Let There Be Love: Sequel to We Found Love (Niall Horan)

Chapter 16

            “Niall, I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but you’ve always been protective of them,” Liam said with a smirk on his face. “I just think that now that you actually have Zack, and are able to hold him in your arms, it makes it all the more real for you, whereas before, he was just a part of Lexi that you could only hug through her. Whether you want to admit it or not, Lexi and Zack are changing you Niall.”

            “Yeah, they are,” I agreed, a smile growing on my face at the mere thought of my wonderful girlfriend and son. “But I have this weird feeling inside of me that I can’t explain. Lately, no matter what I do, my mind always rushes back to the thought of them.”

            “You’re in love Niall,” Liam stated like it was something that I didn’t already know.

            “No shit Liam,” I replied, desperately resisting the urge to walk over to him, and flick his forehead. Isn’t he supposed to be the smart one of our group?

            “No, I mean maybe you guys are so in love, that maybe you’re ready to take it to the next level,” Liam explained. Okay, now I’m confused. Liam obviously noticed my confusion, because now it was his turn to let out a sigh. “For God’s sake Niall, I’m talking about marriage.”

            My eyes went wide at the thought. While it’s true that I did give Lexi a promise ring, I was still a little confused by our relationship. Sometimes it’s hard to tell what we are. Technically, we are boyfriend and girlfriend. But at the same time, we have a son together, and I’ve given her a promise ring, which she happily accepted.

            “But what if she isn’t ready for that?” I asked Liam, a bit of sadness expressed in my voice. Being the supportive friend that Liam is, he rolled his eyes at me.

            “Niall, if you think that Lexi doesn’t want to marry you, than you’re an idiot,” Liam commented.

            “But Li, I don’t want to scare her with commitment,” I shot back. “I want to know that she’s doing it because she wants to, and not because she has to.”

            “Niall,” Liam called out, taken aback by my response. “You of all people should know that Lexi isn’t like that. She has no problem telling things like it is. Plus, it’s not like she has a fear of commitment; look at how she handles Zack. To me, being a teen mum is one of the biggest commitments a person can make, and she’s tackling it with all of her might.”

            “But she didn’t really have a choice with that,” I commented.

            “Sure she did,” Liam replied. “She could have had an abortion, or you guys could have used a condom. There were many things that played a factor in her having a choice to have Zack. Granted, I get how raging your hormones were that night—”

            “Okay, stop,” I said, interrupting Liam’s little speech. “I get it. Believe, I was there. But what if it’s me that she doesn’t want to be with?”

            Liam threw his back in frustration. What am I supposed to do, ignore these feelings that could impact the rest of my life?

            “That’s not possible Nialler,” I heard a voice call out. Then I saw Harry, Louis, and Zayn enter the bathroom. Oh great, let’s turn this into an intervention. Okay, I need to calm down. Breathe in, breathe out. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but words mean a lot to my sister. So when she says that she thinks of you as the person she wants to spend the rest of her life with, she means it. Niall, I don’t think you really know how much my sister loves you. You mean the world to her Niall.”

            “And she means the world to me,” I added. “But sometimes I can’t help but wonder what kind of impact I’ve had on her.”

            “Let’s put it this way Niall,” Louis added. “When she flew off to London the first time, she was devastated to leave you. Every day that past, you were miserable. But she was just as miserable. You both shared the same feelings of lack of hunger, lack of sleep, and pure depression. And just think, that was only after knowing each other for a couple of weeks. The bond that you two have shared has only gotten stronger since then.”

            “But what about when she flew there the second time?” I questioned. I kind of already knew the answers to my own questions, but hearing the guys back up my theories made them all the more real. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something in Harry’s eyes as he read a text on his phone. I’m pretty sure that if was possible to smile through your eyes, Harry would be right now. I’ll have to ask him about that later.

            “Niall, she didn’t break down the second time because she had to be strong, and prove some things to herself,” Zayn answered.

            “Prove what to herself?” I questioned, furrowing my eyebrows.

            “That she’s not this clingy, needy girlfriend that needs to be with you every second of the day to be happy,” Zayn answers again. “Think about it. Up until now, we’ve been with her every day for over a year. But we all knew that once Zack was born, and the world around us continued moving, things would get a bit difficult. Look at our work schedule Niall; it’s impossible. Luckily, Uncle Simon loves Alex like a daughter, and would do anything to make her happy, but she needed to prove to herself that everything would be okay if you two weren’t in the same room. That was more or less a test for the both of you. I know it won’t always be pretty Niall, but it’s something that the two of you have to work on. Us going back to the studio may suck because it pulls us away from our loved ones, but for you two, it can actually help because it’ll separated you for a few hours, giving you more of longing need to be with each other. Then when you see each other, it makes every moment even more special. Any other concerns Niall?”

            “What if marriage changes who we are?” I ask, this being the most important question. “What if being married changes how we act around each other.”

            “Niall, that’s stupid,” Louis comments. “You and Lexi have to be the most relaxed couple I’ve ever seen. It’s not like you guys are hiding anything from each other. You each know everything there is to know, and are completely honest with each other. I think the only fight you’ve had is that one time over the leftover ice cream when she was pregnant.” Oh yeah, I remember that fight… and that ice cream. Maybe they’re all right. Maybe it is time to take that giant step. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll pick up some ice cream on the way home.

Harry’s P.O.V.

            Now that we finally got the whole Niall issue figured out, I don’t have to worry about holding back my smile from the text that Lexi sent me.

To: Haz

Haz, I think someone in this household would love to spend the weekend with their favorite uncle. :D

            I knew she was talking about me, but I decided to mess with her for the hell of it.

To: Lexi

So when are you going to tell Ed? :(

            I got a reply back instantly, which made me laugh.

To: Haz

Stop it! X( If I have to come down there, and convince you that Zacky loves you soooo much, than you will regret it. Xx

            I replied, telling her I was only kidding, and instantly grew excited for this weekend. Then I thought of something funny, and decided to shoot Lexi another text.

To: Lexi

Don’t think you can use my adorable nephew to get some alone time with the horny leprechaun here. The boys and I just caught him in the bathroom. :O

            As much as I loved playing the protective, older brother role, sharing banter with her was a lot of fun too. The funny thing was that I didn’t exactly lie… I just didn’t tell her the exact truth as to why we found Niall in the bathroom. I know my sister, and she’s going to assume the worst from my previous sentence.