Where Have You Been

Chapter 24

Niall’s POV

Zoe’s eyes were widening with fear, slowly backing away from me. She looked ready to dash when the final note of the song trilled through the speakers, and I wasn’t going to let her slip away that easily.

“Wait, Zoe!” I called, not trying to conceal my distinguishable accent. I ripped off my mask, revealing my true self. Zoe went crazy. I could hear a squeaky gasp inside her mask, and she ran as if her life dangled on a frayed string in front of her. As the whole ball was currently looking at me, I donned my mask, hoping to conceal my identity. No such luck… most of them had already deciphered my obvious identity, and were ready to spring into action.

“Niall Horan!” Someone called from the depths of the crowd.

“From One Direction!” They all began to slowly close in on me. I felt claustrophobic, or like Michael Jackson in the “Thriller” video. They inched so close that I could feel their hot breath on my face. They looked expectantly at me, as if expecting me to say something cheesy like: “I am Niall Horan, I am one fifth of One Direction!” the words couldn’t come out of my mouth.

“You’re insecure,”

“Don’t know what for”

At first I thought the words were coming from me. Or, even the crowd. No, the words were undoubtedly coming from my 4 band mates, who were singing up on stage. I thanked my lucky stars for their genius (I can’t have all of the good ideas, you know), and ran AROUND the crowd to hop on the stage. The crowd went wild, and turned their attention away from me. Zayn gave me a quick wink from up on the stage, and bent his head slightly towards the door, where Zoe was sprinting out. I turned, grateful for the interruption, and ran after Zoe. 

I swiftly maneuvered my way through a dance floor littered with plastic cups and fake snow. I was hit with a wave of hot, humid air as I exited the city hall, and it took me a second to gather myself in the still glaring sun. When I got my bearing about me, my eyes focused on a small purple speck fading into the distance. Zoe I thought, panicking. My feet were sore and blistered from dancing, and my legs felt like wiggling bowls of Jello. Before I allowed myself another moment to dwell on my pain, I launched myself after the fading purple dot. As I ran past, I could feel eyes boring into me, making my skin feel hot and itchy. Or maybe that was just the hellfire heat of the sun.

“Look mommy!” I heard a child yell as I sprinted past her. “It’s Niall Horan!” My cover was blown again. Shit. I ducked into the nearest alley, hoping I wouldn’t lose Zoey. The damp alley reminded me all too much of the night with Zoe. I felt a dagger in my chest as I looked around at the dumpsters and dirty concrete walls. I ran until I found myself out on another main street, and after my eyes adjusted once again to the light, I saw Zoe sitting dejectedly on a bench across the street, her head hung, and her high heels flung to the ground.

I caught my breath and stared at her beauty. Even when she was lost, disheveled, and crying, she managed to look like an angel. I walked across the street and gingerly sat next to her.

“Zoe?” I whispered softly. She lifted her hair out of her face, and widened her eyes at the sight of me.

“You followed me?” She sounded surprised.

“Of course.” I could feel a smile edging at my lips.

“You would do that for me?” a tear rolled down her mascara-stained cheek, pooling on her lip. I felt an urge, so I picked up my hand and gingerly wiped the tear off her lips, staring into her surprised eyes.

“I would do anything for you” I replied with a smile and leaned in to kiss her.

Her lips were soft and warm. They felt like the lips I wanted to spend the rest of my life kissing.

Zoe’s POV

I leaned out of the kiss, a warm feeling spreading to my toes and fingers. I smiled and leaned in to Niall’s ear.

“I like you.” I whispered.

“I like you too” he responded, and leaned in again.