Chapter 38
*Rachel's POV*
"And that's what happened." Niall finishes. He brings his hand up to caress my cheek but I flinch it away, instantly regretting it. His eyes show the sadness I'm guessing he is feeling. "You don't believe me." He mutters. "I would never hurt you, Rachel."
"I got to go." I say, grabbing my belongings. I know Niall would never hurt me and his story makes perfect sense. And now that I think about it, I am denying the fact that I love him.
"You know, I've been getting a lot of hate on twitter." He says.
I turn around to face him. "Why is that?"
"They think I really did abuse you. But I would never. I would like to explain to them, but I want to make sure you're ok with it."
"Don't put me first, tell your fans. I will even confess if you want me to. Anything for you not to get in trouble."
"Thanks." He mumbles, staring at the floor.
"Bye Niall." I smile a little before turning back around.
Niall grabs my wrist. "Rachel."
"Yes Niall?" I sigh and turn around yet again, I might be getting whiplash.
Niall pulls himself up to me and our lips meet. He pulls me even closer and deepens the kiss. I, foolishly, allow him to and get lost in it. I've been yearning for this. This kiss. But I hid it. I hid it so well that I didn't even know I wanted this. He gently pushes me against the wall. I smile into the kiss and enjoy it.
Then it hit me. I hate Niall. I freeze, but Niall continues, begging me to go along with it with his gentle kisses. "Niall." I mumble, finally able to find my voice. "Niall." I say firmer, this time getting his attention.
"You stopped." Niall notes glumly.
"Yes, I stopped. You hurt me. I should really get going." And this time, I don't wait for him to reply, I run. And of course Niall follows.
"Rachel!" He yells after me. I run a lot when I want to exercise and volleyball season is over, so he doesn't catch up to me. And, let's face it, Niall isn't the most fit guy in the world. "Rachel!" He repeats from a small distance away, sounding out of breath.
I just want to get away from it all. I'm confused and I believe Niall, I'm just a bit scared. Scared of what? I told Niall everything two nights ago. He called me countless times while I was trying to work up the nerve to come over and ask him. I don't run to Loreto, I run to my house. Jacob should be at his new friend's house and my parents will be at work. That's good. I need to be by myself so I can make sense of the story. It does fit together. His story makes even a little bit more sense then the paps'.
It doesn't take long for me to make it home, considering I don't live too far away from Niall. Niall is a farther distance from me than when we started. I have time to slip the key into the keyhole, though I miss it a numerous amount of times, before he catches up to me.
I close the door and lock it behind me before sliding down the door and pull my knees to my chest. It's not long before Niall bangs on the door and calls my name. "You know, you never told me your answer." Niall says from outside. "You never told me where we stand."
I think about this and I honestly have no idea. Ok, maybe I do. To be honest, we both know where we stand. A little more than friends. "More than friends." I call back to him.
"Does that mean-"
"No Niall, not yet."
"Why not?" He whines.
I don't respond. Instead, I rest my head on my knees and try to block him out. I gave him more hope than he should have. Remember, I urge myself. Remember what happened.
For the first time ever, the urging works
*Flashback*
I climb up the stairs and grab my car keys. Then I walk back down and jump into my car.
Nando's is the first thing that pops into my mind. I need something that Niall is tied to in my memories.
God, I'm acting like he's dead.
I'm thinking about how happy I was when Niall Horan walked up to me and asked to join me. I finally pay more attention to the road, but it's too late. A car is swerving to avoid my car that happens to be on the wrong lane.
I, too, swerve. Luckily, I miss the car and not-so luckily, I run into a wall.
*Flashback Ended*
My head shoots up, hitting my head on the door in the process. The banging on the door had stopped. I jump up and open the door. Niall is walking away, his head hung. I notice it is raining and it was probably raining before because my clothes are covered in wet spots.
I run up to Niall and hug him from behind. He jumps but turns around. "Change of heart?" He asks softly. I just nod and start crying. The memory was scary. It's not a very pretty memory to see yourself almost die. "Was it scary?" Niall whispers in my ear, kissing me on the forehead afterwards.
"Really scary." I manage. I feel like a little kid who just watched a scary movie. I'm scared something will happen again. I need someone to comfort me.
"Don't worry, I won't leave you again or let anything happen again." He says, seeming to read my mind.
"You better not."
"So I'm guessing..."
"Yes, Niall, you're forgiven and I plan on not letting you go." I assure him. he leans in to kiss me, and this time, I kiss right back.
*A series of events*
"Niall, it's perfect!" I squeal as I examine the small cottage. Ok, it's a big cottage, but it's perfect for a sprouting family. I just got out of my last year of Loreto and started a new job. Let's just say it's weird working at Macy's and having Nachel haters walking up to me and giving me hate face-to-face. That rarely happens though, a lot of them hide behind their computer screens.
"I agree. We'll take it." He says to the male realtor. Of course, we have to sign a few papers and Niall hands him the money upfront.
"The house is yours." George says.
*Four months later*
*Niall's POV*
"Did you really have to buy ABC M&M's?" Rachel snorts, not taking her eyes off of the movie. We are watching Forest Gump.
"I'm rich, I can spend my money on anything I want." I brag teasingly. The M&M's are currently in a bowl.
"Well now you can alphabetize your candy." She teases.
"I think I'll do that right now." I smile, grabbing a handful and looking for a W.
"Oh my god, you're such a nerd." Rachel laughs. She slumps back into the couch and watches the movie intently.
I find a R and a L. I push them to the side, knowing I will need them later. Soon enough, I find all fourteen letters I need. ironically enough, I have trouble finding two M's for my phrase. I put them in the order I want them to be in and feel in my pocket for reassurance. Sure enough, the key item I need is still there.
I nonchalantly pull it out and get on one knee. My sudden movement must have caught Rachel's attention because she turns towards me. A gasp escapes her mouth as she reads the assorted M&M's that are facing her. They spell out: "WILL YOU MARRY ME".
She stares at the words for a while longer before taking an M&M and placing it in between her thumb and pointer before popping it in her mouth. "Yes."
*A year later*
I stare at the beautiful girl walking down the aisle in her white dress. Rachel looks gorgeous. The boys are grinning at my left and so is Greg. Rachel's bridesmaids insist of Riley, Mel, Denise, Lisa, and Felisha. The ring barer is Theo and the flower girl is Madison, Greg and Denise's second child.
Rachel finally makes it to the alter and the ceremony begins. "You may kiss the bride." The priest finally says at the end of it. I take Rachel by the hand and pull her up to me. I lean in and our lips connect, meshing together like a puzzle piece.
Everybody, meet my new wife. Rachel Horan.
*Nine months later*
Her tiny hand wraps around my finger. "She's beautiful." I mumble.
"She better be. I spent ten hours in pain trying to get her out." Rachel complains.
"What should we name her?" I ask.
"Evelyn."
"Evelyn?"
"Evelyn. It suits her. A pretty name for a pretty baby."
"Evelyn it is. Evelyn Jane Horan."
"I like it." She smiles. "Jane ties it together."
I hold my little blue-eyed girl close to me and plant a kiss on her forehead. Ladies and gentleman, a princess is born.
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This was really hard to write this because I feel so sad. Goodbye Gotta Be Him. Hello all other stories I'm working on. I love this story and all of my readers. Thank you so much for supporting me and I feel like I've grown so much in this story. So I would like to thank you for going through my fetus writing mode throughout the beginning of the story and I'm glad you stayed till the end. Love you.