*Katie's POV*
I shut the door quickly, locking it before making my way to the bed.
Paisley. I need to talk to Paisley. Paisley will know what to do. She will help me out of this mess, I chanted to myself as I fished my phone out of my shoulder bag. My hands were shaking as I fumbled with the touch screen, trying to unlock it, but messing up over and over again. I tried to unlock it for the fifth time before a message popped up on my still-locked screen.
You have incorrectly drawn your unlock pattern five times. Please try again in 30 seconds.
"Shit!" I cursed, angrily throwing my phone against the headboard of the bed. A light thump echoed throughout the still room before it landed on Niall's pillow. "Ugh!" I groaned quietly, dropping my head in my hands as I sat cross legged at the foot of the king size bed.
Calm down, I thought to myself as I took a couple of deep breaths, trying to tame my frustration. Just because things aren't going your way doesn't mean you have to throw a fit.
I reached across the bed, grabbing my phone and holding it still. I tried my unlock pattern again, but this time with a steady hand and more concentration. I gave a sigh of relief when it unlocked.
"Finally," I breathed, clicking on my phone app. I hesitated, glancing at the time in the top corner of my small screen. It was already eight o'clock in London. I did the mental math, coming to the conclusion that Paisley would probably be out somewhere, considering it was three in the afternoon in Toronto right now.
Oh well, I thought as I dialled her number onto my screen, holding the phone to my ear as I nervously tapped my fingers against my thigh. I listened as the line started ringing, signalling that it was calling.
"Pick up," I muttered, letting out a shaky breath, hoping that she would. If she didn't pick up I didn't know what I would do.
"Hello?" Paisley's voice rang through the speaker. Yes! She picked up! I let out a sigh of relief before answering.
"Paisley!" I exclaimed, quickly quieting my voice down so Niall or any of the other boys wouldn't hear anything.
"Katie? Hey! How have you been? I haven't heard from you in a while," she said calmly, making small talk. I didn't have time for small talk, though, so I got straight to the point.
"Paisley, I need your help. I got myself in a... situation, and I don't know how I'm going to get out of this one," I explained intensely.
"Oh no. What did you do now?" she teased.
"Paisley, you don't understand. This is serious. If I do the wrong thing I could ruin everything," I clarified. She let out a small sigh before speaking again.
"Start talking," was all she said.
"I... It's just my feelings. There are so many things going on right now. I don't know what to feel or if I'm even supposed to feeling anything for certain people," I carefully tried to explain. I could tell she didn't understand anything that just spewed out of my lips.
"What?" she questioned confusedly. I groaned in frustration.
"See?! I can't even speak properly! Nothing is working out like I thought it would!" I complained, falling back onto the bed as I pressed the palm of my hand to my forehead.
"Alright, calm down. Stop acting like a little girl and put on your big girl pants. You're seventeen for goodness' sakes! Just tell me what happened," she demanded, getting straight to the point. See? This is why Paisley is my best friend. She get's straight to the point; no tolerance for bullshit.
"I bumped into Reece today," I stated dully. She gasped.
"You what?! How? Where?" she exclaimed. I told her all about our run in, and how Niall made me wait in the car so he could take care of it. I also told her about everything else that happened between the boys and I since I got here. I gave her every single detail, surely spending more than a few hours on the phone just ranting to her. But there comes a point in time when every ranter runs out of steam, and when that happened, Paisley was quick to put things into perspective.
"So... you're confused about your feelings for Reece, Niall, Harry and Zayn?" she questioned with exasperation. I rolled my eyes, knowing well enough that she couldn't see it.
"Well when you put it like that it makes it sound worse than it is," I scolded.
"But it is worse than it is, isn't it?" she retorted. I sighed.
"You're right," I agreed sadly. "But, I don't think of Zayn like that any more. He's more like a brother to me, except he's really hot." Paisley laughed. "Plus, I think he's met someone," I added in, thinking back to how distant he's been lately. He would always leave now, saying he was going to see someone. I made sure that I would talk to him about that in after my plate had been cleared, but right now I had my own problems to deal with.
"Okay, so only Reece, Niall and Harry, then?" she asked, trying to clear up my little dilemma.
