Chapter 20
(The Next Morning. Caroline's Thoughts.)
Arms around me, our bodies close to each other. Heat radiating off his chest, and us cuddled up. That is how I woke up this morning. Niall's arms had been around me all night. My eyes fluttered open. I heard Louis and Harry's voices in the kitchen. Niall was still sound asleep, but he rolled over so his arms weren't around me anymore. I pulled the covers off of me, then realized my condition. Not an inch of fabric on my body. Oh my god.
Last night. How could I forget about last night? Even for one minute. Oh boy. Niall and I slept together. Bloody hell how could I forget? Last night was the most amazing night of my life. I looked on the nightstand and laying there were my new dogtags he had customized for me. The meteor shower, the dinner and dancing, the kissing. The passion we had. How could something this big slip my mind? I felt a smile growing on my lips. I sat up after regaining my memory. I slipped on some clothes, and checked my phone. It was still off, so I turned it on to finally read my messages D and Perrie had been bothering me with all last night. The all said pretty much the same thing. They were both suckers for romance.
I walked out into the hall and shut the door quietly. The boys were in the kitchen watching the news, and drinking tea.
"Morning babe." Harry said to me.
"How'd last night go?" Lou asked.
"Incredibly actually." I answered.
"How incredibly?" Harry asked.
"Very well Haz. How was the pub boys?" I questioned.
"We picked up a couple of women and found a couple of cool lads. They actually stayed up in the loft last night." Lou told me.
They let strangers into Niall's cottage? Were those two insane?
"Oh here they come. I'll introduce you to them." Harry said smirking.
The four walked down the steps and I found myself being tackled by them all. I soon realized just who they were.
"Liam! Zayn, Perrie, Danielle! Oh my god when did you get here?" I exclaimed.
"Yesterday afternoon actually." Liam said kissing my cheek.
"I knew you guys were scheming." I said to them.
I hugged the girls. And then Zayn. He kissed my temple.
"Where's the other chap?" he asked me.
"Still asleep. I just got up." I answered Zayn.
Louis handed me a cup of Yorkshire tea. It's all that kid ever drank. I went to sit with the crew in the front room.
"Tell us all about last night! How was it? Simply perfect?" Danielle began.
"Please Care! I want to know absolutely everything." Perrie added.
"Yeah please!" Harry said making fun of the other two.
I rolled my eyes at them all. Danielle and Perrie seemed like they actually wanted to know so I would tell them. The boys were all on their MacBooks, or iPhones and the girls seemed genuinely interested.
"Wanna take a walk?" I suggested.
"Yes." they answered me.
We went in the mudroom and grabbed out coats and some scarfs hats and mittens to try and stay warm. And we put on some thicker pants then went outside.
"So where did he take you?" Danielle asked.
"We went to a nice restaurant. You would've loved it. It was Italian, and there was live performers, we danced, we drank, we ate, it was all very sweet." I said.
"You danced? I can't see that." Perrie teased.
"Yeah, it was interesting." I laughed.
"What else did you do?" they asked me.
"He took me to his old town centre and I met some of his friends. The only one I remember is a girl named Natalie. She was the only British one. The rest had the thick Irish accent like Niall. There was a meteor shower that night and we watched it cuddled up in blankets on the ground. He gave me these." I said.
I held out my new dogtags for them to see. Perrie picked them up and inspected them.
"They're adorable." she said.
"He wants all of our memories engraved into them." I told them.
"That is probably the sweetest thing." D sighed.
"So I think he wants to get a meteor in it, so there will be his initials and that and they will just keep adding." I said.
"Perfect idea." Perrie smiled.
"Was that the end of your night?" Danielle asked.
I took a deep breath. I had to tell the girls. They were my best friends. Well besides Liam. Should I tell him first? I didn't know. I took out my phone quick to see if I had any messages. Nothing. I sent a quick message to Liam saying:
If you didn't find out already, Niall and I slept together. You had to be the first to know. I love you.
Then I put it away. I looked back up at the girls.
"Well we got back to the house and watched Love Actually, since neither one of us were that tired. After that was over we went to get ready for bed. Niall plugged his phone in and Give Me Love started playing." I began.
