LIVE LOVE AND NIALL HORAN
Chapter Forty Three
The doorman immediately grabbed Creepy Guy and Ben rushed to me.
"Come here," Ben pulled me up, examining me.
There was a messy hole in the jacket I was wearing. His jacket. I was still too stunned to speak. Did Creepy Guy just try to... knife me? The doorman from the building was keeping hold of Creepy Guy as he tried to struggle away. Within minutes, a crowd had developed.
As Ben reached out to touch the hole, I saw the blood on the blade was not mine, but his. The blade had sliced the side of his finger, but it wasn't very deep. The hole was directly on one of the pockets and Ben slid his hand inside. No pain, no blood. As far as I could tell, I wasn't hurt. What had been the cracking noise?
Ben's hand closed around something in my pocket. His iPhone. There was a deep gash in the screen where the knife had obviously impacted. A long crack now went all the way across, but there was no way the phone could work at all. In the center, there was what looked like a hole of crushed glass.
A string of words that burned my ears came out of his mouth in relief.
"Thank God you forgot to wear a jacket today," Ben muttered, pulling me to him in a tight hug.
"What's going on here?!" an authoritive voice barked out. The crowd parted so he could walk through. A police officer.
"This... hooligan," the doorman spat, gesturing to Creepy Guy whom he kept a tight hold on. "Tried to attack those two."
The next minutes seemed like a huge blur. I could feel Ben, holding me up the whole time which I was grateful for. I felt like I was going to fall over at any given moment. My instincts had been right. Creepy Guy was more than just creepy. What if I'd brought a jacket, so I wouldn't be wearing Ben's? Or what if he'd taken out his phone before he'd given it to me? The thoughts sickened me and I certainly didn't want to talk about it.
I felt Sandra, Avery, Chanel and Raine by my side, talking to me but it felt like there was a glass wall between us. Their lips, everybody's lips were moving yet I couldn't make out a single thing. Stumbling backwards, I walked straight into Ben. He was talking with the officer.
"I don't think I can go to Sandra's tonight," I whispered to him.
I really didn't want any company. I wanted comfort. But the person I wanted comfort from was on the other side of the ocean.
"I'll take care of it," Ben nodded. "It'll be okay."
It seemed like an eternity before the officer let us go. I still felt like my mouth had been glued shut. I couldn't even look at Creepy Guy, but I didn't have to. The officer hauled him away.
"C'mon," Ben said to me, hailing a cab. "Let's get you home."
*
Home turned out to be his home, not mine. But I was fine with it. He'd left me a change of clothes before he gave me some privacy saying "I'll let you clean yourself up. Give a shout if you need anything."
My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed Niall's number. It wasn't that I was scared or cold... I just didn't know what I felt. Niall picked up on the first ring.
"Hey, babe."
His voice was cheerful, even though it was only 7am in his time zone.
"H-hi," I stammered, not sure how to begin the conversation. "Niall..."
I explained what had happened to the best of my ability. Although he stayed silent, I could hear Niall's breathing on the other end.
"Teagan..."
When he finally spoke, it was in a voice that broke my heart to hear.
"Do you want me to fly there?" he asked, clearly concerned. "I mean, you aren't hurt or anything right?"
"No, no," I said hurriedly. "I'm fine. I just thought I should let you know what happened... I think I'm just in shock."
"Are you with your friends now?" he asked. "You aren't alone, are you?"
"No," I responded, rubbing a piece of my shirt's fabric between my fingers. "I'm at Ben's."
I said the last part carefully, waiting for his reaction. I knew it was natural he'd be upset I'm staying at another guy's for the night because he understand Ben.
"He's like an older brother to me," I added quickly. "You know, like you have Greg."
There was a brief pause.
"Okay," Niall said finally and I wished I could see his face so I could tell what he was thinking.
"I'm gonna take a shower and then I should probably get some sleep," I said quietly, still wondering what was on his mind.
"Okay," Niall said again. "I'll call you tomorrow."
And that was that. I wondered if he was jealous even though there was nothing to be jealous about. It was difficult, having male friends and a boyfriend when they didn't know each other. Besides, I was pretty sure Ben had a girlfriend. Alyssa, or Alicia or something. I couldn't recall at the moment. Should I have mentioned that? Would that have made it better?