"Well I kind of despise Reece, so don't count on me getting back with him, because I'm ninety-nine point nine percent sure it won't happen," I explained with a look of disgust. Reece could move to Alaska and never contact me again and I still couldn't care less.
"I see. So you're in a situation where you have to choose your best friend or your potential lover?" she questioned. I took in a deep breath.
Okay, I though with dread, this is the moment of truth. You have to tell her now.
"No Paisley," I sighed, waiting for her to ask me what I was going on about.
"Then what is it? What's your situation?" Paisley almost begged. I paused, finally coming up with the courage to say it out loud.
"I think... I think I'm in love with Niall," I stuttered.
Silence.
"Damn, Katie. You really are in a pickle."
*Niall's POV*
I sighed, tapping my long fingers against my thigh as I sat on the couch, watching Louis and Liam battle it out in a game of FIFA. Zayn was out somewhere with someone, yet none of us knew who that someone was. He has been really shady about it, but we all knew not to pry, knowing that he would tell us what was up when he was ready. Harry was sitting beside me, typing away furiously at his phone. He and Zayn were the only boys that I hadn't told about my feelings for Katie.
Yet.
You see, I sort of sensed from the day Katie arrived that they both had a very obvious attraction towards Katie. Although Zayn's has almost disappeared for some unknown reason, Harry's has only gotten stronger. And I hate to admit it, but I was a little scared to tell him that I loved Katie. Because who knew how he would take that news.
"Hey, Harry?" I asked, calling for his attention.
"Yeah?" he replied, looking up from his phone and into my eyes. I took in a deep breath.
Well, here goes nothing, I thought.
"Do you like Katie?" I asked, analysing his face for any changes that would become present in reaction to my question.
"Is that even a question?" he replied jokingly, lowering his head back to his phone as he commenced his typing. He had made it quite obvious that he liked her. All of us boys could see it, just by the way her looked at her. But the question was: which one out of the two of us liked her more?
In my opinion, that answer was simple.
"Well, do you love her?" I questioned, keeping my eyes locked on him. His head snapped up to hold eye contact with mine; all joking-ness wiped from his face, and in its place, seriousness. He seemed to think about his answer carefully; trying to formulate the proper words.
"Not yet..." he replied, almost unsure of himself. It almost sounded like a question itself, rather than an answer.
"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked with confusion. Not yet? Was he planning on loving her in the future?
"Well I've only known her for so long... I don't love her. But I think I could, if I was given the time," he responded. "She makes it easy."
"But you don't love her," I retaliated immediately. "Right?"
"No, I don't," he confirmed with a tilt of his head and a raise of his eyebrow. "Why?"
"Because..." I started, seeing Liam and Louis turn to look at us in my peripheral vision. "Because I do," I said hesitantly. The two boys quickly turned back around to resume their game, pretending as if they hadn't just heard what I had told Harry. He seemed to process this information before a smirk made its way onto his face.
"Yeah, I know," he chuckled slightly, going back to his phone once again.
"What?" I asked, baffled. How could he know?! I've never told him that before!
"It's kind of obvious, mate," he laughed. I groaned in frustration.
"Does the whole freaking world know?" I exclaimed, asking no one in particular.
"Yes," the boys answered in unison, not taking their eyes off of their screens. This only caused me to groan again as I buried my head in my hands. So it was obvious to everyone in the world. Everyone except the girl that I'm in love with.
And they say it's the luck of the Irish.
Yeah right, I thought with sarcasm. Luck of the Irish my ass.
"I don't know what you're waiting for, mate," Harry said calmly, taking a glance in my direction. "If you don't tell her soon, then I will." I gave him a look that clearly told him I wasn't pleased. "All is fair in love and war," he taunted in a sing-song voice. Just as he was finishing his sentence, my phone started vibrating in my pocket. I got up, making my way to the empty space as I pulled the phone from my sweats, looking at the caller ID.
Jared.
"Jared?!" I whisper-yelled into the voice piece to make sure Katie wouldn't hear. She has been in our room for the past two hours, doing who-knows-what. If this was a surprise of some sort, I wouldn't want to be the one to ruin it.
