A Light in the Dark // Flicker Series Part I #wattys2019

For The First Time

Chapter 34
Niall's POV //

I walked into the living room after washing up and found Evie fast asleep on the couch.

She truly is the most beautiful woman i've ever seen and she has no idea.

She's always beautiful to me, but right now seeing her asleep, I can see how peaceful she is while she's resting. Nothing is bothering her, she isn't stressed, her eyebrows don't have that slight crease between them, she isn't worried. She's relaxed and this may be my favorite look on her. I wish I could relax her all the time. 

I know she needs the rest, so I don't mind spending our last night together like this. As long as i'm with her, i'm happy.

I settle down next to her, gently as to not disturb her. The second I do, the crease quickly returns to her forehead telling me that she's woken up.

"Shhhh...It's ok, just sleep." I say quickly, trying to soothe her back to sleep.

She sighs quietly, pulling herself closer to me. I feel her shiver as my hand rests on her arm and I realize how cold her skin is.

"You're freezin'. Here..." I say, reaching to grab my hoodie that was on the back of the couch and handing it to her.  I have no intentions of ever getting it back, I know how this works.. And i'm perfectly fine with that.

She quickly pulled up on the hoodie and immediately curled back up to me. She drifts back to sleep, with me running my fingers through her hair.

This is home.

I thought I knew what love was. I've been in relationships before, and I always thought it was love but it never lasted. I now know that, while they were enjoyable relationships for a time, it wasn't love.

This is love.

I love her more than I have ever loved anything before, and I would do anything for her to really understand that and to be able to take away all the hurt she's felt.

It's killing me to have to leave tomorrow. I wish she could come with me, but I'd never ask her to do that especially so quickly. I wish I could move here, but all of my work has to be done elsewhere. I'd be lying if I said the thought of quitting everything just to be with her didn't cross my mind. I'm appalled at myself for even thinking it. Even when things were bad in the band I didn't want to quit music. It's not that I want to quit it now, it's just I've finally found something more important to me.

I keep talking sense into myself, and telling myself everything will be ok and we'll get through this, but every time I look at her the desire to stay becomes greater.

Tomorrow will be hard.

I fight sleep harder than I ever have before, because I know once I fall asleep the next time my eyes open I will be preparing to say goodbye to her with no real plan of when I'll see her again.