I felt something in my pocket. I reached in to check my phone again. From Liam:
I didn't. But thanks. You're in love with him.
That was it. Plain and simple. I responded.
Yes. Yes I am.
Then I put it away again. The girls were giving me eager looks.
"Your favorite." Danielle broke the silence.
"Oh, yeah. Well then things started... well... um... basically..." I began.
"Don't be Harry! Just get on with it!" Perrie said.
"He started kissing me. Lips, forehead, cheek, neck. A lot of places. Something overwhelmed me, and it was confidence. It came out of nowhere, but this passion was so intense, I can't explain it to you." I continued.
The girls were still giving me looks. Telling me to start again. Another text. From Liam:
Proud of you babe.
That's all I got from him. I didn't respond. That was all I needed to go on.
"Well, before I knew it I was singing in between kisses, and my hands were on the bottom of his sweater. My heart was racing during all of this. But once Niall's sweater came off, we both realized what was happening. And then I started undoing his buttons, and he tugged at the zipper on my dress, and it all started becoming real. And, well, I think you know the rest..." I said embarrassed.
Not embarrassed that I slept with Niall, not by any means that way, but that I had gone so deep into detail. The girls were grinning at me like idiots.
"You slept with Niall! Oh my god!" D said.
"Well, it's not that huge of a deal is it?" I asked.
"It wouldn't be, but considering the first time you kissed a boy was 4 months ago I think it's a bit insane!" she continued.
"You and he only knew each other for 4 months? Aww Care! You seem like you've known each other forever! It's a perfect love story!" Perrie said.
I blushed. Quite a lot actually. The girls continued teasing me, and I guess you could call it congratulating me. I've known Niall longer than I knew the girls, and they had become so closely knit with me. Thank the lord I had them, Lainey, Ava, and Belle would never live up to these two.
__________________________
(Same Morning. Niall's Thoughts.)
Oh wow.
That's the only thought in my brain. I was high on life right now.
"Hell yes." I said out loud as I slipped my boxers on.
I only heard the lads voices outside the room. The girls must have gone walking. I figured I didn't need a shirt, Harry and Lou would be naked anyways. I walked out the door and saw Liam and Zayn sitting at the counter in just their boxers as well.
"Morning boys." I said cheerfully.
"Niall!" Liam and Zayn said in unison.
"How was your ride?" I asked them fixing myself some coffee.
"Very nice. Long, but pretty." Liam offered.
"The ferry was a bit freezing cold." Zayn added.
"It happens." I laughed.
Sure enough Lou and Harry were just walking around letting it all hang out.
"Hey, you guys did a fantastic job on Care last night." I told them.
"Hey we tried." Harry said smugly.
"How do you know how to do hair like that?" I teased.
They laughed.
"So what happened on your date?" Liam asked me.
"We went to this lovely little restaurant that you would've absolutely loved Liam. It was a place you and Danielle would've gone to in a heartbeat. Then we watched the meteor shower that passes through Mullingar at the same time each year. Came back and watched Love Actually-"
"Hey that's my movie." Harry interrupted.
"I'm sorry we didn't ask first." I apologized.
"Harry, isn't that a bit of a chick flick?" Zayn teased.
Harry shot him a death glare. We all laughed at him.
"Well anyway..." Liam continued for me.
"Anyway, we went into the room and got ready for bed after all of that." I said.
I didn't know whether or not to just come out and say it. But I saw Liam's eyes urging me to say something else. Care must have told him. I'm not at all surprised. They've been the closest of friends forever aparently.
"And then you did her." Harry laughed to himself making a joke.
Little did he know.
"Actually..." I said breaking a smile.
Louis, Harry, and Zayn looked at me with wide eyes. Liam was smirking in the back.
"You're kidding. You're kidding!" Louis was shouting.
"Are you serious!?!" Zayn yelled.
"HE'S A MAN!" Harry exclaimed.
My face turned pretty red. But I was smiling to myself.
"You slept with her? Are you shitting me?" Zayn said.
"Wait Liam, why aren't you flipping out? Care's your closest friend! Wait a second..." Lou started.
"Oh I knew. Care texted me before the girls walked this morning! She tell me everything." Liam stated.
