The Keepers (Niall Horan FanFic)

Chapter 14-Escape From Nando's

Niall looks into my eyes, searching them, trying to figure out if this is an ill attempt at humor.

"You're not joking," He says, studying my features.

"Nope," I say, popping the p, throwing him another seductive smile. "We could do it, you know," I whisper, suddly growing serious. I brush back a strand of blonde hair with a delicate finger. His skin is cool and smooth, giving the smallest of shudders at my touch. "We could run," I continue, pretending I didn't notice. "Seems like a better option than waiting for them to find us," I say, removing my hand.

"..You're..um..right," He says, looking like he struggled to find the words. Suddenly I realize that the hand thing might've been overkill. "Yeah, we should do something, before more of them find out where we are," He says, coming back to reality. He peeks out from behind the pillar, cursing under his breath. "If we're gonna run, we've got to go now," He says, looking at me. "There are more out there, and they're gonna eat you alive if they realize, you know..we're-acquaintances-"

Personally, I really wouldn't mind, I think, nodding my head. Let them get pictures of us snogging. Hope they get back to my employer.

"I know," I say, shutting out all thoughts of my employer before I throw a kick at a defensless old sign that's advertising soup for £2.99 "So..on the count of three?" I say, leaning out slightly from behind the pillar, aiming to get a good look at the cameras that have no doubt increased in number since I last saw them. But before my body even moves two inches, Niall throws his arm out, stopping me. "No," He says, color flooding his cheeks. "I-I won't let them hurt you."

The tiniest pang hits my chest; so tiny, in fact, that if I hadn't been paying attention it would have gone unnoticed. Suddenly I'm terrified, fear seeming to close my airway; I know where that feeling came from, and it's absolutely forbidden. That tiny, miniscule feeling is supposed to be non-existant. Is non existant. I did not just feel guilty for this boy. Out of all the feelings one is not supposed to feel, guilt is the greatest, for that tiny spark will eventually turn into a flame that will turn into an inferno that'll destroy you.

Now it's my turn to recover as I find Niall looking at me, an expression of concern on his face. "Willow?" He asks tentatively, putting a hand on my arm, immidietly flushing, yet holding his ground. "You ready?"

"Ya," I gasp, dismissing the mental battle raging inside my head. "On the count of three?" I repeat, looking at him. "Yeah, on three. Just..stay close to me, and don't look back. And-and don't split up," He says in a heavy Irish accent.

I smile, looking into his eyes. "Ready?" "Ready," He says, turning around, peeking out slightly from behind the pillar.

"One," He says, throwing me an I-can't-believe-I'm-doing-this-smile that I return. "Two," I say, hesitantly reaching out, then taking his hand in mine, entwining our fingers. He looks down at our hands and then back up at me, a curious expression on his face; before anything else can register, I look into his eyes, forcing his gaze to meet mine.

"Three."

We take off running, running like I've never ran before in my life; I can make out the sound of hands groping for cameras as a constant clicking grows until it sounds like an army of large beetles is invading London. Neither Niall nor I turn to answer the questions that are being thrown at us above the sound of oncoming cars.

"NIALL, NIALL! IS THAT YOUR GIRLFRIEND? CAN YOU CONFIRM?" "NIALL! ARE YOU AWARE THAT FANS ARE CALLING HER WILLNO AS A DIRECT STATEMENT OF THEIR DISLIKE?" "IS IT TRUE THAT SHE'S PREGNANT WITH YOUR CHILD?"

"Don't look back, don't turn around! Come on, follow me!" He says, yanking me by the hand as we dissapear around the corner. AM I PREGNANT WITH HIS CHILD? I think, silently fuming, wishing for an axe and Thor's superpower. Still running, I pound my feet onto the ground with every step, imagining the face of the idiot who suggested that under my sole.