#onedirectiononeshot

Requests:

Mile High

Drabble Challenge Requests:

148. “Why do you only kiss me when I’m sleeping?”

14. “Take. It. Off.”

18. “It’s okay to cry…”

1. “The skirt is supposed to be this short.”

2. “How long have you been standing there?”

143. “Ew, your hand is sweaty.”

76. “Daddy!”

141. “Use your words.”

Final revised version.

“Well birthday girl,” he sighed as he rose back to his feet, gripping her wrists to pull her from the door. “I’m quite ready to deliver your present.”

“Then, I’m quite ready to receive it.” She replied with a cheeky smile adorning her face.

“You’re not feeling well.”

“What?”

“You should go tell your guest you’re not feeling well, tell them it would be best for them to leave.”

“I should.”

The night was far from its beginning, and far from its end but, already Avery was ready for it to be over. Lying to all of her guests at her own party was awful hostessing but, for what Harry was promising, she was very ready to throw her manners out of the window.

Niall had warned her of Harry, he told her just how persuading Harry could be. She was a strong woman, but at first meet, Harry had already held a power over her. He was captivating and intriguing and instead of focusing on her birthday festivities with the rest of her friends and family, she was busy on trying to figure who this mysterious green-eyed, skinny-jean clad, headscarf bearing guy was.

It took some time but, eventually, she did figure out Harry. And now she was pressed against a wall with his hips locking her in place. His hand cupped her cheek as he pulled away from her lips with a subtle smacking noise, looking down into her eyes, his holding nothing but amusement.

Her cheeks were flushed, and she was panting slightly. There was no way she would be able to walk back out into the party without everyone knowing exactly what she had gone off to do. Granted, she could play her appearance off as a part of her “sickness” but the thought of everyone knowing what he has done to her, what he was planning on doing to her, made him throb in his tight jeans.

He pecked her nose affectionately before pulling away, “Go on then.”

Author: LoadedGunn

Fandom: One Direction

Description:

“Mate, you can dress him up in a tutu and upload it to YouTube, I don't care as long as he's alive when I come back."

Harry gasps. "How did you know I have three tiny cat tutus?"

"You sound like the crazy type."

Or, the AU where Harry is a pet-sitter for the rich and famous, and Louis is rich and famous.

Characters/Ships: Larry, appearances by the rest of the gang and Ed Sheeran

Topic Warnings: none

Suggested Rating: T

Author: missandrogyny

Fandom: One Direction

Description:

It doesn't explain why he's lying on the floor, with Harry Styles, of all people, planking on top of him.

As in, seventeenth most influential person in London, pop-star-turned-rock-star Harry Styles. The same Harry Styles who has had countless model girlfriends, left, right and centre. Also the same Harry Styles who has been the subject of Louis' wet dreams since he was about eighteen.

Or: Louis is a Radio 1 DJ and Harry is a pop-star he interviews.

Characters/Ships: Larry

Topic Warnings: sexual content

Suggested Rating: M

Author: 100percentsassy, gloria_andrews

Fandom: One Direction

Description:

AU in which the boys still make music. Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

Don't hum Bolero.

Characters/Ships: Larry

Topic Warnings: explicit sexual content

Suggested Rating: M

Word Count: 134891 (12 Chapters)

Those three words have been tossed around so many times now. I love you. Niall says it to me in the morning when we first wake up. I tell him whenever I get a chance to. It seems like everything has began to fall into place.

We’ve been on tour now for going on a month. Each night is filled with the boys doing a multitude of crazy things. Like last night, Niall couldn’t stop running around the stage, even when they were supposed to be standing still.

I’ve loved every single second of it. Every second that Niall would randomly take me in his arms and hold me close, whispering ‘I love you’ in my ear before his lips touched mine before walking to the stage. Every second that Niall would lock his eyes with mine on stage, smiling as he sang the words of songs that he had sang to me late at night as I sat awake with tears in my eyes from nightmares about Wes.

Now, we were in the hotel room, one that we had shared for a few nights now. Tonight was one of the first nights that the boys would have off in a while, and Niall and I wanted to share it together. Just me and him. The mere thought was enough to bring a smile onto my face.

