Gilded Gold ⚭ NH

16 | Better Whole Than Patched in Gold

120 Days Until

Back at his apartment, memories flooded Mack like a tidal wave. She was prepared for them, but even she couldn't expect all the mixed emotions she got when she looked around the place. Everything was exactly how she remembered it, but at the same time, very different. Much like the way she felt when she was around Niall.

In the living area, it was the same furniture in the same set up, but there was a new coffee stain ring on the end table, and a tear in the couch near the bottom like someone accidentally kicked it when they walked by. All the gaming figurines were gone from TV stand as well as the systems, only leaving the DVD player and the rows of movies. Everything that was now gone had belonged to his roommate.

"Did Adam leave?" Mack asked, already knowing the answer.

Niall, who was still standing in the entryway watching her, nodded. "Moved out about a year ago."

"Good. I never liked him."

He laughed and stepped through the living space and into the kitchen, the tension broken. "I know," he said. "He didn't like you much, either."

It was true. Adam and Mack would get into some intense bickering matches whenever she was over. They had a knack of getting up in the middle of the night, at the same time, to get something to drink in the kitchen, and woke Niall up countless times with their arguing back and forth about how Mack takes up too much of Niall's free time or how Adam doesn't do enough around the apartment and leaves it all for Niall to do. Mack loved those arguments and found herself looking forward to them. But now that it was gone, she also couldn't say she missed them.

However, even then, standing in the kitchen again, she could easily imagine that happing. Adam's face turning red with anger, Mack's cool and collected as she tried to provoke him to the highest degree, and Niall standing to the side with his arms crossed and shaking his head.

Okay, so maybe she did miss it.

Niall opened the fridge, creating a sliver of yellow light through the kitchen. He took out two beers before closing it, shading them in the darkness once more.

He offered one of the drinks to her.

She closed the distance between them and took the drink, as well as the other one in his hand, and placed them on the counter. Niall's brows furrowed in question, but Mack ignored it and took his hands, which were a little wet from the condensation of the drinks. They were shaking, ever so slightly.

"You're nervous," she stated, her voice a whisper.

He offered her a smile. "It's a good nervous."

Mack brought one of his hands up and onto her chest, right over her heart. She knew he could feel the rapid beating through her shirt. "Me, too."

That seemed to be enough to overcome his nerves, at least for the moment, because he pulled her flush against him and lifted her up into his arms. She let out a low a giggle and wrapped her legs around his slim waist. One of his hands was on her bottom and the other lay gently against her back to keep her steady as he made his way out of the kitchen and into his bedroom down the hall.

However, the moment he kicked the door open and entered, Mack could feel herself slipping from his grasp. Niall tried with everything he had to get to the bed before she fell, but it didn't work and she ended up clinging onto him like a koala as her legs slipped and his grip left her.

Mack was laughing into his chest once her feet landed not so gracefully onto the wooden floors. "Some things don't change, do they?" Niall laughed along with her and Mack could feel the vibrations of it. "Very clumsy, we are. Takes me back to the time in Wes' cabin."