One More Night (Niall Horan)

Chapter Thirty-Four: Two Minds

Niall Horan

“We are the first at the scene of a robbery at the HSBC in London.” The woman tells me off BBC News. “Currently, we know that no shots have been fired and that there are an estimated number of 30 hostages, maybe more.”

The door to my bedroom opens, and surprisingly, Liam has burst into my room with fear in his eyes. I sit up from my lying position on the bed and he points to the TV, currently out of breath and I look from the TV to him and back again.

“I got a call from Danielle.” He informs me, barely telling me a thing, telling me why he burst into my bedroom uninvited, or why he looks so scared for his life. “She was at the bank with Lennox.” Again, I feel like he says too little, and I’m even more confused when he grabs my arm and pulls me to my feet, then moves towards the wardrobe, grabbing clothes here and there and throwing them at me, but I fail to catch them, they fall down by my feet. “Don’t just stand there! We need to go!”

Did he tell me what’s happening?

Am I even functioning anymore?

My gut feels like it’s going to drop out of my body, Liam tells me that she was hysterical and that I needed to get ready as quickly as possible. He told me not to worry, but I felt like that’s all I could do. No. I could either panic, or I could fall apart to the floor and never get back up again.

The love of my life was in a bank. A bank that was the centre of an armed robbery. She could die. And there’s nothing I can do to change that fact.

When I got there, it was easy enough to find Dani, who throws her arms around me, foil is wrapped around her body to account for her shock, and she shakes in my arms, but my eyes are watching for sudden movements at the bank. “What if they do something to her Niall. I could’ve been in there, s-she told me to go. I wish I was in there instead of her.” She continues to stutter in my arms, but I can’t stop watching the bank, even as I hear others mention my name, cameras begin to take pictures of me, and I know soon all of this will get out of hand. They’ll know she’s in there. That surely will do more harm than good.

I wish there was something I could do to protect her.

I try to shush Dani, sitting beside the ambulances that have already arrived, my eyes are so dry it hurts to blink, am I blinking? Or are my eyes forever staring at the bank?  I felt numb. Depressed.

In fact, there were no emotions. I couldn’t feel anything. I could get shot and not feel the pain knowing that she is in trouble because of me. She’s in there and I can’t do anything.

I don’t know what I will be able to do if Lennox doesn’t come out of that place alive and well.

What was the last thing I said to her? Did I criticise her? Was it an argument or a conversation of no consequence?

When was the last time I told her I loved her? Does she even know that I love her?

What if she dies never knowing that I love her enough to stand at an alter and marry her. I want to marry her.

That’s what I’ll do. If she gets out, I’ll marry her. Fuck taking it slow. We’ll get married.

“No one’s been shot they don’t think.” Liam tells us after getting the latest report from a police officer. The reporters are having to be sectioned off, the cameras are annoying me and I wish they never found out that One Direction were here, I wish they’d never find out that Lennox is in there. This is all their fault.

“HARRY!” We all jump at the scream, Tamia comes rushing forward through the reporters, and when we all see her get elbowed in the face, she stops her rush towards Harry, and turns to face them.