"Hey, man! How've you been?" Jared's cheery voice rang across the line. I found it funny how, if Katie were a guy, she'd sound exactly like her big brother does.
"Forget about me! What about you? Are you still on your tour?" I questioned, hastily trying to get all of the questions out of my head.
"I'm doing good," he chuckled, probably at how eager I sounded. "I actually just finished my tour, so I get to come home for a bit."
"That's great, mate! Where are you now?" I asked excitedly. I was happy for him. Jared was a great guy; Katie definitely took after him.
"I'm actually at the airport right now, which is why I was calling," he said coolly. I stayed quiet, signalling for him to continue. "I called my mother when our tour finished, and she told me that Katie was in London."
"Yeah, she is," I confirmed with a nod of my head, knowing he couldn't see. "She got accepted into a University over here. She's studying Biochemistry and Genetics or something like that," I smiled. God, I was so proud of her.
"'Atta girl," he approved. I could tell he was grinning just by the way his voice sounded. "Anyway, so I was thinking maybe I could come down and surprise her?" he asked.
"Dude, is that even a question?" I laughed, remembering how Harry had said that a couple of minutes earlier.
"Just making sure," he said happily. "She's living with you, right?"
"Yep, me and my mates," I assured,
"Wait, you and your mates?" he questioned, surprised. I laughed.
"Don't worry, Jared. I made sure that they didn't have anything in mind. We're all just friends here..." I trailed off at the end. Too bad that the friend rule applied for all of us.
Including me.
"Niall? Is there something you want to tell me?" Jared asked hesitantly. Shit. Should I tell him? If anyone knew what to do, it was him. I mean, it was his sister we were talking about.
"Promise not to kick my ass when you get here?" I half-joked, although I was being one-hundred percent serious all the while.
"Well, that depends. Did you get my sister pregnant?" he questioned, just as serious as I was. I laughed, shocked at his conclusion.
"What the hell?! No! No I didn't", I assured. I heard Jared sigh in relief.
"Then we shouldn't have a problem," he stated.
"Why would you even think that?" I asked, still chuckling to myself.
"Because you two freaking love each other. I wouldn't be surprised if you two were already engaged," he said, sounding so sure of himself.
I choked on my own spit.
"Are you okay, man?" Jared asked as he heard my struggles to breathe, laughing breathlessly.
"No," I stated, unamused. "No, I'm not. Why do you think we love each other?"
"Well, I mean... Wait, this is what you wanted to talk to me about, right? The fact that you're in love with Katie?" he asked suddenly, as if making sure that we were both on the same page. I let out a tired sigh.
"Yeah. I guess there's no point in trying to hide it. I need your help, Jared. I don't know how to tell her without freaking her out," I explained sadly. Jared let out a small chuckle from across the line.
"Niall, I don't know what to tell you. I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't tell her. You know, cause she's dating Reece and all," he sighed with frustration. Anyone with eyes could see that Jared did not approve of Reece.
At all.
"Yeah, about that... they kind of... broke up," I informed.
"They did? Finally!" he exclaimed happily. I laughed lightly, not finding it nearly as funny as he did. Trust me, I would have if it wasn't for the fact that they broke up because Reece cheated on her. Jared sensed my apprehension towards the subject of their break up. "Why did they break up?" he questioned carefully.
"Because the bastard cheated on her," I spat through clenched teeth. God help Reece, because the next time Jared comes face to face with him, he will receive the beating of a lifetime.
"He what?!" Jared's voice raged through the speaker.
"I already dealt with him," I explained, hoping to reassure him.
"That fucking prick. I'm going to beat the sh-" he started to threaten, but I cut him off.
"Jared, maybe we should get back to the subject before?" I questioned. He took a deep breath.
"You're right, I'll deal with him later," he promised with disgust laced into his voice. "Well, since they've broken up, now's the chance to tell her, my friend."
"But what if I ruin our friendship?" I questioned with paranoia.
"Trust me, Niall. Katie's a tough girl. She's Army strong. She wouldn't let something as silly as a failed relationship between the two of you ruin a life-long friendship. It's just not how she works." Jared reassured. I gave a sigh of relief. If Jared thought this, then it must be true; him and Katie were like the same person in two different bodies. They knew exactly how each other thought.
