Single Father (Ziall Horlik) AU

Chapter 2

Niall's POV

Sometimes I look at people's lives and can only think of how unfair the world is. I never understood how it was possible to have so many people come into Love and Care Shelter and each person has a different story that ended them up to being where they are. What breaks my heart the most is seeing the children coming in with their families. No child should ever have to be raised in poverty, but it happens and it's frustrating that I can only do the small things I do to help it.

"Niall, get the casseroles set out. We're opening the doors in five minutes." The owner of the shelter, Anne, told me. She had a son that was my age and worked along side with us. It was kind of a family thing for them. Harry Styles, his sister Gemma, his mum and his step dad all worked their hardest to help the poverty stricken family's of Bradford.

I started helping here when I was fifteen. I had brought in some of my outgrown clothes and just got to know Harry pretty well. It started with me only donating clothes, then moved on to me serving the free meals. Throughout the years, it's become so much more to me than just me doing a good dead. It was part of my heart to give as much as I could because making a difference in one person's life ment more to me than anything else in the world.

As of today, the shelter has grown to house nearly three hundred people each night. We have a little shop that has lightly used clothes that anyone can come in and get for free. There's a food pantry that is like a free grocery store for anyone who needs it. We have everything from chocolates to baby diapers. It's amazing to see how many people come in a day and how just a worn jacket could make someone's day. I've been here for so long that I've truly seen this place grow and have helped with most of the ideas. This place is a second home to me and I can only hope this is a home for others as well.

I placed the last casserole out and slipped on some plastic gloves so I could serve it. Harry came running in after opening the doors for people to start filling in. I laughed at him as he nearly tripped over nothing trying to get some gloves on. The first people that came in were older people, but I had seen them before. They come in every night for one meal, but when I tell them to come in for breakfast and lunch too they say they don't want to take too much.

"You're at the grocery store tomorrow until three, right?" Harry asked me. I nodded and continued serving the line of people coming through.

"We were wondering if you could take a box that accepts food. Our pantry needs to be restocked so we wanted to start at a place where there's allot of food." Harry said quietly. We both knew that talking about the shelter made some people uncomfortable because they already had a hard time coming here. So we just tried to keep things behind the scenes more.

"Just give me the box tonight and I'll take it tomorrow morning. Is your lover boy coming in to help until I get back?" I asked Harry with a giggle. Harry turned a bright shade of red and tried to change the subject by serving more people.

Throughout the years, I had learned that Harry had a crush on one of the men that volunteers here when I can't work. His name is Liam Payne and he's pretty much the most perfect guy in the world. Well, at least to Harry he's the most perfect guy. He's fit, funny, smart, caring and rich. He's been coming in here since Harry and I were seventeen and Harry couldn't seem to pull himself together around the other man. It was fun to watch Harry stumble even more over his own words and feet. Me and his sister Gemma can't get enough of the fact just the mention of Liam's name can get Harry flustered. Yet, neither of them had done anything about it. Liam just flirted and flustered Harry while Harry giggled and turned red.

"Liam's coming in for a bit. He did some fundraising at his church, so we'll have some money for the holidays coming up." Harry told me. I nodded, but the conversation ended when a new family walked in. It was a mother and three children. The mother looked like she was dying with embarrassment while she held one baby in her arms. It was a little boy that looked like he was a one year old or near there. There was a little girl that looked three, but she didn't seem to see what was happening. An older girl that I could have been eight seemed to know what was going on with her family.