Climbing the Walls (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I was sitting on the couch watching a show about cupcakes when Louis, Harry, Zayn, and Niall were done getting ready. They stampeded down the stairs like a herd of animals. Well, boys, animals, same thing basically. "How do we look?" Zayn asked as they all struck a pose.

"Hot," I replied emotionlessly, still mesmerized by the tauntingly delicious treats on the TV screen.

"You didn't even look," Louis fake whined, sticking out his bottom lip. I turned to face them, and they looked somewhat normal. I mean Niall was wearing a purple sweatshirt, Zayn was wearing a varsity jacket, Louis was wearing stripes and suspenders with colorful pants, and Harry was wearing a blazer. When Liam left the house he was wearing a plaid button-up.

"You all look dashing," I said with a wink, playfully attempting to mimic their accents. They all flashed me four gorgeous smiles and returned them along with a roll of my eyes. I tried to go back to staring longingly at the cupcakes, but I was staring longingly at something else now. Well, someone else rather. It was embarrassing how I couldn't take my eyes off him, and equally embarrassing when he noticed and winked at me. I blushed and turned back to the TV, smiling uncontrollably like I always did when Niall smiled at me... Or winked at me... Or when he looked at me... God dammit the boy just made me smile all the time. I had smiled more in the time I'd known him than in the month before.

"Liam should be here any minute to pick us up," Harry informed me. "Are you wearing that...?" Harry asked questioningly. I rolled my eyes, getting up and heading up stairs.

"Don't worry Hazz, I'll go put on an outfit where my pants are visible," I replied sarcastically, walking up stairs and into my room. I hadn't bothered to wear an actual shirt under my sweatshirt, so I stripped it off, searching my closet in my bra. I couldn't find a shirt I felt like wearing...

"Hey Halez, Liam ju-" I heard an Irish accent from behind me and I turned around, mouth hanging open, face reddening in sheer humiliation. "Sorry!" he exclaimed, covering his eyes and leaving the closet. Oh. My. God. Niall just saw me in my pink and yellow polka-dot bra. I was legit going to die of embarrassment right there. "Uh, er, so uhm just come down when you're ready," he finished awkwardly.

"Kay," I croaked as I heard his footsteps leave my room. I snatched a random tank-top and threw it on, fixing my hair into pigtails and rushing downstairs. The tank-top was salmon with the word "love" written across it in black script. I'm not sure why I bought it, I hate love. (Yes, I realize how that sounds.)

When I arrived downstairs, Niall and I couldn't look at each other. We were both blushing our faces off as we rushed out the door into the van. Liam was in the driver's seat and there was stuff in the passenger's seat, making in inaccessible. Zayn and Harry climbed in the back seat, and before Niall could join them Louis screamed "I WANNA SIT NEXT TO HARRY!" That left me and Niall, alone in the seat-less back off the van. Thanks, Lou, I thought bitterly as he winked at me.

Niall and I climbed in, avoiding eye contact and sitting in silence for a few moments. He had sat across the van from me, but now he came and sat next to me. My heart started thumping like a rabbit's foot, as usual. "Hey, you've seen me shirtless," he whispered in my ear so no one else would hear. The music was too loud anyways, so we were safe. His breath in my ear sent chills down my spine. That, and the pleasant memory of his lack of a shirt that night.

"True," I smiled up into his big blue eyes. I was glad he tore down the awkward barrier early on.

"And you loved it," he teased in a pretend flirtatious voice, winking and placing his arm around my shoulders. I rolled my eyes, but didn't push him away, not even playfully.

"In your dreams, Horan," I teased back. I contradictorily leaned into his side, placing my head on his shoulder. He rested his head on mine. I wasn't sure if it was in a brotherly-sisterly way or a romantic way. My brain prayed for the first option, where as my heart hoped for the second. I told my brain to just give up; I was already possessed by my heart. That organ always wins in the end. But my brain refused to back down, setting off sirens every time Niall touched me.

