I thought I had looked at my house for the last time, but apparently not, now I was back inside, being pushed in to the living room by my brother, tears, the same as in so many occasions, were streaming down my face.
My mother shrieked when she saw me, my father was standing by the couch he used to sit on every morning and read his papers. She grabbed my wrist and pulled me further in to hell as she pushed me down on the sofa.
"You were going to leave?" She yelled as I looked desperately to Niall who walked to me and pulled me up in to his arms, holding me tightly to him and somehow protecting me from my mothers wrath.
"Tell me, where were you going to go? With him?" She cackled as I grimaced, stepping further in to Nialls hold as I nodded.
"Anywhere was better than with him" I hissed, staring at my father as he looked to me, hurt overwhelming in his eyes, instantly making me regret my words. But nonetheless, I had spent so long with my father, in that stupid flat, and he had kept Niall away from me, he wasn't who I'd looked up to all these years.
"We told you, you wouldn't see him again, you and Niall are over!" She yelled as I cried and turned around in Nialls arms, burying my face in to his neck as he rubbed my back.
"I've told you so many times Mrs Winters, in no way can you keep Sophie and I apart." Niall said quietly, holding me close to his chest. "I haven't done anything wrong, and you're punishing me, keeping her away from me."
"You're no good for her!" My mother shrieked. "You've ripped away the old Sophie that was going places, and given us this!"
"This?" Niall yelled, startling me as I jumped back and looked up at him. "Please don't tell me you just referred to your daughter as 'this'" He growled.
*NIALLS POV*
I was trying so hard to stay calm and collected for Sophie, and I actually thought I was doing a good enough job, but her mother is another thing altogether. Id never met anyone like Sophie-mays mother before, who had the nerve to refer to her daughter as nothing other than 'this' and put her down every chance she got.
"Your daughter is so much more than just 'this' or 'that', but im almost certain that you wouldn't know because you don't give her the time of day!" I said viciously, hoping my words cut through her like a knife on butter.
"You don't know a thing!" She retorted as I laughed and shook my head. I couldn't believe her. I held Sophie as close to me as I thought necessary, which was pretty fucking close. I didn't want to let go of her and have a repeat of last time because I don't think I could cope with losing her again.
"I know everything! And I assure you that if you gave Sophie one moment of your day, you would realise what an amazing daughter you have, how smart and kind and beautiful she is, but you'll never understand that because you're blind to absolutely everything she does!" I wasn't even thinking about what I was saying, the words were flowing out my mouth so quickly I couldn't even begin to think about stopping. "But I can guarantee, that I am not blind. I give your daughter the love and attention that she lacks, I care for her, appreciate her, I love her." I said, the words slowing down to a terribly painful speed.
"When I told her we should leave, the first thing she asked was if she would be able to still do what shes always wanted to do, you think Sophie's sunk, but shes only grown. She has aspiration's and dreams like none I've ever heard before, and I intend to nurture and care for her until she achieves her goals because I care for her more than you ever will."
I watched Sophie's mothers expressions change drastically with every single word that fell from my mouth. I couldn't even begin to decipher how she was reacting to this, but that didn't mean I was about to stop.
"And im not saying this to offend you, I'm just saying, that you don't give her enough credit, and I am sick to death of having this beautiful girl not thinking she's worth the love I give her, because she is worth that and a thousand things more."
"Niall, i-"
I wasn't going to let her mother speak. Not until I was done.
"And I understand that she is your daughter, but I know that you don't care for her, because if you did then you wouldn't deprive her of the happiness she gets from me, and you would understand that love, no matter how young we are, is such a rarity, and to find someone who feels the exact same way is so important, that you should not be denying either of us this."
I felt Sophie's eyes fixed on me, and I was worried to look back at her in case she was angry at how id spoken to her mother. I hoped she wasn't. id tried too hard to fix this to have her end it herself.
"I'm sorry if what I've said has hurt, but it's the truth. I love your daughter, she's my first, and im pretty sure, the only love I'll ever have. I intend to love her thoroughly forever, even after she's realised how much better she can do, and has long left me on my own."
