BURNS » Niam ✔

9 - In the Same Manner

"I love you too."

But then Liam sat up and Niall could see on his face that he was intently thinking about something. He took off his glasses and put them next to his computer.

"What?"

"Ah. I don't know."

"Yes you do."

He sighed. "Uhm, well... I was just... I was about to... and then I realized...."

"I know."

"You know?"

He nodded. "Yes. I know. You didn't ask when you lifted up my shirt." Then he shrugged. "But I'm ready."

Liam relaxed. "You are?"

"Yes. It's not just the activity itself I'm ready for. I'm ready to love all of you too because I haven't gotten to do that either. Plus, I'm thinking you're right. Maybe I do need a break from that test. We could spend that break making up missed time."

A huge smiled crept on his face and he put his hands on Niall's shoulders. "Oh yes. We can and we will. But there's going to need to be multiple times if we plan to make up for all that missed time."

Niall hummed. "I know. But let's only worry about this time for right now, shall we?"

"Sure."

He leaned down to kiss him again and before they knew it, they were grabbing at each others clothes and undressing each other. It was not just Niall's first time with Liam but it was also his first time ever with anyone. Niall had no idea what Liam was thinking but he knew it must have been such a relief to hear him finally tell him he was ready. He'd been waiting for a long time to hear him utter those words.

The first time their naked bodies began to move together, Niall was so happy that he felt like crying tears of joy. He had a tight feeling in his chest and another twisting feeling in his stomach. This was the first time in years that he really felt free in his body. It was the first time he wasn't ashamed of what he looked like. So he was able to enjoy being tangled up with Liam and love him the way they both always wanted to.

Liam was very gentle as he'd promised. He didn't want to make the whole experience of taking Niall's virginity one to forget as opposed to one to remember. He was sweet and patient, and when Niall came and slowly began to come down from his orgasm, he carefully wiped the sweat from his forhead with his thumb and spoke softly to him.

When they were finished, Niall bawled up in the bed with his head on his pillow. Liam was across from him and they were just looking at each other.

"For our anniversary, I want to go somewhere for the night." Niall said.

"Go somewhere?"

"Yeah. Even if it's just an hour drive from here, I want to stay somewhere in a hotel, order food at the restaurant there, eat and go back to the room. Like a short getaway. Because I want to get away from everything we've been dealing with for the last couple of months."

Liam put a hand on his hip. "That sounds nice. And then as soon as you're done with school next month, we'll celebrate and go on a real vacation together. A four or five day vacation."

"Yes. That sounds great. But before that, I have to make sure I share a cinnabon with Sammie since I promised her I would."

He raised his brow at him. "Wait. Did I miss something? Why do you have to share a cinnabon with her?"

He waved a hand at him. "Just because she's Sammie."

He still didn't understand but he decided not to ask too many questions. "Well, after that, then."

"Thank you."

But then Liam pulled Niall over to him so he could lie against him. "I love you more than ever now, you know that?"

"Yeah."

"You're the best housemate slash boyfriend a man could ever ask for. Sometimes I go in the room you used to sleep in and I think about how far we've come with each other."

Niall put a hand to the side of his face. "Very far, didn't we?"

And Liam took that hand so he could kiss it. "Yes. But not as far as I dream of going with you."

Niall wasn't sure what that meant or what sort of plans he had for his future with him but a smile reached his eyes until they sparkled. Before tonight, he had no clue what he was missing out on. But now that something brand new had transpired between them, he understood. There was nothing like loving one hundred percent of the person he loved and having that same person love him back in the same manner.

Maybe it wasn't easy getting to this point. Or if put as less of an understatement, maybe it was extremely difficult coming to love all of himself and then letting Liam follow. But he still did it. And now that he knew, he could honestly say that the love they now shared had the power to melt away any pain, hurt and loss he ever suffered. Tonight was only the beginning of that.