The room was dark, the moonlight being the slightly illuminating the room. The television was on and Niall and I were cuddled up together on the bed. It seemed like nothing in the world could beat this moment. There was no screaming from the fans, no events in the back of my mind that would cut this moment short, and no fear of Wes breaking into the room on the private floor.

“I love you, Harp.” Niall whispered into my hair, the warmth of his breath sending chills down my spine. His lips swept across the top of my head before a gentle kiss was placed on my cheek. Niall’s arms were wrapped around me as I sat between his legs, leaning back with my head resting near the middle of his torso.

“And I love you, Ni.” I smiled as I softly said the words. I took in a deep breath before releasing the air I had inhaled. “You know, I don’t know where I would be right now if it weren’t for you.”

“I don’t want to even think about the possibility of you still being forced to be with that asshole.” Niall hissed out. I could feel him tense with anger, and I slowly looked back at him.

“But I’m not.” I tried to say in my most calming voice. It seemed to help, a bit. “And I can’t thank you enough, because it was all thanks to you.” A small smile graced my lips.

“You loving me is enough, Harp.” Niall spoke.

“You’ve protected me from him, and I don’t know what I would ever do if I lost you.” The thought brought tears to my eyes.

“Hey,” Niall started softly. “Hey,” He took a hold of both of my hands. “You never have to worry about that. No matter what happens, I’ll always be here for you. I promise.” Niall looked me right in the eyes. “Always.”

--

I finished getting ready for bed, exhausted from everything that had been going on with interviews and shows the whole tour. I was ready for a semi-early night. I exited the bathroom, my hair messily thrown back into a ponytail and my clothes from earlier today switched with dark purple shorts and a black tank top.

I quietly walked into the room, putting my now dirty clothes into my suitcase, ready to wash for another time. Niall was sitting on the side of the bed that was in the room, his back towards me as he faced the large window of the hotel room. He looked tense, angry almost, and I was about to try to ask him what was wrong when he spoke.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” He asked, outraged. “I told you that was the one thing you had to make sure didn’t fucking happen!” Niall hissed into the phone that I just now noticed.

I was surprised at his outburst. I had never seen him so angry. Not when he talked about Wes, not when he couldn’t do anything but get a restraining order against my abuser, not when Louis nearly said my name in that interview. I was frightened, to be honest, and I didn’t know what I should do.

Should I walk over there and make sure that he was okay? Should I rub his shoulders to release the tension with whatever was causing this emotion in him? Should I just leave him be and hope that he cools down a bit?

I opted for the last one, going around the room and picking up a bit, seeing as this was the last night in this hotel. I tried to be as quiet as possible, not wanting to disturb Niall’s conversation with whoever he was talking to. While I cleaned up my things, packing shirts and jeans away, I couldn’t help but listen to the words that Niall spoke.

“If I ever see you again, you will regret it.” Niall hissed into the phone. “What you have done is unacceptable.” It was quiet for a moment, Niall listening to what the person on the other end was saying. “No you listen to me!” Niall shouted, probably interrupting the person. “I told you what you had to do, I gave you a hell of a lot more money than you deserved, and you still let this happen!” I jumped a bit at his voice.

It was hard not to compare this moment to some of those when I was with Wes. Although Niall wasn’t talking to me the way that he was to the person on the phone, I couldn’t help but feel my heart begin to race at the words.

“You let this happen?” Wes yelled at me. I was shaking, trying so hard not to break anything else. “I told you not to slip on the damn floor so that my things wouldn’t break.” Wes picked up a piece of the broken glass that had only moments ago held his drink.

“Wes, please,” I started to beg, my knees shaking so much that I could barely stand.

“Don’t try to act like the victim here, Harper! You’re the one that broke the glass, and you aren’t even trying to pick it up!” I fell to my knees quickly, scrambling to pick up the glass without cutting my hand. Before I could pick anything up, Wes kicked me in the stomach, my hands and knees sliding so that I was now lying on my stomach. My hands had quickly tried to get me back up, but they landed on the sharp shards of glass. Pain shot through my fingertips up to my wrists. “Stupid bitch,” Wes hissed to me, throwing down the piece of glass that he had earlier picked up, having it shatter and create more pieces for me to pick up.

