× Mercury
I tried to take a nap on the couch, but with Niall's arm draped over my waist, Theo on the floor playing with a Lego Duplo set, and The Fairly OddParents playing on the TV, it was nearly impossible. Niall on the other hand didn't seem to have any problem falling asleep as the soft snores were heard behind me along with his heavy breathing and hot breath against my neck.
Theo had a full head of blonde hair that stuck up in every direction, like his uncle's this morning. His blue eyes were bright and wide, curious to what was going on around him. His little, chubby hands were always reaching up and getting into things he shouldn't, but the smile he would give when he knew he was caught would make you forget you were even scolding him.
Another episode of the cartoon was starting when Niall stirred, his arm wrapping tighter around me. "What time is it?" he asked in a rough voice.
"Eleven."
He groaned loudly before he nudged his nose into my neck. "I should get up and start lunch. My brother and Denise will be home soon."
Instead of doing what he said he was going to do, he stayed where he was. I felt his arm leave from my waste and move to my hip, slowly running his finger down my leg. Even through my sweat pants, goosebumps sprung up on my skin from his touch. Then, before I could say anything, his finger ran across the waistband of my sweats and snuck inside and starting trailing south.
I grabbed his hand before he could go any further. "Not with Theo in the room," I said.
"Then get up so I can make food," Niall whined.
I sat up on the couch as Niall did the same, running a hand down his face as he yawned. When he stood up, he ruffled Theo's hair as he walked passed and disappeared into the kitchen.
Sitting on the sofa, I stared at Theo as he dug through a pencil box full of stickers.
I hated kids. I hated them with a passion. They didn't do anything wrong to me personally, but they were just... easy to hate. Like for instance, their snot. Kid boogers were way worse than adult boogers. Whenever a kid gets a runny nose, it was like a hose on full blast. And they were constantly sticky, all the time. You could press a child against the wall and they would just stay there. Their bodies were always covered in open wounds. Not once in my life have I ever come across a child that didn't have a dirty Band-Aid loosely covering a scab. They were literally like walking infections. And they always cry for no reason. You know what's a good reason to cry? Student loans.
"What this?" Theo asked, holding up one of the stickers.
"A star," I said uneventfully.
Theo turned the sticker around to see the front and looked at it like he'd never seen a glowing ball of gas before in his life. Then he dropped it and picked up another sticker and held it up for me to see.
"What this?"
"A cat."
Then he dropped that sticker and went onto another one, and I knew this was going to go on forever. I looked into the pencil case and saw that it was filled with stickers of every shape and size, and then moaned to myself. I looked into the kitchen longingly and wondered if I should go and help Niall and end this pain.
But before I could even get up, he walked back into the living room, car keys in his hand.
"Where are you going?" I asked hopefully.
"To the supermarket," Niall explained as he put on his coat. "There isn't any milk or bread. Can you stay and watch Theo?"
"What? No," I said, standing up. "Can't we all go?"
"It'll be faster if its just me."
I looked between him and Theo, grasping at any idea that won't leave me alone with this child. "How about I go and you stay here?"
"You don't know where anything is," Niall defended. "Just stay here, you'll be fine. Theo is the most self-content kid I know."
I wasn't sure how many kids Niall knew to put that on a scale, but I didn't have any more arguments on my side. I watched helplessly as Niall opened the door, flashed me an encouraging smile, and left, leaving me alone with a kid I only met three hours ago.
Did I mention that I hated kids?
Slowly, I turned and looked at Theo. He gave me a toothy grin before he went back to his stickers, holding up another one for me to see.
"What this?"
I humored him as I sat back on the couch and tried my best to get lost in the storyline of the stupid cartoon on the TV. I wasn't sure how long I had been staring at the flashing screen, but the next thing I knew Theo was in front of me, holding up a picture book for me to see. I instantly perked up when I saw the cover was related to soccer.
"Do you want me to read that?" I asked Theo.
He nodded his head vigorously and instantly crawled up on the couch and sat on my lap. I sat there with my arms out beside me, not really sure what to do. I've never done this before, I was just going to read to him while he sat on the floor, but he wasn't giving me much choice.
