Aubrey's P.O.V.
Quiet and lonesome, I sat at my kitchen table, mindlessly stirring my spoon in my tea. With each sip of the herbal beverage, a frail sense of tranquility began arising inside me. Aside from the obnoxious sipping noises my mouth made when I drank, the continuous ticking of the clock sounded to my right. I looked down at my hands, and immediately my eyes zeroed in on my left hand's ring finger. My finger looked so bare and simple without the ring. The fact that the simple removal of an inanimate object could effect my emotions to such an extent made my head spin. Already dazed from a lack of sleep, I wrapped my hands around my mug before bringing it up to my lips and taking another sip.
Usually I hated waking up this early in the morning, but my mind gave me no other choice. Hardly any sleep came to me last night. Each time I went to lay my head down on my pillow, I remained wide awake due to the excessive amount of stressful thoughts roaming my mind. Niall spent the night yet again, even though I told him countless times he could go back to his hotel. Come to think of it I didn't even know how long he was staying here in New York. Regardless of his departure, I hated being a burden to him. All I did was cry and whine to him, while he just sat there like sponge, soaking up all my tears and misery.
Niall treated me with so care and compassion, I actually became overwhelmed by it all. I knew he didn't expect anything in return from me; his personality held those two qualities, so he couldn't help but express those emotions. But Niall also loves me, which still baffles me to this day. Why? I possessed nothing special, and that aspect was made perfectly clear for me only a few days ago. Pete distorted my entire perspective on relationships. I mean cheating on me twice must mean something, right? If I drove him to the point of cheating on me while we were engaged, obviously I was the problem. Then it hit me; I truly am the problem.
All I have ever done is hurt Niall; I mean it was always the ultimate result of my actions. Yet he still continues to hold this strong admiration for me, and my heart constricted at that. Of course I love Niall, I never stopped, whether it be as friends or more than that. As I had told him, he left a huge imprint in my life and nothing could erase it. My heart held such a big place for Niall. Currently, though, I didn't know what, or who, I wanted. Neither my heart nor my mind were anywhere near being stable enough to establishing such strong feelings of attraction for anyone, even Niall. Everything continued to topple and topple onto my plate. I loathed every single aspect of it.
Hurried footsteps rushing into the kitchen immediately broke me out of my desolate thoughts. Adam flashed me a tired smile while he adjusted the belt buckle wrapped around his khakis. "Morning sleepy head," I chuckled as I reached over to the center of the table to grab the lunch I had made him earlier.
A yawn escaped Adam's mouth before his eyes opened up a bit more. His brown hair was swiped straight across his forehead, nearly overlapping his eyebrows. I made a mental note to take him for a trim this weekend before his hair grew long enough to cover his entire face. "Hi, thanks for the lunch," he said as he took a seat at the table.
"You're welcome," I replied, placing both my elbows on the table. "Are you taking the bus today or is Logan's mom picking you up?" I asked.
"The bus," his reply sounded out, mixed in with a yawn.
"When did you go to bed last night?" I raised an eyebrow. Adam usually was tired in the mornings, but never anything this extreme. He looked like he was about to fall asleep at any time.
"Like midnight," he shrugged.
"You're crazy," I shook my head at him and getting up to make him some breakfast. Opening the top cabinet, I grabbed a bowl before filling it with Fruit Loops, Adam's favorite cereal. Ironically enough, my favorite was Lucky Charms, but only because I had an obsession with marshmallows. No other reason. After filling the bowl with milk, I pulled a spoon out for him from the drawer and placed the bowl in front of him.
"Do you want some French toast too?" I asked him while he dug into his cereal. Vigorously shaking his head, he continued to stuff the fruity grains into his mouth. I took that as a no and sat back down, just watching Adam sloppily eat his cereal.
"When I get home later today, I'm bringing my emergency card for you to fill it out," Adam said.
"I filled it out at registration though," I replied, certain I submitted it to his school before the school year even started.
"Well yeah, but I think they said Pete's number was missing or some thing like that," he explained before resuming eating his breakfast. The gears in my head came to an immediate halt upon hearing this. At the time, besides Lauren, Pete was the only other person I trusted enough to be contacted in case something happened to Adam, and I didn't answer. Now, obviously, his information would not only be deleted off of the emergency card, but my life too.
