Across the Hall

Chapter 14

     Waking up with the bed sheets cold was not exactly Niall's favorite way of waking up. Especially since the pillowcase to his right still held fading scents of mint and lavender, but sorely missing the warmth that usually accompanied them. Five days. Five days since he'd ruined everything, possibly for good this time. He hadn't yet told his mother, his brother, or anyone outside their little circle. He debated whether or not to even get out of bed; to hell with the day and its missing her even more. But his heart clenched, thinking about the times he'd spent with her, tangling legs while tangling tongues. 

     Pulling himself out of bed, Niall wandered into the kitchen, hoping a cup of coffee would steel his nerves for the day ahead. Forty eight hours was all he'd have to wait. And he decided, a long time ago, that he'd do whatever it took to get her back. What he wasn't prepared for yet, was Hurricane Annie already standing in the kitchen, spinning to face the on coming sound. Her brown eyes turned dark as they cast upon him, his heart sinking lower in his chest. 

     "Don't start, alright? I just want some coffee, and I'll go back in my room, and you won't have to look at me." Niall grumbled, not really wanting to pony up his anger during breakfast.

    "I wasn't going to yell, if that's what you're insinuating. I want us to talk." His heart told him to run; it was already bruised and couldn't take much more. His head told him to stay, and hear her out. If not for her, then for Whitney, who he promised to do anything for.

     "Alright. Let's go sit, yeah?" She nodded, letting him lead the way into the living room. Niall settled uneasily into the recliner, Annie tucking her feet underneath herself on the couch.

    "When did she call you?" Niall started quietly, picking at his cuticles.

     "She didn't. I called her. I had called Harry earlier in the night, and he sounded angry. I asked what was wrong, and he wouldn't tell me. After I hung up, I called her. I forgot she was already in Denton, but she knew what the problem was." 

    "I didn't mean it, Annie. I swear it. Liam had taken Harry out to get him to quit moping about you being gone. I woke up late and felt like hell. Everything hurt, I was tired, and this new medicine gives me like a perpetual hangover. I thought going outside would make me feel better. I saw the article, and it spooked me."

    "But why her?"

     "I'm getting to that." he eased, an awkward silence befell the room again, before Niall cleared his throat.

     "I couldn't dream that anyone would have told the paps that we were here. But, I thought, just maybe, she might have told someone at work. She's a music journalist for God's sake!"

    "So, lemme get this straight. Because you thought in some deluded medicated haze that she may have told one of her friends that you, Liam, and Harry were here, and that un named person might have sold you out, you decided to chew her out?"

     "I over reacted. I get that. But I just got so damned angry. I just knew it had to be someone close to us, and it pissed me off that here I was, gimped up, and might have to get ready to shove cameras out of my face again. I went too far with her, and I'll spend a million years making it up, but I need to try to fix it."

     "I'm still angry with you. I don't even know how she feels about you right now. If she decides to forgive you, I guess I'll have to learn to do the same. But it's gonna take me a long time to ever trust you fully again." Annie got up without even giving Niall a chance to retort, but he didn't really have any reply ready anyways. He just sat back in the chair, sighing deeply. He wasn't going to trust himself any time soon, either.

     Harry and Annie left that evening for a date night, both of them needing time away from the drama. After catching a broken down Niall in the kitchen the night before, Liam was much more at ease staying with the blonde. He was in the shower, Niall left to watch Charlie Brown alone on the telly. He thought about changing the channel, easing the pain of taking part in her favorite part of the holidays. But Niall knew, somewhere in his heart, that Whitney was in her hotel room, watching it too.

     "Damn. Harry must have turned his phone off. I was going to remind him it was his turn to take you to therapy in the morning."

    "No it's not. It's...oh. Right."

    "Niall. Relax, bub. Two more days. We'll fix this." Liam soothed, sitting next to Niall on the couch, hair damp, just in sweats, even in the middle of November.

     "Charlie Brown?"

     "It was on. And she likes it." Liam let it go at that, watching Niall out of the corner of his eye more than the vintage cartoon on the screen. The uneasy way he shifted on the couch, the way his eyes weren't focused on the screen. It killed him to see him like this, so unable to handle himself without her. If, no, when, they worked all this out, Liam would do anything in his power to make sure she came with them back over seas, to never have to see Niall's body language like that again.

     The evening progressed like that, an uncomfortable silence hovering in the room, the television the only sound over the central air and their breathing. Liam was almost positive Niall had fallen asleep beside him, except for the barely there blue eyes blinking slowly at the screen. He considered going to bed himself, but wanted to stay up as long as Niall was awake, not really trusting his judgements when he was tired and mopey. 

     Their silence was cut by Liam's phone ringing; a tune he hadn't heard in a while. He'd downloaded it just for them, the tune one of their favorite songs. Leaping at the phone, he locked eyes with Niall, who knew exactly who was calling when Green Day played.

    "Hello?" he answered hesitantly.

    "Love, you're gonna have to slow down. Breathe, and tell me that again."

    "Alright, alright. I'll be right there." He hung up the phone, running to grab a shirt and shoes.

    "WHAT'S THE MATTER?" Niall yelled, not happy with the sudden panic.

     "Whit's in the emergency room."