
Midnight Memories
The Almost Kiss
A slither of light penetrated through my darkness, my head still spinning and struggling to focus on anything.
*focus Maddie* I thought to myself, *come on what the hell happened?*
I felt arms around me, holding on to me. Carrying me? Yes I was definitely being carried. I felt the arms around me loosen as I was placed down onto what I assumed was a sofa of some sort. Voices around me mumbled words that I couldn’t quite understand. Unfortunately, I didn’t have long to assess what I could feel and hear around me before I slipped back off into darkness.
**************************
Again, light threatened to chase away the blackness that surrounded me. Slowly I began to regain control of my senses, again hearing hushed voices from what sounded like behind me. I opened my eyes, blinking furiously in an attempt to focus on my surroundings. I couldn’t see a lot from my position so I attempted to sit up, to get a better idea of where the hell I actually was. A soft groan escaped from my lips as my head began to throb. What happened? I must have hit my head.
“She’s awake”, I heard one of the voices say.
That voice sounded familiar. An Irish accent. I flopped back down onto the sofa closing my eyes, sitting up was a terrible idea, I definitely wasn’t going to be trying that again. My head was still throbbing; I must have hit it pretty hard. I slowly opened my eyes again upon feeling someone sit down beside me. It took a moment for my eyes focused before I realised that it was Niall Horan. Niall Horan was sitting down beside me.
“Wow”, I mumbled, “I really did hit my head hard”
“Yes, you did”, Niall replied, a concerned look on his face. “What’s your name? How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Oh so you are real…” I replied, not entirely sure of my answer as the world was still a little blurry. “Umm… Maddie… and 3?”
“No. 5. I think we might need a doctor” he said, looking up at the people standing behind me.
“No, no I’m fine, honestly” I managed to say, sitting up slowly and holding onto my head.
“Don’t try and get up”
“I’m fine, I promise”
“You’re not fine!”
“I am! Look I need to find my friend; she was at the concert with me, her name’s Evie… How long was I out for?” I asked, beginning to worry about what had become of Evie.
“Evie, yeah she’s been ringing you non-stop” a different voice answered, I spun my head around to see Liam Payne standing behind me, also looking concerned. “I answered and told her what happened; Louis and Zayn have just gone to get her.”
I sat still on the sofa, trying to take in what had happened. It was a very nice sofa, one of those big squishy ones that you could quite happily sleep on. I looked up and glanced around the rest of the room. It looked like it could be a dressing room of some sort. Mirrors, dressing tables and clothes racks lined the walls, displaying an array of outfits and mostly hair products. These boys really put a lot of work into their hair. I didn’t even put that much effort into my hair! Maybe I should. I started to worry about how I looked my long blonde curls now a long ragged mess, dripping with water from the rain outside.
“Here” that velvety smooth Irish accent breaking my train of thought.
Niall smiled at me, holding out a towel. I returned the smile, taking the towel from his hands and beginning to dry my hair. I guess I’d been so focused on my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the rest of the boys leave the room, leaving me and Niall alone. I watched Niall as he rose from his place seated beside me and travelled to the other side of the room. His white vest clung to his body in all the right places, his jeans hanging just a little low on his hips, revealing the black waist band of his boxers. With my thoughts taking precedence, I gave up on my failing attempt at making myself look a little more presentable and dropped the towel onto the chair next to me. I continued to watch him, every movement fascinating me and fuelling my vivid imagination, as he reached down into a mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. His jeans looked even better on him when he was bending down. My mind was racing into dangerous territory as I began to wonder what he would look like without that shirt on. What he would look like without those jeans on. What he would look like without those boxers on…
-----Niall’s POV-----
I reached down into the mini fridge, getting Maddie a bottle of water. I glanced over my shoulder and the girl sitting on the sofa, tirelessly attempting to dry her hair and make herself look more presentable. In my opinion she looked amazing just as she was, her wet blonde hair hanging over her shoulders, falling in front of her face. A couldn’t help but grin as I watched her drop the towel next to her, clearly giving up on her futile attempt at drying her hair, her eyes never leaving me. Or should I say never leaving my body. Her eyes scanned my body, her chest rising and falling with her increased breathing, clearly becoming flustered. I found myself wondering what she was thinking about, and also found myself thinking about her. Her petite body curled onto the sofa, her arms wrapped around her small frame, clutching her sides. I found myself lost in thoughts about her eyes, her face, and her body. How her skin felt under my hands as I carried her in. How frail and fragile she’d felt in my arms. I had this overwhelming urge to protect her. I didn’t want her to hurt again; I wanted to keep her safe. I’d only just met her; I barely knew her, how could one girl make me feel this way in such a short time? She still hadn’t taken her eyes off me but was clearly in a world completely of her own as I made my way over to her in a few quick strides. A low chuckle escaped from my lips, she hadn’t even realised I was standing in front of her. I held out the bottle towards her, offering for her to take it and have a drink. I grinned seeing her shock at being torn from her, probably indecent, thoughts, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she averted her eyes from me.