"But how should I bring it up? I mean, she's locked herself in our room for the past two hours doing who-knows-what. She said she had to think, and that she needed the time and space. What the hell am I supposed to do with that?!" I asked with exasperation.
"Niall, stop freaking out. This is Katie we're talking about. You know her like the back of your hand. If you feel that this is the right thing to do, then it's the right thing to do; no questions asked," Jared encouraged. "If anything, give her time. That stupid dick of a boyfriend obviously broke her heart. Tell her how you feel and then wait. She needs time, Bro. Chances are she's in her room talking to Paisley, trying to work out her feelings or some shit," he laughed. I snickered. Jared was definitely the funniest guy I knew.
"Alright. So tell her, give her time to think about it, and then what? What if she doesn't like me back?" I asked.
"Trust me, Niall. She will like you back. She's loved you since she could talk. And if she says that she doesn't, she's either drunk and doesn't know what the hell she's saying, or she's high as fuck and doesn't know what the hell she's saying," he said seriously. I laughed loudly, before quickly lowering my voice so Katie wouldn't hear.
"Jared, I'm going to do what you told me. But if this doesn't work out, I'm blaming the life-long friend ship with her that I've lost entirely on you," I said sternly. He let out a bark of laughter.
"Remember to thank me when you guys are married with kids running wild all over the house," he said with happiness. I grinned, picturing the thought in my head.
"Will do," I agreed, silently praying that it would be my reality in the near future.
"Oh, and Niall?" he added.
"Yes?"
"Be yourself," he stated over the phone. I smiled.
"I'll try," I promised.
"Alright, good luck, man. See you tomorrow!" he said.
"Thanks," I said gratefully. "For everything. See ya, Bro." The call disconnected. I took a deep breath.
This is it. I'm gonna do it, I thought, giving myself a pep talk. I'm finally going to do it.
I made my way up the stairs, shaking out my arms as I rolled my neck from side to side.
You can do it, you can do it. Don't chicken out now. Don't be a wuss. Worse comes to worse, we stay as friends.
I walked up to my bedroom door, pausing before I knocked when I heard Katie's voice come from the other side.
"...don't want to ruin it, you know?" she whispered. I wondered who she was talking to. "But what if it does? What if he doesn't feel the same way? ... Of course I love him... I'm just scared to be in love again. I don't want to be broken again. It hurts too much," she said sadly. It broke my heart to think that Katie was unhappy. She didn't deserve that.
I finally mustered up the courage to bring my fist to the door, giving three quick knocks. "Katie? Can I come in?"
"I have to go, Paisley. Thanks for your help... Love you, too. Bye," she said, hanging up before coming to the door and unlocking it. There she stood, looking tired as ever and yet she was still the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. She had on one of my baggy tee-shirts and a pair of Adidas short shorts. Her long, brown hair was all messy and distressed but it made her look cute nonetheless. It was her eyes that got me. The big green eyes peering up at me were puffy and rimmed with red; most likely the after affects of crying.
"Hey," she greeted with a small smile, her voice scratchy. She quickly cleared it, blush evident in her cheeks as she moved aside, signalling for me to enter.
"Hey," I breathed, talking a seat at the foot of the bed. The sheets were all tangled up and there were tissues on her bedside table but I couldn't care less. All I could think about was that I loved her and it was time that she knew it, too.
"So...?" she questioned quietly, closing the door and making her way to stand in front of me. I fought the urge to pull her in by the waist and press my lips to hers.
"So? Have you thought about the stuff that needed thinking about?" I asked cheekily with a small smile plastered on my lips. She cracked one that matched my own, nodding her head.
"Mhmm, I talked to Paisley. She helped me figure some things out," she informed.
"What kind of things?" I question curiously. I took notice in how she cautiously took hold on my hand, entwining our fingers.
"Things about a lot of stuff. Things about love, things about school... just things," she shrugged.
She was so fucking cute.
"Oh, yeah? And did you figure out those things yet?" I questioned, giving her fingers a squeeze.
"I think so, now I just have to face them. The only problem is, I'm scared of what the outcome might be," she said, the worry evident in her trembling voice.
