A/N: I can't wait to hear what you guys think!
Much to both Niall and Neha's pleasure, the kisses continue. They were sweet — stolen between the aisles of books on the third floor or in quick, obvious to everyone else, sneakaways to Neha's office. And of course, there is always, always the kisses when Niall drops her off at night and when they see each other first thing in the morning. The first round of the blind date book series did so well that they immediately launched into preparing for the next one. The open mic night hadn't done quite as well, but they had high hopes for the first one scheduled for the new year because the performers promised to bring more friends with them.
Before they know it, the holidays are there.
It's a chilly night, the last night the shop is open for the holiday season, as Neha locks the door. Niall puts his hands in his pockets, shivering slightly. He exhales and it shows in the bitter cold air. "It's supposed to snow," he says quietly.
"Good," Neha remarks with a laugh, putting her keys into her pocket. "It'll really feel like Christmas then," she adds, tilting her head up towards the dark sky.
[[MORE]]
Niall watches her, smiling to himself as she takes a deep breath. She likes the cold, as much as you can at least. "Here, let me take one of those," he says, reaching for one of the bags of books she's lugging around. Tomorrow she's going to drop them off at some local organizations for children and the homeless.
Neha follows him as he unlocks the trunk of his car and they load the bags in. As Niall goes to shut it, he realizes that Neha might not have plans for Christmas. He doesn't want to give away the fact that he realizes it's her first Christmas without her mother, but the thought of her being all by herself during the holidays is enough to make him clear his throat.
"So... what are ya going to do for Christmas?" He asks, leaning against his car.
Neha glances down at her boots, "Oh... hm well Isabella's family always makes tamales on Christmas Eve and they celebrate then too."
Niall scoots closer to her, wrapping his fingers around her forearm and tugging it until she pulls her hand out of the pocket of her jacket. He intertwines their fingers and pulls her closer, until both of their shoulders are touching and they're standing in the quiet winter night.
"What about Christmas day, darlin?"
Neha turns to look at him, shrugging, "I was just going to watch movies, probably. Stay inside."
Niall doesn't even have to hesitate, he shakes his head and leans off the car, shuffling so he's standing straight in front of her. He takes her other hand before he starts talking, "No," he pauses when she lifts a brow at him. "I mean, love, that's no way to spend Christmas. Why don't ya come over to my mum and dad's?"
Neha blinks at him, looking at the way the street light just behind him illuminates his figure. His hair is soft against his forehead, dropping over a little. His eyes are sparkling, the sincerity in his words is present in his irises too. Still, she wonders if he realizes he asked her to meet his parents. Or if he's not even thought about that.
"I mean..." Neha begins, unsure of how to respond. Spending the holiday by herself isn't the best idea and in all honesty, she was thinking of heading to her mother's house when Isabella goes off for the day. "Are you sure? Your parents won't mind you springing someone on family dinner last minute?"
Niall takes a step closer, closing the distance between them. He drops one of her hands to cup her cheek, ever so gently rubbing his thumb back and forth across it. "Of course not," he says. "I want ya there. Please, darlin?"
Neha realizes in that moment that she won't ever be able to say no to him, not when he looks so genuine and when he's being so sweet to her. The immensity of that realization sits in the pit of her tummy.
"Liam will be there and Amelia too," Niall offers. His eyes brighten up even more, "You'll get to meet Rosie."
He can see Neha caving, but he can't resist adding another incentive to the list. He leans closer to her, lips just above her ear, "I'll make sure there's loads of mistletoe around for us."
Neha lets out a soft giggle, her hands pressing to Niall's chest as he stays close. "Say yes, love," he mumbles.
Neha pulls back just enough so she can look up at him clearly, she nods her head wordlessly. Niall gives her a dazzling grin in response before he swoops in for a kiss.
When Niall comes to pick Neha up Christmas day, Isabella is watching her carefully.
