Tessa's POV
I woke up having no idea where I was. I was in a big bed, clothed in a too-large tee-shirt that I had never seen before along with what looked to be a pair of male boxers. Thankfully, I still had my underwear on. I looked around at my surroundings and realized I was in a dark blue bedroom. There were a couple of guitars hanging along the wall and a keyboard placed atop the dresser. There was a rack of what must have been a hundred CDs next to the bed I was in. On the other side of the bed, there was a bedside table that held and alarm clock, my phone, and a lamp. There were three doors; I was assuming there were the bathroom, closet, and exit.
I sat up in the bed and removed the covers, exposing myself to the cold along the way. I looked around the floor next to the bed. I shrieked, losing control of myself for a second before slapping a hand to cover my mouth. It was too late. Whoever was on the floor jumped awake, but hit their head on the CD rack and fell back. When I noticed that the person was Niall, I was so shocked I started laughing. He looked up and saw it was me who had screamed, and relaxed against his makeshift bed on the floor. He threw an arm over his eyes, as if to block out the minimal light in the room.
"Good morning to you, too." He said in a grouchy tone. That made my mood change immediately. He's mad at me? I'm the one who woke up in his bed in what looked to be Niall's own clothes, not him! Wait, was he trying to kidnap and rape me? No, no, no. I started to hyperventilate. Every breath I took was hard to draw into my lungs. Niall quickly hopped up and jumped on the bed next to me once he noticed my ragged breathing.
"Hey, are you okay?" He looked concerned. "Come on, just breathe. It's okay. Whatever it is, it's okay." He placed his hand on my abdomen. "Just concentrate on feeling your breath right here. Now breathe deeply, in and out." His crystal blue eyes locked with mine, drawing me in and not letting me go. He was the lion and I was the lamb. His hand started moving up and down more smoothly as my breathing got more even. He started to gently rub when it got harder to breathe; he was silently encouraging me.
After a while, my breathing was clear; he removed his hand and our eyes unlocked for the first time since it happened. He moved to sit on the opposite side of the bed as me, and then locked eyes with me again. "Are you going to tell why you just had a panic attack, or am I going to have to guess?" He asked, and his tone was light, so I guessed he wasn't mad. I've only had a panic attack once before, and that was the time…
I shivered at the memories. I didn't want to tell him, so I replied with my own question. "Are you going to tell me why I woke up in your clothes? And in your bed?" I retorted saucily. He realized what the whole situation looked like and went into panic mode. His eyes grew as wide as saucers.
"No, no! It's not like that, really! Nothing happened. At least between us. After the stuff at the party happened-"
I cut him off. "What, exactly, happened at the party?" I asked him angrily. "Stuff so bad I couldn't just stay at Liam's? You had to take me home without my knowledge? For all I know, you could be kidnapping me!"
Niall looked taken aback by my anger. "It'd be easier if you told me the last thing you could remember." He said. His tone was calm again.
Flashbacks came through my brain. "I think I remember most of the truth or dare game. I had to take my shirt off, I kissed Liam. I danced with Noah too, I think. I also laughed at something to do with Liam, I believe." I was starting to get annoyed. I hated when I couldn't remember things.
"Well, let me think." I'll let you think faster. "After your dance with Noah, the game continued, but then it got back to you. You chose dare and were dared to go into the closet with Ricky for seven minutes. You were dared by Alex, I think it was. I know he's friends with Ricky, so yeah. The thing is, you were being tied up when you started freaking out.
"You were screaming your head off like someone was trying to kill you." All the blood drained from my face. Niall pretended not to notice and continued. "Ricky said it was fine, and he kept tying you up. Then, Liam told him to stop because you were still screaming and fighting with the parts of you that hadn't been tied up already.
"Liam and Ricky got in a brawl, but they were both drunk so it wasn't hard for Noah and I to break it up." That made me wonder where Sailor was for all of this. I didn't think she would have let her play thing help with anything that went wrong. Sailor was just always so selfish. "Liam, Noah, and I had to work together to untie you because you were fighting so hard. You looked like you were thrashing with all you had. You were almost too much for us three." But not too much for one? That didn't make sense.
"After we untied you, you attached your drunken self to Liam and would not let go. You were bursting into tears all over him, and you were blubbering something about "help," and "tried to," and "again." I have no idea what that meant, but Liam seemed to. He unattached himself from you and handed you over to me while he and Noah went off somewhere.