"I came up here for kind of the same reason..." I tried. "I- I have to tell you something."
"Tell me what?" she asked innocently; eyes filled with curiousness.
"I know you just broke up with Reece, and you said your feelings were all over the place, and maybe this isn't fair to you, but I really just think you should know," I explained. She looked down at me, tilting her head to the side, signalling for me to continue.
No backing out now.
"I want you to answer something for me," I started, pulling her closer by a tug of the arm.
"Anything..." she whispered, giving my hand a squeeze.
"Be honest with me," I stated, taking a deep breath. "What are your feelings for me?"
Shock.
Katie was shocked; anyone would be able to see it just by the way her eyes widened in surprise.
"I- I..." she stuttered. She let out a big breath, finally giving in. "What do you mean? What do you want me to tell you?"
"Do you love me?" I blurted out before I could stop myself.
Shit! Fuck! I'm such an idiot!
"Of course," she answered confusedly. "Of course I love you." I shook my head, letting out a short, restless chuckle at her naivety.
She doesn't get it.
"No," I said, still shaking my head slightly as a small smile played on my lips. This is it. The make or break moment. It all comes down to these next few words. "Not like that," I said, peering up at her to see her reaction. Her soft, pink lips formed an o as realization hit her.
Well, can't turn back now, I thought to myself.
"Katie, I - I think I love you," I confessed, all the while looking into the piercing green orbs of hers that I loved so much. Her jaw dropped open, before quickly closing it. To say her cheeks were red would be an understatement. "No, never mind. I know I love you. I do," I said surely, feeling relieved that I could finally say it out loud, to her face. I gently took her chin into my pointer finger and thumb, directing her gaze back to me when she tried to look away.
There. I said it. Now she only had to say it back. I nervously bit on my lower lip, keeping eye contact with her wondering gaze. My palms were starting to sweat at the thought of being rejected. I needed an answer out of her before I would go mad.
"I'm in love with you, Katie."
*Katie's POV*
I was frozen.
I could tell that Niall was freaking out in his head; I still hadn't said anything back. I was too busy listening to my thoughts in my head ramble one hundred miles a minute. I mean, what was I even supposed to say? He said it! He finally said he was in love with me! And here I was, just staring at him like I didn't understand anything he just said.
I mean, of course I was in love with him. But I didn't want to take the risk of getting hurt again. Being hurt by Reece was hard as it was, but to even imagine being hurt by Niall like that? I couldn't even wrap my head around it. And what about Harry? Poor Harry was probably downstairs right now, and didn't have a clue about what was going on in the confines of this bedroom. I felt horrible for flirting with him the way that I did, even if he didn't like me like that. I was just a messed up teenage girl, trying to figure out her problems to no avail. Why someone as good as Niall was in love with me was beyond me. I was just a confused, heart-broken, scared girl.
And I was scared that one day, Niall would wake up and realize that, too.
"Shit," Niall cursed under his breath as he watched a tear roll down my flushed cheek. "I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm so sorry! We don't have to have a relationship. Nothing has to change between us. I just wanted to let you know how I felt, or else I would have regretted it. You don't have to love me back. Be with whoever you want, I just want you to be happy, okay?" he rambled. I stared at his sad eyes, completely stunned. He thought that I didn't love him back?! Was he crazy?
"Please, stop crying," he begged, holding my hands in his. "Tell me what's wrong."
My lips trembled as I tried to keep in a sob. I didn't deserve Niall. He could do so much better, and yet, I refused to let anyone else have him.
"I think I'm in love with you, too," I confessed, a watery smile spreading across my lips. His eyes lit up at once, looking at my face with a look of astonishment.
"You do?" he questioned, breathlessly.
"Mhmm," I mumbled, quickly wiping my tears away.
"So then why are you crying?" he chuckled softly, pulling me towards his chest so that I was sitting in his lap, my head tucked into his neck.
"Because I just - I'm so happy," I explained, my smile growing.
"Oh, thank God," he whispered, the relief evident in his voice as he ran his fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes; eyelashes tickling the skin of his neck. "I love you."
My heart fluttered at the words leaving his mouth, now holding a different meaning than before. When we used to say it, we were talking about friendly love, the type you would say to your best friend. But now it was different. Now when we said it, it meant that we were in love.
