Chapter 3
“Niall?” I asked confused
“Hi” He muttered, brushing his right foot over the carpet as he kept his head down.
I stared at him for a couple of minutes as we both stood there awkwardly waiting for his explanation. But it never came. Instead, I heard a quiet sobbing sound coming from the Irishman stood in front of me. As soon as a couple of droplets of water landed on his shoes I forgot all about what he put me through, putting my arm around his neck and guided him into my apartment.
*Niall’s POV*
I knew I shouldn’t of acted like I didn’t know him in Starbucks, how could I not know him? I made high school hell for him; I just didn’t want to admit it.
Looking back on what I did a few years ago just makes me feel like utter shit. I regret everything I ever did to him. I don’t see why I bullied him for being gay if im honest, I think it was so people didn’t start abusing me because of my sexuality.
I’m neither bi, gay nor straight. If im honest, I’m just confused about my sexuality. I feel like crap thinking that the only reason I attacked him is because he came across as camp when I myself could possibly like guys.
I moved to London a little after I finished high school, I needed to get away from all the guilt that walking past Holmes Chapel High School gave me every time I walked past on my way to work or on my way home.
The guilt ate me up inside. I couldn’t deal with it. I knew I needed to apologise, even though I was fully aware that he wouldn’t even think about accepting it. I was a bastard; he has every right to hate me. I don’t blame him, I even hate me.
I sat in Starbucks and watched him leave, his hood pulled tightly over his head and his shoes trailing along the floor as he walked.
Not long later, my phone began to buzz since my brother Greg was trying to get through to me. I picked up the phone almost immediately; I had nothing else better to do.
“Niall?” Greg asked, he sounded upset and panicky.
“What’s wrong Greg?” I asked, worried why he sounded so shaky and upset.
“I-it’s mum” He sobbed down the phone.
“W-what?” I whispered.
“She’s gone” He cried down the phone to me.
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t cry, I just stared through the transparent window in front of me in the coffee shop. I was in shock more than anything.
I let go of my phone and allowed it to drop to the floor, smashing on the hard tiles almost immediately. I didn’t bother to pick it up though; I continued to stare at nothing.
A woman who worked at Starbucks came up behind me, placing her hand on my shoulder for support and asked if I was okay. She didn’t know why I dropped my phone so suddenly but she picked it up for me and for some reason she apologised for my smashed IPhone. I told her that I was fine and that it could only be replaced, it was only a phone after all.
Even though he hated me, I asked the lady if she knew where Harry lived. She said she did and wrote down the address, handing me the napkin with the directions written on it in blue biro pen.
I knew that he hated me but if im honest I had no other choice. The rest of my family moved back to Ireland soon after I finished high school but I moved to London instead of going back with them. I basically had no one. He was the only person that I knew in London since I hadn’t yet bothered to make friends or talk to people. I was incredibly lonely.
I had no other choice, I needed to see Harry. I know he wouldn’t appreciate it but I needed some sort of comfort so I set off and headed to Harry’s apartment, following the directions written upon the napkin.
After around ten minutes of trying to control my tears which were finally coming as I walked down the busy London streets, I found myself stood outside of what must have been Harry’s apartment building. I looked on the napkin and it said room 201, floor 16. I walked up the many steps, only stopping a couple of times to catch my breath and swallow unrealised tears. I didn’t want to look a mess in front of him.
I finally reached room 201 and knocked on the door, harder than I was meant to, hoping to God that he was in.
When he didn’t answer immediately I knocked again, causing somebody inside of the apartment to speak.
“Im coming!” He yelled through the wood.
Once he unlocked and opened the door he stood in front of me staring, confused. I lowered my head and began to move my feet around nervously.
“Niall?” He asked me.
I raised my head slightly and whispered him a small “Hi” before bursting into tears right in front of him.
“It’s okay, come in” He slung his arm around my shoulder and led me into his apartment, gently sitting me on his sofa.
I sat on his sofa as Harry held out a cup of tea in front of me. I accepted the drink and took a gulp of the warm, comforting liquid.
He sat at the other end of the sofa, his legs under him as he looked at me with sympathy.
“Why are you being so nice?” I asked “I was a bastard towards you”
“I know but you were upset and you mustn’t have just turned up at my doorstep for no reason Niall” He spoke softly, taking a sip of his own mug of tea.
“Still, I don’t deserve any of this” I mumbled.
“I know you don’t but I believe that anyone can have a second chance, as long as they prove they deserve one and everything” He smiled at me.
“Thank you” I whispered “Im sorry about everything”
“Apologise later, something’s obviously upset you and you need someone to talk to”
Once I had finished my mug of tea I spilled to Harry about my dad leaving a few years ago, not long before my mum was diagnosed with Cancer. I told him how she had been so strong for the past six years and had finally been destroyed and ripped away from me because of the disease, stopping a few times to allow the tears to run down my cheeks so I didn’t become a stuttering mess.
“It’s okay” He comforted me “Do you realise how strong you actually are?”
“I suppose” I mumbled as salty droplets spilled down my face.
“Harry, look at me” I raised my head up so our eyes met “Crying is normal and I’ll be with you every step of the way”
“Thank you” I muttered.
I allowed one last set of tears to rush down my cheeks like Niagara Falls before Harry engulfed me in a big hug as I became a stuttering mess and eventually fell asleep on his lap on the sofa.