Niall Horan Preferences

85: Treat you better

Niall is my best friend. I've known him since I was ten years old. His mom and my mom both worked together at a nail salon so I would say Niall was almost always at my house. I remember when I was younger I had the hugest crush on him. He had those piercing eyes and he gave the best hugs...he still does give great hugs. He listens to my gossip and tries not laugh as I complain about the friends I love to pieces. He also had a skateboard and could do cool tricks and at 13 years old I thought that was attractive. When high school came around we both attended the same one. The teachers called us thing one and thing two because wherever he was I was and wherever I was he was.

I'd began to read a lot in freshman year...a lot of love stories where these two people meet unexpectedly and fall in love. I fell in love with the way the writers described love like, "he touched me and everything inside me sparked." "I want every part of him." I enjoyed when the perspective would change to the boy and he would pour his heart out and tell the girl how he feels. I couldn't help but hope something cute like what I read in the books would happen to Niall and I.

I knew I loved him. There was no doubt about it.

He made me crazy, and I could never take my eyes off him. He has that light to him that just makes you not want to miss a move that he makes. I knew I would do anything for him, I would listen to him talk about other girls, complain about his parents, I'd also laugh at all his stupid jokes.
Senior year he got into a relationship with a girl named Ruby. I didn't like her.  Don't think I didn't like her because she had Niall. She could kiss him whenever she wanted, she could- I didn't like her because she smoked, she had tattoos, she wore clothes that showed too much skin and she had a weird tongue piercing. It was always her way or no way. It's not that I hate girls with tattoos or smoked. You do you. But, I noticed a few months into Niall dating this girl that when he'd come over and smell like smoke...sometimes I'd see little bruises on his wrists, I'd ask him about it but he'd just shake his head and give me a smile.
"I think he's smoking." My mom had mumbled to me one evening.
"Who? Ni? No." I didn't believe it. He complained all the time about smoking.
"Hey Ni." I smiled to him. He sat down on my couch and gave me a smile back.

He's brilliant.

"Are you smoking?" I figured I couldn't assume anything until I knew the answer.
"Yes." He nodded, "it's not a big deal."
"But, Niall-" I began. He cut me off, "please let it go."
I nodded anything to keep him from getting upset.
I couldn't sleep one night, Niall told me he was going out and said he'd call me when he got home so we could discuss our english project. I looked at the clock. It was 1:30am. I called Niall three times. I couldn't help it I was getting worried. Finally on the fourth call he answered, "mmmmmm." I heard.
"Hey, Niall. It's me (Y/N)." I said.
"I know. Can you-" he made a hissing sound. Oh no. He's in pain.
"What's wrong? Where are you?" I whispered. My mom was in her room sleeping and I didn't want to wake her. She'd call Niall's mom.
"Bar. Can you pick me up?" He told me the address and I was there within five minutes.
He was leaning against a brick wall holding the side of his face. It looked like he was limping. Once he reached the car I touched his face. I couldn't help it. I wanted the best for him and this was not the best.
"I'm fine." He hissed swatting my hand."
"Your place or mine?" I asked.
"Would you mind if I stayed at your place. Mom would kill me." He mumbled. He smelled like alochol.
"Okay." I nodded.
When we got to my house we tippy toed up the stairs to my room. I opened the light. Niall's right side of his face was purple.
I gasped, "Niall!"
"Shhhhh, I'm fine."
I walked over to him, stroking his purple cheek, his eye was swollen. Seeing him like that made tears fill my eyes.
"I'll get you some ice lay down." I whispered.
I hurried from my room to the freezer back to my room with a bag filled with ice. Niall was laying down his tshirt raised on the end.
"What happened?" I whispered closing my door.
"Don't worry."
"Niall, if you don't tell me now I'm waking up my mom." I challenged.
He shrugged, "what do you think happened? I got beat up."
I placed the ice in his cheek and he flinched. I made sure to warm his other cheek with my free hand. He sat up with a sigh. There was a bruise on his neck. I pointed to it, "sexual activities?"

It was meant to be a joke.

Niall shook his head, "hell no."
I nodded.
"Ruby is abusive." He mumbled looking down.
I dropped the ice onto his lap.
"She did this to you!? Are you kidding me!?" I was shocked.
"No. Her gang buddies did this to me. They pushed me to the floor kicked me. They think I'm weak because that's what she told them. She didn't stand up for me. She was abusive to me before that though." He told me. His eyes were closed.
"Ni. Then why were you with her?"
He laughed, "I honestly thought I could change her." I nodded because I understood it would be an amazing thing to be the reason someone is a better version of themselves.
"Anymore bruises?" I asked resting the bag of ice on his collarbone.
He nodded, "don't worry."
"You know the more you say that the more a worry. Where else are you hurting?" I frowned.
He pointed to his stomach and lifted his shirt. His stomach looked worse then his face, the purple bruises were almost blue. "Oh my god. Ni, what did they do?" I couldn't help it tears fell out of my eyes. I hated seeing him in pain.
"Don't worry." He said.
I looked at him and he reached up and touched my cheek, "hey, why are you crying?"
"I hate seeing you in pain." I mumbled.
"I'm fine look." He gave me a smile and grabbed my hand giving it a squeeze, my favourite feeling in the world.
"Did you break up with her?" I asked.
He nodded, "I couldn't be with her any longer. I couldn't deal with her habits."
"If she bothers you, promise to tell me?" I asked.
He laughed then hissed in pain, "what are you going to do with her, throw daggers at the back of her head?"
"No, something worse, but I'll have to think about it." I smiled.
He smiled back, pulling me beside him. He took some ice out of the bag and placed it on his stomach.
"I'm sorry." I said to him.
He looked at me his face inches away from mine. If he could just kiss like the way I've imagined ever since I was 15 I would be the happiest girl alive.
"For what?"
"I don't know. You could be treated so much better." I mumbled. My dimmed light in the room gave the moment a more romantic scene then it really was. Niall was hurting.
"Nah." He shook his head.
I looked at him. He honestly didn't think he could be treated better then the way Ruby treated him? I leant over and kissed his cheek. Hesitating, I kissed the bruise on his collarbone. His shirt was still lifted and I placed a kiss over the big bruise above his belly button, and another near his ribs. I looked up at him, he was looking up at me with big blue eyes. His eyes were teary. He was really hurting. "Niall.." I said.
He didn't say a word just looked at me.
I swallowed all the nerves that I've been holding in for the past few years  and said the words I thought were most special, "I love you." I said it in a whisper so if he wanted me to repeat it I would say it again, louder and louder until the world knew how I felt. He closed his eyes for a moment, the nerves climbing back up my throat. He began to smile, and then opened his eyes again. He reached up and cupped my cheek, "Won't this be awkward if I don't say that back?"
I frowned pulling away from his touch and nodded, "yes but I guess I could deal with a broken heart." I was going to cry an ocean if he doesn't say it back.
"It's a damn good thing I frickin love you too." He whispered. I smiled. He leant in and kissed my nose. What a tease he is.
"You won't hurt because of me." I whispered so low I don't think he even heard.
He smiled and leant in finally touching his lips to mine. The kiss was better then I thought. Years of feeling were just spilt out into the pages of Niall and I.
"I'm so sorry it took me so long to do that." He said once he pulled away. I felt drunk. Dazed and dizzy, the room was spinning.
"You should be." I smiled back.
"Would you mind if I stayed over?" He asked. I shook my head getting under the covers. Niall winced and I kissed his cheek snuggling up to his neck.
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It was my birthday today and it was great!! I hope your 2017 is going great!