He looked around to her, walking along behind him without much enthusiasm. The wind was harsh against them, blowing gusts of sand into their faces, stinging. He paused, waiting for her to draw level with him, then offered her his hand. She slipped her hand into his, still looking unenthusiastic, a little cold and more nervous.

Your hand fits in mine

Like it’s made just for me

But bear this in mind

It was meant to be

And I’m joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks

And it all makes sense to me

He led her along the sea wall, stopping when they reached the shelter. He pulled her behind it, away from the wind and sand, her hair suddenly stopped whipping around her face. He used his free hand and pushed the loose strands away from her face.

“The weather always fails me,” he breathed, giving her a warm smile.

“Who cares about the weather?” she grinned up at him, hoping her face wasn’t scrunched up and ugly. The fact that she was here with him, weeks after she’d last seen him, made her more conscious of how she looked. She’d picked her outfit so carefully, not wanting to look awful for him. Even is all he thought of her as was his best friend. Friend zoned.

I know you’ve never loved

The crinkles by your eyes

When you smile

You’ve never loved

Your stomach or your thighs

The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine

But I love them endlessly

I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth

But if I do

Its you

Its you they add up to

I’m in love with you

And all these little things

“I’m glad you agreed to come ,” he smiled down at her. “Even if its not as sunny as I wanted it to be.” She shrugged and let him lead her away from the shelter, down the steps and onto the beach. He paused, turning and pulling the hood up on her coat, tucking her hair in and smiling warmly at her. He linked his fingers with hers again and they started along the beach, nobody around and braving the weather like they were.

“I wouldn’t miss spending time with you,” she smiled back at him. He squeezed her fingers, still pulling her along gently.

“I’ve bought a thermos of tea with me back at the car,” he told her, hoping that the promise of warm tea would keep her walking with him for a bit longer.

You can’t go to bed without a cup of tea

And maybe that’s the reason that you talk in your sleep

And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep

Though it makes no sense to me

His phone broke the silence as he towed her gently along. The ring tone was her voice, wailing the word ‘phone call’. She cringed, the day he’d recorded her almost a distant memory. She’d recorded his voice for her phone as well…but she still couldn’t stand hearing his phone going off. He smiled shyly at her and cut the call off. She frowned. He never did that.

“We can go get some lunch after?” he asked, noting the way she scrunched her face up when he mentioned food. He hated the way she hated herself.

I know you’ve never loved

The sound of your voice on tape

You never want

To know how much you weigh

You still have to squeeze into your jeans

But you’re perfect to me

I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth

But it’s true

Its you

Its you they add up to

I’m in love with you

And all these little things

He squeezed her hand again, pulling her along and gesturing to the sand beneath them. They both sat down, huddled together for warmth in the cool wind. The sand was soft and slightly damp beneath them, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“I wanted to talk to you,” he looked at her. She nodded, tucking a stray strand of hair back into her hood. “I’ve been thinking of hundreds of different ways to talk to you about this, and all I can think of is stupid. You know me, I’ve got something to say about everything, so imagine me, not knowing how to put something. I can’t think of the right way to put it.” She was looking at him, eyebrows knit together, confused and worried again.

“Niall I-” he cut her off, wanting to finish what he’d brought her here to say.

“…sorry…I know you love the beach, and I thought it’d be nice to come here and talk to you…I can’t stand the way you think you’re not good enough. I hate the way you pull faces when you’re putting yourself down. I hate watching you hate yourself.”

You’ll never love yourself half as much as I love you

And you’ll never treat yourself right, darling, but I want you to

If I let you know I’m here for you

Maybe you’ll love yourself like I love you, oh

looked confused still. Niall looked at her with a determined look in his eye.

“I still can’t find a way to tell you clearly what I’m saying. So I’ll keep it simple. I love you . I always have and I can’t carry on pretending that being your best friend is enough for me.” She was quiet. Stunned. Everything she’d ever hoped for. “I’d shout it from the rooftops, I’ll sing it on stage …I love you.”

I wont let these little things slip out of my mouth

But its true

Its you

Its you they add up to

I’m in love with you

And all these little things

I wont let these little things slip out of my mouth

But its true

Its you

Its you they add up to

I’m in love with you

And all your little things