"You then hooked your arms around my neck and made me carry you around. Thank God you were light. After I put your shirt back on you, you fell asleep on me so I crashed on Liam's couch. Cara and Noah came back in to tell me that someone had spiked the cherry vodka with some drug. Liam had passed out around the same time as you, so Cara gave me your keys to take you home.
"We were taking your car to your house when you threw up all over it. Then, you started to talk about a lot of stuff you probably didn't want me to know." Oh, God. My face paled at the thought. "You started crying on me and begging me to not take you home. Something about your dad and killing you, so I brought you here." He finished.
"Your-your mom?" I asked. I was really hoping she hadn't seen me like that.
Niall took in my worried face and reassured me that his mother and brother were out for two nights and three days. They didn't even see him off to the party. Thank goodness for that. I might have died. Wait a minute…
"If your mother didn't dress me, than who did?"
"Niall's face turned bright pink, as usual. "I didn't really know what to do. You were covered in puke, and it didn't look all that comfortable. I left you in your underwear and gave you a sponge bath thing. You kept giggling during it and doing things. I just felt really awkward." Oh, what did I do? "I also cleaned out your hair, brushed it, and put it back up for you." I reached up to feel my hair. Sure enough, it was up, but it was in a French braid. How did he know how to French braid hair?
"I didn't know what to dress you in, so I gave you one of my old tee-shirts and a pair of my boxers. My shorts were way too big on you. I hope you don't mind. They're total clean by the way!" He told me once he saw the look that was starting to form on my face.
I suddenly felt kind of woozy, so I leaned against the headboard. Niall moved to sit next to me and put his hand on my forehead. "It looks like you've got a fever. Cara called a couple hours ago and Liam had one, too. It must be a side-effect of the drug." My eyes went to the alarm clock on the bedside table. It was ten in the morning! Thank goodness I didn't have to go to work today. Then I remembered my parents! "My parents!" I hopped out of the bed and searched frantically for my things.
Niall grabbed my pants and pulled me back to his bed. "Shh, calm down! I texted them from your phone saying that you were staying at a friend's house today." I looked at him before reaching for my phone on the bedside table. Sure enough, it was true. Man, this boy thinks of everything. Then, it hit me.
"Wait. You said I told you things. What things? What did I tell you? And be serious!" I added when I saw the mischievous look forming on his face.
"Fine. At first, you started babbling out random facts about yourself. Your favorite colour is blue, how not cool it is to be born on Christmas Eve no matter what anyone says about it, your insecurities, things like that."
"What insecurities?" I interrupted him.
He sighed. "Well, you started talking about how dull you are. How blue eyes and blonde hair are just on everyone. How you always wish you had something about you that was different than everyone else. You went on and on about how your hair is messed up and always at an awkward length, not to mention how frizzy it is. Don't even get me started on what you said about your period. How you get in these mood swings, are always really sore, and get these really terrible cravings for all things chocolate."
I tuned out whatever he was saying after that part. I thought about it for a second and then double checked on my phone. After that, I just had to interrupt whatever he was saying about my complaints from last night. When I held up my hand for him to stop talking, he looked at me, confused.
"I need to use the bathroom. Like, use the bathroom." I said and gestured toward my lady parts. I think he got what I was saying because his eyes went wide and he went into panic mode again. He got up and started pacing the room as if I were about to die or something.
"Do you like- do you need something?" He asked and looked really uncomfortable.
I glared at him. "Of course I need something, Niall! Do you think I came here with one? You're the one who practically searched me, you should know!" I was getting really angry.
He put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. Sorry, I didn't mean to. I'll go see if my mom has anything. Bathroom is the door on the right." He said in a gentle tone as he left the room; only make me even more mad. I don't need someone to talk baby to me! I was fuming by the time I made it into the bathroom and checked to make sure I was right. As always, I was. Great, a fever and my period. Could this day get any better?
If I had been feeling any less sick, I would have taken the time to admire how neat everything was. Not even Liam kept his things so organized. Everything had labels on it!
A knock sounded through the door. "Tess!" Niall called. Him using that name surprised me. Nobody had ever called me that before.
"Yeah."
"My mom had something if you want it." I jumped up and opened the door. He stood there looking embarrassed and held the tampon out. I snatched it from him and shut the door.
