Chapter 31:
Niall’s POV
-Two weeks later-
I was lying on the couch in the living room, reading my twitter feed which, as usual, was making me grimace. Nell had told me that she had stopped checking hers, after getting so much hate from the fans (we hadn’t been seen together since the party—I’d thought it wise to avoid public attention), but I couldn’t do the same and drop it. Some of the ‘#mysterygirlfriend’ stuff had died down, but people were still saying awful things about Nell. Despite my denying our relationship, no one would listen.

@Niallsgirl: @Nell_Davison isn’t good enough for @NiallOfficial.

@ThePayneInsideMe: @Nell_Davison are you dating @NiallOfficial? Tell ussss..ugh..you guys aren’t even a good couple.

There were a few good ones from Eleanor and Dani, and even Liam had asked the fans to lay off her, but not many of them would listen.

@EleanorJCalder: Guys, stop sending hate to @Nell_Davison. She’s amazing, and doesn’t deserve it.

@DaniellePeazer: Yeah. Lay off herr. RT: Guys, stop sending hate to @Nell_Davison. She’s amazing, and doesn’t deserve it.

While I kept refreshing my mentions, and replying to a few of the nicer tweets, Nell walked in. I was about to say hello and sit up when I realized that she was on her phone. She sat down on the couch and put something on the table that I couldn’t see from my angle.
“Yes, that’s correct. I’m Nell Davison. D-A-V-I-S-O-N. I’m calling about Clyde.”
The volume was just loud enough that I could hear the person on the other end say, “Okay, I’ll get you the camp director, please hold.”
Nell thanked the woman and held the phone below her ear for a moment. “Hey, Niall.” She said, lying down on the other couch.
“Hey. What are you—” I was interrupted by someone on the other line saying hello.
“Oh, yes, hello.” Silence for a moment. “Yes, that’s right. I’m calling because I’d like to put Clyde in another session of camp. He’s in the juniors overnight this month, and he wants to do that for July as well.” More silence. “Okay, so you’ll take care of registration? Thank you so much. I’ll send the check.” She sat up and grabbed what was on the table—a checkbook and pen, I realized. “How much is it?”
There was a longer pause, where the color drained from her face and Nell slumped down. “Three hundred fifty pounds?” She gulped. “Yep, that’s no problem. If there are any issues, just call me. You should have my cell phone number. Alright. Thanks. Bye.”
She hung up the phone and put it on the table, putting her head in her hands and sighing. I stood up and walked over to her couch, sitting next to her. “What’s up?” I asked.
“Oh, I was just enrolling Clyde in another session of camp, because I don’t want him home. Because…well, you know. Jake’s still there. But it’s three hundred fifty pounds, and my mother won’t pay, so I have to. I have two thousand five hundred in my savings, but I was keeping it for uni. Oh, well. It’s my fault about Jake, so whatever.”
I was about to offer to pay, when she said, “Niall, don’t tell me that you’ll cover it.” I grinned at her and put an arm around her waist. It was the first time I’d touched her in two weeks, save a few accidental brushes. Everyone else in the flat was asleep, so I wasn’t worried about anyone seeing. I had expected her to pull away, but instead, she put her head on my shoulder and sighed. I closed my eyes and silently thanked whoever was making this possible.
“If Clyde’s still going to be at camp, and Jake’s still around at your house…” I trailed off. I was going to offer that she stay another month, but I hadn’t consulted any of the guys, and I didn’t want to seem too forward.
“What, Niall?” She asked, absentmindedly drawing circles with her pointer finger on my pants just above the knee.
Deciding that her safety and the possibility of her staying for a month more were worth whatever negative things that would come with it, I said, “You should stay until Clyde gets back.”
She didn’t say anything for a moment, just kept making circles on my leg. “It’s not that I don’t want to, Niall, it’s just…you haven’t asked any of the other guys, and I’m going to be away for university soon anyways, and that’s just a long time to be away from home.”
“It’s just an offer.” I said, hastily, trying not to push too hard. I wasn’t about to let the matter go, but I dropped it for now. “Just think about it, okay? You only have a couple weeks left, and don’t tell me you won’t miss living here.” I grinned cheekily.