"I'll never leave you." Sophie's voice was small as I glanced down at her, taking in her adoring face. I smiled weakly and tightened my grip on her waist before I heard her mother cough slightly.
"Sophie?" Her father said as she turned around timidly in my arms and looked at the pair, standing next to each other, eyes glued to their daughter.
"You love him?" Her mother questioned as Sophie nodded before the question had even finished.
"And you're safe with him?" Her father then asked as I straightened my back. She nodded again and then I saw her mothers eyes glisten.
*SOPHIES POV*
Was my mother crying? Were those actual tears, forming in her eyes as she stepped towards me and clasped both of my hands in her own, holding them up against her chest.
"I've been a fool haven't i?" She whispered as Nialls arms loosened around me and I felt him step away. I didn't want to nod, but I needed to be truthful, it was vital. I nodded as my mother sucked in her lips and took a sharp breath as if she was in pain.
"I've been trying to tell you for so long" My voice came out wobbly and weak as I looked up at my mother, who's eyes were glistening with freshly formed tears.
My mother was going to say something else before she looked up from me to Niall, and gushed, wiping her eyes, walking over to Niall and gently taking his arm, pulling him next to me.
"Look at you two!" She sniffed, Nialls arm discreetly wrapping around my waist as he pulled me closer to him.
My mother had completely changed her tune, and I knew it was all due to Niall's words.
"Sophie I'm so sorry, both of you, I've been blind" She said softly, gushing all her emotions as Niall consoled her. I went to look over at my father, to see if he had come to the same conclusion as my mother, but he was gone.
I didn't care that he'd left. It just proved how he didn't care either. I was done with him. I looked back to my mother and smiled weakly as she sighed.
"I approve of this, finally" She laughed, mostly at herself as a grin spread across my face and I lunged forward hugging her. I wasn't sure how long it had been, but I was more than certain this was the first contact I'd shared with my mother in quite a while, yet she accepted the hug and wrapped her arms around me, swaying us side to side as she sniffed again before pulling me away.
"Go on you two, go" She gushed again, practically shoving me in to Niall as he chuckled and gripped me, pressing his lips against the top of my head protectively.
"Thank you" He whispered, gripping my waist softly. "You honestly have no idea how much this means." He whispered again as I saw my brother out of the corner of my eye, rolling his eyes and trudging out the room.
...
We stayed with my mother for a while, she made tea and continued letting all of her emotions out, chatting to Niall as he complied politely and talked back, holding me close to him.
It was as if my mother had returned, after god knows how many years. Id finally caught another glimpse of the mother I had when I was younger.
"I'm happy, are you happy?" Niall laughed as we walked up to my bedroom and he collapsed on to the bed, grinning up at the ceiling.
"Why are you so happy?" I questioned sitting beside him and gasping as his hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me down to him, laying on the bed. Niall turned on his side and planted a kiss on my cheek, before another, and another, as he ended up kissing the entire of my face repeatedly.
"Because we finally don't have to hide" He smiled pulling me close to him.
"We never hid before" I laughed turning to him and running my fingers through his wiry hair. He chuckled and leant his head down slightly, tucking his chin to his chest so I could play with his hair better.
"True, but we should have been, but now we don't have to." He rambled as I laughed, understanding exactly what he meant.
We fell silent for a while, Nialls face ended up being buried in my neck as I played with his hair and stared at the crinkles in his shirt. we were so silent and serene, wrapped up in each other, laying on my bed as for the first time in so long, we both felt free.
"Sophie-May" Niall whispered against my neck, causing a tickle to vibrate through me as I laughed quietly and pulled away slightly.
"Sophie." I corrected him as he rolled his eyes and ran his thumb slowly over my cheek.
"Well 'Sophie'" he laughed, emphasising my name. "I love you" He finished his sentence with a small smile before leaning forward and kissing me softly, his hand cupping my cheek as his tongue glided over my bottom lip.