~ Niall's P.O.V. ~
Having Juli in my arms was one of the best feelings ever. I know it sounds clichè, but we just felt like we molded together. When she pulled away, the butterflies in my stomach settled down a little bit.
I looked straight into her eyes. "I'm so glad you're safe." I said to her.
She smiled. "Niall, thank you so much for letting me stay here. I really don't have any family left." She whispered the last sentence. I knew how hard it was for her when her grandma, brother and sisters moved away.
I shook my head. "You know that you'll always be welcome here. You're my friend and I care about you." I said that she was just a friend, but in all honesty, I wish that it could be something more.
She walked towards the kitchen and I heard her say to no one in particular, "Do you guys have any food? My daughter's hungry."
I yelled back. "Take whatever you need, there's some cereal in the pantry." I looked back at the lads, who all except for Louis, had a confused look on their face.
"She's pregnant?" Zayn mouthed to me.
I nodded. "Niall! I thought we told yiu to use protection!" Harry whisper-yelled.
"It's not my baby." I told him. "It's her ex-boyfriend's, the one she's hiding from."
We all stopped talking when Juli walked out of the kitchen. She was carrying a small bowl of Lucky Charms with her.
I was about to say something when Liam spoke up. "Well I guess we haven't really introduced ourselves. I'm Liam." He stuck his hand out to Juli and they shared a handshake. "Niall talks about you all the time. He would just go on and on-"
"Alright Liam, that's enough!" I walked up behind him and clamped my hand over his mouth. When I peeked over his shoulder at Juli, she
was blushing up a storm.
"Is that so?" She laughed a little bit.
"No!" I yelled. I thought it was pretty convincing, but all the boys rolled their eyes.
"Whatever you say, Niall. Whatever you say." Harry laughed.
The next thing I knew, him and Zayn walked up to Juli. "Hey I'm Zayn." She shook hands with Juli.
"And I'm Harry. I have to say, you're really pretty." He said to Juli and I felt a pang of jealousy. It was even worse when she smiled at him.
"Thanks," she blushed. "I'm Juli. I just want to, um, thank you guys so much for letting me stay here. And I have to add, it's a real pleasure meeting you guys! I'm a huge fan!" I could tell she was trying her best to keep from squealing.
"Thanks! And it's no problem, we get the situation. Just think of us as your older brothers!" Zayn said.
"Well, I better go get changed. I feel wierd sitting here in my pajamas." She looked over at Eleanor, who was whispering back and forth with Louis. "El, do you want to join me?" She asked her.
She shot up out of her seat. "Yeah! Let's go. I want to bring you somewhere today."
I watched as the two giggly girls walked up the steps. They looked back at me, whispering to eachother. What were they talking about up there?
~ Juli's P.O.V. ~
I was walking up the steps with El when she whispered something to me. "Juli, do you see the way he looks at you? Maybe I was wrong, you guys really have some major fireworks!"
I blushed at her comment. Looking back at Niall, I replied to ger statement. "I don't know El. I like him, a lot I might add, but I don't think it's the right time. The fans still believe he's with Allie, and can you imagine the reaction they would have if they found out he was with me? A pregnant nineteen year old? Everyone would blame him, and I definatley don't want that to happen."
El lead me to my room. I hadn't seen it yet, since we fell asleep soon after we got here. I opened the door to see a large bed, my suitcases, and bathroom. I had the whole place to myself. I opened one of my bags and took out a simple outfit. It included a pair of dark wash skinny jeans with an old t-shirt from high school. I brouth them into the bathroom and shut the door.
I peeled off my clothes and put them in the hamper in the corner of the room. I turned the water on and waited for it to start steaming. When I stepped into the shower, my tense muscles instantly relaxed. My long brown hair flowed down to the middle of my back. I massaged the shampoo and conditioner through my scalp, then rinsed it out.
When I was out of the shower and dressed, I sat down in front of the vanity in my room. I took my makeup bag out of one of my suitcases and placed it out on the desk. I picked up one of the brushed and applied a light layer of foundation to my face. I applied a little bit of brown eyeliner and curled my lashes. After putting on my mascara, I was satisfied with how I looked. Since my hair was still wet, I quickly blowdried and curled it. I stood up and walked toward my bedroom door. Nailed to it was a full-size mirror. I turned to the side and looked at my belly. My baby girl is definatley growing. Now you can really see my bumo.
I walked out of my room and down to El's. I knocked on the door. "Eleanor, are you in there?" I asked.
"Yeah, you can come in. I'm just getting ready." She replied.
I slowly opened the door to see her sitting in front of the mirror and finishing up her hair. "Where did you want to take me today?" I asked her, sitting down on the bed.
"I just thought you'd want to meet Perrie." She shrugged.
