the response on the last chapter was incredible? wtf?

chapter seven

H.E.S.

"Blankets. We need blankets now."

Louis is here now, commanding everyone back and forth.

"He never told you he couldn't be in cold weather?"

"No," I say again, tapping the thermostat, wishing those damn technicians could hurry up.

"Harry it's okay, he's by the fire downstairs, right?"

"Yeah yeah, but-"

"Then stop flipping shit. This happens to Niall all the time. He's majorly prone to sickness in cold weather. He works at home during the winter and I try not to let him out of the house in general."

"All the time? Louis has he been to a doctor?"

"I...I don't think I have the authority to tell you that."

His best friend doesn't have the authority to tell me this?

"Okay, I'll ask him myself then." I say, tightening my coat around my body. I open the doors to my office and everyone stares at me, expecting an update. Though I would have one if my friends downstairs could get back to me.

"Everyone just remain calm," I say, "I'm going to check on the technicians now. Just stay warm and try to keep working. We have a deadline for the Avengers 2 and this silly incident isn't going to slow us down."

People are grabbing their outdoor wear as I pass by, making sure everything is in order. First thing is to see poor cold Niall downstairs. I step into the elevator and push the lobby button. I wish he had mentioned it even the slightest bit. All I want to do now is cuddle him until he's warm again.

The elevator door opens and I quickly exit, my eyes darting back and forth looking for him. The minute I see a huge ball of blankets in front of a blazing fire I smile in relief.

"Can I join you?" I call out. I see the big ball of blankets move and Niall soon becomes visible to me. His face is ice cold, literally pale and shaking and my heart begins to chafe at itself.

"God, I wish you had told me later," I say, crawling under the heap of blankets and i fasting the buttons on my coat, "take my coat. You're much colder than I am."

"T-thank you..."

Niall wraps himself in my coat and I cautiously wrap my arms around his shoulders. We sit there for a long period of time, the fire ablaze in front of our eyes. I feel the fire present, but the flames in my heart are burning deeper than the ones here.

He's freezing under my touch, completely ice cold and I feel horrible, because I didn't know.

"Louis tells me your prone to sickness in the winter is diagnosed?"

"S-self diagnosed." He corrects. I remember what Louis said earlier, about not being able to talk about Niall and his doctor.

"Have you been to a doctor?"

I sense him tense up and only hold him tighter. I can feel myself warming up just from being with him.

"No, I haven't been to the doctor."

"Why?"

"I don't really wanna tell you."

"Why?"

"Stop saying why."

"Why?"

Niall giggles and smacks me hard in the chest. I gasp and laugh along with him, not knowing I'm pulling him closer with every minute we spend in close proximity.

"So seriously, why?"

"You'll think it's silly, you'll hate me."

"The one person I hate in this world is that horrible girlfriend that you have, she's keeping me out of the picture with her presence," I joke, "I promise you I won't hate you."

"You sure?"

"I've never been more positive in my life Niall."

"Okay well..."

I see his already pale body begin to whiten even more and I become worried. What if I'm pushing too much?

"Y-Y...you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. Really."

"No, I think I should," Niall says, "Harry I'm scared of doctor's offices. Hospitals, vets, I'm scared of them all."

"What scares you about them?"

"Harry," Niall whispers, "They...people die in there. What if I die in a hospital? I don't want to die, at least not in a hospital, and that's where most people die. No no...I..."

He begins to shake and I shush him, wrapping him tighter in my embrace than he was before. It all comes together for me, in a way I don't think Niall understands.

He isn't afraid of hospitals; he's afraid of death. I've heard of it before, my step-sister has the phobia, though I don't remember the name. Any mentions of death, life threatening events, and other happenings like those frighten him.

"...Okay."

"Okay? You're okay with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? It doesn't change the way I feel about you, and it just makes me happy that you were able to tell me."

"Why?"

"Oh look who's saying 'why' now!"

We break out into hysterics and Niall places his head in the middle of my chest. My breath catches in my throat and I gulp, becoming nervous.

"The funny thing is that I haven't even told Tiffany yet. I could never tell her, but now I'm here spilling all my secrets to you?"

"It's a sign," I say in a spooky tone, causing him to smack my leg.

"You're not funny Harry, you're absolutely not funny."

"Well I'm not funny looking!"

I earn myself another smack on my leg and I only grin, resting my chin on his soft hair. we sit there for the longest time, and I feel Niall beginning to warm up in the bundle of sheets and jackets.

"You feeling better baby?" I say unconsciously. When I realize what I called him, my eyes go wide and I cover my mouth.

"Baby huh?" He giggles and cuddles closer, "is that gonna be my pet name?"

"God Niall you're driving me mad," I whine, "why don't you just tell me you're gay now?!"

"Because as sure as I am, I'm not sure."

"Does that make any sense?"

"I mean like, I want to be with you, but I believe the rules were to be gay, not Styles-sexual."

"I'll alter the rules for you baby I'll-"

"Ah ah ah, be a loyal honest man mister!" He scolds me playfully and I stick my fingers in his side. He flinches at the same time his phone vibrates.

"You want me to get it?"

He nods and I pick up the phone for him.

"Styles here, who's speaking?" I ask.

"It's Louis, the technicians say the entire heating system is down."

"Really," I groan, "How much time do they think it will take to fix?"

"They're requesting immediate building shut down. It's too cold for people to work in these weather conditions and an ice cold building. It could take weeks to fix."