"I love you too," I whispered. "But I'm gonna need some time," I said hesitatingly, not knowing how Niall would take it.
"Time for what?" he questioned.
"Time to figure some things out," I sighed. "I don't know if I can be in a relationship just yet," I said warily. Niall stayed silent, and I felt like I had to give him an explanation. "After the break up and all, I've been finding it hard to... trust people."
"I know. I know you have," Niall reassured, rubbing my arm up and down with his big, warm hand. "I don't want you to feel pressured into this. We can take it slow; as slow as you like. I'll give you all the time in the world, just as long as I get to end up with you," he whispered. "And I know that sounded cheesy as hell, but it's true. I'll put you're heart back together. I'll teach you to love again, like you did before. I'll treat you right, I promise. You'll just have to trust me."
"I trust you," I replied without hesitation. He smiled.
"Good," he murmured, kissing the tip of my nose before giving me a cheeky smile. "I love you."
I grinned at him.
"Say it again," I requested. He chuckled, before complying.
"I love you," he said proudly.
"Again."
"I love you," he repeated without hesitation. "I love you, I love you, I love you. To infinity and beyond, I love you."
"I love you too," I grinned. Niall's face lit up as he listened to those words flow past my lips. His eyes connected with my lips before looking back into my eyes.
"I want to try something," he mumbled, flipping me off of his lap so that I was lying with my back against the mattress.
"Niall!" I squealed with surprise.
"Shh," he shushed with a cheeky smirk, lifting my body as he knelt beside me on the mattress. He flopped me down again in the middle of the giant bed. "I'm doing an experiment."
"What kind of experiment?" I giggled. His facial expression turned semi-serious has his face hovered close to mine.
"You said no to relationships, right?" he questioned. I blushed, slightly nodding.
"Only for now. Just until I feel ready again," I said softly.
"Okay," he nodded in agreement. "But am I allowed to kiss you?" he asked. My heart stopped. He wanted to kiss me?!
"Um - I... I don't know," I mumbled, blushing even harder. He laughed lightly, brushing his knuckles across my cheekbone.
"You're adorable," he cooed. "I need you to do something for me," he said with a slight raise of his eyebrow.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Tell me what you feel when I do this," he said slowly, eyes not leaving mine as he trailed his rough fingertips up my arm. Goosebumps were left in his trail.
"I - I don't... know," I stuttered, completely mesmerized my his sapphire eyes.
"Do you want me to stop?" he questioned. I shook my head, not being able to find my voice. "Good," he breathed, before slowly moving his face closer to mine, giving me time to stop him.
I didn't.
"What about now?" he murmured. Once again, I shook my head. He then leaned forward, pressing a kiss to the corner of my mouth.
My breath hitched.
I knew what was coming next. I closed my eyes, tilting my head up to meet his. The tip of my nose rubbed against side of his, breath mingling together as I pulled back slightly, hesitating. He let out a small chuckle.
"You're such a tease, Katie," he muttered, planting another kiss, this time along my jaw. I gasped quietly, liking the feeling of his lips caressing my skin.
"Shut up and kiss me, Niall," I said breathlessly. Niall eagerly complied, swooping his lips to level with mine. He paused, giving me a final chance to pull away. When I stayed put, he smiled, leaning in. I closed my eyes, waiting for the feel of his lips on mine. And let me tell you.
It was magnificent.
Our lips connected, and to say that there were butterflies would be the biggest understatement of the century. Not even fireworks could compare. No, it felt like a freaking time bomb had exploded in my chest, leaving me absolutely breathless. This kiss was nothing like the ones I shared with Reece. Whenever I used to kiss Reece, it was like any other normal gesture; like a handshake. A mutual agreement of some sort. But this kiss. This kiss could not even compare. It was on a whole other level in a completely different universe. The way Niall's lips were moving on mine. The feel of his strong arms resting on either side of me as he hovered his weight above. The warmth that was spreading throughout each and ever single cell of my being.
