The Side Affects

Chapter Thirty One

-Christine's POV-

Niall's voice yelled through the other side of the phone as I whimpered back.

"I-I just went out-"

"At six o'clock in the morning?! No text! No note! Fucking hell Christine! I'm worried sick!" He panicked through the other side of the call as I stood up and kicked the pathway lightly before dawdling back into my walk. "Where are you? I'm coming to get you right now." Looking around, I couldn't see any street signs or familiar buildings around. Oh shit where was I?

"I-I don't know..."

"What? You don't know?" Niall's voice became harsher as I quickly crossed the street and attempted to come back the way I came. "Well are there no signs? No shop names?!"

"I don't know ok!" I choked out and stopped leaning on a build as I regained my breath. "I don't know."

"Christine, baby are you crying?" His tone became softer as my shoulders slumped before I continued up the street.

"I'll just use maps to find my way back," I sniffled, "what's the name of our hotel again?"

"No, no it's alright. I'm coming to get you right now." Comparing from the tone he used when he first called me, he seemed a lot more gentle now.

"G-give me a minute." Turning on my location, I waited a few moments before it read where it was. I told Niall and he told me to stay exactly where I was so it would be easier to find me. "I-I'll go no-"

"No!" Niall interrupted as I heard a car engine start. "Don't hang up Christine. I need to know you're ok. Just keep talking."

"About what?" Pulling my knees to my chest, I looked back ways up the street before looking up towards the sky.

"I don't know; anything. Tell me what you think of Melbourne." So I did. I told him how I liked his friends and how different this country was to England. And Niall listened to every word.

. . .

It wasn't long before a black range rover had pulled over on the opposite side of the street before the car door opened and slammed shut. Stuffing my phone into my hoodie, I watched Niall frantically looked both ways to no oncoming traffic before running to me.

"Christine!" He yelled and instantly pulled me into his arms. His hands ran through my hair and over my arms as he pulled back and checked over my face. "Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" I shook my head beginning to feel tears threaten before I buried my face in his chest. "I've got you now. I've got you." He mumbled as I softly cried into his shirt. "Let's get us home hey? I'll make you some breakfast and we can talk about anything on your mind."

Complying with him, I nodded as he kept an arm around my shoulders and walked us back across the road before settling me into the passenger seat. I waited as he got in and started the car before typing our hotel back into the GPS.

My hands shook in my lap and I stared out the window from the safety of my car seat. Not even seconds later, Niall's hand reached for mine. His fingers ran down from my wrist before he pulled my hand out and intertwined them. He didn't utter a word but I did see him look over at me a few times from the corner of my eye.

The drive came to about twenty minutes before we pulled into the secluded area behind the hotel. Niall parked in the residents parking area as I pulled my hand back and rubbed over my face.

"Where's William?" I asked as Niall undid his seatbelt and looked over at me.

"I had to ask a couple on the level below us to look after him while I came to get you." Oh great, add that to my list of things that I have fucked up in my life. Niall had to trust two complete strangers to look after a near two year old because his girlfriend was having a mental breakdown.

"Oh." Was all I could respond as Niall climbed out of the car. I followed behind Niall into the entrance back into the hotel before we stepped into the elevator. It was silent, but only for a little while.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Niall asked looking over with arms crossed on his chest. "I woke up and you weren't there? I checked everywhere around the apartment. Fuck, I thought you had fallen over the balcony or something." His words whimpered off as he looked away staring hard at the mirrored walls. He then turned his eyes to me through the reflection waiting for an answer as I looked down at my feet.

"I... I don't know." I muttered feeling Niall turn and step closer to me.

"You don't know?" He asked. I don't know what it was but it was either mock or disbelief in that question; it made me feel a hundred times worse. "So you got up in the early hours of the morning, gave me a heart attack and walked nearly across half of Melbourne city because, you don't know." I winced back and shrugged looking down.

Looking away into the mirror, I saw Niall shake his head in disbelief and roll his eyes as he stepped forward at the door. The level beneath ours dinged and Niall stepped out as I followed.

"No." His hard glare had me blink back and step away. "You go to the penthouse and you wait for me when I'm ready to talk to you." My eyes widened as I watched him turn and make his way down the foyer as the elevator doors shut.

Hurt coursed through my being and I looked over at myself in the mirror.

Niall was angry at me because I'm an idiot. I couldn't sleep; I was restless and now I stood here feeling this wave of stupidity run through me. I just wanted in that moment for everyone to forget that I even existed while I curled up in a corner and did nothing with the rest of my life. A small cry left my lips as I pressed the penthouse button and shrunk back as I held my face in my hands.

Why is everything fucking up for me right now?