Redemption [h.s]

twenty

An insistent knock on my door woke me up at seven on the following day. Groaning, I stood up and made my way to my front door, ready to open it and tell whoever it was to calm down. When I did, though, I found Niall on my doorstep.

"Hey, I just came back. Liam wants me to go back to the house, but I just thought I'd stop by to say hello" he said scratching his jawline nervously.

"Hey, Ni. Want to come in?" I asked him, moving to the side to allow him to step in and tying my hair up messily with a hair tie I found in the cup near the entrance.

He complied, left his bag in the middle of the hallway and almost dragged me to the couch.

I sat down next to him. "Wanna talk about something?" I asked in response to his very obvious actions.

He nodded. "I thought about it a lot, and... I don't want Zayn to mess up everything I created for myself in these past years. It would be stupid to leave a safe home and a loving husband for him, right?"

I felt my throat tighten. "Yeah, that's true."

"Have you talked to Liam, by the way?" He asked, and I nodded. "Did he say something about me?"

"I..." I started, but I realised I didn't really know what to say. More like, I knew what to say, but I knew I could've never said it out loud, and especially to him. I looked around, my finger tapping nervously against my thigh while trying to come up with something to reply. Something that wouldn't have been a lie, at least. "He said he understands you. That... He'll talk to you about it."

He smiled. "I'm glad! I hope we'll fix everything." His deep ocean blue eyes found mine. "I really love him" he said lowly, as if he was trying to convince me. Almost as if he could sense my hesitance.

"I know you do" I replied instead, knowing that it wasn't my job to make him rethink what he truly felt for his husband, and smiling at him even though my heart hurt at his apparent happiness.

"I missed this couch" he said, changing topic and leaning down on the white cushions.

I rolled my eyes at his actions. "Yeah, I figured it's been some really long two weeks."

He laughed. "It's good to be back. I missed you as well, in my spare time. You know, when I wasn't thinking about this wonderful couch" he said sarcastically.

"You are impossible" I replied, shaking my head with a little smile on my face. I'd missed my best friend, way more than I'd realised while he was actually away.

He sat up again. "You like me anyway."

"I wouldn't be so sure about it" I replied, enjoying the bickering way more than I would've liked to admit.

He gave a fast glance to his phone, checking the time. "I'd love to keep this up, but it's time for me to go back at the house. I'm so nervous" he admitted.

My breath stopped in my throat for a couple of seconds. "I'm sure everything will go well" I told him, even though it felt like a lie as soon as it came out.

"I hope so!" He replied standing up and making his way to the front door, not forgetting to get his bag as well in the process.

"Call me when you get home" I told him, leaning against the wall next to the front door as he got out of the house.

"I will!" He replied excitedly, already halfway to the lift.

I smiled sadly. "Bye, Ni."

"Bye Gray, I'll see you soon" he said getting into the lift, its doors closing in front of him.