Neha's just fixing her hair in front of their hallway mirror, getting Niall's text that he's almost there. She's wearing a dark red lace dress, one that has sleeves that reach her elbows. A pair of small golden heels adorn her feet and Isabella helped her with her makeup.
"Why are you staring?"
Isabella sighs, leaning back against the wall. "You like him."
Neha freezes, her fingers caught in her hair as she tries to pull a curl apart so it doesn't look so bunched up. "We're friends, Is."
"Right..." Isabella says, nodding. "That's why you're all dolled up to meet his parents, right?"
Neha turns to Isabella with a knowing look on her face, not saying anything.
Isabella holds her hands up in surrender, "Alright, daggers down. I just want you to be careful, okay?"
Neha wants to ask her what she means by that but there's a knock on the door. Isabella waves at her and wanders off towards the kitchen before Neha can say anything. She opens the door and there he is, clad in a crisp white dress shirt and a pair of black slacks that fit his legs just right. Neha drags her eyes up his body, focusing on his red tie before she meets his eyes. He's doing the same look over for her, eyes focused on her bare legs for a moment longer than usual before he meets her eyes.
"You look beautiful," he says, leaning forward to kiss her cheek.
"Thank you. Nice tie," Neha says, giving it a soft tug.
Niall chuckles and they fall into easy conversation as they head towards the elevator.
As Niall leads Neha up the huge staircase that leads into his parents' mansion, her palm grows sweaty in his. She hopes he doesn't notice as she cranes her neck to look at how big his childhood home is, towering over them in all of its architectural glory. She's still speechless as an employee offers to take her coat from her. She releases Niall's hand to shrug it off, looking around at the foyer.
It looks like something out of a movie. A big staircase leading to the upper floor in the middle, each of the walls flanked with decorations or photos. There's vases, antiques most likely, on tables and there's soft rugs under her feet.
"Niall, your house... it's beautiful," Neha says finally, tearing her eyes away from the high vaulted ceilings to look at him.
"Thanks," he says, casting a wayward glance around. "My apartment's nothing like this, though. I'll have to take ya there sometime, although I reckon you'll be disappointed. No bookshelves," he adds when she frowns at him.
Somewhere off to the right, Neha hears the hum of people chatting and she catches a clip of a child's laughter.
"Ya ready?" Niall asks, taking her hand again.
She's not, nonetheless, she gives him a nod and Niall begins to lead them over through the spare living room into the main one. Just as they're about to cross into the room, he stops, pulling her to him.
"Niall-" Neha mumbles, gasping when her back hits the wall.
"Shh," Niall mumbles, rubbing her sides. "Look," he mumbles, tilting his head back. Neha follows his gaze and sees the mistletoe hanging from the top of the archway.
"Did you put that there?" Neha asks, eyes wide.
Niall smirks at her, brushing his nose against hers. He laughs, minty breath fanning her face, "Maybe. I made ya a promise, didn't I?"
Neha shakes her head at him, but she meets him halfway. It's been a few days since they've been this close, since his lips have been on hers, his fingers in her hair and his body pressed up against hers. Neha's missed Niall; more than she ever expected she would.
He pulls away and presses a gentle kiss to her hairline before he finally leads her in to meet his family.
"Did ya have fun?"
Neha looks over at Niall as he drives her back to her house.
"I did," she assures him, squeezing his hand that's resting on top of her thigh. "I don't think I'm ever going to eat again, though," she comments, glancing down at her bloated tummy.
"Well then you won't mind giving me the leftover tamales," Niall says, referencing the photo Neha had sent him yesterday of the plate Isabella's mother sent her home with.
"Not at all," Neha replies as he pulls up to a stop light.
Niall shifts his gaze over to her, "My family... they really liked ya, Neha. Especially mum," he says.
Neha smiles at him. She'd really liked his family too. She'd been nervous that they wouldn't be kind, or that they would be stuck up considering their fortune, but everyone had been just as genuine as Niall. He was like his father in the looks department and she can see where he gets his hard exterior from, but the real Niall, her Niall, is all his mum. She'd embraced Neha like she was her own daughter and it had brought tears to Neha's eyes for a moment. His father shared a lengthy discussion with her about Shakespeare before Niall had stolen her away with a kiss to her cheek.
