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

One Step Closer

Chapter 36
Evie's POV // One Step Closer

6am comes all too quickly.

Niall collects his luggage to a spot by the door, and I go to my room to change before Beck arrives to drive us to the airport.

I could have taken him myself, but Beck offered to drive and join us in seeing Niall off at the airport. That's what he said anyways, and while I do think he wanted to say goodbye to his friend I know that Beck knows me better than myself and knows i'll be an emotional wreck after I leave Niall and I would be in no shape to drive.

I hear laughter coming from the living room while I'm getting ready which tells me Beck has arrived. Another minute closer...

One step closer to being, Two steps far from you. 

And now is the time when my brain decides to start torturing me with lyrics. As if One Direction wasn't already immensely applicable to my life before, it definitely is now. I'll definitely be listening to that song and crying myself to sleep tonight. Cool.

I quickly finish getting dressed, regretfully taking Niall's hoodie off and replacing it with a cardigan of my own. I put on minimal makeup, knowing it will be cried off before I even get home.

I have prepared myself for a lot of goodbyes in my life, but it's hard to be ready to say goodbye when you feel like you haven't yet said a proper hello.

Niall's POV

Beck arrives while Evie is getting ready, giving us a minute to catch up while I'm collecting my bags.

Beck is one of the happiest guys I've ever met, and his light hearted conversation is refreshing, given how heavy this morning is.

I look up from putting something into my suitcase to see Evie return to the living room, my hoodie in her hand.

Bless her, she thinks I want it back...

"Morning." She says to Beck with a half-hearted smile.

Like me, she has her glasses on and I can tell there is only a minimal amount of makeup on her face. Her eyes resemble mine in looking tired from a lack of sleep and an over-zealous mind. Even at that, she is still breathtakingly beautiful.

How many times can I say, 'I don't want to leave'.

I press a kiss into her forehead as she tucks into my side, both to comfort her and to please myself.

"Here's your hoodie." She says, reluctantly handing it back to me.

I was planning on her keeping it, to remember me while I was gone. —Cheesy, I know.

I decide to hide it for her to find later, assuming she'll need a cuddle when she gets back home.

"I've got just one more bag, and then we can get going." I kiss her cheek before heading down the hallway to retrieve my backpack from the guest room and slip into her bedroom to leave the hoodie for her.

I tear a piece of paper out of a note book in my backpack and write a quick note to her, leaving it and the hoodie on her bed.

"Ready?" Beck asks as I return to the living room.

Evie and I both cut him a stare at his question.

"Well, I mean are you physically ready?" He laughs.

"Physically yes. Mentally, never." I say, pushing my lips into a thin line and looking to Evie as she returns the same look.

"Physically, i'm fine...emotionally, i'm bruised." Evie chuckles, quoting Harry and blushing when she realizes what she's just done.

This catches me off guard, making me laugh and releasing some of the tension that's built up around this moment this morning.

I intwine our fingers as we head for the car, and once again once we are both buckled into the back seat of Beck's Chevy Tahoe.

The car ride passes all to quickly, in spite of Beck taking the long route.

Once we arrive, I see my security team waiting for me outside of the terminal door.

This is it.

"Alright man, i'm going to say my goodbyes here and let Evie go inside with you." Beck speaks up.

"See ya mate." I say as we manage the closest thing to a bro-hug you can do in a car.

"Just stick close to me as we go inside alright? My teams right there to escort us inside and I'll make sure someone escorts you back to the car too, ok?" I inform Evie who nods at me with tears already welling in her eyes.