I lifted my arms and wrapped them around Niall's back, pulling him closer to me. He let out a noise of satisfaction, dropping lower onto his elbows so that his chest rested against mine. It felt like the room had turned a thousand degrees hotter. I let out a quiet moan, instantly hoping Niall hadn't heard it as my cheeks flushed pink. I felt him smile against my lips, indicating that he did in fact hear my moment of pleasure. Niall dug his arm under my lower back, lifting me slightly to press against him even more. I ran my fingers through his hair, giving a slight tug. He gave a small groan in response.
This felt incredible. Finally being able to hold Niall like this, and be held by him like this. And touch him like this, and kiss him like this. Everything about this was so damn amazing.
But of course, every moment as amazing as this one had to come to an end at some point. Because of my lack of experience with kisses as intense as ones like these, I quickly found myself becoming breathless.
"Niall," I gasped, detaching my lips from his as I panted for breath.
"Mhmm?" he hummed, attaching his swollen lips to the exposed skin at my neck, refusing to take his lips off of me.
"Hold on," I said breathlessly.
"For what?" he mumbled, still working him magic on my neck.
"I can't think. Too many thoughts," I said hastily. "Just, give me a second." Niall reluctantly pulled his lips from my neck, hovering his face above mine once again.
"You okay?" he questioned, panting.
"I haven't been kissed like that in a long time," I said seriously. He grinned, dropping his head into the crook of my neck as his whole body rumbled with laughed.
"I haven't kissed anyone like that in a long time," he chuckled. "I'm out of practice."
"I find that hard to believe" I replied, exasperated. There was no way that he just kissed me like that while being 'out of practice'. Niall lifted his head again, moving some of the hair off of my forehead. His eyes watched me as a huffed, catching my breath.
"Maybe we were going a little too fast," he murmured. "We'll try to take things slower, okay?"
I nodded. "Yeah. I'll need a bit of a warm up next time," I blushed.
"That won't be a problem," he smirked. "Besides, practice makes perfect, right?"
"Shut up, Niall," I giggled, pushing his chest away. He wrapped his arms around my waist, rolling onto his back and taking me with him.
"You love me," he grinned.
"I do," I confirmed with a smile.
"That's good, because I love you too, moron," he teased.
"Do you want to get slapped?" I retorted, rolling out of his arms and instead laying down beside him.
"By you? Any day," he laughed. I brought my legs to his side, kicking him with as much force as I could.
He ended up on the ground.
I watched as he slowly stood up from his current position on the floor.
"Was it really necessary to push me off the bed?" he said, trying to keep the smile off of his face. I smiled sweetly.
"Yes, it was," I replied. "Goodnight," I chirped, rolling away from his side of the bed and turning off my lamp. I tugged the covers over my body, waiting for the mattress to dip with Niall's added weight. I heard him let out a chuckle.
"You're impossible," he mumbled happily as he slid in behind me. He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me back into his warm chest.
"But you love me," I smiled, using his words from before.
"Yeah, I do," he replied, sounding like he had just won the lottery.
"I really do."
IT'S HERE!
The chapter that you guys have been waiting for is finally up! THEY DID IT! THEY CONFESSED THEIR LOVE! Hopefully you guys thought this chapter was good. I literally had to fix it like five times because it just wasn't up to my standards. It obviously could have been written a lot better, but I couldn't think of any other way for them to tell each other that they love him/her other than the way I wrote it. It just felt so natural, like how anyone in real life would do it. I just feel that, if this were in real life it's exactly how Niall would do it. He'd kind of just blurt it out and then start swearing because he didn't mean for it to come out that way. Anyway, so I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Tell me what you think about their confession! AND THE KISS! THE LONG WAITED FOR KISS! Was it how you guys pictured it? I hope you guys loved it as much as I did. I've waited a long time to write that scene, and it's finally here! Also, Jared's going to come to London! Any thoughts on that? What did you guys think of Jared's character? I tried to portray him as the comedian in this story, so tell me what you think! Share all of your thoughts in the comments! I really want to know what you guys thought of this chapter! Thank you so much for being patient! I know I've frustrated a lot of you, so thank you for sticking with the story! Love you all so very much! Stay safe!
~Skylar xx
P.S. Do you guys think I should write the kiss in Niall's POV in the next chapter? Or just move on to the morning after?