What Makes You Beautiful

Chapter Sixteen

I woke up the morning and reached over to try and hug Niall. But he wasn't there. I blinked my eyes open and sat up quickly. I scanned the room then finally saw him in the corner of the room. He was leaning with his shirt on, and jeans but his socks and shoes not. He was sat with his head in his hands, looking tired and scared. 

'Niall...?' I mumbled. His head snapped up at me. I could see he'd been crying. 

'Niall!' I dived out of the bed and ran to his side. I grabbed his hands. He was shaking. It was horribly cold in the room, and he only had his shirt and jeans on. I had a hoodie and long pyjama pants.

'What's happened?' I mumbled in his ear. He looked straight at me and blinked multiple times. 

'It's you.' I let go of his hands and wiggled backwards. 

'What?' I whispered. 

'It's all my fault.. My fault you scratched yourself, my fault you felt like you had to stay away. But you don't, okay? Don't ever. But now I feel like I can't trust you. Like I can't trust you not you scratch yourself. I never wanted to leave you. But you insisted that I went. Now you hurt yourself. And that's hurt me.' He grabbed my arm and rolled up my sleeve to reveal the scratches. 

'Don't..' I whispered and pulled my sleeve back down again. I crawled forward towards him until our noses touched. 

'I won't ever do it again.' I whispered.

'Promise?' Niall said. 

I leaned him and kissed him on the lips. He stayed firm in his place on the floor. 

'I promise..' 

Niall's POV

She breathed the words as if she meant them, but I couldn't trust her. Me and the boys had to go do another interview; but I refused. I told the boys that I was ill. Feeling under the weather. But it's only so I could keep and eye on her. Whenever she left to go somewhere, I checked her nails to see if they were sharp before I could relax. If they were sharp, I couldn't relax and when she came back, I checked to see if she was in any pain at all. But sometimes I couldn't quite tell if she was holding it in, or not in any pain at all. 

Once she noticed me watching her and came over smiling to sit on my knee. 

'Why do you keep watching me?' She laughed. I put my arm to her waist and just smiled. 

'Just checking you're okay, that's all.' 

'I am. I'm fine. Just hungry.' She looked down at her stomach. 

'Even though i'm fat.' She sucked my tummy in. I hit her on the back making her tummy stick out again. 

'You're perfect.' I shuffled her off my knee and walked into the kitchen. I took out a pizza and threw it into the oven before setting the timer for fifteen minutes. As I set it, the boys walked in from the interview. Flora ran to greet Harry in a flirty way, flicking her hair. I sat back down on the sofa, pulling Carrie back on my knee. Liam burst through the door and ran to sit next to me.

'You missed it, Niall! The papparazzi everywhere, asking questions about your little stutter the other day.'

'What stutter?' Carrie asked, curious. 

'Niall stuttered before saying he was single in an interview.' Zayn added in the conversation. 

'You told them you were single...?' She slowly climbed off my lap. 

'Only to..' I started. 

'You're ashamed to go out with a normal person like me?' She stood back. 

'No!' I shouted standing up. But Carrie ran out of the door quickly, and into the French streets. 

'I should go after her.' Flora pulled away from Harry and ran out the door. 

I just sat on the sofa and sighed. 

Carrie's POV

'I don't think he meant that!' Flora yelled after me. I knew Niall didn't mean that. But it felt like he did. 

'I know.' I stopped on the street and Flora caught up to me. 

'Then what's the problem? Why'd you run off?' Flora asked, sounding out of breath. 

'Me and Niall are a couple. But I don't want to be a secret couple. I want to be like normal couples. Go out on dates.' I turned to stare at Flora but the sun was shining brightly in my eyes. 

'You know you'll never be a normal couple. I thought you knew that. He's in one of the biggest bands in Britain. I guess you just need to accept it. Come on.' Flora took my arm and pulled me back to the hotel

I walked in through the door and Niall jumped up. 

'You alright?' I nodded. 

'I think I needed a breather. I'll be okay though.' I smiled. 

He grabbed my hands, smiling back with his bright ocean blue eyes.