"Hmm. Let's see... I'm sure that's the answer. Yeah. I think..." Niall chewed the tip of his pen and then pouted before taking a sip of coffee.
"It wouldn't be right if I didn't walk in here and find you drinking coffee."
Niall gasped. "You scared me. I didn't even hear you come home."
"That busy?"
"Yeah. Practice test."
"Oh." He sat down on the bed and took off his boots as he always did. "I should leave you alone for a while then. I saw dinner on the stove, so I'll go eat."
"Okay. I'll be back here."'
Liam left the room and Niall resumed taking his test. He couldn't wait until he was finished with school. There was so much he wanted to do that he could not yet do because so much time was spent in front of his laptop. School seemed to be helping his life just as much as it was ruining it.
Twenty five minutes went by and Liam came trotting in the room again. "All done?"
"No."
"You're still testing?"
"Yes."
"Why? It's just a practice test. It doesn't even count towards anything."
"So? I still want to get it right and see what I know."
"But at least take a break."
"I don't need one."
Liam softly threw his hands up. "Well, I'll leave you alone again then."
"No." Niall whined and he pat the bed. "You work all day and I only really see you in the mornings and at night on weekdays. Come sit in bed with me."
"Will I be disturbing you?"
"Of course you will but I need a distraction. I think I'm getting a headache from looking at this computer too long."
He laughed quietly but happily stripped down to his boxers before getting in bed. Then he leaned over and draped his arm across Niall's lap. "I can't believe Friday will be eight months for us."
He looked surprised. "Really? I had no idea."
Liam laughed at his sarcasm. "Yes you did."
"Who says?"
"That big smile on your face says."
"Mhm."
"I mean I think it's cute you want to pretend you were clueless but we both know it was you who always reminded me of the date so you're not fooling anyone."
Niall smiled innocently but the look was so adorable that Liam just had to sit up and kiss him. It took Niall by surprise, but he still kissed him back just as eagerly. When that kiss was done, Liam moved Nialls computer from his lap to his nightstand.
"What are you doing?"
"Being a distraction."
Niall laughed when he crawled in between his legs. "A pretty big one too."
"And a good one. Don't forget."
"Yeah?" He lay back in the bed and Liam hovered over him.
"Even though we had some miscommunication problems over the past few months, what we have is real. And I'm happy that we got through that and are still into each other."
"Me too."
Now he pressed his forehead to Niall's and closed his eyes before enclosing the space between them for a passionate kiss. Niall pulled at his hair and gladly returned the passion. When their teeth breifly clashed, Liam had sighed into his mouth with a chuckle. "I love you." He mumbled as he reached under his shirt tail.
"I love you too."
But then Liam sat up and Niall could see on his face that he was intently thinking about something. He took off his glasses and put them next to his computer.
"What?"
"Ah. I don't know."
"Yes you do."
He sighed. "Uhm, well... I was just... I was about to... and then I realized...."
"I know."
"You know?"
He nodded. "Yes. I know. You didn't ask when you lifted up my shirt." Then he shrugged. "But I'm ready."
Liam relaxed. "You are?"
"Yes. It's not just the activity itself I'm ready for. I'm ready to love all of you too because I haven't gotten to do that either. Plus, I'm thinking you're right. Maybe I do need a break from that test. We could spend that break making up missed time."
A huge smiled crept on his face and he put his hands on Niall's shoulders. "Oh yes. We can and we will. But there's going to need to be multiple times if we plan to make up for all that missed time."
Niall hummed. "I know. But let's only worry about this time for right now, shall we?"
"Sure."
He leaned down to kiss him again and before they knew it, they were grabbing at each others clothes and undressing each other. It was not just Niall's first time with Liam but it was also his first time ever with anyone. Niall had no idea what Liam was thinking but he knew it must have been such a relief to hear him finally tell him he was ready. He'd been waiting for a long time to hear him utter those words.
The first time their naked bodies began to move together, Niall was so happy that he felt like crying tears of joy. He had a tight feeling in his chest and another twisting feeling in his stomach. This was the first time in years that he really felt free in his body. It was the first time he wasn't ashamed of what he looked like. So he was able to enjoy being tangled up with Liam and love him the way they both always wanted to.
Liam was very gentle as he'd promised. He didn't want to make the whole experience of taking Niall's virginity one to forget as opposed to one to remember. He was sweet and patient, and when Niall came and slowly began to come down from his orgasm, he carefully wiped the sweat from his forhead with his thumb and spoke softly to him.
When they were finished, Niall bawled up in the bed with his head on his pillow. Liam was across from him and they were just looking at each other.
"For our anniversary, I want to go somewhere for the night." Niall said.
"Go somewhere?"
"Yeah. Even if it's just an hour drive from here, I want to stay somewhere in a hotel, order food at the restaurant there, eat and go back to the room. Like a short getaway. Because I want to get away from everything we've been dealing with for the last couple of months."
Liam put a hand on his hip. "That sounds nice. And then as soon as you're done with school next month, we'll celebrate and go on a real vacation together. A four or five day vacation."
"Yes. That sounds great. But before that, I have to make sure I share a cinnabon with Sammie since I promised her I would."
He raised his brow at him. "Wait. Did I miss something? Why do you have to share a cinnabon with her?"
He waved a hand at him. "Just because she's Sammie."
He still didn't understand but he decided not to ask too many questions. "Well, after that, then."
"Thank you."
But then Liam pulled Niall over to him so he could lie against him. "I love you more than ever now, you know that?"
"Yeah."
"You're the best housemate slash boyfriend a man could ever ask for. Sometimes I go in the room you used to sleep in and I think about how far we've come with each other."
Niall put a hand to the side of his face. "Very far, didn't we?"
And Liam took that hand so he could kiss it. "Yes. But not as far as I dream of going with you."
Niall wasn't sure what that meant or what sort of plans he had for his future with him but a smile reached his eyes until they sparkled. Before tonight, he had no clue what he was missing out on. But now that something brand new had transpired between them, he understood. There was nothing like loving one hundred percent of the person he loved and having that same person love him back in the same manner.
Maybe it wasn't easy getting to this point. Or if put as less of an understatement, maybe it was extremely difficult coming to love all of himself and then letting Liam follow. But he still did it. And now that he knew, he could honestly say that the love they now shared had the power to melt away any pain, hurt and loss he ever suffered. Tonight was only the beginning of that.