"Wait a second Niall, how was it?" Harry asked me.
"Well, great." I answered blatantly.
"That's my boy." Harry said with a wink.
"How on earth did you manage to get her to?" Liam asked me.
Evidently he didn't know the whole story. Do I go into detail? I didn't know. For the love of god this will be the first time I tell one of these stories.
"It wasn't on purpose. It just happened. I didn't plan for it to happen, it just worked out that way. " I began.
"Yeah we get that." Zayn commented.
"Alright, well after we got into the room I plugged my phone into the dock so it could charge. And Give Me Love started playing. And well, that obviously set the mood. I mean the sing is about it and all. Well something came over the both of, just an amazing amount of passion, and she actually initiated it." I explained.
"Caroline. The girl who could've gotten a man years ago but was too afraid to, initiated it." Liam said.
"That's true." I admitted.
"I don't know what happened." he sighed.
I sat back and thought about all of what has happened to me since I moved to London. So much had happened. Most all for the better. I had always wondered what Caroline was like before I met her. Now was the perfect opportunity.
"Lads?" I questioned.
"Yeah?" they all answered me.
"What was Caroline like before I met her?" I asked.
They all looked towards Liam. He obviously knew the most.
"She was very insecure. As I said before. She could've gotten a boyfriend years ago. When she was like 15 she could've attracted a senior. Actually she did have some seniors give her attention. But she never knew how to deal with it. She was quiet. And actually, very popular. It's because she hung out with me, and didn't realise it but she hung out with Harry a lot too. Through Lainey I think. But she was a really great girl. I'm proud to call her my best friend." Liam explained.
"You really did crack her shell. I think it was by stealing her glasses away from her so she couldn't hide. Complimenting her, you are the best thing that has happened to her. You make her feel loved. There's something in her eyes that I'd never seen before. That look appeared when she met you the first time. It's love." Harry continued.
"I've known her all my life and don't have a bad thing to say about her. Yes she was shy, but now she's outgoing, and exciting, and happy. Completely happy. You can't help but love her now." Louis stated.
"My neighbour. We grew up in the same sandbox in my backyard. I can't think of a dull moment with her." Zayn said.
"Oh, and she's fit." Harry slipped in.
That got us laughing. He could lighten the mood instantly. I loved Harry. He never failed to make us laugh.
"Yes she is Harry. Yes she is." I said laughing.
__________________________
(Same day. Liam's thoughts.)
The girls walked through the door back from their walk. Pretty positive they had practically the same conversation as us.
"Hey babe." I said giving Danielle a kiss.
"What's the plan for today?" she asked us.
"Well I have to work on the painting of my Mum and Pop." Care said.
"I forgot you have all of that to do." Louis said.
Louis loved watching Care paint. It was mesmerising to him. He couldn't figure out how she could make things so beautiful. He adored the arts.
"I have to do those drawings too." Zayn said.
"What's your concentration?" Lou asked.
"The evolution of a picture in 24 hours." Zayn began. "I kept a camera on a tripod in like the middle of the woods in the back on this beautiful landscape. And each hour i'd go out and take another picture. On the hour. So I have 24 pictures, and I'm drawing each and everyone of them on paper about a meter wide and half of that tall."
"That's some big paper." Perrie teased.
"I have one of them done." he said smugly.
"Well I want to see it now." Lou said.
Why didn't he just take art himself?
"I think I left my portfolio in your car Liam." Zayn said to me.
"Oh here's the keys. You can grab it." I said tossing them to him.
He ran outside quickly to grab it.
"Isn't his project going to be extremely time consuming?" I asked Care.
"Yeah. He is doing all 24 extremely detailed so the differences actually stand out." she explained.
"Perrie what is your project? Did you decide yet?" Lou asked her.
"Fabric. But I'm doing the minimal amount of drawings possible. It's too much work otherwise." she answered him.
Zayn came back in with his portfolio and placed down his only finished drawing on the counter with the picture next to it.
"Oh my god Zayn that's amazing." I exclaimed.
"It looks just like the picture!" Lou said.
"Well that's what I intended it to be. Except in black and white." he laughed.
They were truly exceptional.
"How's your work coming?" I asked Care.
"Well I didn't tell you all this but I scrapped what I done." she said.