Theo handed me the book and I hesitantly grabbed it, looking at the cover. The picture was of a group of four girls, three of them holding up the fourth in victory. The title of the book was The Kicks: Saving the Team. When I looked down at the bottom, I was surprised to see who had written the story.
"Do you know who Alex Morgan is, Theo?" I asked the boy in my lap.
"Noooo."
"She's the author of this book," I explained, even if he didn't really know what I was talking about. "She's also a famous soccer player and was one of my biggest inspirations."
Getting impatient, Theo flipped open the book, but the moment he did, he sat back against my chest, looking at his thumb with wide eyes. The second I saw the little sliver of red on his skin, I knew right before it happened that the waterworks were coming.
Theo's face scrunched up and he started whimpering, closely followed by the sobbing. I sat in shock, not really sure what to do. I've never done this before. I never babysat nor had any younger siblings to take care off. This was all unfamiliar to me. I only had the kid for ten minutes and I already broke him!
"Oh, Theo. It's okay, everything's okay. It's just a paper cut." I tried my best to sooth. Paper cut or not, to him the pain was probably equivalent to a gunshot wound. "I'm going to go find a Band-Aid, okay? I'll be right back to fix you up."
I wasn't sure he would hear me over his whaling, but I left him sitting on the couch anyways and went to the hallway and started opening up doors until I found where they kept their First Aid.
Anxiety took over my whole body as I looked through the bathroom cabinets. I was not suitable to be a mother. I couldn't even take care of a four-year-old let alone a new born baby. Maybe it was a good thing I had no desire to have any of my own if this was how I was going to treat them. I could barely take care of myself.
Once I found where they kept the supplies, I took out a SpongeBob Band-Aid and quickly made my way over to Theo again. He was still crying and looking at his thumb that was sticking up in front of him like he was bleeding completely out from the little cut.
I squatted down in front of him and opened the bandage. "Let me see your thumb, Theo," I said as I tried my best to cover the cut with my shaking hands.
The moment the bandage was on, Theo's crying had subsided. I knew that the cut itself probably didn't hurt that much, and all the crying was because he was scared. I understood that feeling all too well in that situation. I myself almost cried.
When Theo was only down to little sniffles, he looked up at me with his bottom lip out in a pout and wide, blue eyes glossy. Against my better judgment, I held my arms out toward him. Without hesitation, Theo scooted to the edge of the couch and I picked him up in one swift motion, propping him up against my hip as my arm went around his little waist.
"See, everything's alright," I assured him, though it was more to myself than anything.
I stood up and began bouncing Theo in my arms to make his whimpers stop completely. His hands started to play with the ring on my necklace, knowing damn well that he was leaving nasty snot behind.
"Do you want to try reading that book again?" I asked softly.
"Yeah," Theo sniveled.
Sitting down on the couch, I propped Theo up on my lap and settled into the cushions behind me. I grabbed the book and flipped it open to the first page, Theo making sure to keep his little hands as far away as possible.
I began to read, Theo interrupting every once and while to ask a question. He eventually started to giggle at some parts, and I knew the cut on his finger was forgotten in the time being.
"The end!" I cheered once I finished the last page.
"I thought you didn't like kids?" someone challenged from behind me.
"Holy shit," I said and clutched at my chest in surprise.
Niall was standing behind a few feet away, a cocky grin on his face and the grocery bags on the floor by his feet, phone in hand. I didn't even hear the door open with his arrival.
"Hey, no swearing," he warned. "There is a kid present."
"You scared me. How long were you standing there?"
Niall didn't answer, instead he stepped forward and showed me his phone and pressed the play button. I watched the little screen of his cell as he showed me the recording of me reading to Theo.
"Gross, delete that," I said as I put Theo back down on the ground. "I look horrible."
"No way, you look perfect. Denise will love this."
I was a little embarrassed, but I glared at him nevertheless. I stood up and rounded the couch, grabbing the plastic bags at Niall's feet and went into the kitchen. I started putting the groceries away but didn't know where they kept anything in the kitchen, so I began opening cabinets and drawers and hoped I found something.
