I Want to Believe In Me (AU Larry Stylinson and Ziall Horlik)

Chapter 17 x

Chapter 17

[Zayn’s POV]

I looked down at our intertwined hands and I felt joyous. He was holding my hand. He hadn’t let go the whole drive. It wasn’t awkward or anything at all. I felt as though they fit together perfectly like a puzzle piece. We had been driving along the coast for the past hour or so and Niall kept wincing a little.

“Are you o-okay?” I asked softly as I rubbed the back of his hand with my thumb.

Niall smiled and said, “Yeah I’m fine. My shoulder hurts a bit, but I’m okay.”

“Do you want me to drive?” I was concerned about Niall’s injury. He kept playing it off as though it wasn’t a big deal, but I had a feeling he was in a tremendous amount of pain. I don’t get why he didn’t just let me help him. I know he is supposed to be protecting me, but I just want to do the same for him.

“Nah, it’s fine. I just need to make sure we’re in a crowded place or something so if we tracked, then they won’t be motivated to spring into action.” Niall’s face was losing a little color, but it was his slight lack of color that gave me an idea.

“How about the beach?” I asked.

“Zayn, now is not the time for a swim,” Niall said with bland humor. I shuddered at the thought of actually going in the water. That was a faith equivalent to death itself.

“Um, no. I didn’t mean t-to go in. I rather meant to, you know, blend in and stuff,” I mumbled while looking out the passenger window. I didn’t want to face Niall’s face as he thought over my very stupid ideas. Sometimes I wonder why I even talk. I should probably stop. Yeah. Maybe I’ll just shut up until I get back to Louis.

“Zayn, that’s a brilliant idea!”

Niall’s chipper voice cut through my melancholy thoughts. Then again he was like a ray of sunshine, especially in my life. I felt him squeeze my hand a little tighter, but it wasn’t painful. All I felt was warmth and love. I looked over to see him smiling, but still focusing on the road.

“If we go to the beach,” Niall continued, “then we can hang there and follow the traffic to whichever major city they are headed to.”

“What about Louis and Harry though? What are we going to tell them because we haven’t really told them that Paul’s dead, and we’re being hunted by some girls who are a lot more dangerous than they sound because they really are even though they seem kind of ditzy I guess? Also there is the ginger which honestly I thought they were nice people but maybe it’s because we keep saying they don’t have souls. Oh my gosh.” I took a deep breath before I realized I was babbling nonsense. Niall must’ve noticed that I had realized this because he gave a hearty laugh that caused heat to rise up in my cheeks.

“Zayn relax, if anything we need to get to a safe place first because we’re being pursued. From what it sounds like, Harry and Louis are safe and their location is undetected. I’m actually shocked they found out where we were going,” Niall said.

“Oh,” I said simply. I slackened my grip on Niall’s hand slightly, hoping he wouldn’t notice, but he was too vigilant.

“Zayn, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I said with a smile. A fake plastered smile that got me through so many shoots after the incident. You’d think I’d be freaking out by going to the beach. It was mainly water. Sure there was sand too, but the water was the main factor and that was my biggest fear.

“Zayn,” Niall’s voice was softer and had slight edge of pain in it. “I feel like you’re lying to me.”

“Make a right here Niall,” I said simply reading the sign ahead. I felt Niall completely lose his grip on my hand and I put my hand back in my lap. I had messed things up once again. I don’t even know why I have this stupid fascination that Niall could even remotely like me. He was stunning, smart, and funny. There are so many more adjectives that can describe him, but sadly none of them would make up for the fact that I can’t measure up to him in any way. I probably never will.