It was a slow Friday evening.

They sat in their usual spots at their favorite coffee shop in town. It was cold and rainy, as it seemed to always be lately. The streets were slick from the drizzle, beautifully illuminated by the streetlamps. It was a majestic city more often than not; quiet, pleasant, and quaint. Perfect, really, to absorb creativity. The weather matched her mood and she figured it matched his as well, but he made sure to keep his emotions a little more well hidden at times like these.

This was their routine as the days dwindle down to his departure: a bright girl with a bright future lazing on a ripped and rugged couch next to a busy boy with a busy life. He would jet from place to place and rarely find his way home. She didn’t blame him for it. He loved her for it.

She stretched her legs, leaned her back against the armrest of the couch, and nestled down. He allowed her feet to fall into his lap, busy typing away on his phone. She scribbled her pen neatly against the pages in her notebook, occasionally tapped it against her lips as she thought. She settled the pen in the notebook, closed it lightly, and sipped her tea. Her eyes settled on his body and she drank him in.

His blond hair was messy; he definitely hadn’t bothered to comb it today. She smiled, though. They had woken up late in the afternoon, enjoying the free time they were never allotted anymore. Their late start to the day lead to his lazy attire: a crumpled shirt from the floor and a pair of old khakis she was sure hadn’t been washed since his return home. His fingers stopped typing and his blue eyes glazed slightly, then she heard it. His stomach grumbled. He ignored it, shook his head slightly, and continued his furious typing. She giggled at how odd it was of him to ignore his stomach, but he dropped a hand to her ankle and left it there, absently tracing shapes against her skin as he scrolled through emails.

She chewed her lip to hide her smile, picked up her notebook and continued writing. His eyes stared blankly at the phone. A heavy sigh escaped his lips before he looked at her. She was the most beautiful person he had met in his life and he prided himself on knowing her inside and out. He always obliged when she asked to go to the coffee shop, appreciating how much the spot meant to her, and although they rarely spoke while there now, they relished in the time spent together. Between his never-ending emails and to-do lists, packing and jet setting to and fro, he accepted the quiet.

He smiled to her oblivion and slid out from under her feet. He refilled her cup of tea and bought some pastries to snack on. He set her cup on her side table and kissed her forehead before he resumed his spot at the end of the couch, resting her feet in his lap once more. They worked for hours more until they heard a throat clear.

“Closing up early, mates.”

The couple gathered their belongings. She slid her notebook into her backpack and stepped into her shoes before standing. She finished her tea, adjusted the bag on her shoulders, and handed the empty mug over the counter with a genuine thanks coming from her soft lips. He stood by the door, patiently waiting to enclose her hand in his.

It was still drizzling as they ventured up the deserted street to their shared flat but the weather didn’t bother them. They browsed in windows of closed up shops, pointing in with their free hand at anything that interested them. They laughed and joked up the stairs of their building. Once inside, their hands separated and she searched for a perfect rainy day movie while he wandered into the kitchen to prepare dinner. It wasn’t soon before long that the two were curled up together on the couch, eating and watching a sappy romance movie.

By bedtime, he refused a shower and climbed into the sheets in just boxers. She pulled on one of his shirts that smelled so much like him and then joined him. His body was warm, soft and familiar. His nose brushed hers and he pressed gentle kisses to her lips as she drifted to sleep to the sound of soft rain against the windowpane.

It was a busy Saturday afternoon.

The rain hadn’t let up for more than an hour. But in that hour of sunlight, a gathering occurred in the city. The group of friends had gathered in the park for a game and a picnic between friends and girlfriends. It became obvious that however much fun the five boys were having in the moment, each of them knew they had to return to fulltime work in two days, which meant leaving behind people and places they loved most.

The hour was swallowed up and before they knew it, the rain started once again. Some of the couples vanished to their cars, while others stayed on the blankets. After all, a little rain never hurt anyone. Under the spotted shelter of a tree, she opened her notebook and continued writing.

“You almost done with that, love?” he questioned, planting his chin on her shoulder. She closed her notebook from his curious eyes and smiled, turning her head to meet his gaze.

