Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Thirty-One

Niall

He had no idea what he was doing there.

There being Liam's apartment. Liam's apartment in central London, with a view worth millions and possibly more space than the house he grew up in. Liam's apartment, where he and Chloe did not belong and where Liam's parents, who he hadn't seen for years, were waiting to meet him and Chloe.

Okay, so technically Niall knew what he was doing there. He wouldn't be stood there, on Liam's doorstep, having been shown up by the concierge, if it wasn't for Chloe, her small hand in his, the seven-year-old seeming more excited about meeting Liam's parents than she had been about actually meeting Liam, his daughter's apparent willingness for the impending meeting being the only thing that was keeping him from taking the next bus back to Brixton.

But he was stood on Liam's doorstep, clutching Chloe's hand, trying to work up the courage to press the buzzer and get Liam to let them in.

Introducing Chloe to Liam's parents before they returned to Wolverhampton had been his idea. Chloe had agreed after he'd broached the subject with her, her only real question being if Loki would be there and if they would be like Niall's own parents, with whom they had a less than stellar relationship.

And to that question, Niall didn't have an answer. Whilst his own parents did love Chloe, they hadn't exactly hidden the fact that they did not like how she'd came to be in their lives and that they would never be one hundred percent okay with the fact that Niall was gay. They weren't Liam's biggest fans but they hadn't ever really been from the start and that sometimes showed through their relationship with Chloe. With Liam's parents, though, Niall had no idea what to expect. His memories of them weren't bad per se, it had just been a hell of a long time since he'd met them and a lot of things had changed since sixteen-year-old him used to sit around their table and have dinner with them.

He hadn't been able to answer Chloe's question and the uncertainty had left him feeling sick to his stomach.

He was still stood there, though. On Liam's doorstep. Holding Chloe's hand. He was actually stood there, about to knock, or press the buzzer, or whatever, when Chloe tugged on his hand, looking up at him with her big brown eyes as she asked the question Niall hadn't been able to stop asking himself. "Daddy? What if they don't like me?"

Hearing that come from his daughter made Niall want to catch the nearest bus back home and curl up on their battered old sofa with her, but, looking down at the little girl, he instead brushed her hair back behind her ear and gave her what he hoped was a smile, squeezing her hand as he said, "That won't happen. They'll love you, Chlo."

"I'm scared. What if they don't? You said they're Liam's mum and dad, they're important." Tugging on Niall's hand again, Chloe gave him a frown that nearly broke his heart, biting her lip and looking away as Niall bent down and enveloped her in a hug, hiding her face in his jacket for a second until he straightened up, taking her hand in his and pressing the buzzer before he could change his mind. "They're your grandparents, Chlo, They're going to love you. I promise you, it'll be fine, yeah?"

Nodding, Chloe didn't answer, instead holding his hand tighter as Liam' front door opened, giving him a nervous look, all of her earlier confidence gone as she followed him inside, ducking out of Liam's greeting and awkward hug, leaving her shoes and jacket in the foyer as requested and tuning out as Niall and Liam talked, only paying attention as she noticed Loki padding over towards her. Letting go of Niall's hand, Chloe dropped to the floor and began playing with the husky, no longer thinking about the reason why she was at what was possibly the biggest house she'd ever been to and focusing on reaching the spot behind the dogs ear that she'd learned early on Loki liked to have tickled.

Watching Chloe for a moment, the tension in Niall's shoulders faded, some of his discomfort and worry disappearing for a second as he saw her smile down at the dog, a similar smile to his appearing Liam's face as they watched Chloe, their conversation dying out until Niall heard a familiar voice call out. "Darling? Can we ever meet them or are you staying out there?"

"Mum..." His smile becoming more embarrassed, Liam let out groan as Karen and Geoff appeared from somewhere, the living room or somewhere similar Niall presumed, his parents wearing similar smiles to the ones they'd worn when Liam had first brought Niall home with him after school, hesitating in the doorway until Liam gestured for them to come forward. Looking back at Niall and Chloe, the latter of whom was still crouched on the floor petting Loki, Liam coughed awkwardly, giving Niall a brief smile and shrugging slightly before he said, "You remember Niall, Mum, Dad."

Holding out his hand, Niall tried not to be surprised as Karen pulled him into a hug instead, briefly hugging her back before exchanging a nod with Liam's dad, relaxing a little as Karen shook her head at her son "Of course I do. It's...It's just lovely to see you again."

"You too, I guess." Taking Chloe's hand as she stood up, Loki having padded over to sit by Liam's feet, Niall looked down at the seven-year-old and nodded encouraging, propelling her forward slightly as he said, "This is my...Mine and Liam's daughter, Chloe. Chlo, say hi to your grandparents."

Retreating back into Niall's side, Chloe nodded shyly at Karen and Geoff, brushing her hair out of her face and smiling at them as Karen bent down so she was the same height as Chloe. "Hi, Chloe...It's amazing to meet you. Liam, your dad, has told us so much about you."

Letting go of Nail's hand, Chloe gave Karen another smile, letting Liam's mum give her a slightly awkward hug once she'd straightened up, Geoff giving her a smile and doing the same, both Liam's parents looking down at the seven-year-old like she was a miracle, Karen wiping a tear away and half-laughing, half-smiling as Chloe asked, "What do I call you? 'Cause I already have a grandma and grandad, and I'm not sure whether I should..."

"You can call us whatever you'd like. Grandma, Nana, Grandad, Grandpa, whichever." Looking up at Niall for reassurance that that was okay with him, Karen looked down at Chloe with another smile, running a hand through a tangle in Chloe's hair and smoothing out her curls before she said, "You dad wasn't lying when he told us about you. You look just like he did when he was little."

"Daddy's told me so. He says I have Liam's eyes." Shrugging, Chloe pushed her cardigan sleeves up, glancing back at Niall to see him smiling tentatively at her, bending down near Loki and beginning to pet him again, letting the grown ups talk among themselves for a moment before she straightened up, slotting herself into Niall's side and looking up at him for a second before she asked, "Is it okay if I call you Nana and Grandpa?"

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And that would be chapter thirty-one.

It's not as long as some chapters but the next chapter should pick up right where we left off.

I am slowly beginning to get a handle on things so, hopefully, updates will begin to be a bit more regular. Also, I'm really grateful for how patient you've all been and how supportive, so can I say a massive thank you to you all.

As for this chapter...Chloe just breaks my heart. There'll be actual Niam next chapter, I think, and my list of drafts and chapters to write is growing ever-longer.

I'd love to see what you all think about the chapter...Thoughts?