Petal [h.s.]

Chapter 40

Violet.

"Do you want to sit over there?" Niall pointed to an outside seating area around a firepit that was in the shadows of a tree. He scratched the back of his neck, seeming almost nervous as I nodded.

He handed me a fresh beer as we sat down and I turned sideways to see him, "Everything okay?" I asked as I took a sip.

He nodded, putting his legs up on the edge of the firepit as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair, "I kind of want to apologize."

I frowned, "Apologize?"

"Yeah," Niall nodded, staring intently at his nails that were peeling of the label on the cold beer bottle, "Louis told me you and Harry had a fight about what I had said to him last Sunday."

I had my eyes trained on the pool still, seeing Harry struggle to get out and hide the tent in his wet shorts as he hurried over to one of the sunbeds to lay down on his stomach. He was sending glares my way, but I ignored him as I listened to Niall.

"And, well... I want you to know I didn't mean it like that." He added in a sigh.

I nodded. "You don't have to apologize. It only made us have a very necessary conversation. I wouldn't call it a fight. You were just looking out for him."

He still had his eyes down. "Louis said I put ideas into his head."

"But you didn't. Those ideas were already there, he knew that too. You were just being a good friend."

"I guess I just don't want to see him hurt." Niall muttered, and I nodded slowly, "That's what being a good friend means. I'm sure he appreciates that you're looking out for him."

Niall chuckled dryly, "He has hardly talked to me ever since."

"He's a stubborn little shit, I suppose you know that." I joked, and Niall let out a laugh.

I cleared my throat as I took another sip. "But you know... If you were to ever have an issue with me, or how I am with Harry... You could always talk to me about that."

"I don't have an issue with you." Niall frowned as he flicked his head to the side to finally look at me, "That was nothing personal, you know that, right?"

I nodded once more. "Yeah, but... You know, if there ever was something."

"We all adore you." Niall almost cut me off, seeming upset that I even thought he didn't like me. I raised my brows and he nodded, "Literally. You fit in this group so well. We all liked you right away. I mean, Louis needed a bit more time, but that turned out well."

"It did," I smiled, "And I like this group a lot too. You're all very tight."

"We are," Niall confirmed, "We always have each other's backs. All of us joined the gang around the same time, and even though we see other members more as colleagues, I see these guys as my brothers. We hang out every day."

My eyes darted over the group of people, seeing Harry still face down on the sunbed while Abby, Isobel and Eleanor were in the pool and the others were playing a board game by the edge. They all looked so normal. It was easy to forget they were part of one of the most notorious and dangerous gangs in London.

It was easy to forget they had all killed people.

And yet I felt so comfortable around them. I felt protected.

"And about you and Harry... I think you're really great for him. I just felt like everything moved rather fast." He admitted.

"I thought so too, don't worry. It did all happen very fast. Even I thought it went too fast for a little while." I agreed, and Niall nodded, "Harry's too whipped to see it. Outsider perspective is different."