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Hi friends, and welcome to my long-awaited Niall Horan fic! I've been working on this for quite some time, and I'm so excited to finally be able to share it with everyone.

Before you begin this journey, there are a few things I'll address now.

This story is 18+. It contains coarse language and extreme sexual content. Upsetting themes or storylines may be spoken about briefly as well. Please be mindful of this as you are reading.

That being said, I hope you all love this fic as much as I do. It's truly so close to my heart now and I have absolutely fallen in love with these characters.

As well, don't forget to follow me on Twitter (@writinglovers2) for updates about coming chapters! 

There is also a YouTube playlist of all the songs I will be using throughout the fic! Follow this link to give it a listen (if you like): https://www.youtube.com/playlist?app=desktop&list=PLe2N9FO0xfOCu91lb4cXK0cV_dbxI947Y 

Enjoy, lovers.

Chapter Text

Convalescence (verb): to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness."

"There comes a day when you realize turning the page is the best feeling in the world - because you realize there's so much more to the book than the page you were stuck on" - Unknown

Chapter Text

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Lili jumped and set her phone down on the marble kitchen counter with a dull thud, locking the screen and placing it face down to cater to her yapping microwave. She turned and pressed the wide 'open' button of her microwave, tilting her head back a bit as the door swung open. She wasn't the biggest fan of reheated leftovers, but had to leave for work as soon as possible, meaning there was no time to cook - leaving her with no choice.

She picked up the plate with bare hands and used her elbow to slam the microwave door shut, hissing repeatedly as the boiling plate burned the surface of her fingers.

"Fuck," she murmured, throwing the plate down on the counter; the porcelain rattled loudly and echoed in the quiet house. She rushed over to the sink to run her fingers under the cold water, letting the water cascade over her reddening fingertips. "That was stupid."

She shook her head, annoyed, as she dried her hands on the towel lying next to the sink. The oven mitt she had taken out specifically for this reason lay on the counter top, staring back at her, as if daring her to use it. The lack of judgment made her roll her eyes and push it out of her line of sight. It seemed like every single day now she was doing something stupid because she was distracted.

At least no one was around to see it...

She looked at her plate and frowned; the sad pile of day-old spaghetti sat steaming into the kitchen air. Dousing the plate in hot sauce and sighing, Lili opened the cutlery drawer and pulled out a clean fork before hitting the drawer closed with her hip. She leaned over the counter and pulled the plate closer to her, filling her cheeks with air and blowing the hot steam away.

Bite by miserable bite, she stomached the dry pasta, washing it down with a glass of cold water. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, too bothered to grab a napkin or a paper towel.

After rinsing her dishes and dropping them into the dishwasher, she grabbed her phone and headed out of the kitchen. Sunlight was streaming into the house through the wide hallway windows, and the warmth of the rays bumped up Lili's motivation a few measly points.

She hurried up the creaking stairs to her bedroom, tossing her phone on her unmade bed and watching it disappear in the sea of blankets.

"Alright, I need to get going," she said to herself, as she caught a glimpse of the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was 11:10am, and she absolutely needed to be out of the house within the next 45 minutes if she wanted to get to her 12:40 shift in time. She hated being late more than anything. Lili was the kind of person to leave her house half an hour early when she was going somewhere five minutes away. You could never be too careful, right?

She opened her closet door and shuffled through the mess, pulling her uniform off the hanger and shoving the clothes under her arm before turning into her bathroom. She crossed the room to turn on the shower and reached behind the curtain, pulling the handle as far over to the hot side as possible.

As the small room filled with steam, Lili ran a brush through her long, dark hair and secured it in a ponytail at the back of her head, leaving it in the perfect spot to pull through her cap. She twisted her hair around the hair tie until it formed a loose bun and pinned it into her scalp to avoid getting the locks wet.

Undressing in a hurry, she tossed her clothes into the open laundry bin and stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain closed behind her. The boiling water finally met her cold skin and she shivered, watching goosebumps appear all across her arms and legs. She rotated in a slow circle, allowing the water to flow over her entire body.

If it weren't for the job waiting for her, she would stand under the flow of her shower head all day until she was burnt to a crisp. Instead, she picked her purple loofah up from the shelf and lathered it with soap, scrubbing her body with it until every inch of skin was covered by a thin layer of suds.

She was in desperate need of a full body exfoliating mask, but now was definitely not the time. Warming herself up initially had already wasted an unnecessary chunk of time. She rinsed the soap away quickly and shut the water off, reaching a single dripping arm out of the shower to prevent the hot air from escaping before she was covered in her towel. She wrapped the soft cotton around her body and stepped out of the shower, wiping her feet on the shower mat before padding over to her vanity.

Turning away from the mirror to avoid seeing her reflection, Lili dried her body off with the towel at record speed, dropping it in a wet pile on the ground as she struggled to put her bra and underwear on over her still damp body. She raced to apply a layer of moisturizer all over her body, bouncing around impatiently as she rubbed the cream into her thirsty skin.

She stood up straight and adjusted her breasts in the cups of her bra, trying to give herself some nice cleavage, before pulling a black long sleeved v-neck shirt over her head. It landed just under her belly button. She turned back towards the mirror; since a comfortable amount of her body was covered, she could stomach looking at herself. She reached forward to wipe some of the condensation away from the glass with her palm.

Her trusty black v-neck had been the most reliable piece of her work uniform, and this specific one had been such a perfect buy that she'd never gotten another one. It was the same shirt she'd bought nearly four years ago when she first started working at the club, but it was obvious that its time was coming to an end. A very small, unnoticeable hole had started to form under her arm, and the ends of the sleeves were starting to fray. 

She shook her head and picked up her neon pink tennis mini-skirt and stepped into it, wiggling around until it sat perfectly on her hips. She pulled the zipper closed and smoothed the pleats down.  Lili turned the lower half of her body sideways to check the back of the skirt, making sure it wasn't inappropriately short.

Not that it really mattered, anyway. At the club, the shorter the skirt, the better the tips.

Gross, right?

At least it accentuated her curves in a way she actually liked.

She shrugged and slipped her feet into her white socks, grimacing at the way the cotton clung to her skin when she accidentally stepped on the wet carpet. Picking up her soggy towel and hanging it up on the rack, Lili turned and scurried back into her bedroom. The cold air hit her like a wall.

She opened the bottom drawer of the dresser across from her bed and shuffled through the mess of clothes, somehow finding a pair of black spandex shorts and pulling them up her legs, hiding them neatly under her skirt. Having to wear such a short skirt at work always made her nervous - there were too many creepy old men constantly trying to sneak a peek under the hood, and she wanted to be prepared. More than once, she had caught one of those old assholes eyeing the tops of her thighs, licking their lips and looking at her with a repulsive hunger in their eyes.

She shuddered at the memory of the multiple men she encountered who tried to make a move on her or say inappropriate things. Sometimes, she really hated old rich white men.

Rolling her shoulders to loosen some of the tension that had now built up, Lili strolled back into the washroom, the air now cleared of the steam from her hot shower. She took a deep breath of the clear air and let it fill her lungs. A quick brush of her teeth had her feeling somewhat better.

She bent and pulled her makeup bag out from the cabinet under the sink and unzipped it, dumping the contents onto the counter in a messy pile. Her products bounced and rolled around on the marble countertop, some dropping onto the carpet below with a muted bang. Lili groaned and rolled her eyes at her stupid decision; she crouched down to pick everything up, tossing the products back on the countertop angrily and pulling herself up.

A quick examination of her foundation bottle showed no cracks from the fall, which made Lili sigh in relief. Aiming for a lighter base to survive under the hot sun, she gently applied some concealer just underneath her eyes and along the bridge of her nose, before setting her face with powder. A smattering of blush, a brush of mascara and a spritz of setting spray later, and Lili was finished with her face and ready to go.

If it was up to her, she wouldn't wear a drop of makeup to work. It was just so time consuming and not worth it in her opinion.

Lili loved makeup and how it made her feel, that was for sure. But sometimes when she was putting her face on, she dreamed of how much better it would feel if she could take that time out of her routine and put it towards sleeping for a bit longer in the mornings. And the bags under eyes could vouch for that.

But she knew she had to look her best for the guests at the club, so she forced herself to put even the faintest bit of makeup on day after day.

To finish, Lili swiped some pink lip gloss over her lips, rubbing them together to spread the product evenly. Giving her reflection the tiniest nod of approval, Lili turned and left the bathroom, shutting the light behind her and heading back into her bedroom.

She picked her phone out from the mess of bedsheets she had tossed it into, shoving it into the waistband of her skirt to free up her hands. There was a collection of text messages on the screen from the employee group chat, but she wasn't necessarily in the mood to read whatever complaints had come out that day. Day in and day out, someone somewhere had something to say about what they weren't happy with at the club. If her supervisors didn't post important information in there every once in a while, Lili would leave the group in a heartbeat. 

Standing at her dresser, she picked up small pearl earrings laying on a porcelain jewelry dish and put them on; a simple pair of earrings could always tie even the most casual of outfits together. The final touch was her black Los Angeles Country Club cap. This hat was probably her favourite part of the uniform, and Lili often found herself picking it up when she would be out running errands and didn't feel like brushing her hair.

It was a plain black baseball cap, with the animated logo of the club - a tiny golf course with a red flag sticking out of the hole that had 'LACC' - printed on it in a white font. She thought it was adorable.

Lili quickly unclipped her hair, letting the long ponytail fall into place and graze her back, hanging just between her shoulder blades. She placed the cap on her head and tugged the thick ponytail through the hole at the back, adjusting the brim and making sure it was centered over her eyes.

