Beneath Your Beautiful (H.S. AU)

Prologue

"Love is one soul inhabiting two bodies" - Aristotle

   Cheating. She had always dreaded that. She had always hated even the thought of it, but now she understood why people did it.

   It was not because someone did not love the other person anymore, nor was it because someone was mad at that person, but some simply did it because something was missing - something they could not quite put their finger on, and because of that the temptation got too big and that was why it happened.

   She had always loved Niall. For as long as she could remember he had been part of her life. On their first day of school, he was right there next to her holding her hand. On Valentine's Day he would always bring her a card even if just to say that he would always be her best friend. He had been her first kiss, just to make sure they were not missing out on anything. And she still remembered that day in the park standing underneath the Japanese cherry trees, her lips on his, realizing she loved him as more than a friend, even though she was too afraid to say anything at the time. At their first prom, he had been her date for the whole night, and when she had her first and only heart break he had been there to hold her in his arms, wiping away her tears and telling her everything was going to be all right. Always. That was how long he had been there for her and that was why she felt terrible for feeling like she did. But something was definitely missing, and for once being with him was not enough to lift the stone off her chest.

   Always. That was supposed to mean forever and that was why her thoughts scared her even more. Because what would life be without Niall?

   When she was younger she never pictured her life without him. Him and her to the end of the world that was how it was supposed to be, but something had changed. Something was not the same as it had been prior.

   She had let herself fall, and it was as if she had hit the ground, and reality had finally set in reminding her that nothing was perfect and two people that held a love so strong and powerful for one another were not necessarily meant to last.

   Niall was her best friend and he always had been. He was her soulmate, her life, her laugh, her smile. They were not two individual people, they were one, and she figured that had been the problem all along.

   If she jumped so did he. If she cried he would too. If she laughed he would be laughing even louder. Everything. That was the amount of things they would do together, and it was not until now that she realized just how wrong that had been. Because nothing is perfect and no matter what, nothing is meant to last forever.

   On their first day of school around thirteen years ago, he had been there for her just like he would be so many times after.

   "Niall, I'm scared. What if they don't like me?" The little girl whispered, her voice trembling as she was on the verge of tears. School was not exciting as it was to most people, it was terrifying at least according to her.

   "Then what if they don't? At least you have me and I really doubt they won't like someone as amazing as you," he said with a grin and took her hand, which made her relax.

   "Don't let me go," she whispered into his ear.

   "Never," he promised. And that was probably his first mistake. Making her believe he would always be there when with time he would not be had been a much greater mistake than any of them could have anticipated.

   A small smile appeared on her small, pink lips, and she squeezed his hand telling him how much his small gesture meant to her.

   It was suddenly as if all her worries had been washed away, and it was all due to Niall. He always knew the right words to say and the right things to do and that was why she was happy he was her best friend.