"Just bring it home and I'll take care of it," I muttered, taking another sip of my tea.
"Are you okay Aubrey? You look like you're depressed," he nervously said.
"I'm fine, just a little heart broken is all," I replied. Adam nodded his head at me, but I could tell he still was concerned about me. A brief moment of silence followed before I spoke up. "Pete and I broke up, so we're not getting married anymore." I hadn't really mentioned to Adam what exactly happened between Pete and I. Adam noticed my tear stained eyes and sullen mood, but I simply told him Pete and I were having a few problems.
Adam stayed silent for a few more seconds, his expression contorting from tired to shocked. He placed his spoon inside his bowl, got out of his chair, walked over to me, and enveloped me into a tight hug. My hands automatically pulled him closer to me and never wanting to let go. I finally felt like I was patching a few more wounds up. Don't get me wrong, Niall comforted me in the best of ways, but he wasn't family. I longed for my mom, dad, or aunt to be here and just hold me while I cried my heart out.
"I'm sorry Aubs," Adam whispered, loosening his grip around my shoulders.
"It's not your fault Adam," I sighed, "I should have been more careful."
"If it makes you feel any better, I wasn't his biggest fan all that much," Adam chuckled. My lips curved into a light smile and as a result, I let out a small chuckle. "I like Niall a lot better," he added before sending me a wink.
"He and I are just friends," I denied. Adam pulled away from me and shot me a look of disbelief. His feet took a few steps back, all the way towards the entry way, and he grabbed his backpack. As he looped each of his arms through the straps, a look of concentration replaced his previous expression. Teenagers and their hormones, I swear.
"Okay stay blind, but he didn't shut up talking about you last night on the phone," Adam said, walking over to me and taking one final bite of cereal. I felt mouth shrivel up at his words. More unanswered questions formed inside my mind. With more questions looming my head, I became more and more nervous to know the answer.
"Eavesdropping on other people's conversations is rude, Adam," I said. Adam rose an eyebrow at my statement and snorted at such a response.
"It's not rude when it's your sister's boyfriend." He winked at me before running out of the kitchen. Just like that, I felt my jaw slack and my mouth dropped wide open. I don't even know where Adam would get the idea that Niall and I were anything more than friends. So what if he talked about me over the phone, that didn't imply we were romantically involved. "Have a good day Aubs!" I heard his loud voice travel all the way back the kitchen. In a matter of seconds, I heard the front door slam shut, indicating he took off for school.
Still in disbelief at Adam's words, I ran both my hands through my hair. Curiosity surged through my veins now. I wanted to know what Niall was saying about me, and to who. It's not that I wanted to pry into his personal life, but I was intrigued as to what he had said. After finishing my tea, I placed my mug in the sink and made my way towards the guest room where Niall slept last night. After my aunt died and I settled back in New York, I did a bit of renovations around the apartment. As much as I hated turning
my aunt's bedroom into a guest room, neither Adam or I could withstand the pain and misery we felt every time we passed it. All her things safely packed away in storage, I designed it into a simple guest room with a bed, two night stands, a dresser, and a small T.V.
My hands slowly turned the knob, careful not to make a sound, and stepped inside. Niall's back faced me with the puffy white comforter covering his torso and all the way to his knees. Bunched up around his mid-section, his thin, hairy legs shown spread across the baby blue linen sheets covering the mattress. One of his arms loosely hung over the edge of the mattress, each of his fingers curled at the ends. I walked around the bed, towards the window showing New York's business skyline. Niall's face now faced me, and I couldn't help the small flutter I felt inside my heart.
Shield away by his pale skinned eye lids, his shining blue eyes didn't greet me as usual. His plump, pink lips pressed against each other, allowing little huffs of air to escape from between them. One of my hands involuntary reached out towards his head and ran the tips of my fingers along the brunette/blonde tufts sticking out. Niall seemed to stiffen at first, but it must have been my imagination since he remained asleep. I knelt down next to the edge of the bed so I could properly face Niall.