"How do you know what I dream about?" he joked. I giggled and he chuckled back, making both of us shake. There was also the fact of us being in the back of a van on a bumpy road, of course, which made us laugh even more.

"Oi, what are you two doing back there?" Louis question with fake authority in his voice, as if he was my father. Niall removed his arm from around me and we smiled guiltily at him. Harry turned around now, too.

"Oh, nothing," Niall assured them. I stuck my tongue out at Louis and he mouthed and apology, ending it with a wink. Harry just shook his head and turned around.

"You two are weird..." he said, making Niall and I giggle. Oh god, Niall's giggle was adorable. So was his smile, and his voice, and his face, and his eyes... I was so lost in him I barely heard him when he told me we had arrived.

"Haley? Helloooo, anyone home?" he asked with a smile. "We're here." I nodded and my face reddened again. I really needed to stop being so obvious. He helped me out of the car, but he didn't let go of my hand as we walked up to the giant grey-blue building. I smiled like an idiot, and when Louis noticed, he just had to come hold my other hand. He smiled down at me as I gave him a playful glare. Harry was still eyeing us curiously, and I saw Niall blushing at the ground in reaction to my exchange with Louis.

"Don't look down." "Why not?" "Because then I-" The memory of Niall's unfinished sentence had been haunting me ever since Zayn interrupted us. I wanted to ask him what he was going to say, but it was too late now. We were entering the building, plus everyone else was around. Maybe I'd ask him later.

We entered the ornate lobby, which had granite floors and a breathtaking glass chandelier that hung over head. As we approached the shiny silver doors of the elevator, I felt Niall's grip on my hand become a bit tense. His expression seemed almost... scared. "You okay?" I asked him quietly.

"Yeah," he said smiling. But it was weak, and I knew something was up. "I'm just a bit claustrophobic, that's all," he told me.

"You'll be okay, Niall," Zayn said reassuringly, pressing he button.

"We can take the stairs if you want," I offered. "What floor is it on?" I asked Liam.

"Seventh." I didn't like that answer, since I absolutely hated stairs, but I would climb them for Niall. He seemed very uneasy about riding in the elevator, plus elevators are kind of questionable machines.

"Haley, it's fine. Really, you d-" Niall started, but I wouldn't let him finish. If Niall wasn't happy, I wasn't happy. It was part of our system.

"Oh, hush, it'll be fun! We can race them!" He opened his mouth to protest, but I wouldn't let him. "Fine. I'll walk up the scary staircase alone," I said with a fake frown, making him smile a little. The elevator doors were opening, and the other four boys were still waiting for Niall's response. "Go!" I shouted, bolting for the door that was marked with a picture of a staircase. Niall shook his head, but followed me up the stairs. "C'mon!" I urged him as I hopped up the stairs. He smiled that beautiful smile and followed at my heels. God I hated stairs. But I was determined to beat the boys. Once we broke through the seventh floor door, I was practically panting and my legs were screaming at me for not being lazy. I looked over at Niall and saw that he was catching his breath too, but it was worth it when two seconds later the boys walked out of the elevator.

"Aww, they beat us! Stupid, modern machinery," Louis grumbled, stepping out of the elevator. I stuck my tongue out at him teasingly and Niall smiled. Harry was looking at us weird again, and I thought I might have to talk to him about it. Minus the scarring back story, I was finally starting to overcome that. Besides, Harry didn't need to worry about me. Or kill Chase. Not that I would mind the second option very much...

"Hello boys! Who's this?" a masculine voice asked from behind me. I turned around to see a short, skinny, tan man with buzzed black hair and black stuble. He had dark brown eyes and was wearing a gray turtle neck.

"This is my cousin, Haley. Haley, this is Jacob, our photographer," Harry introduced us. Jacob gave me a warm smile which I returned shyly, adding an awkward wave and "Hi."

