Chapter two
"You have some serious explaining to do!" I sounded on edge, and I could tell. But then again, it wasn't every day that I got chased by the paparazzi, and to say the least, I didn't like the attention.
"I'm so sorry, Alice!" We had made it back to his hotel, and lost our stalkers about a block beforehand.
"Explain first, apologise later." I was beginning to pace around the kitchen, while Niall sat on one of the lounge chairs that resided in front of me.
He ran a hand through his hair, standing up before walking over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, making me stop and look at him.
"Okay.. I didn't think I'd need to tell you, but.. I'm Niall Horan and.. Well, I'm sort of.. Part of a band.. We're called One Direction."
I blinked, remembering something. "You're the ones who were on X Factor, right?"
I knew that he and his friends had looked familiar.
I mean, I wasn't a fan of One Direction.
To be honest, I'd never even listened to one of their songs, but I'd heard enough girls at my school rambling on about how hot they are. Fangirling – I believe it's called.
Quite frankly, I think that people should like bands for their talent, not their looks.
"You've heard of us?" He asked, his hands dropping from my shoulders.
"To an extent, a lot of girls at my school talk about you.." My hand flew to my lips as I realised what I had said.
Niall raised an eyebrow. "School? Now it's your turn to explain."
I dropped my head, looking down at my feet. ".. I'm kind of only seventeen."
I lifted my eyes to look at him, surprised to find the look of astonishment on his face.
"My friend Maria got a fake ID made for me.. And yeah.."
"I could have sworn you were nineteen, at least." He admitted, smiling softly.
"Really? So, you don't care that I'm only seventeen?"
He replied to my question with a shake of his head, because he was disrupted by a knock at the door.
"I'll get that." I watched him cross the room and the next thing I saw was four boys barge through the doorway.
"What happened?"
"-Heard that you got ambushed by the paps."
"-You were with the girl."
"-We brought food."
I couldn't really tell who said what, because they all spoke at the same time, but they all fell silent as soon as they saw me.
"Oh, she's here." This time I knew it was Harry who spoke, with a smirk on his lips that made me feel all the more uncomfortable.
A boy with blondish brown hair that curled up and the front smiled. "Hello there, I'm Liam." He walked forward and extended a hand, though I was reluctant to take it.
Sensing my unease, he them raised his other hand, revealing a brown bag that I could see was from Nandos.
"Hungry..?" He asked, his voice soft.
I shook my head, knowing that I hadn't eaten all day. "I'm fine, thanks."
Niall, on the other hand, seized the bag from his friend and was about to start eating, but then looked at me.
Putting the bag on the kitchen bench, he moved back to my side. His hand brushed lightly against mine and the touch sent shivers through me.
"Um, this is Alice." He said slowly to the rest of the guys. After that, the two that had yet to introduce themselves, being the darker skinned boy and the one wearing suspenders, told me their names.
"It's nice to meet you, Zayn and Louis." It was the first time I had spoken since they had arrived and it took everything I had to stop my voice from shaking.
"It's nice to meet you too, sweetheart." Zayn smiled warmly.
"Likewise." Louis nodded his head, also smiling.
I managed a small smile and Harry walked up to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders which made me jump. I automatically felt my hands clench, and I could taste the blood in my mouth before I realised I had bitten into my cheek.
Harry looked down at me, removing his arm. "Are you alright?"
I had relaxed somewhat, but I was still tense all over. "Yeah." I said simply.
"I wouldn't suggest going home just yet, just in case the pap comes back." I was relieved to hear Niall's gentle voice, but wasn't certain that I could stay here much longer.
"..Okay." I replied, knowing that my voice was just off a whisper.
"We can watch a movie or something. Will you guys be staying?" He turned to the others.
Louis and Harry shrugged before dropping down onto a couch, Zayn sat cross legged on the floor, while Liam jumped up onto the bench, pulling a chicken wrap from the Nandos bag and beginning to munch on it.