After a hot shower and changing into fresh clothes, I felt a lot better. I found Ben on the couch in his pajamas, sitting at the tv and tossing his damaged beyond repair iPhone in the air.
"Sorry about your phone," I apologized, sitting down next to him.
Ben shrugged. "It's alright. As long as you're not hurt."
I looked down at my outfit. A gray sweater and PINK sweatpants. They were a bit big on me, but it was fine. They were comfy. Girl pants, but clearly not mine. Where had he gotten them?
"Who's clothes am I wearing?" I asked curiously, fingering the material.
"My girlfriend's," Ben responded, rubbing a bandaged finger over the cracked glass on his phone. "She leaves things here all the time after she stays. I swear I've found hundreds of bobby pins on the floor. How on Earth could you lose so many?"
I laughed. "What's her name again? Alyssa?"
"Alicia," Ben corrected. "She went to Columbia. She just started her job as a kindergarten teacher, but she's visiting her parents in the Hamptons right now. You've met her."
It did ring a bell. I tried to remember what she looked like, but right now, I could hardly remember a thing. A cloud of sleek blonde hair was all that my memory would give right now.
"Tell me about England and the boy you're staying with," Ben grinned, putting his phone down to look at me. "I can't imagine you anywhere but New York."
"It's different," I agreed. "Harry is really nice and sweet. Sometimes he reminds me of a kicked puppy. There's not much female company, but its fine. I got used to it."
"In a few months it'll be February," Ben said slowly and I could tell he was wording his sentences carefully. "And you'll be eighteen. You can come back here if you want. I just want you to know that. You don't have to stay in England, you can come home."
I didn't know how to respond. I loved Niall and I loved being with him and the boys but everytime I came home... it was different. I would realize how much I missed being here, in New York, being home. But me coming home wouldn't just be hurting Niall. It'd be hurting Harry, Liam, Louis and Zayn too. But at the same time, Ben was right. No matter how happy I was in England, I was happier when I was home.
"You still have time to decide," Ben added hastily when I didn't respond. "I don't need an answer right here right now and neither does your mother. But..."
He coughed and then cleared his throat.
"Teagan, I don't want you to stay in England because of a boy. If you want to come home, do it. Think about your own happiness first. Don't think about he wants, or what those other guys want, or what I want, or what your mother wants or even what Sandra, Avery, Chanel and Raine want. Think about what YOU want. We all want what's best for you. I'm sure that boy won't mind you coming home if you're happy. Besides, you'll be coming home eventually."
He was right. We'd have to part eventually; I'd be going to NYU.
"And," Ben continued. "Second semester starts soon after your birthday. You could be at uni where you belong, in this city. Teagan, don't stay in England because of a boy. Or five. But don't come because of me, or because of the girls. You've still got 5 days here, see how you like things. I'll take you with me to NYU one time if you want. I'm alumni, I'm sure they wouldn't mind me showing you around."
But I did love England. Well, technically the boys were doing the tour in the US. Nothing compared to New York, but I couldn't be cooped up here my entire life. I should take advantage of London, or wherever Harry decided to go, because I'd have to go along with him.
"I..." I tried to think, but I was too tired. "I dunno."
"You don't have to decide right this moment," Ben tucked a pillow under my head. "Rest. You have a few months to think about it."
The drowsiness was taking over so I rested my head against the soft pillow. I heard Ben click the tv remote and the song Skyfall started playing. He was watching the James Bond movie.
I was still half asleep when I felt Ben's arms pick me up gently, one arm at my shoulders the other tucked under my knees, walk and place me down on something soft. Brushing my hair out of my face, he pulled a blanket over me and flicked off the lights. It went from dim to pitch black and the next thing I knew, I was asleep.
*
I woke up to the smell of pancakes and a Jack Johnson song softly playing. I was in Ben's bed, a gray blanket stretched over me. The mattress was really soft. Getting up, I stretched out my arms and yawned. The clock on the bedside table read 10:04 am.
Ben was in the kitchen flipping pancakes when I entered, in a gray t shirt and plaid pajamas. There was a small radio that the music was coming from.
"Morning," he greeted me, sliding a plate of pancakes on the table and nodding at them. "Hungry?"