She took one last glance at the alarm clock next to her bed and her eyes widened at the time. It wasn't a far drive to the club, but Los Angeles traffic could be brutal at any hour of the day, and she wanted to get to work with a few minutes to spare. It had taken longer than she realized to shower and get herself ready, and she had definitely wasted precious driving minutes standing in the hot water and daydreaming away.

She flipped the light switch off in her bedroom as she jogged through the doorway, slipping along the hardwood floor in her socks as she made her way to the staircase. She nearly missed the last step because of how fast she was going and needed to grip onto the railing, catching her breath and letting her heart rate slow back to normal.

Once her breathing had calmed down she continued on, throwing open the door of the front closet and grabbing her purse and her white Air Forces. It smacked against the wall and nearly jumped off its hinges. Lili cringed at the way it echoed through the empty house. She could just imagine the way her dad would yell at her about 'destruction of property' if he had been home. 

She rolled her eyes at the thought and dropped her shoes on the carpet, slipping her feet into the crisp white runners, tying them with a double knot to prevent them from loosening during the day. She would much prefer a pair of shoes with decent back support over the Air Forces, but uniform policies clearly prevented comfort in as many areas as they possibly could. There was no way it wasn't done on purpose.

Pulling the thin, chain-like strap of her purse over her shoulder, she unlocked the front door and threw it open, but paused when she realized she had forgotten her car keys. "Shit, seriously?" she moaned, annoyed, turning back through the door and opening the oak key box beside the door frame.

Lili's dad had installed it a few years ago, and now she always forgot to grab her keys when she was running out the door because she had gotten so used to just tossing them in her purse when she got home.

Her keychain rattled against the wood as she pulled it out of its compartment, shutting the box as she was already turning away. She ran back towards the front door, slipping through and locking it behind her.

The unexpected heat from the sun draped over her skin kindly, warming her up and relaxing her muscles. It was a very warm March morning. A couple of extra seconds of walking down the driveway couldn't hurt now. The sun was like a warm hug engulfing her lovingly, doing its best to send her off to work in a positive mood. When the sun was shining, it felt like nothing could go wrong.

Lili tilted her head up towards the clear blue sky and closed her eyes, letting the sun bathe her cheeks momentarily. It was days like today that she wished she had freckles, because this sun would have them beautifully dotting her skin in no time. She smiled and brought her head back down to its normal position before unlocking her silver Mazda and sitting down, slamming the door shut behind her.

The heat of the car was so thick and tangible that Lili nearly choked on it. She turned the key in the ignition and felt the engine come alive, instantly rolling down both her window and the passenger window to allow some fresh air to breeze through. Her car was already a few years old, and she had so many problems with the ventilation system that it would take basically the whole drive to work for the AC to kick in.

She took a deep breath and plugged her phone into the aux cord, scrolling through her music and selecting an '80s pop playlist, turning the volume up. She dug through the center console to find her sunglasses, shoving them onto her face and hissing in pain as the metal burned against her skin.

Gripping the gear shift as the bass pumped heavily through the speakers, Lili flipped the car into reverse and backed out of the driveway with ease. She waved to her teenage neighbour just across the street, who was out cutting the grass, before shifting into drive and gliding away towards the end of the road.

It couldn't have been a more perfect start to the day for Lili. Between the gorgeous sunshine, surprisingly minimal traffic on the roads, and her favourite songs playing one after another, it felt like the best day Lili'd had in years.

Though she was lucky that she didn't often find herself struggling to make it through the day, the stress of her job did eventually get to her.

As much as she loved working at the club, Lili would never pass up an opportunity for a pick me up of any sort to improve her mood. Especially with the schedule she was currently on, where she would work for nearly 14 days straight, have two days off, then go back to two weeks straight of work. It was tough mentally and physically, but the one thing that always pushed her to make it through was the money. Nothing made the job more worthwhile than that.

Just as she was about to belt out the chorus to "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston, the music paused for a moment, before a familiar ringtone played out over the speakers. The name flashing across the screen instantly made Lili smile even wider. She pressed accept after the second ring.

"Hey, I'm on my way right now. I'll be there in about 10 minutes," she said, slowing to a stop at a red light. She watched as the cars passing by glinted in the sunshine. A fake, dramatic sigh could be heard from the other end, and Lili laughed.

"Well, I'm just pulling in now. Guess I'll be here alone for a while," Jordyn responded, her rich voice blaring over the speakers. "I'll wait for you to go in?"

"Yes, please!" Lili said, accelerating through the now green light. She sped up, flashing her left signal and changing lanes in front of the Mercedes behind her. She held her hand out in a gesture of thanks. "Recognize any of the cars?" she asked casually.

Jordyn was silent for a moment, probably analyzing the club parking. The two of them usually preferred to park in the guest lot rather than employee parking so they could scope out the day's guests. They enjoyed seeing who exactly they might be serving that day on the course. Since they had started doing this secret analysis, they'd picked up on many of the cars' owners, allowing them to act accordingly during their shifts.

"Remember that weird dude with the eyebrows who tried to give you his number on the empty beer can last month?" Jordyn said, finally breaking the silence. "He's here, and I think his short friend is too. Other than that, no one we know." 

Lili chuckled at Jordyn's words. "Alright, not too bad. I can handle them. I'm hanging up now, but I'll be there in five anyway. See you," Lili said, before ending the call with the button on her steering wheel.

Her music continued blaring moments later, and she travelled easily through the rest of the green lights, singing at the top of her voice, until she was pulling into the LA Country Club parking lot. Her eyes darted to the clock on the dashboard screen: 12:32pm. More than enough time for Lili to clock in. She turned her music all the way down as she spotted Jordyn across the lot, leaning against the old Toyota she drove that was very clearly on its last life.

Lili pulled into the empty spot next to Jordyn just as she looked up from her phone. Her face broke into a smile at the sight of her best friend. Lili put her car in park and killed the engine, rolling up the windows and grabbing her keys and purse, stepping out of the car and onto the pavement.

"You should have told me you were wearing pink today," Jordyn teased, reaching up to tie her shoulder length blonde hair into a low ponytail at the base of her skull. She was dressed exactly like Lili except for her skirt, which was navy blue. Lili rolled her eyes as she locked her car and tossed the keys into her purse.

"Why would I? If we're both wearing pink, how will the men know which one of us to prey after?" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Jordyn laughed out loud and the sound echoed around the quiet parking lot. She threw her hands up, as if in defense, and started walking towards the door.

"You're right, how could we possibly confuse them like that? You look better in pink than me, anyway."

"It's my hair. Dark hair and bright colours are sexy, remember?" she said with a grin. Jordyn snorted.

"Which one said that to you?"

"Daryll," Lili replied. "The one with the blonde hair and the silver tooth," she added, noting Jordyn's blank expression.

Jordyn audibly shuddered. "The fact that you even go as far as learning their names is too much for me, honestly." She reached forward and opened the glass door of the club's employee entrance, stepping through and holding it open for Lili to follow. Jordyn turned to look at her, an amused expression on her face.

"I really don't know how you do it. I can't be bothered." She was walking backwards. "They don't deserve names with the way they talk to us sometimes. We should just number them off and turn it into a system." 

Lili laughed. "Yeah, but sometimes it just feels too mean to talk about them the way you do."

Jordyn cocked an eyebrow and turned around to hide her face, but Lili knew she was rolling her eyes. "If they want to be gross, then we can be mean. It's like when two negatives make a positive, or some shit like that." She waved her hand dismissively behind her. "Besides, at least we have the decency not to say that kind of stuff to their faces. My tips depend on my niceness." 

Lili chuckled. Sometimes, Jordyn's bluntness was the highlight of her day - it really brightened her spirits. She had never met someone so unapologetically themselves in her life, and wished she was the same way. Since the beginning of their friendship - even at the ripe age of 6 - Jordyn was never one to filter her words. She was blunt and straight to the point, and it was her best quality.

Lili followed close behind Jordyn as they entered the employee lounge, crossing the empty room to their lockers. She removed the sunglasses from her face and balanced them on the brim of her cap.

As Lili turned the knob of her lock to input her combination, Jordyn sat on the bench in between the rows of lockers. She kicked her slippers off, watching them fly in two separate directions from the force. Her eyes widened and and an amused smile grew on her face. They were a pair of old brown house slippers that were pretty much falling apart, much like her Toyota. The seams were separating, and some of the cotton from inside the soles was beginning to fall out.

Jordyn was the kind of person to use everything she had until she was physically unable to anymore. Whether it's to save a couple of bucks, or for some other reason, Lili didn't know. But sometimes it was entertaining to see such a beautiful girl like Jordyn using these horribly destroyed, ugly items.

"I seriously don't understand how you can drive in those things," Lili said with a laugh as she hung her purse inside her locker. She never really kept anything in her locker except for her purse, a change of uniform clothes, and a box of tampons. It wasn't even decorated. Jordyn's, on the other hand, had been plastered with photos of her friends and family since her first day.

Jordyn appeared by her side to open her own locker and shrugged. "I hate driving in these shoes," she said, as she pulled out her own Air Forces. "Wearing them all day is bad enough. I'm telling you, one day, I'm going to file a complaint with management about it and they'll be forced to change the uniform policy."

She huffed and plopped back down on the bench, reluctantly slipping her feet into the white shoes and tying them up.

"Actually, maybe I'll just go straight up to HR and cry until someone does something."

Lili laughed again and shut her locker, sitting beside Jordyn and watching her. Her nimble fingers laced the shoes up in seconds, giving her time to slump her shoulders and lean her forehead against the top of Lili's arm. She pretended to sob dramatically, making Lili laugh. The fake sobs echoed loudly around the room. Lili placed her hand on Jordyn's exposed thigh, giving her three sympathetic pats before removing her shoulder from under the weight of Jordyn's head and standing up.

