Leap Year

Febuary 11th

"Yes I'm aware of that Niall, hence the two pairs of fucking boots in your suitcase right now." He couldn't help but smile as he watched his best friend just smirk at him knowing she was totally right.

"What did I do without ya Alice?" Niall watched her arms drop to her sides and give him a small shrug making him laugh as she crossed the room so she was now standing in front of him. It always seemed to hit her out of no where, the sudden fluttery feeling in her tummy and the quickening of her heart whenever he looked at her like he was now. With soft eyes and the beginnings of a smile playing on his lips, it took everything in her not to just open her mouth and let all her feelings out but she just couldn't.

"I try not to think about what you did before we met." He smiled as she placed one of her small hands on his cheek. "Now can you buy me that sushi already? Keeping you off the worst dressed list made me hungry." He flinched when she gave his cheek a pat before turning on her heels to head towards his living room where her purse was currently sitting on his coffee table.

"Oi! Ya arse orders da California roll dats not even real sushi." He followed her into the living room and when he saw her looking at her phone with a frown on her face he felt a small frown take over his own. "Everything okay?" Her head popped up and he watched her put on the fake smile she normally saved for meeting new people or when she was feeling uncomfortable, she rarely tried to use it on him because she knew he could tell the difference.

"Yup, Everything is fine." She pressed the home button on her phone making the image disappear before she locked it. "Let's roll Horan." She gave him a look that she knew would make him just act as if the smile on her face was genuine and when he just grabbed his keys off the coffee table she let out a small sigh of relief.

"Still gutted that you won't come ta New York wit me." He gave her a small pout as she stood next to him while he locked his front door before leading the way to his car.

"Well I may not be there in person but we still have our Valentine's Day Skype dinner date right?" She looked at him with a smile as she got into the passengers side, he just nodded his head yes as he put the key into the ignition bringing the car to life.

"Of course, wouldn't miss it for the world love." He glanced over his shoulder as he backed out of his driveway, she just smiled and adjusted her purse so it was now sitting in her lap.

"Don't think I didn't notice those god awful shoes in your suitcase." she watched him bite down on his bottom lip as she rummaged around in her purse for her chapstick. "You can't sneak anything past me Niall you should know this by now." He knew she wasn't just talking about the white pair of sneakers in the bottom of his bag, he just looked over at her with a small smile when she finally looked him in the eyes.

"I know Alice, trust me I know." He put the car in drive when she broke their eye contact by looking out her window. He knew she always had a way of finding things out, he had a feeling of what she was looking at on her phone earlier but he wasn't going to be the one to bring it up. He wanted to enjoy his night with his best friend before heading off to New York for a week, so he just turned up the radio and headed towards their favorite sushi place.

A few hours and one too many saki bombs later Niall found himself walking a very tipsy Alice up the steps to her apartment. He tried not to laugh when she fumbled around looking for her keys that he held in his hand, she patted her front pockets of her jeans then the back and even went as far as patting her chest to make sure they weren't tucked inside her bra. He watched with amusement as her face scrunched up in confusion when she rummaged through her purse only to come up empty handed, he gave the keys in his hand a little jiggle making the various keychains clink together causing her eyes to go wide.

"You found em!" She stumbled a bit as she threw her arms around Niall's neck pulling him in for a surprise hug. "My hero." Niall couldn't help but laugh as she placed a sloppy kiss to his cheek before pulling away so he could unlock her front door.

"Ya gave em to me on the ride over love." He placed a hand on her lower back after he opened the door. She just giggled as she led the way, he playfully rolled his eyes when she dropped her purse on the floor by the door obviously unaware that she missed the table that she normally placed her keys on along with her purse. He moved his hand from her back to her arm giving it a firm grip so he could make sure she made it to her bedroom without slipping, he knew she wasn't the most coordinated person so when alcohol was added to the mix it just made it worst.

"M'gonna sleep so good." She turned and looked down at the hand on her arm making Niall raise an eyebrow when he watched her bottom lip poke out in a slight pout. "Why are they so rough? Need better lotion." She stated as she eyed his hand a moment longer before smiling at the sight of her bed.

"I have good lotion ya arse, it's dat fancy stuff that smells like dat perfume you used ta wear that reminded me of my nan." She just waved him off as he let go of her arm so she could flop face down onto her perfectly made bed. He shook his head as he helped her roll over onto her back, he quickly slipped off her shoes and before he could stop her she was undoing the button on her jeans.

"That lotion is dryin you out." He rolled his eyes and bent down to pick up her shoes as she shimmied off her jeans before getting under the covers. He was used to this, she never liked to sleep in pants not even the nice silk ones he'd bought her for Christmas one year. "Lemme see." He placed her shoes neatly by her nightstand as she held out her hand for him, he could tell she was planning something by the way a small little smirk appeared on her face.

He reluctantly placed one of his hands in hers and when she quickly placed her other one on his forearm he knew what was about to happen. He braced himself as she tugged on his arm dragging him down onto the bed with her in a fit of giggles. He groaned a little as he situated himself next to her, his hand still in hers but now she was turned on her side facing him with a sleepy smile on her face.

"A week is seven days." She was looking at his hand, running her thumb over his knuckles as she spoke. He watched her eyelids begin to droop as she turned his hand so she could run a finger over the rough parts of his palm.

"M'glad ya know how long a week is love." His tone was playful and he saw the corners of her mouth twitch upwards as she fought back a smile. "S'not that long, I'll be back before ya know it helpin ya pack for Ireland." He watched a full blown grin take over her face, the kind of grin that made her eyes light up and the small dimple on her cheek to be seen.

"M' excited about that." She yawned making Niall chuckle as he slowly removed his hand from her loose grasp. She turned so she was laying on her stomach causing her hair to fall into her face, he reached over and tucked the strands behind her ear making her smile. "Too good for me." She mumbled into her pillow as her eyes slowly closed.

"Oh enough of that." Niall whispered as he leaned over and placed a little kiss to the top of her head. He slowly rolled over and swung his legs over the edge of the bed careful not to disturb her. "Love ya Alice, sweet dreams." He whispered as he walked to her side of the bed, he pulled the covers up around her shoulders and placed one last kiss to her head before standing up straight and heading for the front door.

She heard the sound of her front door shutting as she cuddled closer to her pillow, a small sigh of content escaped her as she finally fell into her deep sleep. Niall looked at her apartment building as he started his car, he knew she would wake up with a massive headache and probably a slight hangover. But this time he wouldn't be around to take her for a greasy burger with fries and a milkshake and he didn't know why for some reason it made him feel guilty. He just shook the feeling off as he backed out of his parking space and headed for his house as the thoughts of his upcoming trip filtered through his mind.

"It's only a week, she will be fine, what could possibly happen in the span of seven days? Nothin life changin." He thought to himself as he pulled into his driveway, he had taken trips without her before and besides they had a Skype dinner already planned. He locked his car before entering his house and laughing a little when he saw his packed suitcase sitting on his bed, he knew right then and there that everything was going to be fine.