“I’m almost certain I’ll never be done, Nialler,” she responded.

The Irish boy leaned back then, resting heavy against his palms as he curiously eyed her. “You don’t say. Not even by graduation?”

“Not even by graduation,” she clarified. “It’s the kind of story that doesn’t end.”

His blue eyes met hers and swam with curiosity. He pressed his lips together as she stood, brushed the grass from her pants, and looked up at her. “I have some errands to run. Are you staying?”

He hastily rose to his feet, gave a rushed goodbye to their friends, and grabbed her hand. “School errands?”

“Mmmhm,” she hummed as they headed up the grassy, slippery hill.

The day was spent in and out of schoolrooms, wandering lonely hallways, and filling out forms. She had traveled overseas to study at a prestigious linguists program at the university in town two years ago and he had happened to be roaming through the streets on a day off when he saw her playing in the rain with her friends. He was young and stupid but he knew he loved her at first sight. It had been difficult to stay in the program once the initial term ended, he had learned, but once she had gained the proper access, it was simple to renew each term. Though he wasn’t home most of the year, he was overjoyed that she had agreed to stay in his homeland to wait for him.

Once in the city again, he requested a stop for lunch. He looked at her over his full plate. She sipped her tea and ate fries, occupied by something other than her notebook for once. Her eyes were bright as she stared at her phone.

“Your mum?” he guessed.

She looked up and smiled widely. “She’s coming for a visit,” she told him. He smiled, too, until he noticed the flicker in her eyes. “She was hoping to finally meet you, though.”

“Oh,” he muttered, lowering his gaze to his food. It normally would have been devoured by now but he couldn’t help taking his time today, like every other time this happened. With a limited amount of time left to spend with her, he spent more time devouring her instead of food. He took his time when he traced her outlines, felt her skin against his, and adored her words and soft noises. He stored as much of her into his memory as he could before he had to leave. His eyes picked up, meeting hers suddenly. “You know I want to meet her, love.”

Her hand reached for his across the table. “The timing is just off. Once things slow down, it’ll happen,” she told him. “I understand that and I don’t want you feeling bad about it.”

He lifted her hand to his lips and he placed a soft kiss to the delicate skin there. “How did I end up with such a perfect creature?”

“Don’t be cheesy, Nialler,” she giggled, taking her hand back. “And finish your food. I know you’re starving.”

He didn’t hesitate to inhale the rest of his food. She had a few more errands to run – things to pick up for school, groceries for the flat, and a stop at the bookstore to find another blank notebook – and he needed to pack his suitcases before they could end up crashed on the couch. They packed his clothes together and laughed as they pieced together outfits that would match with what Louis wore, and made lists of what essentials he couldn’t forget to take with him. It seemed quiet in the flat once they finished the packing and they listened to the rain and the city noises outside for a while.

“Let’s build a fort,” he exclaimed as he pushed himself off the sofa. He disappeared into the dining room and came back, dragging kitchen chairs behind him. “Get some sheets, love. We’ll do this right.”

Giggles filled the flat for hours as they built the fort in the living room. They pushed the coffee table to the side for extra room and found the Christmas lights, stringing them up around the chairs to illuminate their fort. She crawled inside the spacious fort as he gathered junk food from the kitchen. She was lying on her back when he joined her and sat cross-legged beside her. He opened a bag of chips and began eating, and settled a package of cookies on her stomach for her to eat.

“Why don’t you call the boys over?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him. He shrugged, wiped his hands on his pants and dug out his phone. Her lips cracked into a smile when she saw him surrounded by the pile of junk.

“You sure?” he questioned and hesitated before finishing the dial. “It’s one of our last days alone.”

She exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding and he instantly shifted, laying his body against hers on the carpet. Hearing him say those words shifted her emotions into reality. He would be leaving soon and there was nothing she could do about it. She folded herself into him and heaved, tears cascaded down her cheeks. He soothed her softly but allowed her to cry as much as she needed to.

It was a quiet Sunday morning.

She woke up to silence. There was no rain pelting against the windows or cars bustling past, just his soft snores filling the confines of their perfect wonderland fort. She sighed and gently wiggled herself out of his tight grasp. It was their last day together and she wasn’t going to let him see her with puffy eyes and dried mascara stuck to her cheeks.

