Wings of an Angel ||niall horan||

Chapter 1

Niall's POV:

I dashed towards the goal, dribbling the ball between my feet, feeling that familiar rush of excitement and adrenaline coursing through me. The wind whipped through my hair and into my face. I focused on the spinning black and white ball between my feet as I ran towards the opponent's goal as fast as I possibly could. On both sides I could feel the players from the other team getting closer. I ran harder, swinging back my foot, taking careful aim. I sung it forward, all the force of my entire body behind that kick.

The ball traveled through the air in a beautiful arc, right past the outstretched hands of the goalie, and into a corner of the net. The bell went off, signaling the end of the match. The arena erupted into a cataclysm of noise: cheering, screaming, clapping, chanting. We had won!

"Niall, you did it mate!" Louis screamed, rushing towards me and engulfing me in a massive hug as the rest of the team came charging at us. Soon, I was overwhelmed in a sea of red and black and white as they hugged me, clapped me on the back, and shouting congratulations. I shouted along with them, ecstatic about our victory.

"That was some of the best offense I've seen all year!" Our coach told us. "Well done, Horan." He shook my hand and I grinned broadly.

"All in a day's work," I replied. "Let's go, Louis!" We raced off the field, away from the screaming mob of fans, away from the reporters shoving microphones and questions at us, into the relative peace of the locker room.

"God, those reporters get more annoying every week," Louis complained, sitting down at his locker and pulling the Doncaster Rover jersey over his head.

"Yeah buddy," I laughed a little, stripping down and grabbing a towel. "I'm going to take a shower."

Louis waved me away carelessly, looking down at his phone. "El says she's cooked up a victory dinner," he called after me. "Wanna come over and join us?"

"Sure!" I replied. "You know I always like seeing Dottie and Maya." Dottie and Maya were Louis' twin daughters, and my goddaughters. "I won't be able to stay long, though. I've gotta watch the tapes and run through the plays for the next match."

"Seriously?" Louis raised his eyebrows. "That's not for another week. Why don't you take some time off? Relax. Have some fun for once."

I shook my head at him and went into the showers. He doesn't understand. No one does. Louis' a great guy. We've been friends all our lives and I love him like a brother, but even he doesn't understand. With his beautiful wife and loving daughters, his perfect family, he doesn't understand what it's like to go through what I went through.

I had been married before. Her name was Dawn and she was the love of my life. We had been completely, idyllically happy for four years. There was a baby on the way and I couldn't have been more happy. And then came that day two years ago. I was playing in an important match and she had promised to come meet me after the game. But she never showed up. I called her over and over again, but she didn't answer. Finally, I got a call from a nearby hospital saying that a woman by the name of Dawn Horan had been brought in a little while before. There had been a terrible accident.

That day I lost the two most important things in my life: my wife and my unborn child. Since then, I've focused on my career with every fiber of my being. Football has been what's kept me going. Nothing else has been as important. It's been the driving force in my life. The purpose and reason for my existence. It took my mind off of my loss, and people soon learned not to bring up the subject. Even Louis never spoke about what happened before.

Sighing, I stepped out from under the steaming water and wrapped a towel around my waist. Drying my hair with another, I made my way back to my locker to get dressed. Louis was waiting for me, already changed into sweatpants, t-shirt, and a beanie. I quickly pulled on my own sweats and a green t-shirt. I grabbed my bag and phone and followed Louis out of the locker room.