Picture Imperfect (Niall Horan)

40 - Niall

40 – Niall

I don’t think I’ve ever been happier in my entire life than I am right now.

Last night was . . . the night I knew it was all worth it. All the waiting, all the frustration, all of it. I’m finally with Cassie now and it makes me (overly) emotional when she says she loves me more than I love her. Of course, that’s impossible. I love her more than anyone has ever loved another person.

Finally getting to tell her what’s been on my mind since the day I met her made me feel like I could fly. All I had wanted to do for so long was make her happy and tell her how I feel, but I was cowardly holding back. If I had just told her from the beginning, from the moment I knew I loved her, would things have been different? Yes, I’m sure there are things that I could change, but I find myself not wanting to. I wouldn’t want to change anything.

When Cassie told me how she felt, it emphasized the whole feeling of the two of us making up for lost time. If everything she said was true—and I know it was—then we have been missing out on each other for far too long. I don’t doubt Cassie’s words one bit. The rapid way they fell from her beautiful lips confirmed that they were true. She makes me happier than anyone else on this planet possibly could, I love her unconditionally for it.

Cassie is in the shower right now, and I am lying on her couch, staring at the ceiling. Time ticks by ever so slowly and multiple times I almost barge into the bathroom and join her in the shower, but I don’t know where we are on terms of . . . that. Eventually, the water shuts off and about five minutes later she walks out in white jean shorts and a gray tank top. Not an ounce of makeup covers her face, and her wet hair is down, leaving water droplets on her shoulders.

She smiles as she walks over to me and pushes her glasses that I love so much up on her nose. “Hi,” she says, sitting down.

“Hi. You look beautiful,” I say, just because I can. I know that Cassie thinks that she looks the most beautiful when she’s wearing makeup, but that’s a lie. She looks so gorgeous right now, completely bare. People don’t see how naturally beautiful she is.

Her cheeks warm and I kiss her lips softly for a moment before pull away. “I wanted to ask you something,” she says, taking one of my hands in hers. I love the way her tanned skin looks so much different from my pale skin. We really are opposites.

“What is it, baby?” I love calling her baby. Fuck, I love everything when it comes to Cassie.

She looks down, as if she’s embarrassed before saying, “I want you to come listen to my presentation today.”

I’m a little surprised. Why would she want me to come? “You do?”

She nods. “If you want to, that is. If you don’t that’s alright.”

“No, no,” I say, “of course I want to come.”

Her face lights up a little bit. “Alright, I have to go get my things together and then we can drive to campus. By the time we get there we will only have about ten minutes before my first class.”

I nod, and she disappears into the bedroom, returning a few moments later wearing a backpack and holding an American History textbook. “Ready?” I ask her, and she nods. “I’ll drive.”

*****

I’ve never been to her campus before, and while we’re driving around, I find myself thinking about what I would be doing if I weren’t in One Direction. What if I went to University instead of The X-Factor? It seems strange to picture myself going to class and living in a dorm with a roommate.