-----Maddie’s POV-----
My mind was snapped back into focus upon hearing a quiet laugh escape from Niall’s mouth. I focused my full attention on him and noticed he was now standing in front of me, grinning that adorable toothy grin of his. I started to panic as I realised I must have been staring.
“I wonder what’s going on in that head of yours” he chuckled, holding out the bottle of water to me. “Here, drink this”
I reached out and took the bottle from his hand, trying my hardest to avert my eyes from his. I could feel my cheeks flushing pink. My thoughts had indeed strayed into dangerous territory. I really needed to work on my self-control. I took a sip from the bottle, still attempting to escape from any eye contact. I set the bottle down on the floor, continuing to look anywhere but into his eyes as he again seated himself beside me. Those lovely blue eyes. I was slightly startled to feel a hand gently take hold of my chin, steering my gaze right towards those blue eyes I so desperately wanted to avoid.
“You can look at me you know” Niall chuckled, his hand still gently placed under my chin.
I smiled, blushing even more than I had before. My heart was racing in my chest, panic, embarrassment and fan girl love surely visible in my eyes. He chuckled softly, reaching up to brush aside a strand of hair which had strayed away from the rest.
“You carried me in here?” I asked, desperately attempting to do something to distract myself from what was happening.
“Uh, yeah, you were unconscious” He replied, still refusing to break eye contact.
“Well… t-thank you… for h-helping me” I managed to stutter out, becoming increasingly flustered by the whole situation.
“You’re welcome” He replied. “I guess this makes me your prince charming?”
“Oh you can be my prince charming any day” I blurted out. Not realising what I’d done until I heard another one of those melodic chuckles.
“Oh can I really?” he giggled, clearly enjoying my flustered state and that little Freudian slip I’d let out.
“Oh dear god did I really just say that?” I questioned, hoping to god that I hadn’t, throwing my hands up to cover my face.
“Yes. Yes you did” Niall replied, still smiling. “But that’s okay; I quite enjoyed being your prince charming”
Hearing that finally gave me the courage to re connect that eye contact. He was sitting closer to me now, obviously scooting closer whilst I’d been dying of embarrassment. He raised his hand to my face again, this time placing it on my cheek. My heart was racing, completely forgetting my little embarrassing moment. I could barely breathe as his face neared closer to mine, now only inches away from each other. I could feel his warm breath on my face, our bodies so close now we were touching.
“Maddie!” a voice yelled from the doorway. Startled by the sudden company, Niall and I shifted away from each other, attempting to cover up what had almost happened.
“Evie!” I responded, smiling up at my friend, releasing a soft sigh as I stood to greet her. I could see curious eyes watching us from the doorway, a little grin appearing on Harry’s face. I turned to Evie, pulling her into a hug in an attempt to hide the blush on my cheeks.
“Thank God you’re okay!” Evie sighed.
“I’ve been well looked after” I replied with a smile.
“Also… One Direction!” Evie muttered, trying to be conspicuous in her fan girling. “maybe we should get you back to the hotel and get some sleep?”
I smiled, agreeing with Evie’s idea and releasing her from the hug. I thanked the boys for taking care of me, giving each one a hug. I turned my attention to Niall, who was now standing beside the sofa, his eyes never leaving me. My eyes locked with his for a few seconds, silent apologies travelling between us, before I walked over to where my bag was set down. I couldn’t chicken out now or I might lose any chance of ever having anything with Niall Horan. I collected my bag and slung it over my shoulder, walking over to where Niall stood, suddenly full of confidence.
“Thank you for helping me” I smiled at him, reaching into my bag and pulling out a pen. I took hold of his hand and scrawled my number onto it.
“Call me” I instructed, before releasing his hand and reaching up to leave a soft kiss on his cheek. I smiled once more as I turned away, grabbing Evie’s hand as she gasped and started to laugh, removing her from the room before she could cause any more embarrassment.
We walked out into the cold night air and began our short walk back to the hotel. This night had turned out to be exponentially more exciting than either of us had ever imagined.
