Niall Horan Imagines

Let Me Love You

You wiped at your eyes one last time, before pulling on a heavy black jacket that covered you. It covered everything about you. It covered your fears, your happiness, your anger, your insecurities. It was like a shield and that’s why you wore it, so nobody could see anything beyond your skin.

You slipped into a pair of boots that were old and worn. Tucking your jeans into the boots, you breathed in the stillness around you. Straightening your posture and pulling your jeans up one last time, you reached for the doorknob in front of you.

“Hey, (Y/N)!” You recognized the voice as the lawyer that had lived next to you for the past three years. He barely knew anything about you, yet he always took it upon himself to greet you any chance he saw you. Your lips curled up slightly, the closest to a smile you could get as you nodded in acknowledgment.

Taking a couple lonely steps, you listened to the noise of the heels on your boots clicking against the cold concrete. The chill in the air swam around you, giving you the ability to see your breath from the cold. You stuffed your hands in your pockets and continued forward, frowning at the dreariness of the day.

Your head quickly snapped away when you heard the faint sound of a singing voice. Your eyebrows lifted as you frantically tried to identify the source of the voice. Slowing your steps, your eyes rested on a blonde boy whom was singing to himself and striding along the sidewalk, his head bobbing to his own voice.

You stood in astonishment, listening to him and watching him. He crossed the street, now walking on the same side as you, and with every note, he grew closer and closer. His head faced the ground, refusing to watch the world around him. You looked as deeply into him as you could without the help of his eyes before you realized that he would soon catch up to you, and that he’d notice you staring at him. Something about him caught your eye, and though you couldn’t quite place what it was, you were determined to at least get a quick glance at his eyes.

As he stepped closer and closer, your heart beat picked up and you sniffled when his eyes quickly tore away from the ground beneath him, his soft singing stopped, and all other motions of his body were paused as he looked at you. Something unreadable flashed across his eyes and you began to feel uncomfortable. You shifted, and rested your weight on your left side. You looked away, unsure of what to do. But you got to see his eyes. They were blue, like electricity. They stung you like the cold air around you. His eyes sparkled and invited you, yet pushed you away all at once. But you saw his eyes. And that’s all you really wanted.

Stuffing your hands back in your pockets, you kicked your foot out to turn around when his voice unraveled itself in front of you. The way his voice pricked at every word reminded you of something. The way he sounded so soft, as if everything else worked around him. He spoke as if nothing about him ever mattered. His voice seemed as if he felt alone, and helpless. He reminded you of yourself.

“I’m sorry,” Was what he said. His eyes found their way back to his feet, where he felt most comfortable. He found comfort in keeping to himself, much like yourself.

“Hello,” You breathed into the chilly air. Your voice cracked, and you sounded as if you were desperate to talk to somebody and in a way, you were. You were desperate to hear a voice other than your own.

He didn’t bother to lift his head as the next sentence rolled from his tongue, “Don’t bother.”