She held out a hand, encouraging Jordyn to take it. "Come on," she said, helping Jordyn to her feet. "You'll be fine. It's a beautiful day. And it doesn't seem too busy out there."

Jordyn groaned but took Lili's hand and pulled herself to her feet, adjusting her skirt. She turned back to her locker and pulled out her cap, throwing it on her head listlessly and shutting her locker with a loud clang. She turned and glared at Lili, very obviously trying to disguise the smile growing on her lips.

"Fuck you, I hate how positive you can be sometimes," Jordyn said, finally laughing. Her face brightened into a gorgeous smile and Lili nodded emphatically; she always won when it came to encouraging Jordyn forwards.

The two girls made their way through the long, empty hallways until they approached the drink parlour at the back of the club. Lili pushed the door open with her backside and flicked the light switch on as she entered the dark room. One at a time, they punched their employee numbers into the old POS system, clocking themselves in for the day.

As much as Jordyn liked to pretend she hated it, being a cart girl at one of the most prestigious golf clubs in the country was one of the best jobs either one of them had ever had, and they both loved it. It was fun, never necessarily 'hard labor', and the shifts were always bearable. Not to mention, the tips alone were enough to make you want to come back for more. Lili was saving up to buy a new car, and was slowly creeping towards her goal. It was a pretty good job that neither girl was ready to give up any time soon.

"Oh, hey. I forgot to ask," Jordyn said, finally breaking the silence that had stretched between them. "How was your date yesterday?"

Lili leaned her elbows against the top of the display case, letting the cold creep up her skin. She sniffled. "Oh. Um...I don't think I'm going to be seeing him again," she said quietly, picking at the cuticles on her thumb. Jordyn sighed.

"What was wrong with him?" she asked. Lili shook her head.

"There was nothing wrong with him. I just..." She paused. "I don't know. I wasn't feeling it and I went home early." 

Closing her eyes, she took a minute to breathe. Dating and Lili Hughes just didn't mesh well together. She didn't necessarily have a rich dating history, but the experience she did have was nearly enough to turn her away from dating forever.

This guy she went out with was a good guy - super nice and easy going, funny, all that good stuff. Lili knew him through mutual friends, so the fact that he wasn't a stranger was nice. But she didn't feel a connection with him, and if she was being honest, she was scared. The fear of getting hurt was so overwhelming that it held her back from doing anything remotely related to dating. 

Jordyn sighed. Lili opened her eyes to see her standing right next to her. She hadn't heard her footsteps. "Look, I get that you're probably scared shitless about this. But don't you at least feel better knowing you're capable of going on one date after so many years of being alone?"

Lili blinked at her, thoughts whirring around in her brain. "Not really," she finally said, after a long silence. "He wasn't right, and I didn't want to keep wasting his time or mine." She shrugged and looked down. "I left after thirty minutes."

Jordyn looked at her sympathetically, and Lili knew exactly what she was thinking. In her head, she was probably going off about what a fool she was for not even allowing herself to enjoy a simple date with someone she'd known for over a year. Couldn't even enjoy a free meal. Which, by the way, Lili ended up paying for because she felt so guilty about leaving. 

But with everything she'd gone through in the past, was it really fair to judge her feelings and fears?

Besides, it was easy for Jordyn to think the way she did when dating had never been an issue for her. She and her boyfriend Isaiah had been together since they were 16. They never had to go through the trials and tribulations of dealing with horrible partners. Lili looked up and into Jordyn's eyes, whose face instantly softened. It was like she could read her mind.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry. It'll happen one day, I know it. And I'm sorry yesterday didn't end well." She smiled weakly.

Lili swatted the air dismissively, though the heaviness in her heart remained. She wished, for once, she could move on from her past pain and let herself be happy again. It seemed like every step forwards that she took led her straight into a booby trap, pivoting her 180 degrees and returning her back to where she started. 

It just seemed like it would never end...

"It's fine. I'm not that torn up about it." She glanced at the clock on the wall so she could avoid Jordyn's worried eyes. "We should get moving, anyway, we're already behind."

Jordyn nodded; it was written all over her face that she wanted to say more, but knew that dropping the subject for now would be best for everyone.

Lili turned towards the door led to the beautiful course, Jordyn a step behind her, and made her way to the garage just behind the parlour. She typed the security code into the keypad and stood back as the garage door rose up and folded itself away. Lili's cart was parked right next to Jordyn's in its cute little parking space.

It was decorated with tiny pink and purple flower stickers scattered along the entire surface. When she was hired at the club, her manager, Faith, had told her that she was allowed to decorate her cart in any way she wanted, as long as it was removable, which meant no paints or permanent markers of any kind. Along with the stickers, Lili also had a custom-made license plate.

Jordyn had chosen to keep her cart plain except for a rather large pair of fuzzy red dice hanging on the rearview mirror. She constantly said that it was done ironically, but Lili was certain she actually loved how they looked and refused to take them off. They just suited her personality so well.

Lili opened the key box inside the garage door frame and pulled out two sets of keys, turning around and tossing one to Jordyn, who caught them expertly in one hand. The two girls got in their respective carts and started the engines. Lili pulled out of the garage and drove forwards, parking the cart just outside the door of the parlour. The shorter distance made it easier to pack up the cooler. Jordyn did the same, pulling up next to her and killing the engine.

"Oh my god, I forgot to tell you," Lili said excitedly as she hopped out of her cart and skipped towards the door. "Remember our 10th grade geography teacher? The one who always sat at the cafeteria tables with the students at lunch?"

Jordyn nodded, furrowing her brows.

"He's teaching at USC now." 

Jordyn gasped, her jaw hanging open. "What?! How did you find out?"

"Matt told me," Lili replied. Her little brother, Matt, was in his final semester at the University of Southern California, studying Architecture and Design.

Jordyn shook her head in disbelief as she unlocked the door to the storage fridge and opened it, keeping it propped open with the old wooden doorstop hidden behind the hinges. "I cannot believe he's still working! You would think someone would have figured out by now that he's a fucking creep." 

Lili shrugged. "Yeah, Matt's not happy about it, but they're not in the same department, so he doesn't have to worry about him. It's still ridiculous, though."

Lili turned into the fridge and picked up an empty milk crate from the ground and began filling it with stock for her cart's cooler. She picked up 10 cans of beer, 15 assorted cans of coolers, a case of water bottles and plastic bottles of apple and orange juice. She heaved the crate off the ground and turned out of the fridge, waddling over to the exit under the weight of everything.

Her back was nearly ready to give out, but there was no way she was making this more than one trip. She used her back to push the door open and stepped back out into the warm LA air. She dropped the crate on the grass beside her cart and took a few breaths to steady herself, grimacing at the slightly pulled oblique muscle she was trying to massage out.

Using the second key on her key ring, she unlocked the cooler and began lining the drinks inside, one by one. She made sure all the alcohol was at the back, water in the middle, and juice at the front, turning each item so the labels were facing forwards. She closed the lid and picked the crate back up, jogging back inside the parlour to grab her two bags of ice.

When she entered, Jordyn was sitting in the corner at the security computer, chewing on her thumbnail as she scrolled through. "What are you doing?" Lili asked, confused. Jordyn looked up, a gleam in her eye.

"Trying to see which men are on which course," she said nonchalantly. "How much do you want to bet that all the creeps are on my course?" 

Lili smiled back at her. "I'll guess that it's 50/50 because they're all awful."

As Jordyn chuckled, Lili returned to the fridge and dragged two large bags of ice cubes across the floor. She placed the crate back in its spot in the fridge, before throwing the bags over her shoulders, mustering all of her strength once again.

"Are you really that concerned about them being out there, though?" Lili said with a pointed look on her face.

"Yes and no. I need the money, so..." Jordyn shrugged and pulled her phone out from the waistband of her skirt, propping it up across the counter in front of her. She slid her finger across the screen and opened the camera, stepping back and admiring herself in the reflection. Lili watched incredulously as Jordan adjusted her breasts in her shirt, making sure they were sitting as high and perky as possible on her chest. She pulled the neckline down an inch as well.

Lili couldn't help but laugh. "Dude, are you serious?" 

Jordyn looked up at her with a wicked smile and gleaming eyes.

"Deadly. If the men out there are going to be disgusting, then I might as well lean into it and get some extra cash." She shrugged. "Don't give me that look," she added, noting the raised eyebrow Lili was giving her. "You know that I have tons of self-respect, but I also need this. It'll be fine, don't worry."

She slipped her phone back in its position on her hip and walked out from behind the counter towards the fridge, bumping Lili's shoulder playfully as she passed her. Lili couldn't help but smile; Jordyn always impressed her with her confidence when it came to this kind of stuff. She could never find herself going out of her way to draw attention. Her self-confidence, or lack thereof, wouldn't allow it.

Lili shook her head, feeling the smile growing on her cheeks, as she made her way back out to her waiting cart.

She dropped one ice bag on the ground and propped the second one against the cooler with her knee, using her strong fingertips to rip open the plastic. She dumped the entire bag into the cooler, watching the small cubes cascade over the cans and bathe them in the cold. She repeated the process with the second bag, evening out the top layer of ice with her hand before shutting the lid of the cooler and tossing the plastic into the recycling bin.

Lili squinted in the harrowing sunlight before remembering she had her sunglasses. She pulled them off her cap and placed them back over her eyes.

She turned back towards the club and looked around, taking a moment to admire the scenery. The club was blocked off for privacy by the most gorgeous wall of oak and willow trees Lili had ever seen. They were tall and full, keeping the wandering eyes of the public away from the members. They also provided incredible pockets of shade for members of the vast golf courses to take refuge in as they attempted to escape the blaring midday sun. And the smell of the trees was to die for. When the wind picked up the scent and distributed it around the air, it was heavenly.

