Crooked

the niall side won. [chapter twelve]

“What’s up with Niall?” I asked Liam casually. We were sitting in the hotel room, where Liam, Niall and Zayn were sharing one room and Harry, Louis and I in the other. There were two double beds, which meant that I got to have the bed to myself. Harry said he didn’t mind sharing, since he and Louis often slept together.

If only that boy knew what was running through my mind in that moment…

Liam frowned. “Not sure. I’m worried about him though, he hasn’t eaten a thing since we’ve come.”

Liam and I were currently watching one of those music video countdowns, where Nicki Minaj’s Super Bass had just begun to play. Harry and Louis were in the other room doing God knows what, Zayn was in the bathroom – no surprises there – and Niall was outside, calling his family back home.

I hummed in reply and focused my attention on Nicki Minaj, who was ready to rap the first few lines of her song. I knew the song well and just as I was about to sing along, Harry and Louis burst through the door of Liam’s room, wearing matching onesies. It was cute, to say the least.

“This one is for the boys in the boomer system!” Louis sang, standing in front of the TV with Harry as they swayed their hips to the beat. I couldn’t stop myself from bursting out into laughter; these two really knew how to ease the mood.

“Top down AC with the cooler system!” Harry sang next. He winked at me and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

“When he come up in the club he be blazing up, got stacks on deck like he saving up!” They both shouted at the same time, causing Zayn to open the bathroom door with his eyebrows raised as he watched his band-members act like complete idiots.

A part of me wanted to join them, the other part wanted to check on Niall and see if he was okay.

 

The Niall side won.

I quietly excused myself and let the boys rap the rest of the song, with Liam and Zayn joining in. Smiling fondly at the scene, I slipped outside where Niall was sitting against the wall; his shoulders slumped with a sad expression on his usually happy face.

“Niall?” I was surprised by how soft my voice came out. “What are you doing?”

He didn’t reply, but let out a loud sigh. I took this opportunity to sit down next to him, staring up at

him worriedly.

“You’re missing out a lot inside,” I told him. “Haz and Lou are dancing in their onesies to Nicki Minaj.”

The words seemed to perk him up, as he looked at me with a curious expression in his eyes. “Super bass?”

“The one and only,” I confirmed with a smile. Standing up, I offered Niall my hand and was grateful when he took it, sending a jolt of electricity down my arm. I didn’t understand the effect Niall had on me, but I shook the thought away from my mind and instead concentrated on the way his strikingly beautiful blue eyes pierced into my brain.