Niall Horan Imagines

This Christmas Means Forever

"No, it's just me this year," You sighed into your phone as you pushed through the front door. It was going on 7:00 at night and your house was dark. Dropping your purse at the door, you stepped out of your heels and managed to squirm out of your coat, one arm at a time, while keeping your phone pressed to your ear.

"Oh, that's too bad!" Your friend said through the phone, "You should come over and spend the evening with us! I don't want you to be alone on Christmas, (Y/N)." You smiled a little at her thoughtfulness, but you didn't want to intrude on her family traditions.

"It's fine," You breathed into your phone, "I'll be okay. Really. Thanks for thinking of me, though." Your eyebrows furrowed as you spotted dim lighting coming from your dining room. You couldn't recall leaving any lights on before you left earlier. Peeking your head around the corner, you could see candles lit on the table and there were two places set at either end of the table. "Listen, I gotta go. Have a Merry Christmas," You mumbled into your phone before hanging up and abandoning it somewhere as you cautiously ventured closer to your dining room. You weren't supposed to have any guests. After your heartbreaking- no, scratch that. After your tragic, miserable, breakup with Niall, you were left to spend the holiday by yourself. You were prepared to curl up with a bottle of wine and some sappy Christmas movie. But, now, it was clear that someone else had different plans for you. It was all so confusing; you weren't even sure who had keys to your apartment anymore!

Hiding behind a wall, your heart skipped a beat when you spotted a blond Irishman stepping out of your kitchen, carrying a platter of sliced ham. You watched in utter astonishment as he placed the platter on the table and then stepped back to admire his work. Brushing his hands together, he grinned at how it turned out. Your hand flew to cover your mouth. First of all, look what he'd done for you. You were just... you thought he was done. You thought he had moved on. You weren't even friends anymore. It was a rough breakup and you hadn't spoken to him in over a month, since you parted your ways. But the second, and possibly more important, thought that came to your mind was how on earth did he get into your apartment?

Stepping out from behind the wall, revealing yourself, you whispered, "Niall?" 

His head snapped up and soon as he recognized you, a smile tugged at his lips. "(Y/N)," He spoke, smiling warmly at you, "You look beautiful." Your eyes fell to your outfit, which was a red Christmas dress you'd purchased earlier on in the year. You had forgotten that you were all dressed up, just to spend Christmas by yourself.

"Uh... thank you. Thank you," You mumbled, your voice rather shaky. You couldn't believe this was happening. Right here, in this moment, you remembered how much you missed him. How much you wished he was yours, again. "How, um, how did you get in?" You asked, wrapping your hand around the back of a chair, fearing that you might faint if you didn't stabilize yourself.

"I still have a key," He said, dangling a key chain from his finger. This sent chills up your spine. You didn't realize that Niall still had access to your place. At any time, he could've barged in. At any time. What else had he seen without your knowing? Had he watched you cry yourself to sleep every night for weeks after he left? Did he know about the ways you cursed yourself and wished for a better life, because you felt like you had nothing without him? Had he seen you going out for raunchy nights on the town, wearing tall heels and revealing dresses, because you so desperately wanted to forget about him?

"Oh," You quietly replied, "I - I didn't know that." You dropped your eyes as the tension in the air seemed to rise to an almost unbearable point. Most of you wished you could pack your things and run. Him being there, on Christmas Eve, was not helping you move on. At all. But there was still that tiny bit of you that, while watching his gentle smile right before you, made you want to stay. Though you believed he would never want another relationship with you, you felt that maybe you could just talk to him. Maybe you could spend some time with him just to see his face again, and feel close to him. Just once more, because the last time you saw him wasn't the way you wanted to remember him.

Niall hurried around the table and pulled your chair out for you, saying, "Sit, princess." You wanted to cry. Hearing 'princess' from Niall reminded you of all the times he'd called you 'princess' throughout your relationship. It reminded you of a specific time, when you were really struggling, and he said to you, "(Y/N), love. Look at me. You're my princess. My only princess, you hear me?" And now you were nothing to him, right? Nothing. It was shattering to hear him call you 'princess' so easily. It rolled off of his tongue as naturally as it had when you were a couple.

You shyly took a seat at the table and Niall pushed your chair in for you. His hands rested on your shoulders, slowly running down your arms until they reached your hands that lie in your lap. Tangling your fingers together, he rested his chin on top of your head. You closed your eyes and savored his touch, one last time. "Why are you here?" You whispered, with your eyes still clenched shut. "Why, Niall? What about your girlfr-"

He let out a deep breath and squeezed your hands. "She doesn't matter," He breathed, "She never mattered, to be quite honest with  you. I needed a release, something to heal me. But she didn't do that. She didn't heal my wounds, she only reopened them. She only reminded me of everything I'd lost now that I didn't have you." He let go of your hands and moved so that he was facing you on the other side of the table. You hid your face behind your hands, trying not to cry. You'd managed to go a full 24 hours without crying, and you really didn't want to break your streak now. But Niall made it so hard for you to control your emotions. He took a seat across from you and took your hands in his again, fighting to meet your eyes. 

"(Y/N), there is no one... there is no one that I can love like I love you. I've tried. God, I've tried. I've tried to move on, to convince myself that we could both find better places. But it was all a ridiculous, hopeless cause. There is no better place than together, when it comes to you and me. There is no better place for either of us, no better match. There is you, (Y/N), and there is me. That's all. I can't be away from you any longer and I refuse to spend Christmas without my love. I refuse. Should you kick me out, I'll sleep on your doorstep. Should you block my phone number, I'll send you hand-written letters. I refuse... refuse to give up on everything we have and will continue to have. I won't give up, I will not." His voice shook a bit as tears threatened his eyes. You slowly lifted your eyes, meeting his emotional ones. 

"This is for me? This is for me because you still love me?" You whimpered, nodding toward the nice dinner he'd set up.

Smiling, he said, "All for you, my love. I wanted to enjoy a nice dinner on Christmas Eve and then I was hoping we could celebrate tomorrow, too."

Nodding, you sniffled and wiped your tears away. "Of course," You breathed, "Of course, I... come here." You stood and in an instant, Niall had you engulfed in his warm embrace.

It was where you wanted to stay forever. And as you inhaled his fresh scent, feeling his strong arms around you, some part of you knew it would really be forever this time.

**MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!!! Lots of love! I hope everyone is enjoying a nice holiday this year, and if you aren't, know that I'll have you in my thoughts. I hope everyone enjoyed this special Christmas imagine! Happy Holidays! -A :) xx**