Directly below, in her line of vision, was the South Golf Course, one of two large courses located at the club. Each individual blade of grass had been mowed and clipped to perfection every morning, leaving the golfers with a smooth surface for their daily rounds.

Lili truly loved being at the club. Between how fun her job actually was, and the serenity being in the grounds brought her, she sometimes found herself happiest when she was at work, which she knew was a luxury not many people got to enjoy.

Lili took a long, deep breath, letting the crisp, clean air fill her lungs. She exhaled with a smile before turning back towards her cart and jumping into the seat. She turned her head to the side, peering at the parlour door, just as Jordyn pushed it open with her backside and trudged out, carrying her own milk crate of drinks.

"I'm going to head off now, I'll see you later," Lili said, placing the key in the ignition and turning it forwards. The engine roared to life, and she felt the subtle vibration of the live cart under her thighs. She connected her phone to the tiny speaker built into the cart, resuming the playlist she had been enjoying on her drive over.

Jordyn flashed her a gorgeous smile. "Good luck, girl. See you after. Beware of the men who might come after you," she added with a smirk, eyes deliberately flashing down for a moment to her exposed thighs.

Lili gave her a sarcastic smile, before shifting the cart into drive and taking off. She steered herself onto the little dirt path along the outskirts of the golf course; it had been dug up there to prevent the carts from driving onto the green and destroying the grass with the wheels.

Lili began to slowly make her way along the course. Holes 1 through 4 were empty, allowing her to take a bit of a slower drive and admire the beautiful scenery before her. The only sounds around her were her music and the cheerful chirps of the birds perched up in the colossal trees. They sounded so happy and carefree. The birds singing and flying along in the sky sometimes made Lili feel like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty; she liked to imagine that the birds were her sidekicks, ready to help her with mundane tasks like washing dishes or sweeping.

Maybe she just watched too many Disney movies as a child. 

Lili continued her lonely drive, purposefully slowing down at times to take a moment and stick her legs or her arms out into the sunshine. It kept her calm and positive. Which was necessary for her to hold onto as she drove up the first small hill of the course, Hole 5 and the group of older men unfortunately coming into view.

From a distance, she couldn't tell if she recognized any of them personally, but they looked to be about in their 40s. These men were usually married with grown kids, but spent as much of their free time as possible in places like the LACC to avoid having to interact with said family. Instead of being present husbands and fathers, they preferred to roam the courses, awaiting a young woman like Lili to approach them with a drink or a fresh towel.

Lili despised serving men like them sometimes, knowing what was always coming her way, yet she had no choice but to endure the constant catcalls and "compliments" from the men who would be unknowingly paying for her car.

She swallowed and took a deep breath, gently accelerating up the path, inching closer and closer to the group.

When she was about 20 feet away, one of the tallest ones of the group turned, noticing her, and waved her over. She recognized him instantly as 'the guy with the eyebrows' Jordyn had mentioned in the parking lot. He was probably about 45, greasy salt and pepper hair that he kept long and unkempt. He had quite a large beer belly that hung over his belt. He was the epitome of the middle-aged golf enthusiast - white, red, and pink plaid shorts, a too-small white Ralph Lauren polo shirt tucked in, and brown sandals similar to Birkenstocks.

As she approached, a smile grew on his slightly wrinkled face that made Lili's stomach lurch. "Good morning, sir!" she called, in as polite a voice as she could muster, as she turned towards him.

The man had come out to meet her halfway, the rest of his group slowly starting to follow. Lili put the cart in park and killed the engine, leaning an elbow against the warm leather of the steering wheel and turning her head towards the guest.

"Hey there, sweetheart," he said in a gruff voice as he approached closely. She caught a whiff of his cheap aftershave as he entered her personal space; it burned her nostrils and nearly made her gag. "Looking good this A.M." He followed that with a wink.

Great, first of the day, Lili thought; it took nearly all of her strength not to roll her eyes at him. Instead, she flashed the dazzling smile she had learned to fake over her nearly six years of customer service experience. In moments like this, smiling truly felt like a chore.

"Likewise, sir. Good round so far today?" The man chuckled, looking over his shoulder for a moment at his buddies, gesturing them over. He turned back to Lili and nodded.

"Good round, indeed. I happen to be in first, by a wide margin of course. The boys here always try and stop me but I'm just too good for them." As he said this, he visibly stood up taller, shoulders slinking back, as if to make himself look grander.

That's definitely a fucking lie, Lili thought to herself, as she kept her pearly white teeth shining up to the man.

"Oh, I'm sure of it. I've seen you here before, I definitely don't think there's any competition there."

He blushed slightly, his smile growing wider, revealing yellow teeth, probably caused by years of smoking cigarettes and cigars. Lili fought to keep herself from grimacing. Before he could open his mouth to respond, the rest of his group arrived, the youngest looking one throwing his arm over the first man's shoulders and looking down at Lili. The short friend brought up the rear. There were only 5 of them, but somehow Lili felt as if she was being crowded by a herd of people. She forced herself to remain calm, smiling at each new guest that arrived.

"Fetch me a beer, will you, sweetheart?" one of the new men said, reaching around to his back pocket and pulling out a leather wallet.

He pulled out what looked to be a $20 bill; a can of beer at the club only cost $6.75. She pretended not to notice the bill in his hand as she stood from her seat behind the wheel, making her way to the cooler at the back. She could just feel the 5 pairs of eyes from the other side of the vehicle burning into her skin, so she angled her body slightly away from them so their wandering eyes couldn't venture up her alarmingly short skirt.

Unlocking the cooler, she pulled out one can of beer and playfully tossed it to the waiting man. Sometimes she made herself sick.

"Anyone else?" she asked, leaning her thigh against the cooler and feeling the condensation on the metal leave wet drops along her skin.

The other four men all spoke at once, eyeing her sinisterly as she bent slightly to retrieve their drinks. She passed out three more beers and a water, accepting the money that they practically threw at her as payment.

"You know," a raven-haired man at the back of the group started, "you're much too beautiful to be working here. Pretty girls like you should be on billboards or magazines. Wouldn't mind seeing a face like yours on my nightstand before sleep."

He laughed as his buddies elbowed him, giant smiles on their faces; apparently, that was the funniest joke any of them could have possibly ever told. Lili just stood there smiling as her stomach flipped around in her abdomen in a nauseating fashion. She shuddered uncomfortably.

She laughed sarcastically, though none of the men picked up on it.

"Oh, you're too kind," she said in a breathy voice, swatting at the air in front of her as if to shoo him away. "Anything else I can do for you before I leave you to it?"

She looked at each one of them, the fake smile growing painful on her cheeks. Three of them shook their heads, thanking her and giving her one last look up and down, before turning to head back to their tees. The other two, the raven-haired creep and the man with the yellow teeth, hung back for a few moments.

"Here, sweetheart," the younger one began, reaching inside his wallet once more and pulling out a folded $50 bill. "Treat yourself, on me." He passed her the money and attempted a wink before turning and heading back to the rest of the group, clearly trying to incorporate a bit more swagger into his step.

Lili called out a thank you, silently hoping he tripped and fell. The man with the yellow teeth repeated the process himself, pulling a $20 bill and a $10 bill from his wallet and placing it in her hand.

"Buy yourself something pretty," he said, before also turning away.

Lili turned her back on the men and finally let her smile drop; the muscles in her face were exhausted and she still felt sick. She really wished men could just learn their boundaries and not feel the need to make nasty comments to her, but she could only imagine the kind of berating she would get if she stood up for herself.

She laughed at the thought of Jordyn's possible reaction when she recounted the nightstand 'joke'.

Lili looked down at her hand at the stack of cash she was holding. Counting through it, her total was $111.50. A small piece of what looked like cardboard fluttered down from the pile and onto the grass beside her feet. She crouched to pick it up and scoffed as she read the words printed on the card. She didn't know their names, so she couldn't be sure who it came from, but one of those guys just gave her his fucking business card.

Was this his way of giving her his number, expecting her to call? Remembering one of the bills she had received was folded, she assumed it came from him. She rolled her eyes and crumpled the card between her fingers, discarding it on the floor of her cart.

Reaching to her right, she opened the glove compartment and pulled out the fanny packs she used to transport the cash she made during her shift. She separated the bills and added $31.50 to the blue pack, equating the price of the 4 beers and 1 water bottle she sold. She zipped it up and tossed it back in the glove compartment. The remaining $80 of cash she received as a hefty tip was zipped into the purple pack she used for her personal earnings.

She shut the glove compartment door with a snap. "God, I love this job," she muttered to herself.

The most amazing part of being employed as a cart girl was the crazy tips some of the guests willingly gave her. When she had first started working, she never felt comfortable accepting tips, feeling it was much too generous for someone like her. On her first ever round, she had received a $50 tip and, like a moron, tried to give it back to the guest under the assumption they'd just given her the wrong bill. It hadn't even occurred to her that this was a normal thing.

Over the years, however, she'd learned to go with the flow and accept them graciously; tips such as these really helped with the future down payment of the new car she desperately wanted. Every dollar put her an inch closer to her dream.

Lili restarted the ignition of the cart with a satisfactory smile on her face and shifted into drive to continue on her route. The sun continued to beat down on her as she steered herself back down the dirt pathway and onto the next hole.

Over the next 45 minutes, she had made it to the end of Hole 18, ready to circle back around to the parlour. The course had been empty, aside from the men she encountered earlier, so she was able to end her route earlier than usual and head back inside to busy herself with other tasks.

Since it was only March, the club was still in the off season. It was nice because she usually could just lay low and relax a bit between guests, but it also sucked because it was money she wasn't making.

