One Adoption... Sorry, Direction (1D Fanfic)

Chapter Twenty

Harry's heart stopped as his breath caught. He had been getting close to her, she trusted him, and he was sure that she was going to open up to him. But now, she had told Niall her most closely guarded secret. And she had made Niall promise not to tell him. Especially him. Especially Harry.

"What makes you think that?" Niall asked softly.

"Is there anything you can think of that would not make me think that?"

Niall shrugged and considered it, looking out the window thoughtfully.

"I used to have anxiety, you know," he said after a while. "I hated the crowds, got claustrophobic. It wasn't fun at all."

"Really?"

"Yeah. So I get it, Jas, I know how you're feeling. It sucks, it really does."

They both sat quietly for a while, until Jasmine moved slightly. She wriggled closer to Niall and he hugged her tighter, until she drifted off to sleep, her head on his chest. Silently, he slid out from underneath her and covered her with a blanket, slipping out of the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

"I don't want to go."

Alicia's words had been the same for over an hour. She and Liam were in the music room, Liam strumming pointlessly on a guitar and Alicia tapping away at a keyboard.

"You know what?" Liam said. "I have to see how dinner's going."

He stood and walked out, into the kitchen. It was deserted,  nobody insight. Liam heard a noise, coming from behind the island, and walked around to have a look.

"Jeni?"

She was digging through the bottom drawer, something clutched in her hand.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nothing."

She stood up immediately, slipping her hand behind her back. Liam raised an eyebrow, and Jeni pasted on a smile, hoping to deter him.

"Jennifer," he said slowly. "What is in your hand?"

"Nothing," she replied. "Hey, do you guys have birthdays?"

"Yes, we have birthdays," Liam replied.

"Do you have a birthday drawer or a place where you keep the birthday stuff?"

"Why?"

"I... want to put candles in my room," she replied. "Is that allowed?"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Candles, yes; snarky attitude, no."

He led the way to a cupboard. Upon opening it and going inside, he pulled out a box of tea candles.

"Scented or unscented?"

Jeni shrugged and accepted the box; selecting a few, she handed it back and carried them in one hand. When Liam emerged from the closet, he was carrying a blue candle that he said was vanilla and mint scented. As he walked to Jeni's bedroom, he grabbed a box of matches from the cupboard above the stove.

"Thanks Liam," Jeni said cheerily when he put the candle in her room. "I'll organize them in a sec."

"I'll light them when you're ready – where are you going?"

"Bathroom," she replied. "You don't have to wait, just leave the matches on the desk and I'll get it sorted."

She went to the door and turned back to see Liam staring at her butt.