Smile For Me || Niall Horan

32: One More Chance

What's more painful than being hurt by the one you love the most is being loved by the one you've hurt the most. 

"Get in."

I got up from my spot on the bench and quickly stepped over the sheets of ice to reach the car door. I got in and started to shake. 

"Oh my gosh Lexi, how long have you been out there? Look at your jacket! It's so thin. Glad I came when I did," he says, blasting up the heat and removing his hoodie. 

"I-it's onl-y been l-like th-thirty m-minutes," I stutter out. He wraps his sweatshirt around me and reaches to the backseat. He rummages around and returns with a blanket. "Why d-do y-you have a b-blanket i-in your ca-r?" I ask, smiling as he wrapped it around me. 

He shrugged. "Why not? It seems to come in handy for things like this..." I chuckle, but it's quickly hidden by my rapid shaking and chattering teeth. "Wow you're seriously frozen. You shouldn't be outside in weather like this."

 I shrug and he turns up the music. It was an Ed Sheeran CD playing, and it made me smile. After a while I get warmer and stop shaking.

"Thank you so much Niall. For picking me up."

 I noticed he was wearing his pajama pants and slippers. He had a t-shirt on and then his hoodie, which he gave to me for warmth. He must be freezing now that he gave me his hoodie. I wanted to give it back to him, but I knew he would insist I keep it on. He shrugs and looks out the window. 

"It's no problem."

"Yes it is. You didn't have to do this. You could have just declined my call and went back to bed. Especially since we aren't really...friends...anymore..." 

He shakes his head. "We can be friends if you want to. I was just being...stupid. Jealous. I was angry, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't mean the things I said, but I just definitely don't want to go back to ignoring each other. I'm really sorry." 

"I should be sorry."

"For what?"

"Everything I've put you through. Everything I've put us through."

We keep quiet for a moment.

"Why were you outside in the freezing cold by yourself anyways?" he asks looking at me strangely. I bite my lip. 

"It's a long story. You're not gonna like it." 

"I have time." 

I take a shaky deep breath and tell him. 

"I went on a date with Derek. To some stupid scary movie." 

"You hate scary movies," he remembers, looking at me confused. I nod.

"I know. He wanted me to go." Niall rolls his eyes, already not liking this story. "It gets worse, I promise. I got there and like halfway through he kissed me." Now Niall looked angry. "Calm down," I tell him before going on. He looks out the window and turns back, looking a bit less angry but still pretty darn pissed. "After that I pushed him off and told him to slow down. Then he started rambling about you. He asked if I didn't like him because of you." 

"What else did he say?" 

"Nothing." He stares at me. "Not a lot..." I say in a small voice. 

"Lex." 

"He said some stuff, but it's not important." He rolls his eyes. 

"Fine don't tell me. Go on."