Teach Me

Chapter 16 - Emotions

"Liz! Please stop!" Niall shouted after me, but I kept running. I heard him running after me, and I knew there was only a question about time before he would catch up with me. I had gotten a quick start, but in the long run he was faster than me. I didn't even know where I was running. I would run to the house, but I didn't notice in time that the house was the other way. I would have to pass him to get to the house, and there was no way he was letting me run away from him again.

I turned the corner and could hear his feet against the asphalt behind me so I ran into the first alley I passed in the hope that he didn't see me as I crouched down behind a dumpster. I listened closely and without noticing it I held my breath. I could hear Niall's footsteps slow down and then disappear.

I wasn't sure whether he had continued or if he had stopped at the entrance to the alley, so I didn't move. I sat there listening for any signs of him still being there. I was scared, but I wasn't scared of him. I was scare of the way he was making me feel. I had been feeling so good since I got here. Every time I met his gaze, every time he was near me, even though he didn't mean to. Just everything he did made me feel so good. And now suddenly I was terrified of the way I was feeling. How could a boy mean this much to me, when he didn't even like me?

"Oh my God, what have I done?!" I heard him mutter and that was my sign. I had to be quiet, if only he continued walking, then I could get back to the house without him noticing. But he didn't continue walking, he just walked back and forth in the entrance of the alley and I could see him every now and then when he didn't disappear behind the dumpster.

Niall suddenly stopped, in plain view; I could see him clearly, the streetlight shone on him as he pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket. I shivered as a puff hit me and tried to get as small as possible so that if he looked my way he wouldn't see me. The alley was dark, the streetlights only lit up the streets, so I hoped that he wouldn't see me.

I looked as he dialled a number and then put the phone to his ear. Who was he calling? Louis maybe, or one of the boys. What would they say? I ruined everyone's night, I ran away from Niall. Never before had I really experienced drama, and it scared me. Was this what I could be looking forward to if I ever fell for someone again? Was this-

My train of thoughts ended quickly as the first accords of More than this came flooding out of my pockets. My gaze had fallen from Niall to my pocket, and by the time it returned to him his phone wasn't by his ear anymore and his gaze was on me.

The look on his face was a mix of several emotions, some of which I couldn't place. He looked hurt, but relieved. Happy, but sad. Was it my fault? Was I the one who caused that? Niall ended the call and my phone went silent.

"Liz, please don't run." Niall said softly walking towards me slowly as if I would get up and start running if he was too loud or too fast. "You don't have to talk to me, or tell me anything. Just please, let me take you home."

"Why do you even care?" I asked, but it came out a lot harsher that I had intended and he stopped. He didn't say anything, didn't move, he just looked at me. I couldn't take it anymore and I moved my gaze away from him looking into the darkness of the alley. "I'm sorry." I said, but it came out more like a whisper.

"I care... because I'm your friend." Niall said after a little while and stepped closer. He squat down in front of me and took my hand in his. "Please Liz, you must be freezing." My gaze went up to his again, I wasn't crying anymore, but my cheeks were wet. He knew I had been crying because of him, but he didn't know why. My eyes flickered to his lips, I wondered if I'll ever get to feel someone's lips on mine. Not only someone's, but the lips of someone who loves me just as much as I love them. Who loves me just as much as I love Niall.