Chapter Song: Where Do Broken Hearts Go - One Direction
Saturday, October 19
Harry blinks awake blearily wondering if last night had all been a dream. When he rolls over and spots Niall asleep on his sofa though, he almost sighs in relief. Last night he had finally told someone besides Louis his story and Harry doesn't think he would have handled it incredibly well if he had found out that it had all been a dream. It was like a huge weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.
Harry just lies there and watches Niall as his chest rises and falls lightly for a couple minutes. He hadn't had any plans for today and he assumes Niall didn't either since he had been unexpectedly fleeing his house last night. Harry assumed that meant he wouldn't be heading home right away. Harry had left his car in the lot behind that tattoo place and needed to go get it at some point today so there was one thing to do at least.
"Can you stop staring at me, it's kinda creeping me out." Niall's sleep laced voice sounds. Harry almost groans. His morning voice was so...
"Sorry" Harry says, but doesn't look away yet. Niall opens his eyes now and lazily smiles at Harry. Harry raises an eyebrow and smirks at Niall before rolling over onto his back and staring at his ceiling.
"Uh, thanks again for picking me up last night..." Niall says.
"It's fine Niall. I didn't mind."
"You were hung over, I know you minded." Harry smiles.
"Actually I was probably still a little tipsy because it's all a bit fuzzy now that I think about it. I remember the important bits though..."
"Such as...?" Harry grins now and looks over at Niall again, puckering his lips and making loud smooching noises. Niall blushes and rolls his eyes.
"Of course..." he mutters under his breath.
"So what do you wanna do today? Unless of course you already had plans..." Harry pipes up.
"No, I didn't have any plans. I don't remember if I'm working today cause when Greg took my phone he also too my work calendar."
"I can drive you to find out if you don't mind walking for a bit."
"Why?" Niall asks sitting up some and ruffling a hand through his hair.
"I was too wasted to drive last night and left my car parked behind a shop in town. We can eat breakfast here and then go get it."
"How'd you get home last night? You were driving a car when you came to pick me up." Niall asks.
"It was my sister's. I walked back with Zayn and them."
"Zayn 'and them'?" Niall inquires curiously. Harry raises his eyebrows.
"Nosy." Niall sticks out his tongue indignantly and shuffles into a more upright position.
"You don't have to tell me, I was just asking." Harry chuckles and follows suit, sitting up and settling back against the headboard.
"It was Jon, Zayn and his bird." Niall pauses in adjusting the blanket covering his legs for a moment.
"Zayn's bird?"
"Yeah."
"As in Perrie Edwards?"
"Yeah," Harry repeats as Niall blinks a few times, taking in this information.
"She went to the club with you guys?"
"Yeah, although I'm not sure if she agreed to go before or after she got stoned." Niall utters a little 'woah' at this new realization about his friend but seems to take it in stride.
"Oh, well-" Niall is cut off by a female voice calling Harry's name.
"HARRY!" Harry frowns but ignores it.
"Keep going, it's not important." Just as he says that though his name is called again.
"HARRY MUM SAYS DON'T IGNORE HER THIS IS IMPORTANT!" Niall assumes it's Harry's sister (because really who else would it be?) and Harry gives a heavy sigh before throwing back his blankets and snagging a pair or trackies from the floor to pull on quickly.
"Sorry, give me a minute." He leaves the room and Niall can hear hushed talking but he can't make out any of the words being said.
***
"Mum made us breakfast" Gemma says. She is standing about halfway up the stairs and Harry stops to stare at her suspiciously.
"Why...?" Gemma shrugs helplessly.
"I'm as lost as you are. I asked her and all she said was 'Can't a mother look after her children every now and then?'"
"Not an absentee mother who's only ever home on select weekends and holidays..." Harry frowns.
"I've got a mate over Gem, cover for me?"
"How?" Gemma sighs figuring maybe covering for Harry would get her out of whatever it was their mother wanted to talk about too.
