Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Liam

He was distracted. Again.

And, as usual, he was distracted by Niall. Niall, who sorta, kinda told him... Well, told him that them being something again wasn't impossible. Niall, who'd been all he could think about, really, for months now. Niall, and the hope and thought of what was yet to come, was distracting him. In the best way possible.

Besides their usual string of texts, random messages to each other, about customers Niall dealt with or funny stories Liam had from time on the road with the boys, Niall had suggested Liam could stay for dinner with him and Chloe again, extending an open invitation to him whenever he was free, and, unlike sixteen-year-old Niall, he hadn't made any suggestion that his...the decision to maybe try again, was a mistake.

A week after their fist date back in 2009, a spectacularly disastrous fist date at that, Niall had backed out, claiming to not be sure if Liam really liked him, despite Liam having asked him out on multiple occasions before he'd finally agreed.

This time, though, Niall wasn't running. Chloe apparently had asked if he could bring Loki over at some point, an idea that Niall had vetoed, but did show that he was making some progress with their daughter. Even she seemed more excited about the prospect of seeing his dog than him. It was unchartered territory for the two of them, plain sailing weather, that left Liam unsure of where to go from there. After weeks of thinking about Niall, the same feelings still there after all this time, Liam actually had a chance with him and he was stuck wondering how to even try.

Well, how to try without accidentally outing himself, screwing things up for Niall and Chloe and landing himself back in damage control meetings that end up with him being given yet another girlfriend.

He was distracted, and it was all Niall's fault.

After dinner with Niall and Chloe, Liam had ended up squished onto their couch, watching Chloe's favourite Disney films until she finally gave in and let Niall carry her to bed, educating Liam in the treasure trove of entertainment that were Disney films. The evening had been a crash course in princesses, castle, magic and why Merida could kick Elsa's ass any day. Not forgetting how educational in had been to learn about the differences between Rapunzel and Elsa. Rapunzel was apparently better because she 'got to escape, whilst Elsa had to go home'.

Niall's eye-roll whilst Chloe explained this to him led Liam to believe that it was a frequent discussion, along with the debate over the necessity of Pokémon cards and why Chloe's bedtime was eight whilst the boys' on the floor below didn't go to bed until nine.

It was the conversation's like those, though, that made Liam was to figure out how to make himself a permanent fixture into both Niall's and Chloe's lives.

Eventually, though, Liam had to pay attention to the world going on around him, forcing himself to tune back into the world of tour-planning, choosing album artworks, meetings with his lawyers regarding the end of his and Sophia's contracts, scheduling more interviews pending the release of their newest singles and One Direction's plans to host a special Christmas edition of Top Of The Pops. It also meant Liam had to face Louis, Harry and Zayn and his parents, all of whom were dying to meet Chloe and Niall by extension.

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Shoving his laptop to one side, finished with the day's work and the mountain's of arrangements he was yet to go through, Liam let out a sigh, reaching down and petting the dog sprawled out at his feet, humming in response to Loki as he got up, wagging his tail as he followed Liam through from his study.

Letting Loki out onto the balcony, Liam kept an eye on the husky as he padded out into the sunshine, Loki flopping down onto the sun lounger Liam had set up out there and falling asleep in the same position he'd been in down by Liam's feet whilst he worked, staring out onto the balcony for few moments before he picked up his phone biting his lip and briefly reconsidering as he called Niall.

Drumming his fingers against the balcony door as he waited for Niall to pick up, Liam turned the TV on, turning it to mute and half-watching whatever show was on, relaxing slightly as Niall picked up. "Hey, Niall...Sorry, didn't mean to bother you if you're busy."

Letting out the breath he'd been holding as Niall assured him he wasn't interrupting anything, Liam smiled to himself as Niall told him another customer-related story, this one about the same woman who'd previously been in the store he worked at to buy her daughter a piano, only buying one that wouldn't fit through her front door, only this time she'd been in to buy a violin apparently determined to 'not make the same mistake', both of them knowing Niall's story was really just a way to break the ice but neither of them bothering to call the other out on it, the two of them chatted for another minute or so before Liam dared to ask, "I was wondering if you were free tomorrow. I know Chloe's back at school...But. It's more of a question for you. I wanted to ask you if you're free and wanted to maybe go for dinner or something."

Leaning against the wall, Liam let out a sigh of relief at having asked Niall, and much more eloquently than he'd fist asked Niall out, back when they were sixteen, having first tried passing him a note in class, messaging him over myspace, BBM messenger and then stumbling over his words in person, running a hand over his face as he waited for Niall to answer and practically falling over himself to reply. "Yeah, like a date. Well, not like a date, an actual date. Let me rephrase it...Would you, Niall James Horan, the guy I can't stop thinking about, go on a date with me? Not tomorrow, since you're busy, but this week? Please."

"You will? Thank God. Yeah, Thursday works for me. I'll look forward to it." Hanging up after letting the conversation return to other, less complicated topics for a while, Liam dropped onto his couch, already wondering if he should have asked Niall in person, and where the hell he was going to take him, clutching his phone tighter but smiling even as yet more questions arose.

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So...

Finally an update. I'm sorry this took me so long, but it might be the norm for a few weeks or so.

I have exams again, though, by this point, they're nothing new, but they're going to take up some/a lot of my attention for a while.

I'll still be updating, though, it just may take me a bit longer.

But anyway...There's a niam date in the pipeline, hints of some angst (in the very distant future) and there will be more Chloe meets Liam and Chloe meets his parents type chapters soon.

Thoughts?