Light freckles spotted the creases right underneath his eyelids. More freckles adorned the sides of his face and lead all the way down to his neck. From what I could see, I realized he was shirtless, revealing his upper body to me. Despite the clump of sheets surrounding chest, my eyes made out the faint ends of his chest hair. Titling my head to the side, more of it became a little more apparent. Slowly, my eyes trailed back up his chest to his neck and all the way back to his face. Every now and then I watched his nose slightly crinkle before his lips would curve into a small smile.
"I remember the first time I ever made you genuinely smile," I whispered, keeping my voice at a very minimum volume. Niall needed as much rest as he could get, and I didn't want to get into the way of that.
"I was so happy that day because I thought you hated me," I continued. My fingers reached out again and began ruffling the tips of his hair. Soft and smooth, exactly how I remembered it. "And for some odd reason, I couldn't withstand you hating me," I sighed out, moving my hand to the side of his face. Each digit of mine ran itself down his thin brunette sideburns, curving around his jawline, and ending at his chin. Bits of stubble poked out and lightly stabbed at my fingers' skin.
"Oh Ni," I breathed out another sigh. All of a sudden, I felt not only my fingers jolt away from Niall, but my entire being jostled backwards. The high pitched ringing from my door bell completely swooped me out of my thoughts and my inspection of Niall's features. Careful not to disturb Niall, I tip-toed my way out and gently closed the bedroom door. Puzzled who would be at my door at nearly nine in the morning, I let out a huff of frustration. I really hoped it wasn't any of my neighbors coming to complain about another leaky bathroom ceiling. Then again, my LUSH order might have finally arrived.
Upon reaching my front door, I straightened out my t-shirt along with my shorts before opening the door. Contrary to assumptions, it wasn't an angry neighbor from downstairs or the middle-aged UPS guy, but instead my best friend stood less than three feet away from me. Lauren's hair flowed down, past her shoulders, and stopped at the mid-section of her dress. She wore a baby pink quarter sleeve dress, that stopped right above her knees, and she paired it with cream crotchet wedges.
"Laur?" I raised an eyebrow at her presence. My mind failed to figure out why she was here so early, especially all dressed up. I mean Lauren loved dressing up, but I knew her well enough that she wouldn't dress like in such a way this early in the morning.
"I thought you'd be ready by now! Why aren't you dressed?" She lightly scolded.
"Ready for what?" I questioned, now confused more than ever.
"Are you kidding me Aubrey? You're the one who made these plans in the first place," Lauren replied in disbelief. I looked at Lauren, who held a look of concern, but remained silent. In a desperate attempt to recall what these plans were, I racked my mind through our most recent conversations. Nothing sparked my memory, though. I hadn't spoken to Lauren since the day before Niall unexpectedly showed up at my house.
"I'm going to be honest with you and tell you I have no idea what you're talking about," I responded, leaning my weight against the door frame.
"We're going to look at dresses! Remember you asked me to take you to the place I got mine at? Ring a bell?" Less than a millisecond passed by before everything rushed back through my mind like a tsunami. Immediately the pain, I tried so hard to push away, flooded back into my heart and caused my chest to ache. Lauren was right; I had asked her less than a week ago to go the same boutique she got her wedding dress at. I wanted to move forward in my life and build my happiness with Pete. So what better way was there than to look at wedding dresses with my best friend?
"Aubrey? Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost," Lauren said as she walked closer to me and took both my arms in her grasp. She still didn't know, and I instantly felt guilty for not telling her sooner. I shook my head before pulling my arms away from her hold and wrapping them around her. Lauren seemed to tense up at my sudden switch of emotions. Nonetheless, she pulled me closer and closer into her embrace. Just like Niall, she soothingly ran her hands down back and whispering words of comfort into my ear.
"Can we go inside and talk?" I said in between my sniffles. Lauren nodded her head before slipping her shoes off and walking inside. The two of us walked in silence through my living room, down the hallway, to my kitchen. Once the two of us sat at the table, Lauren turned her chair in a position where she was directly facing me.
"Hey what's wrong?" Lauren carefully asked.
"Pete's cheating on me," I mumbled. "Again," I whispered, holding back the tears.