"Nice to meet you!" he said charismatically. I just smiled and nodded. I'm actually very awkward, especially when I first meet people. "Well, let's not just stand here. We have pictures to take!" Jacob led us out of the granite hallway and into his awe-striking studio. It had a gray concrete floor, exposed brick walls, and open ceilings, exposing the pipes and such. There was a fancy camera and lots of lights, facing a white background. On the other side of the room was a comfy-looking blue sofa and a foldable table with all sorts of sweets, fruits, and drinks. I wasn't surprised when Niall made a bee-line for the food. "Be careful Nialler, no food on your clothes," Jacob warned in a fatherly way. Niall nodded as he stuffed a mini red velvet cupcake into his mouth. I giggled and walked over to him.

"Having fun?" I asked from behind him, placing my hands on his shoulders. He nodded his head like a little child and grinned at me. I giggled again and popped a cupcake into my own mouth. It was delicious, moist and sugary, the way cupcakes should be. Harry went first, and I watched as he flashed the camera his million dollar smile. He struck a few other poses, and then it was Louis' turn. Niall took my hand and guided me over to the couch. Our relationship was kind of weird, I had noticed; we had just met like three days ago, yet I had already cried in front of him, seen him shirtless, developed feelings for him, smiled when he smiled, laughed when he laughed, frowned when he frowned, hell I even volunteered to use the stairs for him. He'd also seen me in my bra, and he held my hand a lot. I didn't mind any of these things of course (Well, minus him seeing me in my bra); it all just seemed to be way too good to be true. Almost... surreal. Like this was all a wonderful dream that I was bound to wake up from any minute now.

Niall sat down next to Liam, and I took a seat next to Niall on the end. Zayn was on the other end and Harry was on the arm of the couch. "So, you having fun yet Halez?" Zayn asked, resting his elbows on his knees.

"The cupcakes are good," I smiled, and Niall nodded in agreement.

"Oh god, he's getting to you..." Liam joked with a fake worried tone. Niall and I smiled deviously at each other, and I couldn't help but burst out in giggles, which made Niall chuckle. Liam and Zayn laughed too, but then Liam was called and Louis came back, taking Liam's seat. Harry was looking at Niall and me suspiciously, again. Yes Harry, I like Niall. Just get that through your head! It's not too hard to see! I yelled at him mentally. Louis looked at us knowingly.

"Niall, why do you always get to sit next to Haley?" he whined. Shut up I yelled at him through my eyes. He didn't wink, he kept his sad face on, but the look in his eyes was totally mocking me.

"Because," Niall replied, surprising me by placing my easily in his lap. "I claimed her." I blushed and giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck. Honestly, I wasn't very happy with my position; I hated being in peoples' laps, I felt like I was crushing them with my weight. Of course, I wasn't fat, but being a teenage girl I was very conscious of my weight.

"What's with you two?" Harry finally asked. It was clear how long he was wondering, and I guess he thought this was a good opportunity to ask. I blushed fiercely, but Jacob saved me.

"Niall, your turn!" he called. I practically sighed in relief, not sure how to respond to Harry's question. I was even more surprised when Niall stood up with me still in his arms.

"Put me down!" I ordered. "I hate being lifted!" I squealed, terrified at how heavy he probably was thinking I was.

"Yeah Niall, put your girlyfriend down," Jacob ordered playfully. I blushed and giggled nervously.

"She's not my girlfriend," Niall corrected, "She's my captive." I started cracking up at his excuse, I couldn't help it. I gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, am I?" I asked, grinning.

"Yes. Yes you are," he smiled down at me. Oh god he was gorgeous. My heart was speeding up again.

"Okay," I agreed.

"Fine, give your captive to Louis," Jacob instructed, making me giggle.

"No!" Niall protested, clutching me closer to his body.

"Yes!" Louis said, "SHE'S MINE!" I was just sitting there in Niall's arms, laughing like an idiot the whole time. Niall indignantly handed me over to Louis, who smirked playfully down at me as Niall walked over to the white background. I was about to stick my tongue out at him, but instead I just smiled at him. "Hello," he said creepily, smiling down at me pedophilically.

