Something New // Niall Horan

Merry Christmas

Cara's POV:

I don't even remember or understand how I drove to Blake and Jess'.

Sobbing, I knocked on her door. Oh God, I hope they answer. It is really late.

I wondered why they didn't show up at our Christmas Eve par-

Oh.

Hoping that they've finished, I feverishly bang on the door of their shared flat. I'm breathing hard as I try not to yell for them.

This can't be happening. It can't; Chris did not just... do it with me. I didn't let him for the safety of my family and friends.

And I did not just lose Niall. Oh, God. No no no no no. This definitely is not happening. Niall wasn't going to propose.

This is all a bad dream. Isn't it?

"Ohmygod, Cara!? What happened?" Jess appeared in the doorway, her late-night silhouette blurry from my tears.

"N-N-Niall b-broke up-p with m-me," I blubbered, feeling absolutely useless.

She wrapped an arm around me, pulling me inside and shutting the door behind me.

"Oh, sweetie! Why would he do that? He was gonna-" Jess stopped, as if she was about to let slip a big secret. Of course!

"He t-told me," I cried into my hands once we were sat on her immaculate white couch. "H-He was going to p-propose to me but I fucked it all up."

"Cara?" Blake yawned, stretching tiredly. Underneath his shirtless skin, I could see his muscles flex. "Is that you?" As he broached the circle of light created by the table lamp, his eyes widened. "What's wrong?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Jess replied before turning back to me. "What. Happened?"

I explained to them both my idiocy and what I did, and by the end, I was surprised to find that they weren't angry.

"Why aren't you mad?" I asked.

Jess faced a now-sitting Blake, gripping both his hands in hers before saying, rather dreamily, I might add, "To keep my other half safe, I probably would've done the same." Jess then stared at me. "Even if he couldn't possibly hurt Niall, he could've hurt Noah, or me, or Harry or Lou. I know how you feel. Because whether or not Niall would've put him in jail for blackmailing himself into your apartment or not..."

She didn't finish, for there was a loud knocking at the door.

"Who at this hour?" mused Blake, wandering in the direction of the knocking.

Remaining still, Jess and I tensed. I don't know about her, but I had a bit more than an inkling of who was on the other side of that door.

His tattoos and menacing piercings, coming to brag at his ruining my relationship with Niall.

But wait, it couldn't be him, could it? Niall said that the cops will "deal with him."

Then who could it be, this late on Christmas Eve?

"Hello?" Blake peered out into the hall, right and left, then bent over to scrabble up a piece of paper - junk mail, maybe? But my mind came up blank at whom delivers junk mail at midnight on Christmas Eve, or I suppose Christmas, now - from the tile floor in the corridor.

"It's... for you," quizzically, Blake passed me the slip - what I now recognized as a large, paper-only envelope - once he'd shut and locked the door once again.

"Um, okay," said I, sniffling and wiping a few tears on the sleeve of my nice sweater. I should say, my once-nice sweater. Now, it disgusted me as the shirt I wore as my relationship with the one was terminated.

More tears spilled down my blotchy cheeks when I thought about it. I changed Niall so much, I realized, from the fuck-a-different-girl-every-night I'm-an-asshole guy he was when I first met him, so very long ago. So much has changed.

I took the letter somewhat gratefully before Jessica and Blake proclaimed that they were tired and were to return to bed.

Nodding, I tried to give them a convincing smile. I doubt it worked.

"Hey, Care-bear, you'll find another guy. He'll be better than Niall. Considering Niall didn't even listen to you."

"Thanks, Jess," I mumbled. She grinned and was about to join Blake in their bedroom before I continued, "But you're wrong. I'll never find someone as perfect as him, ever. He was-" I choked on my tears as my throat once again tightened.

"He was the one?" finished Jess.

"He was. And always will be," I confirmed sadly, snuggling into the couch. My head was nestled into the pillows that I'd collected from the couch and two chairs.

"Don't worry babe. Everything'll work itself out," said Jess, like the best friend she is. A small smile found its way to my lips, despite my unwillingness for it too, before she tossed a blanket on me.

"G'night," I bade her before turning the lamp off.

Once I was sure they were both asleep, curiously, I flicked the lamp on once again. I suppose the warm light from their Christmas tree could've been enough, but at this point, I just wanted to read the letter that was obviously inside the envelope.

Emotions whirring, I finally pushed myself the last step. I tore open the envelope that read "Cara" in green gel ink, then began reading the words written on a page of looseleaf with the same pen as the envelope.

"Cara,

We're so sorry. It truly is all our fault, and even though you say it's okay I know it isn't. Especially now that we know exactly what happened. I'm ashamed to call Chris a Tomlinson, and I really wish we could've met before all this. Maybe we could've been, you know, friends. Without the awkwardness of knowing that I was your boyfriend's source of information.

I remember Chris talking about you, a few times. He was so nice then.

I'm getting off track.

Anyways, Cara, I really, truly hope that you can forgive us and we can remain friends. If you ever need anything, we're here for you.

Signed,

Harry and Louis

P.S. I really do not want to write this, but....

Chris called. He wants us to tell you to have a Merry Christmas."

My blood ran cold.

Fumbling, I tucked the double-sided, thrice-folded letter back into the envelope and let it rest on the glass coffee table.

I flicked off the lamp, curling into a little ball as I cried.

As the clock finally struck twelve, I muttered to myself,

"Merry Christmas."




A/N: Can we get 600 comments and 1k votes?

Also check out my Harry fanfic 'Recovery' thanks :-)