Without You - Niam Horayne

Chapter 1 - Missing Him

So, I want to say a little something before you begin to read. Although this story is sad at the beginning, it will get better, I promise. As the summary says, Niall comes back. So don't worry. This first chapter is pretty sad, but just hang on! Thanks for reading.

Enjoy!

Liam’s P.O.V

            Niall had been gone for almost a month. No one knew where he was, and most people believed him to be dead. I barely left my room, or showered, or ate. Without Niall I was nothing. The worst part about it was that I never got to tell him how I felt. Why had he left us? Was being in One Direction too much for him? Was he afraid? Did he need help? Or did something happen to him? I could barely think about it. Harry and Louis were worried about me, and Zayn was too. They kept visiting me and asking if I was alright. I never answered them, because I knew that without Niall, I would never be right again.

            It was exactly one month since Niall’s disappearance that they found the body. They knew it belonged to a teenage boy, but other than that, the body was unidentifiable. It had been badly burnt. Part of me said that it wasn’t Niall, that he was still laughing, eating, and acting like a little kid at a park somewhere. However, another part of me said that it was him. I don’t know which of these stories I really believed, but in the end, I was standing in all black by a closed casket, speech in hand, and tears running down my face.

            “Liam,” Harry said through his tears, “It’s your turn mate,”

            I was looking straight at Harry, but I seemed so far away, like I was on another planet. I ran my hand through my buzzed hair and walked up to the microphone, grabbing it and adjusting it to my height.

            “I’m Liam,” I said, without putting much thought into what I was actually saying. My eyes glanced down to my notes, but my mind already knew what I was going to say. “As most of you know, I was in a band with Niall,”

            There was a sudden wail from Harry, who doubled over in pain. Louis wrapped Harry tightly in his arms and kissed the top of his head comfortingly.

            “Most of you think you know who Niall is—or, was,” I stuttered and almost broke down with my mistake, but instead, I kept talking, “But really, you don’t. None of you know the Niall who watched Toy Story three times in a row with me, just because I liked it. No one knew the Niall who climbed into bed with me at night to comfort me when I had a bad dream. No one knew the Niall who was constantly telling me that I deserved more than I had.” I paused here to take a desperately needed breath. “But even though I thought I knew him so well, I never expected this. In fact, I’m sure none of us expected this. But everyone has their time. I will you have mine, you will have yours, and Niall had his.”

            I stopped now, unable to continue, even though I had more to say. This, being the first time out of my flat in about a month, was overwhelming as it was, much less including giving a speech to a bunch of people I didn’t even know. I guess I must have just stood there, staring at the crowd blankly, but finally, Louis came up on stage and led me away from the microphone, looking at me worriedly.

            “Liam,” he said, “It’s going to be okay,”

            His voice was so convincing, yet I knew he was lying. The only way that I would be okay, is if Niall was here, in my arms, right now. I sighed and wiped my face that was covered in tears I don’t even remember crying. I just didn’t want to be here. They had no proof that this boy was Niall, did they? I just kept telling myself that this was all a lie, even though deep down, I knew it wasn’t.