Love is a Time Limit (Niall Horan)

Epilogue: Without You

Epilogue: Without You

(2 Months Later)

Two months had passed since Niall was lost, and already so much had happened in such short a time. Even with the days piling on one after another, Verena had still not broken that first promise she swore to herself to keep.

Niall had received a proper burial and funeral shortly after the death had occurred; only it was missing the four boys he had grown to consider brothers in the final years of his life. Having to leave Mullingar with their management already at their throats, the remains of One Direction were off in California taking a well-needed break from the hectic life a boy band offered.

Verena on the other hand, had decided to stay in Mullingar despite the depression it brought to her. And it was the first time on that early morning she had paid a visit to her love’s grave since the funeral was held.

Two months exactly since Niall’s death on that morning.

The sun was just barely peeking out from the horizon, enough to hit Verena’s slender form to paint a shadow against the gravestone she had stopped by to visit for the time being. Dark hair now waist length as it once hung so many years ago, she slung it over her shoulder gently while looking at the stone in front of her.

‘Niall James Horan, 1993-2013’

Looking at the year span Niall had lived through, Verena softly hummed a familiar melody she remembered from the last New Year’s she had spent with him. It didn’t hurt as much to think about him anymore, his image living on in the promise she was keeping as well as the bittersweet thoughts always creeping up on her. No doubt it did catch her off guard on some days and return her to the broken state for a while, but Niall would always be there watching.

A chill of a morning breeze hit, spraying some of the dew cast on the grass onto Verena’s legs, stopping the melody short in its tracks. She flinched at the coolness of the water, but found herself giggling.

“Maybe I should save the humming for another time then, love,” she whispered, directing her words to the boy laying forever-asleep six feet under her feet.

The loss had clearly taken its toll on her, snatching some of the vibrance her eyes once held before it had all happened. Verena was still the same girl, just missing a good chunk of herself that was taken away those two months ago. It was safe to say that she had forced herself to grow up, and in some sense had begun to fool herself into thinking that her Niall was still alive and well. Though more mature and collected, she would often find herself talking to the boy that didn’t exist anymore. Mornings and nights, she greeted him and sent him off as if he was there next to her. Dull conversations were “shared”, only consisting of her speaking to herself about the idle things that had happened in the day. Underneath the maturity she was putting up, Verena still retained the persona matching one of a clingy child, constantly reaching out to the person that she loved the most.

With that visit that morning, she was prepared to speak of more than just the small happenings of the days that had passed. 

Slowly lying down on her beck next to the gravestone, Verena shielded her eyes from the sun which had begun to rise more. She sighed and rested her fingertips on the engraved stone, shutting her eyes and picturing that her past love was somehow there beside her, listening and taking in every word.

“Harry and I stopped talking the other day,” she forced out, feeling the need to bring up her recent tension with the curly haired flirt.

Verena squinted her eyes shut even tighter as a stray beam of sunlight hit. “You wanna know what happened to him, Niall?” she continued, thoughts now focused on what Harry had said to her. “He…has a thing for that girl Jazz; they met in California. Do you remember her?”