Amelia was just as kind as Neha remembered her to be, and of course as was Liam. For most of the night, she sat with them and Niall, sipping wine as Niall kept his arm around her on the couch. She pretended she hadn't seen the stolen glances Amelia and Liam shared when Niall was being sweet with her. It was the same look Isabella had on her face earlier.
And then, there was the most important member of Niall's family. Rosie, who was sitting in her grandmother's lap when they entered the room, immediately wiggled out of her hold and wobbled her way to Niall. He scooped her up into his arms, sprinkling her little cheeks in kisses as she played with his tie with interest.
"Ro, I want ya to meet someone," he'd said, turning her towards Neha. "This is my friend, Neha. Can ya say hi?"
"Hi Rosie, I've heard so much about you," Neha has cooed, reaching over to tickle her tummy through the Christmas dress she was wearing.
Rosie looked at Neha with her brown eyes and smiled at her shyly before hiding her face in Niall's shirt. For the rest of the night, she'd stayed in his arms, sitting in his lap contently. Niall kept one arm around her and the other around Neha, and the sight of him with his niece made Neha want to kiss him all over. He was so sweet with her, showcasing patience and a level of attention she'd never seen before.
It seemed Rosie was a little reluctant to share Niall, but as the night went on she seemed to warm up to Neha. At one point she'd put her little palm on her dress, rubbing it back and forth.
"I heard you like red," Neha whispered, smiling at the little girl. Rosie nodded and then without a word, she crawled over into Neha's lap, lifting up the bear she had in her hands to show her.
Neha's heart warmed as she wrapped her arms around the little girl, shifting away from Niall who was watching the two fondly. He leaned over as Neha rested her chin on top of Rosie's head, "Think she likes ya, darlin."
Neha felt, for a brief time, that she was having a family moment because of how welcoming they were. It's not that Isabella's family isn't, because they are like a second family to Neha, but there was something different with the Horans. She knew in her heart it had to do with Niall, how he kept close to her and talked to his family about her. It felt like they had taken the next step in whatever was going on between them — and that was mildly unsettling for her because she didn't know what "it" was.
"I like them too," Neha replies finally. "Really, thank you for having me. Today was... going to be hard, I don't know how I would've survived it without you," she admits.
Niall lifts her hand and kisses the back of it as he pulls into the parking lot of her building. He finds a spot and turns the engine off.
"M'so happy ya came, love," Niall says. He turns and reaches into the back seat, digging around the floor. He pulls out a small gift, wrapped in white snowflake paper with a big blue bow on the corner. "This is for you," he says, handing it to her.
Neha takes the gift and looks at him in shock, "Niall... you didn't have to get me anything. You didn't tell me we were doing gifts," she points out. She has a gift for him upstairs, of course, but still.
"Then it wouldn't be a gift, darlin," he says. "Open it."
Neha sighs, tilting her head at him.
"Open it," he repeats, leaning across the console and kissing her cheek.
Neha carefully rips the paper off after untying the bow. Niall takes the garbage from her as she looks at the gift.
She doesn't even have to open the cover to check. She knows, upon a single glance, that it's a first edition. Tears spring to her eyes as she carefully slides her hand across the cover, her fingers tracing over the title. Anne of Green Gables.
"Niall..." Neha mumbles breathlessly, looking up at him.
"Do ya like it?" Niall asks nervously. He can't tell if she does because of how dark it is in the car. "If you want another edition, we can get ya one-"
Niall doesn't finish his nervous rambling because Neha is leaning across the console and shushing him with her lips, cupping his jaw to keep him there. There's a strain in her back from the angle she's at, but she ignores it. They only break apart because the book slides off her lap and falls to the floor of the car with a thunk.
"I'll take that as a yes then," Niall says, his voice raspy.