Niall slammed the phone down on the side of the bed. “Fuck.” He hissed out running his hands through his hair. I thought now was a good time to go over to him and see what was wrong. I slowly made my way over to the side of the bed where he was sitting, taking in a deep breath as I said one thing to myself over and over again.

Niall is not like Wes. He will not hurt you. Niall is not like Wes. He will not hurt you.

I slowly put my hand on Niall’s shoulder, my heart racing with fear and anxiety of what would happen if the man that I loved turned into a man from my nightmares. As soon as my hand made contact with him, Niall jumped and looked at me. I had never seen such a thing from this blonde haired, blue eyed man before me.

His eyes burned into me, the rage still evident and not seeming to leave anytime soon. His lips, those beautiful and lovable and kissable lips, were in a taut frown that seemed to be carved from stone. This wasn’t the Niall that I knew and loved. This isn’t the man that saved me from Wes all those months ago. This man, I hated to say, scared me.

“Ni,” I started, my voice shaking from fear. “Is,” I took a deep breath in, not wanting to say the wrong thing. “Is everything okay?” I expected to have Niall look at me, really look at me, and have all the rage on his face disappear. I expected to have Niall look at me and simply mutter that it will be fine. This, what happened after I said those three words, was not what I expected at all.

“No, nothing is okay!” Niall yelled, his voice louder than I had ever heard it before. “Why the hell would you ask such a stupid question? Nothing will be okay, damn it! Fuck, Harper, just leave me the hell alone!” Niall raised his hand up and my heart skipped a beat. I dropped to the floor, trying to get away from Niall, my hands shielding my face, knowing that was where Wes would go first.

So many things were running around in my mind in such a small amount of time. I couldn’t believe that I had gotten away from Wes, just to get with another man that would do the same thing to me. I couldn’t believe that the man that I was now afraid of was the man I knew that I loved. I have never loved someone as much I loved Niall, and here I was, trying to put as much space between us. Just like I had with Wes.

A few seconds passed, and nothing but silence filled the room. There was no pain that suddenly hit me, and hesitantly I removed my hands from my face. Niall stood there, the hand that I thought would strike me in his hair.

I took in Niall’s face and it held only sadness. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. His bright blue eyes were filling with tears and I wanted to leap up and tell him that everything was alright, but I was still too afraid. Niall’s breathing quickened as it looked like he was trying to come up with every possible reason that I could have done what I just did without the actual conclusion of why I did it.

“Harper,” Niall’s voice came out quiet, his voice cracking at the end. My hands were shaking as I tried to sit up against the wall that I had scurried to only moments ago. “Please,” He started. “Please tell me that you didn’t think,” Niall stopped. I stayed quiet as a tear rolled down Niall’s cheek. “I,” He looked around the room, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to spill from his eyes. “I have to leave, Harper.” Niall whispered.

I opened my mouth to try to say something, but nothing came out. Niall stood there for a minute before walking towards the door. “I’m so sorry,” He muttered.

Niall’s P.O.V.

I was no better than Wes. I couldn’t believe that Harper thought I was going to hurt her. I had promised from the day that I met her that I would protect her, but I guess that just wasn’t enough.

It was dark out, pitch black, and I couldn’t help but think about what had made me angry in the first place. The person that I had hired to make sure people wouldn’t figure out who Harper really was called me to say that the fans had found out. It was everywhere on the internet, the name Harper Allen. All I wanted to do was make sure she was safe, and I couldn’t even do that.

I had to go somewhere, get a drink. This was one of the places that we had stopped at ever since the Up All Night Tour, so I knew my way around pretty well. I was just going to take a quick shortcut to a bar that was only half a mile away from the hotel. I had to figure out what I was going to do now that Harper was afraid of me.

I passed by some of the alleyways of the city. No one was around. I kept my head down, hoping that no one would walk past me and know who I was. I really wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone.

“Well, well, well,” I heard a voice come from an alley that I passed. I ignored it though, kept on walking. “Hey!” I heard the man say. “I’m talking to you!” I took in a deep breath and stopped.