I nearly choked on my own saliva. "Perrie? As in Perrie Edwards from Little Mix?" I nearly screamed.
El let out a small laugh. "Yeah, she's dating Zayn. We're pretty good friends. All the girlfriends hang out together. So do you want to go? I was supposed to meet up with her today."
"Of course I want to go! Are you kidding me?" Then I remembered why was was there in the first place. My heart dropped a little. "What if he finds me? He knows what I look like, it wouldn't be that hard for him."
"Juli, we can put you in a disguise. I'll borrow some of Louis's Ray-bans and one of Harry's Fedoras. If you put your hair in a ponytail you'll look completely different."
"Do you think so?" She nodded, trying to reassure me. That's when I got the idea. "El, what if I dye my hair completely? And if I cut it? I don't want to take the risk of him knowing it's me."
Her eyes widened. "That's a really good idea. Let's go right now!" She yelled, dramatically running towards the door.
We ran down the stairs laughing, and she ran over to the coat closet. She grabbed our jackets and sunglasses for me. I slipped them on and looked over at the boys, who were sitting in the kitchen.
"Where are you guys going?" Louis asked.
"To meet Perrie." El answered. " and we might do something else too." She added, smirking a little. I knew she was referring to my makeover.
Louis walked up to El. "Are you sure that Juli will be safe? What about her ex?" Eleanor opened her mouth to answer, but I did it for her.
"We got that covered. We'll be back later." I looked around at the boys, but one in particular. I looked into Niall's blue orbs and smiled.
"Bye Jules." He said. I smirked at him and looked over at El. Louis was giving her a kiss on the cheek and then opened the door for us. He was such a gentleman.
"Why, thank you Louis." I said dramatically.
"Anytime, Miss. Take care of the baby for me."
I laughed a little. "Of course." Even though I had just met him, I could tell that we would be really close. He just has that quality about him where one minute he could be silly and joking around, and the next serious and caring. I know why El fell in love with him.
On the car ride, I couldn't help but look around. Look for that little red car that Cartrr drives. As if Eleanor could read my mind, she said to me, "Hey, it's all going to be fine. He's never going to get you. You're safe with us, just think of it like we're family."
I smiled. "Thanks El, but I just can't stop worrying. I mean, I have the baby now, and I have to protect her too."
Before long, we pulled up to a large building. "This is the same woman who does my hair. Trust me, she's amazing!" El exclaimed.
I hesitantly got out of the car and followed her into the building. When I walked into the salon, I was greeted with a warm smile.
"Eleanor! I haven't seen you in a while!" The woman said. She walked up to El and hugged her. When she opened her eyes, she looked straight at me. "Now who is this?" She asked.
"I'm Juli, on of El's friends." I put out my hand for her to shake it. Instead, she wrapped me up in a hug. I could smell all the hairspray she used.
"It's a pleasure to meet you! I'm Lacey." She exlaimed. "Am I doing your hair today?" She asked. I nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's get you back there. Do you know what you want?" She asked, in a perky voice.
"Yes, I think so. I've always had naturally dark hair, and I don't want to go a lot different. So do you think that you could lighten it and do a blonde ombrè?" I asked, a little hesitant.
"I love that! El, what do you think?" She asked, looking over at El who was sitting in the chair next to me.
"I think it sounds good. I know she can pull off any look." She smiled.
Over the next couple of hours, we all talked. We talked about the lads, my baby, and at one point, I opened up to her about Carter. I told her that I wanted to look as different as possible so he didn't recognize me. Lacey was really understanding, and she listened to me the whole time.
After what seemed like forever, the blowdryer finally shut off. "You, my dear, are finished!" She said, tweaking my hair a little. She spun me around so I could see her masterpiece. My jaw dropped at the sight of myself.
My hair was an amazing shade of light brown, completely different from the dark, chocolate brown it was before. The tips of my hair were dyed a light blonde, and it brought the warmth of the brown lowlights. She cut off about four inches of hair, and it stopped right under my breasts. Lacey added layers, and even side bangs. I have to say, I looked pretty good. Although I didn't look that different, it was still a drastic change. I felt more like myself than I have in a long time.
"This is amazing." I said, twirling a piece of hair. "It's better than what I pictured!" I practically jumped out of my chair and into Lacey's arms for a hug. "Thank you so much!"
"You are so welcome. Well, you guys better get going. Are you going to meet Perrie?" She asked and we both nodded. "I did her hair just the other day. She wanted to go back to her blonde color, and I have to say, I like that the best on her."
I thanked her once again before we left. She wished me good luck with three things.
Niall.
The baby.
And Carter.
I smiled and have her one last hug before we left. When me and El got outside, I slid my Ray-bans back over my eyes and got into El's tiny car.