Once I was done, I cleaned everything up and washed my hands. Just as I was about to open the door, I felt something start to come up; I rushed back to the toilet and emptied what was left of my stomach into it. Niall probably heard me throwing up and came in. When he saw what was happening he came and sat down next to me. He pulled the hair that had come outback, and then he started rubbing my back.
After at least ten minutes, I was sure I was done and it was all gone. Niall helped me up, and gave me some mouthwash to gargle. I felt like crap, so the mouthwash helped me to feel cleaner. When I was done, Niall practically carried me to his bed-I could barely stand on my own-and tucked me in under the covers because I shivered. Damn this fever.
Niall lay down next to me and started to rub my back again. Suddenly, I felt really lonely. Like, really lonely. I felt like no one cared about me. Everyone's just friends with me because they want something. The feeling brought tears to my eyes. Mixed with the sickness from the fever and the cramps from my fever, I hurt like hell.
I turned on my side and looked up at Niall. He just looked at me. I reached my arms up like a little kid, begging to be cuddled. He understood my silent plea and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me in closer and turned me on my other side, so we were spooning. He brushed away my tears with his thumb, and then started massaging my stomach and sides with his free hand. It felt amazing.
"Niall," I said in a whisper. I felt like I should be quiet since the room was dark; Niall had these curtains that blocked out most of the light.
"Hmm," He hummed.
"I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier. I just got so angry and-" I was cut off by breaking into tears. Niall continued to rub my stomach and make the pain go away with his magic hands.
"Shh, it's okay. I get it. Now, you need to sleep this fever off. It'll be okay." I listened to his soft breathing, and soon found myself drifting into the world of dreams.
When I woke up, it took me a full minute to realize where I was. It all came rushing back to me. The party, waking up, the fever, and my period; I felt this pressure on my stomach crossing over my side. I looked down only to find that the pressure was Niall's arm. His arm was loosely draped over me. I carefully switched onto my other side, so I was facing him, and tried not to wake him up. I guessed he had fallen asleep next to me instead of on his makeshift bed.
Niall looked so peaceful when he slept. There was still a bit of his eyes you could see. There was a hint of blue mixed with white. I could feel his breath waving over my face as he slept. It was warm and smelled of mint. I just watched him sleep for a couple minutes. I started to feel so safe, warm, and tired that I snuggled into his chest. His bare chest; wait, when did that happen?
He stirred, and I immediately stopped my movement even though my forehead and the upper part of my face were snuggled into his naked chest. Niall woke up and looked down at me, so I pretended to be asleep. He started to move slowly and got into a more comfortable position on his back. When I moved closer to his side, still pretending to be asleep, he gently grabbed my torso and placed most of it onto his chest. I could almost feel his chin on the top of my head. I "subconsciously" nuzzled into his chest, embracing the warmth of his skin.
Then, I started to feel the pain of the cramps again. Maybe it wasn't the cramps; I did have a fever. I softly moaned and tried to make it look like I was asleep. Niall noticed my pain and sat up a little bit.
"Tess," he whispered and gently shook me. "Tess, Tessa, come on, you got to wake up."
I moaned and opened my eyes in the slightest way possible. I lifted myself onto my elbows, still lying on his chest. I looked up at him drowsily, probably looking like a mess. He laughed at the look on my face.
"No need to look so grouchy. You're like a cat who was just woken up from its daily nap." He joked.
"Meow," I replied and sounded nothing like a cat. I then laid down back down on his hardened chest and closed my eyes because, in all honesty, I was in pain and all I wanted to do was sleep it off. Niall moved his hands and started to massage my back; it was really relaxing. Niall seemed to understand when I was in pain and used his magical hands to take away the pain. I sighed into him, and he chuckled.
"Tessa, I'm serious though. You've got to eat something. And to do that, you need to wake up." I groaned when he stopped rubbing my back. "Come on, if you wake up, I'll make you brownies."
My stomach started to rumble at the mention of food. Curse my intense love for food and chocolate.
"Fine." I mumbled.
"How about I cook the brownies, and you work on waking up?" He offered. When I nodded, he slipped out from under me, taking the warmth with him. When I groaned at him for exposing me to the cold air, all he did was chuckle at my grumpiness. He then left the room, leaving it to me to battle the cold by myself.
