Where Are You Now? (Niall Horan FanFic)

Chapter Six

After Niall and I had finished off the gallon bucket of the crispy chicken and licked our fingers clean of mashed potatoes, he decided to take me home. On the way, he even dared to rest his hand on the bare skin of my thigh again, but didn't let it crawl any higher. I leaned against my window, fighting my tired eyelids from letting them drop. 

"You should sleep Lucy, it's about an hour from here to your house," Niall said, noticing my fight. I only nodded at him and closed my eyes, waiting for sleep to take over me, until the irritable noise of my cellphone filled the car. 

Jerking my head up, I cursed looking through the mess in my purse, trying to find it. "Hello?" I asked. 

"Lu?" My twelve year old brother's voice croaked from the other end of the line. 

I sat up in my seat, fully awake, "Matt? Where are you?" 

"Lucy, I'm fine, I'm at Aunt Jillian's house," He said, trying to calm me down, "I came to visit mum," He choked, a sob escaping his lips. I realized then that he had been crying, and it broke my heart into pieces as he said those last five words. I have always dreamed of being there with Matt when he would see our mother's grave. I just imagined me comforting him, laying Easter Lilies, her favorite, next to her headstone and telling him of all the joyous memories she shared with us, before she died. 

"Lucy?" Matt's voice echoed through the crinkling noises of the poor service line. 

"Y-yeah Matt?" I said shakily, trying to cover it up. 

"Can I stay with Jillian for a while?" He paused and when I didn't respond quick enough, he added, "Jillian said it's fine to stay here for a while, you can come and pick me up then."

I leaned my head against the headrest and closed my eyes, trying to sort things out, "Matt, you know you can't stay there, Jillian already has three kids of her own-" 

"But Lucy-" Matt pleaded. 

"No, Matt. I'm coming to pick you up in a few hours, be ready." I ended the call, without telling him goodbye. 

Niall looked at me and squeezed my thigh lightly, "Everything okay?" 

I only groaned in response and kept my eyes shut. But he wasn't giving up so easily, "Want to tell me what's wrong? Maybe I could help." 

I let out a big sigh and said, "My brother ran away, and I found out he's staying at my Aunt's house that's three hours from here," I rubbed the right side of my temple and continued, "I don't know why he had to go by himself, I mean...I could have taken him."

"I'll drive you there love, just tell me where to go-"

"Niall, no. You 've already had to drive me around so many places, and it's almost midnight, I'm sure you're tired-" I rambled on. 

Niall cut me off, "Lucy, I'll never be tired for you," He grabbed my hand in a comforting way, to let me know that I can trust him. 

I gave him a small smile and replied, "Then you're going to have to take the next exit." After giving out countless directions, taking a few detours, Niall and I finally made it to Jillian's three bedroom cottage at almost three in the morning. There was a little gate, with a white picket fence that surrounded her tiny, quaint yard and her porch light glowed dimly in the morning darkness. 

Jumping out of my seat, I quickly unlatched the gate, and ran up the porch steps to knock on the old fashioned, wooden door three times. Niall had locked the gate and stood next to me as the door slowly creaked open, that if it were to be moved any faster, it would split into two pieces.

Once the door was fully opened, it revealed a tall, skinny woman with golden hair, as if the sun itself has blessed her with it, wrinkles by her sapphire eyes from years of laughter and pale-pink lips. When our gazes met, she embraced me in a bone-crushing hug as she said, “Lucy, you’ve grown so much over the years, I hardly recognized you in that dress,” She pulled back from the hug to nod at Niall and asked, “Who’s this handsome lad?”

Niall waved to her and replied with confidence, “Hello, ma’am. I’m Niall, a friend of Lucy’s.”

“Oh, an Irish one, nice choice, Lucy,” Jillian said winking at me, to Niall she said, “My name’s Jillian, Lucy’s aunt.” She stepped to the side to let us into her tiny hut, “Come in, you two must be freezing dressed all fancy like that.” We entered, grateful to feel the warmth return to our bodies.

“Where’s Matt?” I asked, not seeing him in the enclosed space. I mean you can see the entire house from the front door.

“Oh, I think he’s in the room down the hall on the right,” Jillian replied, seating herself in a rocking chair by the cackling fire. I nodded towards her in thanks and went to the room she directed me to. As I opened it, I found Matt asleep on one of the beds with his cousin, George.

“Is that your brother?” Niall questioned, pointing to Matt. I nodded and he looked back and forth from me to Matt, and then shook his head, “You two look nothing alike.” He’s right, I had dark hair from my mother, while I received my father’s brown, boring eyes, while Matt had golden hair like Jillian’s from dad and got beautiful blue eyes from mum.  We looked nothing alike, yet we called each other brother and sister.

Niall scooped Matt off the bed, and went outside to fasten him in the back seat. I strode over towards Jillian and asked, “What did Matt do while he was here?”

“Hmph,” She muttered, “Just went to your mamma’s grave that’s all,” Going back to her sewing she continued, “Almost had to force food down his throat, cos’ he refused to eat.” What’s going on with Matt?

I fished around my purse and handed her a 50 dollar bill, “For your troubles Jillian, thank you.” I said hugging her one last time before leaving.

“Lucy, watch out for that boy now, he might be bad news for you.” Jillian called before I closed the door behind me.

As I got into the passenger seat, joining Niall and knocked out Matt, I said, “Let me drive, you must exhausted.” Without hesitating, Niall reluctantly swapped seats with me. Escaping the country side, I watched as the trees grew more distant and buildings came more popular. I thought of what Jillian had said to me, and looked over to a sleeping Niall. Why is it when I think he’s right for me, I start to second guess myself again? 

I glanced over at Niall. His arms were crossed over his chest as his head leaned against the headrest while headphones covered his ears, blocking out any excess noises that could disrupt his sleeping. In the backseat, Matt layed sprawled with one leg propped against the seat and his head resting on the armrest against the door. 

As I turned onto the familiar streets of my neighborhood, I poked Niall's cheek while nudging his shoulder, "Niall." It was around six in the morning, as the morning sun's rays peeked just above the horizon, when I saw my dad's car pull into our two-car garage. 

"Wh-what?" Niall stuttered, while opening his bloodshot eyes, he removed his headphones revealing the blasting music, then noticing where we were, "Oh, thanks for driving babe," He said while swinging Matt over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes. 

Rolling my eyes, I led Niall up the stairs and into Matt's bedroom, as I entered my own bedroom, I stripped out of the now soiled dress and hopped into my soft bed, pulling the grey duvet over my head. "You can just let yourself out Ni," I hollered underneath the covers. I was about to close my eyes, until I felt the matress behind me sink lower. I turned around, to meet the beautiful blue eyes of Niall Horan. 

"Or I can just stay here," He mumbled, pulling me closer to him, "You look good babe," He said smirking. My cheeks turned red as I realized I was only in my bra and underwear. Niall wrapped the comfy sheets around the two of us, tangling our legs together as we both fell asleep that way. As if we were in our own little world.