trepidation | h.s

part forty five: Flame Night Part 2

are y'all ready?

tw// descriptive violence

Harry Styles

10:00 pm

I could be heading toward my death.

27 years, and this could be the end of it all. For some reason, I'm not scared. Just worried. I'm worried for Lydia and Daisy. I'm worried for Jane and for Corey.

Niall drives to the location Louis sent as I sit in the passenger seat. It's been a quiet drive, a long one as well. My chin rests in my palm as I watch the dark city pass by.

Over the silence, Niall suddenly speaks.

"I forgot to say goodbye to Teddy." he murmurs, making me turn my head. One hand is on the wheel while the other is up by his head, his temple leaning on his fingers.

"I know he's a dog and won't know the difference," he continues, "but I just wish I had a proper goodbye."

Teddy is really like Niall's best friend. They have a special bond, like any human and their dog. They're companions.

So yeah, I get where he's coming from with regretting not saying goodbye. Teddy, although extremely annoying, is a good dog.

I lift my hand to pat Niall's shoulder in comfort.

"How are you doing?" he asks me.

I couldn't give a decent answer. I didn't know how I was doing.

So, I just shrug. "I don't know. I just hope she stays at the club and doesn't try anything." I say, referring to Lydia.

"Eliza's there with her. She won't let her leave." he reassures.

I hope he's right.

I look down at my phone which had the map app open, leading us to the location. It's showing that our car is getting closer, just minutes away.

As it falls silent again between Niall and I, I take a minute to reflect.

I've known Niall for the worse and better half of my life. Just like the other guys, he's like a brother to me.

He's different though, he wasn't made for this life. He was meant to start a family and fall in love and share his heart with someone. He deserves better than this.

My jaw clenches as I look at the side of his face, mustering up the words that I wanted to say to him.

"Hey, if I end up dying tonight..." I start, making him glance at me for a moment. "I just wanted to thank you for being my best friend and sticking with me through all of this."

Niall looks down at his lap and lets out a small chuckle. "Oh c'mon, I've known you for a decade and now you decide to be all cheesy?"

I whack his shoulder. "Dick, I'm being serious." I say but end up chuckling under my breath as well.

Niall's smile slowly fades as he just lifts his head to look forward.