Stay with Me || Ziall Horlik

Chapter Seven [Cos, all of the stars, are faded away]

"Wait, Zayn!" Niall rushes out of the shop, limping a bit because he had jumped down from his stool a little harder than intended. Cursing under his breath, Niall looks around frantically.

He's left disappointed.

Niall runs his fingers through his hair, gripping it tightly as he continues to look around. "Fuck." He mumbles, trying to figure out where the darker haired lad had gone off to. Niall really doesn't know what to do now. He is about to turn around and enter back into the store when he see's Zayn, he's currently standing across the way starring at a something his hood over his head.

Niall can barely see him from where he's standing but as he gets closer he notices that Zayn is wiping his tears away fiercely with the sleeves of his jumper, reading what appears to be a gravestone. It's one that Niall has seen dozens of times, and has placed flowers on before but now it looks different somehow.

 He feels completely and utter oblivious by the fact that he has read the stone a few times but had never completely processed it. The words on the head stone seem to merge together somehow and it isn't until he is reaching to brush a tear off his cheek that he realizes that he is crying. He's crying because this just anyone's grave, its Waliyha's.

How stupid and naive could he be? This entire time he was thinking that he had done something wrong when in all reality it had nothing to do with him. Niall somehow felt like the pain in his chest began to grow, it seemed like he was just getting over the death of Harry and now Waliyha had passed away right before his very eyes.

 Niall wants to say something, anything, but words don't form. He just stares for a long time, the only sound is the wind that blows through them, drying Niall's cheek from the tears that seem to keep falling.

"I- made a promise," Zayn clears his throat, sniffling for a moment before continuing. "that I would visit her, because I didn't want anyone to forget about her. Seeing that photo reminded me of the old Waliyha. The one, that somehow managed to get everyone to like her. I was only seeing this image of her sick, and each time her name was mentioned, this gravestone." Zayn shakes his head. 

"She deserves so much more than that." 

Niall feels himself smile, nodding to the words that Zayn has said. Niall had almost forgotten what it was like to picture Harry the same way, the entire time, he hadn't seen all of the moments that made him smile so brightly. He had only seen the bad, the grim.

Niall then does something he didn't think he would of ever done, he reaches for Zayn's hand, intertwining their fingers together. Zayn's hand is soft, and cold from the weather, but somehow it makes Niall feel like they're both sitting by the fire, his body warm and his thoughts jumbled together. He can feel the rush of the world through his veins, and it's nothing he's ever felt before.

Zayn rubs his thumb over Niall's knuckles before pulling him in for a hug, Niall lays his head on Zayn's shoulder. Taking a long deep breath, he can smell his cologne perfectly, it oddly smells of peppermint and reminds Niall of the holiday's. 

The warmth of Zayn's skin, radiates off of him, and attaches to his own cold skin, Niall can almost feel his heart slow down as Zayn pulls away, searching his eyes long and hard. His eyes are puffy from crying and Niall can see the wetness on his eyelashes. Niall then looks down at his mouth, before looking back up at his eyes as if he is asking for permission.

Zayn shuts his eyes and leans in, bringing his palm up to Niall's cheek before slowly placing his lips against Niall's chapped ones. They barely brush, touching ever so slightly before Niall pulls him in, pressing them completely together.

He isn't really sure what happens next, they somehow manage to make it into Zayn's car, clothing being removed, tossed somewhere in the vehicle. It's slow, and Niall shakes and shivers at the cold, before Zayn presses himself closer to Niall. Lips touch skin, kissing everywhere and wherever they can reach. Each is soft and leaves warmth behind.

Long looks linger, and neither ever feels alone, always close to one another.

Niall's breath is taken away completely, as he moans Zayn's name from his lips, and Niall can't help but think that Zayn is the most beautiful human being he has ever seen, when he looks at the passion through Zayn's eyes.

They lay for a while, the sound of heavy breathing filling the air, Niall feels overwhelmed, never having felt this way before. He looks over at Zayn, whose eyes are closed, and his lips parted and he feels his chest ache, ache with something he can't ever remember feeling in his life.

Suddenly Niall feels like he can't breathe, like all of the breath has been taken out of his lungs. He doesn't quite understand why, but it's then he realizes that he is utterly in love, in love with the long eye lashed boy that lays next to him, with soft skin and pink lips. 

Its almost like he's solved a mystery he didn't quite understand and has been longing to solve. It's like walking inside from cold day, into a warm room, and makes Niall want to run away.  He quickly gets up, fumbling to find his clothing, as he starts to panic.

Zayn tries to get his attention, sitting up and finding his briefs as well. "Niall what is going on? Where are you going?" Zayn keeps asking but nothing reaches Niall. He's too far gone, when he has finally managed to collect his clothing, he is outside, and breathing heavily. 

He brushes the tears from his cheeks before running down the road, this time, leaving Zayn utterly helpess, rather than himself.