The Guardian

Chapter Twenty Four

"Ready?" Niall asked, peeking his head into the bathroom as I finished applying a bit of blush on my cheeks.

"Mhm, one sec," I said, slightly parting my lips as I quickly dabbed on some lip gloss. I rubbed my lips together before releasing them with a pop.

I smiled at my anxious Niall, my heart nearly beating out of my chest as he bit his lip and grinned at me. He was dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt with a brown leather jacket, and of course, his signature white Nike hightops. I felt my cheeks heat up and I looked down at my feet, smiling internally.

How did I get so lucky?

A question that has been circling my head this past week and a question I'll never know the answer to.

How did I get so lucky as a child to live next door to the Horans and grow a bond with them? How did I get so lucky to have Niall as a best friend for all these years and to have Maura as a mother-figure? To have Niall look out for me despite my stupidity and for him to be there whenever I need him, even in the middle of the night?

How did I get so lucky to call him mine?

I'll never know the answer. But maybe it proves that God is out there, looking out for me. Because there's only one theory I can wrap my head around. I know for a fact that if I didn't have Maura and Niall lose by and my mother had ran away and left me with my waste of a father, I wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't have Maura taking care of me and keeping a close eye out. I wouldn't have Niall to come cry to when I needed to feel love, and comfort, something I never recieved from my father. Niall wouldn't have known where I was that morning and I would have taken the pills and ended my life. But I do have him, and I am so lucky.

So my theory is this:

I believe that there is a meaning to life. However, I also believe that no two people have the same purpose. What I'm saying really, is that we were all put on this earth for one reason: to live.

Imagine the Milky Way. From where we stand on Earth, it seems so distant, so unreachable. Many scientists would say the same. But with years of experience, one is able to receive answers and maybe even reach it. But within this galaxy, there are millions and millions of little stars - each of them unique. The meaning of life is no different: the galaxy itself is simply the 'bigger picture,' while each and every little star is each individual's purpose.

Life is a lot like space, in fact. There is no roadmap leading you to where you need to go. You find your purpose, your own niche, your unique little star in the Milky Way galaxy, through the experiences you encounter, the mistakes you make, the lessons you learn, and the people you meet.

Finding yourself is all about impacts: the impacts you leave, those who impact you, and the impacts left on them. I, personally, have still not found my own little star in the galaxy, but with each moment of impact, I've come closer to finding myself, finding my purpose. And I've just about realized that this purpose doesn't have to be big and extravagant. It could be small and simple, affecting only yourself and another. Something as simple as being a guardian.

And maybe I'm the one who needs guarding.

God put Niall in my life for a reason, and that reason is to watch over me when my shitty life gets even shittier. I'm not sure why God put me in Niall's life, but I'm bound to find out soon.

I looked back up at Niall, my gaze meeting the his as he reached out his hand. I took it in mine and my stomach started doing flips. Why was I so nervous? It's just Niall, I tried reassuring myself. It was no use, the butterflies in my stomach doubled, then tripled, and continued to multiply as we walked out of the house.