Deep [Niall Horan]

Chapter Ten

It feels like the surprises will never end.

I remain seated at the table as my eyes remain on my iPhone.

Why on earth would her last name also be Horan?

I place my phone on the table as I close my eyes and begin to rub my temples and recall everything that she said to me in our conversation.

The thought hits me and I open my eyes.

Stephanie said when the boys were separated after the funeral of their parents, they changed their last names to match those of their new families. Niall must have been placed into Stephanie's family. This explains why she knew so much about what happened. But why did she refrain from telling me the truth? What does she have to hide?

I then stand from my seat and as I'm leaving Starbucks I hear the sound of a soft voice behind me.

"Is everything alright miss?" the voice says.

I turn around and my eyes grow wide at the sheer beauty that comes into my view. I see a man of unearthly features walking towards me with a concerned look on his face. I stare at him longingly as I breathlessly take in his immaculate countenance. He has charcoal-colored hair, perfectly quiffed except for one strand of hair effortlessly hanging in front of his face. He has an unshaven beard which deems him the quality of "rugged good looks." He has fair skin, seeming to be of a Middle-Eastern background. His thin but muscular body walks with an unusual but affirmative stature giving him an attractive gait. My eyes then veer towards his arms covered in endless tattoos ranging from-

"Miss?" the man interrupts my thoughts.

"Oh. Sorry...I'm alright...Today has just been a long day," I tentatively respond.

"Oh. I'm sorry to have disturbed you then. I just felt like it was common courtesy," he says as his face turns red.

I just smile at him and we stand in awkward silence for what seems like hours but is truly only a few seconds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself." he says as he raises his arm above his head to scratch the back of his neck as he looks at the ground, "I'm Zayn."

My heart skips a beat.

"Zayn...Malik?" I voice quietly.

"Uh...yeah...how do you know my last name?" Zayn says with a confused look.

"I have to go." I say as I quickly turn around and rush out of the door.

My thoughts revert back to what I was told only a few minutes ago about Niall and his family and that one of Niall's brothers is named Zayn Malik.

"Wait!" I hear softly behind me but I do not stop. I cannot handle anymore shocks and surprises in one day.

As I am quickly walking out of the Starbucks I pull out my phone to check the time.

"Shit!" I scream as I realize that I only have three minutes to get across campus to be on time for my next class.

I begin to run across the University of Chicago campus as I start to sweat profusely. I don't want to be late on my first day of class. Fear begins to envelop me as I streak across campus until I reach the science building.

I walk up the stairs of the building nearly dripping in sweat and I run into the classroom and quickly slam the door behind me. I look at my phone and I made it just in time.

I am almost certain that my face is ruby red and sweat is pouring down my face. I realize that I am also breathing excessively hard because of the long run from Starbucks to the science building.

As I enter the classroom, I immediately hear incessant giggling and laughter and my feet are plastered to the floor leaving me unable to move from standing in front of the door. My eyes remain staring at the floor.

"Please sit down." I hear an older woman's voice say, she must be my chemistry teacher.

"I'm...so sorry." I stammer.

I begin to walk towards my seat and my feet get caught on a desk and I fall towards the ground and the books and papers I was carrying scatter everywhere and my face crashes into the floor.

Laughter erupts throughout the classroom as I lay there on the ground afraid to stand up and see them laughing at my humiliation and embarrassment.

I then hear someone get up from their seat and walk over to me and begin picking up my papers and books from the floor. I slowly begin to stand up as I make eye contact with eyes as blue as the sky on a mid-summer's day. He has dark brown hair that is perfectly gelled and pushed towards one side of his head.

"Don't worry about it. I can be a massive klutz sometimes too," the guy says with a strong British accent.

"Thank...you...so...much..." I mutter.

"Take a seat!," the teacher yells, "You have wasted enough time today with your petty ordeals. Let's not let it happen again!"

"She fell! Do you have any feelings at all?!" the brown-haired man yells back.

"You listen up here Mr. Tomlinson,"

My mouth drops open.

"just because you have a little bit of 'fame,'" she says with air-quotes, "does not mean you can talk to anyone how you please so be quiet and take a seat so we can begin class!"

"Whatever," he responds.

I make my way to a vacant seat in the back of the classroom and then he comes and sits next to me. The teacher begins talking and I cease to hear her because my mind is racing due to everything that has happened today. Seeing Niall in Marketing, hearing about his horrible background, and running into three of his brothers! And now one is sitting right next to me!

"Hi. I'm Louis," he whispers quietly, "and you are?"

"No one important." I retort while maintaining a blind stare towards the front of the classroom. I am trying my best to avoid him to avoid drama yet I do feel bad because he did help me while everyone laughed at me during my fall.

"Oh okay." he whispers and then chuckles.

The class passes by very quickly but luckily she handed us instructions of all she said today so it was okay that I was not listening. At the end of class, I get up from my seat and head towards the door. I walk out of the building but I stop as I hear someone behind me.

"Hey!" I hear Louis' voice, "I never got your name." he says as he leads me to the side of the building.

"I said it's not important." I spit.

"Just tell me your name. It won't hurt anybody. Please?" he says as he crosses his arms, pokes out his bottom lip, and raises his eyebrows as he pretends to pout.

"Okay. It's Emily."

"Emily. I like that name."

"Thanks. Okay bye." I say as I start to walk away until his hand grabs my elbow.

"Emily, why are you acting this way to me?" he says as turns me around and moves his hands up my arm and begins to wrap his arms around me.

"Get your hands off me!" I yell.

"Shhh," he says as he moves his hand over my mouth.

I scream through his fingers on my mouth as my arms try to push him off me. My arms are not strong enough for his chest slowly coming into contact with mine.

My screams become muffled as I close my eyes and I am filled to the brim with fear.

Suddenly my body is free and I open my eyes at the sound of a blood-curdling scream as I see Louis' head slam against the side of the brick building.