*focus Maddie* I thought to myself, *come on what the hell happened?*
I felt arms around me, holding on to me. Carrying me? Yes I was definitely being carried. I felt the arms around me loosen as I was placed down onto what I assumed was a sofa of some sort. Voices around me mumbled words that I couldn’t quite understand. Unfortunately, I didn’t have long to assess what I could feel and hear around me before I slipped back off into darkness.
**************************
Again, light threatened to chase away the blackness that surrounded me. Slowly I began to regain control of my senses, again hearing hushed voices from what sounded like behind me. I opened my eyes, blinking furiously in an attempt to focus on my surroundings. I couldn’t see a lot from my position so I attempted to sit up, to get a better idea of where the hell I actually was. A soft groan escaped from my lips as my head began to throb. What happened? I must have hit my head.
“She’s awake”, I heard one of the voices say.
That voice sounded familiar. An Irish accent. I flopped back down onto the sofa closing my eyes, sitting up was a terrible idea, I definitely wasn’t going to be trying that again. My head was still throbbing; I must have hit it pretty hard. I slowly opened my eyes again upon feeling someone sit down beside me. It took a moment for my eyes focused before I realised that it was Niall Horan. Niall Horan was sitting down beside me.
“Wow”, I mumbled, “I really did hit my head hard”
“Yes, you did”, Niall replied, a concerned look on his face. “What’s your name? How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Oh so you are real…” I replied, not entirely sure of my answer as the world was still a little blurry. “Umm… Maddie… and 3?”
“No. 5. I think we might need a doctor” he said, looking up at the people standing behind me.
“No, no I’m fine, honestly” I managed to say, sitting up slowly and holding onto my head.
“Don’t try and get up”
“I’m fine, I promise”
“You’re not fine!”
“I am! Look I need to find my friend; she was at the concert with me, her name’s Evie… How long was I out for?” I asked, beginning to worry about what had become of Evie.
“Evie, yeah she’s been ringing you non-stop” a different voice answered, I spun my head around to see Liam Payne standing behind me, also looking concerned. “I answered and told her what happened; Louis and Zayn have just gone to get her.”
I sat still on the sofa, trying to take in what had happened. It was a very nice sofa, one of those big squishy ones that you could quite happily sleep on. I looked up and glanced around the rest of the room. It looked like it could be a dressing room of some sort. Mirrors, dressing tables and clothes racks lined the walls, displaying an array of outfits and mostly hair products. These boys really put a lot of work into their hair. I didn’t even put that much effort into my hair! Maybe I should. I started to worry about how I looked my long blonde curls now a long ragged mess, dripping with water from the rain outside.
“Here” that velvety smooth Irish accent breaking my train of thought.
Niall smiled at me, holding out a towel. I returned the smile, taking the towel from his hands and beginning to dry my hair. I guess I’d been so focused on my thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the rest of the boys leave the room, leaving me and Niall alone. I watched Niall as he rose from his place seated beside me and travelled to the other side of the room. His white vest clung to his body in all the right places, his jeans hanging just a little low on his hips, revealing the black waist band of his boxers. With my thoughts taking precedence, I gave up on my failing attempt at making myself look a little more presentable and dropped the towel onto the chair next to me. I continued to watch him, every movement fascinating me and fuelling my vivid imagination, as he reached down into a mini fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. His jeans looked even better on him when he was bending down. My mind was racing into dangerous territory as I began to wonder what he would look like without that shirt on. What he would look like without those jeans on. What he would look like without those boxers on…
-----Niall’s POV-----
I reached down into the mini fridge, getting Maddie a bottle of water. I glanced over my shoulder and the girl sitting on the sofa, tirelessly attempting to dry her hair and make herself look more presentable. In my opinion she looked amazing just as she was, her wet blonde hair hanging over her shoulders, falling in front of her face. A couldn’t help but grin as I watched her drop the towel next to her, clearly giving up on her futile attempt at drying her hair, her eyes never leaving me. Or should I say never leaving my body. Her eyes scanned my body, her chest rising and falling with her increased breathing, clearly becoming flustered. I found myself wondering what she was thinking about, and also found myself thinking about her. Her petite body curled onto the sofa, her arms wrapped around her small frame, clutching her sides. I found myself lost in thoughts about her eyes, her face, and her body. How her skin felt under my hands as I carried her in. How frail and fragile she’d felt in my arms. I had this overwhelming urge to protect her. I didn’t want her to hurt again; I wanted to keep her safe. I’d only just met her; I barely knew her, how could one girl make me feel this way in such a short time? She still hadn’t taken her eyes off me but was clearly in a world completely of her own as I made my way over to her in a few quick strides. A low chuckle escaped from my lips, she hadn’t even realised I was standing in front of her. I held out the bottle towards her, offering for her to take it and have a drink. I grinned seeing her shock at being torn from her, probably indecent, thoughts, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she averted her eyes from me.
