Without You - Niam Horayne

Chapter 3 - The Return

Liam’s P.O.V.

            When we got back to my flat, Harry, Louis, and Zayn all jumped out of the car and ran towards the complex. Were they that excited to get back to my home? I sat up slowly and opened the door, glancing towards the door to the building.

            Niall.

            He was standing by the steps, and the others were hugging him and crying. I wanted to do that too, but I didn’t believe he was real. I had seen Niall so many times in my dreams. This was fake just like all the other times. Zayn let go of Niall’s amazing body and turned to me expectantly. Was it really him?

            I walked towards him slowly, taking each step with precaution. When I was finally in touching distance I reached out my right hand, my pointer finger extended, and poked his right shoulder. When my finger hit the muscle and bone there, my heart began to pound in my ears. He was alive. I ran forward, wrapping my arms around him and accidentally picking him up off the ground while doing so. Tears were streaming down my face and I could see the others around us, smiling and crying too.

            “Liam,” Niall’s beautiful Irish voice rang in my ear, “You’re going to strangle me,”

            I instantly dropped him, but kept my hands on his shoulders, like I thought he was going to disappear. As I stared into his beautiful blue eyes, the confusion sunk in. He wasn’t dead, yet we had had a funeral. If that wasn’t his body, whose was it? And most importantly, where did Niall go? Why was he back after almost two months of torture? I stepped away from him, still absorbing every inch of him with my eyes. He seemed perfectly fine. He may have a bruise or two, and he looked a bit tired, but he looked better than me. I bit my bottom lips tightly between my teeth and continued to let my brain wander.

            “Liam, stop that, your bleeding,” Zayn stepped forward and cupped my cheek. I tasted the metallic liquid in my mouth, but I didn’t care. I stopped biting my lip—only to please Zayn—and then looked back to Niall. He was still there, looking as fine as ever.

            “Oh my God, Liam, what happened to your wrists?” Niall suddenly questioned, concern filling his voice as he stepped forward and grabbed my hands. His fingers were sending an electrical current through my body, I swear. It was like his hands were burning mine, yet, the feeling was a good one. He stared at my bandages for awhile longer, and when I still didn’t answer he stepped even closer to me and looked into my eyes. “You didn’t do this to yourself, did you?”

            The question rang through the air and I suddenly felt ashamed. I pulled back from Niall, wiping my face of tears and then ran into my flat, leaving everyone else behind. Questions still swarmed my thoughts. Was Niall really back? Where did he go? And the most important…Why?

Zayn’s P.O.V.

            Niall was back. Part of me couldn’t believe it. Where had that little leprechaun been? Don’t get me wrong, I was really happy to have him back. Overjoyed. I never thought I would see him again. But what about Liam? I had no idea what to do. When Niall found out how hard Liam took his disappearance, he would probably blame himself. That’s what Niall did. He would blame himself for everything. Liam was in such a fragile state I was worried to do or say anything to him, afraid that he might hurt himself again. But we had to figure out where Niall had been, and get an explanation.