For Your Eyes Only

“Hey, babe,” he mumbled, wrapping me up in his arms.
“Hiya, sleepyhead.” I cuddled into his arms and kissed his neck since I couldn’t reach his face. He rubbed his nose into my hair, and I felt him inhale. He was so dang cute. I wished I had known him my whole life. I needed someone like him when I was younger. Then maybe I wouldn’t have the scars on my wrists that took so long to cover up with make-up every day. Maybe I wouldn’t have the scars on my heart. Then I realized how I would never be able to live without him again. Never. I needed him so bad I could taste it.
“Random question,” Niall began, glancing down at me nervously.
“Yeah?”
“Have you… have you had a boyfriend before?” I smiled, a little embarrassed.
“Um, no.” I’m 18 years old and I’ve never had a boyfriend.
“Really?” He sat up a little more so he could see my face. I nodded. “How? I thought… I thought you’d have had tons,” he mumbled, relaxing a little.
“No. I… Niall, you were my first boyfriend, my first kiss, my first everything.”
“You… Your first kiss?” he stuttered. I nodded again and sat up. “You’re a virgin?”
“Yes… Are you upset? That I don’t have any experience?”
“N-no, of course not! It makes sense, now, why you were a bit more reserved until recently.” It grew quiet. I didn’t know what to say now. I thought for sure he’d laugh or make fun of me like the kids in school used to. “You know, we haven’t really had the chance to just talk. Even before you left, I was so busy we didn’t get to spend much time together just being us… you know?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. He was right. Our weird connection was obviously strong, but we hadn’t really asked questions or given answers.
“If you had to name three of your favorite things, what would they be? Other than me, of course,” he added with a wink. I laughed and crossed my legs beneath me.
“Horseback riding, pianos, and… being up high.” His face read ‘I’m lost’ as his brow knit together in the middle.
“I didn’t know you rode horses.”
“Yeah, I worked on a horse farm until I moved to England.”
“You play the piano?”
“Uh-huh.”
“And what about being up high?”
“I love it. I love to feel the wind on my face. I used to climb this tree in my back yard, ok, and I would climb so high I could see the whole neighborhood. I would lean against the trunk and spread my arms out, like… Titanic style, and just breathe. I… I haven’t done anything like that since Mom and Dad got taken away.”
“Oh. You know what?” he asked, his face lighting up.
“What?”
“Next time we’re in London, I’m going to take you to the London Bridge and we’re going to climb up to the outside of it.”
“You can do that?” I asked, my eyes widening.
“Yep. We did it for a video shoot.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, Mr. Horan,” I quipped, flashinggrin.
Suddenly my phone went off and the caller I.D. alone was enough to scare me right out of my mind. I stood up and grabbed the phone off the coffee table. “H-hello?” I answered, praying that the reply wasn’t what I thought it’d be.
“Hello, is this Annie Powl?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed, wanting answers.
“Miss Powl, I’m terribly sorry, but your brother has been killed in action. We will-”
The phone fell from my hand and hit the couch, then smashed to the floor, pieces of glass flying everywhere.
“Annie! Are you ok?!” Niall cried, catching me as my knees collapsed. “L-lads! Help! Pull over!”

Notes

Her brother? What brother? Where did that come from? My brain likes to pull fast ones on me. Also, the next few chapters will delve a little deeper into Annie's past, and there will be talk about self-harm and suicide. Just throwing a warning out there.