first impression (a Niall Horan fanfic)

chapter 36

-Hayley's POV-

I pressed the phone to my ear and took a deep breath. Niall sat across from me holding my hand across the table top. I heard the far too familiar dial tone ring into my ear for the millionth time. "Hey Logan." my voice was hoarse and shaky from all my crying and hysterical screaming. "I really need you to call me back because I have news for you. I don't know if you already heard or if you're home or what. But I just really really need you to call me back. please. I'm begging you. I love you. bye." I set the phone down on the table and sighed.

I watched Niall's thumb rub back and forth over my knuckles. I was so thankful for him. He could be at home or with the guys hitting up the bars, but instead he was here with me crying and drinking shitty alcohol. I felt like a total bitch but everytime I'd try to apologize he shook his head and told me to stop. "Niall." he looked up, making eye contact with me. "Thank you so much." my voice began to crack again.

"Babe," he said squeezing my hand. "It's ok. I want to be here with you."

"No you don't. You know you want to go do other things, not listening to me cry every night."

"Darling, I love you. And I want to be here with you through what ever happens. I really do." Niall said in his Irish accent. God how I loved that.

"Okay. Fine." I stood up and started walking up the stairs. I don't know why I left. I wasn't really mad or upset. I just, well, I don't know what I was.

I threw the window open and sat in my usual spot. I looked at my knees as the tears continued to fall. I heard Niall and saw his Nike's shift across the shingles. He didn't say anything and didn't touch me, he just sat down beside me.

I looked down and smiled at the shingle between us. I traced the carvings of my father and I's names in the grey roofing. "My dad and I used to come up here all the time." I laughed as the tears swelled in my eyes. "Well I came up here and Dad would show up and make me tell him what was wrong." I felt Niall rub the small of my back softly as I continued to talk about my dad.

"Like one time I came up here shortly after the divorce. It was actually a night that Kyle and I were fighting. We hadn't broken up but I had been kinda distant due to the divorce. He got mad at me and I came out here to think. Dad forced me to tell him everything, even the whole, erm, sexual shit." I laughed. "A few weeks later I was back here after Kyle dumped me. I just remember Dad hugging me and saying 'Hey I know I shouldn't say this but I'm glad you two broke up finally. He was the biggest dick ever.' That put a smile on my face. Then I told him 'well he has to make up for the loss downstairs.' He said how he didn't want to know that but he still laughed. He wanted to hear that."

I looked up at Niall. He wore a tighter red tee shirt that showed his biceps with a pair of black shorts. He was wearing his knee brace along with red high tops with a white Nike swoosh. His blonde hair layed flat against his forehead.

How could something so perfect exsist? Better yet how could someone so perfect have any sort of feelings so me?

He seemed to have read my mind, pulling me into his arms. I could feel him wrapping the endsnof my hair around his finger and letting it go, only to do it again.

"You know I love you." his thick Irish accent spoke.

I nodded.

"And I just want you to know that I truly do. I've known it since I saw you, given you were bleeding from your side because you just got shot," Niall gave a breathy laugh squeezing me tighter. "but the point is, I really truly love you. And I'll do whatever I need to to help you through anything. I just want to protect you."

I pressed my lips to his cheek and clung to his neck. His scent filled my nose. This was the guy I wanted. This was the guy the world didn't know. This was the guy I had.