That Magical Summer

Chapter 39

“I get off the clock in 10 minutes…” you looked up at Rider pushing towards you another one of the filled shot glasses. You shook your head, already befuddled from the pungent alcohol.

“Huh?” you spluttered, words not coming easy. He chuckled lightly as you saw his light hair flip to the side softly, actually leaving you a bit starstruck. 

“I get off work in 10 minutes. I was thinking maybe we could—“ your eyes were drooling closed as you felt a pair of dainty hands wrap around your arm. You looked up to the see them pulling you out the bar door. You looked back to a confused Rider. You saw his cute face shriveled into puzzlement. 

“Bye Rider!” you garbled happily, “Call me!” You shot your hand up to your ear in a fake telephone laughing at your own joke. 

“Y/N!” Ellie spat at you. 

“What?” you said highly.

“What are you doing?!” she hushed to you.

“I don’t know,” you mumbled into her sleeve as she pushed you into the passenger’s seat of her car. She hurried around to the driver’s seat, running the engine, and stomping hard on the gas pedal. You must’ve fell asleep during the car ride because by the time you got home, you hadn’t remembered it. 

“You’re—so—heavy! Ugh we should get you to bed,” you heard Ellie grumble to you, helping you carefully to your warm bed. 

“Why? It’s only 9 in the morning!” you bubbled at the clock. She rolled her eyes, looking at the real time.  

“C’mon big girl. Let’s get you to bed,” she said pulling off your boots and pulling the covers over your rocking body.

“But Ellie,” you stopped her in a daze, “Why’d you stop me?” You felt yourself straightening up, sobering up. 

“Stop you from what?” 

“Rider,” you mumbled falling back to your pillow with a grinding headache. You saw his flawless stature in your head, a perfect picture in your swirling mind of what he looked like. If you couldn’t get Niall, he was the type of boy you wanted. You wanted to go back to the bar. To find him on his empty shift. 

“I didn’t want you to do something you would regret.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Mmm Niall,” you whispered feeling his wondrous grasp around your waist. You once again could feel the sensation he gave you. You could once again smell his scent that left you dazed for minutes, every time. You could once again feel his lips shaped against yours… 

“I love you Y/N,” he whispered gruffly. His morning voice was always the best. You remembered exactly what it was like to wake up to this every morning for a few straight months. The few months that happened so fast, the few months that had ended so quickly.

“I love you too,” you giggled softly against his chest as he pressed your body even closer against his. You felt all the feelings. You felt like a middle-schooler with a bad crush on the most popular guy in school. It was the feeling that gave your stomach a good twirling every time you saw him. You looked up at his hair, just wanting to ruffle it up almost in a flirt. It was the feeling of just always wanting to be with him. 

“I’m so sorry,” you heard him mumble against your hair as he drew figure eights on your bare back. His voice was angelic, meeting against your roots as his spell caused you to forget words. 

“F-f-for what?” your eyes drooped closed as you adjusted your head beside Niall’s on the one shared pillow. 

“For leaving you,” he muttered, “For going on tour.” You could hear and just sense the regret in his voice. That he wishes he had stayed with you, back at the houses. Back on the beach, back at that summer. 

“Niall—“ you tried to stop him. You didn’t want to feel the tears that have been dropped so easily these past few weeks. You especially didn’t want to hear his endless apologies. You’ve already forgiven him. 

“No. Just hear me out this time Y/N,” he stopped pulling away to look into your eyes, “I’m truly sorry. I didn’t know what I was thinking. I should’ve never left you for the tour. You’re far more important to me. 

“Niall—“

“I don’t know what caused me to do it, but it tore me apart Y/N. It absolutely tore me apart. All the interviews, all the concerts, just everything, I didn’t feel the same. I couldn’t perform, I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t even talk to anyone for the first few weeks. I was a mess. An absolute mess.” 

“You should’ve seen me,” you laughed into his glistening, beachy eyes, “I ate so much ice cream and listened to Adele’s album on repeat for days.” 

“I just want you to know how sorry I am Y/N. I will never leave you again,” he mumbled bringing his lips back to your head. 

“Promise?” you grinned into his bare body. 

“Swear,” you could feel his wide smile against your hair as his hand made his way down lower and lower against your back. Your goose bumps failing to shrink as he rubbed in circles of infinity. You stayed in silence in the awhile, just feeling the comfort in each other’s arms and legs. Just being anywhere near Niall made you feel relaxed. You knew that he would never ever do something to hurt you again, at least you hoped. But your tranquility came to halt as he shuffled around beside you. You looked to see puffs of white, floating before you. It became chilly and Niall lips were molding words but you suddenly couldn’t hear them. The world felt like it was floating on edge, or were you just on a cloud? 

            Your eyes easily gambled open, your nails biting into the thin sheets. You felt your breathing growing hot and shallow. You brought a hand up to the place where Niall had kissed you on your mess of hair, when you looked to your right. And he wasn’t there. It was just a dream.

A magical, magical dream.