His Princess

We all went back to Sparrow’s after that—aside from Mika, who went inside and wrote all about what just happened on whatever site would listen. It ended up that going back to Sparrow’s was just a time to exchange numbers and say goodbye, for a couple of the guys anyways.

Liam and Zayn left after demanding that we keep in touch. They apologized over and over for leaving when they were, but it wasn’t a big deal. Liam had a plane to catch, and Zayn had lunch plans with Perrie. Even if we weren’t just random girls that tazed them on the streets of New York last night, they had prior commitments that were much more important than us.

Louis stayed because his plane didn’t leave until tomorrow morning, and Harry still didn’t know what he was gonna do. Niall at least knew his plans for that night and the next day. From there, he wasn’t sure either.

It made things a bit frightening, however, because even though it was hours away, I wanted to go ahead and get ready for my evening. I texted Daniel and told him that it wasn’t a date, it was just a couple of people hanging out, and he was okay with that. Said we’d meet around seven.

The scary part was that there were three well sought after guys waiting for me to do a fashion show, and they would vote on which outfit they liked best. Sparrow wasn’t happy about tonight, like I figured she wouldn’t be, but she didn’t say anything. Mostly I think she appreciated the fact that Niall was going with me.

She trusts him.

After going through all kinds of things, all different kinds of outfits, they finally decided and agreed on something casual. A black skirt, grey tank top, grey leggings, and faded camo green cargo jacket as the main attire accessorized with black concealed wedge sneakers and a black studded leather bracelet was something everyone decided looked right.

“That’s actually quite hot,” Harry said the instant I walked out in it.

Louis was thinking. “I like it. Go straight hair, though.”

Niall was more hesitant than they were to answer, but he nodded. “It’s beautiful. You can wear your hair however you like. Still looks good.”

I followed Louis’ advice since he was the only one who mentioned my hair, and I barely applied any makeup at all. All I did was put on skin colored glittery eye shadow, a very, very thin line of bronze colored eyeliner, and some mascara. That was it. When I came out, they didn’t even really notice the makeup.

“Perfect,” they all agreed in unison, and Sparrow actually nodded in approval. It was a couple of hours before we were supposed to meet, though, so the five of us went downstairs and put in a movie.

“I’ve noticed that there are no adults here,” Niall noted as the movie began to play. “Where are your parents?”

Sparrow shrugged. “They left a few days ago to go to Pittsburgh. Dad’s got a business trip there, said they’ll be gone about a month.”

Louis’ eyebrows rose. “Wow. A whole month. You could have some serious parties here.”

“They even told me I could,” she said. “I will, and I’ll invite you guys. Whether you come or not, you’re always invited. Anytime you’re in town, feel free to stop by for a visit. This has been a lot of fun.”

“It has,” Harry agreed. “It sucks that we need to be getting back today.”

Sparrow hadn’t thought about them leaving, but now that she realized it, she was kind of bummed. I had to admit, I was too. I had been so focused on the fact that none of it seemed real that I didn’t even think about the dream-like reality coming to an end.

Sparrow didn’t let her dismal mood last long, however, because she immediately jumped to her feet. “I feel like karaoke.”

I didn’t actually expect the guys to agree, but they seemed rather excited about the idea. You would think people who sing professionally wouldn’t like karaoke, but within five minutes, we had a mini stage lit up with colorful lights and her old karaoke machine hooked up with random songs.

What was even more surprising was how eager they were to have a turn. Louis and Harry argued over who would go first, and it was only settled by rock, paper, scissors, which Harry would with rock.

That put Harry going first. He got an Elvis song, and like I imagined he sometimes did at concerts, he was goofy with it. Signing too dramatically, striking poses that just didn’t make sense with the song . . . we were all breathless because we were laughing so hard.

Louis was up next. He got a cool song—Midnight Romeo by Push Play—and after hearing the song, he had trouble being goofy with it.

