Climbing the Walls (a Niall Horan love story)

Chapter 17

Chapter 17







*Haley's P.O.V.*


After about half an hour of just lazing around with Niall, I decided to get ready to go wherever he was taking me. He told me to wear whatever I wanted, advising it be something I really liked. His instructions confused me, but I went along with it. I knew exactly what I was going to wear.

I entered my closet, searching for what I had set my mind on. Finally I found it: my hot pink strapless top with a corset and navy sash. It was adorned with white flowers, and I was absolutely in love with it. I had given up a new bathing suit to have it. I paired it with a pair of dark wash Abercrombie short shorts and laid the outfit on my bed as I went to shower. When I was done, I made sure my hair curled the way I wanted it to, then brushed on some Maybelline Colossal mascara and applied subtle top eyeliner. I spritzed some Taylor Swift Wonderstruck perfume on my wrists and neck, then sprayed a cloud in front of me and walked through it. Slipping on my black flats, I looked in the mirror, smiling. Not because I looked good, I mean girls never think they look good, but I thought today was going to be a good day.

I descended the staircase, finding Louis, Liam, and Niall lounging on the couch watching something they didn't seem too terribly interested in on TV. I assumed Harry and Zayn were across the street, helping Dani and Derek get settled in. My heart leapt when Niall smiled at me and stood up, meeting me at the bottom of the stairs. Liam whistled, making me giggle. Louis winked at me and I returned it with a giddy smile as Niall took my hand and led me to the door.

"Where are you two off to?" Liam asked in a slightly fatherly way. I said nothing, seeing as I didn't even know.

"We're going for a walk," Niall answered simply. The three of us all gave him questioningly looks, which he just shrugged off.

"In this weather?" Liam questioned.

"Why not?" Niall shot back, making me grin. Liam shrugged, accepting his answer, and turned back to the television. Niall held the door open for me, exposing the water that was flowing magically from the beautifully ominous gray sky. (Yes, I know my perception of beauty in nature might be a bit strange.) I looked at him with a playful grin.

"No umbrella?" I questioned.

"Do you want one?" he offered. I smiled and shook my head.

"Nope," I answered, walking through the door and waiting for him at the bottom of the porch. I really didn't like umbrellas. I mean, what was wrong with the rain? I loved the feeling of the droplets plopping softly down on my head. I loved the mist that surrounded me, the fresh scent that filled the air, the thunder that rumbled gently, everything. I ran out onto the front lawn and spread out my arms, spinning around in circles with my face tilted towards the sky. Summer storms were the best. I started giggling like a crazy chick, high on life. I stopped to face Niall, realizing he probably thought I was insane. He was just smiling at me, almost in wonderment. Then he crossed the green landscape to me, picking me up the way Noah picks up Allie in the Notebook, and started spinning me around. I was still giggling like an idiot. Every time I thought life couldn't get any better, it did. He set me down, so we were face to face. Our breathing was kind of deep, though I'm not exactly sure why. I leaned my forehead against his, staring into his mesmerizing blue eyes. My hands were around his neck and he was delicately cupping my face. Suddenly, I was leaning in...

"C'mon, let's go," Niall said abruptly, pulling away from the almost-kiss. I must admit, I was disappointed. But if he didn't want to kiss me, trust me, I wasn't going to make him. Being in that position was not fun. But I really did want to kiss him. Maybe it was too fast, but I felt like we were ready. It was weird for me, wanting my biggest fear with such a burning passion, but something in Niall changed me, made me believe. After Louis' little push, I've had no control over my emotions. He took my hand and led me down the empty street, rain pelting our heads. I think I wanted Niall so badly because he was my dream come true. I knew he would never hurt me, and even though I thought that about Chase, this was different. With Chase I was a naïve, vulnerable, desperate little girl who thought the boy she was crazy for loved her. But now with Niall, I've been hurt before. I know what can happen in relationships, but I know the boy I'm crazy about, the boy I love loves me.

"So am I allowed to know where we're going?" I asked. I had a bit of a déjà vu moment, going back to the woods with Chase, but Niall made all of those scars seem so hazy and irrelevant. You don't see what you posses: a beauty calm and clear that floods the sky and blurs the darkness like a chandelier. The Hush Sound lyrics flowed through my mind, putting my thoughts into words better than I ever could.