"So are you ready to meet Perrie?" She said excitedly, looking over fron the road to me.
"Of course! I'm a huge fan of her and little mix." I said. We turned on the radio and listened to the music all the way there. After about a half an hour, we pulled up to a small flat. I got out of the car and went up to knock on the door, with El right behind me.
Soon, the door opened, to reveal the amazing Perrie Edwards. "Hey! Are you Juli? Eleanor has been telling me so much about you!" She took me in a hug and I did my best to keep from fangirling. I had officially met all of One Direction and Perrie Edwards all in one day.
She turned to El and gave her a hug too. "I haven't seen you in a while! Talking on the phone gets old after a while." They laughed a little before Perrie invited us inside. I walked into the flat and saw how beautiful the interior was.
The walls were a light peach color, which complimented the white furnature perfectly. "This place is beautiful." I said.
Perrie looked at me and laughed. "It's not really that amazing. If you ask me it's pretty boring." She giggled.
We all sat down in her living room and started talking. "So Juli, tell me and you and Niall." She asked suspiciously, raising one eyebrow.
I laughed and answered her quietly. "I don't know. I like him a lot, but I have a lot of other things that I don't want him to be involved with." I placed my hand on my belly. El must have not told Perrie about the pregnancy, because she looked at me with a confised face.
"Oh my goodness, are you pregnant?" She asked. I nodded. "I would have never known! You're so skinny!" She said.
I rolled my eyes. "I'm far from skinny!" I retorted.
"Please, you don't even look pregnant! How far along are you?" She asked.
"About four months."
"Really? You're lying. You hardly have any bump there!" She exclaimed pointing to my belly.
"I am! The doctor said that she might not grow very big in the womb." I told her. "And believe me, I'm huge. I've gained almost five pounds sinve the beginning of my pregnancy."
"Well believe me when I say that Niall would be and extremely lucky guy to have you." She paused and smiled at me. Suddenly, her smile turned into a surprised look and she nearly yelled, "Is Niall the father?"
I laughed a little. "No, her father is, not really in the picture anymore." I explained to her everything that had happened in the last couple months. Him cheating, me discovering that I was pregnant, and him finding out about it. Lastly, I explained that I was in hiding, because he threatened to come after me.
"Juli, that's horrible!" She wrapped me up in a hug and said, "El and I will always be here, to help you through this. And I promise, if I ever meet this guy, I'll beat the crap out of him." I laughed at the last part, not really sure if she was kidding or not.
"Thanks. It feels good to have so many people looking out for me, and I barely know them." I smiled.
"Just think of me as one of those people you'll always have. I think we'll be really good friends." She smiled back. "Well, I better get going. We have a meet and greet tonight and I can't miss it."
We walked out of the flat and said goodbye to Perrie. Before I got in the car, Perrie ran up to me. "Juli, can I get your number?" I nodded and smiled. We exchanged numbers and said goodbye once again.
We started driving back to the lads' flat. "Thanks for taking me to meet her. She's absolutely lovely!" I exclaimed.
"So I'm guessing you had fun?" She laughed.
"It was so cool! I can't believe I got to meet her!" I was still so excited even though we were driving through the woods to the house.
I looked out the window to see the driveway in frong of us. I looked at my hair then over at El. "Do you think he'll like it?" I asked.
"Hun, you look gorgeous. He would be crazy not to." She smiled at me. We pulled off to the side and got out of the car. "You ready?' She asked.
"Yep, let's go." I said.
We walked up to the house and El opened the frong door. "We're back!" She yelled. I hearf some shuffling upstairs before Zayn, Liam, Louis, and Harry came downstairs.
"Wow, Juli, your hair looks incredible." Harry stated.
"I have to agree to that. It looks different, I like it." Zayn said, reaching out to touch the ends of my hair.
"Where did Niall run off to?" I asked.
"He had a meeting with management. I called him a little while ago and he was on his way home. He should be home anytime now." Louis said, checking the time on his phone.
As if on cue, I heard the doorknob turn behind me. I saw a perfect blonde head of hair come in and look uo at me with those amazing blue eyes.
His jaw dropped at the sight of me. I hope it was a good thing. I smiled, greeting him back into the house.
"Jules..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm so sorry about the sucky chapter.
AND
I'm sorry about the late update. I had it ready to upload on Saturday, but when I went to put it up, it was gone. Like, it deleted completely. 😐 i thought I did pretty good on it, and I know this chapter REALLLLLY sucked. So I apologize!!!!!
Anyway, let me know what you guys thought in the comments!! I love to hear everyone's feedback!!
And let me just say how amazing it is that I have 3.4k reads as of right now. You guys are the best!!!
Comment•vote•read on my lovelies!!
~ Maddie
