Untamed [Niall Horan]

Chapter Ten

Things were weird.

I didn't sleep much that night, my thoughts occupying my mind, unable to find stillness in the middle of all of my conflicting feelings. I thought about Harry, about the plan, and about telling him that I couldn't do it anymore. Maybe Niall changed enough for them, and they didn't need me anymore - maybe it was never really me to begin with, and he had realized he had changed for the worse by himself.

Part of me knew that I couldn't tell Harry that I quit, though; I couldn't let those boys down, nor could I abandon Niall, no matter how much he had hurt me. We weren't dating when he had slept with another girl, but I had long since felt the effect he had over me by that time. It was nine thirty in the morning and I was wide awake when I heard a knock on my door.

I stared at it, wishing whoever was on the other side would leave. They knocked again, after a moment, and I finally got off the counter, coffee cup in hand, and went over to open it. I was pleased that two blue eyes weren't looking back at me, but instead Harry's big green eyes. He offered me a small smile, and I instantly knew that Niall had told him about last night.

"Want to come in?" I asked softly, and he walked into my apartment. "Annabelle is asleep, so we're going to have to be a bit quiet."

I shut the door and turned to see Harry focused on me intently. "How are you?"

Could be a lot better. "I'm well, how are you?"

"You're well," He repeated slowly, and then ran a hand through his curly hair with a long sigh. "Niall told me what happened last night. He called me around two in the morning."

I leaned against the door and took a sip of coffee. "Did he?"

"Ariana, come on; I know you're upset," Harry finally said. "Hell, I know I was."

"I just don't want this to set anything back, because he has changed so much and I know that if I just ignore this that-"

Harry looked at me in bewilderment. "Set anything back?"

I nodded, looking down. "You know, with the plan and all."

"I know what you mean," He grumbled, and rubbed his face with his hand, a struggling look overtaking his features. "Ariana, you and I both know that this stopped simply being about the plan a while ago. You care about Niall."

My stomach tightened, and I looked up at him to see his gaze focused on me, searching my face for an answer to what he had just said. I looked away quickly, unable to keep eye contact under the intensity of his gaze. I thought about a million different things to say, excuses to begin, but stopped before any lies left my mouth. I did care about Niall, but I also knew it was dangerous to do so.

"Ariana, look at me, please," Harry pleaded, and I did. "He feels awful - the first time he's ever felt awful about sleeping with a girl."

I sighed, my breath shaky as I let it out. "When I'm around him, I'm happy. He's so kind to me and to Annabelle; I let all my guards down around him, and as soon as I do, and I feel like we have a real connection, I see traces of what he used to be like. It's foolish of me to think that I'm getting Niall to change his ways."

"But you are," Harry told me quickly. "He's been the happiest I've seen him in years these past few months. He's been with me and the lads more, and smiles more, and doesn't go to the bar every night to find new girls. He's been out of trouble ever since he met you."

I let the words ring in my head as I stood there silently, longing to go see Niall and let him hug me and tell me that he's sorry, that it won't happen again, and that he has changed. I sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming my thoughts down and drawing the final conclusion that I couldn't give up because of this little bump in the road. If what everything Niall has said to me in the past few days has been true, then he does care about me, and only wants me, not other girls; I was still his girlfriend.