Niall's POV
"It's Madison. Madison Thorn." Louis remarked, making me spit out my drink at her name.
"How the-" I started, but was shut down by Harry.
"Lad, if you want us to clean your room. Might want to hide that box under your bed in a safer place." He said, twiddling with his fingers.
"You went through my stuff!" I asked in outrage. They couldn't know about her. She'll get all the hate, she couldn't do it. She has never been good with pressure, only I would know that, but still. No!
"No, calm down." Louis acted all calm. Which calmed me a little. "We only say the two names carved into the lid of the wooden box." Zayn finished.
"You all saw it?" I asked. Again in rage.
"Yes, but can you tell us who it is. It's only us." Louis pouted. We always told each other everything, and I guess it's just them.
I looked around Harry's outdoor patio that came with his new flat, checking for any paparazzi. None, good.
"Were you two close?" Liam jumped to a conclusion.
"Okay listen, she wasn't just a freak. Or dead...." I trailed off.
"Wait, you lied? To us? To the fans? To the entire freakin universe!?" Harry exclaimed.
"Kinda," I mumbled.
"Horan, you better spill it." They all said in unison.
"Okay listen. We were close, really close in fact. Neighbors, best friends, and soul mates. She was kinda my only friend. No one else liked or did anything I liked besides her. Should would play football and derby with me in the rain, trash our rooms, stuff our faces with food too. I was a month older than her, yet she was always taller than me." I paused, remembering all our memories.
"Go on," Harry urged.
"So when I left, we made this promise, type thing..."
"What kind of promise Niall?" Liam said a little angry. Because I didn't tell him or he thinks it's bad. I'm not sure.
"I promised that I would text and call her everyday and also never forget her when I left with you guys. But I didn't. We lost all contact. And I forgot all about her until that one interview. And we weren't just friends, I was madly in love with her. I knew she felt the same way, but that'll never happen. She hates me to death now, literal death." I stopped, whipping my eyes from forming tears.
"Niall? Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Louis asked, looking hurt and sympathetic.
"Because....she doesn't like pressure. And if I told you guys a fan might hear. Tell everyone, and she'll get hate. And trust me, Maddie can't handle that." I let out a low chuckle.
"Wait, now you have nicknames? Maddie?" Zayn caught on.
"Yeah, uh. She was Maddie, short for Madison. And I was...Nialler." I mumbled.
"What?"
"Nialler."
"What!"
"Nialler!"
"Awe. Why didn't we think of that." Louis said hitting Harry shoulder playfully.
"Gonna show us this box or should we see it ourselves?" Zayn asked.
"No! I mean, no." I yelled accidentally. "That's for another day."
• - •
Louis' POV
Niall just told us about his past with this mystery girl. And Nialler, that's just hilarious. But he wont tell us about what's inside that box. I already planned to steal it while he is sleeping. It genius right?
We all went back inside Harry house, where we were all staying. I can't wait till two weeks when we go to Ireland. Course the main one Dublin, but I could catch a plan to Mullingar to see this Maddie girl for myself.
• • •
Niall just went to sleep, Zayn and Liam are playing FIFA and Harry disappeared. I saw him leave with some girl, that man whore. Always a different girl every night. Except this one girl keeps coming back, her names I Think It's Wendy or something.
So now, it my time. I slipped off out off the kitchen in Harry's flat. Up the stairs quietly, until I got to Niall room.
The lights were out. Probably sleeping.
I crept into his room and tip toed to his bed. He stirred, but didn't wake. I slide my hand under his bed and felt something wooden, Niall, if that was me, I would have locked the darn thing up.
I slide it closer to me, used both hands to pick it up. It was heavy, really heavy.
"What the hell is in here Niall?" I whispered.
I grabbed the box and carried it into my room where there was light to see.
I gently placed it down on my bed and looked carefully at it. Must have been as old as Niall.
It was a dark wood with light wood highlights. Then it had a heart on the front with Madison Thorn and Niall Horan. He really was madly in love with her I guess.
I undid the tiny metal latch that was quite rusty and opened it up. It creaked loudly and puffs of dust sputtered out of the box. "Dang, how old is this thing?" It looked as if it hadn't been opened in years.
I looked inside, some may say I was really nosy and shouldn't be looking in here, others say it's for a good cause. And that "others" is me!
It was a bunch of picture in a stack on a paper lip, next to a really pretty heart drawing, Niall was a really good artist I guess? Next to a heart drawing was another box. Just like this big one, but mini with the same design, but with a little heart with M+N=❤️ on it. Makes sense.
I decided to look at the pictures first. They were in order, from the age of three to like sixteen I guess. Before he left it all behind.
The first one was of Niall next to a really pretty girl. They looked about three. I'm guessing Maddie?
Niall was holding up a picture of a stick figure girl that said in really sloppy writing "Maddie". Then she was holding up a picture of a heart, the same one that's in here.
My eyes stitched to the heart, then back to the picture. I set the picture aside and looked at the next one. It must have been Niall's birthday because he had a hat with candles on top with Maddie next to him who had this big ass grin on her face.
"Next," I mumbled. The next picture was of her birthday. She was wearing a cupcake dress and Niall was in a snazzy suit. There hands were linked together and his hand was holding a half heart. She was too. A matching necklace possibly?
Wait, that's the one Niall wears all the time!
The next were all of these stupid things like one of the on a playground. She was hanging upside down on these monkey bars while Niall was standing next to her. Niall, I knew he was always afraid of heights. Another one with them playing football in the rain in some type of forest thing. Then them in a really big room both laughing on the ground with popcorn and pillows everywhere. She was wearing red and he was wearing green, so maybe Christmas party?
The rest just of everything else. From birthday parties to just hanging out. Then one with him holding a shiny guitar with her wearing that big ass grin again. Freaky!
Then the last one ever taken, it was of her and Niall hugging. Late at night, stars in the background. They're outside. Hugging, I could see them both sad with tears. Probably when he left.
I clipped the pics back together. Then as soon as I was about to open the little box, I stopped at the sound of my door creaking open.
"Louis?"