"What?" Lauren asked, completely dumbfounded. For the next twenty minutes, I told Lauren every detail of the tragic and brutal events of the past few days. Everything from Niall's surprise arrival here, rushing him to the hospital, all the way to Niall and Pete's fight after Niall's accusations were confirmed right in front of my eyes. Of course, I couldn't forget to tell her Pete choose to cheat on me with my assistant. By the time I finished telling her I fired Rachel, Lauren held me against her chest while I hysterically cried.
"That fucker. Who does he think he is to do that to you?" She fumed while smoothing out the tops of my hair. "I can't believe he screwed you over again," Lauren said in complete and utter disbelief.
"I hate him Laur, so much," I mustered out between my cries.
"Oh Aubrey, you don't deserve any of this," Lauren consoled. "You're so much more worthy of someone way more loyal and trustworthy. You deserve to be treated like a princess."
"I don't know what I did wrong for him to take such extreme measures," I sobbed.
"Aubs, sweetie, you did nothing wrong. He's an ignorant ass who's obviously too insecure about himself, that's why he stopped so low," she said. Pete did get jealous from time to time, but isn't that how boyfriends are supposed to act? I never gave Pete a reason to make him think I didn't love him. He fully knew how much Niall meant to me, even before we began dating again. He shouldn't have gotten involved with me in the first place if he knew of Niall and I's past.
"I'm going to have Ryan beat the shit out of that motherfucker," Lauren grumbled. For the first time in a while, I couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Ever since I met Lauren, she swore like a sailor anytime she became angry and aggravated. Although, I always found it funny to hear her talk in such a way because I was so used to her caring and compassionate words.
"Are you laughing?" Lauren questioned, pulling my head away from her chest. My hands wiped the tear droplets away from underneath my eyes before I nodded my head. A grin took over Lauren's angry expression, and in a matter of seconds her laugh filled the kitchen atmosphere. Her laughter died down all too soon, though, and she went back to being her serious self.
"Don't think any less of yourself now, okay? In fact this happened for a reason because you don't deserve someone who makes you feel forced to be with them." Lauren's words comforted me, but I still felt like I contained some flaw. "And if I'm being honest, I thought he was too serious for you," She light-heartedly added.
"I love you so much, you know that?" I asked her before wrapping my arms around her and bringing her into my embrace.
"I love you most Aubs," she said, squeezing me even tighter against her. Both of us simply stood there in the middle of my kitchen and hugged one another. I began feeling a bit of closure coming to me. Now that I had poured out my heart to three of the closest people I had in my life, a feel of relief washed over me. Pete's exist out of my life may have been unexpected, but maybe it was necessary for my future. Maybe this was fate's way of telling me that Pete and I weren't meant to be, but rather there was someone else out there for me. I just prayed whoever that someone was, they wouldn't break my heart again.
Niall's P.O.V.
Loud bird chirps mixed in with the constant and obnoxious horns of New York City definitely woke a person up ten times better than an alarm clock. With the sun's blinding rays pouring through the bedroom window so brightly, I barely opened my eyes before having to close them shut. I shifted my body weight around the plush mattress, hoping to wrap an arm around Aubrey. To my dismay, my arm flatly landed against the soft linen sheets adorning the bed and I was harshly reminded, I slept in her guest room last night. As much as I wanted to hold her against my chest last night, I knew she wasn't emotionally stable yet. Aubrey had her limits and bounds, and I was more than willing to respect them. Yet, for some strange reason, I felt as if she was here was with me. I think my imagination was starting to get the best of me.
Finally peeling my eyes open, a plain white wall along with a brown ceiling fan greeted me. I threw my head back against the pillow before unwrapping myself from the messy white sheets constraining half of my body. A large breath escaped my mouth as soon as the comforter was pulled off of me. I wanted to get out of bed, but something was holding me back. By something, I meant the comfortable mattress I'm laying on.
Blindly, my hand reached over to the side table where I had placed my phone to charge last night. Looking at the time, I became surprised that I had only gotten a little over nine hours of sleep. When I ended my call with Louis last night, it was nearing one in the morning. Now, ten a.m. was quickly approaching. Similar to Harry, Louis nearly had a heart attack after I told him the events of the past few days. Again, I constantly reassured him I was fine, and it was Aubrey that I was concerned about.
