Temptations [Niall Horan]

Chapter 43

I gently rested my hand on his shoulder, my heart shattering.

"Niall... I do love you. I love you so much, you're my everything. Please just... just look me at me..." I whispered, gently tugging at his shoulder.

"No!" he spat, jerking out of my grip.

I whimpered, my tears falling faster.

"Niall. Please..." I begged, softly pulling at his shirt.

"God damnit, Ronnie! I said no!" he shouted, turning to face me angrily.

My eyes widened as he looked at me. He was...

Crying.

He quickly wiped the tears from his face when he realized what I was staring at, his eyes boring into mine.

A sob escaped my lips at the realization of just how badly I had hurt him. Niall never cried. Ever. Yet here he was, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Fuck, just stop cryin, Ronnie, please! I hate knowin I fuckin did this to ya... I hate knowin I made you feel this way!" He cried, more tears slipping down.

Only this time, he let them. He let himself cry.

He held his head low, covering his face with his hands as he sobbed.

I lunged at him, hugging him tighter than I ever have before. He paused a moment before hugging me back, rocking us back and forth as we cried into eachother.

"I'm so sorry, Niall... I love you, I love you so much!" I cried, pulling away to look him in the eyes.

"I love ya, too... so much more than ya know," he whispered, peering down at me. I sat there with him, engulfed in his arms, thinking about what he'd said.

Niall was the only person in my life that mattered. He was my everything... Hell, I cried when he cried, yelled when he yelled... loved, when he loved.

I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him.

But...

Now? This soon?

Almost as if he'd read my mind, he swallowed, whispering sadly, "Ronnie, I'm sorry. For puttin ya through this. I just...  this was a stupid idea. I know we're too young, I know it's too soon. I just... I thought things with ya would be different."

He sighed, wiping his tears away and staring at the ground sadly.

"I can't fuckin stand it when other guys look at ya... like a piece of fuckin meat. You're more than that. Fuck, Ronnie, you're mine. I thought that maybe, if ya had a ring on... everyone would know that. You're the only good thing in my life right now. My life... it's so fucked up, Ron..."

I rested my hand on his shoulder.

"Niall... your life isn't the best, but you've got a loving family that-"

"No. No, ya don't understand," he whispered, looking at me sadly, "I've done horrible, fucked up things to innocent people. But ya... ya changed me. Ya showed me what it was to live again, Ronnie... to love again. I... god, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I tried to force ya to stay with me..."

I shook my head as he stood up, turning to walk away.

"No!" I shouted, gripping his arm to stop him.

"No, Niall! You aren't just going to leave me like that! I love you. You know I love you, I can't stand to be without you!" I cried, cupping his face in my hands.

I looked into his eyes, my voice coming out as a whisper.

"Proposing to me was not stupid. Not at all. I'm... I'm just... afraid..."

His hands found my hips, pulling me close to him.

"Afraid of what? O-of me?" he whispered, looking at me worriedly.

"No, no... Not of you. Just of... marriage in general. Marriage is a big thing, Niall, and-"

"I know it's a big thing, Ron. It's fucking scary as hell. But... But we've been through so much, baby. We've gone through so much these past 6 months. I love ya, Ron, I want ya forever."

"I know," I whispered, petting his face, "But... I dunno, are we ready for this?"

He took one look at me, his hands shaking.

"Fuck this," he muttered, wiping his hands over his face before he began to walk away.

"Niall! Don't-"

"No! No, ya know what? I'm not gonna force ya to fucking stay with the likes a' me!" He looked down sadly, continuing to walk away as he whispered, "I'm not worthy of ya."

He meant so much to me... yet here I was, letting him walk away.

The tightness in my chest returned, my heart breaking. The man I loved was walking away, more hurt than I ever thought about feeling.

I began going through a checklist of things that I could live without.

My parents? Check.

Friends? Check.

Niall?...

I found myself running, faster than ever.

"Niall!" I called, rushing into  his arms as he turned to look at me.

"Niall, I do... I love you so much. I want to marry you!"

I looked up, expecting for him to twirl me around and passionately kiss me, like those fairytale movies... but he didn't.

Instead, he shook his head, his frown deepening.

"Ron... don't do this. Don't say that shit because ya feel sorry for me. It's rejection, Ron, everyone's gotta deal with it at some point. Of course, it fuckin hurts like hell. But hey... that's life," he mumbled, looking at me dully.

"No, no Niall! I'm being one hundred percent honest. I want to be with you, I want to be with you for all eternity! I want you to be in my life, I want to wake up next to you every morning. I want to lay in bed with you at night, wrapped up in your arms knowing that you're mine and I'm yours! And most of all... Niall, I want to love you until I have no more love left to give."

His expression softened as he looked at me, a small smile replacing the frown he once held upon his face. He took my hands in his, gently pulling me back into him.

"Ya mean it?" he whispered, looking into my eyes.

I nodded, meaning everything. I loved him.

He smiled bigger, swallowing.

"Well then... let's try this again, shall we?" he asked, lowering himself to one knee. I nodded eagerly as he pulled the ring from his pocket, looking up at me with shining eyes.

"Veronica Carter... I love ya. No matter how much we fight, or how many times we get tired of each other, I will never ever stop loving ya. Make me the happiest man in the world... Marry me?"

I smiled, tears running down my face.

"Yes... Yes, the answer is yes," I sniffled, grinning as he slid the beautiful ring on my finger.

He stood quickly, grabbing me by the waist and tipping me over. Our lips connected immediately, arms wrapped tightly around each other.

He held me close, eventually tipping me back up. Our lips continued to move together as he kissed me passionately. I gasped as his tongue caressed mine, his fingers softly digging into my hip.

He quickly pulled away, his lips swollen as he grinned.

"Let's go home," he breathlessly demanded, pulling me in the direction of his car. I nodded, wanting to get there as soon as I possibly could.

I needed him.