She elbowed my ribs, and I again reflected on how lucky I was to have this moment. The way we were intertwined, I just felt so close to her, closer than I had since I’d caught her about to hurt herself. It was nice: feeling her hand on my leg, her head on my shoulder, her finger tracing shapes on my pants. I could smell her hair, which seemed to be a combination of lavender and peach, and there wasn’t that awkward tension that there had been most of the time before. “Why do you want me to be here, Niall?” She asked, finally taking her head off my shoulder and looking at me.
I stared at her, uncomprehending, for a moment. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“I’m being serious, blondie. What’s so special about me? What do you see in me?”
I pulled her closer to me and rubbed her back a bit. “I see that you’re insanely smart. You’re going to Oxford, for fuck’s sake. You’re talented—you play piano and guitar and saxophone and loads of other instruments, too, and I’ve seen a few of your drawings, and they’re amazing, too. You’re awesome at footy, as well. I see that you’re nice to everyone. I see that you’re funny. I see that you make me feel like I’ve never felt before. I see that you’ve been through so much shit, but you’re still amazing. The question should be, ‘What don’t I see in you?’ Nell, you’re fantastic. And that’s why I want you to stay here. Because I like you.”
She snuggled into my shoulder. “Well, I wasn’t expecting that. I like you, too, Niall.” Now would have been a fantastic time to kiss her, and I was about to, but she stood up and stretched. “I have to mail some stuff to Clyde’s camp place. I think I’ll head down to the post office, and then I’m going to go get some dinner. Do you want to come?”
I grinned. “Yeah, let me grab my shoes. I’ll be right back.”
I ran over to my room while she wrote the check for Clyde. I walked into my room and grabbed a pair of high tops. I checked my outfit—a pale lavender crew neck and a pair of jeans—and decided it was okay. I ran my fingers through my hair, deciding to put on a purple snapback, made sure I didn’t have anything stuck in my braces, grabbed my phone and sunglasses, and ran back into the living room.
I hadn’t meant to take very long, but as I glanced on the clock on my way out, I realized I had been almost five minutes. Nell was sitting on the couch, waiting for me, and I noticed that she had changed from her sweatpants and t-shirt into something for outside. (For those who are interested: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=77894747) “You didn’t have to change.” I said. “You looked awesome already. You do look really, really nice, though.”
“I’m kind of anticipating being photographed, and I want to look like I tried at least a bit. Ready to go?” She held out her hand, and I took it. I wondered if she intended to keep holding hands with me, outside, but she released mine as soon as we got into the elevator. Half of me was relieved that the paparazzi would have less evidence of ‘#mysterygirlfriend’ (who really wasn’t so ‘mystery’ anymore), but another part of me wished that she hadn’t, and we might confirm that we were dating. She’s not my girlfriend, I had to remind myself. We’re just friends.
After a long silence, with the repetitive elevator music making the quiet even more awkward than it already was, we reached the bottom floor, and we walked outside. So far, no one seemed to know that we lived in this building, but I always worried that people would take pictures of us walking outside, and people would start to cluster at the bottom, waiting for us to come out. That had happened at our last building, and we’d been forced to move here. Paul and the rest of management had told us to be more careful about the address of our place, and Liam had, so far, enforced that rule quite well.
“You miss him a lot, don’t you?” I asked, referring to her little brother, as we started to walk towards the nearest post office, which was about four blocks away.
“Oh, loads. I think about him all the time. I just get so worried about him. But from what I can understand, he’s made a lot of friends there, and he wants to stay more. I’m happy for him—before the only people he really talked to were me and two lads from his school. He barely says two words to my mother all day. She’s actually not too bad to him, but I think he can just tell that she’s not that great of a person.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She laughed. “You don’t have to ask permission to ask a question, Niall. Of course you can ask, I just might or might not answer depending on what it is. Go for it.”
I smiled at her. “Good to know. Okay, well I was just wondering, how do you feel about your mother?” It was strange saying ‘mother’ rather than ‘mum’, but I knew she preferred the first one, so I went with it. “You’ve said some very conflicting things about her.”
