Climbing the Walls (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

I started to feel a tiny flock of butterflies rise up in my stomach. I mean you can't blame me, I was about to meet four hot celebrities and to top it off they had accents. (I don't really know why American girls find accents so attractive, we just do.) "Why are you so nervous?" Harry asked teasingly, gesturing to my hands.

I balled my fists and made a face at him. Whenever I got nervous and my hands weren't occupied they just had like weird mini spasms that I was never even notice until they're pointed out to me. "I'm not," I insisted.

"Okay," he laughed at me. I just stuck my tongue out and stuffed my hands in my pockets as we walked up the stairs. I could feel the porch softly thudding from the Katy Perry song that was blasting inside. The video game sound effects and the boys' shouts masked the drumming in my chest as we walked through the giant doule doors. Shut up, there's nothing to be nervous about, I thought to my racing heart.

"We're back!" Harry yelled as we walked through the foyer and took off our wet shoes. We entered a huge living room with vaulted ceilings and sliding glass doors on the back wall. Four guys were perched on a dark red leather couch, and the two of them without video game controllers in their hands, Liam and Niall, turned around and smiled at us.The other two paused the game they were playing and the music and Louis lept off the sofa.

"Ello, love!" he said with a smile. "I'm Louis." He held out his hand and I took it, but instead of shaking it he pulled me into a hug.

"I'm Haley," I giggled into his striped shirt.

"Pleasure to meet you!" he said, releasing me and kissing me on the cheek. I nodded and smiled. I liked him already. Then Liam walked over to me, and I looked shyly up into his chocolate brown eyes.

"Hi Haley, I'm Liam," he said politely and hugged me. I guess they were big on hugs. Not that I minded, so was I. Zayn approached me next. He introduced himself, and like Louis and Liam, he hugged me. Lastly, Niall came up to me, smiling.

He was about my height, maybe a little taller, which I liked. The other boys practically towered over me, and though most girls find that attractive, I prefer someone around my height, I guess I'm weird. "I'm Niall," he said, his adorable Irish accent making me smile invoulentarily. I was happy he hugged me so he couldn't see. (Plus, he gives amazing hugs.) I was kind of... I don't know, dissapointed when he let go. Which was ridiculous. I gestured to his "FREE HUGS" tee-shirt.

"So if yours was free, are Louis', Zayn's, and Liam's gonna cost me?" I asked jokingly. I instantly regretted it, realizing how stupid I sounded.

"Normally, yes," Louis answered, slinging an arm around my shoulders, "But I think I'll give you a friends and family discount." I was relieved my joke wasn't as painfully embarrassing as I had thought.

"Who else would you be hugging other than your friends and family?" I shot back. He just winked and I raised my eyebrows.

"He charges the fans," Niall joked. I smiled at him. Something about his voice just makes me, I can't help it. He smiled back, causing my smile to widen.

"And Zayn," Louis added.

"It's true," Zayn confirmed, putting on a fake pout. I frowned back and ran my fingerr down my cheek, mimicking a tear. We laughed a little, but then there was a split second of awkward silence.

"So, did you have any luggage, or do you plan on wearing that for the next two years?" Liam asked. I remembered my two rolling bags, three duffels, and my purse in the back of Harry's car.

"Oh right, I should probably go get those..." I started towards the door, but I was cut off.

"Don't be ridiculous! We can get them for you!" Liam offered kindly.

"Yeah!" Zayn insisted.

"Oh no, you don't have t-" I was interrupted again as Louis put his hand up.

"Just let the boys get your bags, it's a pride thing," he assured me.

"Okay, thanks," I agreed reluctantly. I felt bad.

"Yay!" Zayn cheered. He and Liam headed out of the big mohogany doors into the rain. Niall eagerly offered to help too, slipping on his shoes and following the boys into the wet night. I smiled. These boys were so nice. (But I still felt bad.)

"You're so awkward," Harry laughed at me. I blushed because it was so true.

"You're so... Harry," I shot back. He flipped his brown curls.

"And that's what I love about you," Louis said dreamily, staring into Harry's green eyes. They smiled at each other and I laughed at their Larry Stylinson moment, shaking my head. I was about to tell them to get a room when a thud came from the front yard.

"Zayn, be more careful! There could be important stuff in there!" an Irish accent scolded. I smiled at Niall's concern. That and the fact that his voice made me smile. But I decided to ignore that last part, I just met the guy. Must be the accent, I told myself.