I was in the middle of putting the milk in the fridge when I heard my name from the living room. I quietly closed the door and went to the edge of the kitchen and peeked around the corner to see Niall sitting on the couch talking to Theo.
"-like her?"
"Yeah," Theo said, putting together his Duplo toys again. "She funny. And pretty."
Niall grabbed one of the Lego pieces and placed it on top of the tower Theo had created. "I'd have to agree with you on that, Bud."
"Is she... is she your girlfriend?" Theo asked, and then giggled like the simple thought of the word "girlfriend" was embarrassing to him. And I guess at the age of four, it was.
"No, she's not."
Theo looked confused. "Then what is she?"
Niall thought for a moment before his shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's complicated," he told him. "You're too young to understand."
I had to laugh at that. I didn't think you could put an age on understanding what the two of us were. I couldn't say I hated him anymore because, well, I had the love bites on my skin that say otherwise.
Moving away from the counter, I continued putting things away, my mind wondering. Why did it have to be complicated, though? Why did Coach need that rule to make whatever Niall and I have forbidden? What exactly was he trying to prevent because I can't see anything going wrong? Why can't I go back to being four years old and my biggest worry was if my chicken nuggets were going to be dinosaur shaped.
"I leave for twenty minuets and find a bandage on Theo's thumb," Niall said, walking into the kitchen and disturbing my thoughts.
"I'm sorry!" I said automatically, turning around to face him. "He wanted me to read him a story and he got a paper cut. He was crying so hard and I-"
"Lynn, it's fine," Niall smiled reassuringly. "He's a tough kid, just got scared is all. He said you were really brave."
"Really? Because I was practically hyperventilating."
Niall took a step toward me. "Theo seems to really like you. So tell me again why you hate children?"
"Why are you so persistent on asking that question?" I retorted smoothly.
Niall crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. "I just don't get how you don't like kids. Help me understand."
I placed the bread on the counter and faced him. "I don't know; they're mostly just infuriating, ravenous monsters," I stated. "They have this bottled up energy and if you don't let them outside like a dog that needs to pee, then they'll explode or something. I just don't care for them and don't plan on having any."
Niall raised his brows at that comment. "You don't want kids? Why not?"
I looked around the kitchen, suddenly craving something sweet. "Is there any chocolate?"
"What? I don't know," Niall shrugged. "Answer the question."
"What do you want me to say?" I asked. "That I promised my firstborn to a witch and really don't want to make good on the deal? I just don't have any desire to push out an offspring from my vagina."
"Are you being serious? That opinion will change when you have a kid of your own, you know that, right?"
I ignored him and started looking through cabinets, searching for something sweet. I saw Swiss Miss milk chocolate cocoa packets on the counter and grabbed one before looking for a mug.
"Lynn."
"Niall," I mocked. "I just don't care for children. I'd much rather have dogs."
I knew he was trying to understand where I was coming from, but from the look on his face told me that he just didn't comprehend anything I was telling him. And that was okay, he didn't need to.
"So... you don't want to get married and you don't want to have kids," he stated. "What's the point?"
"The point is that I want to be me and do what I want without the distractions," I said as I filled the mug I was holding with milk Niall had just bought at the store before putting it into the microwave and heating it up. "I've always known I didn't want kids. I want so much more out of my life. Why do I have to follow the norm of our society where I have to get married with kids?"
Niall looked me up and down, like this new information changed his whole prospective of me. "You have a lot of strong opinions," he said. "That's one of the things I admire the most about you."
"Even if you don't agree with them?"
"I never said I didn't agree with them. For me personally, I couldn't do that. I want a family. I want to get married with kids running around. I want the whole thing with the white picket fence and the garden in the backyard."
I had to admit that I was a little surprised. Going off his story of girls, I would have easily thought he would continue to be this Casanova forever; not wanting to be tied down by a family. Not to mention, most kids with divorced parents never truly believed in "love" and always thought marriage was a load of shit that always ended in divorce. But it was clear from the passion in his eyes that Niall wasn't like that. Not at all.
Niall values connection, and what it means to him. He was a kid who floated between his parents' two houses like a free agent. I didn't know his dad, but from everything Niall had told me with his boxing, I did know that he wasn't what a father should be. Same with his mom. No one should treat their kids the way they did, and Niall knew that, and he wanted to change the image of his parents by doing the complete opposite with his own kids, and even to his wife.
