Innocence Taken

Chapter Three

Thump! Thump! Thump! Faint memories of the night before filled Ella's groggy mind. She wondered whether the noise was her head pounding from the killer headache or if it was the front door. "Anybody at home in there?" A familiar Irish accent fills Ella's ears. She shoots up and stumbles over a few things before she makes it to the door. Swinging it open Ella's mouth falls, there he stands. Tall, lightly tan, dark brown hair, the cutest little stubble on his chin and the most beautiful blue eyes anyone could ever have. "What the fuck?" Ella says stunned. "Woooow flew miles and miles to see yer best friend and tis is the kinda tanks I get." The Irish lad jokes. Practically knocking Niall down, Ella threw her arms around him tightly. Niall holds her close, rubbing her back in the most comforting way he possibly could. After what felt like an hour, Ella finally brings Niall inside and they sit on the couch. Neither of them say a word for a while until Ella's small voice breaks the silence. "What did I say to you on the phone last night?" She asks completely embarrassed with herself. "Well, you confessed yer love for me.." Niall says slowly, watching every move El made. Instant laughter filled the room as Niall sees the look he gets. "I'm just joking. You only said me name and then you passed out." He corrects himself with a chuckle.

Hours of laughter and crazy conversations later and a few trips outside with Bug, Ella plugs in her dead phone to charge it up. "So how long are you in for?" Ella asks Niall from the kitchen as she pours two glasses of tea, carefully bringing them back to the living room. "Well, I tink I might stay awhile. Y'know if me best friend needs me again I'll be right here." Niall says in a teasing yet very serious tone. Ella was a little thrown back by his forwardness. "You came all the way here for me?" She manages to ask quietly. The sweet brunette only nods with the biggest smile on his face. Sitting in silence for a minute or two Ella was Pulled from her thoughts as she hears her phone going off like crazy. "I should've left the stupid thing off charge." Ella grumbles and picks her phone up. Ten missed calls and twenty text messages all from her boss and a girl she works with. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" She says frantically calling her boss back. Niall watching in confusion leans back against the couch, patting the small corgi next to him on the head. Ella had made her way back to her room to talk privately with her boss on the phone, but Niall could still hear Ella's end of the conversation, which to him didn't sound good at all. Once the girl had returned to the living room, her head was hanging and she looked like she had just been given the worst news in the world. "They fired me." Ella says softly. "They fucking fired me. My dumbass forgot about having to work a double shift today because I decided to get fucking wasted!" The more she spoke the angrier she sounded, and within seconds of her last words she threw her phone at the wall causing a loud crack. Niall jumped up and went over to her. "Hey it'll be okay. I know it feels like everything is going against you right now, but I promise it will be okay." He says softly as he rests his hands on Ella's shoulders, rubbing the sides of her arms slowly and gently. "No! It won't be okay Niall!" She practically yelled at him. "I'm not like you. I don't have money saved up. I don't own my own business. I'm not a CEO. I'm not fucking loaded Niall! I could barely make it from week to week with the money that I did make!" Ella yells. She was very petite, but when she was angry everyone knew. She had a temper like no other. Niall only stood there and let her get it out. He knew how to handle her and her temper. He knew she didn't mean to be hurtful, but she just needed something or someone to yell at and right now that just so happened to be her very handsome, very rich, yet very humble best friend. Once she realized what she said and how angry she had sounded, Ella immediately started apologizing almost on the verge of crying. "Love, it's okay. It may not seem like it, but I know how you feel. It's a shite feeling, but I'm here for ya and I always will be. I won't let anything bad happen to you." Niall says in a calm voice as he pulls El in for a tight hug.

A few Moments of silence later, Niall speaks up again, still holding the small girl in his arms. "Come live with me." He says. Ella pulls away instantly, frowning up at him. "I don't wa-" She begins, but Niall cuts her off. "It's not charity, so don't even say that shit. I'll help you get a job and make sure you don't end up homeless all in the same process." He says sternly. "Besides I need a secretary and if you make it through the interview maybe I'll hire you." Niall chuckles, looking down at the still frowning Ella. Her face softens and she laughs slightly. "Do I have time to think about it or is this a spur of the moment just say fuck it and do it thing?" Ella asks. "I think you know the answer to that." Niall grins and takes his phone from his pocket, googling the number for a uHaul. Before Ella could even object, he was dialing and renting a truck to help her move. She sat down again completely in a haze. That all just happened so fast, what was she going to tell her mother? Or better yet how was she going to tell her mother she was moving to Alabama with her childhood best friend hours and hours away? What about Shane and Ryland? All these thoughts were suddenly making her feel anxious and sad, but she knew at least one good thing would come out of this, she wouldn't have to deal with the creepy incidents that had been happening to her recently. Everything was going to turn out just fine.

Or maybe it won't.