On the outside, she could tell anyone she was fine, and they'd probably believe her. Not me, though. I knew, deep inside, her heart and mind were a jumbled mess. Her little breakdown last night broke me. Nothing I said made her feel better, but I wanted to be right by her side to reassure her that she didn't deserve any of this. I noticed that she kept pouring the blame on her, when in fact, her arse of an ex, is the one to blame. More and more rage against him built up inside me because I saw first hand how much he had broken Aubrey. I still couldn't believe he had the nerve to cheat on her yet again.
After sending all the lads, besides Liam, a text that I woke up in one piece, I swung my legs over the bed and ventured off to find Aubrey. Liam didn't need to be bothered with anymore of my bullshit, especially while he was on his honeymoon. I know he'll probably be angry with me the minute I tell him what happened, but I didn't have it in me to burden him. Plus knowing Liam, he'd have a ticket booked to fly over to New York in a matter of minutes. By the time he and Sophia return from Japan, I'll be fully healed and back in London.
Except, there was one problem. I didn't want to leave New York because that meant leaving Aubrey. Aside from Aubrey's emotional turmoil and my wounded torso, these past few days have been some of the best ones I've had in a very long time. Unfortunately there had to be a time where I go back home to London. Another week here in the Big Apple wouldn't hurt anyone. While I'm here, though, I could check out a few more properties for Liam's and I's project.
Slowly, but surely my eyes began adjusting to the immense amount of light that was pouring through the window. Too lazy to put on a shirt or pants, I stayed in my boxers and headed out into the hallway. Aubrey's bedroom door faced me as soon as I stepped outside, clearly shut. My feet padded across the tiles of her hallway, being careful not too much noise since it seemed she was still sleeping. Hushed voices sounded out as soon as I rounded the corner of the hallway that led to her kitchen. Two voices could be heard, and one of them I definitely knew. Her voice was so soft and relaxing. It was the kind that sent shivers up my spine, but pleasurable shivers, not ones due to nervousness. As for the other one, my mind somewhat recognized it, but I wasn't exactly certain who it belonged to.
"Aubrey?" I wondered out loud as I entered the kitchen. Based on the looks on their faces, maybe I should have slipped on at least a t-shirt. In my defense, I didn't think anyone would be up, plus even if anyone was it would be Aubrey or her brother. Neither of which would mind me shirtless. On the other hand, her best friend looked extremely shocked to see me waltz in with nothing but my Calvin Kleins on.
I heard Aubrey let out a deep sigh and muttering a faint "Oh God" and bringing her hand up to her forehead in frustration. "Niall, I thought I told you to stay in bed," Aubrey admonished. I raised an eyebrow at her before walking closer inside the kitchen. Her friend, Laura I think her name was, stared at me before smirking towards Aubrey. Aubrey quickly rolled her eyes at her friend before turning over to me.
"I was thirsty," I half-lied. My throat was pretty dry, but I only realized that just now.
"I could have brought it over to you," she said, walking over to the sink, grabbing a cup, and filling it with water. She glared at me while she walked towards me to hand me the glass of water.
"I didn't want water though," I replied as I took the glass from her hands. A flicker of frustration shot through her eyes, and I knew I was pushing her buttons, but it was amusing. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed her friend smiling at the two of us. Aubrey opened her mouth to say something but was halted by the sound of her friend's voice.
"Hi Niall, I'm Lauren, you remember me, right?" She said extending her hand out to shake with mine. I stared at her for a second, a little taken back by how straight forward she was with me. Although from what I can remember, when I first met her, actually the only time I met her, she bombarded me with questions and threatened to chop off my private parts if I broke Aubrey's heart. I can only imagine what she wants to do to Pete, now that he's cheated on her best friend.
"Knew yer name started with an L," I chuckled before extending my own hand out and shaking it. She widely smiled at me before her eyes trailed down my chest, stopping at the few gauze wraps that covered my wounds. Thankfully, the pain had eased a little bit, but I knew I still needed to get the medicine. Not only for health purposes, but Aubrey will have my head if I don't get it today.
"I hope you're okay, after your accident and all," she clarified, still focusing her gaze on my torso.
"Yeah m'fine, jus' stings every now an' then," I causally said. Lauren nodded her head at me and switched her gaze over to Aubrey. Aubrey leaned herself against the kitchen counter, both her hands gripping onto the the marble counter, and her expression remained neutral. God, this girl never failed to confuse the hell out of me.
