As the Wind Blows [A Niall Horan Love Story]

Chapter 5

"It's just down the block." Louis says to me as we get out of his car. He puts change in the meter and we head down the street.

I check my phone and it's 6:00. The sun is going down and a chilly wind picks up. I rub my hands up and down my sleeves, trying to warm myself up.

"You want to borrow my jacket?" Louis asks me, shrugging off his jean jacket.

I politely decline. "It's alright, we're almost there. Thanks, though."

Louis nods his head and puts his jacket back on, shoving his hands in his pockets. He really is good looking. 

"We're near my favorite store! It's where I got this sweater." I point to Anoinette's which is approaching us on our left.

"That's cool, Zeusos is right across the street."  We step out onto the street and quickly cross to the other side, reaching a brick building with old vintage windows.

"This place looks sick!" I tell Louis as we wait in front of the building. There's a decent amount of people outside and we wait our turn to get in.

"I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now..."

I perk my ear up to the familiar tune that is being sung. It's Wonderwall by Oasis, one of my favorite songs.

"I'm sure you've heard it all before but you never really had a doubt..."

I smile at the airy words that are being sung, but I can't find where they are coming from.

"Louis, do you know who's singing that?" I ask, looking up at him. 

He shrugs. "Ehh, probably some bum playing on the sidewalk. I don't really care for it."

I frown. "But he has such a nice voice." I listen again closely, and the voice is being accompanied by a soft guitar. I really want to know who's playing... it sounds wonderful.

"There are many things that I would like to say to you but I don't know how..."

"I'm going to find that person." I tell Louis. He looks at me with disapprovement in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, Rae. He's just playing to get some money. Besides, we're almost at the door." He shifts his gaze to the man standing in front of the club.

"But I really want to know who it is. Just give me a second, okay? I'll be right back. I just want to see the face that goes along with the voice." Before he can protest, I push my way through a couple of people and walk down the sidewalk.

I look around and follow the voice, I think it's coming from the other side of the street.

"I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now..."

I quicken my pace while crossing the street, walking up towards Antoinette's. I see Louis standing among the crowd of people in front of Zeusos. His arms are crossed and his brow is furrowed, showing clear annoyance on his face. He sees me across the street and rolls his eyes before mouthing "hurry up."

I hear the quiet strumming of the guitar to my right, and I turn my neck to find the beautiful sound. There I find the figure I saw the other day after I bought my clothes, sitting on an apartment step. He's wearing a similar pair of blue jeans, a plain red tee shirt, and white Nikes.

I watch as his mouth opens up to sing again, his long fingers working their magic on the strings.

"I said maybe... you're gonna be the one that saves me..."

I casually walk over to him while he's lost in his song. His eyes are closed and his head is rocking back and forth from side to side like it did when I saw him the other day.

"Hi, um.." I stand in front of him. 

His eyes open and he looks up at me, curling one side of his mouth into a smile. He still continues to play his instrument, but replaces his lyrics with words spoken to me.

"Hi, love." A thick, Irish accent occupies his voice. I'm caught off guard.

"I heard you singing from across the street and I just had to come find you. You have a lovely voice, and I adore this song." I gush.

His eyes sparkle at my compliment. "Thank you! You like Oasis?" He asks me.

"Oh yeah, definitely." I nod.

He is quite adorable. He has fluffy blonde hair that forms into brown on the side, like he bleached it and then became too lazy to re-touch the color. His eyes are blue like mine, but his are a deeper shade, kind of like the ocean. 

He cocks his head to the side in a confused manner. Shit Rae, you've been staring at him for too long without saying anything, don't be a creep.

I rub the back of my thighs nervously. "I uh, better get going. My friend is waiting for me. I just came to say that your music was very appealing to me and I loved hearing it." 

I smile and face my back towards him to walk away, but his voice turns me around. "Thank you... really. I don't get that quite often." He sets his guitar down and rests his elbows on his knees.

"Anytime, I'll see ya." I turn on my heel and walk towards the crosswalk, waiting for the light to let me go. But before the red hand turns to a white pedestrian, I turn back around to face the boy. 

"What's your name?" I yell to him.

"Niall!" He yells back. 

I smile at his name. Niall.

~~~

"So who was the lame singer?" Louis asks me when we get inside Zeusos. We take a seat near the bar. A busty, redheaded bar tender comes up to take our order and Louis asks for two pints of beer.

"He wasn't lame, he was really talented." I tell him when the bar tender leaves.

Louis rolls his eyes. It's probably the third time he's done it tonight. "I don't know why you had to go find him so bad, people sing on the streets all the time."

"Yeah but there was just something in his voice that drew me in, you know what I'm talking about?" I take a sip of my beer that the bartender set down on the counter.

"No, not really." He says, bluntly.

"Whatever."

We sit in silence as we wait for the first performer to come up onto the small stage in front of us. A single microphone and a wooden stool are the only things on the stage.

"What kind of music is usually performed here?" I whisper to Louis when the lights dim.

"Hmm, various kinds, really. Folk, soft rock, sometimes jazz."

I nod and focus my attention back onto the stage. A couple of people whistle and clap when the first performer steps up and takes a seat on the stool.

It's Niall.