Nightlight (on hold)

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

"Yo!" Liam walked right by me as he entered the living room, to go sit next to Niall on the sofa, but I held up my fist and called out to him. He looked back over at me and let out a sigh, but came over nonetheless and bumped his larger fist to mine. He then plopped down on the couch next to the blond Irishman who burst out laughing at our antics.

"What was that?" He chuckled. I shrugged my shoulders and offered a playful smile to Liam, directing the question to him. He looked at me for a moment in annoyance, and then to his friend.

"She bloody makes me every time we see each other." He grumbled.

"Because we're kidney buddies!" I corrected him. "Both me and Liam only got one kidney. Us single kidney folks gotta stick together. Am I right or am I right?" Niall laughed even harder at my explanation.

"How did you get him to agree to do that?"

"She threatens to fucking cry every time that I don't." Liam opened the can of beer in his hands, looked me directly in the eye, and took a swig. I got his message loud and clear- he was trying to imply he had to be buzzed to deal with me. I smirked and offered my middle finger in response.

"I learned how to cry on cue, Niall! Isn't it wonderful!" I turned to him and grinned broadly.

"I don't know how Zayn deals with you every day." Liam hissed between gulps of beer.

"Oh, he doesn't." I waved off the question quickly. I'm sure both guys noticed it, but neither of them said anything on the topic. Madeleine, who had been sitting on the other arm chair next to me, finally spoke up for the first time throughout the whole interaction.

"Um, Hannah." She looked over to me. I always thought it was funny how she said my name because she had troubles with her 'h'. So, she called me "Anna" instead, but I didn't want to correct her. Her English was getting so good so there was no point in making her feel self-conscience.

"Yepp." I turned to her.

"May I talk alone?" She asked me. I nodded, of course I'd speak with her. We looked over to the boys. It was really their permission she need.

"Oui, ma belle." Niall answered in a French accent only slightly more horrible than my own. Maddie thanked him quickly and then the two guys left. It was easier for them to go than for me to, so I called out a thanks to them as they parted too.

"What's up?"

"Ummm, is hard to say, but I need advice." She looked nervous and jumpy and scared, a side of her that was often present, but I still wasn't sure how to react to.

"Anything."

"Niall is nice. I like him." She started.

"Yeah he's a cool dude."

"No, I more than like him." Oh. I wish I could say that I didn't see that one coming, but I totally had. In fact, I knew Niall was head over heels for the French girl because he followed her around like a lost puppy and tried desperately to learn her native tongue. I was at first apprehensive about their friendship, with her experiences and all, but she trusts Niall more than anyone else in the house.

"Really?" I raised my eyebrows and looked at her seriously.

"Yeah, but I don't know he like me?"

"Oh of course he does. You've got to be blind not to see it Mads." I assured her quickly. Literally everyone in the house except for the thin French girl knew of Niall's infatuation with her. It was about time she got in the loop too.

"Really?"

"Of course!" She shot me a small smile, which made her whole face light up, but then it faltered. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed in the middle of her forehead and her smile contorted into a frown.

"But... but he don't want girlfriend he cannot touch." She whispered.

"That's not true." I countered quickly. I thought of Claire, the rape victim, and Harry- the two of them had not even had sex yet. In fact, Claire had told me they hadn't even gone past second base yet and they've been together for a few months. I wanted to tell Madeleine that, because she seemed like she needed the reassurance. I wouldn't even include that Claire had been raped by Harry, I would've just said that she was a rape-survivor.

But I didn't. It wasn't my story to tell. And it wouldn't have been right of me to say anything without Claire's permission first.

"Yes, c'est vrai." She answered me in French. "I mean, is true." She quickly corrected. I never really corrected her English or pointed out if she switched back to French, because I never wanted to destroy her confidence.

Anyways, she was doing much better in English than most English speaking people I knew, so go Maddie.

"No, Madeleine. You have no idea how much Niall likes you. I'm sure he would show it more, but he just doesn't want to scare you. If you want, I can talk to him and see where he is. Would you be ok with that?" I offered. She thought about it for a few moments. She kept nodding and then scrunching up her nose and changing her mind. I almost laughed at how ridiculous she looked, but that would've just been mean.

"No tell him I like him."

"I won't." I stuck out my pinky. She didn't know what to do with it so I had to teach her how to do a pinky promise, but once that was done, I called out to Niall and Liam again.

"What?" Liam asked harshly. Or, he was trying to sound harsh, but I knew for a fact that we were best friends and kidney buddies and he only pretended I was a nuisance. It's nice having my mind set in a world that wasn't reality sometimes.

"I want to go for a walk and seeing as Harry nor my husband are around, you two are up to bat." I lifted my hands and waited expectantly. The two guys came around my side and gently helped me stand up. I had my arms on either of their shoulders, before letting go of Liam. "I only need one person, so you're off the hook Payno."

