The Pianist - One Direction

Chapter 17

"Issy, I'm coming in." I heard a man with a familiar voice call before my door opened. For the tenth of a second I freaked out because I imagined the worst, but then I recognised the voice and Jared went inside and told me to get ready to leave.

"I thought we wouldn't leave until the rest of them got back?" I said, but did as he told me and started collecting my stuff and tried making my heartbeat slow down.

"We weren't, but Louis, Liam and Harry got mobbed again and the rest of the band and everybody else is already on their way. I'm supposed to have responsibility for the three of you because the others are trying to help them, so hurry up." He said nervous. Jared was working with a lot of stuff around the shows but I didn't know he was a real security guard, other than standing between the fans and the stage during shows. Was he really enough for Niall and Zayn, alone? That was probably why he sounded so nervous. I wasn't near as famous as them so I wasn't really hard to protect. I took my phone from the bedside table and my bag.

"I'm done!"

Jared, Niall, Zayn and I were on our way down and out the hotel to our car. I was just about to jump in after Zayn when I noticed Niall wasn't walking behind me any longer. What was wrong with people and following the rest out to the car? First Zayn when we got mobbed and now Niall? Jesus!

Jared was already in the driver's seat and Zayn was on his way inside the car before me. Fans on the other side of the street were on their way towards us, and we had to leave quickly, but I couldn't find Niall. 

I finally saw his blonde hair. He was talking to a man or a guy, who had his back towards us so I couldn't really tell his age. Niall really had to hurry up now. Suddenly, the man turned towards us and Niall who was standing half hidden behind him pointed right at me, making me see who he was talking to. I only needed to meet his eyes for one second to recognise him after these years. He hadn't changed. Ryan's lips turned into a smirk and he waved at me. I could only stare at him and I watched as he walked towards a black car further down the street. Niall was at the van now and he snapped his fingers in front of my face to make me focus.

"You know what just happened? A fan asked about you! How cool is that?" He said with a big, proud smile on his face. It turned into a frown when he saw the scared look on my face.

"What's wrong?"

"Ni, that was Ryan." I whispered before turning and walking into the car.

His jaw dropped and he followed me.

"Shit, Belle! I'm so sorry, I didn't know." He apologised. I wanted to be mad at him, maybe Ryan would find me anyway, but right now he was following our van in his black car behind us and I couldn't help but feel like it was partly Niall's fault. But he actually were sorry, and it was impossible to stay mad at Niall for more than twenty seconds. I saw his sad eyes and smiled slightly. 

"It's okay." I lied, but kept turning around to look at the car behind us, and Ryan met my eyes every time with a huge smile.

Zayn hadn't said much, but I felt his hand resting on my shoulder for a few seconds, as a try to make me relax. He doesn't really care. He does it because he promised Chelsea. 

When we pulled up outside the arena we drove past the entrance with a lot of fans. Most fans was mobbing Liam, Harry and Louis, so the number of fans at the arena was not too high. We drove to the back part of the arena, hoping that Ryan wouldn't follow us all the way and that it wouldn't be as much fans and cameras there. 

I grabbed the closest hand, which was Niall's, and ran out the car almost before it had completely stopped. Jared wouldn't approve of us running away without security, but I was scared to death, and I couldn't handle all the flashbacks that came when I met Ryan's eyes. All the times he called me ugly and useless, the times he had shoved me into the wall, away from him, when he thought I was standing in his way or for another stupid reason.