With Every Moment Left (Niall Horan) Book 2

Chapter 18

Niall’s POV

“Do you ever think about the future?” Rachel asks suddenly. We’d been walking for about half an hour now in pretty much complete silence except for a few occasional comments.

“Not really” I say with a shrug. “I tend to live day by day.” She nods looking back out at the land, a very thoughtful expression on her face. “Why do you ask?” I ask curiously.

‘It’s just, I’ve always lived my life for the future. I never had paid much attention to the now. My thoughts were always someday this will happen or someday I’ll get there. And now, with so little time left, I wish I had cared more about the present.” She says with a sad laugh. “Sometimes I feel like there is so much I could have offered the world. And now I’ll never be able to do it. Did you know I wanted to be a scientist when I grew up? I was going to be the one that found a cure for cancer. Ironic isn’t it?” she asks with a sardonic smile. I don’t know how to respond so I just squeeze her hand gently. “I’m sorry, this is really bringing down the mood,” she says with a forced laugh looking at the ground. I put a hand under her chin, bringing her head up to look me in the eyes.

“Terrible things happen to wonderful people. But never forget that I’m always here for you,” I say. She nods and we continue walking again. The sun had started setting casting a colorful haze over the land.

“What’s that?” she asks pointing to something a little ways off. It’s getting dark so it’s hard to see but I look in the direction of what she’s pointing at and see a glint on the land.

“I dunno” I say with a shrug.

“Well lets go find out,” she says with a smile before running off in that direction. I smile, shaking my head as I chase after her. When I finally catch up to her, she is standing on the edge of a glimmering lake.

“Wow” I say as I look over the lake. It wasn’t a particularly big one but it was beautiful. She smiles and nods before pulling her shirt off over her head. “What are you doing?” I ask shocked.

“Number four on my list” she says with a grin sliding her trousers off. My eyes widen slightly and I try to formulate a response but nothing comes out. She laughs at my expression before motioning for me to turn around. I turn around, facing away from the pool until I hear the splash of water. I turn around to see her treading water a few feet from shore, her clothes in a heap near my feet. “Well are you coming or what?” she asks with a laugh. I pause for a second as her words settle in before tearing off my clothes, not bothering with modesty and running out into the water. I shudder slightly, feeling the cold water around me.  I swim out to where she is and stop about a meter away from her, my eyes washing over her.  The moon was shining off the water casting a glow on her skin and the water was lapping gently against her body.

“So why was this on your list again?” I ask breaking the silence. She shrugs slightly.

“I dunno, my whole life I’ve been very cautious and shy. I guess I just decided to throw caution to the wind on this one. That’s what most of my list was of actually. Like the sky diving, the motorcycle, its all things I never dreamed of doing because I was to scared to. But now, it’s like, what do I have to lose?” she explains. I nod my head, it made sense. The whole live while you still can philosophy. I look up at her eyes and read a bit of nervousness in them. I slowly swim closer, giving her time to back away if she wanted. She slowly reaches out for me and I pull her into my arms.

“You’re so beautiful,” I whisper quietly leaning my forehead against hers.

“Just shut up and kiss me” she murmurs before our lips collide. Her arms slip around my neck and her chest crashes onto mine. I stumble back a few steps until I find footing. Every nerve feels alive. My fingers trace her milky white skin, running down her back, memorizing every detail. I feel her shudder under my touch and her lips meet mine. Despite the cold water, my entire body feels on fire. Upon my request, her mouth opens to mine, our tongues meeting. Her hand threads up into my hair and my lips slip from hers, trailing down her neck, a moan slipping from her lips. I feel the blood racing through my veins, my heart pounding as I hoist her up higher, her legs wrapping around my body. “I love you,” I whisper against her skin. She freezes and instantly pulls back.

“What did you say?” she asks tensely.

“I love you” I repeat, confused by her reaction. She lets go of me instantly and races back to shore. “Wait” I call after her chasing after. “What’s wrong?” I ask, watching as she gathers her clothes, shoving her legs back into her jeans.

“You can’t fall in love with me,” she replies, her voice verging on anger. “I’m dying remember? There’s no point.” I stand there speechless, the weight of her words crashing down around me as she runs off into the night.

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