doorway. Our suitcases are already packed, ready to go.
"We're getting the first flight out, I gave us enough time." Harry mumbles, grabbing the two duffle bags and brushing past me. Two maids walked past me and into Harry's bedroom and grabbed our suitcases before heading back out. I wait in the hallway, gazing longingly after Harry and when he's half way across the hall, he looks back. "You coming or what?" He asks impatiently. My heart shatters a little at his tone but I follow him all the same and I head down the stairs, to the taxi waiting outside for us. I'm about to head outside when I turn around and see Harry taking in the scene of the living room and kitchen and how romantic it looked. Guilt flashes across his face and I turn away from him and head outside to help the maids with the suitcases. After that, I head into the taxi and wait for Harry.
When he appears, he closes the door and says to the taxi driver "LAX airport, please." And we're off. Harry glances at me but I don't bother looking at him. "This isn't how I wanted our holiday to end, y'know." Harry points out and I sigh.
"It's okay. You gotta do whattcha gotta do." I mumble back. It's a private jet that we get back home, instead of a normal plane like before. Which is only common sense, I suppose. I guess Harry just wants to get home to Nadine as quick as possible. When we arrive at Heathrow airport, our luggage is waiting on us on one of the luggage carriages.
There's a few security guards and all of a sudden, Harry changes. He's like a deer in the forest, looking out for poachers. He lifts himself up after hauling his luggage and he his eyes scan the room. His eyes fall on each and individual security guard, looking suspicious. "Harry?" I call and his eyes turn to me.
"Let's just get out of here." He mumbles, his hand on the small of my back. I'm startled when a security guard suddenly appears by my side, a smile on his face.
"Let me get that for you, yeah?" He asks kindly. I thank him and turn away for a split second while he lifts my suitcase off my trolley.
When I turn back, I'm about to grab my suitcase when Harry yells at me. "NIALL, NO!"
Too late. I've grabbed the handle of the suitcase and suddenly there's a loud explosion, causing me to go flying. I can feel Harry's tight grip around me as he tries to push me sideways, away from the bomb but he can't protect me in any way. I fall with a thud from such effect from the bomb and all the windows shatter and fall to pieces, causing tiny shards of glass to fall on top of Harry and I. I place my hands over my head and Harry leans over me as the glass falls around us. There's a loud ringing in my ears, blocking out the shouting and the screaming of other passengers who'd been effected by the bomb as well. I can feel a hand turning me over so that I'm flat on my back and when I look up, my vision is blurry. I'm almost seeing double of Harry and that's when the pain starts. Hot, boiling pain searing through the left side of my skin, my arms, my face, my legs. Tears start to roll down my face and I try to grab onto Harry but I can't find him, even though he's right in front of me. My whole jaw feels tight and sore, as if there's blisters plastered all over my face.
Harry's hands clasp around mine and when I look down, there's blood. Lots of it. I'm about to ask who's it is but no words come out. Harry's lips are moving and I can tell he's constantly calling my name but I can't hear him. He's holding on to my hand and he shuffles us around a little, away from the glass and when I eventually move, I see her. I get a a clear view of Cassandra standing at the entrance. Her image is blurry and unfocused but I see her and if I look really closely, she's smiling smugly at me before she disappears out of sight and that's when everything goes black.
I wake up in a dark room and from past experience, I can tell it's the hospital. I can't move a muscle and my whole body aches. I feel as if I'm wrapped up in some tight plaster and every time I try to move my face there's a sore, stinging pain. Once my eyes become focused I look around but no one's here. I'm in a private room and a private ward. I can tell it's nighttime as there's only one or two nurses working on night shift, the ward dimly lit.
I look across the other side of the room and I can see Harry standing outside the window...talking to my mother. They're using rapid hand gestures, talking furiously at each other and it almost looks as if they're shouting at each other. Harry's looking desperate as my mother talks and after a couple of seconds, Harry's hands bawl into fists and he leaves without another word. My heart starts to hammer against my chest. No...I don't want him to leave. He can't. Not now. I try to sit up but I groan instead, causing my mother to rush to my aid and a nurse. The nurse slips some more morphine into me and that's when I fall asleep again.
It's still dark when I wake up but I can see small daylight through the curtains. My mum has gone and so has the nurse. The room is dark and when a tall, lanky figure appears in the doorway I'm about to press the alert button but as he moves closer, I realize it's only Harry. My heart melts at the sight of him. He's covered in cuts and bruised, his eyes sore and tired with dark circles under them and his hair is tied in a messy bun. I don't think he's even changed into fresh clothes.
He smiles sympathetically at me before sitting down on one of the visitors chair.
"Where...where have you been?" I croak.
"Busy." he answers simply. My eyebrows furrow together and I scowl at him.
I decide to change the subject. "How's, uh....how is Nadine?" I ask casually.
"She's fine." Harry replies shortly. I frown again.
"But she collapsed?" I remind him and he shakes his head.
"Nope, she didn't. Cassandra made it all up to bring me home." Harry explains timidly.
Anger boils inside me. "I told you, Harry. I told you not to trust her." I point out and he rolls his eyes.
"I don't need a bloody lecture, I know." he replies and I glare at him. A nurse walking past us spotted Harry and she came rushing in.
"Sir, visiting hours don't start until after breakfast." she says and Harry looks helplessly up at her. Come to think of it, I wonder why Harry didn't just wait until normal visiting hours started in the first place.
"Can you give me two more minutes with him? Please?" Harry pleads, a pout on his bottom lip. Smug bastard. He knows that would work on her. The nurses' face softens and her eyes glance between Harry and I.
"Two more minutes." she confirms sternly and she saunters out of the room. Harry stays quiet though, he doesn't talk to me. For some reason, I feel as if this is goodbye...for now.
"Do you...remember anything?" Harry asks innocently and I shake my head. Everything is just a blur, my memory had been wiped out completely from the explosion.
"My mum knows?" I ask and he nods slowly. At the mention of my mother, his eyebrows furrow together and there's a troubled look on his face.
"She'll come and visit you later." Harry tells me.
"Okay." I reply. "Will you?" I add hopefully.
"I dunno," he shrugs and it's my turn to frown.
"Harry..." I trail off and I'm about to rant to him when the nurse appears again.
"Time for you to leave, sir." she smiles at him. Harry nods and heaves a deep sigh. He gets up off his seat and he reaches over to me. He dips his head and kisses me on the cheek - the less burnt side - and then he's gone.
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So, um, I guess I'm that bad at writing smut that I don't get any comments? Hehe. I won't be doing that again then :) Anyways, what do you think of this chapter? I feel as if people are losing interest in this story because I'm not getting any feedback. Guys, please. I don't mean to sound pushy but that's literally all I ask for, is a little bit of feedback. Also, a friendly reminder that I start my new job next week so updates will be less frequent. Sorry.
Vote, comment, follow :) xx