“Look, man, I’m not really in the picture taking mood, sorry.” I told him before continuing to walk.

“I don’t want a picture.” The man hissed. I stopped again, this time looking behind me and at the man that wouldn’t leave me alone. “I don’t want tickets or a backstage pass or a fucking autograph either.” I looked at the man now, his square face and brown hair seemed dirty, as if he had been waiting here for a while. His hazel eyes looked a bit crazed. I now regretted not taking one of our bodyguards.

“Then I’m going to leave now.” I told him, trying to stay calm. I turned back around, walking a bit faster this time.

“I do, however, want what you stole from me.” I rolled my eyes at the man’s statement. “Come on, pretty boy,” He taunted. “You know what I’m talking about.” The man chuckled humorlessly. “Harper.”

My stomach dropped when he said the name. He couldn’t be talking about my Harper, he couldn’t b-

“You know, I had a hunch that it was her ever since you two were seen out together. The makeup and wig were a nice touch, but come on,” He chuckled. “You can’t really think that was enough for me to not know it was her, do you?”

My heart was racing as he spoke. “Wes?” I breathed out, my hands shaking.

The man chuckled. “Bingo.” I wanted to attack the coward that was in front of me, give him a taste of his own damn medicine. “Your bandmate, you know the idiot that blew the whole cover of Victoria Graham being Harper Allen, helped a lot. Though, it still wasn’t enough to make sure that you were the right guy. And then her name was all over the internet.”

“You fucking bastard!” I shouted, getting ready to have my fist connect to his face.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” Wes told me calmly, a small smile on his face. “All I want is what belongs to me.”

“Harper doesn’t belong to you. You don’t even deserve to know her.” I hissed. Wes’ smile grew.

“Well then,” He started. “If I can’t have her, neither can you.” Wes reached into his back pocket, and pulled out the metal that shimmered in the moonlight. “Now, are you sure that you don’t want to tell me where the hell she is?” Wes maneuvered the gun so that it rested better in his hand.

“I’m positive.” I stated strongly. Wes shook his head and chuckled.

“Alright Horan,” Wes pressed the gun into my abdomen. I could feel the cold metal through the thin material of my shirt. “I’m going to give you one more chance to answer my fucking question.” Wes pushed the gun into my abdomen more, making me grimace.

Before I said anything else I tried to get the gun out of Wes’ hand. I attempted to push him away from me, but Wes was quick to bring his fist to my face. Once, twice, three times. My whole body was beginning to ache from the force that Wes was hitting me with. I could already feel the blood trickling down from my nose, my eye was barely opening, and my lip felt like it was split open.

The kiss seemed to linger on my lips hours after it was over. Niall and I went our separate ways and towards our rooms when we got inside. No other words were spoken between us after our lips parted.

It’s two in the morning and I’ve still not been able to fall asleep for a mere ten minutes. After tossing and turning a few times, a finally gave up the idea of falling asleep and got up.

I left my room, trying to be as quiet as possible when shutting the door behind me. The house was as quiet as could be, Niall being asleep in his room across the hall. I made my way towards the kitchen, deciding to make some sort of drink.

I looked through the cupboards, seeing if I could find anything, and stumbled across some hot chocolate. I smiled softly, grabbing a hold of the packet and then going on to find a mug.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” A voice behind me spoke, making me jump. I turned around to see a messy haired, tired eyed Niall leaning up on the doorway.

“Nope,” I trailed off, popping the ‘p’ a bit. “Would you like some hot chocolate? I was just about to warm up some milk for it.” Niall’s lips spread out into a smile, walking over to me.

“I would love some.” I began to prepare myself for another one of his kisses, as he was leaning closer, but then the cupboard behind me opened. Niall brought out two mugs, setting them on the counter beside me.

My heart sank a bit at the realization that he had not intended on putting his lips a top of mine, but I put on a smile in attempts to cover it up.

“I do hope that you not being able to sleep isn’t on my account?” Niall asked a bit sheepishly. I took in his blue eyes, seeing as he looked a bit nervous. I let out a sigh before replying.