Nell sighed. We were about two blocks from the post office now, and there were a lot of people around. It was a matter of time until someone recognized me. “I love her. I think she’s absolutely shit at being a mother, but I l—”
She was cut off by someone screaming, “Oh my god, it’s Niall Horan!” I felt everyone’s eyes on me, and I silently cursed myself for not asking Paul or someone to come along with us. Thankfully, most of the people really didn’t care, save for about ten teenage girls who came over and asked for a picture. I obliged for all of them, and Nell was a good sport for taking the photos for us, but I wished that we could have walked in peace. I noticed a few of the girls being rude to her, but I knew that I had to let it slide. I couldn’t seem like a villain to the fans.
We continued walking, after the hysteria had died down a bit, and we walked for a couple minutes without being stopped. “They’re insane, Niall.” She said, sighing. “That blond one was a complete bitch. She called me a slut.”
I felt my fists clench. I would let a bit of rudeness slide, but I wouldn’t allow any of the fans to be mean to her—especially with the worry of her hurting herself still in the front of my mind. “Nell, if they do that again, let me know. I’ll tell them to lay off.”
“It’s fine, blondie. Now, like I was saying, I love my mom. Despite her flaws. I have to, don’t I? She’s really the only person I have besides Clyde.”
“You have me. And the rest of the guys.” I offered, because she did. I could tell they were all very attached to her, especially Liam. And Harry, but that was a different story.
She playfully elbowed my ribs. “Thanks, Ni. I—”
Again, she was cut off by a girl coming over and asking for a picture. I posed with her, Nell took the photo, and I signed a scrap of paper that she gave to me. I was about to keep walking, when the girl, who couldn’t have been a day over 13, said, “Wait, are you Nell Davison? The mystery girlfriend?”
Nell smiled. I still couldn’t believe she was so nice about the fans. “Yeah, that’s me. I’m not his girlfriend, though.”
The girl glared at her. “Good. You don’t deserve him.”
I couldn’t let that one slide. “Excuse me, of course she does. She’s the best person I know. I’d be lucky to have her. Please don’t be mean to her. She doesn’t deserve it.”
The girl just smiled sweetly at me and said, “Nice to meet you, Niall. I love you guys.” And skipped back to her mother.
I groaned, and looked ahead. The post was just a block away now, so we kept walking. “Thanks, Niall.” I heard her say. “I can handle it myself, and I know you don’t want bad press, but thanks. I can’t believe some people…to think she’d just say it to my face.”
I restrained myself from reaching out and squeezing her hand. I might be able to do it in the post office, but I’d already noticed a few people photographing us, and I couldn’t take chances. “I meant what I said. Really. And you’re worth it. I don’t care if I make a few thirteen year olds angry if it means they’ll stop harassing you.”
“They won’t stop, blondie.” She smiled at me. “I’m okay, Niall. I don’t give two shits about what they say. Now, what I was saying earlier, before we were interrupted.” We crossed a street, and were finally at the post. I opened the door for her, and we waited in line. “I was going to say thanks. Meeting you guys has been one of the best things that’s happened to me. I’m really lucky.” I glanced to the side, and, deciding that no one was watching through the tinted windows, hugged her. She seemed a bit taken aback, but I felt her hug me back. It wasn’t long—ten seconds maximum—but it made me feel much better. I grinned at her. “Definitely lucky,” she said, smirking at me a bit. “Seriously, I don’t know anyone as nice as you guys.”
“I try, love.” It was her turn at the counter, and she handed over the letter she had wanted to send. We were out within a few minutes, and she asked, “Where do you want to eat?”
“Well, I’m always up for Nando’s—”
“Niall, we ate there two days ago.” I grinned cheekily at her, and she rolled her eyes. “What about pizza?” She asked. I assumed that the real reason for that suggestion was that the place was right next to where we were, and we wouldn’t have to worry about more snotty teenage girls insulting her.
“That sounds good to me. But, then again, Nando’s—”
“Pizza it is.” She stated, and we walked into the joint. I scanned the room, and I heard someone whisper, “Oh my god, that’s Niall!”
