Niall

~17~

~Madeline Payne~

     Hours. Long, painful hours. They were hours that I dreaded each and every second of. I listened to the old grandfather clock chime each hour. I'm thankful for that clock. It allowed me to hold onto my sanity. I'm not going insane, or I don't think I am at least. The clock chimes one additional time, my body jumping in fright. I wasn't expecting the loud noise.

Soon after the sanity-grasping chime, the door below me creaks open. I quiet my breathing, hoping and praying that Kellen isn't home. The footsteps, light like a cat's, calm me. Kellen isn't here.

     Letting out a breath of relief, I close my eyes. Memories flood into my head. Memories of before, just days ago. No longer am I mad at Zayn. He was right, and I was too stupid to realize the creature living in this old farmhouse. A monster, a pitiful excuse for a human, he is.

     I remember the first kiss shared between Zayn and I. It was almost like a dream, something that could never be recreated. He took me to a waterfall, one laced with ivy and clematises naturally arranged in a breathtaking display that could improperly be described as melodic. The flowers and greenery came together like notes of a song, elegantly and seamlessly. Zayn danced me along the rocks to an old country song. I felt like a princess dancing with her true love. At the end of the song, Zayn pulled me close, our faces mere inches apart and carefully rested his lips upon mine. I was his princess.

     Tears nip at my eyes like little dogs as you try to walk through the door of their owner's house. The memory is so strong, so vivid. It seemed like just yesterday we were dancing in front of that beautiful waterfall. Heck, just yesterday, I was in this same seat, just a bit less hungry and tired.

As I listen to the footsteps more carefully, I discover that there is not only one person here, but two. I bite my lip, a mixture of uncomfortable emotions filling me.

"Madeline?" Someone whispers gently, the attic door creaking open. The blonde boy that I have been hoping for enters the cold, dreary space.

     "Niall, who's with you?" I croak, my voice shaky and weak.

And now, just as fast as my fear left, a gasp escapes my lips. My eyes opened wide, I stare at the figure stepping forward. My heart beats faster than a sports car in a drag race as I sit, my hands and ankles still bound to the cold wooden chair beneath me. His voice. Oh his voice. It still sends my stomach into a fit and makes my heart pound against my chest. His voice. It's like he's never done wrong. It's an apology for everything, but a confession to nothing. It's only now that I know what true love is, and that I have already fortunately come across it.

"Princess," He breathes in shock. He crowned me his princess when he danced me around that waterfall.

The love in his words hits me hard, not as a slap in the face, but as a warm and calming embrace. Tears nip at my eyes, the warmth becoming too much for my confused heart to handle.

When I feel his arms ever so gently wrap around me, the tears flood down my face like Niagara Falls. His lips touch mine and a fire begins to burn wild with passion, the love so strong it could take over the world in a day and still have the power to run a marathon just seconds later. The love we had shared before, it was never this powerful. It's like a match was reunited with a spark that lingered years ago in its presence, just hoping and praying to set alight a raging fire.