Stuck With Me {A Niall Horan / Harry Styles Fan Fiction}

Chapter 24

HARRY'S POV

"Niall, wait," I say, running after my bandmate. He stops in the middle of the sidewalk, looking at me with anguish. He doesn't say anything, just shakes his head with tears streaming down his face as he runs into town. "Shit." I'm about to run after him when Zayn puts his hand on my shoulder.

"Let him go," he says, "he'll come back eventually."

"But...I can't just leave him. Not after what he's gone through."

Zayn sighs, running his hand through his hair. "But that's what he wants. And frankly, it's what he needs."

I stare at him for a moment, then look down the direction that Niall ran. I sigh, then follow Zayn back to the group. They're all standing around looking uncomfortable, except for Mary, who just looks crushed. I walk over to her and pat her back soothingly, willing myself not to get too close. She looks up at me and gives me a smile that looks all to forced and says, "Well, we better check in, yeah?"

NIALL'S POV

"Dammit!" I yell, hitting my forehead hard. with tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, I duck into an alleyway. There, I let all of my emotions spill over. I stand there pacing for a long time, sucking in breaths as I sob freely, wondering where my life went wrong.

Actually, I knew where it went wrong. I knew the exact moment. It was when I first spotted her in that bar. When I looked into her eyes and saw my future, whatever it was. And no, maybe it wasn't love at first sight, but I knew that something was there. I didn't regret any of it, even now as I sat crying in an alley.

But I couldn't help but wallow in my own misery. Why did it have to hurt? Why did she have to leave, over and over? And why did I have to care so much? Why did I have to love her so much?

With my tear-streaked eyes, I look straight into the eyes of a glaring neon sign across the street offering a free beer for every 3 you buy. I stare for a long time, feeling empty inside. Sniffling, I pick myself off of the ground and cross the street.

MARY'S POV

Pretending that nothing was wrong wasn't easy. I'm not sure why I was even doing it, seeing as the boys were there when everything went down. Still, we forced our ways through lunch and dinner, pretending that the absence of Niall wasn't bothering us. Harry made sure to help me with Logan, although I made it clear that I wasn't looking for anything to happen between us right then.

It was only after dinner that one of us voiced our concerns for Niall. "Look, I know things are weird right now, but doesn't anyone think that Niall has been gone far too long?" Liam pondered.

"I want to go look for him," I declared, handing Logan off to Louis. Harry began to protest, but I looked at him, hoping he would understand why I needed to do this alone. And he did, letting me know with a small nod. I shot him a grateful smile before pulling on my shoes. "Hopefully I'll be back before midnight," I say, walking out the door.

In the brisk night air, I walk towards the town, reaching it quickly. Slowly walking down the street, I take my time to peer inside the storefronts. I reach an intersection, a bookstore on one side and a bar on the other. With a wince, I recall Niall's drinking episode, causing him to go to rehab. But then I realize the chances of him being in there, and with a horrified gasp, I stride across the street.

Blaring rock music fills my ears as I walk into the bar, wary of my surroundings. This definitely was not your average neighborhood bar. Large men with tattoos on their necks and arms fight over a pool game, and a scantily dressed woman silkily draped herself over an obviously drunk and unconscious young man in a booth. Disgusted by the woman taking advantage of him, I scowl and go over to her. There, I get a good look of who she was throwing herself on.

"Niall?" I gasp, my eyes widening. "Get off him, you whore!" I hiss.

"Hey," she purrs. "He's not protesting."

"Well I am!" I grab her stupid tube top and drag her off of Niall, immediately rushing to his aid. After a quick inspection, I realize that he needed medical attention. I knew what alcohol poisoning looked like, thanks to my father, and this was it. I quickly dialed the emergency services.

~~~~~~~

"He can go home as soon as he's coherent." I repeat the words the doctor had just spoken to Louis, Zayn, Liam, and Harry. They nod gravely. A small victory. What were we going to do? Niall had relapsed. All because of me.

~~~ LATER THAT NIGHT ~~~

"You got him?" Harry said as we stood outside Niall's hotel room. Although he was coherent, the doctor warned that he would feel the after effects of being drunk, which meant he probably wouldn't remember tonight.

"Yeah," I say, digging into Niall's pocket to retrieve his room key. He was still a little out of it, staring at the hall light with squinted eyes. I walk him inside, saying a quick goodbye to Harry. After putting him to bed, I wander around the room aimlessly, not feeling right to leave him alone. Finally, I reside to the couch, trying to get to sleep.

After a long while of staring at the wall, I glance over at the clock. 2:17 am. Great. I consider going to Harry's to check on Logan, but I didn't want to pull a Niall and sneak into a hotel room to see my child.

I look over at Niall and see him sleeping peacefully, and my heart softens. Feeling a deep longing, I find myself crawling into bed with him, curling up against him and feeling his heartbeat against my back. I sighed, falling asleep quickly. It felt right.

NIALL'S POV

The first thing I felt when I woke up was the blinding headache, tearing my head apart from the inside out. The next thing was Mary, curled up against me like the little spoon. I smile, my headache forgotten. I stare at her delicate features, softened by sleep. As I brush her golden locks away from her face, I softly kiss her cheek before finally getting out of bed.

After popping some Tylenol, I make a pitcher of coffee and sip it sparingly while I wait for Mary to wake up. When she did, she took her time pulling herself out of bed, stretching and yawning. When she finally did, she grinned when she saw me, but then her expression turned to one of uncertainty.

I felt bad about the way that yesterday played out, so I pulled her into my arms, and we melted into each other like molds. I breathe her in, and kiss her shoulder. When we finally break apart she looks up at me, looking content for the first time in ages.

"Niall?" she asks.

"Mm?"

"I know now."

"You know what?"

"I know what I need. It took me too long to realize, but..."

"But what?"

"I need you. I want you. Only you."

A/N

Holy fudge guys. I did it. It's done. :') I know it isn't great, but I'm hoping to post an epilogue where everything will hopefully be cleared up. First, an update on me (although you probably don't care).

So I graduated eighth grade! I know it's a small achievement, but whatever. I also got confirmed (: I think this year really made me realize what I can do with my writing. I had an amazing English teacher who taught me so much. My proudest achievement was an essay we had to write. A creative essay, she called it. We had to write an entire story in 1000 words. It made me realize that I love writing dark stories; they're what I'm best at. Everyone who read it was honestly amazed by it, and I was really happy. I think I may have a future in writing :). Anyway, if you guys want me to post it here, I will! Just let me know in the comments.

ALSO: IMPORTANT!! Please let me know what you want cleared up in the epilogue down in the comments! Until I get enough input, this story will stay epilogue-less :(. SO DO IIITTTTTT.

I love you all so much :')

~Hannah.