We were seated, and before we even ordered our drinks, two girls came over, looking about ten and eight. “Hello.” I said. “What are your names?”
They looked at me, wide-eyed. “I’m Grace. This is Olivia.” The older one said, pointing to her sister. “Are you Niall from One Direction?”
“I sure am.” I grinned. “Do you two want a picture?”
They nodded, beaming. I heard Nell speak up. “Do you want me to take it?” She asked, smiling at them. “Yes, please.” Olivia said, and handed Nell a camera. I posed with them and signed a napkin for them. Before they left, Grace turned to Nell. “Hey, I heard about you! Are you his girlfriend?” She asked.
“No, I’m not.” She said. “We’re just friends.” I was pretty sure a bit of me died every time I heard that.
“You should be his girlfriend. You’re pretty.”
“Thanks. You are too!” Nell said. She certainly had a way with kids. The little girls skipped away, smiling.
“First nice thing I’ve heard all day.” Nell muttered, turning to me. There was a bit of awkward tension, due to the girlfriend comment, but I tried to forget about it. We ordered our food and made small talk—she had a lot of questions about the band, which I answered to the best of my ability.
Somehow, we got onto the topic of birthdays, and she said, “I’m glad mine was yesterday, so I’m 18 now. I can finally take my driving test—”
I interrupted her. “Excuse me? Your birthday was yesterday?”
“Yeah.” She answered. “Why?”
“We didn’t celebrate!” I said, a bit too loudly. I felt a few people look over at us. “Why didn’t you tell us?” I asked, quieter, this time.
“Well, I haven’t celebrated my birthday in five years, so I didn’t really think about it. It’s not a big deal, Niall.”
“Um, excuse me, Nell, you are of legal drinking age now. It is a big deal. Look, I know at your house it’s not important, but I care about you a lot, and you’re 18, so we’re going to celebrate tonight.”
“Niall, you don’t have to—” She started to say, but I cut her off.
“Yes, I do have to, because I like you and I want you to have a proper birthday.” Just then, my phone buzzed, and I pulled it out of my pocket.

From: Liam
Hey Nialler. We’re all going to head over to Per’s house to hang out. Come if you want, but I think you and Nell are together, so you prob don’t want to. Have fun. Be safe haha


I put it away. “Just Liam saying that they’re heading out. Anyways, we are going to find something fun to do, because your eighteenth birthday is going to be a big deal, whether you like it or not.”
She grinned and shook her head. “Whatever you say, blondie.” She waved down the waitress and asked for the bill. I started to reach for my wallet when she said, “Nope. I got this one.”
“Too late.” I said, slapping a one hundred pound note on the table. “Keep the change.” I said to the waitress who picked it up before Nell could object, and she glared at me. “Niall, this was supposed to be on me.”
“Okay, first of all, I would never let you pay, and second of all, it’s your birthday celebration, so it’s definitely not going to be on you. I have so much, you don’t have to pay.”
“I just…I want to, though. I guess it’s a pride thing.”
“Well, at least let me treat you to this one.”
She sighed, but smiled. “Ready to go, then?”
“Absolutely.” I answered.
We went outside, and as we started walking, I said, “I’m going to take you somewhere.” She nodded, and we went for a few blocks in silence. It was dark out, so no one seemed to notice us, which I was thankful for. I really didn’t want another girl to come up and insult her. I loved the fans, but I hated it when they were mean.
It had been about ten minutes when I heard her pipe up next to me. “Where are you taking me, Niall?” She asked.
“You’ll see.” I answered mischievously.
She groaned, but didn’t press any further. Finally, we reached the Underground station, and I led her downstairs. “So it’s far away, eh?” She asked.
“A bit, yeah. But it’s worth it. It’s actually quite convenient that your birthday’s now, because it’s only here a few times a year.” We both had passes, so we swiped them and went through. I normally didn’t ride the Underground—management didn’t think it was safe for us—but for when I gave them the slip, I had a card. I really did enjoy it. Trains had always been quite fun for me.