"Thanks for taking such good care of her," Lauren said, making both Aubrey and I blush. I felt my cheeks instantly flame up, and the fact that my cheeks had a naturally rosy look to them didn't help.
"Lauren," Aubrey sternly said once she brushed off her look of embarrassment.
"And also for beating his ass. He deserved that and more," Lauren continued, ignoring Aubrey. A small chuckle managed to bubble out of me, even though it kind of hurt to laugh.
"Anytime," I joked.
"Well I've got to run, but it was great seeing you again Niall, and I'm hoping you properly heal," she said as she got up and shook my head once again.
"I'll walk you out," Aubrey said, quickly approaching Lauren and grabbing her wrist.
"I wasn't done talking to Niall yet," Lauren said while she turned her head back towards me. I couldn't help but find their friendship amusing. Both of them were complete opposites, yet they treated one another like sisters. I guess the lads and I's relationship was a bit similar to theirs. From what I noticed, Lauren loved to push Aubrey's buttons just like me. Aubrey still put up with it, but she refused to give into it. In a weird twisted way, Lauren and I were similar in the way we treated Aubrey, but only to a certain extent.
"Please continue to annoy Aubrey to no end, she needs some fun in her life," Lauren laughed. Not even a second later, Aubrey was dragging her out of the kitchen and towards the front entrance in her living room. Both their voices, mixed together, traveled all the way to the kitchen. Unsure of what either of them were saying, I shrugged it off and decided to make myself a bowl of cereal. I hadn't been eating properly these past few days, and I was starving. While, I searched Aubrey's cabinet for a bowl, my search came to a halt when Aubrey's footsteps re-entered the kitchen.
"Niall, you're so lucky you're wounded right now or you would not be standing there looking all cute and innocent," her voice sounded so stern, but I knew there was a slight hint of humor lacing it. I slowly turned around to face her only to see her taking a firm stance in the middle of the kitchen with each of her hands placed on her hips. All angry and frustrated, she looked so adorable and I wanted nothing but to kiss those pouted lips of hers. Again, I didn't want to make her uncomfortable and go into an unauthorized zone with her.
"Cute? Ya t'ink I'm cute?" I raised an eyebrow at her before grabbing the white plastic bowl on the cupboard next to the sink. All the color in Aubrey's face seemed to drain as soon as I said that. Wide eyes and shock spreading across her face, she remained speechless for quite some time. I had managed to not only find the cereal and milk but add it to my bowl.
"Stop being an ass Niall," she grumbled.
"I t'ink my arse is pretty cute too, don't ya t'ink?" I playfully joked while mixing my spoon around in my cereal. Aubrey looked straight at me with a glare that probably would have scared the shit out of anyone else but me. As I continued to munch on my cereal, Aubrey took a seat across from me at the table. With every bite I took, her green eyes stared directly at my own. At one point, I saw her bit down on her lower lip and nothing made me crave kissing her anymore than that. I don't know if she was purposefully teasing me, or she truly didn't know what she was doing to me.
"Ar' ya gonna stare at me all day?" I questioned her, breaking our little staring game.
"Finish eating your cereal Horan," she shot back. A little look of amusement replaced her previous angered expression, and I was glad she was finally returning to her normal self.
"I missed t'is," I honestly stated.
"Missed what?" Aubrey immediately replied.
"You bein' mad at me an' tellin' me what t' do. I'm seein' the Aubrey I knew t'ree years ago," I clarified. For the first time since our first ever encounter back at the London fashion show, I came face to face with the Aubrey I initially met in the midst of New York's busy streets. All along, I noticed how unhappy and stressed she was, but today a different aura took over her. Yeah, she still felt the emotional pain from her heartbreak, but I saw her old, happy, and witty self resurfacing. The same one I fell in love with, and the same one I'm still in love with.
"I've always been the same Niall," she denied, shaking her head at me.
"Ya ar' hands down the most stubborn person I've ever met," I chuckled before taking another bite of cereal.
"Am not," she retorted, making me snort.