"I guess I shouldn't blame you," Niall said as he moved to the fridge and started taking out things to make for lunch. "I've seen a birthing video in health class and it wasn't pretty."
I laughed. "You're right about that."
As horrifying flashbacks from high school health class went through my mind, another thought struck me.
"How do you plan on getting married when you don't want commitment?" I asked.
Niall shrugged with a sigh. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Maybe one of these days I'll get over that fear. Or maybe I'll... I'll sleep with someone and it'll click or something."
I stared at him. "Okay, let's say that happens. Would you be able to get out of your head to actually make it work?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you're always looking for love in science," I explained and leaned against the counter. "Which is fine to an extent, because you're just trying to find meaning in something you know and follow, but by doing that you're giving them significance that might not be there."
"I don't understand."
I thought for a moment. "Do you know the word rumination?"
"Yes, but I'm kind of surprised you do," he said with a rise of a brow.
"I took a psychology class last year," I explained. "It means to continuously over-think things that have happened in the past, placing importance on the negative and creating problems that aren't actually there."
"I just worry."
"No, you overthink. You use science to understand people and in the end get something that may or may not be true. You might be able to find answers to equations through theories and telescopes," I said. "But you can't use that to explain love."
Niall stared at me, his jaw locked. "Why do people keep telling me that?"
"Because it's true."
The microwave beeped and I took the mug out and dumped the little packet into the cup and stirred. Just as I was about to take a sip, Niall stopped me.
"Wait," he said and went to the fridge. "You can't have hot chocolate without this."
Niall took out a canister of whipped cream and started shaking it as he walked back to me. He turned it upside down and pressed his finger on the side of the nozzle, but only air came out.
"You're doing it wrong."
I took the canister and pressed on the nozzle, but my finger slipped and sprayed two inches of whipped cream on Niall's neck. I gapped at him in amusement before busting out laughing. Niall looked at me with hooded eyes.
"You did that on purpose," he laughed.
I didn't deny it as I reached out and wiped off the whipped cream with the tip of my finger and stuck it in my mouth. Niall watched my every move as I swirled my finger, making sure I got every last bit of it, putting on a show. When I finally removed my finger, I looked up at him innocently.
"Yum," I said as I sprayed a dab of cream in my drink and took a sip.
Just as I was walking away back into the living room, Niall grabbed my arm and pulled me back. Without warning, he planted his lips on mine. It was hot and it was heavy, but before it could get too heated, he pulled away, knowing this wasn't the place to continue.
"Sorry," he said with a smirk. "You had some whipped cream on your mouth."
I didn't care if there was a child in the other room, Niall Horan wasn't going to tease and leave. I didn't give him time to react as my mouth came down on his in a hungry kiss. He was taken by surprise, but it didn't last long before he took advantage of the situation and deepen the desire. It was the toe-curling, butterfly-releasing, make-my-girl-parts-tingle kind of kiss and it was quickly making my knees week.
His arms snaked around my waist, pulling me into his strong chest as his mouth covered mine. My hand found his hair and I tugged gently at the darkening locks just as I felt his large hand move down to grab my ass.
"Icky."
Niall and I quickly pulled apart and saw Theo standing there, watching us with pure revulsion on his chubby face. One pant leg to his overalls was pushed up to his knee, dried snot stuck to his cheek, and his blonde hair was pushed back from his forehead.
"I'm telling mommy and daddy you two were being naughty," Theo stated as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Niall squatted down in front of him so he was eye level with his nephew. "How about I give you a popsicle instead?"
"Okay!"
And just like that, all was forgotten. I wish a popsicle could do that for me.
As soon as Theo was armed with a Cherry red popsicle, he ran into the other room giggling. I knew the moment the treat was in his hand that he was going to leave a trail of sticky redness everywhere he went.
Niall picked up the whipped cream canister and smirked at me. "I think we should save this for tonight."
"You planning on having some pie later?" I asked.
"Think it'll taste better on you."
I gapped at him. "Now look who's being naughty."