In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen 

Niall’s POV

“You’re peeking!” I hissed at her. My palms were damp, and the minutes were ticking by so slowly. She’s going to think this is lame. I wiped my hands on my kneecaps and pushed the button on the door to crack the window and let in some fresh air.

“Niall, this is LA, remember? I have no idea where we are or where we’re going. Let me peek.” She said, looking straight past me and out the tinted window. I grabbed her ankles which lay across my lap and pulled until she was on her back in the seat.

“Hey. Rude.” She said, pulling her shirt down where it had ridden up over her hips.

“No peeking.” I said. She folded her arms across her chest and pouted, and I paid her no mind. She gave up quickly and rolled over to her side, tucking her hands under her face. She closed her eyes. The city lights outside the car blurred together as we picked up speed on the motorway. I mindlessly ran my finger along the stitching at the hem of her pants, following it up her calf to her knee before she started to fidget. “Tickles.” She said, without opening her eyes.

“Hey, no sleeping either!” I said. Her eyes flung open. “You sure have a lot of rules tonight.” She snapped, turning over onto her back and putting her arms behind her head. She just smiled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to fall asleep on you. I’m still wound up from golf.”

Roxy’s POV

It’s colder where we are, but his hands are warm, covering my eyes as we walk, his body guiding mine forward. “I’m going to trip and fall on my face.” I said, nervously shuffling my feet.

 “I won’t let that happen.” He said. “Just a few more meters.”  “Keep ‘em closed. I’ve got to open the door.”

I felt a warm rush of air and he took my hand and guided me over the threshold, the large door closing behind me. “Can I open?” He said nothing, but continued to walk forward, holding my hand. With each step, my heels clicked on the floor and the sound echoed. I could tell we were in some sort of fancy corridor. He let go of my hand, but remained silent. After a few moments, I began to wonder if he had snuck away. “Ni?”

“Okay open.” He whispers in my ear, causing a small shudder down the right side of my body. I aim my head down, and open my eyes. The marble floor is cream colored, and the stone is continued up the walls ending at a dome ceiling, which is covered in a beautiful mural. I turn around slowly, taking it all in. “What is this place?” I ask.

“The Griffith Observatory.” He said.

“It’s breathtaking.” I said, touching one of the columns along the way, the coolness of the stone sucking the heat from my hand. Niall chuckled.

“This is only the main entrance. Come on.” He took my hand again, and led me on. In the center of the rotunda hung an enormous brass-colored sphere, which swung from a cable that was attached to the high ceiling. “Foucault’s Pendulum.” I muttered, as I watched it swing back and forth.

“You know it?” he said.

“Sort of. I had an Astronomy class in college.” I said, not taking my eyes off the sphere. “It proves that the Earth is rotating, right?” I asked.  He nodded.

“I didn’t expect you to be such a nerd, Mr. Video Music Award.” I said, taking his hand again.

“That’s Mr. Grammy to you.” He said, as we moved on. He tugged me past backlit displays and exhibits, a beautiful set of ornate bronze and leather doors labeledPlanetarium and scale models of the planets. “We can come back in the daylight to see all this stuff. Come on.” He said.