Hold Onto Me

The ride to the parlor was quiet, and Niall was doing what he could to hide his identity. Sunglasses—which he also lent me a pair, as it was super bright outside—with a hat pulled down low to hide his face, we pulled around the back, next to my car.

It looked like we managed to slip in undetected, which we were both grateful for.

With a soft goodbye, I slipped out of his Range Rover and went straight through the back door. I didn’t waste any time getting the store up and running. Lights on, outside lights on, everything sanitized . . . things needed to get back to normal.

It was nearly impossible to focus on my normal routine, however. It wasn’t from lack of sleep either. It was the night I spent up talking to a stranger rather than sleeping, the night I set myself up for disaster by getting to know Niall Horan.

But I wanted to know more.

I hadn’t thought to actually read the messages on my phone. When checking the time, I saw that I had them, but I didn’t read them.

Now, with the front door unlocked and the store ready to start the day, I was able to sit in my comfy chair and skim through my texts.

There were quite a few, mostly from Juliet. One was from Gracie, and I got a new one from Niall as I sat here.

I read Juliet’s first.

WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME YOU KNEW NIALL HORAN?!
HOLY SHIT! WHERE DID YOU TWO GO?!
Pulling an all-nighter, are we? ;)
I’m coming by sometime, and we’re going to talk!!! Hopefully Gracie free. >.>

I rolled my eyes and sent her one text back to everything.

I didn’t realize One Direction was the band you were obsessed with. No offense, but I kinda tune that shit out. We just kinda ran into each other earlier, and I’d rather have drinks with him than any of Adam’s friends. We got out of the club because it was too loud, and I didn’t wanna deal with her bullshit anymore. Yes, I pulled an all-nighter, but not in the way you think. If Gracie won’t let you come by alone, please just don’t. I’m too tired to put up with her today. >.<

I barely read Gracie’s text, but I got the gist of it. She thought I was a bitch for not telling them, blamed me because she looked bad in front of Niall . . . all that fun stuff.

I just ignored it and moved on to the newest text . . . .

Why would I wanna let you slip away?

I decided that the answer was better said in person, and I didn’t know how to respond exactly. Eventually, I would have to tell him the truth, and surely it would be enough to get him to back off.

Any sane person would . . . so maybe he needed to know the truth immediately. If I had to keep some stuff quiet, no matter what, so would he.

Before I got a chance to respond anyways, someone came in, and that started my day. It was a younger man, probably mid-twenties, and at the sight of me, his eyes lit up. I was used to some guys finding me attractive, but this time, it bugged me, especially when his girlfriend came walking in behind him, informing me that they wanted matching tattoos.

And he wouldn’t stop flirting with me. It was in a subtle way, so subtle she didn’t even notice. Either she was just stupid, or he was just that good at sneaking around . . . either way, I didn’t want to do their tattoos. I wanted to say something to him, like, “Sir, she’s right here. Could you stop batting your eyes at me?”

Instead, I gave them the matching tattoos they wanted—infinity symbols with a heart connected onto them, and the words, “Forever and always” underneath. I figured “forever and always” would change within the year, and I’d be more than happy to remove the tattoos when the time came.

Matching tattoos were cute when you were with someone you were going to spend the rest of your life with. Couples came in more times than not to get matching tattoos, and a few months later, one or both would come to me asking me to remove the tattoo. I had seen it many times, and I told myself I would only get a matching tattoo with someone if we were actually married.

Or about to be. I might do it then.

They ended up taking up all of my morning, aside from a few appointments I made for the next couple of days. I liked having appointments because I could know, for sure, when someone was going to arrive.

I hated people just walking in and expecting a tattoo right then and there. Usually, people came in and discussed exactly what they wanted, giving me time to draw the tattoo, but on slow days, we ended up getting things going immediately—like with Niall, Harry, and Liam.

I was beyond glad to get them out of my parlor, and it was disgusting to see them go. With his hands on her arse on the way out the door, he turned back and winked at me, mouthing to call him. I wondered how I might possibly do that, until I looked at the tip and saw his number written on a slip of paper next to it.

I immediately crumpled it up and threw it in the bin, and just as I turned to head back to my comfy chair, the door opened yet again.

And in came Niall.

He had changed into a pair of jeans and a plaid button-up, giving me a warm smile as he walked through with both a bag of food and a coolatta from next door. My eyes were wide as I looked at him, and he just smiled and closed the door behind him.

“I’ve got it all, lass,” he said, laughing as my eyes only widened further. “Amp, food, yer coolatta . . . by the way, do ya know why the lad next door looked at me funny when I ordered it?”

