Meeting One Direction

Chapter 33

Previously:

I gasp and unconsciously take a step back. She's a completely different person. She's gotten skinnier, her cheekbones and collarbone definite under her v-neck. Her hair is greasy and poofy as if it hasn't been brushed in awhile. Her once smiling grey eyes now have purple bags. I search in my mind for a word that describes her and the only thing I can come up with is haunted. She is a haunted girl.

"Jewels." she whispers, shocked and some other emotion I can't place.

Nate:

"Would anyone care to tell me why the members of One..." I stop dead in my tracks, barely missing from running into Jewels.

"Indie." the breath whooshes out of me before I can say anything else. This is not the Indie I knew two weeks ago. This girl has lost the glimmer in those grey eyes, now replaced with fear and a haunted look. The way she looks, it like its been more than two weeks from her accident.

I take in the whole surrounding, noticing Carla holding her breath and 4 boys hanging around the kitchen. Zayn, Liam, Louis and Harry. There's a fifth one...

The silence is so loud and I don't know what to say. What could be said? Harry breaks the silence and walks to Indie, bending down to whisper in her ear. She seems to lean into him, as if it tired her to stand. Something is different between them.

I suddenly feel awkward, as if I'm intruding on a private moment so I look at the other boys. Liam looks calm, Zayn emotionless and Louis troubled.

"Where's Niall?" I ask, breaking the once again silence. Indie immediately looks up, her eyes sparkling at the mere mention of his name and then it's lost. She looks down and takes a deep breath.

"There's a lot to explain, come with me and we can talk in my room." her voice is papery thin, representing how haunted she is. She untangles herself from Harry and walks to the stairs. She looks back and I think I see a bit of the old Indie underneath. She gets this annoyed look and asks if we're coming.

Jewels suddenly spurs into action and walks across the kitchen and follows Indie up the stairs. I look around once more and nod to everyone then leave the empty, statue like room.

Indieana:

As Jewels follows me up the stairs I try to figure out what I can say. This upcoming conversation with the both of them has been in the back of mind for the last week and I haven't figured out what to say. We reach the top of the stairs and I hear a very quiet sniffle behind a door. Nate finally joins Jewels and I.

"You guys go to my room, I've gotta sort something out. Be there in 10 minutes." As they walk to my room, I walk towards the boys room and stop, listening to the quiet sob behind the door.

I give a tentative knock and slowly open the door, my heart beating loud enough for the whole state of Oklahoma to hear. As I finally see the person behind the door, I immediately feel my heart, once beating loudly, now breaking. This international Irish boy pop singer is crying his eyes out.

I walk towards the sobbing boy and lower myself in a criss-cross applesauce position directly in front of him. He lifts his head up and blinks back tears.
"Indieana? What are you doing here?" his voice catching over the words.

"Niall," I want to continue but my throat closes over and I'm plagued with images of Dan and I lose my voice. Niall continues to look at me except now he's stopped sobbing and his eyes are bright and alert.

The words jumble together in my head of what I could say so rather than try and figure out what to say, I stand up and look down and offer my hand. He looks shocked so I offer it again, a bit impatient now. I'm not gonna have the balls to do it again and I want this to happen so I want it to be quick.

Niall grabs my hand and I pull him up. We are now both standing and I look up at him. He looks as if he wants to say something but I raise a finger up and he shuts his mouth.

I suck in a deep breath and then, very gently, I raise my fingers up and lift them to his face. I trace his eyebrows all the way to his cheek. He closes his eyes and leans into my hand and looks comforted. I drop my hand and his eyes snap open.

"I'm so sorry." I stand on my tip toes and give him a peck on the lips, feeling the way his lips feel soft against mine and walk out the room.

(thanks for reading!short chapter, I know.)