"Hi," I replied, being equally creepy. But I turned my head away from him to watch Niall take his pictures. And when I turned my head, I couldn't turn it back. He was so beautiful, the way his blonde hair swept up delicately to the left, his hypnotic blue eyes which swirled a completely own color of their own, and his irresistible smile. Everything about him was perfect; I would never change any of it.

"Someone's got a crush," Zayn teased. I felt my cheeks burst into flames and I flicked my head towards him. My heart stopped for a second. Shit, I really have to be less obvious.

"Who? You?" I shot back. "Aww, that's cute!" I forced a playful smile, hoping I could joke it off.

"I hope you know you're blushing like a cute little tomato," Liam said, smiling at me in a playfully teasing way, as if I were is little sister.

"A tomato?" I replied, replicating his accent. I really didn't want to talk about this. Plus Niall would be done with his pictures any second. What if he could hear us right now? I would literally die of embarrassment. But it wasn't just that. I was still uncomfortable with feeling this way again. It had been so long, and I'd only had feelings this strong once. No, that crush wasn't even this strong. And this was so sudden, like timidly approaching the coast at the beach, intending to dip your toes in but being swept away by a current. I was disoriented and didn't know what to do. He literally swept me off my feet. And I was terrified.

"Yes, a tomato. Which is red, like your face. And your face is red because we all know that you've taken a fancy to our little Nialler," Liam replied. I blushed even more, but I didn't deny it. I couldn't lie to them, and besides, they knew. It was obvious. But they didn't know how weird this was for me, how I had no idea how to deal with it. To them it was just another crush, which average teenage girls had plenty of. I was not average in that sense.

"He wouldn't like me anyways," I grumbled, glancing over at him. He was giving the camera a stupid expression, and his adorableness made me smile a sad smile. I sighed. But then I realized that the boys were... laughing. "Why are you laughing?" I asked, clueless.

"Do you see the way he looks at you?" Zayn asked. No, I guess I didn't. Well, kind of... But that was just this stupid little thing called hope, and it always let me down. So I tried my best to tell myself it was a hallucination.

"And the way he acts around you," Liam smiled. I looked up at Niall, not believing them. As if to back them up, he was already looking at me, and when I looked up at him he smiled and winked, making me smile and blush like crazy. I looked down at my lap as Niall struck a few more poses. "See? Did you see that? You saw that, you little tomato." I stuck my tongue out at him and smacked his thigh to silence him as Niall came back over.

"Oh hey Niall, we were just talking about-"

"Tomatoes." I cut Zayn off. Was he really about to tell Niall about my crush on him? Was it even a crush? What was it? It was the love I had for his company... Not him, I didn't love him. I liked him yes... Ugh, I was so confused. I couldn't even sort out my own thoughts and feelings.

"Yummy," Niall said absently, scooping me up in his arms again, stealing me from Louis' lap. The boys just smiled at us as I desperately wrapped my arms around Niall's neck for dear life. Well, Liam, Louis, and Zayn were smiling. Harry looked... uncertain, like he wasn't sure if he could get used to it or not. "Mine," Niall said to Louis jokingly.

"Okay," Louis agreed, smiling teasingly at me. "She's all yours." I rolled my eyes and went back to panicking.

"Niall, please put me down. I hate being lifted!" I said, trying not to squirm. He smiled at me.

"You didn't seem to mind a few nights ago," he replied teasingly. That seemed to get Harry's attention. Not like he was mad, just... I don't know, probably weirded out that his little cousin had a crush on one of his best mates and he'd carried her in the middle of the night.

"I was too tired to argue with you, plus it was dark, now please put me down," I replied, growing more and more conscious of the burden I was probably causing him. He just smiled at me some more.

"What happened the other night?" Harry interrogated curiously. Zayn groaned as Jacob called him over, probably upset that he was missing the story.