Lili took her time driving back to the parlour at half speed, enjoying the warm air breezing through her hair and the sunshine warming her legs. She waved at the group of men from earlier as she passed. One of them blew her a kiss, which she sneered at; thankfully, none of them could see her expression from afar.

She made her way down the last hill of the path and turned towards the cart garage, slowing to a stop and leaning out of the cart with one foot on the brake to punch the code into the keypad, sitting back down as the garage door lifted open. She drove into her spot and rolled to a stop, killing the ignition once again. The spot next to her was still empty.

She reached over and retrieved the fanny packs once again, clipping her personal one securely around her hips. She stepped out and stretched her legs and arms, feeling the tension in her muscles slightly dissipate. She pushed the brim of her hat up an inch, wiping the sweat from her brow before it had the chance to drip down to her chin.

Lili opened the cooler once again; majority of the ice had melted, leaving the remaining drinks floating in a frozen river she longed to feel the comforts of. She removed the inner basin from the metal cooler and strode towards the parlour, pushing the door open and feeling the AC welcome her once again.

She crossed the room to the counter and lightly dropped the basin on the ground in front of the fridge door. She pushed it open and dragged the heavy basin in, using it as a doorstop. The unpurchased drinks were returned to their shelves neatly before Lili exited the fridge, shutting the door with a slam behind her. Unlocking the storage room door on the other side of the parlour, she dragged the basin towards her, holding the door open with one foot, and heaved the basin up to dump the water into the sink.

She huffed as the water poured into the sink and down the drain, then placed the basin back on the ceramic floor and closed the door. She kicked the basin across the floor as she made her way back to the exit, returning it to the cart's cooler and shutting the garage door. Standing at the till of the parlour, Lili unzipped the second fanny pack and removed the day's earnings.

She punched her code into the till and the cash drawer popped out; she added the $31.50 to the drawer and shut it with her hip. She ran quickly outside to toss the empty pack in the glove compartment, before heading back inside. She looked at the empty room for a moment, leaning against the counter to take the pressure off her feet. She had to agree with Jordyn when it came to the shoes - they look cute, but they're a bitch to wear when you have to walk around and be on your feet all day.

Today hadn't been that demanding, but over the years, the shoes treated her feet worse and worse with each passing day. She honestly believed that her feet were permanently damaged.

Lili gave herself a moment to relax before reaching under the counter for the bucket of cleaning supplies. Finishing her route early always left her without much to do, so she took the opportunity to disinfect every surface she could lay her eyes on. She started with the glass display case, containing drinks and simple snacks, before moving to the counter and the cash register. It was unnecessary work, but there was a chance her manager could come in, and she didn't want to be standing around doing nothing. She took her time, dusting and disinfecting every button and crevice on the till.

After about 40 minutes, she looked out the window, wiping the sweat from her brow once again, and smiled as she saw Jordyn appear in the distance. She was driving her cart a bit recklessly, always doing something or other to have a bit of a good time. One of her arms was sticking out of the cart, palm flat against the top of the cart, as if she were holding the roof in place.

Lili watched as she approached the garage and parked, opening her own cooler and heaving her basin out. As the bell on the door sang and Jordyn walked through, she shot Lili a devious smile.

"You will not believe the kind of money I made today," she said, a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

"I got $80, so I'm guessing higher?" Lili questioned; she unzipped her fanny pack and pulled out the pile of cash, tossing it lightly on the table.

Jordyn popped her head through the doorway of the fridge. She had removed her hat, a faint red line visible across her forehead. She was smiling, and her eyes were twinkling. "Way higher. There were like 10 fucking guys out there and they loved me. I don't think a single one of them actually looked me in the eyes."

She slid her basin across the floor and shut the door of the fridge, before reaching into her waistband and pulling out a thick wad of cash. Lili's eyes widened. Jordyn slammed it down on the counter, chewing on her lip excitedly.

"That's got to be at least double what I got. Probably more," Lili said in an amazed voice. Jordyn nodded.

"$275. Tips alone. They didn't buy a single fucking drink. They literally just paid me for showing up. Seriously, I don't know how these guys can possibly function with how horny they are, but it was delightful out there. I think one of them was, like, a minute away from proposing to me." She collected the money back up into her hands. "If my shirt was an inch lower, he probably would have choked on his own tongue." 

Lili laughed jovially. Jordyn organized both piles, piling them up together until they formed one large wad of cash. She separated the bills by amount, adding up the totals in her head. Her mental math skills were impeccable. 

After a few minutes, she finally created two piles, pushing one towards Lili and taking the other for herself. Since they first started working, the girls had decided that they would pool their tips at the end of each shift and share their earnings. A lot of the time, Lili hesitated. Especially on a day like today, when Jordyn had earned more than double what she had. But Jordyn would always insist they do this, no matter how much or how little the other person received. It was honestly such a simple but beautiful gesture of friendship.

Lili knew how much Jordyn needed the money too.

"How much?" Lili asked, flipping the bills around in her hands. Jordyn shrugged.

"It was an odd number, so I just gave you the extra dollar." She looked up at Lili, who was obviously upset. "Oh, don't start with me. It's a dollar. Just take it." 

Lili stared at her. "Fine," she said after a minute, adding the money to her pack once again. "Next time, you take the extra, got it?" 

Jordyn shrugged. "Fine by me."

The girls continued on with their shift, trying to find activities to busy themselves with. Even if there was never anything to do around the club, Lili always had fun when she was with Jordyn. As much as she loved her job, she wasn't entirely sure that she would have stayed at the club as long as she had if Jordyn wasn't there. She was beyond grateful to have a friend like her.

"Okay, I think we're good to go here," Jordyn said, sanitizing her hands and wiping them dry on her skirt. The remaining five hours of their shift had dragged on. There was only one person that came into the parlour - another employee who didn't have the time to go all the way to the dining room to pick up dinner. Lili wished she'd had more of a distraction throughout the afternoon, but it was finally time for them to clock out and head home for the day.

Lili sighed and leaned over the counter, looking at the numbers on the keyboard upside down as she clocked out. Jordyn did the same, and the girls headed out of the parlour and back towards the locker room. "You heading straight home?" she asked, as she removed her cap from her head and pulled her hair out of its tie. Her long waves cascaded down her back, and she groaned at the feeling as she scratched her scalp. She quickly flipped her head over and shook her hair out.

"Yeah, mom's got dinner ready for us and my sister's coming over with the baby, so I need time to shower. I'll see you tomorrow?" Jordyn was already halfway out the door, trudging along in her ratty slippers.

Lili nodded, sending her friend off with a smile and a sarcastic kiss blown her way.

"See you tomorrow." 

Chapter Text

Niall's POV

"Alright, Niall, I'm going to need you to push this last set as hard as you can," Evan said encouragingly, kneeling down beside the leather weight bench so he was now at Niall's eye level. He cleared his throat and sharply jutted his chin out towards the bench, as if to tell Niall to lay down and get prepared.

Niall was working out in the weight room at the LACC with his longtime trainer, Evan Walsh, who had reserved the room for them ahead of time for some privacy. The silence was quite eerie. Niall usually preferred working out in a more public setting, especially during the off season, so he'd gotten quite used to the sounds of a busy gym.

From the music blaring through someone's cheap headphones, to the friends laughing together after they'd exhausted themselves with a long workout, Niall loved it all. Hearing other people push themselves just as hard as he did actually gave him motivation to work that much harder. It created a sense of competition, which always made him better. 

But now that he was here at the club, amping up his training for the next tournament, he knew he had to be alone to focus and keep a clear head. The only way to get better was to block out all the noise - literally and figuratively. But he really hated the silence.

Every breath or grunt Niall released echoed in the silence, dying away almost as quickly as it had been borne. The loudest sound in the room was the blood rushing in his ears with every movement, and the noise drove him mad.

Niall sighed and sat down on the edge of the bench, knees bent and feet flat against the floor. Large beads of sweat rolled down the side of his red face and dripped onto the white fabric of his tank top, leaving tiny wet patches behind as the drops dissolved into the fibers.

In either hand, Niall held a 20 pound dumbbell, and was in the process of doing arm curls to strengthen his biceps. 9 sets of 10 reps each had gone by and he was drenched with sweat; it had been such a long weight session - his gas tank was reaching dangerously close to empty.

"This better be the last fucking one," he warned through clenched teeth.

Evan nodded at him and used the towel draped over his shoulder to wipe the sweat from Niall's brow. "Come on, Horan. Don't tell me you've lost all your strength already? You've been off for less than 6 months!" Evan exclaimed, a sarcastic look on his face. Niall rolled his eyes.

"Not a chance." He took a sharp breath and began the set, exhausted biceps bulging and contracting with each rep. The stretch felt both good and unnecessary. Once he reached the 10th round, Niall dropped the weights onto the floor with a loud thud, and the sound boomed menacingly across the empty room like an explosion.

He slowly leaned back until he felt his spine hit the leather and stared up at the ceiling, heart hammering in his chest. A kaleidoscope of shapes danced in front of his eyes and across the ceiling. He took slow, even breaths until his heart rate returned to a somewhat normal pace and the blood wasn't rushing as loudly in his ears. He turned his head to the side to look at Evan, panting, and couldn't help the smile that split his face.

"You're going to kill me one day, you know that, right?" he asked, partially afraid of the answer. The question was only, like, 90% satire. Evan chuckled.

"One day, Horan. I promise. But today is not that day. I've got more for you, unfortunately." His voice was sympathetic, but Niall knew right away that Evan was thoroughly enjoying seeing him half dead on his back.

