They Don't Know About Us || A One Direction Fan Fiction

Chapter 5: Invisible

Chapter 5:

 Nicole’s POV:

 I wandered around the hotel for a couple of hours, bored out of my mind. Management still hadn’t managed to tell me what I was supposed to do so at this point my only priority was to stay as far away as possible from Harry and Sienna. I completely avoided the top floor, which is where they both had suites. How could Sienna not figure out something was up… Harry had his own room down the hall. Wouldn’t a couple usually stay together?

It was around 8pm at this point, and I had made it back down to the ‘employee only’ area. My sole intention of going there was to get rid of this annoyingly big and squeaky cart full of cleaning supplies, but I managed to get lost in the process. I eventually found a room with four other carts like this and I figured if I left mine here too, it wouldn’t be an issue. I carefully parked it all the way at the end and turned around to see a figure in the doorway.

“Ohmygod!” I squealed, scared out of my mind. I finally realized it was only Nate, the guy I had met earlier, and I placed my hand over my heart.

“You scared the crap out of me.” I said breathlessly, leaning back against a cart. What I didn’t seem to realize was that these carts had wheels, so the moment I leaned back on one it rolled away and I went crashing down into the floor. Nate couldn’t help but chuckle as he knelt on one knee next to me.

“Are you ok?” He asked softly and I sat up, placing one of my hands on my head. I had a throbbing pain on the right side of my forehead, and when I pulled my hand away I noticed it was bloody. “You hit your head pretty hard on the edge of that cart. Here,” He trailed off as he stood up, his eyes scanning the third shelf. After a few seconds he found what he was looking for and pulled down a white box with a little red cross on it.

“Never know when these things are going to come in handy.” He said softly as he reached in, grabbing a disinfectant wipe. He gently dabbed my forehead and I cringed. “It burns.” I said, digging my nails into my thigh. I always did that when I was in pain to distract me. It was a trick I learned when I was six and fell off of my bike. Nate frowned softly, holding the wipe to my forehead.

We sat there quiet for a few moments, his face about eight inches away from mine. I didn’t realize how good looking he was the first time we had met… he was actually really attractive. I could feel my cheeks flush with color as I avoided his gaze, looking down at my thighs. We were silent for a few minutes before he eventually broke the silence.

“I think the bleeding stopped. Do you want a band aid to cover that?” He asked, pulling the wipe away from my head.

“No, I’d rather walk around with a scrape on my forehead than a band aid.” I said with a soft smile. I bit my lip, quiet for a few seconds.

“Thanks.”

He smiled softly, nodding.

“Anytime.” He said as he stood up. He offered his hand and I took it, lifting myself off the ground.

“Sorry that I scared you.” He said, running his hand through his hair. I smiled softly, shrugging.

“I get scared so easily, it’s not even funny. I can’t even sit through a scary movie. No worries.” I said with a laugh. He smiled back, sticking his hands into his pockets.

“Do you still need that tour?” He asked, leaning against the frame of the door. I was supposed to meet Harry in an hour. And what if he saw me talking to some other guy? Then again, I wasn’t on the greatest of terms with Harry, so what did I care?

“Umm, sure.” I smiled as I walked out of the closet. Nate followed me, closing the door behind him.

“So what made you want to get a temporary housekeeping job?” He asked as we walked down the hall, turning a corner. I had no idea what I was supposed to say to that. Management hadn’t briefed me about communicating with actual human beings. I sighed.

“I desperately needed a job to earn money for college. The person here offered a temp position because you guys already have too many housekeepers. So while I work here I still have to look around,” I shrugged, having come up with that story right on the spot. I should probably remember that for the future, in case it came up again.

“What about you? Why are you a… wait, what do you do?” I asked with a little laugh, trying to change the topic. He laughed.

“I work in the hotel restaurant.  I guess you can call me a busboy.  This was the first job I could find and… um.” He trailed off, obviously getting uncomfortable, “I really needed one.” I nodded as we made our way into the general public part of the hotel.

“Seems like we’re in the same position.” I smiled softly. We made our way to the elevator and the moment we got there, it dinged. The doors slid open and there, getting out, was Sienna. I attempted to turn away but she spotted me immediately.

“Oh there you are Nicole! I need your help unpacking. I’m going out for a little bit… how about you come by tomorrow morning? Lets say nine?” She asked, flashing her perfect smile. I nodded.

“Sure.” I said softly.

“Good. Well, have a good night.” She said, eyeing Nate next to me. “You too.” She said in flirtatious tone. I could recognize it anywhere. I could swear she winked at him before she turned around, walking towards the entrance. Nate turned to me, his mouth slightly open. “

You know Sienna Swanson?” He asked, his tone full of disbelief. I opened my mouth to respond just as Rick, dressed in a hotel uniform, came out of nowhere.

“Nicole! Why aren’t you at your post? Is this what your idea of work is?” He asked, his tone full of fury. I was literally speechless. If I could I would have screamed right back at him. He’s the one who never told me what to do in the first place!

“Sorry bud, I have to steal her away. She needs to learn what her responsibilities are. Have a good night.” He said with a quick smile to Nate before dragging me into the elevator. The moment the doors closed, he turned to me.

“Why were you talking to that boy? Don’t you realize that by talking to anyone  you could ruin it for everyone? Nicole, get this through your head. If you mess up, Harry’s career is on the line. If you accidently slip some information and that info gets to the press… who knows what would happen. And that would be a lot of guilt to hold on to, now wouldn’t it? Just do me a favor and shut up. Plain and simple. Remember, you don’t exist,” He said, just as the door opened to the top floor. He gently pushed me out, crossing his hands.

“His future is in your hands. Don’t be stupid.” He said, his eyes narrowing. The elevator closed and I stood there, in the middle of the hallway feeling more alone and confused than ever.