❝ 'Wendy,' he continued, in a voice that no woman has ever yet been able to resist, 'Wendy, one girl is more use than twenty boys.' ❞
~~~
“That One Time” is how Niall mentally referred to his meltdown episode and everything surrounding it. For the most part, he tried to ignore it. Of course, that probably wasn’t the best idea, but Niall didn’t feel the same suffocation as before. He’d let it out. He had some idea of how to fix it. He was determined not to let it ruin him. Whitney gave him concerned glances here and there, but she didn’t prod. Bree wasn’t fully aware of what had happened, so she didn’t say anything. Slowly, surely, Niall was feeling more like himself again. He had Whitney to thank for that.
“Have you ever tried climbing this tree?” he once asked Whitney while they were in their usual sprawl under their tree. Niall never really went further than twenty feet away from the tree anymore. How he managed to evade other Neverlander thus far was still unknown to him. Luck, probably. And Whitney’s instincts.
In response to Niall’s question, Whitney shook her head. “I’ve never climbed a tree in my life,” she admitted.
“You never – are you fucking kidding me?”
“What? I’m a girl; I don’t climb trees,” she protested.
“That’s the dumbest excuse I’ve ever heard. How have you never climbed a tree?” Niall incredulously asked. “What kind of deprived childhood did you have?” She only shrugged. Niall thought for a moment, then stood up and brushed the grass of the bottom of his “skinny-ass jeans,” as Whitney liked to ridicule him. He held his hand out to Whitney, who was still planted on the ground and looking at him confusedly. “Here,” he prompted.
Whitney looked at his hand and back at him. “What’re you doing?”
His eyes crinkled as he smiled widely. “Showing you what you’ve been missing out on.” Niall motioned for her to take his hand. She reluctantly allowed him to yank her up from her sitting position. “Follow me,” he told her, reaching up to one of the lower branches that hung a few feet above his head. Niall grasped the branch and hoisted himself up. He swung his legs around so he was sitting comfortably. Grinning at Whitney below, he called, “Okay, now it’s your turn!”
“Not a chance.”
“Why not?”
“Well, I –” Whitney stumbled over her words, trying to find an excuse. “What if Bree comes back from wherever she’s at and can’t find us?”
“She’ll find us, don’t worry,” he replied. “Come on!”
“I’m not gonna climb this tree, Niall!”
“Sure you are,” Niall chuckled. “Or are you too scared to be a few feet off the ground?”
YOU ARE READING
Somewhere In Between // Niall Horan
Fanfiction[DISCONTINUED] Whitney Davies has been oblivious to the world for three years, but you can't blame her. It isn't her fault she's stuck in Neverland. Not the Neverland you know and love, though. This is a different place, where there aren't any...
