Turning Pages (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Sixty-One

Niall’s POV:

Anne parked the SUV on the short driveway before we piled out of the car. I helped Danielle grab our heavy suitcases and caught her when she slipped on a patch of ice. “Ya alright?” I asked. My heart was pounding in my ears; the thought of her cracking her head open.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” She breathed heavily.

“I’ll be inside.” Anne stated. Danielle rolled her eyes after she turned and walked away.

“It’s a lot colder here than I expected.” I blurted. My fingertips and toes felt like icicles.

“I noticed that London didn’t get as cold in the winter.” Danielle replied.

We rolled our suitcases up the driveway and I eyed Danielle’s childhood home. It was tall and neat. No Christmas decorations hung outside. It was a sizeable neighborhood but I noticed a group of large houses when we drove by. I wondered what her childhood was like.

The inside of the house was toasty. A large Christmas tree sat in the living room. When I walked in the door, a long staircase sat towards the left.

I took off my high-tops (clearly not made for winter weather) and brought our suitcases upstairs while Danielle went to the bathroom and Libby led the way. “Just set them on the bed.” Libby motioned to a small bed. I placed both suitcases on the flooring, knowing that Danielle wouldn’t want to have to lug them onto the ground before she crawled under the covers. “Is this her old room?” I shouted to Libby who wasn’t near the doorway anymore.

“Yeah! At least it used to be.” She replied from a different room.

I flipped through her stack of CD’s and bulletin board which hung next to her door. Libby appeared back at my side. “She was accepted t’ med school?” I pointed to the acceptance letter pinned to the wooden frame.

“Yeah. She never really wanted to apply but mom made her. She’s a nurse, you know? But don’t tell her. That was something that was supposed to be kept between the two of us…” Libby trailed off.

“And art school? A tech school – “

“And Chicago State. That’s where she really wanted to go. I don’t think she knew what she wanted to do… but she spent hours on her old laptop reviewing the virtual tour and looking at different programs. She doesn’t know that I know this… I kind of spied on her.” Multiple acceptance letters hung next to the one concerning med school.

I heard her tiny feet jog up the stairs and I acted cool while I scurried over to a shelf filled with little trinkets. “Nice room.” I teased. “Fortune cookies?” I picked up a glass jar filled to the brim with the tiny papers.

“Yes. I also believe in wishes. Is that a problem, Horan?” She stomped over and took the jar from my hands; only to set it back down onto the shelf.

“It’s cute.” I snickered. She rolled her eyes.

“Why are you snooping around?”

“Why does it bother ya? Do ya have somethin’ t’ hide?” I beamed. She rolled her eyes again.

“Come on, Niall! I’ll show you around.” Libby tugged on my sleeve. She pulled me to her room and quickly threw a few things into her closet. Her cheeks turned red. “That was nothing. Nothing. This is my room... yeah.”

Danielle followed and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked tired. “Hey, whatever happened to your One – “

“Oh nothing. Nothing. Let’s go downstairs.” Libby replied. I snickered knowing that whatever she hid had to do with me. She led the way downstairs and showed me everything. I felt that I didn’t really need a guide; but I let her show me around anyway.