“That song is really catchy,” he informed us as he sat back down on the couch and looked over to Sparrow. “I vote Sparrow goes next.”

Her eyes were wide. “Oh no. No, no, no. I don’t sing.”

“Well, it was your idea,” I reminded her. “So I’m with Louis. Your turn!”

She shot a glare my way. “Fine, but you’re next, missy.”

I quickly shook my head. “Nope. I don’t sing.”

“Whatever.” She rolled her eyes and walked up onto the stage. “You’re next, Em.”

The song she got was She Looks So Perfect, and while the guys got excited to hear that, I was jealous. It was one of my favorite songs on the karaoke CD, so I was bummed about what I might get.

Please don’t let it be the Adele song.

Sparrow’s voice was something I always enjoyed hearing. It wasn’t one of those voices you hear and think, “Man, she should try and become a professional,” but when you hear it, it soothes you.

Mine? It sucked. Absolutely terrible, but I was literally forced onto the stage and forced to sing.

Here you are, singing in front of three of the five One Direction members. Wow. Look at how great your life has become.

I got Misery Business by Paramore, which was almost as bad as getting the Adele song. Don’t get me wrong. I love the song, absolutely love it, but I did not want to sing it karaoke style in front of the majority of One Direction. It’s one of those songs that you’re sort of thrown into and have to sing. Like that. No hesitation or carefully getting in. From the moment you start singing, it’s like, BAM.

I squeezed my eyes shut and just did it, sang the words perfectly. I knew this song like the back of my hand—pretty much every Paramore song like the back of my hand—so I didn’t have to watch the screen.

“She’s really quite entertaining to watch,” I heard Harry say as I finished and my eyes
carefully opened back up. “She gets so emotional. It’s very fantastic.”

“Maybe she’ll believe you guys,” Sparrow snorted. “I try to tell her she can sing, but just like everything else, she doesn’t believe me.”

Niall rolled his eyes and smirked at me. “You can sing, Emmit. Actually, your voice, like Harry said, it’s fantastic. Quite incredible. It’s really different from any other voice I’ve heard, but it’s . . . intoxicating. I wanna hear you sing again!”

“Okay, well, that’s great and all, but I believe it’s your turn,” I reminded him, trying to ignore the fact that my cheeks were on fire as the song changed over to the next track.

It was Nothing by the Script.

I was beyond psyched to hear him sing something, so of course, I listened intently and fell in love with his voice all over again. Unfortunately, when he was finished, it was time for Niall and me to go.

Louis and Harry did the same simply because it wouldn’t look right, in case they were found here, and they decided that they really did need to get back. Sparrow understood, of course, and she helped them make sure they had everything.

And then, we all left Sparrow’s. It was the first time I had ever been with any of them without her, but it was fun driving them to their hotel. I parked in the parking deck, and Louis and Harry hid underneath the hoods of their jackets as we climbed out and went our separate ways.

Something about saying goodbye to them was depressing, but I was glad Niall was still with me.

It physically pained me to think about saying goodbye to him. I just didn’t want to do it.

As we headed towards the place Daniel and I were supposed to meet up, we started asking each other all sorts of random things about each other. It was really fun, and I learned so much about him. Learning things about him from him personally was so much better than hearing it in a magazine or reading it online. Coming from the source meant it wasn’t just made to sell the story; it was really who he was.

When we got out of the darker sides of the streets where we were hiding, he quickly slipped on a toboggan before anyone recognized him. From there, he pulled his hood over his head and disappeared into the crowd.

Almost as soon as he disappeared, Daniel showed up with a bright smile and a single red rose.

I smiled. “Hi.”

“Hey yourself,” he said back, and he slowly spun me to take in my appearance. “That’s really hot. Where’s your friend?”

“Somewhere,” I murmured, but I tried to appear casual at the mention of my friend. “Um, so, what do you want to do?”

He shrugged. “You live here, right?”

“I do.”

“Show me New York,” he suggested as a rather flirtatious smile pulled across his lips. “Show me your world.”

