Crooked

you idiot. [chapter twenty-three]

Niall was going on a date after the boys’ show tonight, which meant I had a few hours to tell Niall of my feelings. I also had to apologise to him, because I’d let him believe that I’d only wanted sexy time with him – which had been my original intention, but then I had fallen for him and all hell had broken loose inside my mind from there.

Unfortunately, I was told that some radio shows wanted the boys to call up individually and hold a few interviews, but some ran overtime and between having lunch and getting the boys to the O2 for their London show, I knew I wasn’t able to get Niall on his own until after the show. So until then, I had two options. One, to keep myself distracted and figure out what I was going to say to Niall before he went on his date, or two, find a way to ruin Niall’s date so he could return home and into my arms.

I was keen on the second option.

“I’m not sure why I’m being brought into this,” Angie grumbled as I tugged on her arm, pulling her behind a bush with me.

“Because I look less weird if I bring an accomplice with me,” I explained. “And besides, following me around on my wacky plans is much more fun than doing whatever you planned on doing. Studying, was it?”

Angie sighed. “Unfortunately, you have a point.”

Niall was taking that stupid bitch model to a restaurant – that much I had found out from Paul. As part of my assistant duties, I made it my duty to find out which restaurant that was, and I also made it my duty to make sure Niall wasn’t going to make himself seen and be part of a media spectacle.

Actually, that was the excuse I told Paul and the boys, but I think they all knew what my real intentions were. I think they were trying to spare my dignity, which I had to give them credit for. I knew that Liam would have fought hard to keep the boys in check.

“Well-”

“Shh,” I hissed, smacking my hand over her mouth as I nodded in the direction of Niall and the model. They were walking out of the restaurant, hands not held (yes!) but they were walking very closely together. Surprisingly, there was no media or paparazzi in sight. The model was laughing at something Niall said, and Niall was grinning along with her. I pouted, wishing that Niall could give me that sort of smile to me.

“Is there a point to this stalking?” Angie muttered.

“Shh!” I elbowed her in the ribs, and she fell out of the bush with a loud thwack. Almost immediately, Niall stopped walking and began to spin his head around for the noise. My eyes widened and I yanked Angie back into the bush with me, the both of us holding each other tightly, daring not to even breathe in the fear that Niall would find us.

Fortunately, Niall seemed to think that he hadn’t heard a thing and kept walking with the model.

“Let’s go.” I grabbed Angie’s hand and carefully pried ourselves out of the bushes, making sure to hide behind a nearby wall so Niall couldn’t see nor hear us. “This date is going too well. I don’t like it.”

Angie raised an eyebrow at me. “And what do you suggest we do?”

I bit my lip in thought, wondering how the hell I was able to ruin their date in a subtle way that Niall wouldn’t suspect me in it. Looking around, there was nothing available to throw at the date, but I did have my phone on me, so…

“Cassie,” Angie said curiously as I took my phone out of my pocket and began to dial Niall’s number. “What are you doing?”

“You’re going to find a way to distract Niall so I can talk to the model,” I whispered. “Make something up, say his car’s on fire or something.”