first impression (a Niall Horan fanfic)

chapter 38

-Hayley's POV-

I pulled my phone out from under my pillow and checked the time. 1:43 in the morning. I could hear Niall snoring lightly next to me. I took my phone off the charger and carefully made my way out the bedroom.

The suite was huge with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and multiple seating areas. I saw where a bed had been pulled out. There was a closet looking type thing that held a bed inside of it which Zayn had slept on. I tiptoed around the bed making my way to the kitchenette but the bed was empty. I furrowed my brow in confusion. Maybe he made a bathroom run. I turned to the kitchenette and nearly ran into the small island.

"Shit!" I mumbled.

"There's an island there." someone said in a British accent. I waited for my eyes to adjust, it was Zayn.

"Oh my God. You scared me nearly to death." I laughed quietly pulling a glass down from the cupboards up above. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same question." he said. He was snacking on some dry cereal with a glass of milk. He sat at the island in a high stool with only sweat pants. His messy bed head showed he didn't get much sleep.

"Couldn't sleep." I answered pouring milk into the glass.

"Yeah," he said rubbing his eye. "I know how you feel."

I placed my, now empty, glass on the table top. "You want some tea? or coffee or anything? I'll make it."

"yeah," he nodded with a smile. "That'd be cool."

I sat beside Zayn with the mug of tea warming my hands. We whispered back and forth about our relationships and life on the road. We fell silent after twenty minutes or so.

"You are probably the luckiest girl in the entire world, Hayley." Zayn said looking straight in front of him.

I twisted my head towards him and dented my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

He looked at me and sighed, "you didn't see Niall's response to the question, did you?"

I shook my head, still confused.

Zayn grabbed my hand and his tea with the other. "c'mon." he said tugging me to the tv. I sat on the edge of Zayn's bed as he fiddled with the tv.

He sat down next to and pressed play on the remote. The volume was low enough for only us to hear. "Watch Niall."

The disk was of the interview earlier today. The one with Harry and Niall, the one I didn't finish. I watched as they smiled and laughed with each other. I noticed everytime Niall looked to the side to where I was.

"Well she's going to be getting a lot of attention now. Does she plan on going to the gym or on a diet? I mean it obviously couldn't hurt her." I winced slightly at the memory. But I remembered what Zayn said and focused on Niall.

His eyes were fixed on the interviewer. They were dark and cold. His jaw was set and he held his hands together tightly. "Why the fuck would she need to go on a fucking diet?" his voice was harsh. "She is perfect the way she is. She is everything I could ask for. So what she eats food and doesn't starve herself? I'm glad she does. I'd rather her have the curves she does than be a fucking stick figure." He was standing now trying to avoid throwing shit across the room. "I love her the way she is. And she will not, I repeat, she will not change. never!" He stared down the interviewer. His chest rising and falling with anger.

I could see Zayn and Liam pulling Niall away from the camera.

"The interview is done. It's fucking done." Louis called out putting his hand over the lens. Harry had left the interview shortly after the question was asked, which explained how quickly he was out in the hallway with me.

"This is going to be awful publicity.." I trailed off. I felt awful. Niall had never been one to get angry. He had a good carefree reputation.

"Hayley," Zayn said softly. "He really truly cares about you. I mean this just shows how much he loves you. Yeah, management didn't want it to get out but that's out of their hands. Niall loves you. Do not hurt him." His tone was serious. His dark eyes burned into mine.

"Zayn, That is the last thing I want to do." my voice cracked and I felt tears beginning to sting at my eyes. Why was I being so damn emotional lately?

"Good." Zayn smiled bringing me in for a hug. "You should get to sleep. Don't let him wake up and find you gone." he teased.

"Never." I laughed lightly before opening the bedroom door once again.

-Niall's POV-

I heard the door creak. I felt the sheets being pulled back slightly, exposing me to the cold air.

"Where have you been?" I asked half asleep.

"oh.. shit.. sorry." Hayley jumped. She settled into the sheets snuggling closer to my bare chest. "I didn't mean to wake you." she said kissing my cheek.

"oh it's fine." I mumbled. "You're awfully cuddly."

"I just.." she trailed off, adjusting her weight slightly. "I just really love you."

"No. Something's up. what is it?" I said softly pulling back. I don't know why I did, it's not like I could see her face.

"I Just.."Hayley started, her voice breaking. "I don't know ok. My life is shit right now and I'm scared I'll do the same to yours."

I cupped my hands around her cheeks and pressed a small kiss to her lips. "You need to realize how beautiful you are. People will tear you down if you don't. You are gorgeous, Hayley. And you are sweet and kind and caring and so much more. So much more. I wish I could show you what I see. I wish others saw in you what I see in you. I wish people could get past society's idea of perfect and find their own definition. You are mine." I paused, wiping a tear that had escaped from her eye. "You are what I consider perfect. And I wouldn't have you any other way, princess. I love you."

She hugged me tightly by the neck and sobbed quietly into my shoulder. "I hate feeling like a bother to you. With all this shit going on, I feel like there's nothing I can offer you that no one else can."

I stroked her long hair and rubbed the small of her back. "Hayley, you are all I want. No one else can satisfy that desire, I just want you."