Stranded with Niall Horan || n.h.

Chapter 20 - I'm On A Boat... Again

Choices. We face them every day. Should I wear this shirt, or that one? Would I rather eat that or this? Will this way be faster, or the other way? But in this moment, I was faced with one of the hardest decisions of all: choosing between two people. 

In one corner, stood a man I’ve known since I was in grade school. He was such a good friend, who turned into a better boyfriend. He was caring, loving and loyal… he was safe. He was home, he was all I ever knew, he was normal. Was I ready to go back to life as I knew it? 

In the other corner was a man I didn’t know a month ago. He was a stranger, he was famous, he lied to me. But since then, this man’s life and my very own have become one and the same. He was protective of me, he was my savior, he loved me as well… but his fame would tear him from me in the blink of an eye. Was I willing to put up with that? 

I looked back and forth between the two of them. There was no clear choice between the two men. There was no winner. There was just me in between a rock and a hard place. Some decisions are easy; this one was not. As the ongoing battle of right vs. wrong continued in my head, Niall grabbed my arm and pulled it closer to him. I looked at his eyes staring back at me. 

“The choice is simple.” Niall whispered, his piercing eyes stabbing my heart in a million places. “Tell him that you’re mine.” 

I hesitantly looked back at my confused boyfriend before returning my gaze to Niall. “Niall, it’s really not that simple. The history I’ve had with him…” 

“Doesn’t matter.” Niall said quietly. “If you love me, you’ll break up with him right now.” 

I glanced at Gabriel’s face behind me one last time before leaning in closer to Niall. A smile lit up his face as he leaned closer to me. My face went to the side of his. 

“Niall, I’m sorry.” I said gently into his ear before lifting my body off the bed and walked towards Gabriel. 

I took in Gabriel’s smile with a smile of my own. When I reached him, I threw my arms around his neck, holding him close. Oh, to smell that smell again. I inhaled it, and let it fill every inch of my lungs. When I exhaled, I pulled away from the hug. 

“Do you mind if we go outside?” I asked, pointing to the door. 

He smiled. “Sure, anything you want.” 

I smiled before looking back at Niall. The face he had in that moment was absolutely heartbreaking. I had seen it before and I turned away before the flashback of that fateful day at the waterfall could wring my heart out again. I stepped slowly with Gabriel out of the room, and shut the door behind me. We both looked at each other, unsure of what to say at this long awaited reunion. 

“I was so worried about you.” Gabriel finally said. 

I looked down at my feet. “I know you were.” 

“Is that the Horan kid I’ve heard so much about?” 

“Yeah, that’s the one.” 

“I should tell him thanks for keeping my girl safe.” he said with a grin. “Speaking of my girl, let me feel those lips I haven’t felt in so long.” 

 He came closer and thrusted his lips onto mine. As we stood there kissing, a strange feeling had occurred. One that I had never felt before: blankness. It didn’t feel like that mind-blowing-floating-in-space blankness, either. Try as I might, the only connection I felt with Gabriel was that our lips were in contact and nothing else. There was no passion, no fireworks, no excitement. I felt almost awkward, like I was kissing my cousin. My feeling of detachment must have been evident, because it wasn’t too long before Gabriel pulled away to look at me.