If I'm Louder (Niall Horan Love Story)

Chapter One: Reunited

Early 2010 “Flight 628 is boarding in 10 minutes.” you heard the announcer say. Zayn’s head was on your shoulder. You were at the airport, saying your final goodbyes before he left for X Factor. He looked up at you.

     “_____, please. I hate seeing you like this.” he finally spoke. You were trying your best to hide the fact that you were heart broken that he was leaving. “Zayn, I’m fine.” you told him. He sighed and sat up straight. “Listen, I know I’ve asked you this before, and I’m going to ask you again. Are you sure it’s okay for me to leave?” You thought about it for a moment. You and Zayn have been best friends ever since you were little kids. You’ve basically been inseparable from the moment you met. You nodded. “It’s fine.” you answered. He gave you a look. He knew you weren’t okay. He knew you like a book. A book he's read a thousand times.

     “No. I can’t.” he said while standing up from his seat. “I can’t do this. I can’t leave you.” Your heart sunk. Zayn asked you permission weeks ago if he could audition for the X Factor. Which meant leaving Bradford. Which meant leaving you. “Zayn, I’m telling you, you can go.” you said to him once more. “No. No, I can’t. I can’t be away from you this long.” he denied. You stood up and took him by the shoulders, forcing him to look at you. “You and I both know that once you audition your life is going to change.” you spoke. He looked you straight in the eyes. “This is your dream. And who am I to be stopping you?” you questioned. Zayn looked down. “You’re not stopping me. I’m stopping myself. _____, I’m here to look after you. I promised your mum that I’d protect you with my life.” he said. Zayn could be your dad if he needed to be. He was always with you. He'd send you texts for no reason, just to make sure you were okay or just to say he loved you. “I can protect myself.” you replied. His eyes dropped to the floor.

     “Flight 628 is now boarding.” the announcer said. Zayn looked back up at you and didn’t move a muscle. “Come on.” you said to him. You grabbed his luggage and started walking towards the plane entrance. You set them down in front of you. You were struggling to keep your emotions inside. Your best friend was leaving today. You saw a tear run down Zayn’s face. That’s when you started crying. That's when you lost it. The tears wouldn’t stop pouring from your face. Zayn grabbed you tightly and wouldn’t let go until you forced him to. “Ya see?” he whispered in your ear all choked up. “This is why I don’t want to go. I don’t want to spend my time there knowing that you’re upset and I’m the reason behind it. What kind of best friend would I be if I did that?” he asked. His eyes were all red. “What kind of best friend would I be if I kept you here, preventing you from fulfilling your dream?” you shot back at him. He didn't answer you.

     “Last call for Flight 628.” the announcer said one more time. Zayn looked at you, then the plane, then back at you. “Are you sure?” he asked once again. You grabbed his hand with yours. “I’m sure.” you replied. His eyes started watering again. He then pulled you into the biggest hug anyone could ever give someone. “I love you.” he whispered as he kissed your ear. You kissed his cheek. “I love you too.” you said back to him. “And I promise that I’ll see you again. I’ll do whatever it takes.” he assured you. You smiled and squeezed him a bit tighter. You knew he'd make it past the auditions. You just knew it. Zayn finally let you go and wiped his nose with his sleeve. He took his luggage and took his first step onto the plane. He turned around for the last time to see you and wave goodbye. You waved back, biting your lip. Zayn put his head down, turned his body and headed to his seat.

     That was the last time you ever saw him. The last time you ever saw your best friend. The guy who would give up his lunch for you because you didn’t have any. The guy who would get into fights with other guys because they were picking on you. The guy who would send you a text on a random day just to ask you if you were alright or if you needed anything. The guy who would risk getting into loads of trouble if it meant making you happy. The guy that would make himself look like an idiot in public if it meant making you smile. That was gone. He was gone. You stood in the airport and watched the plane take off. With tears in your eyes, you slowly turned around to go back home. You walked outside to call your mom to pick you up. You got a text. Of course. From Zayn. “Babe, I just want you to know I love you. You’re my everything. You’re one of the few reasons I'm happy. You’re the reason I was looking forward to going to school everyday. Only because you were there. You’re my best friend in the whole wide world and you’ve been there for me whenever I needed you. Of course like any other best friends, we’ve had our arguments and told each other that we hate each other. But we could never stay mad for too long because we loved one another. If you need anything, honestly, if you need anything or want me to come home one day and be with you again just let me know and I’ll be on the fastest flight to Bradford. You'll always be my best friend no matter what happens. Please, don’t ever forget me. I know I won’t forget you. I love you so much. Don’t forget that either…”