Neha leans her forehead against his. "Niall... I love it. It's the most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much."
"Don't have t'thank me, love. I just wanted to make ya happy. Merry Christmas, Neha," he whispers.
His words bring another wave of tears to her eyes and Neha knows that she has to tell him. She needs to come clean to him, because she likes Niall. She really, really likes him. Enough so that she wants this to last far after the shop is in better shape. In all honesty, there's not a single person on this planet that she would want to share her most cherished secret with. Not when he makes her feel so safe, so comfortable.
"Merry Christmas," she whispers back. "Niall... I need-" she clears her throat, hating how weak her voice sounds. "I need to show you something."
"What is it?"
"It's uh, not here," Neha replies. "We're going to have to drive to it, if you don't mind?"
Niall nods, "Yeah, yeah of course." He wonders what's got her so worked up so suddenly. It reminds her of the Neha he first met.
Neha takes a deep breath, "Okay, I need to go upstairs and grab the keys, and your gift."
"I'll come with ya," Niall says, getting out of the car. He waits for her in the lobby of the building as she runs up to grab the stuff. He sees Isabella entering the building and waves at her.
"Hey, Merry Christmas! How are you?" She asks, coming to a stop next to him.
"You too. M'alright, what about you?"
"Exhausted," Isabella admits. "Is Neha...?"
Niall looks over to the elevator. "She wanted to show me something... went to go grab the keys for it."
Isabella stiffens next to him, her eyes widening. Niall frowns at her reaction, watching her stare at him incredulously. She exhales deeply before taking a step closer to him. A flash of realization is what is on her face, Niall realizes.
"Look, Niall... I don't really know you, but I need to say this anyway," she begins, her voice low. "I need you to be careful with Neha, okay? Whatever is... uh, going on between you two," she pauses when Niall stiffens too. "She's still recovering from her mom and she's the type of person who doesn't do anything without putting her entire heart into it. From what I can tell, she likes you and I just need to know you'll be careful with her because I don't think she can handle losing anyone else."
Niall frown deepens, his brows furrowing together at how elusive her warning is. What is it about what Neha wants to show him that is making Isabella so defensive and protective?
"I won't hurt her," Niall replies carefully, looking Isabella straight in the eyes.
She nods just as the elevator opens and Neha steps out with a gift bag and a set of keys.
"Oh, hey," she says, smiling at Isabella. "We were just..."
Niall notices how Neha curls her palm around the keys protectively.
"I was just heading back up. Mom and dad said to wish you a Merry Christmas," Isabella says, leaning over and kissing Neha on the cheek. "I'll see you later okay? Good seeing you again, Niall." She gives him a final look before heading off to the elevator.
Neha hands Niall the gift bag. "For you. Ready?"
Niall slips his hand into her now free one and nods.
"Watch your step," Neha tells him, leading him up the small porch.
To say that Niall is confused would be a slight understatement, considering he has absolutely no idea why Neha has brought him to this house on this very quiet and snowy Christmas night. He follows her instructions, though, coming up behind her as she opens the door.
"Let me hit the generator lights," she says softly, leaving him by the door as she wanders into the darkness.
Niall waits, chewing on his bottom lip. A few seconds later lights flood the room and as his eyes adjust, he looks around in awe. The wall to his right is covered in towering bookcases, a built-in tv area in the middle of them. There's couches, photos on the wall, and too much stuff in the room for this to be some random place.
Neha gives him a nervous smile as she enters the room again, heading towards the fireplace, "I'm sorry it's so cold. I don't pay for the heat anymore." She tosses in some of the logs and grabs a lighter from a shelf, getting the fire going as Niall walks around.
He goes towards the photos and his heart stops. He'd recognize those brown eyes no matter what. As his eyes glance across the frames, he realizes this isn't a random house. No, it's Neha's. It's not just the numerous photos of her and her mother through the years that clues him in. The bookshelves are spilling with titles that he knows that she reads and has read. One of the spines stands out to him because she was reading it just last week. A darting glance to the left reveals that there's a dining room and a kitchen just beyond the archway.
