Through The Dark (Niall Horan Fanfic)

Chapter 33

Aubree's POV

I sat on the dark stained wood floor, my heart sinking to the bottom of my chest like dead weight falling to the bottom of the ocean.
Why was I so broken?
I was doing fine.
Where did Niall go?
I wanted him back.
Hopefully he didn't do anything stupid.
It made me cry even harder thinking that I barely even had a reason to cry in the first place, just my fucked up brain telling me I was useless. Not to mention the fact that I made Niall so angry he fled the apartment.
I had been counting the seconds, trying not to think.
853 seconds. He had been gone for almost fifteen minutes.
What if he just didn't come back?
I pounded my fist on the floor, mad at myself. Of course he would come back.
He loved me. Right?
Yes. He did.
I needed to stop doubting everything positive in my life.
Niall loved me.
The hot tears slowed down, and finally halted. I chewed on my bottom lip.
The door opened, and I stood up, eager.
I ran into Niall's arms.
"Aubree," Niall stepped back from the impact of my body. "Are you okay?"
I nodded excessively. "Yes. I'm sorry."
Niall smiled down at me after seperating us, "I told you not to be sorry."
"Where did you go?" I looked at his eyes - red, irritated, puffy. I pouted, putting my hands on his cheeks, "Babe."
His hands hung onto my waist, kicking the door shut behind him and backing us up to it. "For a walk. Sorry I left. I didn't want you to see that."
"See...?"
"See me mad." He gulped, looking away. "See me cry again."
I nuzzled into him. "I don't like that I make you cry."
His palm arrived in my hair, playing with the messy black waves and tangling his fingers in them. "Stop saying that. It's because I care about you. It's 'cause I don't like seeing you cry, or even frown. Anything like that. It's not because you again me, or hurt me."
"I love you." I mumbled into his chest.
His lips found the top of my head. "I love you way more."
Niall's back slid down the door, pulling me down with him to sit between his legs. He wrapped his arms around me after taking off his coat, pulling me close. "I have an idea."

Niall's POV

"Ready?" I looked at Aubree, a bulky black purse slung over her shoulder and her suitcase in hand beside her.
"Ready." She smiled at me. A real smile.
I dropped my own luggage just so I could wrap her in a hug and kiss her face.
I loved her. I loved seeing her happy.
We got onto the plane right away to make sure we didn't get mobbed, Aubree didn't need that.
She needed a vacation, so we were on our way to New York. I suggested LA, but she eventually changed my mind to NYC, saying she'd enjoy it more.
I didn't mind. Anywhere with Aubree would be more than fun.

Aubree's POV

We arrived in the city just as the sun was sinking below the horizon. Niall sat closely next to me in the back of the taxi, holding onto my hand as my eyes took in the towering buildings above, the pink-painted sky peeking through the gaps in between the tall structures. The streetlamps were bright against the darkening night, illuminating the people below. You could tell the New Yorkers apart from the visitors easily - they looked hurried, partly annoyed with the slowly walking tourists.
"Where do you want to go first?" I eagerly asked Niall.
All my worries had fled from my mind, the only thoughts living inside my brain being my love for the boy next to me and the beauty of the city.
Niall chuckled beside me. "Aren't you tired?"
I let my eyes flick over to Niall's tired eyes and then quickly returned them to the city. If I could go to a new place everyday, I would. "No. Are you? I'm excited."
More chuckling. "Then what do you wanna do?"
I sighed, the taxi slowing down as it came to a stop in traffic. I looked up ahead at the endless New York street, searching for something fun to do.
"How about we just go get hot chocolate and walk to our hotel? It's close enough, right?"
We had already dropped our stuff off, and I pulled Niall into a cab as soon as we left the hotel, eager to do things.
"Yeah, sure."
He made the driver aware of our change of plans, and rested back against the seat.
I practically yanked Niall out of the taxi once we reached our destination and paid the man for driving us.
He giggled, tripping behind me in the street, holding onto my hand to keep his balance. Niall came to a stop, and, him being stronger than me, made me stop in my excited tracks as well. He pulled me to face him and rested both of his palms on my cheeks, smiling with a light laugh, his breaths visible in the cold night. "Aubs, settle down!"
His forehead fell on mine, "I want to remember this... forever. Can we slow down a bit?"
His blue eyes stuck to mine as I laughed and smiled up at him, nodding. I said in a fake-serious voice, "Yes, I apologize."
He kissed me on the cheek and then led me into the modern coffee shop filled with black leather sofas and round silver tables.
It was around dinner time, but our schedules were off, so we just decided to get hot chocolates and go to bed early.
I was so happy, walking through the dark, yet blinding light of the New York street, Niall's hand in mine and the creamy chocolate drink warming me inside, contrasting with my numb red nose.
I hadn't even worried about people spotting us until I saw a group up ahead, coming our way. They were young girls, yet dressed in tight and revealing sweaters, leggings clinging to their legs and makeup caked on their faces. It was obvious that they knew Niall was in New York, and that they had prepared for this moment.
There was six of them, and there wasn't enough time for me to quickly turn Niall and I down a different street before their faces lit up and their paces quickened.
It wasn't that Niall (and I) didn't want to meet and talk to fans, but we just wanted time alone out and about. It was evident that it wouldn't happen though, and I needed to accept that. I smiled instead, nothing allowing me to be brought down in that moment.
Niall looked up from the ground and the girls were driven crazy, though they tried to keep their cool.
It went how it always went, the girls circling around Niall and sending me the occassional glare. One even decided to mumble something offensive, but I ignored it.
Soon, Niall told them we had to leave, and we walked off in the opposite direction, leaving them in giggly fits and smiles.
And then it was just me and Niall.

Niall's POV

I was leaning my back against the white bathroom door, my head turned slightly to listen. Aubree was in the shower, humming lightly yet strongly to the tune of some Ed Sheeran love song. I loved a happy Aubree. Knowing she was happy was the best feeling ever.
In shorter time than I expected, Aubree shut the hotel water off, and opened the door, making me fall backwards for a slight second, and then regain my posture, standing up and hearing Aubree giggle at the fact that I was sitting against the door and waiting for her.
I brought her into a hug, the fabric of my sweatshirt and her white fluffy towel the only things between our bodies, her wet black curls against my neck. She wrapped her arms around me, turning her head to kiss my neck multiple times.
I backed up, holding her waist against mine, until we fell back onto the nicely made hotel bed, giggly happily. I kissed her bare pale shoulder, whispering into the quiet air, "I love you."