In the well lit up streets, I noticed how tall he was. His eyes were a dark brown color, and his hair was sandy brown with too much flip for my tastes. With him being a somewhat faded memory, it was good to refresh my mind on the details of what he looked like.

“Shall we?” he asked, and when he held his arm out for me to grab onto, something about that made me smile. It made me feel adventurous. Sure, I wasn’t jumping right into potential danger on my own, but I was doing something spontaneous and crazy. It was completely not like me, but something about it felt liberating.

That’s why a smile of my own pulled across my lips. “We shall.”

The more time I spent showing Daniel the small part of Manhattan we were in, the more I realized that he was just a simple guy that seemed pretty into me. Every chance he got, he told me how beautiful I was. With every step, he was careful to protect me from the people around us but also try to stay as close to me as he could.

The evening was coming to an end as the large circle we had taken closed up, and we were back at the spot we had originally met up. Though it felt like a large circle, when compared to the actual size of Manhattan, it was nothing.

We stopped at the spot we had started, and my eyes casually looked around for Niall. When I didn’t see him, I got a bit nervous, but Daniel interrupted my thoughts.

“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

My eyebrows pulled together as I focused my attention on him, though every fiber of my being wanted to turn and search for Niall. “Why do you say that?”

“I’ll remember you, and I’ll remember how beautiful you are,” he said, and suddenly, he was stepping closer to me so his fingers could softly rub down my cheeks. “I’ll also remember how amazing you are. I wish you lived where I do. That way I wouldn’t have to say goodbye soon.”

Though it felt odd to hear this from someone who actually didn’t know anything about me, it made me feel good inside. I couldn’t help the way I smiled up at him. “So what do you say then? Dinner?”

“Only if you promise me one thing,” he said. “Come with me after dinner. Let’s spend every last moment I have here together.”

That made things a little weirder for me, mostly because I had no idea what he had in mind, but I figured it was normal. So, I just nodded sheepishly and followed him into the restaurant.

Not even five steps into the restaurant, the entire mood of the night changed. Daniel didn’t even get to tell the hostess there were two of us before a some blonde girl came up and pushed me away from Daniel. Her brown eyes were full of rage, and her shove had been very forceful.

What did she have against me?

“Get your paws off of him!” she exclaimed, and suddenly, my mind exploded into goop. “He’s mine, whore! He loves me so much that he took me to a One Direction concert last night, so don’t you dare think he’ll leave me for you!”

I looked up at Daniel, who looked as surprised to see her as I was. “Really? Your sister? You’re a disgusting creature.”

“W-Wait, Emmit,” he stuttered out, but it took him a second to find a coherent sentence. “What about what we had?”

“The only thing she can give you is a bunch of disgusting, boring sex!” the girl yelled at him. All she was doing was causing a scene, and I just felt sick right now. Having all of these peoples’ eyes on me didn’t make me feel any better, and suddenly, I was hot and felt very small. “Get over here, back to the only girl who can give it to you good!”

There were tears ruining what little makeup I had on as I turned and ran right out of the restaurant. I had no idea where Niall was, but I had to get away. As I walked, I tears fell before I could muster any willpower to stop them.

Ah, fuck it. Let them fall.

This was nothing. It hadn’t gotten anywhere, but still, I had really believed I was special to someone. I really believed that someone finally noticed me as more than just another face.

He didn’t, though, and now, I was that other girl. I was the one who helped him cheat without even realizing it!

I felt dirty, and everything inside of me hurt. I just wanted to be in a bed, somewhere safe. It didn’t matter where. I just didn’t want to be on the streets.

“Emmit, wait!” I heard Daniel from behind me. “Let me explain!”

“I don’t want you to explain anything,” I said as I turned sharply to face him, causing him to nearly collide with me. “There’s nothing to explain. This was stupid to begin with. You have a girlfriend. Go back to her and stop cheating. It’s wrong and sick. I never should’ve agreed to come.”

