A Touch of Cinnamon ✓

t w e n t y - f i v e | pay offs and dinners

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NH

In the days leading up to Sunday evening, Niall struggles to focus on anything other than knowing he's about to see Damon - which is detrimental to both his mental health, and his schoolwork.

He was able to pull his focus off of Damon for long enough to get his assignments done, but he knew it wasn't his best work, and he knew his professors would likely be either confused or disappointed by it - possibly both.

Harry has noticed something off about his boy, but he was unable to figure out just what was going on. Niall hadn't let on that anything was wrong, but Harry was far more perceptive than Niall gave him credit for, so he knew.

He just didn't know what, exactly.

While Harry and Liam were out for a run on Saturday afternoon, Niall crept out of the house to go to the bank. He had never pulled money out of his account, so he had thousands that was untouched, but his anxiety was getting the better of him.

He's seen many films about someone being blackmailed or forced to get a bunch of money for ransom, and they'd pull out who knows how much out of their bank account, but he never knew of anyone that had to do it in real life, so he wasn't even entirely sure the bank would allow him to take out that much money at once.

He just had to cross his fingers and hope for the best.

Upon arriving at the bank, Niall nervously waited in the queue. There were three people ahead of him, and with each person that was helped, his hands began to shake harder.

When it was finally his turn, Niall had to hide his hands below the counter and squeeze them into fists to try and appear at least somewhat normal.

Niall suddenly wished he had someone with him to hold onto him so he didn't feel like he was going to fall over, but he knew he had to do this alone.

If anyone knew either what he was doing, or what was happening to him, they'd figure out how to put a stop to it; But Niall knows that Damon wouldn't let that stop him. If Niall, or someone else, were to go to the authorities and try to fix the situation in a way other than what Damon was demanding, he would leak all the photos and videos.

Niall just has to hold onto the hope that, once he's paid, he'll keep his promise that he won't leak them. Niall should really make sure Damon says he won't leak them once he hands the money over, that way Damon knows he's made a promise that Niall can hold him to.

The teller at the bank was distressed by Niall's demeanor, but not in a bad way. She didn't find him to be a disturbed individual - though many of the patrons of the bank did due to his shaking hands and how he requesting to withdraw twenty thousand from his account - but she was concerned for him and his safety.

As a woman who had been working at the bank for a number of years, she was able to sense when someone was in distress, and Niall was clearly exhibiting all of the signs.

However, she merely sent him kind smiles and handed over the money he was asking for. When he had to sign something to verify his identity and prove the money he was requesting was, in fact, his own, his hand shook so much, he had trouble grasping the pen. But, he was able to take it in his hand and managed to write out his signature, though it was so sloppy even he wasn't sure it was his own.