"Thank god." He said before booking it out of there, definitely afraid I'd change my mind. Yeah, run away asshole. I thought to myself.

"Why doesn't he have to help?" Niall grumbled as he helped me walk towards the back door, every move was very cautious.

"Because I need to talk to you, alone. Anyways, you should be delighted to be the sole focus of my attention, anyways." He didn't seem as honored as I had implied, and instead rolled his eyes. Everyone was rolling their eyes at me as of late. Weren't they aware that was my dramatic move?

"You're a pain in the ass."

"I know. Anyways, how's Maddie?" I asked without any smooth transition. He looked at me oddly, but I could see the blush sweep up his face and make the tips of his ears pink. I see you Horan, I see you.

"She's fine?" He answered in more of a question than a statement, "you were the one who was just with her."

Thank you captain obvious.

"Ok, so how are you and her doing?"

"What the fuck are you talking about, woman?"

"Oh come on Niall!" He helped me outside and into the sunlight. It felt so nice and warm against my skin, I almost lost my train of thought. Almost. "We all know you like her! Are you gonna make a move or what?"

"You know I can't."

"I think you should." He looked down at me, well he tried, it was hard since he also had me leaning against him and was dragging me around the backyard.

"Why?"

"Because, now I don't know for sure, but I think she likes you too and she doesn't think you like her back because she's 'damaged goods' or whatever." There, that didn't sound too obvious, did it?

"What? That's crazy! She's not damaged goods! She's so strong for surviving what she did and-"

"You need to tell her that because I'm not sure she agrees." Niall muttered a curse word under his breath at how ridiculous Maddie was being.

"I wish she could see what we all do." He said sadly.

"I think she really likes you, Niall, but I don't know if she's ready for a physical relationship, so I think that's scaring her." We paused in the shade of a big and beautiful tree for a moment. I let go of Niall and shifted my weight to the tree trunk to give him a rest, although he didn't need it. He was in fine enough physical shape to lug me around for days.

"Of course not! I would never- I would just be grateful to hold her hand and call her mine. I wouldn't ever push that stuff. You know that, Han." The Irishman spoke so quickly, I almost didn't understand him. I mean, that accent doesn't make things easier, either.

"Ok, then it's settled." I smiled proudly at my accomplishment. In a half an hour, I solved the whole situation. Damn, am I good or am I good?

"I can't believe I'm getting relationship advice from a bloody psycho maniac." Niall shook his head, but let out a chuckle.

"Hey! I'm not a-"

"What are you guys up to?" A familiar deep voice called out to us. Niall and I looked over to see my husband leaving through the back door and approaching us. He looked almost completely back to normal and, aside from not being able to do every single physical activity because of his rib, was back to working normal also.

"She wanted to go for a walk and she made me take her." Niall grumbled when Zayn was close enough to hear us without having to shout.

"Oh you enjoyed my company, you dick." I went to swat at him, but the Irishman shifted out of my range easily, and shot me a crooked-tooth smile.

"Yeah strangely enough I did. I'm gonna leave before you start being a nuisance again." Niall kissed me on the cheek, to which I responded by gagging and wiping it off dramatically, and then he patted Zayn on the back. He took his leave.

"If you wanted to go for a walk, you should've waited for me." Zayn murmured. He wrapped a hand softly around my waist and pulled me into him and off the tree.

"I couldn't find you."

"I told you I was out, and I told you the exact time I was going to be home. You could've waited." He pointed out. Ugh, you got me there fucker.

"I needed to talk to Niall about Madeleine because they like each other, but both are too shy to admit it. It was time for some divine intervention." I explained. He chuckled at my response and shook his head at me.

"Did you just call yourself divine? Do you know what that means, Darlin'? It's like godly, or whatever." He smiled broadly down at me. I still couldn't get over how breath-takingly beautiful my husband was, especially when he smiled.

"Fuck you, I am divine."

"How are you feeling?" he asked me as we finished walking around the backyard. The guards nodded their heads at him out of respect, and then opened the back door for us.

"I'm fine. I just needed rest." I shrugged my shoulders. He helped me sit down on one of the kitchen chairs.

"Darlin', if ever it gets to be too much you need to tell me you're not feeling well. Do you understand? Doesn't matter where we are or what we're doing. Your health is my priority always." He crouched in front of me so he could look me in the eyes seriously. I met his dark gaze, hoping he couldn't see how nervous I was to be talking about all that again.

"ok, ok I will. Yeesh." I tried to sound nonchalant about it all. I'm sure he saw through me, though. He almost always did.

"Darlin'," he warned.

"I said I will!" I snapped back, but playfully, trying to avoid the inevitable argument that I knew was coming.

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