Canon

Two oval shaped lights faced my numb body as I sit in my seat helpless. Niall swerves his car quickly, nearly hitting a large tree on the corner. The tires come to a screechy stop, the smell of burning rubber already thick in the air. Our bodies bang against the leather seats as were swayed by the car’s power. The car that nearly ended our lives sped away with miraculous speed down the dark, tree-hidden road. I struggle to catch my breath, with extreme relief that we were both okay for the most part. Niall’s chest rises then dramatically falls with anxiety as he looks over at me. He reaches a tattooed-covered arm and touches my face before removing the stray hair from my vision. If I didn’t know any better I would say that he was checking to see that I wasn’t some new-aged hologram.

‘I’m okay.’ I assure wrapping my arms around his neck in the small space that was Niall’s front seat, ‘I’m okay.’

We sit there for about ten long minutes before Niall begins slowly driving down the road. He drove five miles under the speed limit and looked twice before merging into a different lane. Once we make it to the apartment, Niall immediately pulls me along to his room not bothering to speak to Greg who was stretched across the sofa. He silently sits on his bed with a large hand on his slight stubble.

‘Is everything okay?’ I wonder cautiously sitting down beside him.

‘When we were back there in the car, I thought there was nothing that I could do. Either they were going to hit us or we were going to run right into that tree and I thought that you were going to be really messed up. It scared the shit out of me.’

‘But we’re okay.’ I remind him softly, ‘we’re both here in one piece.’

‘I know that now but I can’t get your face out of my head. You looked so helpless when that car was coming for us.’ Niall explains staring at the wall in front of him, ‘I don’t know. This is all fucking dumb. I sound like such a pansy.’

‘Is it so bad for you to sound like you actually care about someone?’ I tease leaning my head on his chest, ‘I like when you care. I remember that you’re human.’

‘Very funny – you smartass.’ Niall barks out a loud laugh grabbing me by my waist to pull me down with him, ‘you were pretty badass with your dad back there by the way. You okay?’

‘Yeah,’ I nod looking down as I lay on top of Niall, ‘I just wanted him to be more accepting, for you.’

‘For me?’ he wonders with knitted eyebrows, ‘what do you mean by that?’

‘Nothing.’ I purse my lips into a tight line as I shake my head.

‘Lizette…’ Niall starts eyeing me with his deep blue eyes, ‘spill it.’

‘Okay,’ I breathe uneasily burying my face in his shirt, ‘when you came to my house drunk a few nights back you may have said something about being tired of hiding our relationship from my dad.’

‘What?’ he mutters clearing his throat, ‘please tell me that I did not say that.’

‘I’m sorry. I genuinely thought it would make you feel better. I didn’t think that he would be so pigheaded.’

‘You did that for me?’

‘I would do anything for you.’ I clarify with a smile, ‘always.’

‘I would do anything for you.’ Niall repeats running a hand up and down my back.

‘Why did you stop me at dinner? I was defending you against him but you just cut me off and hauled me out of there.’

‘I don’t know, Lizette. I guess because I’ve said some pretty fucked up stuff to my dad and half the time I can’t even look him in the eye because of it. I would never want to be the cause of you having a shitty relationship with your dad. As much as I can’t stand the guy I could never ruin that for you.’

‘You’re so good to me. I just wish that this would be easier. I love you and I wish that he would at least be okay with sitting next to you and having a normal conversation.’ I frown with a low sigh.

‘Okay, okay. That’s enough about your dad. How about you help me back for tomorrow, yeh?’

‘All right.’ I agree sliding off of Niall and his bed sitting down on the floor in front of his dark wooden dresser. ‘How long are you going to be gone?’

‘That depends. If you aren’t coming I will not be there very long at all.’

‘Will you at least consider going to sit down with your mom? For coffee or something?

‘I have considered it and she doesn’t deserve coffee or something.’ Niall fights back from across the room, ‘besides this is about Greg, remember?’

‘Right.’ I reply, not wanting to upset Niall before his flight, knowing he was already anxious. ‘Has Greg packed, yet?’

‘He’ll probably just raid my shit when we get there.’

‘Are you going to stay at a hotel?’

‘I am but Greg has some flunkies there he’s staying with or he’ll be at our cousin’s.’

‘Wouldn’t that be a better idea than spending your money in a hotel?’ I tease turning around to face Niall, ‘that cannot be that unbearable.’

‘They are.’ He scoffs with a short laugh, ‘believe me.’

I fold Niall’s tee shirts, many plain white and classic black tossing them into his large black duffle bag. Niall throws his jeans into the bag along with several pairs of Calvin Klein briefs. I sit on the bed while he digs through his closet for shoes that he wouldn’t mind losing if they airline lost his luggage. Niall then pulls his green backpack from the back of the closet and carefully places his laptop and camera inside of it. He finds his tangled white iPhone headphones then stuff them into the bag’s front pocket along with an extra charger. He’s sure to throw in his Ray bans and two different hats before zipping it up.

‘Do you want me to drive you home now?’ Niall wonders placing his luggage by the front door. ‘But you do have an hour until that curfew thing of yours.’

‘What did you have in mind?’

‘I can think of a few things.’ Niall smirks locking his door behind him.

Niall doesn’t waste any time ripping his shirt over his head as he slowly dives down into the bed with me. I wrap my arms around his neck pulling Niall down to my lips. His large hands grasp my skin holding me against him. Every time Niall and I wrapped ourselves with one another, I found myself falling more in love with him.

…

‘I was thinking that you could drive us to the airport in the morning if you weren’t busy? I really don’t want to leave my car in that parking lot and taxis are so damn annoying.’ Niall says as we come to a slow stop in front of my house.

‘I will be there.’ I promise kissing his cheek, ‘goodnight Niall.’

‘Goodnight baby.’ Niall responds as I get out the car.

Niall gives me a short goodbye honk as I walk into my house, locking the door behind me. My parents were already in their room for the night but their light was on, I could hear the faint sounds of the television escaping beyond the wooden door. I look at my suitcase sitting in the closet. How was I going to leave with Niall?