Dread -n.h.

seven

(Niall's POV)

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry!" the girl said. 

"No, pardon me, darling." I replied. Her mask was intricate and her dress was eye-catching. She held eye contact with me for only a split second before ducking her head and disappearing. So another demon had joined me at my house party. Not unusual as my entire family was one.

Although something about her left her on my mind even after I talked to Liam and the guys. Liam had said something about a new love interest, so maybe that was her. Lucky guy. 

Even as I mingled with all my party guests and discussed extensive politics, the girl left someone important on my mind. 

Tristan, her name felt painful on my brain. Her memory burned. I wondered where she was, what she was doing. 

I can't believe I had to leave her like I did. I couldn't have helped her, and there were things I had to do, for both of us. I didn't leave her entirely helpless. 

Who am I kidding, I did. I felt tears well in my eyes and I wanted to forget about her but I couldn't. But I had to ignore it, at least until the party died down.

I was greeted more times than I could count, and congratulated even more times than that. Nothing could change how I was feeling though. Every second I was dropping lower and lower thinking about Tristan. I don't think I could see her again. 

Zayn came up to me and I couldn't have been happier to see a friendly face. The rest of the guys followed. 

"Aye, mate, we gotta be heading out here soon. The ball was amazing, the food was incredible."

"Thanks Zayn, but have one last drink with me before you go? You guys can spend the night if you need, we have too many guest rooms." I offered. Some laughed and followed me to the drinks while others, including Zayn and his plus one and Louis and his date, left for the night. 

Harry, Liam, and their dates followed as I led them into my library study room with the special bar. It was a special occasion. The guys were blown away by the luxury and their dates were equally as excited. Liam's date I had yet to meet and she was extremely quite. I hadn't even gotten a good look at her. 

After pouring my finest whiskey for each guest we made a toast to lifelong friendships. 

These guys have been with me through anything. 

I panned the group and my eyes landed on Liam's date. I remembered we had not officially met yet. Liam must have noticed because he pushed her forward slightly. 

"Niall! Bud, this is my date, Taylor. You missed her earlier." he said. She stuck her hand forward to me. I took her hand to shake it and my eyes fell on her. 

She was slightly petite, and her hair was put up into a wonderful bun. Her heels gave her some height but not much. I was caught on her eyes, they looked so loving. 

"Nice to meet you, Niall."

"Have we met before?" I asked. She seemed so familiar. Harry scoffed. I shrugged at him and turned back to Taylor. My drink was pushing my buzz just enough and she and I were still shaking hands. She pulled away and looked at Liam who had an uncomfortable look on his face. We all toasted again and finished our drinks. 

"Niall, I think we are going to turn in."

"Us too, it's getting late." Both couples who had joined me were now calling it a night, and I knew my help was still cleaning the palace. I wasn't tired yet either. 

"Sure, somebody will show you your room and you are welcome to stay as late as you need tomorrow. Breakfast is always served at 8 but you can request a meal at any time during the day. Let me know if you need anything else." 

They all thanked me and before I knew it I was once again alone in my study, with my thoughts. 

Who knew a girl could plague your mind like Tristan was on mine. I had not gotten to even get over her in the last month. The words I had to read, they echoed in my mind whenever I wondered if she was okay. I hoped she was, I wished there was something I could do for her. 

Another drink in my hand, I stood facing the fire place. When I heard the door creak open and shut again, I wasn't very bothered. I was sure one of the help had come in to let me know the house was cleaned and everyone was in their rooms. 

"It was nice to see you, Niall."

The voice that echoed through my study broke the silence. I spun around slowly to verify who I thought it was. A small figure stood in the shadows beside the door. 

"It has been quite a while hasn't it."

She stepped forward slowly, revealing her feet, then her black gown, then her delicate and intricate mask. 

"How was the party for you, Taylor?" I said stepping towards her slowly, closing the space between us. "Or should I call you by your real name?" I asked, less than a foot apart. She stiffened as I reached for her mask. 

Pulling away the mask caused everything to rush back. Her eyes gored my heart, and my breath got stuck in my chest. 

"Tristan."

"Niall." We stared at each other for a moment before she reached out to grab my hand. Her skin burned me. It was so soft, more so than I remember, and her eyes looked into my soul. 

"I don't know what to say." words stumbled out of my mouth.

"You could start with an explanation. You abandoned me." her words were cold in such a warm room.

"I am sorry," nerves began to rise as I realized I had family in nearby rooms, "we need to move somewhere more private." I pulled her hand through the hallways and into my room. I hurried and shut the door. 

"Niall, please."

"Tristan, if I could have stayed, if I could have helped and avoided this whole thing, I would have." I said. She shook her head at me. 

"The hell you would have! How could you just dump me in this place, in this state? I thought what we had was real! It obviously was not, you wouldn't have left me to die."

"Tris, I had no choice! I would have been banished by my own family! I couldn't have taken care of you that way either. I was forced to say those things on television, I never meant them."

"How could you just say that about me? I was broken. I...I still am." she turned away. 

"Please, I had no choice. I want you more than you could ever imagine." I said. She whipped around. 

"I don't want you, I want something real. Liam and I are for real. You hurt me so badly. You see what I did to myself for you! And you left me." Tristan was becoming extremely agitated. 

"You have to be kidding me. You are just using him to get back to me." I couldn't believe her. Not after I loved her so much. 

"He treats me right, he cares for me." she sounded upset yet would still not face me. 

"I cared for you more than you could ever imagine, I still care for you. You are the Tristan I was falling in love with." I walked around so she was facing me. In that moment I got to see her eyes drop into a dark abyss. 

"You...do not know me. I am not Tristan anymore." she whispered. My heart sunk into my stomach as she spun away from me and left the room. Her presence lingered in the room for a minute before I realized the girl I had loved was just within grasp, and I let her go.

She was right, she was not the Tristan I first met. She wasn't scared anymore. She was strong and I realized from her visit that I was actually in love with her. I couldn't go on without her.