"Okay okay," I sigh, trying to keep a migraine from re-entering my head, "do me a favor and go on the PA? Tell everyone I'm already gone and that work computers should be with them."

"Yeah okay," he says, "is Niall okay?"

I look down and see that the fucking boy fell asleep on my chest like an angel would. With his hair perfectly in place and his eyelashes daintily touching his cheekbones...

Niall is the face of perfection.

"Earth to Romeo?"

"He's...he's alright."

"Did he tell you about..."

"His fear of dying? Yeah."

"Wait fear of what?"

"Please, next time you two talk about this, analyze it much deeper."

"I...okay."

"Thanks."

Louis hangs up the phone and I pick up Niall in my arms. I pull out my own cell phone and call my driver.

"Pull up my car by the back exit," I say, advancing to the elevator, "I have an extra passenger."

N.J.H.I wake up to the smell of shoe polish and that Japanese cherry blossom fragrance from Bath & Body Works. I open my eyes slightly, a bright light flooding my brain. The last thing I remember is feeling so cold, but then Harry came and...

"God...Jesus what is that?" I groan quietly. My neck aches and I realize I had been laying on Harry's lap.

"Morning gorgeous," he mutters, stroking my side.

"Morning flirt," I chortle, sitting up and cracking my back. Peering out the window, I see that we're flying by multiple building and small houses.

"Where are we going?" I ask innocently.

"I thought you could come to my house baby..." he says.

"Isn't it too early to be calling me baby and having sleepovers?" I turn to him and he has the smug smirk I've come to hate on his face.

"Can I choose one?" He pleads.

"Fine, one."

"You're coming to my house."

"Dammit," I groan, "come on!"

"Aw darling don't worry," he chuckles, "I'm not always this charismatic and cheeky."

"And cocky..." I mutter.

"I've got plenty of cock here for you when you're ready."

I blush and only snort, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"How far are we from your house?"

"We're going to your house, and we're almost there."

I nod and watch him closely. I don't know what he plans on doing, considering there's no kissing due to our little deal. I don't like it, the feeling of not knowing what's going to happen.

"Y...you're not going to try and have sex with me, right?"

His face softens and his scoots closer to me,

"I will never pressure you into anything. Look Niall, I know I seem overly confident and utterly flirty but really, I don't know how to deal with you."

"What do you mean, deal with me?"

"Niall it's like my heart fucking explodes every time I see you." Harry says and I tip my eyebrow up.

"Explodes?"

"You're just...oh my god..." Harry whines, gripping my waist and pulling me onto his lap.

"Hickeys don't count as kisses."

He keeps a firm grip on my lower back as his mouth begins to bite and scrape at my pale unmarked neck. I gasp and grip onto his long curly hair, wrapping my legs around his waist. His mouth is working wonders against my skin and I can feel the sensational stinging on my neck. The feeling is uncanny but irresistible all at the same time.

"Oh...Harry..." I moan quietly in his shoulder as he runs his tongue over the bruise he's made. I begin to fall apart under the feeling of his mouth as he chuckles under his breath. Kisses that compare to a feather are laid on every square inch of my neck before he pulls away, resting his forehead on mine.

"You're mine. Mine and only mine."

My face heats up as the warmth returns to my body, my pneumonia incident completely forgotten. The driver rolls down his little window and my cheeks burn even more as I realize he probably heard me moaning earlier.

"Sir, there's nowhere for me to park in the driveway. There's a big truck in the way."

"A big truck?" I say to myself, "That's not right."

I climb off Harry's lap and open the car door, stepping out of the nice warm limo. I shiver, wrapping my arms around my body. I reach in my pocket and fish out my other key. I open the door to my front house and turn the lights on.

The key falls out of my hand and my jaw goes with it. The boy covering himself up with my sheets, my girlfriend wrapping herself in the comforter. My heart bursts and deflates as she walks up to me, knowing that I know she's naked under the sheets.

"Ni..."

I shake my head and back away,

"No...no you don't call me Ni."

I'm upstairs before she can catch me. I don't know what I'm doing by now, just that I'm leaving. I pull my phone charger out of the wall outlet and stuff as many articles of clothing as I can fit in my sports bag. Tears are piercing the corners of my eyes as I just push more and more into the bag, not wanting to come back to this house ever again.

She cheated. Tiffany cheated on me. The girl who says she loves me every day doesn't.

Well I don't love her anymore.

I rush down the stairs, running a hand through my hair and grabbing more of my items.

"Niall..."

"If you didn't love me, then why did you stay with me."

"I..."

"You...you manipulated me. I let you into my home Tiffany. I let you into my heart! I told you everything!" I screamed, "And all you've been doing since then is sleeping with random guys and stealing my money!"

"So what if I only dated you for the money?!"

"Tiffany all you are is a gold digging whore," I growl, "I sincerely hope you enjoy this house."

"What?!" she says, "This is your house-"

"I'm not living in a home where too many phony memories were made."

I pick up the keys off the floor and throw them in the fire place to the right of me.

"Screw you Tiffany O'Phair."

I slam the door and as I walk into the limousine, Harry catches on quickly.

"I figure you heard that?" I ask. He nods and pats his lap. I nod my head sadly and sit myself on top of his leg, resting my head on his shoulder as he wraps his lanky arms around my small figure.

The cold feeling returns in my veins and the emptiness in my heart only digs deeper below the surface.

fun fact: i am a matchmaker, and i have a valentine's day special published. you should look at it.