"Nope, you'll have to wait and see," he smiled at me, taking his time as we strolled along. I was surprised he didn't mind walking without an umbrella.

"Okay, okay," I replied, not wanting to ruin the surprise. Ever since the incident with Chase I've hated surprises, but it's like Niall made me come out of my shell. Moving to England was like a fresh new start for me, as if I was a completely different person. Which I didn't mind, I was glad to rid myself of my worrisome old self who ran from tomorrow and clung to yesterday, never trusting anyone so that she couldn't get hurt again. I liked trusting people, it was a nice change. "A duck!" I exclaimed like a child as a feathered creature waddled nearby.

"Quack, quack, quack," Niall sing-songed absently. I giggled at him, admiring his adorableness. We were approaching a village square-like place, but the gray cobblestone streets were deserted. We were the only two there, ambling around as if we were the only two people left in the world. He led me down an alley behind what looked like a pizza shop.

"Uhmm...?" I said questioningly, smiling at him. We were both drenched by now, his once light blue sweatshirt now darkened a few shades from the rain. I knew I was soaking as well, my arms had rain drops rolling down them and my hair was hanging in wet, practically dripping, curls. He just smiled at me.

"Shortcut," he answered simply. There was something suspicious in his voice, but it sounded like a good thing, so I didn't question him. There were pizza boxes stacked up in the store window, blocking anyone's sight of the alley and giving us privacy. Just then, Niall tripped over what seemed to just be a flat surface, sprawling forward across the ground.

"Are you okay?" I asked worriedly, leaning down over him. He rolled over onto his back and smiled up at me, making my breath get caught in my throat and my heart rise. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked me in the eyes, absolutely killing me. I've truly never seen such a beautiful sight; there was rain streaming down his face and getting caught in the tips of his damp blonde hair, his lips were slightly parted in a small, sweet smile, and his eyes were hypnotizing me, their blueness swallowing up my heart like a tsunami crashing over the land. In that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured me goofily. "Wonderful, actually." His voice changed with those two words, making them sound so incredibly romantic. Why was he being so torturously irresistible? And then, with those two words, something clicked. We were staring into each others' eyes with such an intense passion, every suspenseful moment killing me. We were leaning in, and nothing was stopping us. No hesitance, no fear, no second thoughts.

It was perfect, exactly how I had described my ideal real first kiss to him: In the rain in a dark alley. I understood now why he hadn't kissed me in the front yard; he wanted it to be perfect for me. I was so flattered by his sweetness; my heart could barely take it. I was almost positive that this wasn't a shortcut, and that his trip was purposeful. I was completely convinced I was in a dream, but then I felt his perfect lips against mine.



*Derek's P.O.V.*


"There we go," Zayn sighed, plopping the giant mattress onto the bed. We had hauled both plus a dresser up the stairs and into my room, and it had been pretty exhausting work. He wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead, and I tried not to make it obvious that I was admiring him. But it was hard, with his white tank top that showed off his muscles. And his amazing golden eyes...

Oh yeah, I'm kind of bi... But only Dani knows. Well, and the guy I had a fling with one summer at camp... But as it turned out, I was just his little experiment. But I preferred not to think about that. So instead, I decided to focus on the guy I was pretty sure I was currently beginning to be interested in. It sucked though, since I was pretty sure he was straight as a god damn board. Oh well, doesn't mean I couldn't... appreciate him. "Thanks," I said, blowing my mocha brown fringe out of my eyes.

"No problem," he smiled back. Ugh, that was another thing to like: he was so nice and polite and sweet... I smiled gratefully, taking pictures in my mind.

"Shall we take a break?" I offered, trying my best not to show my interest.

"I think we deserve it," he replied. And with that, we headed downstairs. There wasn't much in the kitchen; everything was basically still in bags and coolers, so we took some Dr. Peppers out and opened them, gulping them down thirstily. Dr. Pepper was my favorite soda in the whole world. Zayn wiped his mouth on his arm and smiled.

"Thanks for the soda," he said, his accent making me want to smile like I was Dani around Harry or Haley around Niall. I tried to make it look friendly though as I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, I owe you," I scoffed. He had been such a huge help,, and I definitely did owe him. A soda was the least I could offer him. Just as I was getting lost in my thoughts of sweet, caring, and attractive I found him, he asked a question, which required I actually use my mind for something other than mentally drooling over him.