"Yeah, watch out," Liam reprimanded.

"Sorry, Daddy," Zayn mocked, but through his joking tone he actually sounded pretty genuinely sorry.

"Ermm, should I go help...?" I asked, smiling. Louis and Harry shook their heads.

"Just let me take it," Niall insisted. "You can take her purse." I smiled again, but I tried to suppress it.

"I don't know about you, but I find their banter quite amusing," Louis said with a voice and smile so weird, I couldn't help but start cracking up. I was starting to see why Julia loved him so much. The sound of little wheels on the walkway gradually grew louder until I heard footsteps and voices on the porch.

"Whew, it's really coming down out there!" Liam said, entering the house with a roller and a duffel, Zayn with a roller and my salmon purse, and Niall bringing up the rear with the other two duffels. They were all practically soaked, and I tried to ignore how cute Niall looked with rain drops sprinkled in the tips of his blonde hair. It reminded me of when Chase walked me home in the sleet rain, the slush droplets creating a beautiful contrast as they fell delicately and got caught on the tips of his slightly curly black hair. That moment seemed so perfect, so close yet so distant...

"So where do you want us to take these?" Zayn asked politely, pulling me from my bittersweet memory back to reality.

"Oh I can take th-" Louis cut me off. Again.

"How can you do that when you don't even know where your room is, Halez?" he asked teasingly, putting his arm around me again. I just stuck my tongue out at him like I was a five year old, defeated.

"Last room on the right," Harry directed, but to Liam, Zayn, and Niall, not to me. They bounded up the stairs before I could stop them. Their socks slid on the hardwood, but they all managed to keep their balance.

"Which right?" Niall's voice came from the top of the stairs. I smiled and bit my finger. A giggle escaped my lips when Liam and Harry replied in unison, "The room that isn't yours!" Well I guess Niall slept across the hall from me. I climbed up the stairs, using the railing since I was used to having carpeting on my stairs. I heard Louis and Harry behind me, and followed the sound of the other three boys' voices into a room at the end of the hall which had the door wide open.

I walked into the room and I gasped. It was like my dream room! It had a dark brown, hardwood floor, most of which was concealed by a giant white fluffy rug. The walls were hot pink (my absolute favorite color) and there was a queen sized bed angled in the corner with a black suede headboard and white sheets. There was a black door on either side of the room, which I assumed led to my bathroom and closet. I smiled even more, since I had never had my own bathroom before. Plus this room was perfect. It had a huge picture window and a built in bench with black suede to match the headboard. I couldn't tell what the view was of though, since it was pitch black outside.

"Guys, this room is amazing," I thanked them, smiling like crazy. I walked past Niall, Liam, and Zayn, who were carefully putting down my bags and sat down on the white duvet. As I looked around, I noticed the full length mirror in the corner and the huge One Direction poster on the wall. I giggled and shook my head. "Nice touch," I joked, pointing to it.

"I thought so," Louis smiled, plopping down next to me.

"Your idea?" I guessed.

"Ours," he and Harry replied in unison. I rolled my eyes and smiled.

"Well, you get settled in and do your weird girl, new room ritual or whatever, we'll be downstairs," Harry said, him and the other guys leaving the room. I laughed and thanked Niall, Zayn, and Liam for getting my bags for me. I heard Harry tell the boys he'd be down in a minute, and he reentered my room. I crossed the white rug to him, and before he could say what he wanted to tell me, I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Hazza," I said into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me back.

"It was no problem," he assured me, letting go of the embrace. "I wanted it to look pretty for you!" he smiled.

"Not just for the room, for letting me stay with you guys. It really means a lot to me, with everything that's happened and all, and I'll try not to be too annoying," I winked. He laughed.

"Yeah, I suppose five guys are more fun than grandma," he joked.

"What do you have against grandma?" I teased back. He laughed, but changed the subject.

"Halez, you're gonna be living with these guys for at least the next two years. They're really awesome lads, and they wanna get to know you instead of you just being 'Harry's cousin', ya know? When Liam, Zayn, and Niall got your bags, they wanted to make a good impression. And Louis... Well, being weird is his way of welcoming you." We both laughed at that. "So, I just wanted to ask you to actually talk to them and get to know them instead of hiding in your room," he finished.

"Shouldn't have given me such a nice room," I joked. "And of course I'll talk to them and get to know them, why wouldn't I?"

"I know," he said, putting his hands on my shoulders. "You're just so terribly awkward." I smacked him on the arm and scrunched my face up at him. It was so true though. He chuckled and left the room. "Don't take too long!" he called from the hallway.

