Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Fifty-Six

Her dad wasn't making her see Liam. She'd asked if she could maybe not see him, and he'd agreed. So she wasn't even going to have to see Liam before he left if she didn't want to. And she didn't know if she did. She didn't not want to, but she also didn't want to.

Which was how it got to be two days before Liam was supposed to leave and she still hadn't seen him. Her dad had, though. She'd spent a night at Jessica's, during which her Dad and Liam had gone on a date (she'd helped her dad figure to which shirt to wear and had told him not to gel his hair as it always went funny). And she and Jessica had watched one of Liam's interviews, where he'd talked about her dad. He always said things, things normally heard on TV, about her dad, and he always sounded really, really excited for tour.

Chloe wanted to tell Liam that, and ask him more questions. She'd figured that he might have been joking when he said he wasn't that famous. She wanted to ask Liam, but she didn't. And she didn't want to say as much to Niall. but she ended up telling Jessica. Who listened, braiding Chloe's hair and making her a mug of hot chocolate to clutch whilst she struggled to explain what she wanted.

Jessica had listened, and hadn't minded Chloe's lack of coherence, and had called Niall after she'd dropped Chloe off at her swimming practice, explaining how Chloe felt about the subject without making the seven-year-old struggle to put it into words again. Chloe had been unaware of Jessica's interference, giving Niall the tired half-smile she'd only been capable of giving for the past few days as he met her poolside, her grip on Niall's hand tighter than usual as they went home.

Chloe had been in her pyjamas, ready for bed, when Niall tried to broach the subject with her, knocking softly on her bedroom door before he entered, giving Chloe a fond smile as he watched her arrange her stuffed toys, placing her favourite next to her pillow and sitting cross legged as she reached for her blanket and duvet.

Niall sat on the end of her bed, smoothing out her duvet and watching her for second before he asked, "Chlo, if we talk about Liam, can you tell me what you're thinking? 'Cause you...you aren't very happy, poppet. And I want to help."

"Liam's leaving." Chloe shrugged a little, nestling back against her pillow and focusing on her toys for a moment before she decided to elaborate a little. "Really soon. It's like...it's just got normal, having Liam around, having plans with him. He didn't say, not to me, and it's like he wants to go. Doesn't want to be around. I don't know if that's okay or not."

"It doesn't have to be okay. It doesn't have to be not okay. It's how you feel." Niall reached forward, pressing a kiss to the top of Chloe's head, moving so he was sat next to her and tucking her duvet around the both of them. "Liam, I promise you, Liam is not leaving because he wants to get away from us. I swear. I know it's a change, another one, after so many, but it's not permanent. Liam being around, this, it's permanent and it's normal. Liam being away will only be for a little bit."

"He said months." Chloe watched triumphantly for a moment as Niall opened his mouth and closed it, struggling to think of answer for that, shaking his head and giving her a half-smile before he smoothed out her duvet again. Chloe let Niall tuck her in again, settling down again her pillows, her arms full of stuffed animals as she settled down, her eyes closing for a moment before popping open again. "If Liam leaves, and I don't see him, will things not be okay?"

Niall stood in the doorway, one hand wrapped around the doorknob, watching Chloe for a moment before he sat back on the end of her bed. "If you don't see him, it'll be okay, Chlo. Well, it might not be, but we'll get past it. If you want to. Liam's feelings will be hurt, he's already hurt, but it'll get better."

Chloe cuddled into Niall's side as he moved up, wrapping his arm around her again, the seven-year-old moving the blankets to include Niall as she muttered, "Liam's hurt? I am too." 

"Oh, Chlo." Chloe let her eyes close once more as Niall's fingers carded through her hair, curling up and hiding her face in Niall's t-shirt as she began to drift off into sleep. She didn't stir as Niall gently eased her head onto the pillow, standing up and tucking her duvet back over her before he left, and, for once, she didn't hear as Niall called Liam, lowering his voice and leaning against the kitchen worktop as he said, "Li, she's...Chloe's upset. More so than...than I thought. I don't know how to fix this. I- I don't know if I can make it better. I don't know how we can make it better."

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So...here we are again.

I'd apologise and say that it's too early in the morning for something so angsty (as angsty as Count On Me is ever going to get) but I'm pulling an allnighter so really, it's too late for such angst.

I'm on mobile at the moment so I can't really dedicate but when I get chance I will properly dedicate this to 

I'll also have to properly edit this later but I wanted to update now whilst I'm on a study break so if there're any weird typos, bear with me.

Thoughts on the chapter?