Dear Diary

t h i r t y - o n e

I laid in bed, the blankets wrapped tightly around myself, my head resting on three pillows. I had been like that for three days now, only getting up to take a drink, get some food; you know, stuff that like.

The only thing in the news about Ari was that she had been found, and was being moved to a safer location as soon as possible.

They reporter had mentioned me briefly, and then went on to exaggerate the fight between Geoff and Ari. They showed pictures of him, with his black eye and split lip. Honestly, I think he deserved it, even though that's a horrible thing to say.

I sat up, unrolling myself from the blanket protection. It was getting hot, but I kept my sweater on. I walked out into the kitchen, pouring myself some water and getting some fruit to eat.

As I poured myself a second glass, I heard something from outside. Frowning, I pushed the curtain aside slightly and caught a glimpse of my yard.

It was filled with people.

I quickly jerked my head away, but judging from the increase of noise, I hadn't been quick or sneaky enough.

How did they get here? How did they find out where I live?

I took deep breaths. Did my address leak or something? Who would've leaked it? It didn't make any sense; no one knew my address.

Yet, here they were: fans. The last place I wanted them to be.

Rapid knocking came at my door. I ignored it, thankful that my door was locked. The knocking didn't go away, however, and I pressed my hands firmly over my ears.

Go away, go away, go away!

The knocking only got worse, and I ran to my room and buried myself under the blankets, knowing but hating what I had to do next.

•~•

"This is a nice place you have," the realtor remarked. I think her was Holly. Not sure.

"How much do you think it's worth?"

I wanted to move as soon as possible.

Holly said something, and I nodded absentmindedly, pretending that I heard her. My thoughts were somewhere else.

"How soon can I be out of here?" I asked.

"As soon as you find a new house," Holly answered, "although most people wait until they've actually sold their house to move in to a new one."

I'm not like most people.

"I'd like to move in as quickly as possible."

"Well, then I'd suggest you start looking now." She smiled, trying to be funny. It didn't work.

I faked a smile anyway, trying to be polite, and then began searching for a house online. Within a few minutes, I actually found one I really liked, and Holly began working on getting a time for me to go through. I heard her say, "But, sir, this is Niall Horan we're talking about!" and then, a few minutes later, she came out and said that I could go through right now.

I printed directions to get to the house and got in my car. Once I arrived, I looked up at the house.

It wasn't big, but it wasn't tiny either. The outside was made of brick, and there was a big window out front. It was two stories, with an attached garage at the side.

When Holly arrived, we entered to house and began to look through it. There were two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen and living room were a nice size as well, and so was the basement.

The house was set far from the road, and trees surrounded the perimeter. There was a barely noticeable path leading to a park that almost no one visited. Overall, it was really nice, and exactly what I wanted.

A few days after I went through the house, I filled out paperwork and bought the house. A couple days after that, I hired some movers, and then I was all moved in.

I had been living there for a week, and I was as happy as I could be in my situation, except for one thing: Ari. If she was ever let out of the hospital, she wouldn't know where I lived. It was almost as if moving meant that I had accepted the fact that I'd never see Ari again.

That was something that was not okay.