"Is this your house?" Niall asks, turning around and looking at her.
Neha glances at him over her shoulder, poking the fire once to make sure it's okay before she turns to face him. She nods, a small smile on her face. "It's my mom's. I grew up here," she explains.
"And ya just found out about it?" Niall asks, trying to keep his voice under control. He tries as hard as he can to mask the rage that's building up in his chest.
The smile slides off Neha's face when she senses the hard edge to his tone. Niall barely registers how she begins to nervously fiddle with her hands. "Oh... no. No, I've had it since she passed away actually...."
"Ya lied to me?" Niall spits out at her, glaring so harshly that Neha takes a step back even though they're across the room from each other.
"No, I never told you about this place but-"
"No," Niall grunts. "You told me the only thing you had left of her was the shop."
Neha frowns, because she did say that, but this isn't going how she planned it to. He's getting mad like he did that one day and although she expected him to be upset, she didn't expect this.
"I wanted to show you where I grew up," she says. "Like you showed me."
Niall looks at her like she's nuts and it makes Neha want to curl into a little ball. Gone is the soft demeanor from the car. "I don't have a shop that's failing, Neha," he points out, as if she doesn't know. Neha doesn't like him calling her by her name. She prefers "love" or "darlin" but it seems like those pet names are long gone. "You could've sold this place and neither of us would be in this fucking situation."
His words cut her like a sword and Neha feels her eyes sting with tears yet again, but this time they're ones that she hasn't dealt with since she and Niall got close. 'Situation' makes her think that he never wanted to meet her in the first place. That the kisses and caresses and moments they shared were meaningless.
"You don't even live here," Niall says, shaking his head at her. "You could sell this place and make more than what you need to fix the money problems at the shop," he reiterates to her. "I've been trying to help you and you decided to leave out the fact that you were sitting on a substantial amount of cash?"
"Niall, you don't get it," Neha says, mustering up enough courage to finally speak. "I can't sell this place."
"Why? Is there a problem with the house? Mold? Foundational issues?" Niall asks, looking at her with wide eyes.
"What? No.." Neha says, shaking her head.
"Then I don't fucking understand," he yells, glaring at her. His words echo around the quiet house. "It's common sense. You need money, you sell what you can."
Neha wants to explain to him, tell her that this place, her home, makes her feel safe like he does. That's why she showed to him, because she trusted him and she wanted to share it. But now as she looks at him, pissed off and irritated that she had the audacity to hide something from him, she regrets it. She should've never invited him into her safe haven so quickly. He's looking at her childhood home as it's a pile of cash, not the only thing she has left of her past life.
"I shouldn't have brought you here," Neha whispers, shaking her head at him. She wants to sob, but she won't give him the satisfaction.
"You're right," Niall says, sighing. "It was a mistake."
Silence wafts around between them as the weight of what just happened dawns on them both.
Eventually Niall shuffles back to the front door, opening it. He pauses, "I need to take you home now."
He disappears out the door, leaving Neha alone in the living room. Suddenly, her safe haven doesn't feel so safe anymore.
The car ride back is so silent, Neha is afraid to move an inch in the leather seat. Niall pulls up to her building and unlocks the door without a word. Neha glances out of the corner of her eye and sees that his knuckles are white from gripping the wheel so hard.
"I left your gift on the back seat," she begins.
No response.
Neha resists the urge to yell at him; to burst into angry tears.
"I need you to promise me you won't tell Liam," she requests, her voice small. "About the house. You owe me that."
Niall lets out a scoff of disbelief, looking at her with annoyance. He looks away, jaw tight. "Yeah, sure. Bye, Neha."
Neha waits for something, anything, but when he doesn't show a sign of looking at her again she unbuckles and slips out of his car. The second the door is shut, he's speeding off — leaving Neha in front of her building with the broken pieces of her heart.