Leave {z.m.}

Fifty

"Harry!" I shouted as loudly as I could. "What the fuck?" Niall muttered, completely shocked as to why I would proceed to act so obnoxiously. "I'm in here!" Harry called back immediately, from what seemed like the kitchen with a tone that sounded too...normal, which made me question Niall's accusation. My doubtful scrutiny made Niall's apprehensive, sapphire eyes flicker away as if he had realized his own indiscretion.

The sight of Harry's charismatic grin, styled curls and unforeseen, amiable attitude was enough to make my skepticism of Niall dwindle. What was he up to? "You're back, Niall. I was wondering where you'd run off to," Harry commented as he raised tongs and mixed a bowl of a salad that I'd never seen before. "Uh, um, er, yeah," Niall stammered from behind me.

"What are you doing?" I wondered, attempting to make my voice sound more curious rather than uneasy. "I decided to make dinner. I've been an arse, and I wanted to apologize," he explained, setting down the tongs on the counter as his green eyes stared at me. "Alright, I appreciate your apology. I'm going to put my stuff upstairs and then I'll be right down," I replied as I turned away without waiting for a response.

Niall's hand gripped my arm and I gaped at him. "I'm coming with," he whispered in a hasty manner. I gave him a single nod before pulling his hand off of my arm. He ran up the stairs in front of me and I followed behind. Once in my room, Niall shut the door in an instant and sat down on my bed. "Something is going on," he insisted sternly.

"I know, and I'm sorry for being like that. I don't want to believe that something is happening. I know that this whole Gemma thing isn't over yet, but it doesn't stop me from trying to pretend that it is," I sighed and set my purse down on my dresser. "I'm sorry, Addie," he stood up and wrapped his arms around me.

I gave into his hug, laying my head on his shoulder and closing my eyes. I cannot stop wanting everything to go back to the way it was before Gemma. Zayn would still be alive, my friendship would Niall would be based on watching Netflix and constant studying in random diners instead of trying to defeat a witch bitch, and I'd have my parents back. I can't want that though, because without Gemma, I would've never known about my biological mother or my older brother.

That's about the only thing I could thank her for. "You deserve better," Niall murmured in my ear as his fingers delicately traced the curve of my back. "You do too, Niall," I answered quietly, listening to his heart beat. The emptiness within Zayn's chest had become something I was used to. It almost surprised me as I familiarized myself with Niall's.

"It's been a year," he whispered, startling me. "I...I know," I responded crestfallenly. "He would...maybe...I think..." Niall started, making me anxious of what he was attempting to say. "I know how alone you feel, although you hide it fairly well," he confessed. "I don't want to talk about it," I replied with a shaky breath. Now was the time to worry about my brother. I couldn't allow myself to think of Zayn very often. The pain overbore the love sometimes.

"He wouldn't want you like this forever, Addie. I don't intend to force you into anything, but he would want you to...try to...move on," he finished and ire boiled inside of me. "How would you know what he would want? You two barely knew each other. I knew him far more than you did. You can't just tell me to move on like that. He was my life, and now he's gone. He won't stay gone forever though."

My voice cracked at the end, and tears formed in my eyes as I pulled away from Niall and placed my head in my hands. I tried before to bring him back, but my magic was weaker then. I needed to try again, and I would continue trying until it finally worked. "I didn't mean to make you cry. Oh god, I'm so sorry," he apologized impetuously.

"Don't worry about it. I was going to cry over him later anyway," I brought myself to admit as my hands fell from my face and I turned back to my dresser. "I want to change so you should probably go. If you don't feel like going downstairs, just go in the bathroom up here or something," I suggested as I took out a black leather jacket, my maroon, velveteen, damask leggings, a black, loose knit sweater, and black, pleather boots.