Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Sixty-Six

Niall could only pretend to watch whatever cartoon that was keeping Chloe happily occupied, not only because Liam was there, occupying nearly every thought he had, as he often did, but because something nagging at him, one of the few thoughts that wasn't occupied entirely by Liam and how much he'd missed everything about him, reminding him that he'd done something stupid, risky, something that he'd probably come to regret, only he wasn't sure what the fuck he was supposed to do about it, and the warmth of Liam's body behind his and the familiar feeling of Liam's fingers tracing over his hips meant his thoughts kept wandering on to less crucial matters.

Eventually, after an episode and a half more of whatever they were watching, Chloe got bored, sitting up and swallowing the rest of her drink before she turned to look at the two of them and asked what they were going to for the rest of the day.

Liam had to think for a second, sharing a look with Niall who'd shrugged almost imperceptibly, leaving the ball in Liam's court. He checked the time on the TV, mentally running through the plans he'd made to think of something that wouldn't really conflict with him effectively being on lockdown and that would appeal to the seven-year-old before he said, "Well, poppet, it depends. It's eleven am, practically lunch time, and the beach'll be too busy now. I have sound check at four, so we have to be back by then...there's a diner, though, across the street from here that I think you'll like, we could go for lunch, and then there's the hotel pool you two could go to whilst I'm at soundcheck. Sound okay?"

It took a second for Chloe to think before she nodded, standing up and allowing herself to be corralled in the direction of the shower and her clean clothes, wrinkling her nose as she padded back into the living room, intending to ask how the shower worked and overheard her parents' conversation.

"Are you okay with that plan? We can do something else, I just thought we'd start off relatively relaxed, leave the bigger things for when we have more time."

"It's fine, Li. Really. And relaxed is good, I think the jet lag gods are going to kill me, honestly, how do you cope?"

"Experience and coffee. And they won't kill you, I forbid it. The jet lag gods can fuck off...like the hangover gods. You're definitely onboard with lunch then the pool, yeah?"

"Yes. And even more so if it means I get to see you in you in swimming trunks."

Niall had his arms around Liam, grinning as he leant into him, reaching up to kiss Liam, who had one hand sliding into the waistband of Niall's underwear, only to practically jump backwards when he noticed Chloe stood there, awkwardly both looking and not looking at them. Trying to contain his embarrassment and surprise, Niall coughed, refusing to meet Liam's gaze as he asked, "What is it, Chlo?"

"I...don't know how to work the shower." Shifting from one foot to the other, Chloe bit her lip, still not fully able to look at them even as Liam brushed his hair out of his face offered his help. "I'll come and show you, it can be tricky."

Liam followed Chloe into the bathroom and helped her with the shower, leaving Niall stood there, red-faced, reasoning that it wasn't that bad, they were only kissing and Chloe had seen them kiss before. It wasn't like she walked in on anything else, really they hadn't even been kissing. After a while, he pushed the experience from his thoughts and hunted down the suitcase of his and Chloe's belongings, digging out shorts and underwear and a t-shirt of his own and checking through the pile of Chloe's stuff to see what she'd chosen to wear, replacing the tartan skirt she'd chosen to wear, a hand me down from one of the girls on the estate, with her floral top for a pink one that didn't clash quite as horribly.

It took some doing but they were eventually ready to go out, brave the sunny Miami day and the crippling twenty-nine degrees Celsius heat. Chloe had skipped off down the corridor in search of the lift the second they'd headed out and, after his attempt at shouting after had failed, Niall had allowed Liam to link their fingers together and lead him towards the in search of their seven-year-old. They took their time, reasoning that security would be watching the lifts and would hang on to her until they got there, and Liam used the time to revel in the feeling of Niall's hand in his, it hitting him only then how much he'd missed something so simple.