Barred (nh au)

XII. A Little Opening Up

I was planning to leave a lot of space blank in between a certain two paragraphs to make it look like the chapter ended for April Fools but I didn't. You're welcome haha ❤️

HALEY'S POV:

I grabbed my books and my laptop, along with my specks and set off to me and Niall's hangout spot. I sat there, and by the time I had set up my things, Niall had arrived. He was wearing his glasses and he looked really cute, I had to admit.

He gave me a grin when he saw me sitting and plopped down beside me, adjusting his books and laptop on his lap. We studied quietly for a while, researching and typing out our own thing.

When I came across a thing I wasn't able to understand, and needed Niall's help, he immediately began to start explaining to me whatever I was having a problem with. As he explained, I caught myself sneaking glances at him, and would immediately look away, a pink tinge on my cheeks whenever it would happen.

I watched him as his lips moved, explaining, and it was then I realized how sharp and defined his jawline was. As I watched him explain, a weird feeling rose in my stomach. It wasn't bad, in fact, it was surreal, blissful, a thing I hadn't experienced before. Did he know how devastatingly beautiful he was?

To me, the best thing about Niall weren't those ocean blue eyes of his, that I could stare into and get lost in forever, or the freckles on his cheeks, or that wonderful Irish accent of his, or the way that his eyes would crinkle when he would smile, making me smile as well. No, not even the lovely attitude that he carried everywhere, radiating out happiness, making it impossible for anyone to feel down.

The best thing about him was his laugh. His beautiful, contagious, laugh, which would ring in my ears long after he would've stopped laughing. The way he would throw his head back, eyes shut, laughing like a kid, always brought a smile on my face. The beautiful, blissful sound of his laugh, made it impossible for one to not join him in the act. And I always found myself laughing when he did. Niall loved living life, and it was evident in his carefree, happy laughs and the crinkle in his alive and wide eyes. They always carried a different glint in them, a different shine.

I hadn't realised that I had zoned out, until Niall was waving his hand in front of my face, making me snap out of my daydream. Once I realised I was caught blatantly staring at the blue eyes boy beside me, my cheeks immediately flushed deep red, as I looked anywhere but in his eyes.

He let out his beautiful laugh, only making me blush more. I chanced a glance at him, to find him looking at me, his cheeks a light shade of pink, too.

"Did you even listen to what I had to explain? Or was it just an excuse so that you could stare at me?" He smirked at me, the shade of red getting more prominent on my cheeks. When I finally looked up at him, I saw his eyes carry a shine and something else that I couldn't quite catch.

"I'm sorry, I just..." I trailed off, unsure of what to say. Niall only laughed at my flushed state, brushing it off with a pinch to my cheeks. He was blushing too, which I found very adorable.

"You know, you've got an incredible voice." I whispered as I held his gaze, feeling the need to keep my voice down, only now becoming aware of our close proximity. His cheeks heated up even further at my compliment. I took that as an indication to go ahead.

"The songs you sang to get me to sleep, they were magical. You have a wonderful voice, Niall." I smiled at him, sincerity clear in my voice. Heat still on my cheeks because of how close our faces were in that moment.

"Thanks, Haley." He gave me a sheepish smile, still maintaining our eye contact, pushing a few strands of hair behind my ear. After that it was quiet, both of us staring intently into each other's eyes.