The Runner (Niall Horan Fanfiction)

Chapter 2-We Are Young

They emerged from the train together, suitcases trailing behind them, midday summer sun shocking their eyes. Niall blinked furiously for a minute. “Nice day.” He said stupidly, causing himself to blush bright pink. Kaylie laughed at him as they left the platform, heading out into the city. “Shutup! So, what now? We find a hotel?” He asked, stopping and leaning against a pillar with a map of Paris on it. “I know there’s a few around here.” He pointed at a spot on the map. “Do you know any?” He asked. “Yep.” Kaylie nodded and set off again. “Wait!” Niall hurried to catch up with her. “Where are we going?” He asked. “You’ll know soon enough.” She responded, looking for the entrance to the Underground.

“Please tell me!” Niall whined for the fifth time. “For all I know, you could be some kind of serial killer luring me away so you can kill me easier!” He laughed. “I could say the same thing!” Kaylie reasoned. “Touché my friend. Touché.” Came his response. The train rattled to a stop and more people got out. “I swear we must be practically outside of Paris now!” Niall exclaimed as they began moving again. “We get off next stop.” She told him, attempting to pull her suitcase down from the luggage racks. “Here, I got it.” He stood and pulled both of their suitcases down, moving towards the door as the train rolled to a stop once again.

The sun was setting as Niall and Kaylie stopped outside a hotel. “How did you even know about this place?” Niall asked, looking around. They were in a bright little village on the outskirts of Paris, which was bustling with life. “My parents told me about it, they came here once.”Kaylie replied, already on her way in. “Are you coming or are you gonna stand there all night?” She asked, causing Niall to jump and hurry up the steps to join her. The lobby of the hotel was elegantly decorated, a small chandelier lighting up the room,  soft red couches artfully placed around the room, and a small fountain built into the far wall. “Woah...” Kaylie’s voice was soft and Niall grinned down at her. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” He grinned, leaving her to her thoughts and heading over to the reception desk.

Kaylie watched Carter head over to the Manager, smiling. She turned her back on him and found a seat on one of the many couches scattered throughout the room. Looking back over at him, she smiled to herself. Leaving England was easily one of the best decisions she had made in her life, she was away from the horrors of her past life, and she had a hilarious, hyper-active travel partner to keep her mind off of things. Back home she’d had to deal with an abusive father, bullying and her mother’s death being blamed on her, every waking hour of her life. But that was behind her now, and she was starting fresh, in a beautiful country. What could go wrong?

Niall looked over at Kaylie, waiting for the receptionist to give him his keys. He no longer regretted leaving London, he knew the boys were better off without him, but he didn’t know how he’d had such luck bumping into Kaylie like he had, she was always so bright and happy.  He grinned, thanking the receptionist for the keys and headed back over to where Kaylie sat.

Their room was just as pretty as the lobby, and had separate rooms for each of their beds. Niall threw his suitcase into his room and walked out into the lounge area. “Kaylie?” He called out, wondering where she was. He heard the shower turn on and laughed to himself. “Typical.” He muttered and walked back into his room. He changed into a plain white top and some black jeans, then went back into the lounge. He turned on the tv, flickingtrhrought the channels until he found Cartoon Network, which was, thankfully, airing in English. He lay across the couch, watching until Kaylie emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed but with her hair in a towel. “We should probably go get something to eat soon, yeah?” He asked, sitting up. “Yeah, there’s bound to be somewhere we can eat around here.” She sat, sitting down next to him on the couch. “The Amazing Adventures of Gumball.” He laughed. “This is like, the only channel that’s in English!” He defended himself, grinning sheepishly. Kaylie just laughed and leaned back into the couch, focusing her attention on the cartoons.