Assault With a Deadly Weapon || N.H / 1D

35.

Song recommendation: Look After You by The Fray
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My ankle was fine.

My heart was not.

Niall and I had barely said a word to each other since he told me about what happened to his last detective partner. I didn't want to look at him and think that he was so caught up in his case that he cost a man's life.

It wasn't that I was scared he would do it again, I knew how terrible he felt about his mistake. I was more scared that I would be the one making the same mistake. Niall and I were more similar than I cared to admit. What if I screwed up when the time came to bust this place? I was scared that Niall didn't trust me.

"You can't be on the beach with the boot." Niall said flatly once we were back in the car.

"I'm aware." I crossed my arms over my chest.

My foot wasn't broken, but it was sprained badly. I was stuck in a walking boot for at least a few weeks, which meant I wasn't allowed to have any sort of fun.

"I don't know how exciting the rest of this trip can get." Niall pulled out of the parking garage.

"I'm not sure if it can get more exciting, but it can definitely get a whole lot worse."

"What do you have planned Carter?" He rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"Daniella noticed that we were having issues-"

"We are not having issues." He looked offended.

"Don't lie to yourself Horan." I gave him a look. "She decided it would be an incredible idea for us to go on a double date with her and Styles."

"Oh wonderful." He grumbled.

"Listen, no matter how we genuinely feel for each other right now, Arabella and Nathan are madly in love. We'll just have to play the part." I sighed.

"Fine." He rubbed his eyes. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and I knew that he preferred them over his contacts. They weren't the same prescription so they gave him headaches, but he never bothered to fix it.

The drive back to the beach house was uncomfortable. I wasn't mad at Niall, but things were different now.

"Do you need help?" He stood by the car door when he parked at the beach house.

"No thank you." I slipped out of the car. When my foot hit the ground, and my weight was pushed on it, I felt immediate pain. "Ouch!"

"I'm not going to ask you this time." He shook his head. "I'm helping you in." He swept me up and walked me to the doors that lead to the master bedroom. 

"Thank you." He dropped me down on the bed.

"What time are we supposed to be going to this stupid date?" He paced around the room.

"Six." I laid my head back on the pillows.

"So we have an hour." He stopped in his tracks.

"Approximately."

"What are you wearing?" He asked.

"I don't know. I don't think Styles' extra car t shirt is going to go down well with Dani." I adjusted the big tattered t shirt I was wearing. We'd found it in the back of Styles' car. I didn't need to be walking around the hospital in a bikini.

"Here wear this." Niall threw me a yellow sun dress from the closet that I absolutely despised.

"This?" I looked at it. "Yellow doesn't look good on me."