Swapping Spit (Nouis) [under editing]

Chp 35-Reunited with 3/4 of the Lads

"Nothing!" they say.

So Niall continues, with a slightly confused expression, "Okay, so then we called John, our detective, and he checked the security footage, and we saw you buying medicine from the cashier. The cashier said you were sick with the flu or something."

"Yeah, I was. It was something awful, felt like a cow had died inside of me or something. How are you, Ni? Are you better?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now. You?"

I nod my head, smiling. "Couldn't be better."

Harry and Zayn burst out in another wave of laughter and the look on Niall's face shows that he is getting frustrated because he doesn't know what they're on about.

"What is so funny?" he asks, throwing his hands into the air.

Harry struggles to speak, "Z-Zayn and I...we hahaha would l-like to know, h-how it is that both ahahahaha, that both of you were s-sick! Basically at the same time! Ahahahaha!"

Niall's face flushes a deep shade of red that begins to creep up his ears.

I look to him and he returns the stare. Silently, my eyes ask if now is a good time to tell the lads. From the sound of their hysterical laughter, they quite possibly already guessed it.

The curt nod Niall gives me is my queue to fess up.

"Well, the reason that both Niall and I were sick," I begin. Suddenly a lump grows in the back of my throat. What if they don't accept us? What if they are disgusted with us being together. My previous doubts and fears of being openly gay come creeping back, dread spreading though my chest like a lead blanket, suffocating me.

But then a new set of more reasonable thoughts push out the negative ones. These are my best friends, who should be nothing but happy for Niall and I. There's nothing to fear.

"Niall and I, we are dating."

Zayn and Harry are shocked into a silence. Niall's face is one of pure apprehension as he and I await our friends' interpretations of the news.

Then Harry and Zayn break out into applause. Hooting and hollering, Harry turns to Zayn and demands, "You owe me twenty bucks. Pay up!"

"Wait," I say. "You betted on us?!"

Harry flashes his signature cheeky grin. "Yep. Looks like I was right all along."

Zayn fishes out a twenty dollar bill from his jeans pocket and hands it over.

The relief spread across Niall's face, I have to admit, is adorable. He lays his head on my hospital bed, taking my hand in his.

Zayn asks, "So how long have you two been together?"

Niall speaks up, "We made it official the day we went to the bar. That also being the day Louis was abducted."

"But you had feelings for each other before that, right?" Harry asks.

"Oh yes, our feelings had slowly developed and evolved over the course of our month long vacation in California," I say matter of factly.

"I told Liam the other day about us, Lou. I just had to tell someone, you know?" Niall says to me.

I nod and smile. "I get it Ni. No more secrets after this." I turn to everyone. "I promise. No more secrets."

"Speaking of Liam...where is he?" I ask.

Zayn remains silent, looking to Harry and Niall. Harry looks like he's internally struggling with something. Niall looks pale as a ghost.

"Is something wrong...?"