Safe

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Four days before the accident

After Niall and I had finally decided what our relationship was, we both drifted off into a dead sleep. I woke to an empty bed, but a smile on my face.

There was a note from Niall left on his nightstand.

Good morning, beautiful. Went with the boys to bail out Harry. Be back soon. Like you a lot. xx

PS. Work on Izzie for me, will you?

I glance at the clock on the wall. 9:13. I hear the sound of dishes rattling in the kitchen. I slip out of bed and peek out the door. Izzie is in the kitchen... cooking? Since when does Izzie cook?

I cautiously step out into the living room. I examine the kitchen. It's a mess.

"....Izzie?"

"Oh, Kat, good, you're up! Come help me clean these dishes. I've got another batch of muffins to make and I can't make them without the muffin tin!"

She turns to face me and her eyes are extremely red. She's either tired or high, I think to myself. I'm going to go with the latter. "Iz, are you high?"

"Am I high?! Katherine Marie Mason, when have you ever known me in my LIFE to get high? Except for that one time in college, which doesn't count, because I honestly had no clue that those brownies were laced!"

She's talking a million miles a minute, and her hands seem to be moving even faster.

"Okay, what's going on, Iz?" I ask cautiously.

"Nothing!" she enthusiastically replies. "I just couldn't sleep last night, and so I decided to work on my cooking skills. I've been baking all night. I had to go to the store at around 5 because we ran out of flour, sugar, butter, and powerdered sugar, but look!" She beams motioning to the counters and table around her. "I think I'll take some of this to the homeless shelter, and maybe the really nasty ones I can take to Harry. By the way, still not sure how I feel about the situation, so don't ask."

She goes back to her cooking. At that moment, Niall walks through the door.

"Still cooking I see, huh?" He says to Izzie as he makes his way towards me.

"Shut up. It helps. When things go wrong, food always helps, so.. hush."

He walks to me and doesn't hesitate to seal our emotions from the previous night with a kiss. "Did you get my note?" He asks, his eyes twinkling with joy.

"I did. But I didn't have time to work on Izzie before you got back."

"That's okay. I've got an update on him by the way," he says loud enough for Izzie to hear, but she purposely ignores him. "Ahem, I said, I've got an update on him."

Izzie turns around and glares at Niall. "What makes you think that I care even the slightest bit?"

"Because you've been up since 2 am cooking to get your mind off of it."

She hesitates for a second, then lets out an angry moan. "Fine! What is it?"

"He's out on bail, and the guy decided not to press charges."

Izzie looks shocked. "He's not pressing charges? He beat him unconscious!"

Niall clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, well, we got it taken care of."

"What does that even mean?" I interject.

"Don't worry about it, babe. It's taken care of. And Izzie," he turns to face her again, "Harry is waiting outside for you. He wants to see you."

"Well I don't want to see him. So you can tell him to go shove his no good apology right up his sorry little --" she stops herself as the door to the apartment opens up.

"Right up his sorry little what?" Harry's voice is shaky. He walks in with hesitation, and only takes a few steps in. He looks to Izzie, who won't look him in the eye. My guess is it's because she's started to cry again.

I turn to Niall and whisper, "What the hell did you bring him here for? Are you out of your god damn mind?"

He angry-whispers back, "No, Harry's a good guy! And they were good together. Now be quiet! I want to hear what they're saying."

We both turn to face the kitchen to see what's happening between Izzie and Harry. Izzie's back is turned now and Harry has moved a bit closer.

"Iz, please, let me explain. Please hear me out."

"Harry, what is there to explain? I won't deal with somebody who has anger issues like that. I'm sorry, but I won't."

'I'm not usually like that, Izzie! You know me! I don't.. I don't know what happened. Something just snapped inside me. I'm sorry, Izzie. Please, I'm begging you. Don't leave me." I can see the tears starting to form in Harry's eyes.

"Izzie.." I decide to butt in. "Just listen to him. Come on, put the muffins down, and hear him out. He came straight here after being in jail all night because he wanted to talk to you. The least you could do is hear him out." I knew my interjection would make Niall happy, but Izzie wouldn't see it as a good thing.

"Kat, what the hell? Who's fucking side are you on?" She turns to me with tears streaming down her face.

"Izzie, I'm on your side. I will always be on your side. I wouldn't be telling you to do that if I didn't think it was a good idea." I can see Harry anxiously waiting for her answer as he mouths "Thank you" to me. I give him a sympathetic smile. If Niall was vouching for him, he must truly be a good guy. I trust Niall.

Izzie is still staring at me with a blazing look in her eyes. I can tell she wants to seriously injure me. "I can't imagine whatever you have to say will change anything," she says to Harry now, "but if it will get everybody off my fucking back, then fine. I will hear you out." She storms across the kitchen and into her bedroom as Harry follows closely, but not too closely, behind her. The door slams shut.

Niall whirls me around and pulls me in for a kiss. "Thank you for helping," he says sweetly. "Harry is truly the best guy I know."

"I trust you, Ni. And they were really good together. I know how stubborn Iz can be. So if you say he's a good guy, then I believe it."

He smiles and looks down at me. "So, about that thing I had to talk to you about. What do you say we do it over dinner? Tonight at around 7?"

"Is it a good or bad thing?"

"Good." He says with a smie.

"Then dinner sounds perfect."

***

My head is spinning. I can't process the words that Niall just said to me. I thought he said this was supposed to be a good thing? How in the god damn world is THAT good? I'm aimlessly walking the streets of the city, searching for somewhere to make my heart stop hurting. But deep down, I know there is only one place that can help that. And at the same time, it's the one place I can't bear to be. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and ignore it. That's the sixth time Niall has tried to call. How could he do this to me? To us? The words that he said to me are circling around in my head, and I don't have a chance of stopping them. Three words. That's all it took for my world to fall apart at my feet. Three words.

"Kat, I'm leaving."