“No,” I lied. “It’s just been a pretty big day, I suppose.” I pursed my lips a bit, lifting the corners in a sad attempt at a genuine smile.

“Seeing your family after so long?” Niall asked, his words steady and measured.

“Yeah,” I breathed out, pushing some of the dark strands of hair back from my face as I walked over to the fridge to grab the carton of milk needed to make our drinks. “And,” I started before pausing. It had to be talked about at some point, “That other thing that happened.”

“So it was on my account.” Niall had on a poker face at the moment. He grabbed the carton from me, pouring equal amounts into each mug.

“Not really.”

“But somewhat?” Niall looked at me, searching my features himself to see if he could read anything from my expression. He let out a sigh, putting the cap back on the carton and putting it in the fridge. I put the mugs of milk in the microwave before turning back to Niall.

“No,” I sighed. “Kind of.” Niall leaned up against the counter, his hand running through his hair. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it u-”

“No.” Niall interrupted me. “It would have had to have been brought up eventually.”

“So was it intentional?” My voice was soft, nervous even.

“Was what intentional?”

“The kiss.” My heart raced at just saying the words. The kiss that happened in the car. The kiss that we shared together. The kiss that I had been waiting for.

“Of course it was intentional, Harp. It’s not like I go around kissing everybody that I see.” Niall smirked. It only lasted for a moment, then the smirk disappeared. “Was it intentional for you?” His eyes were full of worry.

“God, yes, it was intentional.” I closed my eyes, the vivid memory of his lips against mine racing through my brain.

“I meant what I said, you know. About liking you.” Niall looked me straight in the eye. I was about to say something when the microwave beeped. Niall took the two mugs out of it, handing me one mug, a packet of hot chocolate mix, and a spoon.

I poured in my chocolate mix and began to stir when Niall spoke again. “I know that this whole relationship thing is all messed up for you now because of Wes, but I’d never do something like that. Harp, I would never hurt you like he did. I would never make you feel the way he did.”

“I know you wouldn’t, Ni.” I continued to stir the now all mixed up hot chocolate. I took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out before taking a sip of the beverage in my hand. I couldn’t look at Niall. I knew what he wanted, what he was trying to ask me by not exactly asking me. I also knew that if I were to agree, I would mess the whole thing up.

“So,” Niall trailed off, his hands wrapped around the mug itself instead of the handle. He brought the mug to his lips before bringing it back down, not even taking a sip from it.

“Niall,” I started, closing my eyes as I tried to think of a way to say what I was feeling. “I don’t want to have our current relationship be ruined by something like that.”

“Oh,” Niall responded as he looked down into his mug, now taking a nervous sip from it. The look on his face broke my heart, and all I wanted to do was make it better. I couldn’t, though.

“Niall, please,” I tried softly, tears stinging the inner corners of my eyes.

“It’s fine, Harp, really.” Niall shot me a sad smile. I let out a sigh, setting down my mug and wrapping my arms around him. He carefully sat his mug down, his arms snaking around my waist.

“It’s not you, Niall.”

“That line, huh?” Niall let out a sad laugh.

“It’s true,” I craned my neck upward so that I could look at him. “That experience that I had with Wes, it made me realize how shitty I was at relationships. What happened could have been avoided i-”

“You couldn’t have changed anything, Harper. That’s what abusers do. They know how to take advantage of you and how to make sure they’re in control.” Niall’s blue eyes looked right into mine.

“I’m not the relationship type, Niall.”

“Why, because of some asshole? He’s the one that wasn’t the relationship type. You are worthy of it, Harp. You are worthy to be loved.” I leaned my head against Niall’s chest, cuddling closer to him.

“I don’t want to mess anything up,” I whispered. Niall’s chin rested on the top of my head, and I couldn’t help but smile at how nice and secure this moment made me feel.

“You wouldn’t, Harp.” I could feel his lips brush against my hair.

“I guess we could see where all this goes,” I murmured softly, my eyelids feeling heavier with each word. I looked up at Niall again, a small smile returning on his lips. He brought them closer to mine, my eyes already closing as they neared.

