The Only One [n.h. + h.s. au]

Chapter Thirteen

I sat up, shaking my head, "It's Hunter that I don't trust. There's something sketchy about him, and I don't want you getting hurt." Niall stared at me, intently, a grin appearing on his face. "What?"

He cupped my face in his hands, pressing our lips together, "I love how much you care about me. I love how safe I feel with you. I love the way you hold me. I love your eyes, your dimpled smile, and the feeling of your lips on mine. What I'm trying to say, is that I love you, Harry."

I was too stunned to respond, looking directly into Niall's eyes with my hands holding his in place. The warmth spreading inside of me was indescribable. I'd been in plenty of pointless relationships before meeting Niall, and no one had been able to make me feel the way he did. I wake up every morning, knowing that no matter how crappy my day might turn out to be, I'd have Niall to look after, and that made it so much easier. 

"I love you, too," I whispered. "You mean so much to me, Ni. When I first met you, I had no idea that we would get this far. I'm so glad that you gave me a chance. I honestly have no idea what I'd be doing without you."

Niall's eyes watered, and he kissed me again, "Thank you."

"For what?" I asked.

"Everything. You helped me get my grades up, for one. I've never been so comfortable with a person before. I know it bothers you that I haven't told you about my past, but I'm ready," Niall said, dropping his hands from my face. 

I intertwined our fingers, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, "Take your time."

He nodded, taking a deep breath, "I've known that I fancied boys since I was 14. I was never actually with anyone up until Hunter. When we first started dating, we were able to keep it a secret. School has always been rough for me. I can never find a place to fit in. A few of Hunter's mates always picked on me. At first, it was just the constant name-calling. I learned how to cope, but once the physical harassment began, it was a total different story. Hunter knew what they were doing to me and he obviously couldn't do anything to stop. Every single day, he'd tell me how sorry he was. Aside from that, my family didn't know about my sexuality either. I would usually sneak him into my room after school when no one was home and we'd spend the afternoon chatting about anything that came to mind. On one particular occasion, my father came home early. He kicked Hunter out and locked the door. It was the first time he beat me, but not the last. I haven't been able to get his look of disappointment out of my head. In my nightmares, it's usually the same. My father yells, throwing punches at me with every single disgusting word slipping out of his mouth."

I cringed, watching Niall shake as he spoke, "You can stop if you need to. I know it hurts to think about it."

"No," he locked his eyes with mine. "I need to do this."

"Okay," I caressed his cheek, nodding for him to continue.

"A week before we left Ireland, someone spread a rumor about Hunter and I. To this day, I have no idea who it was. I walked to school like every other day, only it turned out to be quite the opposite of normal. I was dragged to the back of the building and surrounded by at least 5 blokes; one of them being my supposed boyfriend. The moment he took a step towards me, I understood what was happening. Hunter was protecting his reputation, instead of protecting me."

"That fucking bastard," I growled, pulling Niall into my lap. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. I promise you, no one is going to hurt you on my watch. They'd have to kill me first."

Niall leaned his head on my shoulder, his eyelashes brushing against the skin on my neck, "I know."

"I don't want you to be alone with Hunter, okay?" I lifted his chin, making sure we were eye to eye.