I opened the door I guessed was the bathroom, and I guessed correctly. Dayuuum, I thought. It was huge in comparison to my bathrooms back home, and had a jet tub and one of those tricked out showers with all the different nozzles that you see commercials for on TV. It also had plenty of counter space, an awesome sink, vanity, and drawers and drawers glalore. Not to mention, the toilet even looked fancy.

I looked in the mirror, where I saw that my hair was starting to look frighteningly frizzy. I had met four fifths of One Direction looking like that? I found my hairbrush and anti-frizz stuff in one of my bags and fixed my hair. When I was satisfied, I made my way downstairs to where the boys were again playing some violent video game and blasting Katy Perry. Katy Perry's on replay, she's on replay, I smiled to myself over my bad joke and entered the room, standing next to the couch.

"Hey, look who decided to show up!" Harry teased. I stuck my tongue out at him and watched Louis and Liam shoot at each other.

"Well don't just stand there," Niall called to me, patting the seat next to him. He was sitting alone on the matching dark red loveseat. I crossed the room, walking behind the couch so that the boys wouldn't yell at me for blocking their view and killing them, and sat down next to Niall. He hadn't changed, and there were still dark spots on the shoulders of his shirt from where the rain had fallen on him.

"Hiya," I said, smiling shyly and tucking a piece of brown hair behind my ear.

"Hello," he smiled back, his Irish accent making me smile even more, which made me blush. "I like your accent," he said, making conversation. I thought about that.

"That's weird," I replied, "I don't really think of myself having an accent."

"Me neither," he shrugged. I grinned.

"I like your accent, too." He smiled.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." I smiled, looking into his amazingly blue eyes. I'd stared into eyes like those before. The memories of staring into Chase's stunning blue eyes stabbed me in the heart. My smile vanished and I looked down at my hands in my lap, blocking my face with my hair. I looked up at the TV right as there was a huge explosion. I, along with Zayn and Niall, started cracking up as Louis threw his controller down on the couch.

"YES! IN YOUR FACE, TOMLINSON!" Liam shouted victoriously as Harry mock-comforted Louis. I was still laughing my head off.

"You blew up!" I mocked Louis between giggles.

"Oh, so you find me exploding amusing?" he questioned, his voice full of fake offense.

"Well, yeah..." I replied, "Hence the laughter."

"You know what'll be funny?" he asked devilishly. I gave him a quizzical look. "Harry, is your cousin ticklish?" Harry smiled demonically at Louis, then both of them at me. My eyes widened with fear.

"If you tickle me, I'm not responsible for your injuries!" I warned, jumping up on the loveseat. Louis just smiled at me like a mad man.

"I think I can take you," he challenged, sounding like he was possessed or something. I decided to make a break for it. I hopped off of the sofa and sprinted towards the stairs, but he caught me by the waist and pulled me onto the floor to my doom.

"No!" I shrieked as he started tickling my tummy. I started laughing uncontrolably. I hated my laugh, it was all high pitched and weird. Oh this was torture. "You'll pay... For this... Tomlinson!" I gasped in between giggles, my limbs flailing around spaztically. Eventually I kneed him in the crotch. "I'm sorry!" I panted as he doubled over.

"I'm okay," he groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I warned you... You sure you're okay?" I asked, worried now.

"Yeah, I just think I-" he pounced, apparently never injured at all. This boy was Satan. I was dying of laughter, gasping for breath when Zayn finally cut in.

"Okay Lou, get off the poor girl," he laughed lightly, saving me. I owed him.

"No!" Louis protested, but he stopped tickling me and instead just layed on top of me.

"Oh, hello..." I said from underneath him.

"Hi there!" he smiled insanely down at me. I tried to laugh, but I was winded from his tickle attack, plus he was crushing some vital part of my respiratory system.

"Louis, get off her," Harry laughed, shaking his head.

"Okay, honey!" Louis obeyed, rolling himself off of me. I saw Liam offering me his hand and I took it gratefully.

"Thank you," I smiled as he helped me up.

"No problem. You have a cute laugh," he winked, but not in a flirty way. More of in a teasing way because of how extremely ticklish I was. I rolled my eyes, but I smiled.

"Thanks... I guess," I giggled to... make a point? Naw, probably just because these guys were so awesome. That was when it finally hit me:

I was living with One Direction.






A/N***

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Z.🌼