Once the two sets connected, I couldn’t help but smile into it. I never felt this way kissing someone. Not the boy that I had shared my first kiss on the playground with at eight years old. Not the teen boy that I had a crush on for four years in the hallway at school at fourteen years old. Not the man that I had believed I had loved while he took every bit of confidence and self worth from me over the time we had been together.

Niall was different from all those time. He seemed so gentle. His lips never pushed too hard against mine, his hands always holding me in place. I could feel his own heartbeat racing against mine, as if they were competing for the trophy of a marathon. I felt a feeling that only could be described as one, four letter word that I was too scared to say out loud.

I had only said those three words, I love you, to one person. The one person that had hurt me after every time I fearfully screamed the words. The one person that I felt the exact opposite towards.

Niall grabbed my hand after we pulled away. The two of us sat on the couch, watching an episode of some television show that neither one of us had heard of. His arm was wrapped around me, pulling me close to him. My head was on his chest, the steady thump of his heartbeat, much different than the rhythm that it was when our lips were connected, being somewhat of a lullaby.

Niall placed a soft blanket over top of the both of us, leaving me cozy and warm and comfortable. Memories of him teaching me to play guitar and us watching television and him and I just talking danced around my mind as my eyelids became heavier and heavier.

There wasn’t anything that could beat this moment. I wasn’t ready for the sun to come up or this night to be over, because this was what I had been waiting for. I had never felt so safe. This was what I needed.

Driving on the dirt road to the small house that I used to call home made my heart beat at a faster than normal rate. Questions roamed my mind nonstop, questions that might not be all that positive.

What if they don’t care about me anymore? What if they don’t want to see me? What if they don’t even love me now that I had completely abandoned them?

“Everything’s going to be fine, Harp.” Niall spoke through the silent air, almost as if he had read my thoughts. It was comforting, him being reassuring like that.

“I hope so,” I trailed off, watching as the paths that held so many memories passed by. I smiled at a specific trail that headed down towards a small creek that my brothers and I would always go to.

Sawyer had been chasing some girl around that he had liked, laughing as he tried to show her one of the lizards he had caught. I was knee deep in the muddy water, trying help Emmett catch a frog that had peeked his interest.

“So is this it?” Niall asked, bringing me back to reality. I looked in front of me, seeing the two story home with the same greenery and flowers that I had seen the last time I was here, over a year ago.

In response, I nodded my head. I knew that my parents still lived here, seeing the same lawn ornaments that were here ever since I was born. Niall’s hand found it’s way to my knee, gripping it tightly to comfort me.

“Everything will be alright.” Niall had a small smile on his lips, something that made me want to smile in return. “You ready to go in?”

“Yeah,” I sighed out, my hands already beginning to shake.

“So, I’ll just stay in here or,”

“No.” I responded quickly. “I want you to come in, Niall. I need you to come in.” My breathing was beginning to get heavier as anxiety hit me.

“Alright, alright,” Niall nodded, eyes a bit wide by my response. “Ready?” I nodded once more, grabbing a hold of the door handle and getting out of the car.

Niall was by my side in an instant, ready to be by my side through anything that was about to happen. I was so grateful for that. I looked into Niall’s bright blue eyes, finding them to be the most comforting thing. Before I knew what I was doing, I was intertwining his and my fingers while walking towards the door.

I stood on the porch, finger a top of the doorbell, for a few moments. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, I felt like tears were going to start streaming down my face at any moment. I turned towards Niall, my finger lifting off of the doorbell before even ringing it.

“Niall,” I started in a shaky voice. “I don’t know if I can do this.” The shakiness in my voice was only adding to the stinging tears in my eyes.

“You can do this, Harp. I know you can.” Niall grabbed a hold of my other hand.

“What if they don’t want to see me again?” I asked one of the questions that was bouncing around in my mind, eating away at the little bit of confidence that I had this morning.

“Don’t say tha-”

“What if they hate me?” The tears started to spill from my eyes. Niall immediately wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight as if he thought I could collapse at any moment. “I dropped them and everything else in my life for Wes. I chose Wes over them. How could they even forgive me?”