It took me ten minutes, but I finally mustered up enough courage to fight the terrible cold of his bedroom. It was more like mustering up enough courage to run for the sweatshirt he left next to the piano on the dresser. I took my chances and darted out from under the blankets. I shivered in the cold before being able to pull the hoodie over my head. I basked in the warmth before heading downstairs, where I could smell the brownies cooking.
Niall, still shirtless, stood leaning against the counter and smiled at me when I came in. I just gave him a glare for making me walk all the way down here, and sat down at the table. There, I curled up in a ball as best I could while in a chair.
After a few minutes, the timer binged and the brownies were done, and Niall pulled them out of the oven. He waited for them cool and then cut them out. He put them on a plate and gestured for me to follow him. I did as he asked, but I grumbled all along the way.
He led me downstairs into what must have been his man cave or something. There was a big TV, two couches, a little table, a lot of gaming systems and games, two large speakers, and more musical instruments, mainly guitars. Jeez, how many guitars did this boy need? He set the plate of heavenly smelling brownies on the table and sat down on one of the couches. He patted the spot next to him, gesturing for me to sit next to him. Once I had sat down, he wrapped a blanket around the two of us.
We transitioned into a position where he was leaning on the arm of the couch and I was laying my head on his lap. He brought the brownies to me, and it was like I was putty in his hands. Right then, I would have done anything he asked me to do. He was the first person in a really long time to ever make me feel so good. I didn't really know him, and he was making me feel so special. When I tried my first bite of the brownie, my jaw nearly dropped. They were Heaven on a plate, literally. It shouldn't have been allowed for food to taste that good. Not that I'm complaining.
Niall noticed my reaction and smirked. "You like 'em, huh?" He said smugly.
"Shut up, I'm eating Jesus food right now." He laughed at my words then turned on the TV. He started playing an old rerun of the Secret Life of the American Teenager, probably for me. I had eaten three brownies before Niall stole one from my plate. I turned my head to look at him. Then, I struck up a conversation.
"Hey, Niall, Why are you doing this? Not that I don't appreciate it, it's just I barely know you and stuff." I said uncomfortably.
He looked taken aback by my question. "Well, I guess, I'd just want someone to do it if it was for me. Also, I feel like I kinda already know you. I know a lot of things from what you told me in the car, and then you talk in your sleep sometimes, too." He blushed when he said that, but not nearly as bad as me. I didn't know I talked in my sleep.
"Well, I don't know you. Like, I know next to nothing. I'm letting you take care of me, but I feel uncomfortable. I don't know the first thing about you." I told him, letting him know the real issue.
"Then, get to know me. Ask me anything." He said, completely serious. "We can be the best of friends!" He added in a high-pitched, childish voice. I laughed, but then sat up so I could get to know him.
"Okay, what's your favorite colour?"
"Green, but I also like blue."
"One interesting fact."
"I'm left handed, but I play guitar with my right."
"Favourite flavor."
"Chocolate."
Then I thought of something. "Why do you call me Tess?"
The tips of his ears turned pink at that question. "While you were spilling your guts to me, figuratively and literally speaking, you said you had always wished that someone would call you that, so I just decided to." I nodded my head at his explanation.
It continued on like this for at least twenty minutes. I just kept asking random things that were off the top of my head. I ended up getting to know a lot about him. It was pretty cool. The best thing was that it didn't get awkward anymore.
Afterwards, we kept watching the show and finishing the delectable brownies. Once we finished the brownies, he started playing with my hair and it felt so good. Like, how could this get any better?
I ended up falling asleep again, and I had one of the worst nightmares of my life. When I woke up, I was back in Niall's bed covered in a sheen of sweat. There were dried tear tracks along my face. Niall was in his makeshift bed on the floor. I checked the time; it was three o'clock in the morning.
I went into the bathroom to wash my face and gargle some mouthwash. I went back into the bed, but every time I closed my eyes, terrible images flooded through my imagination. In the end, I gave up and just called out for Niall.
"Hmm," He hummed.
"Can you come up here?" I asked in a timid voice.
"Yeah, Tessa, what's wrong?" He came and sat on the edge of the bed. I reached my arms out to him, hoping he would take the hint. He understood, as always, and wrapped his arms around me. For the rest of the night, because he was holding me, I didn't have any more nightmares. It's like he fought off the bad dreams for me.