“Especially alone,” he said, and what sounded so creepy was covered up with a tender smile. “Come on, Emmit. You promised you would come with me.”

“Don’t touch me,” I warned. “I thought you meant to, like, the airport or something. Leave me alone. If you want a bed buddy, your girlfriend is right inside. Do her.”

“I already have, and it’s getting boring,” he said, and suddenly, he grabbed my arms and shoved me back against the wall. The shitty part about New York was that people saw bad things happening and typically just turned their head. Because turning away makes it all go away, right?

My teeth grit together as I tried to push him away, but it was no use. “Stop.”

“I want something new and exciting,” he practically purred against the skin of my neck before softly pressing his lips against the skin. “That’s why I lied to you, and that’s why I didn’t tell you I had a girlfriend. We were about to break up anyways. I couldn’t get my mind off of you, Emmit.” He actually bit on my neck while I struggled to push him off again. “Let’s have some fun and excitement.”

“If you lay another hand on her, there won’t be anything capable of exciting you,” the very sexy and very Irish voice of none other than Niall himself said in such a dark and . . . rather attractive way that I almost found myself captivated.

Thankfully, it surprised Daniel enough that I was able to kick him in the nuts and get away from him as he fell to the ground. In an instant, Niall moved me behind him so that Daniel would literally have to go through him to get to me again.

“This isn’t your business, man,” Daniel said, although he was choking and coughing from the nasty New York sidewalk. “Leave us alone.”

“I’m the friend,” Niall scoffed. “Even if I wasn’t, I’m not gonna turn a blind eye while you assault her. But as her friend, I will warn you. Lay another finger on her. No—you so much as look at her again, I’ll make you hurt in ways you didn’t even know were possible.”

Daniel managed to stand up so that he could try and say something threatening, but when he did, he got a good look at Niall’s face. He recognized it, too, and he a huge smile pulled across his face. “Whoa. Dude. You’re the Irish guy in One Direction! Can you autograph something for my girlfriend?”

Niall’s eyes got cold as he reached back to grab my hand. “No.”

Daniel suddenly grabbed Niall, and when I say he threw him against the wall, I’m not exaggerating. Whereas he pushed me against it earlier, he literally grabbed Niall by his shirt and threw him so hard, it was a wonder it didn’t kill him.

“Dude, back off!” he shouted in Niall’s face. “This is none of your business! I don’t care who you are.”

Niall didn’t even hesitate to turn and deck the guy, despite the fact that it was his head that hit the wall the hardest. When Niall punched him, Daniel immediately fell back down to the ground after doing a three hundred and sixty degree spin.

People began freaking out about the fight because apparently a fight is something to freak out about while a woman being assaulted isn’t.

Either way, Niall didn’t stick around to let it continue. Actually, he just took my hand in his left hand, the one that hadn’t just punched him in the face, and the two of us started shuffling away.

“Fuck, that hurt,” he muttered under his breath, and when we were safe, I was definitely gonna make sure he was okay.

Then, our slightly fast paced shuffling turned into full speed running, although I wasn’t sure why exactly. I just followed Niall, though, because he knew what he was doing. After all, he had saved me just then.

Within a minute, it all made sense. The high pitched squeals and loud gasps were enough to clear things up for me.

“Oh my gosh! It’s Niall!”

Notes

The lyrics are from How You Love Me Now by Hey Monday.

You can check out Emmit's outfit here. And shoutout to my friend, Phenax, who is absolutely wonderful and uses her Polyvore skills (which I lack completely) and creates the outfits I envision for you guys to see. ^.^ She's awesome. :)

Daniel's a douche. >.> He was actually gonna get a HELL of a lot worse with the original plan of the story, but so much of the story has been edited out and put in, changed, etc. Like, originally, they met at a concert. So, I mean, it's had a lot of changes, edits to make it not so horrible, and things of that nature.

Hope you guys enjoy this chapter, even if it's not really great. Still, things get better! I promise. :)