“They love you, babe. They will always love you. You are their daughter and that will never change. I’m sure they’ve missed you so much, and you coming here today will make them so happy.” Niall held me for a few moments, his hand rubbing my back up and down, steading my breathing.

“Can you ring it?” I asked softly when I knew my tears had stopped. I rubbed away any makeup that might have smeared.

I wasn’t wearing the disguise today that Lou had given me since Niall and I weren’t going anywhere that would have paparazzi, but I had put on a bit of makeup just to dress up my look a bit.

Niall reached out for the doorbell and pressed it. I could faintly hear the familiar sound as Niall took his finger away from bell. My heart began to race as I heard footsteps come closer to the door. The doorknob slowly twisted and I felt as if I could barely breath as the anxiety that I already had built up more. Finally, the person that had opened the door showed himself.

Before us stood my oldest brother, Sawyer. His dark brown hair was shorter than the last time that I had saw him, but his glistening green eyes were exactly the same. When he looked at me, it took him a second to realize that it was in fact me that was in the doorway. His eyes widened as tears filled them.

“Harper?” Sawyer’s voice sounded broken. I nodded slowly and before I could even react, his arms were around me, taking me into an embrace that felt just like it used to.

“Sawyer, who’s at the door?” I heard my mother’s voice ask, and right when she came into view, tears streamed down her face. “Harper, baby.” She took Sawyer’s place, squeezing me tight as if she was afraid that I would disappear if she let go. I didn’t blame her. “I’ve missed you so much, baby girl.” Her tears were beginning to wet the collar of my shirt.

At that very moment tears streamed from my eyes, tears of comfort and happiness, as I was welcomed into the home that I had been taken away from due to Wes.

--

I was sitting in the living room, answering question upon question about my life since my family had last saw me. My brothers were sitting on either side of me, Sawyer on the left and Emmett on the right, and my mother was sitting in the chair across from me. My father was still at work, but when my mother called him and said that I was home, he told her that he was leaving at that very moment.

Niall was standing at the doorway, uncomfortably watching as though he felt unwelcome at this home. I gave him a small smile, trying to make sure that he was alright. He smiled back at me, giving me a small nod.

My mother and brothers hadn’t said a word to him since we walked in. They also didn’t ask who he was, as if they were just trying to avoid him.

Just then, I heard the front door close. I looked over to the entryway to see my father, looking exactly the same besides a few new grey hairs here and there, walking in. He met my eyes and just as they did, he rushed over to me, pulling me into a hug.

“Harper,” He breathed out a sigh, as if he was relieved to see me after years of being captured. Maybe to him, that’s what all this was like. It was sort of the truth. “I was so scared that I’d never see you again.”

“I’m right here, and I’m not going to leave like that again, Dad.” I told him quietly. It was nice to be in his protective arms again. He was always like those stereotypical fathers, wanting the best for his one and only little girl.

Once my father released his grasp on me, he looked over to the doorway where Niall was standing. It seemed as though a switch was flicked and all signs of relief on his face faded into rage.

“How dare you show your face in this house.” My father pointed a stern finger at Niall, his voice loud and filled with anger.

Niall’s eyes widened as he held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I don’t thin-”

“You don’t think what, that taking our daughter away from us for over a year was something that would upset us? You’re going to be sorry for ever doing something like this to my family.” My father was slowly making his way closer and closer to Niall, his anger growing more with each step.

Now, everything made sense. How my brothers and mother didn’t even acknowledge Niall when we came. How my father is acting. They never met Wes, not really. It was always him calling over here, or waiting for me in his car. My family never truly saw Wes. Now, they all thought that Niall was the one who created this whole situation.

“Dad!” I stepped in front of Niall before my father could do what I thought he was about to. My father’s eyes met mine, the rage calming down a bit.

“Harper, step back.”

“No, he didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Why are you defending him?” My father asked in disbelief. I could feel Niall trembling slightly in fear behind me and I interlocked my fingers in his. “Alright, that’s it,” Dad took a step forward, pushing me softly to the side.

