Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Liam was having a weird morning.

At some point, when he'd given up trying to figure out how to reply to Greg's message and the pile of work he was supposed to be sorting through and emailing people back about got too much for him, he grabbed his jacket and keys before heading out to where he'd last parked his car, no longer giving a fuck about what he was supposed to be doing and whether he was supposed to be out in public unnecessarily as he began to drive into London.

He hadn't really been thinking about where he wanted to go, but it didn't surprise him when he found himself parking in an underground carpark two streets away from the shop where Niall worked. It did surprise him though, when he began to hesitate, second guessing his decision to randomly turn up there, wondering whether it was a good idea or whether he should just have waited for Niall to finish work and call him then. He only really snapped out of it when people walking past began to give him odd looks, the kind of look usually seen on the faces of fans who end up running into him in the supermarket, but what might possibly also be the kind of look people give to strangers loitering outside shop windows.

Regardless, Liam ended up walking into the shop, glancing around to see if he could spot Niall anywhere in the front of the shop and ignoring the slightly odd looks he got from the girl working behind the till as he headed towards the back of the shop, getting distracted by the keyboard display.

He was still looking at one of the keyboards, walking his fingers over the keys, tapping out the bridge to an old Ed Sheeran song, when someone approached, clearing their throat before they asked, "Can I help you?"

It was then that a smile broke out over Liam's face, a smile that only one person really brought out in him. He'd have known who it was anywhere, looking over at Niall and grinning at him before he said, "I think so...but it depends on how you answer my next question."

Giving Liam an amused smile, Niall ran his fingers over the end of the keyboard, gesturing for Liam to continue as he reached past him and began to play the chords to accompany the tune Liam had been playing.

"Do you get a coffee break? If so, when and would you be willing to spend it with me? If not, when can I sneak you away for lunch or at the end of your shift?" Raising an eyebrow at Niall, Liam gave him another smile, playing the next part of Ed Sheeran's song, 'Little Bird' as he waited for Niall's answer.

"I usually get a break. Only fifteen minutes or so...I don't usually both to take one, though I suppose I could make an exception. For you. Why?" Keeping up with Liam, Niall glanced back towards the till, checking that no one was looking their way before he gave Liam his full attention, trying not to smile as Liam stopped playing, bringing a hand up to his face before he said, "I was wondering...I was thinking...maybe we could talk. You know...about the death threat I got from your brother, about you and Chloe meeting the boys...Christmas."

Snorting, Niall tried not to look to surprised by what Liam had said, thinking over his list and struggling to pick out the most pressing thing to talk about before he asked, "The death threat from my brother?"

"Well...it wasn't entirely a death threat. He might've said something almost nice. It was via Myspace. Probably not the end of the world, him threatening me with a vague and mysterious 'something horrible' if things...well." His smile becoming more serious for a moment, Liam reached out and took Niall's hand, liking their fingers together and giving Niall a look that that seemed to be full of promises, his expression lifting as Niall gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

"It sounds like I'm going to have to take that coffee break, then. Give me five minutes, yeah? And then you can fill me in on...things." Leaving Liam stood there, Niall headed over to the till, saying something to the girl behind the till before he returned, taking Liam's hand and leading him out of the shop, both of them agreeing on the cafe Liam had taken him to before, sitting in a table near the back and each ordering their drink before Liam decided to elaborate slightly.