Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Ninety-Nine

Liam

He wasn't hiding.

Absolutely not.

He wasn't hiding, not from Niall, not at all. No way. No hiding going on here, nothing shady at all.

Okay, so, he might have nipped out to take Loki for a walk, and that might have been nearly three hours ago, and Loki might be shivering and looking at Liam mournfully from underneath a park bench, but that didn't mean he was hiding.

He was Liam Payne, singer with a successful career, performing in front of thousands most nights. He was not hiding from his boyfriend.

His heavily pregnant boyfriend.

If, say, he was hiding, that...that would make him a bit of an asshole. But, hypothetically, if hiding was what he was doing, he'd have to have a good reason. And he did. Or would have had.

Possibly a reason that was scary, Irish, and eight-and-a-half months pregnant, irritated by anything remotely Christmassy despite it being December. A reason that went from one mood to another at will, had made Liam sleep in a guest room on the grounds of him being a 'loud breather', and owed the swear jar over a tenner for just that morning.

But he wasn't hiding, there were no reasons for him to be hiding, so it was all completely okay. He wasn't being an asshole.

He was just walking his dog.

Even if his dog hadn't moved in the last twenty minutes. And he had sort of left his heavily pregnant boyfriend alone with their eight-year-old when he was already...not in the best mood.

Maybe...maybe he should call it quits on the whole walk thing.

Just maybe.

And perhaps the asshole thing should be reconsidered too.

This train of thought led him to force himself to stand up, stiff from the cold, and coach Loki into walking again, making his way back through the park and wishing for what was probably the millionth time since he'd left that he'd taken gloves with him.

It was a futile wish, and he figured it was karma for hiding- For having been absent for such a long period of time, and therefore something to be endured. If there was a notable increase in his pace as he walked home, that was just nothing.

The whimper of relief Loki let out as they entered the building did not help to curb the sinking sense of shame Liam felt, and he made a beeline for the lift, avoiding the doorman and waving him off before he could try to assist in any way.

Loki's previous whimper was nothing compared to the noise he made when Liam unlocked the door, letting them both inside and taking off the leash, and Liam petted him guiltily, feeling in his pocket for a treat before he released Loki to find Chloe. He would have stood up to follow the dog, but before he could straighten up, Niall appeared in his path, arms cross, glaring and looking as though Liam should start grovelling.

Before any such grovelling could be done, Niall turned away and headed back to the kitchen, slamming the door behind him, leaving Liam wincing.

There wasn't any choice other than to follow Niall, and so he did, trying to look suitable apologetic and oblivious at the same time as he let himself into the kitchen, only to wither under Niall's gaze as he asked, "Nice walk?"

"Uh, yeah. Definitely. It's a bit nippy out there, though. More like bloody freezing, but you know what Loki's like. Had to let him tire himself out, otherwise he'd need to go again later." Even as he spoke, Liam knew that Niall could see right through him, but he couldn't seem to stop talking and digging himself further into the hole. "He still might, though. Might take Chlo with me, or we could all go. Gentle walk. Wintery. Might be nice."