"Nothing," Niall and I smiled at the same time.

"Oh, of course. Nothing ever happens between you two!" Harry sarcastically replied, exasperatedly throwing his hands in the air. I giggled at his frustration at the lack of details he was getting. Niall had still refused to put me down. "Seriously, what's going on? Halez, I'm your cousin! And Niall, I'm one of your best mates, I think I deserve to know these things," he said, putting on a puppy dog face. Wow, well he was good at embarrassing me, wasn't he.

"Nothing's going on, Hazz," Niall assured him. "But she's still my captive." I giggled and Niall smiled at me again. Wow, we smiled at each other a lot. Well, I usually smile when I'm happy, and I'm usually happy around him, so I guess that made sense.

"Sure..." Harry muttered as Jacob called us over for a group shot. I was about to suggest that Niall put me down for about the fourth time, but he spoke before I could.

"Hey, could we get a few pictures with my captive?" Niall asked.

"Sure, why not a few?" Jacob agreed.

"What?" I asked incredulously as Niall carried me over to the white background. I really didn't like getting my picture taken, I always thought I looked bad. "I don't like getting my picture taken..." I admitted.

"Aww, c'mon Halez!" Zayn encouraged. "Do it for Niall!" Oh my god, that Bradford Bad Boi was going to die.

"Yeah, for me," Niall begged, staring into my eyes with those blue eyes that could get anything they wanted from me. I hesitantly agreed, defeated. Not that I even had a choice in the first place. "Yay!" he cheered, pulling me into the frame. I didn't like my smile in pictures, so when the camera snapped, I stuck my tongue out at Niall. When I did so, I saw that he was smiling at me. That was my weakness. I was smiling when the next photo was snapped. That was unfair!

"Okay, I'm done," I said, struggling as I attempted to squirm out of Niall's grip. I was probably getting really hard to hold by now, and I didn't want to break him.

"No, no, no, you agreed to 'a few'. A few is at least three," Louis insisted.

"Why do you enjoy torturing me?" I asked him. He just winked, and Jacob snapped one more picture where I just made the weirdest face I could muster. "Can you please out me down now?" I begged Niall, desperate to use my feet again. He smiled.

"Okay, be free my captive." I thanked him as he gently set me on the ground. I walked over to the royal blue couch and sat down, watching the boys do their thing. They all looked amazing, which was no surprise. When they were done, we all said goodbye to Jacob and thanked him. I started towards the stairs, but noticed Niall talking to Jacob. They were doing something on the computer, and then something came out of the printer. Something that looked orange and purple. Niall thanked him again, slipped the picture in his back pocket, and joined me at the stairs. "Race them again?" he asked with a smile.

"Well they already got a head start," I said. "What's that?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant. I really wasn't sure why exactly I was so curious.

"Oh nothing," he said, brushing off my question. "So did you have fun today?" he asked hopefully.

"Yeah, I did," I replied, smiling slightly as I recalled the events of the photo shoot. "Ya know, besides the being lifted, being forced to take a picture, and being held captive," I joked. I really didn't mind that last one, actually. He took a step closer, threatening to pick me up again. "Don't you dare!" I screamed, running down the stairs with Niall in tow. I burst through the door into the lobby giggling like a crazy girl as Niall caught me around the waist and spun me around a few times.

"You two..." Harry shook his head, heading out to the car. Niall let me down, but held my hand again as we exited the building.

"Parking lots are dangerous," he whispered, making me laugh. We took the same seats we sat in on the way there, but I was a bit fatigued this time. Niall sat with his legs stretched out, and I lay down, placing my head in his lap.

"Back home for dinner?" Liam asked. They boys cheered in agreement, especially Niall. (Even though he had stolen three more cupcakes before we left.)

"Whoo," I agreed softly, closing my eyes. Niall started stroking my hair in such a soothing way, that when it was mixed with the rumble of the car on the road, it lulled me to sleep as I napped with my head in Niall's lap.






A/N***

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Z.