Lessons Learned

Part 11

I nodded and hooked my pinky with his. We shook on it and Niall pulled me in for a hug when we let go. His hands explored my back as he drew me close. "I'm so sorry about what they did to you, you don't deserve any of it," he whispered in my ears. "You are amazing and you deserve to know that."

"Thank you," I murmured quietly. I still didn't believe him, but it was nice that he cared.

"Want to feed the fish?" he asked suddenly as he pulled away. "I forgot to yesterday."

"Fish?" I took the hand that Niall offered me and let him tug me off the ground.

"Yeah," he hitched his thumb over his shoulder. "They live in the pond."

"Oh."

"Wait here," he ran off across the yard, going into the house before returning minutes later with a large container of fish food. He held it out to me and I accepted it. He took my other hand, tanging our fingers together before leading me across the yard towards the small pond.

We stood at the edge of the murky water, looking for the flash of scales underneath the lily pads and green gunk that decorated the surface of the pond. "Do you have to feed them?" I wondered out loud as Niall dropped my hand and kneeled next to the water. He grabbed a stick from the ground and began to prod at the plants covering the water.

"No. Nothing can die in the limbo, so it doesn't really matter. But I like to do it anyway." Niall tossed the stick aside and patted the ground next to him, indicating that I should join him.

"Are you sure there are fish in here?" I smoothed out my dress before getting down next to Niall. "I can't see anything."

"I'm positive," Niall squinted as he searched the murky water for any signs of life. Suddenly a flash of orange caught the sun. "Look there!" Niall leaned forward in his excitement to prove to me that he was right. He accidently leaned a bit too far and tumbled into the murky water.

I let out a cackle, covering my mouth in embarrassment as Niall surfaced. He sat in the middle of the pond, his pretty blue eyes blinking in confusion. A lily pad rested on the top of his dripping blonde hair and there was a streak of green pond scum across his silky cheek.

"Are you all right Niall?" I tried to stifle my giggles but it was hard. He looked so cute and confused sitting up to his shoulders in the murky water.

He reached up and pulled the lily pad off his head. He looked at it for a few seconds before tossing it back in the water and shaking out the blonde hair that was plastered to his forehead. "Yeah I'm fine."

I held out a hand cautiously. I wanted to help him out but I was afraid he might pull me into his murky prison as well. Niall grasped my hand and let me tug him to his feet. He didn't try to pull me into the water and for that I was extremely grateful. Once I got him out he reached back in and took up a handful of the green gunk.

His eyes sparkled playfully as he ran at me with the disgusting pond life tucked tightly in his grasp. "I'm the pond monster and I am going to eat you!" he screamed like a five year old as his skinny legs quickly erased the distance I had put between us when I first saw him grab at the plants. I zigzagged across the yard, knowing that was my only hope of escape because he was a lot faster than me. "You can't outrun me Belly."

I laughed as the wind blew through my blonde hair and raised the cornflower blue skirt of my dress. The irony of my situation was not lost on me. I was more alive than I had ever been, yet I was actually dead. Niall brought out something in me that I didn't even know existed. Before this, I had only ever run to escape humiliation. I had never run for fun and I had certainly never run because an extremely gorgeous boy was flirting with me. It felt oddly satisfying.

"Gotcha," Niall's voice was awfully close to my ear. The next thing I knew I was tumbling to the soft grass with his arms wrapped around me. He landed on top of me, bracing himself over my struggling frame with one hand as he held the pond gunk above me with his other. "Do you give up?"

I nodded.

"Say Niall is the most amazing, most gorgeous, most awesome person ever." He shook the dripping plant over my face in a threating manner. "Say it."

"Niall is the most amazing, most gorgeous, most awesome person ever," I blurted. Niall grinned and climbed off me, tossing the disgusting green blob to the side. I struggled to my feet and smoothed out my skirt. I had water marks were Niall had touched me and where his soaked clothes had dripped on me. "You got me wet," I accused.

"Oh did I?" he raised his eyebrow and let a smirk settle over his features.

"Shut up," I looked for something to throw at him but couldn't find anything so I decided to glare at him instead. He laughed and gave me a bright smile, his blue eyes shining happily. I tried not to be too distracted by his adorable face but it didn't work. I forgot why I was mad at him.

"Now let's go feed those fish," he took my hand again and led me back towards the pond. His hand was wet and clammy, yet I was surprised to find that didn't bother me one bit. He must have realized how cold it was halfway across the yard because he suddenly pulled away and shoved his hands in his pockets instead. "Sorry."

"About what?" I knew it was bad to appear needy, or to show people that they meant something to you, but I reached for Niall's wrist anyway. I tugged his hand out of his pocket and let our fingers tangle together once again. I blushed deeply when he looked at me in surprise. "No one's ever held my hand before, I kind of like it."

His blue eyes sparked to life and he smiled sweetly, an adorably tiny dimple making a home in his left cheek. "I like holding your hand too."

UPDATE BECAUSE @CassieScott