Tangled

Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

"There was this one time," Niall laughed, shutting his eyes in the adorable manner that he did as he thought back to the memory. "We had finished our show in Sussex, and this girl, God knows how, followed us all the way around back and tore the sleeve of Harry's shirt when Paul tried pulling her away. Poor lad, it was his favourite shirt, too."

Tatum let out a hoot of amusement, blindly falling into Niall's side as they walked along the dirt road leading to the carnival. As their bodies made contact, the blonde haired boy tensed and the girl bit her lip from saying something stupid. It was awkward moments like these that she wished she could stay away from. However, they had a slight tendency to follow her wherever she went. Even when she was trying to have a fun conversation with a boy she could not help but smile around.

"So, uh, do you want to go on the Ferris Wheel?" Niall finally choked out, not glancing at Tatum who had taken two steps away from the boy so now there was an noticeable distance between them.

Just as Tatum was about to nod, a booming voice alerted her senses. She turned her attention to the Ring Toss, her eyes immediately lighting up as she took in the stuffed lion. It smiled back at her happily, making her force Niall in the direction of the game instead. She had no idea what had gotten into her, but all she really knew was that she needed that lion.

"How much?" Niall asked the man standing tall on the footstool, his mouth attached to a microphone.

"Two dollars for five rings and five dollars for fifteen rings!" The man hollered, even though the two friends were not that far from him. "Want to give it a go, mate?"

"Yeah, yeah," Niall nodded, fishing out money from his pocket.

Tatum offered to pay, but he told her it was no big deal. On the inside, he was hoping he could win that stuffed animal for her. Maybe it would get her to open up a little bit. Handing the man the money, Niall was given five rings to toss onto the glass bottles. The first time, it hit the edge of one of the bottles, causing the plastic ring to fall to the ground. The same thing happened the second, then third, then fourth and eventually the fifth time till the poor boy had nothing left. He was just about to pull out some more coins to pay for another round, when Tatum had figured it was enough. The ring toss had always been a pain in the arse and she had no idea what had gotten into her when she asked to play the game, for a measly plush lion, too. It was not worth Niall's frustration.

At first, he didn't budge from his spot, demanding to play another round. But as soon as Tatum slipped her hand in his and lightly dragged him away from the booth, his heart settled a little. Although he was still furious on the inside, the spark that flew through his body the moment their hands touched, caused him to go weak and speechless. The girl led him in the direction of the Ferris Wheel, finally, squeezing his hand in assurance that it was alright.

"Stop beating yourself up over it, Niall," she told him calmly. "You know it's just one of those money-making schemes. That stuffed lion wasn't so special, anyways."

He nodded faintly and stood in line with Tatum till they were called up to their spot on the wheel. It arrived faster than he had thought. The two of them took their seats and waited till the wheel began to rotate. It travelled about a horizontal axis as the riders were lifted and then lowered. The ride was silent at first, as neither soul knew exactly the right words to say. What would they talk about? What did each want to know about the other?

"Did you ever want to do something other than sing?" Tatum wondered, looking at the blonde haired boy who was fiddling with his fingers. "Like, before you went on the X Factor. Was there anything other than music that you wanted to pursue?"

Niall shook his head. "No, I don't reckon so, really. I always had a dream to sing, write lyrics, make an album, sell out arenas and just be happy, ya know?"

Tatum chuckled. "You sound exactly like Elliot, right now."

Niall looked at her. "You and him close?"

She shrugged. "As close as a brother and sister, really. He's always been one of the greatest friends I've ever had."

"He cares about you."

Tatum pushed a stray hair away from her face. "Not in the sense that you're thinking, though. I think that if I was to like someone, someday, it would be out of the blue. Completely random and exciting."

The seventeen year old had no clue why she was telling him all this. Her personal life, especially the part that consisted of relationships, was something she rarely ever talked about. But with Niall, there was just something honest about him. He actually listened when she talked, really listened. And really, at the end of the day, that's all a girl ever needs. Someone to care enough to listen, even if she's talking a whole bunch of bull.

Suddenly, a new confidence rose in her chest, forcing Tatum to ask a question she hadn't even reflected on. "Have you ever thought about falling in love, Niall?

He was taken aback by her inquisition, a soft blush climbing his neck. "S-Sometimes. I'm waiting for the right girl to come around."

Tatum's curls fell on her face as she prodded further. "What's she like?"

Niall thought about it for a moment, thinking back to the time he and the lads were talking about what they fancied most in a girl. "She's got pretty eyes, a pretty smile and she laughs at my jokes."

Tatum glanced back up at him, opening her mouth to say something just as the wheel reached the ground and the two were made to get off their seats to let the other riders through. Niall planted his sunglasses on his face and tried his best to make it out of the exit gate as unnoticeable as possible. Thankfully, no one took longer than a second glance at him.

Niall and Tatum journeyed around the carnival for about another hour or so before they decided to call it a day. Both had had the best time and couldn't help but smile all the way back to Tatum's house. They talked about their friends, their likes and dislikes, OSG's upcoming gigs and even a little about Niall's family. Tatum wanted desperately to tell him about herself, more than what she was sugar-coating. But she had been let down too many times in her life to trust anyone to that extent yet.

Niall Horan was something special, that much was obvious. But he was also new territory. Tatum hadn't had much luck with lads in the past and the fact that she was beginning to fall for the Irish member of One Direction made her insides a bit queasy. He probably didn't feel the same way and besides, there was only a week and a half left to go before the boys would be gone from Australia. What would Tatum do then? Life's had a bit of a habit to mess the blissful things up for her. It was best not to let something happen, so that it didn't get the chance to crumble.