-----Maddie’s POV-----
My mind was snapped back into focus upon hearing a quiet laugh escape from Niall’s mouth. I focused my full attention on him and noticed he was now standing in front of me, grinning that adorable toothy grin of his. I started to panic as I realised I must have been staring.
“I wonder what’s going on in that head of yours” he chuckled, holding out the bottle of water to me. “Here, drink this”
I reached out and took the bottle from his hand, trying my hardest to avert my eyes from his. I could feel my cheeks flushing pink. My thoughts had indeed strayed into dangerous territory. I really needed to work on my self-control. I took a sip from the bottle, still attempting to escape from any eye contact. I set the bottle down on the floor, continuing to look anywhere but into his eyes as he again seated himself beside me. Those lovely blue eyes. I was slightly startled to feel a hand gently take hold of my chin, steering my gaze right towards those blue eyes I so desperately wanted to avoid.
“You can look at me you know” Niall chuckled, his hand still gently placed under my chin.
I smiled, blushing even more than I had before. My heart was racing in my chest, panic, embarrassment and fan girl love surely visible in my eyes. He chuckled softly, reaching up to brush aside a strand of hair which had strayed away from the rest.
“You carried me in here?” I asked, desperately attempting to do something to distract myself from what was happening.
“Uh, yeah, you were unconscious” He replied, still refusing to break eye contact.
“Well… t-thank you… for h-helping me” I managed to stutter out, becoming increasingly flustered by the whole situation.
“You’re welcome” He replied. “I guess this makes me your prince charming?”
“Oh you can be my prince charming any day” I blurted out. Not realising what I’d done until I heard another one of those melodic chuckles.
“Oh can I really?” he giggled, clearly enjoying my flustered state and that little Freudian slip I’d let out.
“Oh dear god did I really just say that?” I questioned, hoping to god that I hadn’t, throwing my hands up to cover my face.
“Yes. Yes you did” Niall replied, still smiling. “But that’s okay; I quite enjoyed being your prince charming”
Hearing that finally gave me the courage to re connect that eye contact. He was sitting closer to me now, obviously scooting closer whilst I’d been dying of embarrassment. He raised his hand to my face again, this time placing it on my cheek. My heart was racing, completely forgetting my little embarrassing moment. I could barely breathe as his face neared closer to mine, now only inches away from each other. I could feel his warm breath on my face, our bodies so close now we were touching.
“Maddie!” a voice yelled from the doorway. Startled by the sudden company, Niall and I shifted away from each other, attempting to cover up what had almost happened.
“Evie!” I responded, smiling up at my friend, releasing a soft sigh as I stood to greet her. I could see curious eyes watching us from the doorway, a little grin appearing on Harry’s face. I turned to Evie, pulling her into a hug in an attempt to hide the blush on my cheeks.
“Thank God you’re okay!” Evie sighed.
“I’ve been well looked after” I replied with a smile.
“Also… One Direction!” Evie muttered, trying to be conspicuous in her fan girling. “maybe we should get you back to the hotel and get some sleep?”
I smiled, agreeing with Evie’s idea and releasing her from the hug. I thanked the boys for taking care of me, giving each one a hug. I turned my attention to Niall, who was now standing beside the sofa, his eyes never leaving me. My eyes locked with his for a few seconds, silent apologies travelling between us, before I walked over to where my bag was set down. I couldn’t chicken out now or I might lose any chance of ever having anything with Niall Horan. I collected my bag and slung it over my shoulder, walking over to where Niall stood, suddenly full of confidence.
“Thank you for helping me” I smiled at him, reaching into my bag and pulling out a pen. I took hold of his hand and scrawled my number onto it.
“Call me” I instructed, before releasing his hand and reaching up to leave a soft kiss on his cheek. I smiled once more as I turned away, grabbing Evie’s hand as she gasped and started to laugh, removing her from the room before she could cause any more embarrassment.
We walked out into the cold night air and began our short walk back to the hotel. This night had turned out to be exponentially more exciting than either of us had ever imagined.
Notes
Here's the next chapter! a little bit longer as promised! I don't know when I'll get the next one up because I'm writing a few one shot for my friend for Christmas so I need to get those done. but hopefully soon after I'll have a lovely new chapter for you which will introduce a new character yay!Remember to comment/review and i hope you enjoy!
Emily x
Thank you darling! i will continue it hopefully soon after i finish my one shots, which i may also upload to here! xoxo
11/27/13