We managed to find seats, and I had kept my head low, so we rode without any trouble. It was quiet in the carriage, and neither of us wanted to break the silence, so we didn’t say anything. We did, however, make faces at each other, causing us to break into silent fits of laughter, making the other passengers look at us strangely. We finally reached the stop, after almost twenty minutes, and went back up to the street. We were right on the river, and just about five minutes away from where we were headed. “When’s your birthday, Niall?” She asked.
“September 13.” I answered. “I’m 19 now. I still can’t believe you didn’t tell me that it was your birthday yesterday. You’re 18 now, for fuck’s sake! You can drink legally! And you can drive! Not at the same time.” I added hastily.
She laughed. “I’m not an idiot. I’ve been doing both for a while now, it’s more like I can without a fake ID. In a couple days, it’ll be my older brother’s birthday. You know, if he was still here. He’d be 21.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just kept quiet. “He was one of those protective older brothers. At least, he tried to be. I guess most of the stuff that happened to me was after he died. But, like with my boyfriends and stuff, he’d be all tough.”
“So he wouldn’t like me.” I knew I wasn’t her boyfriend, but I was pretty damn close.
“No, he’d like you. Because you’re…nice. He wouldn’t like Harry.”
“Why is that?”
She sighed. “Because Harry’s—” We rounded the last corner, so we were facing the river. There, near its edge, a carnival had been set up. It was fairly small—only five or six rides and a few scattered games—but with all the lights set up, it looked beautiful. I’d been here a few times before, but it was only around twice a year. She stopped walking and stared at it. After a few moments, she whispered, “Niall, is that where we’re going?”
I nodded and smiled at her. She stood there staring at it for almost a minute, her mouth open slightly in wonderment, and I noticed her eyes tearing up a bit. “Everything alright?” I asked, putting a hand on her back.
“Yeah, it’s just…I’ve never been to one of these before. I’ve seen them in movies, and I’ve always wanted to go, but I…I never have.” She turned so we were facing each other, her bright blue eyes looking right into mine. “This is amazing, Niall.”
I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her towards me. “Only the best for the birthday girl.” I grinned.
She locked her hands behind my neck. “You’re the best, blondie.”
“Just for you.” And then we were kissing. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed kissing her until now—the last one I’d had wasn’t very good, and the last real one had been almost three weeks ago the night we’d had sex. Towards the end, we did slip in a bit of tongue, but mostly it was just her lips on mine. We released, and before we pulled away from each other, I said, “You have no idea how much I’ve missed that.”
“I have some idea.” She detached herself from me, and I motioned towards the river.
“You ready to go?” I asked.
“Definitely.”

-2 hours later-
“It’s almost midnight, Ni. We should probably head back.” We had spent the last two hours at the carnival, trying to make her first time there worthwhile. Half of me was happy to go back—it was tiring running around—but the other half of me liked it there so much. For one, I’d always loved carnivals, and it reminded me of when I was a kid, and for another, Nell was just so happy. She looked like a kid in a candy shop, excited to do everything except for the dropping ride, because she was afraid of falling. Watching her gave me chills.
“Okay.” I said. “It’ll be just us when we get to the flat. Louis texted me saying that they’re all at they’re girlfriend’s places, and Harry’s on Perrie’s couch. Apparently, he was so drunk he couldn’t move.
She laughed as we started to walk to the underground station. “That sounds like Harry.”
“Yeah, it does.” As soon as we turned the corner, so we could no longer see the midway, I noticed that there was no one around. It took me a minute to work up the courage, but I reached out and took her hand.
For half a second she didn’t do anything, then she laced her fingers with mine. We walked in silence until we were about a block away from the Underground. “I wish my brother was here. I think you’d like him. And he’d like you. I think he’d like you a lot.”
“From what you’ve told me, he sounds like an awesome lad.” I said, speaking slowly, so as not to say anything that might get me in trouble.
“Oh, he was. He was so smart. He was going to go to university in the States, I think. I just wonder where he might be right now…” I didn’t say anything more. She was so lost in thought, I thought it better to just let her wonder.
