Always the Bestfriend

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t have feelings for him anymore.”

Niall’s voice was shaking now, and you could hear the hurt in his voice. You hated the fact that it was you causing him so much pain.

“Niall.. Please. You know how important you are to me.”

Niall scoffs at your words as he closes his eyes and rubs at them to prevent the tears that were now threatening to spill.

“You are. You know how much I value you, how much i value us.”

“Value? Well that’s just the the thing innit, Y/N?”

You reach your hand out for his, desperate for all this to be over but he waves it away. Ever since the night you and Niall kissed you can’t remember having a fight this bad, it was so easily fixed by an “I’m sorry” or by a tight hug.

After the fight you’d lay down and cuddle next to each other on the bed of whichever hotel you were staying at at that time and everything would be okay. White flags would be raised and the fight would be over as soon as it started.

Both of you always had sweet spots for each other and went soft as soon as someone bats their eyes at the other, that was why you never quarrelled much. That was why the thing you and Niall had had been so good. Because it was just so easy.

Niall finally speaks after a couple of minutes of silence, his voice barely a whisper and you could tell how the tears that were threatening to fall before had completely fallen now.

“You value me. But me, I love you Y/N.”

Your heart breaks at his words. You knew what he said was true. Maybe you’ve kinda known for a while now if you were being honest. But you just couldn’t help yourself, you loved having Niall around. Everything was plain and simple with him, not like how it was with Harry before - Always having to hide about how you truly felt about him, always wondering whether he had feelings for you as well, always having to sit back and watch as a parade of girls try and flirt with Harry and having to see him not doing much to stop them.

It was always touch and go between you two. One moment you two would have the makings of a whirlwind romance, the next you’d hear about how Harry and some girl had been spotted talking to each other in some closed off dark corner of a bar.

Still, it wasn’t like you didn’t have some feelings for Niall. It wasn’t hard to be completely wrapped up in him. That was why seeing the situation that was now unfolding in front of your eyes truly broke your heart.

“I saw the way you looked at him tonight..” Niall breaks the silence once again.

“I’m sorry, Ni” you say in between your sobs.

You feel Niall’s arms wrap around you as he sighs.

“Deep down I’ve always known I couldn’t replace Harry in your heart. But a guy’s gotta try, you know?”

Niall was trying to lighten the situation and you sob even more. You didn’t deserve love, you didn’t deserve anything, from a guy as great as Niall, and you couldn’t believe how selfish you’ve been for past months.

“I’m so sorry, Niall. But you have to know, I do love you. You’re my best friend.”

“I do, Y/N. Just wish that was enough, eh princess?” He says defeatedly.

“Hey bub, you know we can’t keep doing this to each other right?” Niall could barely get all the words out of his mouth. After being inlove with Y/N for so long, he couldn’t believe what he was trying to say at that moment. “All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. You deserve to be, Y/N”

“We both do, Ni.”

Niall smiles as he wipes away the tears that just couldn’t stop streaming down from his eyes.

“You’d always have me alright Y/N? Best friends?”

“Best friends.”

Niall’s arms around you tighten and you do the same with yours, you held your best friend in that familiar embrace that had been your home for months.

————————–

That was the night you and Niall called it off. You both knew that it was what’s best for the both of you. Especially since both of you still wanted to save the friendship, and you did.
2015 - two years later and you and Niall were still as close as ever.

Sometimes you and Niall would talk about the things that you two shared during your time together and it would make the two of you smile.

“We had a good run, didn’t we Horan?”

“We certainly did.” Niall would say smiling.

Both of you are happy you’ve managed to pull it off, the thing about being friends with your ex was hard was true but at the same time you and Niall knew that both of you couldn’t live without having the other in their life.

Sometimes when it was just the two of them, Louis would tease Niall about how he was still single after 2 years.

“You’re not even together anymore, Nialler and you’re still whipped.”

“Oh, piss off Lou! Y/N’s set the bar up really high, there just hasn’t been anyone yet. So single’s just fine by me.” Niall would quip at his bandmate while laughing.

Niall knew there was truth to what he was saying too. He had long accepted the fact that there will always be a part of him that was in love with Y/N, a part of him that would always be looking for her in all of the other girls that he’d meet.

But that night when he told Y/N she deserved to be happy he meant it, and though it still pains him sometimes, he knew that it wasn’t him who could do that for Y/N. It was Harry.

Notes