Harry's POV
I walked out of the school with Niall, who was gripping my hand tightly. Ever since we met up this morning, he's been clinging to me like a baby koala. Not that I'm complaning, but I hadn't seen him this way in a while. I could tell he felt bad about snapping at me last night over the phone and I told him several times that it was okay, because it honestly was. I wasn't upset. I understood why he reacted the way he did. I glanced over at him, just in time to catch him staring at me. Niall's cheeks were tainted a light pink and he looked away, quickly. I stopped, capturing his lips in between mine. He hung his arms around my neck, responding eagerly. "Save it for tonight," I mumbled, kissing him once more before pulling away and continuing to walk.
"What's happening tonight?" Niall asked, cheekily. A light cough caught my attention and I turned around.
"Hunter," Niall smiled, widely. "What's up?"
"Can I talk to your for a minute?" the lad, supposedly named Hunter, eyed me, curiously, "Alone."
"Sure," he dropped my hand, following Hunter.
I started the car and waited for Niall to come back. After about ten minutes, I began to grow concerned. Just as I was about to cheek up on him, Niall got in, sending me sideways smile, "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," I said. "What did he say?"
"He wanted to hang out today, but I told him I already had plans, so we exchanged numbers," he buckled his seat belt and rolled down his window.
"Oh," I pulled out of my spot, and drove out of the parking lot. "I've never seen him before."
"Hunter just transferred from Ireland," Niall informed me.
"So, you were mates?" I inquired.
"I guess you could say that," he mumbled. "He was my boyfriend."
I gripped the steering wheel, tightly, and nodded. Niall turned on the radio, humming along to Imagine Dragons. We arrived at my house faster than I expected, surprised to see my mum's car parked in the driveway.
"You didn't tell me your parents were going to be home!" Niall panicked.
I sighed, "It's just my mum."
He groaned, following me to the front door, "Still!"
The door was unlocked, so I pushed it open, looking around. My mum was sitting in the living room, reading a magazine, "What are you doing home?"
"Oh, Harry," she stood up. "I took the day off. Who is this?"
"This is Niall," I gestured towards the fidgeting blonde beside me. "He's staying the night."
She sighed, "I was hoping that you and I could do something tonight."
"I can go," Niall suggested. "It won't be a problem."
I gave him a stern look, "No, you aren't going anywhere."
My mum cleared her throat, avoiding eye contact, "Alright, then."
I guided Niall up the stairs without another word to her. I fell onto my bed with a grunt, suddenly feeling mentally exhausted. "Babe," Niall mumbled, sitting down. "Why are you so upset? Your mum was just trying to be nice."
I snorted, "I could care less. I'm not mad about that."
"Something's clearly bothering you," Niall pressed. "It's Hunter, isn't it?" I continued to stare at the ceiling, twiddling my thumbs. "You have to trust me as much as I trust you. Whatever happened in Ireland, stays back in Ireland. I've already made it clear to Hunter that I'm in a relationship and only interested in being mates."
I sat up, shaking my head, "It's Hunter that I don't trust. There's something sketchy about him, and I don't want you getting hurt." Niall stared at me, intently, a grin appearing on his face. "What?"
He cupped my face in his hands, pressing our lips together, "I love how much you care about me. I love how safe I feel with you. I love the way you hold me. I love your eyes, your dimpled smile, and the feeling of your lips on mine. What I'm trying to say, is that I love you, Harry."
I was too stunned to respond, looking directly into Niall's eyes with my hands holding his in place. The warmth spreading inside of me was indescribable. I'd been in plenty of pointless relationships before meeting Niall, and no one had been able to make me feel the way he did. I wake up every morning, knowing that no matter how crappy my day might turn out to be, I'd have Niall to look after, and that made it so much easier.
"I love you, too," I whispered. "You mean so much to me, Ni. When I first met you, I had no idea that we would get this far. I'm so glad that you gave me a chance. I honestly have no idea what I'd be doing without you."
Niall's eyes watered, and he kissed me again, "Thank you."
"For what?" I asked.
"Everything. You helped me get my grades up, for one. I've never been so comfortable with a person before. I know it bothers you that I haven't told you about my past, but I'm ready," Niall said, dropping his hands from my face.
I intertwined our fingers, pressing a kiss to his knuckles, "Take your time."
He nodded, taking a deep breath, "I've known that I fancied boys since I was 14. I was never actually with anyone up until Hunter. When we first started dating, we were able to keep it a secret. School has always been rough for me. I can never find a place to fit in. A few of Hunter's mates always picked on me. At first, it was just the constant name-calling. I learned how to cope, but once the physical harassment began, it was a total different story. Hunter knew what they were doing to me and he obviously couldn't do anything to stop. Every single day, he'd tell me how sorry he was. Aside from that, my family didn't know about my sexuality either. I would usually sneak him into my room after school when no one was home and we'd spend the afternoon chatting about anything that came to mind. On one particular occasion, my father came home early. He kicked Hunter out and locked the door. It was the first time he beat me, but not the last. I haven't been able to get his look of disappointment out of my head. In my nightmares, it's usually the same. My father yells, throwing punches at me with every single disgusting word slipping out of his mouth."
I cringed, watching Niall shake as he spoke, "You can stop if you need to. I know it hurts to think about it."
"No," he locked his eyes with mine. "I need to do this."
"Okay," I caressed his cheek, nodding for him to continue.
