Unsaid

chapter forty nine

Breakfast the following morning was quiet and tense. My mother and father were silent, my father buried in this morning's newspaper as he completed the daily crossword, and my mother focusing on neatly eating her cereal.

My brother's gaze that he had set on me was unmoving and uncomfortable, as though he was trying to figure something out or make an important decision.

But overall, breakfast that morning was uncomfortable and I was relieved when I heard the doorbell went.

I was even more relieved at the fact I was the one who answered it, for when I did, Niall stood at the door smiling with a crooked smile.

...

"You cant just drag me out of my house every day you know?" I laughed as Niall and I walked down a quiet road. I wasn't sure where we were going and I don't think Niall did either. But that was the way it was a lot of the time with Niall, we would just walk, with no destination in mind, down endless roads, until we wound up somewhere we knew. This road in particular was postcard-pretty. On either side of the wide pavements, there were large willowing tree's lining the length of the road, showering down in to the middle. Each house was unique in its own way, one had a white picket fence, lined with pink and red roses, and another was guarded by a shallow green metal fence, with intricate detail of patterns and flowers on the gate.

"Please, you enjoy my company." Niall smirked, I frowned continuing to walk. "I know you do." He whispered craning his neck around to look at me, he shoved me gently with his shoulder, quickly then wrapping his arm around the full width of my back, hooking his hand around my far arm as if to secure me. I couldn't help the small smile that had appeared on my face.

"Shut up loser." I smiled as Niall smirked leaning over and pressing his lips against my cheek. It had been almost two weeks since Ben and I had broken up, I really wanted to speak to Niall, to see if he had any intention of ever making me his girlfriend, or if I was just going to remain his little secret, and he mine.

"Niall?" I looked up to him, the sun was shining behind his head, causing me to squint up to try and see his face, decipher his current mood before bringing up the dreaded topic.

"Yeah?" he looked down to me, raising his eyebrows openly, wearing a gentle smile. He seemed like he was in a good mood, he was laughing and joking with me, he picked me up this morning, we were close enough now in order to have these conversation's, I shouldn't be so afraid.

"Does your rule still stand...?" My voice came out quieter than I had expected it to be, as Niall chuckled slightly beside me.

"Rule?" He asked, his hand dropped down to mine, and he intertwined his fingers with mine carefully.

"I'm sick of this being a secret Niall." I blurted out as Nialls pace slowed down quickly. "I don't want us to be a secret anymore, there's nothing stopping us anymore."

"That rule" Niall concluded quietly as I frowned, knowing I shouldn't have brought the topic up.

"Don't worry." I sighed slipping my hand out of his as I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear, quickening my pace.

"No no." Niall caught up with me wrapping his hand around my arm and pulling me back over to him. we stopped in the middle of the pavement, facing each other as Niall stared at a tree behind me as if trying to think about what to say. "I want to talk about this."

"Well?" I muttered not wanting to push him, he was trying to cooperate and the last thing I wanted to do was upset him.

"If I asked you, to, well be my girlfriend, things would still be the same Sophie, we still wouldn't be able to tell anyone."