Back to You: A Niall Horan Fan Fiction

Chapter 5: Wake-Up Call

Chapter 5: Wake-Up Call

Author's Note: This chapter is dedicated to my very first Wattpad follower, @1DIsMyLifeNialler. You're awesome, thanks so much! :):):)

Niall had been awake since 6. After lying in bed, tossing and turning for hours as he pondered what the "S" stood for- (Sarah? Samantha? Sydney?) - he had drifted into a restless sleep filled with stolen kisses and smoky eyes that could see into your soul. He was awoken by his stomach, which seemed to have forgotten all the food he had consumed the night before. He stayed in bed for another half-an-hour, resuming his list of names: Sherri, Sharon, Savannah. Or maybe it was a nickname: snuggles, sugar, snookum. He hoped it wasn't one of those.

Finally, he dragged himself out of bed and made breakfast, wishing the hands on the clock would move faster. At 7, after he had swallowed the sugary milk from the bottom of his third bowl of cereal, he made his way to the bathroom for a shower. The steam and hot water relaxed his muscles as he realized he was nervous to see the mystery girl again. Would she remember him? Well of course she would, he was an international pop star after all. But what if she didn't? Even worse, what if she was nothing like he remembered her? Maybe he had built her up too much in his mind and she wouldn't be able to compare.

Shaking his head, Niall realized he had been in the shower for quite some time and his fingers were wrinkled and prune-like. He stepped out and made his way to his room to get dressed. He pulled on a pair of relaxed fit jeans, one of his many red polos, and white high-top sneakers. Reluctantly, he put on a plain navy sweatshirt over his clothes. He didn't want the paparazzi to follow him and he could never be too careful. After running a comb hastily through his hair, then shaking it out so it would dry a little messy- just the way he liked it- he checked the time and made his way back to the kitchen.

It was only 8:15; to be at the hotel on time he needed to leave at 8:40. He started brewing a pot of coffee for his parents, as they both slept late and weren't awake yet. As an added touch, he toasted two bagels, buttering the one for his mother; spreading jam on his father's just the way they preferred them. He scribbled a note to them explaining that he was going for a walk, and then ducked out the side door, grabbing the wallet as he left.

The side door led to a side-road that would go unnoticed unless you knew it was there. In other words, it was perfect for leaving if the paparazzi were outside his house. He zipped up his sweatshirt and pulled the hood over his head, just in case. He walked briskly along the street, marveling how it seemed like so much had changed, yet stayed exactly the same since he had left for the X-Factor. But maybe he was the one who had changed.  

 For example, as he neared the motel where the meeting was to take place, he couldn't help but notice how the letter "t" in "Motel" was hanging upside-down off the sign and the paint on the outside was chipping in several places. Merely two years ago, this was one of the most popular places in town; even Niall himself had been looking forward to renting a room with his friends after their senior dance. Yet now he couldn't help but compare it to the five-star hotels he stayed in while on tour. It was an unpleasant thought. 

 He pushed it away and moved into the lobby, into the elevator, up to floor 3, room 19. He wiped his hands (which had started to sweat rather profusely) on his jeans and raised one of them to knock on the door. Before he could, however, it was briskly opened by a familiar figure.

***

 Danny had woken Soleil promptly at 8 o'clock. She groaned and grumbled, wanting to sleep in, but he had other ideas. He tempted her with the smell of bacon and sausage he had brought back from the motel's free breakfast. After a little while, she got up and began eating with all the enthusiasm of someone who had been reunited with a lover after several weeks apart.