The sun was rising over the hills and the bedroom clock affirmed just how early it was. She quietly slipped into the bathroom to wash her face. She heard the bed creak and his voice sleepily grumble a request for her presence in the cold bed.

“Why’re you awake?” he asked into his pillow. She gently placed herself next to him and stared. He turned his head so he was facing her but he kept is eyes closed. He blindly reached out for her and opened his eyes when he felt that she had curled into herself. “Hey now, love. Come here.”

She scooted into his open arms and folded into his body. “No more tears,” she said weakly.

“No tears,” he repeated with a nod and kissed the top of her head. He pulled the duvet over their bodies. “We’ll stay here all day, love.”

They spent the majority of the day in bed, only leaving a few times to eat when his stomach grumbled loud enough. Other than that, they stayed put and talked quietly, as if the walls were listening to them. The hid under the covers, giggled together at silly stories from their times apart, and later watched as the sun fell over the horizon. The darker the sky got, the tighter her chest became. Her eyes caught the clock and stung, the tears pouring over her eyelashes despite their morning promise.

“I don’t want you to go,” she sleepily said.

He pressed his lips to her cheeks, kissing away her tears. “I’ll be home before you can miss me.”

She closed her eyes, burying her face in his chest. She hugged him tightly, almost positive she was going to crush some of his ribs. “I still don’t want you to go.”

“I’ll be home before the end of your summer holiday,” he promised. “Five months isn’t so bad. And you’ll have the flat to yourself, so you can study in peace without the five of us horsing around.”

She considered that for a moment. “You’ll video chat me every chance you get, right? No matter what time it is?”

He nodded and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Promise. Now get some sleep, okay? You go back to work in a few hours.”

She reluctantly closed her eyes and eventually fell asleep in his embrace. He didn’t sleep a wink. When the clock rolled into three AM, he slowly managed to pry her fingers from his wrinkled shirt and quietly slip out of bed. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a jacket from the closet. He stood in the doorway, staring at her one last time. He kneeled on the bed and kissed her forehead goodbye before he headed outside to the awaiting van.

It was a lonely Monday.

Once settled in his seat on the airplane, he dug through his carryon backpack for the snacks he had bought in the terminal. His fingers brushed against something hard and his eyebrows furrowed together slightly as he pulled it out. He held her notebook in his hands, unsure if it was truly supposed to be in his bag or not. Louis looked over when he didn’t hear the usual chatter from his friend.

“What’s that?” he asked, then recognized the notebook. “Ohh, are you supposed to have that, Niall?”

He looked over, made a face, then looked back at the notebook. It was brown, the pages held shut by an elastic band. The pages were warped from the wear and tear of her constantly writing in it, in all sorts of weather and under many different circumstances. “I dunno,” he said simply.

He noticed something unfamiliar stuck in the pages but her handwriting told him to “Read me first.” He glanced at Louis once more before opening to the marked page. A Polaroid fell into his lap and he picked it up. It was of them, laughing in the grassy courtyard of her school, drenched in rain. His lips were on her cheek, eyes closed as he kissed her. She was smiling brightly, her mouth open as she laughed. He could hear her giggling now. Looking past the photo, he smiled at her handwriting. His name was written at the top of the page, looping gracefully in perfect script. Below it, her handwriting was smaller, but just as neat, and detailed a note to explain the prior pages.

He began to silently read to himself, Louis reading it to himself over Niall's shoulder.

Nialler,

I told you this story doesn’t end because it’s the story of us. It’s an account of every fun time we’ve had together over the past few years so that when you’re away from home, you can read it and cheer yourself up.

I started from the day I first saw you walking toward me in the rain. I ran out of pages but when you get home, I’m sure I’ll have continued on in a new book.

I love you, Nialler, and I can’t wait for you to come home. xxo

Notes

originally posted on mibba - reposting it here because this site is all for 1d.
based on "wipe your eyes" by maroon 5. the song is linked in the summary.
as of right now this is a completed one shot. i may or may not continue it eventually.