Between The Lines

Chapter Two

"Did I?" His crooked grin spread over his dimpled face as he pushed his glasses up into his dark curls.

"N-No, Um, I don't think..."

"Jeez Harry don't wait for me like, eh?" Niall barrelled through the door a moment later and Harry turned his attention to him with a shrug.

"Thirsty!" He grinned as he turned back to her. "What do you recommend Abbey?"

Ohmafuck, he knew her name. Did she even tell him her name? Abbey absent-mindedly went to touch her name badge, only to remember she'd 'accidentally' left it at home today, feeling her cheeks burn and eyes sting as she forgot how to blink.

"Just a pint for me please Abs?" Niall added, slipping onto the stool occupied by Bert just minutes ago. "Can I call you Abs?"

She just nodded then made the mistake of meeting Harrys expectant gaze. Had he asked her something? He knew her name. Her name was Abbey, and he knew that.

"I'm driving, so something non-alcoholic for me please?" He prompted with a softer smile.

Right. He wanted a drink, they were in a bar and she was the barmaid and he wanted a drink... and he knew her name and had really pretty eyes.

"um, Elderflower?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure" He grinned. "I'll try anything twice"

Drinks sorted in a trance, she handed them over and stepped back.

"Alone today?" Niall asked, but both gazes waited for her answer and found her nodding loosely. The guys shared a look, then nodded over to the corner booth.

"Come sit with us." Harry invited. Abbey glanced at the door then back at them.

"Um..."

"If anyone comes in, just serve them" Harry smiled in a way that would make you give up your first born. Was she in trouble? Did she care?

They each slipped onto a bench opposite one another then looked to her expectantly to choose a seat. She looked between them like heaven and sin and chewed her lip with indecision.

"Wait!" Harry quickly jumped from his seat. "You need a drink too... Sit. I'll fetch it, what would you like? Elder-whatsit too?"

He was already behind the bar before she had chance to answer, watching him grab a bottle from the counter fridge and a glass she took her seat next to Niall as Harry made his way back to her. His lips twisted to a frown as he saw where she was sat he handed her the drink and recovered his smile.

With one eye on the door she ran a finger around the rim of the glass as the silence drew out between them, the heat of Niall's arm brushed against hers as he took a sip of his pint and she lifted her eyes and instantly locked with the shining green of Harry's and bit her lip as he smiled back at her.

"So, Abbey.... Knock-Knock-"

"NO. Harry, no, don't you dare... Abbey, do not encourage this! Do not!"

She looked between them, and Harry arched his dark brow in innocence.

"Knock-"

"DON'T!" Niall warned with a point of his finger

"-Knock?" Harry leant forwards over the table and like a magnet she felt herself move in too.

"Abs don't... I'm warnin' ya'" Niall's Irish accent drawled.

"Who's-" She turned to Niall and stuttered as she heard him groan before looking back to Harry. "-Who's there?"

"A broken pencil...." He smirked as she heard Niall curse under his breath.

"Um, a broken pencil who?..."

Both boys said in unison. "Never mind, it's pointless!"

"Heyyy!!...." Harry objected to Niall hijacking his glory.

It took her a second before the punch line clicked, she tried to hold back her giggle and to her horror she snorted which sent all three of them into hysterics as she buried her burning face in her hands.

"I love a lady, me." Niall said through his laughter and without thinking Abbey did her trade mark move and flipped him off but to her surprise Niall grabbed a hold of her hand, pulled it to his lips and bit it gently. It should have been weird, she should have reacted but that nip quickly travelled straight from her finger down to somewhere far, far different. Jaw slack she quickly recovered as he sucked it wetly, letting it pop loudly from his mouth.

"Ewe! That's just... Boy germs!" She reached to wipe it on Niall's shirt but he dodged and caught her wrist, his hand easily wrapping around her arm, gentle and firm, she gave a shriek as they both fell into laughter and wrestled over her 'boy germ' coated finger. Abbey's other wrist at some point being caught and the giggles dying in breathlessness as she found herself pinned to the seat of the booth.

Harry cleared his throat from the opposite side and both Niall and Abbey's attention snapped to him. She felt the heat rush to her cheeks as she realised she literally had Niall between her thighs in the very public place she worked, with Harry sat watching over his glass of Elderflower soda. Casual, everyday stuff. Not.

Looking back up at Niall she didn't see embarrassment there, but a smirk of amusement lighting his fine stubbled face as he locked eyes with Harry.

Harry coughed again and looked around the bar before seeming to find what he was looking for. "Err, I'm um, I need a wee. Be back in a few." He shuffled out from behind the table and Abbey watched upside down as his long strides quickly carried him away leaving Abbey and Niall alone. She wiggled her fingers, her hands still firmly in his grasp and his weight in all the right places as she looked up at him and smiled curiously.

"Well-" Niall shifted his hips just slightly and Abbey had to suck back her breath to stop a moan. This was wanton embarrassment right here, she must remember to buy batteries on the way home for Monty, her much trusted and used vibrator. "-Now that I've got ya' What should I be doin' with ya'?"

As her mind screamed a thousand suggestions and her favourite place a million more her lips provided nothing but a pathetic whimper making Niall's smile crinkle his eyes as they danced with silent laughter and fondness.

"Should I let ya' go?"

Abbeys head shook without conscious thought for it to do so and as his amusement grew and body shook gently against her with his laughter she was dangerously close to embarrassing herself and found herself thankful she didn't have a penis as evidence.

His voice dropped and took on a husky tone as his accent seemed to thicken, his thumbs doing the most surprisingly erotic thing of massaging her throbbing pulse points of her wrists and she had to stop her hips from rolling the same rhythm as he practically whispered. "Then what should I do?..."

Just as she was about to tell him exactly what he should do and to be damned with the job, unlocked door and Harry in the bathroom, the front door opened with the annoying jingle of that little brass bell.

Niall instantly released her and sat up, her eyes glancing to him back to looking ever the angel as her body cried out missing him with cold abandonment to take in the upside-down vision of a very complexed Bert who was obviously trying to figure out why she was flat on her back in the booth. Must not kill Bert...

"You Ok Bert?" She awkwardly tried to get up, losing the fight for grace and rather resembling a land beached fish before Niall graciously assisted and helped her right herself. Pushing her hair from her face she plastered on her best customer service smile and waited as the deep furrow between Bert's eyes oh so slowly softened as he tried to recover from his confusion.

"I left my phone..."

"Yes, yes you did." She quickly stood, legs not quite working as they should and having to grip the edge of the bar a little tighter as she made her way behind it to hand him back his phone just as his date appeared in the doorway, arms folded over her chest with a surly reddened face as Harry emerged through the bathroom door with the car keys hanging from his hand.

"Niall, we gotta go." He waved his own phone as if in explanation and Niall instantly stood and downed the dregs of his pint and with a wave from each of them the door closed and reality returned.