"A week before we left Ireland, someone spread a rumor about Hunter and I. To this day, I have no idea who it was. I walked to school like every other day, only it turned out to be quite the opposite of normal. I was dragged to the back of the building and surrounded by at least 5 blokes; one of them being my supposed boyfriend. The moment he took a step towards me, I understood what was happening. Hunter was protecting his reputation, instead of protecting me."
"That fucking bastard," I growled, pulling Niall into my lap. "I'm so sorry that you had to go through that. I promise you, no one is going to hurt you on my watch. They'd have to kill me first."
Niall leaned his head on my shoulder, his eyelashes brushing against the skin on my neck, "I know."
"I don't want you to be alone with Hunter, okay?" I lifted his chin, making sure we were eye to eye.
He smiled, weakly, "I can't promise you that. I'll be safe, Haz. You don't have to worry."
"I feel like I was the one telling you not to worry just a few days ago," I sighed.
Niall laughed, straddling my hips and wrapping his arms around my neck, "It's a lot harder than it seems, huh?"
I hummed, sliding my hand under his shirt and brushing my fingers over his lower back. He shivered, biting his lip and I smirked, "Let's go out."
"Why can't we just stay here?" Niall sucked just beneath my jaw and I held back a moan.
I pushed him off of me, gently, and stood up, "I want to do something fun."
He pouted and I helped him up, "Can we go to the park?"
"Yeah," I grabbed his hand and we descended down the stairs. I didn't bother grabbing my car keys, walking out of the house and locking it behind me, "It's walking distance, so I figured we don't have to take the car."
"I'm okay with that," Niall swung our arms back and forth between us, a content sigh escaping his lips.
I pecked his cheek and looked up at the sky, "Do you ever wonder what's up there?"
"In space?" Niall chuckled. "Well, there's obviously billions of stars, planets, and galaxies..."
"I mean, beyond that," I said. "I used to think that after death, everyone went to a better place. When I got older, I realized it was a dumb idea."
"I don't think it's dumb," he squeezed my hand, "I believe in heaven. Though, it's nothing I ponder frequently."
I smiled and we crossed the street. Niall ran across the field, sitting on a swing, "Push me, Haz!"
I jogged up behind him, pushing him forward. It took a few times before he gained enough momentum to be at least a meter off of the ground. "Hold on tight!" I gave him one final push, moving away so he didn't collide into me. Niall looked adorable, his hair blowing around in the wind. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight. He jumped off the swing, tackling me into the ground and pecking my lips, "I love you."
"I love you too, Ni," I ran my hands down his arms.
Niall's cheeks flushed red, "I'm never going to get used to that."
I flipped us over, repeating the three words over and over again in between kisses, "I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you."
Niall giggled beneath me, rubbing his nose against mine, "Are you happy?"
"I am happy," I hovered above him. "Are you?"
Niall's POV
I propped myself up on my elbows, "For the first time in a while, yeah, I'm truly happy."
"Fags!"
Harry whipped his head in the direction of the peole passing by us, pushing himself up, "What did you say?"
"Harry," I muttered.
"You're both disgusting," a lad spat.
"Fuck you," Harry proceeded to swing his fist at him, but I managed to grab his elbow.
"Hurting them isn't going to solve anything! Just let them be," I pleaded. "Come on, we should head back."
He relaxed, exhaling, slowly. I slid my hand into his, tugging him away from the park. I ran my thumb across his index finger, trying to calm him down. Neither of us said anything the rest of the way. We entered the house and Harry went into the kitchen, "I'm making us sandwiches. You can head upstairs."
I did as his said, quickly changing into a pair of checkered fleece pants. I put on a baggy white t-shirt and laid on the bed. My thoughts trailed off to the outcome of the situation at the park if I hadn't stopped Harry. It isn't that the words didn't sting, but I would rather walk away than risk him getting injured. Harry set my plate down on the nightstand and took a seat on the desk chair, nibbling on his sandwich.
I took a bite, chewing it and swallowing, "You have a sister, right?" Harry hummed, finishing off the other half of his sandwich. "Do you think I could meet her sometime?"
"Of course, love," he sat down on the edge of the bed.
I sat up, brushing the crumbs off my shirt, "Are you alright now?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," I kissed him. "I'm glad you didn't do anything stupid, though."
"I want to get a tattoo," he blurted out, randomly.
I raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
Harry shrugged, "I got one a year ago. I feel like it's time to make an addition."
"What? How did I miss that?" I grabbed his arms, inspecting them. "Where is it?"
He rolled his eyes, a small smile on his face, and pulled his jeans down, exposing his v-line. On his left hip, there was an infinity sign. I traced it with my finger, making a sudden decision, "I want one, too."
Harry adjusted his jeans again, "Really?"
"Yeah," I laid down on my side. "We can get them together, then."
He leaned down, brushing our lips together, "Alright. I'm going to change. Do you want to put a movie in?"
"Okay!" I got up, going over to the shelf at the side of the room. I crouched down, searching for something that caught my eye last week. I took the DVD case, rushing, excitedly, to the tele.
Harry got comfortable, his back against the headboard, "What are we watching?"
I turned off the light, jumping onto the bed and sitting beside him, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower."
"Good choice," he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into his side.
I crawled on his lap, peppering kisses all over his face and stopping at his lips. Harry caught my bottom lip between his teeth, pulling back and letting go. I moved in again and explored his mouth my with tongue. His hands were tangled in my hair and the kiss got more heated. Harry put his hands on my chest, panting heavily, "The movie."
I grunted, standing up to get the remote and pressed play. I dropped it at the end of the bed and returned to my previous position next to Harry. I draped my leg over his, leaning on his chest and he whispered in my ear, "I love you."