little things (l.t + l.h) ♕

two. through the darkness // niall

All she did was stare.

The long sleeves of her grey shirt were pulled down over her arms, held tight against her palms, covering any skin that could possibly be exposed to daylight.

Nothing covered her face. Not a smile, not a frown, nothing but a stagnant look of an emotion claimed unreadable.

"Al?" I inquired, tapping a finger against her covered shoulder.

"Hmm?"

I watched my sister pick at a small fray on her sweater, her eyes distant.

"What's going on? You've seemed a bit down here lately."

She shook her head, her silky, brown hair falling into her eyes.

"No, nothing at all."

She avoided eye contact, staring at her fingers, fumbling with the loose thread on her sleeve. She shifted into a more comfortable position on the bed, her weight making it creak as she moved.

I moved closer to her, and the muscle in her arm tensed, her grip on the end of her sleeve tightening.

"Niall, why do you have to leave all of the time?"

Tears splashed down onto the dark blue comforter, leaving darker marks where the liquids soaked into the fabric.

"Al, I have a career. I hate leaving you, I really do, and there's not a second I don't miss you, but what would the boys do?"

She shook her head again, another tear falling from her glossy, blue eyes.

I moved in to hug her, but she moved away from me.

"Niall, please, don't. I can't handle it. I miss you all the time, I don't have someone to ever comfort me, to stick up for me."

Her words, spoken in complete and utter truth, sent razor blades through my heart.

I planted my feet flat on the hardwood flooring, and stood. Turning my head, I looked at my sister. Oh god, my beautiful sister.

"Al, I love you, so much." I felt myself begin to crouch down, my knees tapping against the floor slowly, doing so until my eyes met hers.

She looked at me, but she looked so far away, so distant.

"If you love me then why do you always leave?"

I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but no words escaped my mouth. My tongue seemed to be tied, preventing me from speaking at all.

She frowned, tears on the brim of her eyes once more.

"That's what I thought."

The tips of her fingers had began to turn white from her tight grip on the clothing she wore.

I touched my palm against the side of her face softly, carefully, causing her to jerk back, like she was nervous in her own skin.

"I love you, Alannah, you are my beautiful sister, and every time I am torn from you, it's like a part of me is being left behind."

She nodded slightly, looking at me with so much love and hatred in her eyes.

"Alannah, you can talk to me, you know. I'm not a stranger."

"You're becoming one more and more everyday you aren't here."

I sighed, all feeling gone from my body, leaving me empty, gone, non-existent.

I unbent my knees and moved around the corner of the bed.

Clasping my hand firmly around the bronze doorknob, I held on so tightly the blood rushed away from my fingers.

I spun, the heels of my newly boughten high-tops squeaking against the freshly polished hardwood flooring.

"Come with us."

Shock twisted my sister's features, flickering through her clear, blue eyes.

"What?" She squeaked. Shock was evident in her voice, too.

"Come with us. I can't sand to leave you behind anymore."

I walked slowly over to her, sitting next to her on the soft, plush bed. I ran my fingers over her covers, picking off the small balls of lint from the soft comforter, suddenly feeling self-conscious, as if the room was absolutely ginormous.

"You can't bring me on tour."

I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her close to me, as close as the available space would allow me to do.

"It'll be alright, Al. The boys won't mind a bit."

I ran my calloused hands over her hair, tucking pieces behind her flushed ears.

"Okay?"

She nodded, wrapping her arms around me tighter than I was holding her.

"Okay." She replied simply, burying her face into my shoulder.

I kissed the top of her head, running my finger through her tangled, brown hair.

"I love you, Niall." She whispered softly, balling her fists into the fabric of my white tee shirt.

"I love you, too, Alannah."