Take Me Home • h. styles ✔

5 | Silver Lining

     "Need some help?" He asked while he was reaching for my hand, and it took a few moments for me to move from my position. Our eyes kept their gaze intently on each other, leaving me still staggered by the fact that this person was standing in front of me.

     I can't believe it. He's here. My emotions started to take their toll on my being and instigated to muddle up in my head. I didn't know the exact feeling I had as soon as my eyes took their first glance at him, but indisputably, the feelings of relief and implausible happiness were there.

     "Niall?"

     "Yes, it's me," he said, a consoling smile forming on his lips.

     I took hold of his hand, and he gingerly helped me get up. Once my feet placed themselves steadily on the floor, I did the first thing that came to mind: I enfolded him in a tight embrace.

     I knew that if there were people who would witness this kind of gesture, especially the onlookers and bystanders from the world of show business, this would be a substantial issue to cover, something that would ignite the interest of the audience, both fans, and haters. But like I would always say, the world had changed. No one would even dare to become aware or even care about anyone's actions, especially my actions. The world was once mine, and at this moment, I was sure that I had someone to share it with.

     "I missed you so much, buddy," I told him, trying to control the tears that would soon begin their rapid drift on my face.

     At times like these, you would never succeed in holding back what you're feeling. This reunion was one of the most significant and happiest moments I had. Words were not enough to describe how glad I was to see him. Thinking more about it, as unusual as it may sound, I didn't want to liberate myself and let go of our hug. I wanted to relish this one moment of our reunion as I felt his hands rubbing my back.

     "I missed you more, Haz. I thought I'd never see you again," Niall said as he hugged me tighter, speaking in a voice that seemed to indicate that he was about to be in tears, and it was the sound finally prompted mine to trickle down my cheeks.

     We broke away from the hug that we unintentionally had for an extended time, and both of us concurrently wiped the tears from our eyes. We looked at each other again, and I was surprised to see a sudden somber expression on Niall's face.

     "Harry?"

     I looked at him more attentively this time, trying to read his mind to what he was about to say. I couldn't get myself to speak for some reason, and I just stared at him, waiting for him to say more.

     "Can I go with you?" He asked with an apparent desolation in his tone.

     Looking at him made me both pleased and depressed at the same time. I was really thankful that nothing had changed in terms of his build, although it was apparent that he had lost some weight. His well-known, intense cerulean eyes were still prominent, presenting themselves even more as the rays of light illuminated them, despite smearing his face with dirt and dry blood marks.

     "Of course, Niall. Let's go home," I told him, and he nodded in response.

*-*-*

     Before leaving, we took our remaining time to get ourselves with more essentials. We loaded our rug sacks with more food, but we also considered the baggage weight that we would carry as soon as we made our way back to my house. We didn't bother saying even a single word as we quickly grabbed the things that we thought could help us survive in the upcoming days, whether in my house or when we would finally decide to embark on a journey outside London. The whole store seemed quite unflustered, with only the soft jangles of the cans and metal interrupting the total silence inside. After getting everything we needed, Niall and I cautiously got out of the store after a few minutes.