Lost Words [discontinued]

{ Chapter 32-True Feelings: Part Two }

(SONG: Build Me Up Buttercup- The Foundations)

[Niall's POV]

"Hey."

I looked up to my right, seeing Louis towering over me with a serious expression sewn onto his face.

"Hey, mate," I replied, giving him a small smile.

I watched as his gaze traveled toward the pool, eying the several people in the water, though I was certain he was looking at a couple in particular. He looked back down at me and crossed his arms over his chest, slightly shifting his weight to one foot. "Can I talk to you?" he asked, but formed it into more of a demand than a question.

"Um," I murmured. "Yeah, sure." I gestured toward the pool chair beside me, Louis acceptably taking it. He pulled it closer to my own, then took a seat. "What's up?"

"I wanna talk about last night," he stated almost immediately after the words left my mouth.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Last night? He knew about last night? I swallowed hard, feeling a sudden surge of nerves wash over me, but I refused to present it to him. "What about it?" I drew my lower lip between my teeth, casually biting down as I peered at Louis through my sunglasses.

He tilted his head and scratched his neck a bit before speaking. "Uh, I dunno. You tell me."

I nervously looked away from him for a moment, trying to avoid eye contact, which was fine, considering he couldn't see my eyes anyway. I needed to come up with something.

Something quick, because there was no way I was telling him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Mate, that's bullshit." I looked back at him, seeing that he was certainly in no mood for lying. I sighed in annoyance though, trying to emphasize my false lack of knowledge to what he was talking about. "Addy told me you were at the flat last night." My eyes widened. Shit. I swallowed roughly, my heart starting to pick up speed. "And you know how I find out?" Shit, shit, shit. "She was crying."

She cried? Why hadn't I known that she cried? But then suddenly I remembered. Our conversation played in my head. "...Niall..." "...Please don't cry..." "Well how can I not? You never want to talk to me anymore. I thought we were friends..." "...We are..." But friends.. That was just it. I frustratedly rubbed my forehead, just being reminded about these things, being too much for me.

"And, you know," Louis continued. I put my head against my palms, closing my eyes. Part of me couldn't stop thinking about it. Her, and how I'd caused her to be sad like that. I always thought she was mad at me for it. But it was more than that. The other part of me tried to focus on Louis' words. "She's kind of been crying a lot lately." He paused for a moment. "After... You know. Her mum and everything. So I need you to tell me, Niall. What in the bloody hell happened?" He sounded sincere and very emotional about the subject, and I really didn't want to piss him off as well for lying.

"Well," I started, sitting up and leaning backward against the seat. "I went over, we watched a bit of TV, and then I left."

"And then you left. Okay." It didn't work. He was pissed. "You watched TV and you left and that's why she was crying. That makes perfect sense. It really, really does."

"Well, you know-"

"What?" he questioned, his eyebrows cocked expectantly. "What? That's just it. I don't know. Why must I not know? What aren't you telling me?"

My stomach was beginning to knot, making me feel sick while goosebumps appeared over my skin. I shrugged.

Louis scoffed, then quickly stood up. His words started off at a low whisper, but then gradually escalated into an angry shout. "If you don't tell me right now, I'm gonna walk right over there and tell Harry myself that you made her cry, and you know what? He'll beat the shit out of you, and you and I both know it," he threatened, pointing over at the pool, not taking his eyes off of me.