"So, how do you like England?" he asked.

"It's awesome," I answered truthfully. Because I met you. Of course I didn't say that, that would just be awkward to say to a straight guy. However, I did add, "Much better than America." Memories of my abusive and revolting father flashed painfully through my mind. I could almost feel his strong fingers crushing my upper arms with their iron grip, forcing my head against the wall as my guardian took all of his baggage out on me. And I couldn't even escape him by going out with my friends or anything, because I knew he was taking poor Dani's precious innocence away from her, repeatedly. And we couldn't be out at the same time, because then he would just go off and do something stupid and we would get put in an orphanage. I tried to pretend I didn't hear Dani's sobs late at night, but they haunted my dreams. That's why I got her out of there as soon as I possibly could.

My expression must have given me away, because Zayn looked sympathetically concerned. I was usually good about ridding my face of emotion, but right now... I wasn't sure I could trust my self-control. "Why is that?" he questioned. It wasn't like he was demanding an answer; it seemed more like an offering of a therapy session. And while I didn't need sympathy, I did need to get all of this out of my system. And I trusted Zayn already. I sighed.

"Well, to be honest, Dani and I moved here for a reason..." His topaz eyes urged me to go on. "Our mom died when I was thirteen, and my dad just kind of... lost it. Lost himself. He resorted to alcohol... And well, Dani and I have both been pretty hurt let's just say. I had to get her away as soon as possible..." I stopped myself there, getting that hint of a choked-up feeling in the back of my throat. Then, Zayn did something that caught me off guard. But it was exactly what I needed.

He wrapped his strong arms around me and hugged me.



*Haley's P.O.V.*


You know how people say you feel sparks when you kiss the person you love? Well this went beyond sparks. I got sparks when the boy touched me. This was like fireworks, nuclear bombs going off as they were dropped onto a mine field. Sirens were going off in my head, and every nerve in my body was tingling. I didn't even know where my mind was, I didn't know where my heart was. All I knew was that I felt electrified, and I had never felt this alive. All I could feel were Niall's perfect lips gently grazing mine, then the kiss deepening. He sat up, placing his hand on my waist. I sadly floated back to some state of almost-calm when he backed up a bit, leaning his forehead against mine. My lips and finger tips were still buzzing, and we were both breathing heavily. Only three logical words could come out of my mouth at that moment.

"I love you," I whispered, a desire I had never known turning my words of affection into a whine of desperation. I needed more. He was like a drug, and I never wanted to come down from the high he caused me. He leaned in again, grazing his mouth against mine.

"I love you so much," he murmured against my lips, his warm breath on my skin sending chills down my spine. I couldn't take it anymore. I wrapped my arms around his neck, entangling my fingers in his hair and gently kissing him again. It was soft and sweet, and he slowly guided so that my back was now on the wet pavement. He deepened the kiss passionately, the fireworks sizzling into cracking flames in a pit of glowing embers. His embrace warmed me, setting every part of my body on fire. But not an uncomfortable burn, more like the warm glow of a bonfire.

"We should probably start heading back," he breathed against my lips. I moaned in protest, twirling blonde locks around my fingers, begging him to stay there with me. He smiled sadly. "You're going to get sick, love," he said. I sighed, not caring if I got sick or not, but knowing he couldn't. I got up, silently agreeing. He smiled and took my hand. "And besides, there's always my room," he winked. I giggled.

"Yes, a warm bed might be a bit more comfortable than the cold hard ground," I joked, walking back the way we came. He leaned down.

"Exactly," he mumbled in my ear, his lips brushing against my skin. "Warm and cozy, under all those soft blankets..." God, he was just torturing me now. Was he purposefully making me want him this badly?

No, he just had that effect on me. He couldn't help is perfection.






A/N***



Ok, its on. hellooo(: gahh they kissed!!♥

please pardon my over-tiredness, lol. anyways, sis u know tht about Derek? I didn't. JK OF COURSE I DID I ALREADY READ THE HOLE BOOK! MUHAHA!

Oh gosh...I'm so mean...

ok. i need sleep. sleep sleep sleep. where i can dream. about niall. and liam. and harry. and louis. and zayn. sleep, good sleep... kthxbi♥

i almost forgot! have a nice day well night...anyways bye♥