Nothing gave Evan Walsh more power than being a complete asshole to Niall. And yet, there wasn't a person in the world that could push him this hard and still make him smile at the end of the day. Niall groaned loudly, relaxing his shoulders against the now wet bench. He ran his fingers through his dark hair, which was now soaked down to the roots with sweat. At least he was putting some good work in.

"I'm more worried about my stroke than my arms," Niall argued, cocking his eyebrow sarcastically. "That was my downfall last time out and it needs to be fixed." The frustration oozing from his voice was pathetic, so he tried to compartmentalize those feelings and push them away to be dealt with another day.

"And it will be," Evan responded, passing Niall his water bottle. "In due time."

Niall twisted the cap off and gulped half the liquid down in one go. Evan watched him carefully.

"You know I only have your best interests in mind right now. And your strength last time out, or lack thereof, needed to be improved as well. That's why we've amped up your weight training to three days a week and you know that." His voice was firm.

Niall looked up at him for a moment, studying Evan's expression, then sighed. "Alright, what's next?"

"Just some core work. A few push-ups and crunches, and then you're done." 

Niall laughed, slightly in disbelief, and slithered off the bench towards the exercise mat laying on the floor. He could already feel the very little function left in his legs starting to slip away. His sweaty hands left prints along the linoleum floor as he crawled along it.

He got into a pushup position, holding himself up on outstretched arms, palms flat against the mat. Knowing it was no use complaining, Niall just forced himself to get over it and do the damn exercises. 

Evan patted the wet back of Niall's shirt, as if encouraging him further. "That's what I like to see."

Niall sniffed and began his pushups; pumping his arms, sweat dripping onto the mat below him, he lifted himself up and down, shoulders rotating and shins burning. His hair fell over his eyes and he jerked his head to the side to try and move it. He had no limit when it came to push ups - he went until he physically couldn't anymore. Evan never even gave him a number anymore.

His chest was burning as he breathed, exhaling sharply with every push. His shirt was sticking to his clammy skin, and he was hyper aware of the damp material against his body, adhering further the more he sweat. He managed to find a solid rhythm, pushing tirelessly and getting lost in the adrenaline, until he felt a hand gently clap against his shoulder blade.

"Okay, you can stop. That's good," Evan said, and Niall instantly relaxed his arms. His exhausted body flopped to the ground, and he gently lay his sweating forehead on his forearm as he caught his breath.

Niall turned his head as he slowly calmed down, looking up at Evan with one eye closed in an attempt to block out the harsh fluorescents. "You know," Niall began, in a breathless voice, "you should start doing this with me, too. Need to even the score a bit sometimes." He rolled onto his side for a moment, before heaving himself back onto the leather bench. He had to close his eyes as he sat, feeling slightly dizzy from the sudden movement. Evan laughed again.

"In your dreams, Nialler. I'm here to make you stronger, not me." He tossed a fresh towel to Niall, who caught it easily with one hand. "But I know you're just dying for the day I let you compete against me. Too bad you'll lose."

Niall laughed loudly and wiped the sweat from his face, dropping the now damp towel onto his lap. "Yeah, I'll believe that when I see it," he remarked. Reaching down beside him, he grabbed the nearly empty water bottle and squirted the remnants all over his face and neck, letting the cool water drip down his skin. He towelled himself off again, feeling slightly refreshed. Evan pulled a folding chair out from the storage closet and opened it, setting it down a few feet away from Niall and taking a seat.

He crossed his legs, struggling to get his top leg up high enough in his tight pants.

"What's the plan for today, then, Walsh?" Niall asked, finally having caught his breath fully once again. "Nothing too crazy, I hope."

Evan smiled, his warm hazel eyes disappearing behind the apples of his cheeks.

"Not to worry, that was the hard part today." He glanced momentarily at his watch. "I actually think we can stop here. I don't want you to over exert yourself when we've barely started. We can alter next week's workout to add what you missed today, no big deal."

He paused and shifted in his seat, like he couldn't get comfortable no matter what he did. He fidgeted with his phone case, a dead giveaway that an awkward conversation was heading Niall's way. Evan cleared his throat and dropped his phone between his thighs, leaning forwards and placing his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together in the empty space.

"We do, however, need to discuss PGA and...everything that happened at your last tourney."

Niall's stomach turned. Did they have to?

"We all know it wasn't great, but we've been beating around the bush for months and it's time we get over it and talk. You're obviously better than what we saw, and we need to figure out where you went wrong."

Niall groaned inwardly clenched his jaw. The last tournament he participated in was an absolute wreck - one of the worst he's ever had in his career. It started off well but went to shit very quickly. Niall wasn't 100% sure if it was a mental or physical ailment that caused all his problems, but right around Hole 9, he had completely lost his stroke and was shooting bogeys left and right.  He couldn't aim, his torso wasn't rotating nearly as much as it should have been, and more than once he lost his footing, which cost him a shot.

He finished 9th overall in the tournament, coming in at 17 over par. It was easily the worst performance of his career. Not to mention, he had just come off a 3rd overall finish at the US Open behind the two best golfers in the world just a few months beforehand, so it was quite a shock to the golf world to see the sudden decline. If it was shocking to everyone else, imagine what it felt like for Niall.

"What went wrong is that I was absolute shite," Niall barked, leaning back on the bench and laying down for a moment. He covered his eyes with his arm, blocking out the light. Visions of missed swings and terrible shots played over and over in his mind. Those same visions had kept him up every night, haunting his dreams.

"I don't know what happened, Walsh. Truly." He popped back up to a sitting position, running his hand through his hair once again. "It was embarrassing. I still can't show my face around the boys."

That wasn't entirely true, but Niall had created this narrative in his head that even his friends were so disappointed in his performance that they didn't want to be around him. Was that true? Probably not. But he couldn't help feeling that way.  He could feel his body closing in on himself, the anger starting to build.

There weren't many things that could shake Niall Horan's confidence. But performing this badly in a major tournament was one of them.

Evan gave him a sympathetic smile. "So we fix it. Do you really think Tiger or Spieth were perfect their entire careers?" He sighed. "It was one game. It happened, it sucked, but it can be fixed."

When Niall rolled his eyes at his words, Evan scooted his chair closer until their knees were practically touching.

"Look, I don't think it was a matter of you being distracted or something throwing you off mentally. I think it's a mechanical error that can be fixed."

He leaned back in his chair, waiting for some type of response from Niall.

"I guess," Niall agreed in a small voice. Evan exhaled through his nose.

"Okay, so let's think. At any point in the day, did you feel any pain at all in any part of your body?" he asked in a firm tone.

Niall shook his head immediately - he had been feeling very good physically that day. Evan nodded.

"Okay, and did something happen outside of the tournament that would be cause for concern regarding your mental health?"

"Nope," Niall said quietly.

"Then, there's your answer. It was nothing more than a malfunction in your mechanics, the most fixable problem for a golfer." 

Niall met Evan's eyes and his body physically relaxed. He released his shoulders, letting his angry demeanor falter slightly. The corner of his mouth turned up into a slight smile that he tried to hide. It was a moment before he responded.

"You're right. And you know how much I hate saying that. Always have to be the cleverest one in the room, don't you, Walshy?"

Evan held his hands up in defense as he beamed proudly. Niall pushed himself up and stood from the bench, clapping Evan on the shoulder twice, before turning to pace the length of the room. Moving always helped him ease his mind and think clearly. He paced for a few moments, and Evan watched in silence.

"Alright, I think I need to just hit the driving range and swing away, see if we can pinpoint what's wrong with my swing. Maybe there's actually nothing there." He turned back to his trainer, awaiting an answer. Evan just shrugged.

"It's possible. Things can happen that we can't control, but as long as we figure out how to fix it, we should be good." Niall nodded firmly in agreement.

"Now," Evan said, standing up as well. "Let's talk strategy for PGA. Most important above all else, I reckon."

"The only strategy I need is to not play like like a fucking idiot," Niall said, eyes twinkling and a smirk growing on his lips.

Evan shook his head, one eyebrow cocked. He always knew that when Niall got that joking look in his eye, he was relaxed enough to take advice or criticism and not let it get to his head. Which was most of the time.

"Let's get real, please, Niall. Neither one of us was happy with what happened last time out, and it can't happen again. To me, I think one of the biggest issues was using the wrong clubs at the wrong times. I do think you lost your concentration somehow, and it affected the decisions you made."

Niall looked up at him, brows knitted together in confusion. He had no recollection of ever using the wrong clubs...

Evan held up a hand as if to say 'relax' and unlocked the tablet Niall hadn't seen him bring into the room with him. He sat back down and scrolled through it for a moment, before beckoning Niall over with his fingers. Niall crossed the room and sat down on the edge of the bench once again, eyes focused on Evan's tablet. He had to squint to see the screen clearly. A ball of nervous energy started growing in the pit of his stomach; it had been a long time since he got truly anxious over his job.

He hated the feeling more than anything.

"This right here, for one," Evan started, pointing to a video of Niall. "Hole 9, when everything started going downhill. Watch closely," he said, as the video played. He stopped it after a few seconds; Niall could see himself on the screen. His caddy was passing him a club, but he shook his head and asked for a different one. He furrowed his brow. Evan continued.

"For some reason, you used your 9-iron instead of your driver to tee off. Now, it wasn't the farthest hole, so you probably could have gotten away with it, but watch here." Evan fast forwarded through the video a bit, stopping about halfway through the footage. "You got too much spin on the ball, that's why it went haywire. See that, there?"

On the video, Niall had just taken a shot, and the look of disappointment on his face was evident as the ball twisted sideways and landed behind a tree somewhere in the rough. Niall nodded.

"The driver would have been the better choice," Evan finished.

"That must have just been a lapse in judgment. I'd never normally do that," Niall said, twisting his bottom lip between his fingers nervously. "I don't know why I asked for a different club. That's not something I do." 