"Tell her I... have a really bad hang over, or... brought someone home last night? I don't know, but Niall and I will sneak out the front door, thanks!" Harry says as he backs towards his bedroom door.
"Gee, thanks for the help Harry, really gonna have fun digging you out of this one..." Gemma mumbles to herself as he trudges back down the stairs towards the kitchen.
***
"Change of plans, we've gotta go now." Harry announces as he returns, shutting the door behind him and heading straight for his chest.
"How come?" Niall, who had been just about to investigate (read: nosily poke through) the private looking leather-bound journal on Harry's night stand, squeaks as he straightens up rather hastily, nonchalantly pushing a hand through his hair in an attempt to look casual, and not at all like he was just about to read what looked to be Harry's diary (but real men don't have diaries of course, they have journals). Harry squints suspiciously at Niall and approaches, gingerly picking up his journal and stepping back towards his chest, as Niall flashes what he means as a casual grin (but probably just looks like he's in mild pain) at Harry while scratching the back of his neck.
"My mum made breakfast" Harry says, as if that made perfect sense (which, to Niall, it did not of course).
"And that's a problem because...?" Niall asks, taking a seat on the edge of Harry's bed as Harry begins rifling through the clothing inside the chest drawer he had just pulled open.
"When your mother makes you breakfast, for the first time since you were, well, old enough to eat solid food, there has to be a catch, and knowing my mother, It'll be something about boarding school or something." Harry selects a black plaid flannel and tugs the flannel on as he heads back over to his bed with a second shirt in hand.
"You can wear this if you don't wanna wear your clothes from yesterday." he says, handing Niall the white baseball shirt with yellow sleeves. Niall holds it up and inspects it. A smile grows on his face when he says what it says.
"The Eagles! They're one of my favourite bands."
"Well in that case, keep the shirt. It's really not my style anyway." Niall grins and since he had already put on his jeans so he pulls on the shirt, wincing as the bruise on the left side of his ribcage twinges. When Greg had hit him last night it must have been harder than Niall thought since it had bruised. He glances back up at Harry to see him now wearing black skinny jeans and his flannel is buttoned up about halfway, showing the swallow tattoos and the top of the butterfly on his chest.
Harry grabs his car keys and phone and they exit the room together. They creep down the staircase and Harry peers down the hallway to the kitchen before turning in the opposite direction and heading for the front door. Harry eases it shut behind them and they cross the front lawn and start down the street. After a couple minutes of walking in silence Harry pulls a pack of fags out of his pocket and wiggles it.
"Do you mind?" He asks.
"Go ahead." Niall waves dismissively. 15 minutes and a fag later, Harry and Niall finally reach the tattoo parlor that Harry's Escalade was parked behind. They get in and Harry starts it up and pulls out of the lot.
"Do you drive?" Harry asks to start conversation.
"No. I never get the chance to take the test." Niall responds. He twists to the side a bit to grab his seatbelt and sucks in a sharp breath as his bruised side twinges. He grits his teeth and buckles up, waiting for the pain to fade. Harry surveys Niall in his peripheral vision.
"You alright?" Niall looks at Harry with a frown.
"Yeah. Just managed to bruise my ribs the other day."
"How?"
"A football got kicked at me." Niall lies. Harry doesn't say anything but nods.
"My mum is having a party in-" Harry glances at the time on the centre console before continuing. "-about an hour, so let's not go back there." Just as he says that, Harry's phone goes off and he glances down at the screen to see who had texted him. He unlocks his phone with one hand, glancing back and forth from the screen to the road. He types back a reply and hits send. His phone goes off again after a moment and he is about to check it again and Niall interjects.
"Keep your eyes on the road!" Harry looks at Niall now and raises an eyebrow.
"Fine." He tosses his phone into Niall's lap and replaces both hands on the steering wheel.
"You answer her for me." Niall picks up the phone.
"Who?" He asks, turning on the screen to see a couple notifications. One of them is a text from Harry's mother.
"My mum probably."
"Password."
"2525" Niall snorts.
