Across the Hall

Chapter 7

     Harry was sure he was carrying a zombie that next morning, trying to help Niall get ready for his doctor's appointment. First he had the nearly impossible task of waking the blonde up, who was curled quite contently around his girlfriend. Usually he'd be afraid to make a lot of noise, lest he wake the girl up, but after spending most of the day prior driving and working, it was safe to say Whit was dead to the world. Niall was less than excited about going to the doctor, knowing they'd be poking and prodding and making him move in ways he wasn't accepting of yet. He knew Glen pushed him during their therapy sessions, but only because Niall encouraged him to. If there was one thing Niall hated in the world, it would be sitting still. Even if he was being lazy and watching the telly, his feet would still be wiggling at least.

      Breakfast had gone by silently, Niall wishing he was back in his bed with his girl instead of in the passenger seat of their rented SUV. He thought back to the other day, remembering seeing the girls getting out of Annie's big truck, and just how many trucks he'd seen going up and down the road. Texas was so far from London, with its bright sunny days and puffy clouds, wide open areas and just a slower pace in general. The only part of that "slower pace" that Niall disliked was his knees taking their sweet time to heal. He was ready to be mobile, even if it meant a damned grandpa walker. He dreamt a lot last night about walking around downtown with Whitney, taking her out on proper dates instead of seemingly always eating in, not wanting to make room for his big clunky chair. Not that he hated all of it. Having time to just sit back and cuddle, watching her fall asleep and just be happy existing in his arms, made him the happiest man alive, whether he could currently walk or not.

     "So I see Nugget made it home early." Harry teased, the two of them in the waiting room to see the doctor, flipping mindlessly through the outdated magazines littering the coffee table.

     "Yeah. I didn't really like the idea of her driving late like that, but I can't lie. I liked waking up finding her there." Niall smiled, furrowing his brows when he caught Harry's cheeky smirk.

     "We haven't gone that far, Haz. Jesus, we've only been dating for three weeks. I've only known her for five."  Harry rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair.

     "You're so proper, Horan! Live a little!"

     "You're saying you and Annie have?" he retorted, cocking an eyebrow at his youngest band mate.

     "No. But you two have been dating longer."

     "A whole two days. Whoopee."

     "Still. Longer."

     "You're such a perv, Harry. I doubt it will be any time soon. There's not much fun to be had when you can pretty much only manage one position."

      "You really need to read more, Niall." Harry mused, Niall holding a hand up.

     "I'm so done with this conversation." Harry laughed loudly, too loudly for the confines of the empty waiting room, watching Niall trying to hide his flustered demeanor.

     "Niall? You ready?" The doctor called him back, luckily saving him from any more embarrassing conversations. But Harry still found a way to make the most of it, especially having Niall sitting on the exam table in just his shirt and boxers.

   "Shall I take a picture and send it to Whit? Tell her to appreciate the scenery?" Niall rolled his eyes, wondering if his best friend came with an off switch. It wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it; he was a man for Christ's sakes, but there was something in his gut that made him want to take things slow. He didn't want her to ever feel like he was just in it for the physical aspects of love. Niall would never talk about just how used he felt both times he and Amy ended whatever they called their little trysts. He didn't want to think about how he'd feel if that happened to him again, or worse, to her.