Fall (One Direction) [Sequel To Run]

Chapter Nine

 Niall

“You should really go home” Robian tells me, her blue eyes fixed on my face. “I'm not gonna die today. I promise. And you should be there for Callin.”

She's being serious for once, which both scares me and comforts me. She means it when she says she'll be fine; at the same time, she's never serious. But she's dying and I guess that changes everyone.

“She doesn't know me” I reply, to her insistence that I spend time with Callin.

“She doesn't know anyone” Robin points out. “And maybe she'd like to be around someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” I ask softly. What could she mean; there's nothing special about me. At least, nothing that Liam doesn't have as well.

Robin smiles.

“You're a nice guy, Niall” she says. “And you make people laugh. You're fun to be around when everyone else is so serious.”

“This is just horrible” I say softly. “I keep thinking, what if it was me, you know? What if I forgot you? I couldn't deal with that.”

“You wouldn't know any different” Robin says. “And it would be okay. You'd remember eventually. Like Callin and Louis will. Soon.”

-

Harry

The tension in my flat is insane.

I can practically feel it.

Callin's locked herself in her room, and she wouldn't come out for lunch, and Louis' been watching TV nonstop in the den.

Neither of them will talk to me, and . . . I don't know what to do.

Eventually, I just tell Louis I'm going out, and walk over to Liam's.

I knock on the door, and it takes a minute, and then Zayn answers.

“We're watching Finding Nemo” he says. “You're welcome to join.” The look in his eyes is almost . . . pity, like he knows the atmosphere in my flat.

I step past him, into Liam's flat, and Finding Nemo is indeed on the telly.

Liam's sitting on the couch, and he looks up when I walk in.

“Hey, Harry” he says, pausing the film. “What happened?”

“Nothing” I mumble. “I mean, nothing really.”

Liam stares at me until I give in and explain.

“Callin's locked in her room and Louis' obsessively watching the news” I say. “And they won't talk to each other or me and I had to get out and let's watch Finding Nemo.”