He swallowed the bile he felt rising in his throat. He hated reliving the mistakes he made in his career. As much as he tried to mask it, he struggled greatly with his confidence sometimes, and moments like these made it even harder to pretend that everything was fine. Feelings of inadequacy that he knew he shouldn't be experiencing haunted him daily, and it took a lot of mental strength to move past it without harming himself further.

He knew exactly what these feelings stemmed from, but if he allowed himself to wallow in the memories of her, he would never crawl out of the dark pit of his mind that they often led him to.

Evan nodded in agreement. "Exactly. And you also didn't change to your putter at the hole. You stuck with the 9-iron the whole time." He slid his finger across the screen to move to another video. It was taken at a closer angle. They watched the footage in silence before Evan sighed. "I don't think there's an issue with your stroke. It looked clean and direct, and your eyes were focused. Now, I don't know what could have caused that lapse in judgment, but based on my research and the videos we took, you made these mistakes the entire second half of the course. That wasn't the only time you disapproved of the club being handed to you."

"Hold on, Walsh," Niall interrupted angrily. "I was choosing the wrong clubs, saying no, whatever. My mistake. But why the fuck wouldn't my caddy correct me?" he asked, starting to feel slightly agitated. "He should know better than to give me a club that can fuck up my game, even if I asked for it." He was breathing heavily through his nose, heart rate skyrocketing.

"You're right, he should know better," Evan said in a calming voice. "But, ultimately, you have the final decision. He went with what you told him and it backfired. Which is fine, but we need to make sure it doesn't happen again. We'll talk to him about it, of course, but you know it's not entirely his fault."

Niall paused for a moment, trying to force his anger to subside, before he nodded in agreement. He stayed silent, mentally deciphering every decision he made that day that was an abnormal or wrong one. He must have been wearing his emotions clearly on his face, because Evan looked him up and down sympathetically; he gave him a moment to wallow before locking the screen of his tablet and setting it down gently on the floor.

"Hey, look at me." Niall peeled his eyes away from the spot on the floor he had been staring at and lifted them to meet Evan's.

"I'm fine," he said in a quiet voice.

"I know, but you're getting in your head. I can see it all over your face," Evan responded, lifting his arm to put a comforting hand on Niall's shoulder. He never broke their gaze. "I need you to get out of that head. Stewing in your thoughts isn't going to do you any good and you know that. It's going to be fixed and you're going to be fine. You're more than capable of fixing a problem, and you have incredible talent. We'll get through this. Together."

His words hit Niall right in the chest, and he scrunched up his nose, trying to hide a smile.

"You always know what to say, mate. I hope you know how much I appreciate you." 

Evan winked playfully, making Niall's smile grow even wider.

No matter how many times he expressed it, Niall wasn't sure Evan would ever truly grasp how much he'd changed Niall's life.

Evan had been Niall's personal trainer ever since his professional career took off when he was 17. He'd pretty much become a second father to Niall; he spends more time with Evan than he does his own family. Evan has been there for every single high, low, and whatever came in between. Every tournament, major or friendly, that Niall ever participated in, Evan was right there encouraging and teaching him. Niall was sure that he wouldn't have achieved this level of success without a man like Evan by his side.

"Alright, mate," Evan said, shattering Niall's deep thoughts. "We've got a pretty busy afternoon ahead of us. After you've cleaned yourself off, we're going to head to the driving range and work on your swing. I know we said there's nothing mechanically wrong, but you still need to keep it smooth and strong. Practice makes perfect." He smiled and scratched his beard, looking at his watch once again. "Afterwards, we'll probably head back to yours and come up with a fitness and meal plan. You'll need to be in as great a shape as possible this summer, no excuses."

"I'm not one to make excuses, Walshy, you know me," Niall said, flashing Evan an award-winning smile. He could feel the rest of the agitation from earlier fading away; he was calming down and feeling good again. It was probably the prospect of holding a club in his hand again that lifted his spirits and excited him. Golf was for sure his safe haven.

Evan shrugged, a grin spreading on his face.

"Never assumed you did." He groaned as he stood from his plastic chair, twisting his torso slightly to stretch the muscles in his back. His features were painted in a painful grimace on his face.

"Getting old is quite shit, isn't it?" he said ominously. Niall laughed brightly, standing as well and pulling his sweaty shirt off his back. The smattering of light brown hair across his broad chest was matted down with sweat.

"Alright," Niall started, crossing the room and leaning against the doorway leading to the locker room, "I'm going to get a quick shower in because I smell absolutely horrific. I'll meet you out front in a few minutes?" 

Evan nodded and turned towards the exit, waving at Niall over his shoulder.

Niall paused for a moment to watch him leave, before pushing the door to the locker room open, turning, and heading through. Immediately, he was ambushed with the musty smell of damp towels and old shower gel mixed with the soggy wood in the sauna.

Walking through the hallway lined with ceramic tiles, he hummed a happy tune to himself as he approached his locker, twisting the knob with his combination to unlock it. He swung the door open and pulled his backpack and shower bag out, setting them down on the bench behind him. He removed his golf shoes from the top shelf and placed them beside his bags. He also took out his towel and slides, throwing the shoes down in front of him and shutting the door again.

He sat down with a groan and absentmindedly pulled off his exercise shoes and socks, slipping his feet into the hard rubber of the slides. There was no way he was letting his bare feet touch the floor of this room. 

He sat for a moment, massaging his thighs, before standing and slinging his shower bag over his shoulder.

He trotted over to the small, porcelain-walled shower, dragging his heavy feet, and hung his bag and towel on the hanger beside the curtain, pulling the material back and twisting the shower handle all the way to hot.

As the water slowly warmed up, Niall stripped the rest of his clothes off, throwing them down in a messy pile just outside the stall. Steam started billowing through the large room in thin clouds, which meant he was in for a perfect shower.

He stepped into the hot water, letting it cascade through his hair and down his aching body. God, it felt good on his worn muscles, instantly repairing them. He didn't want to spend too long in the water; he would have to shower again when he got home in the evening, anyway.

Niall flipped open his bottle of shampoo and filled his palm, roughly massaging the liquid through his hair. Even if he was going to clean himself up again at home later on, he couldn't handle going the whole day with a sweaty head of hair. If there was one thing about himself that Niall was particularly proud of, it was his ability to take exquisite care of himself. Now, he wasn't necessarily a cocky guy, but Niall knew that he was good looking, and wanted to keep up said good looks for as long as possible.

As the shampoo soaked into his scalp, he scrubbed a quick lather of soap along his entire body, before rinsing everything off and shutting the water. Niall stuck an arm out of the curtain into the cold air, grabbing the soft cotton of his towel and pulling it towards him. He shook out his hair, large droplets flying in every direction, and wiped his body before wrapping the towel around his waist and stepping out into the still empty locker room.

After wiping the condensation from the mirror with his arm, he reached over and unzipped his shower bag, pulling out his bottle of hair gel. After styling his clean hair to perfection, Niall gave his reflection a wink and a smile before turning away from the mirror to get dressed. He dried himself and threw on a black polo shirt and beige khakis.

Even if it was just a training session, he always liked to dress properly - it got him in the right mindset and helped him perform to the best of his abilities. Simulating game play was the most effective way to train both mind and body in his opinion.

He sat down and pulled on a pair of black socks and his regular flat golf shoes. Picking up his belongings and clearing the area, Niall headed out of the locker room and towards the parking lot. The sun met his skin once again, and the feeling of it warming up his exposed arms was heavenly.  Evan was standing next to Niall's black Range Rover, reading through something on his phone with a sort of sour expression on his face. The corners of his mouth were turned down in a frown.

Niall approached him so quietly, Evan hadn't even realized he was there. "Ready for me, Walshy?" Niall asked, rummaging through the pocket of his backpack for his keys and pressing a button to open the trunk of his car.

Evan looked up from his phone, surprised, and smiled. It didn't seem to reach his eyes. "You took so long, I thought you'd gotten lost. The narcissism can wait until after we practice," he said, his voice wavering as he held back a laugh.

Niall shrugged as he threw his bags into the trunk and pulled out his clubs. He set the heavy bag on the ground, leaning an elbow against the top as his trunk closed.

"I think there's always time for narcissism with me. Wouldn't look this good if there wasn't." His smile was so wide that it hurt his cheeks.

Evan laughed along with him, but something wasn't right. Niall furrowed his brows in confusion as the smile left his face.

"Something's happened. You look like you've just seen a ghost," he said, and a guilty expression crossed Evan's face. Niall stood up straight. "What is it?"

Evan paused, hands on his hips, before he sighed heavily. "Alright, fine. I just got an email from the registration committee for the PGA tournament, and..." He paused and met Niall's eye. "I've just seen that Louis Tomlinson is competing with you again."

"For fucks sake," Niall groaned under his breath, physically feeling his good mood dissipate almost immediately. "You're serious?" he asked, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

Evan said nothing; he just opened his phone to a document and showed Niall a list of names with the words "PGA Contestants" printed at the top. There, at the bottom of the list, was 'Tomlinson, L.', written clear as day.

Niall groaned into the open air, preferring to just scream at the top of his lungs in frustration, but holding himself back. This was easily the worst-case scenario.

Louis Tomlinson had been his arch nemesis since he first started competing in professional tournaments. It seemed as if every single tournament Niall was registered for, Louis was right there behind him, writing his name down on the forms. And he was a world-class golfer, there was no denying it. Every time they competed, it was back and forth until the very end. Niall would pull ahead by two strokes, then Louis would be there, beating him by one. Niall had more wins under his belt, which helped his ego significantly, but no one in the golf world irritated him more than Louis Tomlinson.

