Let's Pretend [Niall Horan]

Chapter 12

-Zayn-
••January 24, 2013••

I flipped through the numerous tweets coming in on my newsfeed, reading through them as quickly as I could before the page automatically refreshed.  I was bored and this was an entertaining, if not-so-productive, way to spend my Thursday afternoons.

I picked up the cup of tea that Louis had made for me earlier when he was over, which meant it must have had salt or pickle juice in it, but us five One Direction boys were pretty used to it.

Speaking of, where was everyone?  I hadn’t spoken to Liam, Niall or Harry for a while now, and it was quite odd.  We usually texted one other every day, but I hadn’t communicated with those three since the day we landed back in London.  I shrugged, returning to the tweets as I sipped the (thankfully pickle juice-less, if a bit cold) tea.  We would see each other soon enough; there was sure to be some One Direction work coming up...

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door, making me jump off of the couch in surprise.  Setting my phone and tea down and letting out a tired yawn, I shuffled towards the front door.  Who could that be?

I spied through the peephole to see none but the little Irish lad himself, alone on my porch.  Both his hands were stuffed into his pockets, his back to the door.

I smiled to myself, unlocking the heavy white door and swinging it open.  The cold air attacked me, immediately making me regret opening the door without proper clothes on. Apparently pajamas pants and a tank top weren't enough.

I grabbed Niall's arm, yanking him inside of my house as quickly as possible and shutting the door behind him. I walked over to the wall, turning up the heater higher than I normally would like it.

"Sooo...?" I asked, fiddling with the heater dial, not exactly sure how to work it.

"Zayn," he said from behind me.  Even though I was facing the other direction I immediately knew something was wrong. His voice was low and obviously unhappy. "I made a mistake."

I turned around to see Niall staring down at the carpeted floor, biting his trembling lower lip.

"We all make mistakes, mate," I comforted, not a little worried at his anxiousness.  I walked back over to the couch, gesturing for him to also take a seat.  What on earth could have happened?

"No – this time I really messed up," he moaned, walking over to the couch and slowly taking a seat beside me, like he was in a slow-motion movie.

"I'm sure you couldn’t have done anything too bad..." I said out loud, though I couldn't help but let the worst possibilities flash through my head.  I shook my head, trying to clear my worries.  I put on my best fake smile, aiming for a carefree tone.  "Niall, mate, what happened?  It couldn't have been too terrible, you know!"

"Zayn!" Niall suddenly slammed the coffee table with both his hands, looking me straight into my eyes and startling me out of my fake cheer.  His blue orbs were dim and cold, something I had only seen once.  Only when he had found out his dog died back at home in Mullingar.

Before I could reply, he seemed to cool off, letting out a deep sigh and resting both hands on his lap.  I could definitely and without hesitation say that I had never seen Niall this tense in my life.  Not even when Mrs. Gray had paid us a visit.  I kept quiet, waiting for him to continue.  It wasn't long.

"I slept with someone," he softly murmured.

"Oh," was the only thing I managed to say. I didn't know what else to say.  My mind kept racing back to Faith.  Did I dare ask if it had anything to do with the pressure Mrs. Gray had put on him by telling him that Faith hated him?  But instead I stayed silent, waiting for the poor lad to continue.