Possibility

Chapter 12 - Chemistry

In the blink of an eye, his eyes widened, his pupils dilated and his mouth fell slightly agape. Then, also in the blink of an eye, he let go off my hand and instantly continued his movement from before; walking further and further away from me.

I had barely managed to process anything in that moment, but the expression on his face now seemed somehow imprinted on my retina. The feel of his hand on mine seemed somehow lingering, yet so far gone.

Niall had been acting strangely afterwards. He was, in a way, distant, yet appeared so present. He was distant towards me, but attentive towards the group. I didn't have to assume anything; I knew it had to do with what happened, whatever that was.

He was even the first one retreating to the tent. I would have gone with him, if it hadn't been for the fact that it would have made me seem even more dependant of Niall. That was something I wasn't, even though I felt safer having him around.

I didn't, however, want to give him yet another reason to worry about me. Therefore, I had to show him I could be independent as well. So I stayed put, which resulted in getting to know the others a little bit better. It was mostly Harry though, seeing as he was seated closest to me, which made him the most natural conversation partner.

Louis, Eleanor, Andy and Zayn had all returned to their respective tents when I decided to do the same. When I had told Harry about my plans, he had insisted on walking me to mine, before he too had went to his. Niall had been seemingly sound asleep at that point, so I had just prepared for sleep, before I too had lain down in my sleeping bag.

For the nth time since, I turned; doing so as quietly as possible, not wanting to wake Niall. Staring out in front of me, I could vaguely make out the contours of his limp body lying there. His long, even and gentle breaths spoke of his deep sleep.

Sighing softly, I closed my eyes and tried once more to persuade my body into sleep. Whether it was deep or light didn't matter; all I wanted was a small break from my thoughts. It was a break I eventually got.

***

"What about..." Harry trailed off as he searched for another name. Whether it was the name of a band, an artist or a group, I wasn't sure, but I took a bite of my sandwich as I waited for it. "... Matt Corby?"

I tried to recall ever hearing the name, and then shook my head; certain of the fact that I had never heard of this guy before. "Never heard of him."

"Noted." Harry simply replied, along with a firm nod.

"You think you'll remember all of those?" Niall threw in, suddenly participating in the conversation.

It wasn't that he wasn't welcome to join in, because I was only glad he did. It was just that Niall had been acting strangely so far this morning. To be honest, he hadn't really done anything at all. He had just been sitting there, quietly eating his breakfast whilst Harry and I spoke. That was the unusual part; I was generally the quiet one, not him.

"No, but I have most of them on my playlist, so I'm hoping it will work out just fine anyway." Harry replied, smiling sheepishly at Niall. "I could write them down though, if..." Harry continued, but I cut him off before he got the chance to finish.

"That really isn't necessary." I assured him quickly. "I'm glad as long as I get to hear some music."

Niall chuckled at my sudden interruption, whilst Harry just gave him a certain look. They seemed to keep doing that; giving each other looks and communicating that way. It was slightly intimidating, not knowing what they were saying to each other, but then again it didn't seem to be anything bad.