Victim of the City [Niall Horan + One Direction]

Reunited

11. May 2013

When Frankie stepped out of the plane she was met with cold air even though it was in the middle of May. She took a deep breath and enjoyed the cool air that now flowed in her lungs. It was different from the air in Afghanistan and it felt better and cleaner. She followed the other soldiers into the arriving hall and quickly scanned the room for familiar faces and it didn’t take long before she saw them and heard them.

“Someone’s excited to see you,” one named James told her and smiled at her before he walked in the other direction. She looked at her two friends who were yelling at her and jumping up and down. 

“FRANKS!” Amanda screamed and jumped into Frankie’s arms. She had been so excited to see Frankie again and she had been so nervous since she had been called up by an officer telling her that Frankie’s vehicle had been hit by a roadside bomb. She knew she wouldn’t sleep tightly before she knew Frankie was safe.

Frankie hugged Amanda tightly before letting go and turning her attention to the other person. Eleanor walked up to her and gave her a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you again,” Eleanor said and let go of Frankie. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long they had clicked instantly. It was with Eleanor like it was with Niall. Frankie felt like she had known them for forever.

“Let’s get out of here,” Frankie said and began walking. They walked outside where Harry Range Rover was parked. When Harry was on tour Amanda would use it. On the drive back to Frankie’s flat Frankie was enjoying the scenery but she was also looking at the road making sure nothing looked suspicious. She was happy to be back in England even though it would only be for two weeks.  

“Is it good to be back?” Amanda asked and looked at Frankie shortly before bringing her eyes back on the road again. Frankie was sitting in the front and Eleanor in the back. Eleanor had insisted that Frankie took the front seat.

“WATCH OUT!” Frankie cried out and pointed at a bag on the road. Her heart was pounding as Amanda drove over it. She was quiet for a few seconds while she tried to comprehend what had just happened. She looked at Amanda who looked startled. “I’m so sorry,” She said and looked back out of the window. The rest of the ride home was quiet.

“I’ve bought a few things for you so you have something to eat.” Amanda told Frankie when she had reached Frankie’s flat. Amanda went to get a bag of food and they all went to Frankie’s flat.

“Wow girly!” Eleanor said when she walked into the flat. “How could you ever want to leave this place?” It was the first time Eleanor was in Frankie’s flat. They had always hung around Amanda and Harry’s place. “This is heaven!”

“It’s pretty amazing,” Frankie said. “I’m just gonna go change into something else. I’ve been dying to get this uniform off,” Frankie said and left to change. When she walked into her bedroom she saw her iPhone on the bed. She plugged it in and waited till it was charging. She would let it charge for a while and then she would call Niall. He was in Hamburg but he would return to London on the 12th late at night. The guys had a few days off before they would continue their tour in Europe.

Frankie pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tanktop and brushed her hair.

“She’s acting different. On the way from the airport she cried out that I had to watch out for a bag on the road. She seems wary of everything.” Frankie heard Amanda say on the other side of her bedroom door. She slowly and silently sat down on her bed. She was aware of the way she had acted but she couldn’t help it. Ever since she had got off the plane she had been on guard. “I’m sure it’ll take some time for her to adjust to everything,” She heard Amanda say. It brought a few questions to her mind. Had she changed a lot? Would she get used to being back home? Would they act different around her? She didn’t want them to act different and she wanted to get used to being back in England, but what frightened her most was that she already wanted to go back to Afghanistan. She somehow felt safer in Afghanistan. She glanced at her phone and decided to call Niall. He knew she was home by now and was probably waiting for her to call him. She pressed the call button and lifted the phone to her ear. She was a bit anxious as she was waiting for him to pick it up. Even though they had spoken a lot of times it felt different this time.