The Runaway Bride (a Niall Horan fanfic)

Maybe

Chapter 6 - Maybe

**Ellie's point of view**

We were all loading the bags yet again to the van to head to Holmes Chapel, Harry's hometown. I was just about to lift my suitcase up to dump in the boot of the car when another pair of hands come from a different angle and grab my bag. I look up to see Niall putting my bag in for me.

"Can't have you carryin' heavy stuff, what with your injury and all, Haribo," he lightly jokes, jutting his chin towards my hand, thumb wrapped in a bandaid.

I felt my cheeks burn red at the memory.

"Th-thanks," I mumble in reply. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I was usually confident around men. And a simple touch or whatever from them has never had me so embarrassed. Sure I've never had a boyfriend, unable to settle with the thought, but I have dated a couple guys in the past. It was the first time I was finding myself so....affected.

"No problem," Niall replies and smiles at me. We've been in better terms at least since then.

"REE!" I hear someone yell, throwing an arm around my shoulders and pressing my side to his.

"Hey, Harry," I laugh lightly as he grinned down on me. Now Harry I was more comfortable with.

"You excited about Holmes Chapel? You've never been there, yeah?" he asks me as Niall just watches us.

"Nope, never," I reply.

"You'd love it!" He says to me with such enthusiasm.

"Oh?"

"She'd like Mullingar more," Niall butts in and Harry raises an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" He asks and Niall shrugs.

"It's our home," he simply replies and I feel my entire body freeze, my eyes wide. Did he know?!

Niall looks at me and takes my silence for confusion.

"Well you know, you're part irish right? I can tell by your off-ish accent. Any place in Ireland is home to the Irish," he explains and I felt my body relax a little.

"Uh yeah...I grew up in America, for a few years," I allow and Harry looks at me. "But Ireland is home."

"From when to when were you in America?" He asks me.

"Just a couple of years in my childhood-we traveled a lot in Europe after that," I lie. I couldn't say I left Ireland as a kid and came back a time back-specifics would give Niall a clue who I was.

"What do your parents do?" Niall asks me.

"You know, this and that," I reply vaguely again.

They were about to ask more when Zayn interrupts-bless him.

"Paul says we better hit the road! Got some time to catch!" He announces.

"The interrogation isn't over," Niall playfully tells me but I still dreaded the thought.

We file into the van and take off. As soon as we get in I force myself to sleep, closing off any opportunity for them to ask any more questions.

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"I'm starving," Niall whines to Paul in our final leg of the trip to Harry's hometown. This time I was awake.

"I could eat a cow," I agree.

"I could eat a horse," Niall replies.

"I could eat a dragon."

"A dragon?!" He laughs at my reply.