Trouble. (niall horan au)

chapter 5 - found you

"There you are, Abbey." Niall said, lips twisting up in an amused smirk as he watched me. I blink in surprise but don't move from the ground, frozen in shock at his sudden appearance. The fact that he somehow found out where I worked sent a feeling of unease through my stomach.

"Uh-" I stammered. My co-worker Stephanie sensed the helplessness in my voice as she suddenly moved sideways to block me from sight, and I took that as an excuse to scramble to my feet and flee into the kitchen.

"What's your problem?" I heard Niall snap as the door shut behind me, "I want to talk to Abbey."

"But she doesn't want to talk to you," Stephanie replied bitterly. I stood on tiptoe to peer through the circular window on the door, proud to see Stephanie holding her ground against Niall. The customers scattered around the restaurant all watched him nervously, obviously intimidated by this tattooed stranger.

Niall glared, his blue eyes turning to ice. "Well, I know she doesn't want to talk to me, but that doesn't mean I won't."

He suddenly glanced over Stephanie's shoulder and met my gaze through the glass, looking surprisingly like he was almost enjoying himself. I ducked down and swore under my breath. That's when I came to realize that he liked the chase- liked watching me run.

I could run for a while, but the only thing that worried me was that so could he.

Ignoring the suspicious looks the cooks at the greasy stovetops were giving me, I pressed my ear against the door and strained to hear the rest of the conversation through the wood.

"Now if you'll excuse me," I heard Niall say calmly, "I'd like to go back there and see her."

Stephanie scoffed, "Well, you can't. Sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to have to ask you to leave or order something."

There was silence, and I bit my lip, knowing that was the wrong thing to say. There was the sudden sound of sneakers against tile, Stephanie shouting, and general ruckus. The door suddenly opened and I fell forward, feeling arms wrap around me as I fell against someone's chest.

"Whoa there, sweetheart." Niall murmured, looking down at worriedly. I planted both hands against his chest and wrenched myself out of his arms, stumbling backwards a few feet. I didn't like the sensation of hugging, obviously, and it was the worst of all contact because it's like your being restrained.

"Is there a reason why you decided to storm the counter?" I demanded, grabbing a nearby whisk to use as a weapon.

Niall smiled at the cutlery I was pointing at him, "I wanted to see you."

"Likely story," I retaliated.

"Okay, fine. I also want to bang you. But that isn't the real reason why I'm here."

I frowned at his provocative comment. Now was not the time, or the place. I was at work, and he can't just storm back here with that cocky smile and worn out leather jacket like he owns the place. Grabbing his collar I began to drag him out towards the back of the restaurant. My other co-workers watched with curiosity, but I was irritated that they had made no move to help me earlier.

"Were you crawling on the floor to avoid me?" he said with a smile.

"I was doing a routine inspection of the floor," I lied hastily, "I'm the uh- floor checker. Everything seemed to be good."

"Oh, sweetheart. You are a terrible, terrible liar."

"But I'm not a terrible dancer," I said, letting him go for a second to break into an aggressive, nerves-fueled, jazz routine. Niall clapped. Snapping myself back into focus, I scowled at him and continued maneuvering us through the bustling kitchen.