Coming Home

Chapter 20

~Ellie's POV~

Harry was the first to come to me and hold me as I tried to hold my tears back. "I'm sorry babe." His arms held me tight as I buried my head on his chest.

Where did we go wrong Niall?

I felt a sudden guilt as I saw Zayn, but he smiled at me and pulled me into a hug, caressing my hair to calm me down. I felt sick to my stomach. I didn't want Zayn to feel used. I didn't want him to see me as a slut.

"Zayn," I said as I pulled away to look at him. "I'm sorry but I really wasn't using you or anything I really did ha-"

Even after all this, he still held and spoke to me the same way he did. "I know Ellie," he said as he smiled.

I nodded, showing him that I understood, but my stomach was still twisted. Each heartbeat echoed as I tried to calm down. I had to get it together before we got to our stop where the fans and the cameras awaited.

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Everything seemed to stay the same for the rest of the week. I rarely saw Niall; or maybe I chose not to see him even if he was right before my eyes.

As the last show approached, I was exhausted. It was fun to perform; the adrenaline rush was such a thrill. Yet I missed the life where I didn't have to wake up at 4 in the morning and go back to the hotel past midnight.

Once in a while I tried to smoke again, yet every time I tasted it the sensation of the kiss came back. 'I need to forget about it,' I tried to tell myself. But I felt choked up every time I thought about it.

This was our last night at the hotel. As I sat on the empty bed the feeling of loneliness struck me like like a wave. I grabbed a guitar; I needed to get this feeling out.

This was the only way I could face all of my emotions. I could use all the same old cliche lines and still make it different; make it my own.

I took out a piece of paper and a pen and wrote down everything, crossing out whatever wasn't right. I hummed along as I found the fitting chords.

~Niall's POV~

After a night out with the lads we headed back to the hotel. We went back fairly early, saving up all the partying for tomorrow night. As we walked down the hall we walked past Ellie's room. I could hear the slight sound of guitar.

It gave me a feeling of loneliness, as if I was homesick. I could feel my heart growing heavier as we passed her room and went to ours.

I sat on the bed and checked Twitter on the laptop. The mentions were blowing up as people talked about shipping me and Rebecca. Honestly I didn't care about it; the only thing I felt was a strong urge to click on Ellie's page. I wanted to know what was up; I wanted to know what she thought. I stared at the screen before finally closing the webpage.

What am I doing?

~Ellie's POV~

As we poked our heads outside before our last show, screams erupted as number of girls (and some dads who came with their daughters) surrounded us. As I scanned the crowd with a smile, I spotted two very familiar faces screaming my name.

I was taken by surprise. It was Victoria and Mayra. I almost teared up as they smiled at me. "Oh my gosh!" I squealed, making the boys give me a weird look. "Can you get them backstage?!" I asked Paul who stood by us as I tried to hide my excitement. "They're my friends from America."

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"OH MY GOD YOU ARE SO GORGEOUS!" Mayra screamed out as soon as they walked in my dressing room.

"Holy shit I can't believe you're a singer now," Victoria said as she hugged me, "touring with the hottest guys in the world! I mean seriously, what are the chances of even meeting someone hot as them by chance?"

"The dark haired guy, he's Zayn right?" Mayra asked.

"Mmhm," I nodded, "Looks like you did some research," I teased her.

"Well you guys WERE on sugarscape after all..." She said as she raised her eyebrows.

Oh yeah... I took a moment to hide everything from them before opening my mouth. "We're just close friends. He's totally your type though." I smiled at her.

"Is the one with curly hair taken?" Victoria asked with a slight smile.

I knew she'd go for Harry. "Harry? No. Him, Zayn, and," it physically hurt me to say this," Niall, the blonde one, they're all single."

"He is SO cute," Victoria continued.

"You just like his hair don't you?" Mayra teased.

I couldn't help but to laugh as the boys stood in front of the doorway with wide grins, listening to our conversation. Victoria and Mayra stared at me giggling as they walked in.

"Guys, meet Mayra and Victoria," I said as I gestured to each. "Liam, Harry, Louis, Niall, and Zayn." I saw the look in Harry's eyes as he talked to Victoria. His flirt meter was definitely high.

As the security sent Victoria and Mayra back outside, we all grabbed drinks and wished each other a good luck.

This was the last show. My best friends were there on top of few rumoured celebrities. And this show was special; I was revealing my original song to the world for the very first time.

They all smiled at me as I put my ear piece in. I scanned their faces in the dark: Harry, Zayn, Liam, Louis... Then Niall. His lips curved to smile, but his eyes said otherwise. He had something on his mind, but I couldn't tell what. 'Don't look at me like that.'

I smiled at all of them as I turned forward. The adrenaline rush. I took a step on the pitch black stage.