Eternal [HS]

Chapter Thirty

AFTER SPENDING HOURS WITH HIM, Jo has found that Niall is the exact person you want to be around in a time of stress and anxiety.

When he first arrived here to guard her against danger in Harry and Mitch's absence, she was a nervous wreck. Pacing, picking at her nails, tidying, and cleaning the entire living room/kitchen area to give herself something productive to do with her restlessness—she was a hot mess. It wasn't that she doubted Harry's ability. After three centuries of survival, his ability, both with a blade and only relying on his natural strength alone, has made itself apparent, but she feared losing him anyway.

She was on her fourth time scrubbing the non-existent gunk out of the stainless steel kitchen sink when she finally stopped, forced herself to take a breath, and walked away in the direction of the front porch with her bottle of disinfectant held in her swinging hand.

Niall was stationed outside of the main door to the house, which she assumed had something to do with the fight she put up the last time he and Mitch had to ensure her safety.

The thought of it made her smile to herself, that Harry took what she said into consideration and tried to find a compromise where she got some of the space she desired, yet remained under the watchful eyes of one of the many people below him in rank who vowed to protect her. Apparently, there are others, he told her before leaving, but he knew she'd only feel comfortable with his friends.

The door swung open behind Niall with a sharp pull of her arm, and he had to jump to his feet faster than her eyes could see to stop himself from falling flat on his ass.

He was standing behind her and the open door when he scrunched his nose and said, making her turn around, "It smells like flowers and bleach in here."

She held up the tub of purple liquid.

"Fabuloso." Her hand dropped back down to her side with a tired sigh, the disinfectant sloshing around in its closed container. "Cleaning is the only thing I can do to distract myself."

Much to her surprise and happiness, he didn't prod at what she said. He could sense her need to let it out, to talk about the worry that was eating her alive, but didn't force it out of her before she was ready. All he did was nod and reach behind her to shut and lock the door before making himself comfortable in the flower and bleach scented living space she spent the last hour and a half obsessing over.

Now that another hour and a half has passed, she has read another fifty pages of her current book obsession. It's a twisted retelling of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which she finds funny considering her own situation. The story of a girl who bumped her head and found herself in a fresh, fantastical world filled with creatures unlike anything she saw before...She only spares the thought a soft chuckle before flipping to a new chapter.

But, as soon as she does, she is turned off from wanting to continue by the creeping thoughts she has tried to keep at bay all night. Thoughts of him, of what could go wrong tonight despite two weeks of preparation and three centuries of survival on his part, sank into her body like poison.

Is there something wrong with her? It is so unlike her to allow someone to possess her attention to this extent, it starts to set her on edge. He will survive, he must, and she knows that. It isn't a matter of if he comes home, it is a matter of when, so why is she acting like it isn't? Why does the thought of his pain and death make her feel as though she is dying herself?

None of it makes sense.

Closing her book with a gentle 'slap' sound, she looks up at where Niall sits at the other end of the couch and asks, "Do you ever"—She has to pause to think about what to say—"Do not make fun of me, but do you ever feel like it physically pains you to be away from someone when you're attracted to them? I don't really know how to explain it..."