"What?" we all exclaimed.
"I gave Josh, Jack, Preston, Elaine, Ava, and Isabelle the ones I had done of them. So about 12 paintings away. I'm sticking with the concentration, just different pictures. I didn't want those bad memories to come back so
I just handed them over." she explained.
"So did you pick out new pictures?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah you want to see them? I'm gonna add a few more after the trip too." she said.
"Yes I want to see them. I can't believe you did this to yourself Care!" Louis said.
She went into her room and grabbed her MacBook.
"What is she thinking?" Niall asked Zayn.
"She didn't like the portraits. There was too much emotion in them. Too posed. She thought about it for a long time then made the decision. I tried to convince her otherwise, but it happened." Zayn explained.
Caroline walked back out and opened up the folder they were in.
"Only 15 pictures? I'm surprised." Niall teased her.
"I'm expecting to get like 10 more on the trip." she said.
"Wait are you keeping the giant one that is the center of your concentration?" Danielle asked.
"Yes. I couldn't part with it. And I still love it, and it still goes with the concentration." she answered.
She put the pictures in a slide show for us to see.
1. A shot of myself, Harry, Niall, Louis, and Zayn laughing at something.
2. Danielle and I cuddled up.
3. Zayn fixing a strand of Perrie's hair.
4. Ana and Care laying on the grass.
5. A back shot of Louis and Harry standing side by side with their hands on each other's asses
6. The two dogs climbing all over Zayn.
7. Niall and Care laying on her island.
8. A beautiful candid Katherine, Ana, and Care.
9. Louis leaning up against a wall not realizing he was posing slightly.
10. Harry flashing his cheeky smile with dimples.
11. Niall and I sitting across from each other making faces.
12. Care, Danielle, and Perrie laughing.
13. Niall laying down in his bed with headphones in.
14. Zayn walking down the street.
15. Me pulling Care into a bear hug.
"I love these ones more." she smiled.
"Those dogs love you Zayn." Perrie commented.
"God I know. I think it's the blond in my hair. They think I'm an animal myself." he laughed.
"So 10 more? Only submitting 26?" Louis asked.
"Only." Caroline mocked.
Louis pulled her into a side hug and kissed her temple.
"You are insane for starting again. But they'll look fantastic." he said.
Care shut her Mac and took out the painting of her Mum and Pop. It was already 3/4 of the way done. She set up at the island and the rest of us hung around in the kitchen. Lou prepared some more Yorkshire Tea for himself. Niall was eating of course, and the rest I is just standing and sitting around. Care took out her brushes and put water in a mug.
"So what were you guys up to the few days we were gone?" Care asked.
I actually had some huge news I hadn't shared with any of them yet.
"I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday evening that I didn't tell anyone about. He checked up on the missing kidney." I started.
"How's the good kidney?" Danielle asked.
"Well, that one's great, but the missing one, it's back. I have two kidneys. I don't know how, but yeah, it's good news." I continued.
"So you coming for a pint tonight?" Niall teased.
"Actually, yes." I laughed.
"Hell yes. We're gonna do some serious shit tonight." Louis yelled.
He got us breaking out in laughter.
"Hey Niall why don't you invite your friends out? Did you promise Harry and Louis a couple of girls?" Care asked.
"I'll ask Natalie and the boys to come out. I think they'd love to." he said sending out a text.
"It's agreed then. We're going out tonight. They crew." Zayn said.
That's pretty much what we were. The crew. I liked it.
"Wait a second." Harry paused.
He went to stand in between Caroline and Niall.
"How was the sex last night guys?"
The two of them flushed with embarrassment. Harry pinched Care's cheeks. They started laughing like we were. Niall put his arm around his girl, and pulled her into a side hug. They were laughing really hard, which it the rest of us joining in.
"Fantastic." Niall winked at us.
End of Chapter 20.
Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't posted in forever. But i just finished the first quarter of the school year so it all got packed on.
So now the breaks are coming up and I have awesome news. I'm getting an iPad with Retina Display very very soon, like a little after Christmas and I can type ten times faster with a full keyboard. So I can't wait for that.
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Thank you all for sticking with me.
I love you all.
xx
CAH