Take Me Back

9 - Jenna

The new year had come, and Niall and I celebrated with a few friends. He invited the boys over to celebrate with us, since they were really our only friends. Kind of sad, but at least they weren't fake or toxic like most people are.

"Hey, Nialler! Hey, love". Liam wrapped me into a warm hug. A chorus of more greetings came from the other three as well. I gestured for them to come in and take off their coats. I had already turned on the program that showed the ball drop. There were all sorts of performers coming on to sing, but most of them weren't my favorite. 

"Seems like music just gets worse and worse over the years". I felt myself being judged by the others, who enjoyed the more upbeat and hip-hop type of music. Suddenly, an idea popped into my brain. "Hey, didn't you guys used to be in that band in college?" I got a few nods from them. "How about you sing me a little song, eh? I bet you had a few hits around campus".

"Petal, I don't think we were as good as you think. Really, we kind of sound terrible".

"Give it a rest, Niall. Grab your guitar and play some tunes for our lady. Plus, don't act all humble. We all know you were One Direction's biggest fangirl". Louis laughed and shot me a smile saying, 'watch this'. 

"What are we singing, lads?" Zayn inquisited.

"I think Jenna would enjoy a little bit of Girl Almighty". Harry suggested, and the rest of the boys agreed.

"Actually, I thought we could play Act my Age", Niall protested.

"Neil. I love you, lad, but nobody likes that song". Louis made the rest of the boys laugh, including Niall. He was very sassy, but also had a heart of gold.

"Well, looks like we're playing Girl Almighty then!" He grabbed his guitar and strummed a few notes. Then, he started to play an upbeat song that caught my ear. They all sounded great, and together, it was like being serenaded by angels. When they were finished, I clapped and gave them a big grin.

"That was awesome! One more, please?" I gave them my best set of puppy dog eyes, and Niall played a few acoustic notes. They all gave each other smiles, and Liam started singing the first verse. It was a beautiful ode, and it was filled with emotion. The song ended with a sweet lyric:

"I'm in love with you, and all your little things".

Once again, I clapped and gave them all hugs. For the rest of the night, we played some games and drank until the ball dropped. At midnight, they all gave me kisses on the cheek. It felt amazing to have guy friends with no strings attached: just a good time.

January

After all of those holidays had passed, our lives were pretty settled down. Most weeks, Niall would be at work on weekdays while I was trying to write a new novel. My book had been out for a little while, and I had been getting a bit of recognition. It wasn't much, but it was something. Of course, all of my friends were extremely proud of me, especially Niall. Every day he reminded me of it. Today was no different. I was feeling the winter blues, and I knew he could tell I was upset.

"Don't ever say you don't deserve this, Jenna. You worked day and night to write this, and you made it. Sure, it's tough, but I've got you. You know that, right?" I smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. I think it's just the winter getting to me". Niall knew I got really bad seasonal depression ever since we were kids, so he tried his best to keep my spirits up during those times.

"Well, it's a good thing my hours are shifting. I can be home with you. I know it gets hard being alone here". He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer to him. I breathed in and smelled his cologne that filled the air around me. It was like a bubble, protecting me from the chaos outside. I expected him to pull away and leave, but he stayed put. We sat like this for about ten minutes, just sitting in silence and enjoying each other's company. Serenity washed over me, and I felt myself nodding off even though it was only late afternoon. I knew he could see it too, because he loosened his grip so I could be comfortable.

"Jenna?" I turned my head to look at him, and he looked away before meeting my eyes again. They were that same dark blue hue that they turned when he felt vulnerable.

"Yeah?"

"Do you love me?"

I chuckled, thinking it was an absurd question.

"Of course I do, you're my best friend". I rubbed his arm on top of his white sweatshirt. It was my favorite thing he wore, because he gave it to me all the time, and it always was soft and smelled like him.

"No, I don't mean it like that. I mean, do you really love me in an out of control, heart pounding, exhausting, crazy way that just makes you just want to run away with me and love me forever? Because that's how I feel about you, and I really need to know if you feel the same or if I should move on".

I felt the air escape my lungs as I stared at him for a moment. He gazed back at me, looking so pitiful but gorgeous at the same time. The one thing I've wanted him to say to me for our whole life just came out of his mouth. My eyes clouded over with tears as I wiped the pad of my thumb across his cheek.

"I've always liked you, since we were just kids skipping around on the playground. I liked you when we were in high school and got the closest we've ever been. I think that was when I started to realize my feelings. I still liked you when you were hundreds of miles away from me for years. And I liked you the most in these past few months when we reconnected. But I knew I loved you that day you took me back to where we started, and you danced with me. That was the moment I knew we were meant to be more". 

His face lit up, and he pulled me into a kiss that made me feel like I was floating on the clouds. Niall lifted me up into  the air, and I giggled like a little child. He set me down and pinned me to the ground so I couldn't get up. I tried to fight him and get him off, but he was stronger than me. We both laughed, and he leaned his face down so our lips were grazing. I thought he was going to kiss me again, but instead, he did something else that made my heart leap out of my chest.

"Marry me". I looked up at him and gave him a look of utter confusion. He lifted me up so I was sitting up on his lap with my legs wrapped around him.

"Niall, don't you think-"

"I know I don't have a ring or a million roses or candles leading up to me down on one knee. But I love you, and you love me. We both have known that for ages. Do you remember when we were in high school, and I asked you if we could get together if we were still single at 25?" I nodded my head slowly, because I had forgotten all about that until now. "Well, it's past them, and we were always going to just get married as best friends together. But then, we fell in love, which was the last thing we expected. I never thought I could feel like this, but these past few months have been the best ones of my life because I found you again. And along with it, I found love. Genevieve, you make me feel like the luckiest lad alive. So I'm asking you again, marry me?"

This time, a wave of electricity shot through my body. I thought about everything he just said. I have loved him for a long time, we just never labeled it. Ever since we were kids, we had this connection that I couldn't describe until now. We were soulmates. I wrapped my arms around his neck and touched my nose to his.

"Niall Horan, I will marry you".

a/n: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH theyre engaged!!! we been knew it was gonna happen tho. so, i know it might seem kinda rushed because they just confessed their love a minute before then, but it kinda makes sense since they've been besties for life? ugh idk what im saying. anyways, make sure to comment and vote! love you all!