You & I (NH)

Chapter 44

"Tell me you want it. A thousand miles away from the day that we started."

My eyes fluttered open, hearing the soft voice, singing along with the guitar in the background. 

"But I'm standing here with you, just tryna be honest."

I sat up on the couch, the blanket moving to the ground, as I glanced around.

 "If honesty means telling you the truth."

I smiled softly, recognizing his voice. He was singing from the other room.

"Well, I'm still in love with you."

I stretched my legs, before walking towards the dining room. He was seated on the chair, his laptop on the table, his guitar on his leg, strumming mindlessly.

"Did I miscalculate this? Let's just go back to basics. Forget about what's come and gone."

He sang, his voice passionate and beautiful, his eyes shut in concentration.

"'Cause I hate to see us like this, Breaking up on nights just like this. We should be shooting for them stars of gold."

He sang so beautifully, that I just stood there watching him sing I'm guessing this was one of his newest songs, because I'd never heard it before.

"So tell me you want it. A thousand miles away from the day that we started. But I'm standing here with you, just trying to be honest. If honesty means telling you the truth."

He raised his voice for the next part, making my heart hammer hard in my chest. I was afraid he'd stop singing once he heard me.

"Then I guess we lost our focus. And it's killing me that we could go to war like this. But I'm standing here with you, just trying to be honest. If honesty means telling you the truth."

He slowed down his strums, and his blue eyes met mine, making my breath hitch.

"Well, I'm still in love with you."

He played the guitar a bit, his eyes still focused on mine.

"Ohh we'll be alright. And ohh we'll be alright. Ohh we'll be alright. And ohh we'll be alright."

He re-sang the chorus once more, just maintaining eye contact with me.

"Well I'm still in love with you."

The silence in the room after that was so loud and the fact that both our eyes were boring into each others.

"Well I'm still in love with you." I sang out in a small voice, making his eyes to light up and a smile to break up on his face, and he let out a chuckle. He placed his guitar beside him, and then walked up to me, as I leant against the door.

"I'm still in love with you." He said, his hands snaking its way around my waist. 

He leaned down to kiss me, his hand tilting my chin up. I reciprocated the action, my hands on his jaw. 

He always knew how to make my heart jump.

"Hello bitches, the Marvin's have arrived!"

I immediately pushed Niall away, hearing my brothers voice. I glanced at Niall with wide eyes.

"Jake?" I called out, before walking out of the dining room.

"Beth, babe!" Jake said, rushing to hug me, like he hadn't seen me in weeks.

"Hi love, hi mom." I said, before moving to hug my mother.

"Dang, this is Louis place? 'Cause he's done a great job." Jake said, looking around, making me freeze. I had only told them where to pick me up from, I didn't think they'd come up.

"Uh no. This isn't Louis' place." I said, making both Jake and mom glance at me.

"It's mine." Niall said, walking out of the dining room, making both mom and Jake freeze once more.

"You son of a bitch." Jake muttered, moving towards Niall, making me jump between them, and placing my hand on Jakes chest, stopping him. 

"No." I said, glaring at my brother, as he glanced from me to Niall.

"You two are back together?" Mom asked, a disappointed look on her face.

"Not exactly." I said, not meeting my mothers eyes.

"No. Not happening. I will not let you fall for him again, after everything he's done to you, Beth. Don't you see? It's gonna happen again and if I don't stop it-"

"Shut up! Just fucking shut up. I know what he did, and yes it hurt me. But Jake, we've moved passed it, and I chose to forgive him-"

"Why in the bloody hell would you forgive him! He doesn't deserve your pity-"

"I'm not pitying him! I love him for fucks sake. He's the one I want to be with and I will."

"You know what? I know I'm not the only one whose disappointed, moms disappointed too, but most of all dad's disappointed in you."

A small silence was filled in the room, as tears welled up in my eyes.

"Jake.." mom said, trailing off.

"No, No mom! I'm done. It's one thing that he can't trust me to chose my own partner and it's another think to drag our father into this." I said, tears streaming down my face. 

I felt Niall behind me, as he slipped his hand into mine, and we stared back at Jake, both our eyes filled with a fire.

"I'm sorry mom, but I can't do lunch with you, if he's coming." I said, glaring at my brother, who couldn't seem to take his own glare from Niall.

"Stop it, Both of you! I brought you to up to learn to accept. So Jake, you're going to stop being a piece of shit to your sister and you're going to apologize right now-"

"No mom, we're not kids anymore. I don't want him to apologize to us because you told him too, I want him to feel guilty and do it on his own." I said, wiping my eyes.

"Yeah I'm not apologizing for looking out for her." Jake said shaking his head, turning back and walking right out of the door.

Mom sighed, shaking her head. She turned around walking out, not sparing another glance at us both. She shut the door behind her politely, making me sob. My mother was upset with me.

"Beth..." Niall said, moving to face me, as I cried. I stared up at him, tears brimming in my eyes, and overflowing. I felt so weak and tired, like I was fighting constantly, just for Niall.

"Petal." Niall whispered, hugging me, as I held onto him tight. I cried just thinking about everything, from how Niall hurt me, to how Jake used our father as a way to hurt me. 

"We'll be alright." he whispered, as I nodded, the tears still falling out of my eyes.

I instantly thought back to not even ten minutes ago, when he was singing, the love and passion we felt for each other.

"And oh, we'll be alright."

And he's right. 

We'll be alright.