Second Snapshot (Picture This Sequel: Niall Horan)

-Looks can be deceiving. [Chapter 13]

“N…Niall?”

She choked out and I bit down on my lip hard and clicked my tongue against the inside of my cheek as I stared back at her and right then, at that moment. It was if everything that was around us and everything that had happened in our past didn’t matter and had vanished into nothing. It was just me and her and right then I could almost see all our happy memories lying out in front of me playing like a movie right behind her. It was weird and it could be just one of those weird dreams again but it was making me extremely emotional. Her laugh and smile as she lay down on the picnic blanket her blonde locks spread out around her as she looked up at me finally letting me press my lips to hers on our first official ‘date’. And then when we first told each other we loved each other the way even through the darkness of the room I could see that honesty in her eyes and the happiness it gave us both. Or when we went to Ireland last summer, what about that? That was just amazing. But they’re all just memories and however much you want to, you can dream of memory lane but you can’t stay there because now, this is reality, cold harsh reality and things like that, they’re for dreams, not for real life.

“Mmm hmm?”

I hummed encouraging her to continue, now, whatever she had to say to me good or bad, I wanted to hear it. I would have said something more but I couldn’t really trust myself to speak, right now, I was feeling as fragile as her.

“Wh…I’m sorry for asking this. But…Just, why do you care?”

She really thought I didn’t care about her? Of course I fucking care, this girl is my world, whether she should be or not. Maybe it’s not about what it should and shouldn’t be anymore, because maybe, it’s just is what is and we shouldn’t make alterations, just let life run its course however messed up and heart breaking it is because everything happens for a reason and maybe if it’s meant to happen it will.

“I…” I stuttered out and then I realised that I really didn’t have an answer for this that would avoid giving everything away. I just can’t let her know right now that she’s still my freaking world and all that, she’d never still feel the same way about me after so long, right? “I just do.”

I told her hoping this would be enough, and she didn’t really seem convinced but sucked in some more air before blinking once at me and then I felt the warmth of her dainty fingers on mine. Her palm carefully pressing itself against the back of my hand and I felt a small smile tugging at my lips as I tuned my hand over letting my fingers slide right in between hers and curl over her hand finally entwining them and locking them together. And then just like that everything just may have been like old times. As she slightly leant back into me and I shifted her so her head was resting on my chest again as she closed her eyes soon drifting into sleep right there and then.

Ashley’s POV:

He was there, right there. Sleeping right next to me with his fingers still locked with mine as my head rested on my chest as it rose and fell with each husky breath he took. I looked up at him through my fringe and the way his lips were parted slightly and his brow scrunched together as he slept occasionally mumbling things that I wasn’t even going to attempt to decipher. His blonde hair was scruffy and some had fallen in his eyes and he kept on twitching with it. So beautiful. I looked down at our hands and how my fingers fitted immaculately in between his and my palm was almost lost in his but it still fitted with such ease and perfection almost as if it was meant to be. I kept on wondering if it was, and all this, this was signs. How however hard I tried to convince myself I needed to fall out of love with him for my own good I never did or could and how we kept on running into each other and when nothing big came out of that we were thrown into this situation together and most of all, forbidden. In the past the fact that we were forbidden from doing things together and just things in general always gave us that extra push to do it anyway because we’d get into trouble together and still find a way to laugh about it at the end of the day. I miss that, being ‘spontaneous’ with him. Come on Ash, let’s just go this way, it’s night time, nobody’s going to see us and if they do then we’ll run. Here try this, I dare you. We’ll be back before they know it; we just have to keep quiet. Oh the good times.