"See," I said, pointing my spoon at her. Droplets of milk dripped off of the spoon's curve, and Aubrey definitely wasn't happy with that. In one swift motion, she backed her chair up, got up and headed towards the sink, grabbed a washcloth, and came up right behind me. Aubrey's back lightly pressed up against my back as she positioned her upper body around my shoulder and wiped the spilled milk droplets. Her hair's familiar vanilla scent wafted into my nostrils and made me bask in her sweet smell. My eyes looked over to her, seeing her facial expression contort into one of pure concentration. Up close, her eyes brightly glimmered and looked more alluring than I remember them. Random strands of her hair fell all around her face, blocking the contours of her nose and cheeks.
"Are you going to keep staring at me?" She suddenly shot my own words back at me. Aubrey turned half her face towards mine, so that our eyes locked. As if some weird force pulled us together, Aubrey's head leaned in closer to mine. Even closer to my face now, the test stains present against her pale cheeks became apparent. Small traces of red were visible around the emerald green of her eyes. Every emotion swam in those shining orbs of hers. Sadness, pain, misery, happiness, confusion, disappointment. I saw it all. Tiny creases in her lips transformed them into chapped ones, but I couldn't give a damn about that. Just as I moved my head closer to hers, her hand quickly reached up to the corner of my mouth and wiped the edge a few times.
"Had some milk on the corner of your mouth," Aubrey muttered before going back to the sink and running the water over the washcloth. I internally cursed myself for being so naive thinking we were really about to kiss. Aubrey literally just broke her engagement with her fiancé, so I virtually had no chance with her anytime soon. I needed to give her time to heal, but that didn't mean I had to give up on trying to win her back.
"Um thanks," I awkwardly replied. Aubrey didn't come back to the table, instead she retook the position she was in while Lauren was here: leaned up against the kitchen counter. She began playing with her fingers and kept her gaze stuck on her lap and the floor. "What ar' ya doin' t'day?" I asked her, snapping her out of her finger game.
"Well after we get your medicine," she emphasized, "I'm probably going to head over to my office and go over my submission about the upcoming article for the next issue. Then put up a post for a new assistant," she trailed off.
"Cancel all t'at besides the medicine," I grinned at her.
"I can't do that Niall," Aubrey shook her head. "I have dead lines and if I don't find another assistant I'll have work up to my head and then things will never-," I stuck my hand out in order to stop her from rambling.
"One day isn't gonna kill ya Aubs," I stated. She appeared to be contemplating my words. I knew she was trying to keep her mind off of everything that's happened by working, but honestly that'll only stress her out even more. Aubrey needed to go out and destress for a little bit. "Come on, ya know a need a personal day off," I pushed. Aubrey let out a sigh before looking up at me. I already knew her answer just by looking at the slight upward twitch of her lips.
"Go put on a shirt then, oh and pants," she said, a small giggle following her light-hearted command. I shot her a wide grin before getting up and making my way towards the guest room. Luckily I had brought my carry on with me where I packed a few extra tees and jeans inside. Slipping my arms through my half sleeve white shirt, I grabbed my light washed jean shorts and pulled them over my legs. After running my hands through my hair a couple times, I put on my black vans before grabbing my phone and wallet. Once I ensured I had all my belongings, I left the room and made my way towards Aubrey's living room.
*
"Niall, stop throwing sand at me," Aubrey giggled as she brought both her hands to cover her face.
"I think I read somewhere sand is really good fer the skin," I jokingly replied before grabbing another handful of the golden sand and pouring over Aubrey's legs. Rather than going to see a movie or shop around, I decided going to the beach would help clear Aubrey's mind. Alex, my driver, allowed me to use the car on my own for a couple hours before I had to return it, due to the rental policy agreement. Anyways, Aubrey and I stopped at the pharmacy first thing after we left, bought my medicine, and then headed off towards one of New York's shorelines.
There weren't too many people around here which brought even more piece of mind to the both of us. Aubrey's mood lightened up tenfold just at the mere mention of going to the beach. It made me so happy to see her finally veering away from that desolate state of sadness she had been immersed in the past couple days. To be honest this wasn't even a date; simply two friends relaxing on the beach together.
"You're a horrible liar, you know that?" Aubrey said before pushing my hand away with her foot. "Sand is a bunch of tiny rock grains, something that will not help your face."