"I guess that's a yes.." Niall muttered before walking over to the tv, beside the DVD player there were a stack of disks, he picked up a random one and slid it into the machine.
He turned back to me. "Would you like something else to wear?"
I was about to decline but remembered how skimpy my dress was.
"That would be nice.. If you've got something to lend me, of course.." I nibbled on my lip, not wanting to bite into my already bleeding cheek.
"It's fine!" He said reassuringly before disappearing into one of the three bedrooms, returning with a pair of sweats and a shirt that I assumed would be big on me.
"Bathroom's in there." He pointed to one of the closed doors, handing over the clothes.
"Thanks." As I shut the door behind me, I couldn't help but notice how the outfit smelled like him, and it made me smile.
Niall's POV.
Watching her vanish into the bathroom, I turned to Liam who was finishing off his chicken wrap.
"Does something seem a little off about Alice?" I asked, lowering my voice.
"What do you mean?" He licked his fingers, looking up at me.
"Never mind." I shook my head, glancing at the tv and seeing that Love Actually had been playing for the past five minutes.
Alice walked back into the room, carrying her dress in her arms. It was folded perfectly, and she stood awkwardly for a couple of moments, rocking back and forth, as if trying to decide where to put it.
"You can leave it there on the table." I nodded my head in the direction of a coffee table.
Hesitating before she set it down gently, Alice crossed her arms over her chest.
My eyes shifted over her as I noticed how good she looked in my clothes, though she struck me as the type of person who looked good in anything.
Liam had moved to the lounge room, now sitting on the ground beside Zayn.
I sat down on one of the free lounges, motioning for Alice to take a seat beside me.
She did so in silence, and I smiled, patting her leg.
I watched her squirm slightly but she soon relaxed, and even allowed me to rest my hand on her knee.
About half way through the movie, Alice had fallen asleep, her head rested on my shoulder.
Her hair was still in perfect curls, and at one point I just sat there playing with a few soft caramel strands.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling, and I didn't know what is was about her, but I was determined to get to know Alice, no matter what it took.
Alice's POV.
I woke up somewhat violently, my eyes shooting open as I sat up.
My breathing steadied a bit when I heard Niall's voice trying to soothe me, though my hands clenched when he started stroking my hair.
"What time is it?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
"About 2 o'clock." He answered softly.
"Shit. I've been here for almost four hours!" I started to get up but Niall grabbed my wrist.
I noticed that the tv was now turned off and the other boys were gone.
"What?" I asked, looking down at where he held my wrist.
"It's 2 o'clock in the morning." He made sure to pronounce each word slowly, as if I didn't understand something very obvious. "It'd be ridiculous to go home now."
"But.." I began to argue, my brows furrowing.
"No buts, you can sleep in my bed, I'll take the couch." Finally letting go off my wrist, he looked into my eyes, and I heard my breath catch.
"I can't take your bed.. I'm fine with the couch, really.."
"I'm not taking no for an answer."
I gave an exasperated sigh, but nodded.
Triumphant smile and all, he directed me to his room, which was surprisingly clean, leading me to believe that he hadn't been staying here for very long.
I sat awkwardly at the foot of the bed, and Niall suddenly looked very serious. "What?"
"You don't know how beautiful you really are.." Instantly feeling my cheeks heat up, I averted my eyes.
"It makes me like you that much more." He said simply, his lovely blue eyes burning with intensity. "And that's unfair on you."
His last comment made me look up. "How is it unfair on me?" I'm not sure why I asked the question, I had never had a boyfriend before, never even had a first kiss. And I wouldn't want to start something with Niall, only to have him realise that he is far too good for me.
"..Never mind. Go to sleep, you look tired." He stepped forward, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning and shutting the door behind him.
Looking into the empty space where he had only stood moments ago, I longed for something. Something so utterly strange to me; I longed to be held by Niall Horan.
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