A Light in the Dark // Flicker Series Part I #wattys2019

As You Walk Away

"I love you more." He replies, looking deeply into mine.

We hold onto each other, neither of us wanting to be the first to let go.

"Thank you." I say, kissing him on the lips again.

"What for?" He asks, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"For what you said this morning...about needing me. I needed to hear that." I say honestly, struggling with the vulnerability but needing him to know how much it meant.

"I do need you, Evie. And I needed you to know that. I don't want you to ever question that."

"Niall... Pilot's ready when you are." Mark says quietly, not wanting to intrude.

Niall nods to him in response, sighing as he leans his forehead back into mine.

"It's about that time, huh?" I whisper as a lump forms in my throat and I swallow hard to get through these next few minutes.

Niall clears his throat, looking at the ground and shaking his head before looking back to me which leads me to believe he's struggling here too.

"Yeah..." He finally says, his voice cracking in the process.

He takes my face gently in his hands, examining every inch but focusing on my eyes.

"I'll call you when we land."

"FaceTime me so I can see you." I say with a giggle, my eyes filling with tears.

He nods in agreement, sliding his hands down my arms to connect our hands one last time.

"See you then?" He questions, trying out an alternative to 'goodbye'.

"See you then." I confirm.

We kiss once more, a single tear rolling down my cheek and connecting with the place his palm is touching. Without skipping a beat, he wipes the tear and deepens the kiss making it last a few seconds longer in an attempt to let the love cover how much this hurts.

We finally separate. Niall regretfully reaches down and picks up his back pack and gives me another kiss before he walks to join the rest of his team.

I have managed to keep myself together through this whole conversation, but seeing him walk away is what finally breaks me and that one tear from moments ago is replaces this a deluge of flowing tears that can't be stopped.

I'm fighting to make it stop —both the tears and the urge to run after him.

The team is lined up, single file as the wait to board the plane and for a split second I see Niall duck his head down, remove his glasses and wipe his eyes and I further lose it.