Keeper (Niall Horan short story)

Part III

Hi everyone!!! I hope you're having a very nice pre-Christmas time :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE LOVELY LOUIS TOMLINSON I know he won't read it but whatevah, I love you,babe :). I'm really grateful for your comments and votes, I really am, thanks a lot! Hope you like this part,

Love you all!!!

Cami, xo

ZOE:

What the heck had she done? Niall would probably think she was desperate, that hug was… Unacceptable.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean the hug it was just… I mean yes, I meant it but… I’m sorry,” she whispered noticing blood gathering at her cheeks, leaving her in complete evidence.

Nevertheless, her new friend seemed to be happy, he smiled at her looking her in the eyes, and Zoe could’ve sworn that gesture made her feel at ease, almost… loved.

“Don’t worry, the hug was great. Besides, no hug, no party.” He added, placing his snapback on his head after it fall off because of the hug.

Feeling relieved, Zoe sighed and looked at him, taking in how cute he was… His simile and the way it brightened his features was perfect, and –the most important thing for her- the fact that he didn’t judge her for not being a typical girl, it was comforting.

She was surprised to find out that she might be feeling a bit too comfortable with him, and that was not good.

But how could it be wrong when it felt so right? His deep blue eyes wandered inside hers, and she saw honesty, she somehow knew that Niall would never hurt her. Could it be that she had a bit of a crush on him? She certainly liked him, and she had this fascination with his eyes… It was as if they could see right through her, through that ‘badass’ image she was projecting just to protect herself; because she wouldn’t get hurt because of love. Not ever again.

Niall kept looking at her right in the eyes, and suddenly she felt as if they were getting close. Way too close, but Zoe found out that she liked it… She liked feeling tiny beside him, and she had the hunch that his arms were the best place for her to be right then.

“Niall...”

‘No way in hell,’ she thought, as her phone started buzzing. That kind of interruptions only happened in movies!

Anyways, the text message had arrived just in time, because, if the situation would have carried on, there would be complications further. Zoe loved Liam, and in the hypothetical case that had an insignificant crush on him and maybe they ended up going out, what was going to happen when they broke up? They were neighbors, implying having to bump into each other everyday and saying a polite ‘Hi’… that would be awkward.

“It’s my mum,” she told him, reading the text. “She says she’s home and my brother misses me… He probably just wants the present I bought him.”

Niall laughed as he loved to do –she had discovered that about him: he loved laughing and talking non-stopping-, and messed his blond hair a bit. Yup, she definitely liked him. And it was a shame, really, because nothing was going to happen. Not with him living that close to her and her love for Liam.

“Okay, so, I’ll ring you at twelve, then?” The boy asked one last time, as he opened the door.

“Sure. Bye, Niall, thanks for everything, I had an amazing time.”

“You owe me, I’ll get it back tonight when I laugh at your drunkenness.”

“Hey that’s not funny!” Zoe pouted. “But it’s true… Bye, Nialler.”

“Bye, Zoe, I had a great time too.”

NIALL:                                           

If there was something Niall Horan learnt that night, was that the more you wait for something to happen, the more it’s going to take for that to happen.

Lying in his bed, he looked at his bed-side watch. 6.30 pm. 7 pm. 7.40 pm. 8.23 pm… as the minutes passed by ignoring his anxiousness, he surrendered and decided to take a nap.

11.32 pm he woke up. What the fuck was wrong with him and his laziness? He had less than half an hour to get ready and was still lying comfortably under the sheets. Stumbling with his worn clothes decorating the floor, he run to the bathroom, and, once he had a bath and he decided what outfit to wear –he felt like such a girl-, he left.

“Jason, get away from the door, it’s for me!” Niall heard her scream. The minute he saw her, he just ran out of air.

If he thought she was beautiful with jeans and a plain jumper on, there were no words to describe her that night. She was wearing a dress with the rainbow colors along with a black varsity jacket and… were those snickers on her feet? There was hardly any make up on her face, just the needed amount to highlight her green eyes.

“Hey, Zoe.”

“Well, aren’t you a punctual guy, Nialler! How do I look?” She asked shyly, giving a small turn.

“You look amazing,” he whispered, a bit overwhelmed. He had sounded like an idiot. “I mean, you look great… although I’m surprised you don’t wear high heels.”

Zoe laughed and closed the door behind her.

“You will never see me wearing high heels,” she stated, walking by his side. “They are the biggest torture element that has ever existed, and if I want to have a good time without twisting my ankle, my DCs are my best choice.”

Aye, she was amazing. And yes, he liked her a lot. Maybe at the party he could have an opportunity… This convinced him once again to hold his drink. Looking at her, he knew it’d be worth it.

“Okay, you ready?” Zoe inquired, and he nodded. “Great, we’re gonna go on foot because my license got suspended for drunk driv… different reasons, and besides it’s only ten blocks away.”

“You drove drunk?”

“I might have had seven shots of tequila and got in my car pretending to be in ‘Fast and Furious’,” she trailed off, blushing notoriously.

“And your friends let you do that?” Niall asked with a worried look on his face. “Zoe, that’s not good…”

“I know, and as a matter of fact they didn’t, I sneaked out when they weren’t watching and started driving. Thankfully the Police stopped me on time and didn’t call my mum,” Zoe said offhandedly.

Niall decided to drop the subject because he knew that if he kept arguing, it would end up in a heated discussion, but he realised that he wanted to take care of her. Because he really cared about her.

Ten blocks and the funniest stories ever later, they arrived at the house. There was loud music coming from inside and laughter along with the sound of bottles smacking against the floor. Niall gave Zoe a confused look and she just smiled.

 “Ever been to a London-ish party?”

“Nope,” he answered honestly, messing his hair a bit.

“Then you’re in for a surprise”, Zoe laughed.

They went inside and he was really surprised. Whenever he went to parties yes, they tended to get out of control, but not like that. There were approximately forty boys, around eighteen years old or maybe his age, and they stink of alcohol. Dozens of bottles were lying on the floor, every kind of alcoholic drinks: vodka, beer, rum and even a Johnnie Walker! Where did they get those supplies from?

“Well you English people sure have watched Project X more times than I have,” he admitted.

He poured a bit of Vodka and orange juice on his friend’s glass, and they started dancing. Niall had never been good at coordinating his clumsy feet, and Zoe made fun of him a lot because of that, imitating him. By the third glass, she was laughing way too hard and liked to hug him a lot more than before. He obviously wasn’t going to take advantage of that, he really liked her, but he wasn’t going to send her off either.

Suddenly, she got hugged by someone else.

OHHH, is that jealousy I'm reading, Nialler? I think so! I hope you like it, it's very special for me, the whole story actually. I love you all! Dedication goes to @hannthedinosaurr because she's an amazing writer and you should check her stories!!!