We finally reached the Underground station, and I felt her detach her hand from mine. She gave me a quick smile, as if to reassure me that everything was okay, and we swiped our passes. When we got to the platform, there were only a few people milling about. As we stood next to the grimy walls, she yawned. I grinned at her. “Tired?” I asked.
“Very much. You wear me out, blondie.”
“Hey, it’s my job.” I answered cheekily, and she elbowed me in the ribs. I looked around. In a quieter voice, I said, “I’m glad that no one seems to have recognized me.”
“Me too. Fans are fans, but some of them are…” She paused, searching for the right word. “Committed.”
“That’s a good way to put it.” Our train came, and we boarded. There were plenty of seats, as it was the middle of the night, and our only company was a homeless guy who looked to be asleep and a woman who looked about twenty talking on the phone. We took chairs in the corner, as far from the other two as possible, and I convinced myself to put an arm around her. She smiled up at me while I slipped my hand around her waist. A few minutes later, I felt her head on my shoulder, and I shifted slightly to look at her and find that she had nodded off.
I rested my head on the side of hers, smiling at an old woman who boarded and sat across from us. She looked at us with a very wistful look in her eyes. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything, and I didn’t want to wake Nell, so I looked away towards the other end of the train, where the homeless man was still asleep and the twenty-something woman had left. “You’re very lucky, you know.” The old woman said quietly and I looked at her. “You’re very lucky to have something so special.”
I nodded. “She’s an amazing girl.” I whispered, and left it at that. I let Nell sleep a while longer, then woke her up when we were a stop away. I gently poked her arm, and she opened her eyes. “Hey, Niall.” She muttered sleepily.
“We’re up next.” I said.
“Oh, really? Okay.” We exited the train and I said goodbye to the old woman, who smiled at me. “What was that about?” Nell asked as we walked up to the street. This stop was considerably more crowded, so I kept my head low.
I was about to answer her when I heard the familiar scream, “Oh my god, that’s Niall Horan!” And about fifteen girls rushed over to us. They all crowded me, pushing Nell out of the way, and I again cursed myself for not bringing Paul. I signed autographs, took pictures, and watched as the girls shot glares at Nell. I was about to say something about it, but she shot me a look that told me not to, so I kept my mouth shut.
I was hoping that they would just go away after they got a picture, but, of course, they didn’t. They kept asking questions, and I answered a few, but eventually, I said, “Look, ladies, I’ve got to go home now.”
“Take me with you!”
“Marry me, Niall!”
“I love you!”
“I want to have sex with you!”
“Niall, I want to have your children!”
I grimaced, wading through the screaming girls. I looked over at Nell, and motioned for her to start walking. When I got close enough to her, I said, “Start walking home. I’m going to go left and lose them in the park. I’ll meet you in a few.” I pushed the girls aside and started jogging away. Like I’d hoped, they all followed me.
I ran into a park on the other side of the street, and after a few minutes, managed to lose them. I took a long way back towards our flat, and as I got close, saw Nell walking about a block in front of me. I grinned and snuck up behind her. When I reached her, I wrapped my arms around her and whispered in her ear, “Boo.”
She laughed and pulled my hands off of her. I started walking next to her. We were on back streets now, and I didn’t see anyone around. “I’m sorry about that.” I said after a bit.
“Don’t worry about it, blondie. They’re mad.”
I grimaced. “Yeah, I know. I should have brought Paul or someone, but I always forget.”
“I liked being alone with you.” She said, simply.
I grinned, and we walked the rest of the way home in silence. I buzzed up, and we got into the elevator, pressing the button for the top floor. The music had changed from jazz to some 80’s ballad. I hummed along with it a bit, not quite realizing what I was doing, until she smirked, “Niall, do you actually like this music?”
I mocked offense. “But of course. This is my favorite song.”
“Really?” She asked, and I nodded. “Okay then. What’s it called?”
I grinned and stepped out of the elevator. “I guess we’ll never know.” I walked over to our flat and fumbled with the lock for a bit. I finally managed to open the door, and we kicked off our shoes. “So,” I said, watching her fumble with her shoelaces. “Does the birthday girl want any ice cream?”
“Niall, the birthday girl would love some ice cream.”