Healed (Sequel to Broken- Niall Horan)

Chapter 7

***Niall's P.O.V.***

The week following the wedding and leading up to Navaeh's next school exhibit was a blind flurry of sex, cuddles, and lots of movie marathons. Whenever she wasn't in class or doing homework, we could be found in the bedroom or on the couch doing one of the three enjoyable activities. It was just... wonderful. There was a certain aspect of the intimacy that made our relationship a thousand times stronger, and I wasn't taking any of it for granted. I made sure to tell her that I loved her every day, drilling the words into her mind as if she was going to forget them. They were almost always returned within a few seconds, and everything was a mess of smiles and giggles.

On the day of the exhibit I was blessed by her presence until about six o'clock when she had to get dressed and leave. I had watched her go with a fond smile, already looking forward to seeing the finished product of the sketch that she had turned in for the exhibit. I was proud of her; she was studying something that she loved and she was really into the classes. So, I was more that excited when I pulled myself out of bed to get ready to go to the exhibit.

She had informed me on the proper attire for the exhibits, and I dressed accordingly. My mind was set on making sure that the night was perfect for her; it was the first exhibit that I was going to since my schedule was open after the months of touring, and we were both giddy for the event. Everything had to go great.

I got to the venue where the exhibit was being held ten minutes before they were actually letting people in. My hands wrung the newsie hat in my hands as I stood behind a line of people who were also waiting to get into the exhibit, and I hummed a familiar tune under my breath as I swayed back and forth on my feet. I was really hoping that it wouldn't take too long; Navaeh was inside and no doubt expecting me to walk through the doors. I just wanted to see that wide grin of hers again, and every second that I had to wait for that was wearing away at my patience.

Thankfully, the line started to move right when I was about to start making a fuss. Everyone lurched forward, being let in after a quick check of ID (since there was alcohol being served inside for guests). I stumbled in with a few others, immediately looking around the sleek interior of the building. Artwork was pretty much everywhere; there was a small space between each one that allowed just enough room for the artist to stand. Navaeh had said that she would be near the back...

Eagerly, I made my way towards the back of the building, trying to scope out Navaeh's golden locks and sparkling brown eyes. I had seen what she was wearing before she had left so finding her was a bit easier; I just kept looking for her black high-waisted trousers and white button up that was tucked in at the front. Surprisingly, it wasn't too hard to find her, but I stopped in my tracks when I actually did see her.

She stood by her piece, the product of hours upon hours of diligent work that required my compliance. The boredom of sitting in one position for hours on end had really paid off, though; the intricate sketch looked almost exactly like me. Frankly, I was amazed by it, and she had been really excited to finally show it to me. Except, she didn't look excited as she stood there.

Navaeh was hunched a little in her spot, trying to cover her face with her hair (which was hard to do when her hair was pulled into a loose bun). A boy was standing beside her, a little too close to be unintentional. It was obvious that he was talking to her; his lips moved and stretched into a smug smirk while Navaeh stayed closed off and cringing every now and then. I didn't like the way that he looked at her as if she was some piece of meat standing beside him.

Not really being able to find the will to move in that moment, I watched as he said something to her before scooting closer against the wall. Navaeh shook her head, scooting away just as much as he had scooted closer. Then, my whole face heated up as I saw him lower his hand to the small of her back before letting it dip even further down. Navaeh jumped, startled by his intrusive actions, and tried to shift away from him to gain some space. I had already started walking towards them; there was no doubt a deadly look in my eyes that could kill a man in a second.