“He’s not Wes!” I screamed, frightened that something was going to happen. The room went was so silent that I swear you could hear a pin drop. “He’s not Wes.” I said softer, stepping in front of Niall again, taking his hand in mine once more. “This man,” I looked at Niall, tears in my eyes. “Has done the most caring and selfless thing that I have ever witnessed.”

Niall’s blue eyes searched mine, waiting for more words to leave my mouth. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze before I continued. “This man allowed me to escape the apartment that I shared with Wes and brought me to the hospital and to a place where I’ve never felt more safe. He has helped me and cared for me and,” I took in a breath. “And I can’t thank him enough for all that he’s done for me so far, and for what I know he will do in the future.”

--

As Niall and I began to leave, my mother pulled me in for another tight hug. “Come back soon, alright?” My mother asked in a whisper. I nodded as she kissed me on the top of my head. “I love you, Harper.”

“I love you, too, Mom.” I smiled at her before my father brought his arms around me.

“See you soon, baby girl.” My father choked out, obviously holding back tears.

“See you soon, Dad.” I responded back. When he let go, I looked over to Niall. My mother was holding him tight, tears in her eyes. I could hear her tell him a soft ‘thank you’ before letting him go.

Niall shook my father’s hand with a nod before we walked through the door. Niall and I silently made our way back to his car, buckling up and driving away.

It was silent for the majority of the car ride, the hum of the engine being the only soundtrack playing. It was nice, as it left me to my thoughts about the day. Niall had been welcomed by my family once they knew who he actually was. My brothers seemed to really like him as they talked about all types of sports that they were into.

When we were about five minutes from Niall’s place, the silence was finally broken.

“I’m glad that you told me to go see them, Niall.” I spoke softly, wanting to keep the silence near.

“I’m glad you saw them.”

“I was so scared that they would just reject me when they saw my face.” I whispered. Niall nodded, looking at me quickly before his eyes were on the road once more. “I didn’t want to feel unwanted.”

“You’d never be unwanted, Harp. They’re your family.” Niall told me with a slight frown. “Whoever wouldn’t want you would be an absolute idiot. You’re funny and smart and caring,” He smiled slightly as the words left his mouth. “And beautiful.” I looked at him with slightly wide eyes.

Niall quickly closed his mouth, as if he never wanted to say the words aloud. The rest of the time to the house was quiet. The silence replacing Niall’s words that were now stuck rolling around in my head over and over again.

When we drove into the driveway of Niall’s house, he turned to me. The darkness of the night’s sky was behind him, only a few stars appearing in the background. The lights that shone in his driveway trickled a bit through the windows of the car, lighting his face up only enough to see his most prominent features; eyes and lips.

“Harper, I don’t want what I said to make you feel weir-”

“It doesn’t,” I interrupted him, a small smile gracing my lips. Silence followed for a few moments. “It made me feel confident and proud and,” I paused, looking at Niall’s bright blue eyes and then his lips. “Happy.”

“Harp, I don’t want our friendship to be ruined by me saying this, but,” Niall stopped.

“But?” My voice was soft, hopeful to where this was going. Ever since the moment I had realized I had feelings for Niall, they had only grown stronger and stronger.

“But I like you,” Niall broke eye contract.

“I like you too.” I smiled.

“No, I mean I really like you.” Niall responded, almost ashamed. My smile diminished a bit, but it was still there.

I reached my hand out to Niall’s cheek, turning his head back toward me so I could see his gorgeous blues. “So do I.”

Before I knew what I was doing, I was leaning over the middle of the car, both of my hands reaching behind his neck to push his face closer to mine. Our foreheads touched first, preparing us for what was about to happen. Closing my eyes, I leaned in a bit further, my lips feeling the warmth of his before they began to dance together.

Author’s Note: 

Hey guys, I just wanted to apologize for not posting at all last week. It was a super busy time and I didn’t feel like this story was ready to be posted again for a bit. I’ve been writing a lot more, trying to push past this writer’s block that I’ve seemed to have since starting to write this. I hope that I don’t miss any other posts for this story. I have a lot of ideas with this, and I’m excited to get to write them into the story, I just have to get past some of the beginning. Thanks so much for understanding.

Thanks,