I nodded and sat down. They smelled delicious, but my mind was still wandering on what we talked about last night. What would Niall think? I was in love with him, but Ben was right. I couldn't follow him around and stay in England just because of a boy. No matter how much I loved that boy.
Too much was happening. My head hurt. Somebody tried to kill me. Those words sounded foreign in my head, like I knew what they meant, yet I didn't fully understand. It was a strange feeling. Had he been arrested? I still had a bad feeling about him, like his presence was lingering here even though I knew he was long gone.
"Teagan..." Ben took a seat at the table, sitting across from me. "Let me take you to NYU today. I mean, you'll have to go eventually anyways."
I swallowed. This was true.
Ben was all aboard the Teagan-Come-Back-To-New-York train. In fact, he was probably the conductor on the train. He hated the idea of me being across the pond and he hated the idea I had a boyfriend he knew nothing about and couldn't keep an eye on. His opinion was biased, but then again, so was everybody else's.
*
After a tour of NYU with Ben, I decided I wasn't in the mood for company so I didn't bother heading to Sandra's. Instead, I made my way to Barneys and used shopping as my therapy. There was a new Wildfox collection out and it was based on the 90s' movie Clueless, which happened to be one of my favourite movies of all time. A cute dress that said "Swim all Day. Party All Night. Fall in love. Pizza." caught my eye. Light and cotton, I couldn't resist buying it.
Retail therapy was the best kind of therapy.
I was well aware that I was not ready for a long distance relationship. No matter how much I was in love with Niall. It was unreasonable and treacherous and I hated unreasonable and treacherous. As much as I hated to admit it, I was a needy girlfriend. I needed to have him with me, not all the way across the pond. I was scared, terrified actually, of what would become of our relationship if I didn't.
Did I have another reason to stay in England? Harry immediately came to mind. He was a good person and a good friend, as were the other boys. But the bond I'd developed with them over the months was still nothing compared to what I had with my friends back home. I would miss them, but nothing like I missed my friends now.
So in reality, the only thing that was keeping me from jumping at this opportunity was Niall. It didn't make it any better that a girl I passed in the store had a picture of him as her phone background. It was odd thinking about it. There's millions of girls in the world who'd do anything to have my boyfriend. It was a strange thought.
I wanted Niall and New York at the same time, even if I could only have one. Maybe that was the downside to being a rich kid, you usually get everything you want and when you finally don't you have no idea what to do about it. Our lives were not leading in one direction, pun not intended. This was the fork in the road.
There was a mirror by one of the racks. I walked over and looked at myself, really looked at myself. I'd worn a bit more makeup today than I usually did, going for a light Effy Stonem look. My summery tan had faded, my naturally paler skin was seeping through. Maybe it was the moody England rainy days. I didn't have bags under my eyes yet, but it seemed to be on its way there. My blonde waves didn't look so Goldilocks perfection anymore, quite frankly it looked like sex hair. I felt like I had grown at least another inch and my military green jacket didn't fit as snug anymore; I was skinnier. Probably because of the added height.
I looked... different. I wasn't sure whether or not I liked it.
Not wanting to seem like a conceited shallow girl with an obsession with my reflection, I moved on. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. A text from Niall. Greg was getting married, the wedding was next week and Niall wanted to know if I'd go with him. The boys were all going.
I texted him back saying I would, but I couldn't help but wonder if Niall and I would ever get married. I had never obsessed over weddings like other girls may have, I found them rather petty. You need a certificate to prove you're going to love somebody forever. I guess the ceremony would be nice though. Since I was already here, I might as well find a dress. I'd met Greg when I went to Mullingar with Niall, but I hadn't met his brother's girl. I didn't even know he had one. I didn't really know Niall's family and he didn't know mine at all.
I could try and distract myself from the topic but it was still screaming in my head, loud and clear. Niall or New York?
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Niall's brother got married some weeks ago, so I thought it'd be nice if I included it in here.
So Teagan is not hurt, but I guess Ben will have to get a new phone :)
What did you think about the conversation they had? Will Teagan go back to New York when she turns 18?
Also, I need new characters for the sequel, which I've done some light planning for already. You can send to my inbox character descriptions if you'd like, the more in depth and detailed they are, the more likely they'll be picked. It'd be nice if the message is not just what they look like, but also how they dress, what their family is like, their background and childhood, personality traits, etc. I will credit you for your character idea.