Last Girl Standing

It had been a long time since October felt so upset in the Love Games house. Her hands were shaky, her breaths were short and weak, and it took up every bit of her strength to push back the tears that were threating to fall from her bloodshot eyes yet again.

They’d been eliminated. She and Niall had been eliminated. And she couldn’t help but feel like it was her fault.

It wasn’t; Niall had assured her of that dozens of times since she had failed, but she didn’t feel that way. She felt like everything was ruined, and she felt like it was her fault.

Taking a deep breath, October folded the last of shirts, placing it neatly inside of her suitcase. Slowly, but surely, she zipped that bag shut, sealing the fate she wasn’t quite ready to accept. She wasn’t ready to leave the house. She wasn’t ready to leave Niall. She wasn’t ready for it to be over, but she knew she had to keep her composure. She didn’t want the cameras or anyone that would be watching the show to see how upset she was. She hated being that vulnerable.

After tossing her suitcase onto the floor, she rolled it across the hallway’s plush carpet, to drop it off at the end of the stairs for the valet to pick up. She took slow steps, collecting her breath all the way.

She wondered if Niall already had his things packed. She wondered if he’d be waiting for her, or if he’d already left.

When she heard his sweet voice call to her from the floor below, she knew she didn’t have to wonder for long. His bright blonde head bounded up the stairs, before easily swooping her into his arms.

It caught her off guard, but she smiled into his shirt, as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I’m going to miss you.” His thick accent fell to her ears, and it made her smile widen. “I’m going to miss you more than you’ll ever know.”

She chuckled, as the warmth of his body washed over her. He always seemed to be at least three degrees warmer than her, and she loved that about him. She loved that his skin heated her up and made her feel like no one else could.

“I’m going to miss you, Niall.”

Her eyes pinched shut, closing as tightly as they could. She had to stop herself from crying. She didn’t want their goodbye to be any harder than it already was.

Niall’s arms, which had been wrapped around her waist, pulled away, and he took a step back so he could look down at her. His perfect ocean eyes roved over her face, before landing on her own, and he gave her a soft smile.

Bringing his hand to her cheek, he rubbed the pad of his thumb over her skin again and again, which, for some reason, soothed her more than anything he could have said.

“You’re not going to get rid of me, you know. I’m going to see you every chance I get.”

She gave him a soft smile back, but it wasn’t as genuine as his. She tried to fake it, but in the end, all she felt was worry. She’d grown to care about Niall more than anyone back home, and the thought of not having him in her life made her chest tighten.

“It’s a long flight,” she whispered, as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

“It’s worth it, October.” He smiled, his cheeky grin lighting up his face. “It’s worth it to see you.”

All her life, October had learned the hard way that nothing was certain. Her heart had been ripped, shattered, and beaten like an old dog more times than she could count.

The world was filled with heart break; she knew that. But it was filled with adventure. Adventures that turned princesses into queens and boys into men. Adventures that changed you and adventures that made you.

What would happen between Niall and October after they left the Love Games house wasn't certain, because nothing ever was. But it didn’t matter how much certainty had been scattered over the path they were taking, because it was an adventure neither of them could pass up.