"Mine?" I pretended to be offended. "Ya told me I was cute t'is mornin', what changed yer mind?" I asked, my voice laced with humor. Aubrey titled her head sideways so she faced away from the emerging waves headed towards us. An expression of pure amusement covered her face, and I could tell how hard she as trying not to laugh. Not able to hold it much longer, she burst into a small fit of giggles. The sound of her laugh brought so much comfort and pleasure to my ears. Her laughing because of me made extremely giddy. I had missed being the cause of her laughter, and I relished in every bit of it.
"Yer happy t'day, yeah?" I asked her a little while after her laugh died down. She kept her gaze locked on the blistering sun shining above the crystal blue ocean water.
"Right now yes," she mused. "But when I leave here, everything will just rush back into my head." Her tone sounded so defeated and fragile.
"Aubrey, I know it's easier said than done but ya need t' try an' ignore it. Ya have so much t' look forward t' now, especially with yer job. Don't let him ruin the rest 'f yer life," I said.
"It's just really hard to accept Niall," Aubrey breathed out before leaning her forehead against my bicep. The tiny strands of her hair that poked out sent a tickling sensation up my arms, but I quickly ignored that. Aubrey's proximity was more than enough to capture my entire focus and make my heart skip a couple beats.
"I know, babe, but it has t' get harder before it gets easier," I said.
"I guess you're right, maybe I'll just take it one day at a time," she paused, "I really appreciate everything you've done for me. I'm so thankful to have you back in my life Ni." The fucking nickname. Just hearing it slip off her tongue made me feel all sorts of ways. It's been so long since I've heard it from her. Anytime she would say it to me, an uncontrollable smile took over my face. If it wasn't for the loud and obnoxious ringing interruption of my phone, I would have kissed her.
"D'ya mind if I take t'is real quick?" I pointed towards my pocket. Louis mentioned that Harry would be calling me later in the day, so I assumed that was him calling. Aubrey nodded her head and pulled her head off of my arm, helping me pull myself off of the grainy sand.
As soon as I was a few feet away from Aubrey, I took a look at my phone and recognized the number as Mia's. What the hell. Of all times to be calling me, she chose now. Things between us were over a long time ago. Plus Mia was the one who wanted to completely end things between us and go our separate ways. Sighing, I swiped my thumb across the green button and brought it up to my ear to answer.
"Ello?" I answered.
"Niall," she breathed out. I prayed to God she wasn't drunk.
"Mia, what d'ya want?" I wanted to get straight to the point right away.
"No how are you or anything, huh?" She scoffed at my tone.
"Look Mia, things were long done between us. I don't even know why yer callin'," I breathed out.
"I know and trust me I don't want to be calling you, but I have to," she explained.
"Have t'?" I asked, puzzled by why she was obligated to call me if she didn't even want to speak to me.
"I went to the doctor last week and had a few tests done," she began. Shit, shit, shit, I really hoped this wasn't going in the direction I thought it was going.
"Don't tell me yer pregnant," I nervously pleaded.
"Not quite," she trailed off. An internal sigh of relief released inside of me, but my anxiety levels rose to an all time high. If she wasn't pregnant, then what was wrong with her that I needed to desperately know?
"Mia, what the hell is going on?" I demanded, now even more anxious to see what was going on.
"I was tested positive for syphilis," she responded. Holy shit. "Which means I could have passed it on to you." God damn, I fucked up real bad this time.
A/N: there it is, another chapter! I hope you guys like the little twist I added. I felt like the story was getting a little boring with nothing but Aubrey crying her eyes out, haha. anyways I hope you guys caught all the naubrey moments in this chapter. I meant to add more but I didn't want to move too fast. Aubrey's still really heartbroken and Niall doesn't want to push her into anything she doesn't want.
Also, I'm so sorry for taking so long to update. my summer classes are killing me, plus with work just adds to my stress. word to the wise: never take an online class in college. they are nothing but stress and anxiety. but like I said before, I'm always going to update this story no matter how long I take. I can't leave you guys hanging! All your support keeps me going and going! It means so much to me!
Ramadan Mubarak to all those who celebrate! Hope you're all having a blessed holiday :) as always please vote and comment tons and tons! And remember to enjoy the chapter :) love you guys tons and tons ❤️