I sighed and nodded. “He’s . . . well, I don’t want to say he’s in love with me, but he’s rather smitten, I suppose.”

Niall very delicately licked his lips, giving me a small nod. “Guess I can understand that.”

When I put my hands into my pockets, I remembered that these weren’t my clothes. I was still in Niall’s clothes . . . and this didn’t seem weird at all.

Someone I met not even twenty-four hours ago knew what I liked to eat, drink, and what kind of non-coffee coffee that I liked.

And it wasn’t weird.

“There’s a table in the back, next to the cooler,” I said, gesturing towards the back room that usually only Juliet or I was allowed in. “I’ll be right there.”

Niall nodded and headed for the back whereas I headed for the front to flip the sign. I didn’t usually close for lunch, but if someone was going to eat with me—Juliet sometimes did—I would.

But just as I went to flip the sign, the little Southern pixie appeared in the flesh, her chocolate eyes wide.

I sighed and turned towards the back. “I’ll be right back!”

I didn’t wait for Niall to respond and instead slipped into the neutral London day. As bright as it was, it warmed the air up drastically, and it actually felt pretty good outside.

If I thought Juliet was shocked before, seeing what I was wearing brought her to an entirely new level, one that probably wasn’t safe.

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. “Please don’t scream.”

That was asking a lot of her, but like a good best friend, she didn’t and instead spun around on her heel. “You have got a lot of explaining to do! Holy shit!”

“I know, I know,” I mumbled. “Look, he’s waiting for me, and I don’t know what to do.”

She rolled her eyes. “I swear, you’re ridiculous. He is in there, waitin’ on you, and you’re prolly tryna figure out how to scare ‘em off. It ain’t gonna work, and you need to just embrace what’s happening! C’mon, Theo. Just give this a chance.”

“I can’t, Jules, and that’s all there is to say about it,” I groaned. “We’re . . . I’m not good for him, no matter how perfect he might be for me.”

Juliet snorted. “I know it has somethin’ to do with yer family secret ‘n all, but this is stupid. Nothin’s happened yet, and when we first met, you told me you were dangerous to me. So what makes you think if, after more than a year, nothin’s happened, something magically will?”

“Because he’s Niall Horan,” I hissed. “Because no matter where we go, what we do . . . someone will always be watching.”

She knew I was right about that, and without a good argument, she sighed in defeat and said a sad goodbye. Some might think that her goodbye was dismal because she wasn’t getting to meet one of her obsessions, but I knew otherwise.

A chance for happiness was right in front of me, and I couldn’t take it.

When slipping back into the parlor and locking the door, I didn’t expect Niall to be towards the front. He was just barely inside the door with his eyes on the ground, and with all joy that had previously been there now gone, I realized he probably heard every word.

I groaned. “Please don’t take that the wrong way.”

“If I was just anyone . . . .”

“If you were just anyone, it would still be dangerous,” I insisted. “The danger is just more real, for both of us, because you’re you. Look, Niall, I don’t want this to be goodbye, but . . . it’s better if you just forget all about me.”

Niall’s eyes moved up to meet mine, and I saw the corners of them tighten. “I don’t think that’s possible. Ya can’t tell me ye don’t feel it, too.”

I knew what he was referring to, beyond a shadow of a doubt. The same thing I felt when first taking a good look at him. There was something about him that I found charming, and the more time we spent around one another, the more obvious it became.

Within a week, I could honestly see myself being in love with him, and that was utterly terrifying.

“That’s the problem,” I mumbled, and I began pulling on the end of my ponytail. “I do, but that doesn’t change the fact that spending time with you is selfish. I . . . look, Niall, I don’t talk to people about this.” I took a deep breath and began slowly pacing in front of him. “I-I mean, Juliet doesn’t even know, and she’s been pretty much the only friend I’ve ever had.”

“Ya know I won’t say anything.”

“And I think that’s why I’m so comfortable telling you,” I admitted, and I stopped so I could look at him again. “Niall, when I say that my family is dangerous, I mean that in a very literal way. I told you they lived somewhere else?”

Niall nodded, and his eyebrows knit together. “Yeah . . . but I just thought ya meant in a different county.”

I shook my head. “I was born in Italy but was almost immediately moved to Ireland, where I lived for a few years. After Ireland, I was moved to London and haven’t left. My parents wanted all boys, but . . . I was born with their third boy. It was dangerous to have a girl, so they moved me out of their life.”

“Why?” Niall asked, and I could tell I was only confusing him more. “Why is it so dangerous for a girl to be around?”

“Because when I say my dad is one of the heads of the Italian mafia, I’m not just bullshitting you.”