Catch me if you can [NARRY AU]

Chapter thirty-four

Zayn was lying. I knew it. I just knew it. Niall said he loved me. He said his past caught up on him. He said it wasn't safe. He said I was in danger. He said all those things, and I believed him. Because he spoke the truth, right? Or was it Zayn? Everyone with one sane bone in his or her body should say Zayn spoke the truth. But I knew it was Niall who was right. He had to be. He had to be right about this. And he was. He just was. Because who knew Niall's past better than Niall himself? No one.

The room started to spin and shrink and I knew that if someone didn't speak soon, I would faint. I couldn't find any words to say, let alone the right ones. What even were the right words to say in this situation anyway? I didn't know. All I knew that someone was lying, and I wouldn't believe it was Niall. I couldn't. He loved me. Right?

"What the fuck are you talking about?!" I heard Louis' obnoxious voice cutting like a knife through the tensed air filling the living room. It was toxic, and the only way to get rid of it was for Zayn to open his mouth and let the truth clear the air. I could almost see it, like dust in a ray of sunshine, and I wasn't sure if I was scared or not. I probably was.

Liam was still standing in front of Zayn, who studied his face carefully, before leading him to the couch to sit down. I went to sit down too, and I hoped Louis was sitting down also, the whole standing thing making me nervous somehow. He looked at me with a pained expression and sat down slowly. I let out a breath and looked at Zayn, hoping he would finally tell us, well, at least something than these vague riddles.

He let out a sigh and I could see he was tense, but I guess we all were. He looked at Liam again, who still had a pleading look on his face, and I was sure I did too. I guessed Liam needed to hear the confirmation of Zayn that he really loved him, as I wanted to know if Niall actually loved me. At this point, I wasn't so sure anymore.

"Okay, before I let the bomb drop, I want to clear a few things up." Zayn said, and turned his whole body to Liam, who was about to cry. I ached for him, hoping that after whatever Zayn had to say, he would feel a bit better.

"Liam, love, first of all, you need to know that I love you. I don't care if you believe it right now or not, you just need to accept that I do. And what I am about to say, I never told you, but that isn't because I don't trust you, or don't love you, or whatever. I want you to know that. And I hope that after what I'm about to tell you, you still love me." He looked at Liam expectantly, but Liam didn't say a thing. For a minute, I thought he went into shock, but when I saw him lightly nod, which you could only see if you looked at him closely, I knew he had heard Zayn.

Zayn then turned around to face me, and I realised that this was the moment where I came to know all about Niall. This was the moment that could answer all my questions that kept me up at night. And I felt nervous. So nervous. But I needed to know.

"Alright. I don't know where to start-" Zayn began but was immediately cut of by Louis.

"Well at the begin would be good." I couldn't stop but scowl at him, but his gaze was focussed on Zayn, so he couldn't see. Zayn looked at me and I nodded my head, silently saying he could continue.

"Well, when I was fifteen, I was part of a gang. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, and soon came in touch with the police and stuff. I was young and bored, I often got kicked out of the house to go 'play', because my mum needed to take care of my sisters," Zayn said, using airquotes when he said play. Louis rolled his eyes again, and I gave him a nudge with my elbow. Zayn picked up his story.