In fact, he was there at the last tournament and got a front-row seat to the worst show Niall had ever put on before. Niall had never heard him gloat like that and it drove him fucking mad. There was absolutely no way he was going to let that happen again.

"Are you okay?" Evan asked, clearly scared to poke the bear even further. "I debated not telling you right now, but..."

Niall closed his eyes and held his hands out at his sides, as if to balance himself. He took three slow, deep breaths, before opening his eyes again. He was smiling, though he still felt rage deep in his stomach.

"I guess this just means this win is more important than ever," he said finally, clenching his jaw. That was an understatement if he'd ever heard one. "I know who I have to beat now."

Evan rolled his eyes with a smile, picking up the strap of Niall's clubs and slinging it over his shoulder. "Exactly the kind of attitude we need from you here on out, Horan!" he exclaimed.

He started walking, motioning for Niall to follow. He hesitated, and couldn't help but laugh to himself. He looked up towards the sky, closing his eyes and meditating in the warmth of the rays for a moment. The two then made their way out towards the driving range. In his free hand, Evan was holding a bucket of hundreds of crisp, white golf balls. Niall kept trying to grab something so he didn't have to carry everything, but Evan refused multiple times.

They walked together in comfortable silence, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather, until they reached the empty driving range. Evan set down the clubs at the first tee square, pulling out Niall's trusty driver and handing it to him.

"Before we start, I need you to completely clear your mind and take a breath. Forget everything we talked about with PGA and your mistakes and all that. Just focus on the goal at hand."

Niall nodded and closed his eyes; he took a few more deep breaths, rolling his shoulders to loosen the muscles. He tried to rid his mind of every thought of Tomlinson, failure, and inadequacy, focusing on his confidence.

"Ready?" Evan asked after a moment.

Niall opened his eyes and nodded again, bending to drop the first ball on the tee. He lined up his club with the ball and planted his feet flat on the ground, shoulder width apart. Aligning his spine, he lifted his arm and pointed out towards the open range, a smirk growing on his face.

"Yellow flag, 200 yards out," he exclaimed. Evan scoffed behind him.

Niall got back into position and gripped his club; raising his arms and swinging, he hit the ball with a loud WHACK! and watched it soar in a tall arc, losing it momentarily in the blue sky. He had to squint to search for it. The ball then dropped suddenly, landing about 10 feet away from the flag he had originally pointed at. He turned to Evan, the smile growing even wider on his face. This feeling was like no other - it was ecstasy in Niall's veins. Accuracy was one of his strongest skills. 

Evan applauded sarcastically, giving Niall his moment. "Alright, alright, that was nice. Now do that 20 more times, then we can talk."

"No problem," Niall responded, puffing out his chest.

The next hour or so was spent hitting balls, working through mechanics, and laughing. Niall fully relaxed into his swing, letting ball after ball fly into the open air; nearly all of them landed within a 20-foot radius of where he had aimed. Some of his shots went wide or stopped short, but overall, he felt great about his production. It was the first time in a long time that his body felt free and open, and his mind felt clear. Every muscle and nerve in his body was relaxed. 

Evan had also relaxed significantly; he had clearly been worrying at the start of the session that Niall wouldn't succeed as well right away. But he couldn't hide the proud smile after watching Niall's immediate achievement.

After sending every last ball out into the field, they picked up Niall's clubs, and the empty bucket, and turned back towards the parking lot. The sun was now much further west than it had been when they got to the driving range - it was bound to set within the next half hour. Niall wasn't sure if he walked or floated back to the car, but he just knew that he felt really fucking good. It was so unbelievably nice to have a good day like that. 

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his car keys, tossing them to Evan, who made the catch with his free hand.

"You know what, today was pretty nice," Niall said, kicking a small stone with his toe and watching it skid across the asphalt. He looked over at Evan. "If I'm being honest, I was anticipating being a bit rusty."

"So was I," Evan said honestly with a laugh, jumping out of the way as Niall reached out to push him playfully. Evan laughed. "Come on, kid, I'm joking. I told you that you would be fine. And it'll only get better from here, so just have fun with it."

He gazed at Niall for a moment as they walked.

"I understand that this is your livelihood and you have to be serious about it, but you're allowed to have fun. You're a kid getting paid a shit ton of money to play your favourite sport. So what if you have some bad days?"

Niall nodded, a half smile on his face. Once again, Evan couldn't have been more right with his words. 

"I know. And I am having fun. I promise."

"But don't think I'm going to be this easy on you every single day," Evan continued poignantly. "I'll be your worst nightmare if I have to. Especially if it means you finish what you need to get done." 

Niall nodded. "I believe you." 

They were about halfway to the car when Niall slowed down. He tried to swallow, but his extremely dry throat wouldn't allow it. "Hey, I think I'm just going to stop and get a drink before we head home, do you want anything?"

"Just a water, thanks. I'll wait in the car."

Evan smiled kindly before turning towards the now full parking lot. Niall watched him go for a moment, before turning the opposite way and heading down the sidewalk towards the refreshments. He'd only been at the club for a couple days, so he winded his way down the paths, trying to remember the directions he was given that first day.

He ran his fingers through his hair again and sighed deeply. It had been a long day, and his body was tired, but he was happy with how it had gone overall. Even if it wasn't showing on his face, he was definitely proud of himself for not letting his mistakes carry into the day's tasks. The thought that something was still just a bit off with his game was hanging around the back of his mind, but he had to push it away. Niall was never one to pity himself or feel bad over small things, but when it came to his career, he could fall very far into a dark pit very quickly.

He shook the negative thoughts from his mind as he crossed the threshold to the drink parlour and pushed the door open, hearing the chime of a bell above the door frame sing out to him. It was a decent sized room, painted eggshell white and pale blue, making the walls seem even bigger and brighter than they actually were. Along the entire length of the shop was an L-shaped refrigerated display case, similar to those at coffee shops, housing drinks and snacks for the club guests to purchase. There were bottles of water, juice, and soda, plus sandwiches wrapped in clear plastic. The multiple upright fridges along the walls behind the cashiers were stocked with beers, coolers, and even expensive bottles of wine.

Niall stepped through the door, shivering at the blasting AC, which he welcomed after spending the afternoon in the blazing sun. As he walked further in, he could see the employees waiting to serve him - a sweet looking young girl stood at the register, a smile on her face no doubt plastered with false happiness. She had short, jagged blonde hair that was tied in a bun at the base of her neck.

But Niall couldn't help but notice the other employee.

He hadn't seen her face; she had walked behind her co-worker and through the employee door just as he walked in, shielding her from him. He couldn't see what she looked like, but he caught a glimpse of the long, black hair trailing down her back. It was swishing back and forth as she walked, shining under the fluorescents.

Niall paused for a moment, looking at the spot in the doorway that the mysterious girl had just been passing through a moment earlier. His eyes lingered momentarily, before he pulled himself out of the daydream to give his attention to the employee in front of him.

As he placed his order and paid for the items, Niall wondered if he would ever get the chance to see her face for real. 

Chapter Text

Lili's POV

The work week continued on as per usual; the same routine of getting dressed, making some money, sleeping, and repeat. The only thing that was propelling Lili forwards and actually giving her motivation to leave the house was the phenomenal spring weather Los Angeles was experiencing.

It was unseasonably warm for the end of March; the sun was shining brightly every day, the sky was almost always cloudless, and Lili often left the house in the mornings with a t-shirt rather than a sweater.

If it hadn't been for the extraordinary spring weather, Lili might not have been able to get through the days as easily as she had been. She could say she loved her job until she was blue in the face, and it would be true, but it really wasn't easy, mentally or physically. Between the long hours in the hot sun, dealing with hundreds of customers on a daily basis, and having one or two days off every month or so, Lili was really starting to feel burnt out.

It was getting to the point where she contemplated quitting every morning. And that was absolutely unheard of for her.  

But then she remembered exactly why she didn't do that. Money was her biggest motivator for just getting out of bed in the mornings and forcing herself to drive to the club and plaster a fake smile on her face. It obviously helped tremendously to have a friend like Jordyn by her side, because having someone facing the same obstacles as you really did make it easier to push through. But Lili had really been struggling to get by lately.

It was yet another warm, sunny work day, and Lili had to force herself out the door with some pretty harsh words of 'encouragement'. Sometimes, it took a bit of tough love for her to get going. She wasn't exactly mean to herself, but she found that soft encouragement usually wasn't enough. The words really needed to make an impact if they wanted to work in any way.

Lili proceeded with the same routine she'd had for the past few years: she got in her car and started the engine, put on some upbeat music, and pulled out of the driveway. Every now and then she stopped at a coffee shop and bought herself iced coffee and a chocolate croissant; even the smallest things could boost her spirits, and in this case, it helped immensely.

As she popped the last bite of pastry into her mouth, she turned into the parking lot, scanning the full spaces in search of Jordyn's car. She pulled into an empty spot, brows furrowed, and put her car in park. Before she even killed the engine, Lili picked up her phone from the passenger seat and opened her chat with Jordyn.

L: What time are you working today?

She leaned her head back on the headrest and closed her eyes as she awaited Jordyn's response, allowing herself to enjoy the quiet. Even if it only lasted for a minute. The loud text tone of Jordyn's reply made her jump and pulled her back to reality just moments after.

J: I'm covering dining tonight for Cal, I'll be in at 4:40. Forgot to tell you, sorry. Zara is there tho :)

Lili sighed and locked her phone, throwing it into her purse and hauling the strap over her shoulder. She got out of the car and slammed the door, locking the vehicle behind her. Immediately she paused for a moment in the sunshine, letting it warm her skin once more. Tilting her head up to the sky, she breathed the hot air in, pores selfishly drinking in the sun rays.

I'll be fine, she thought to herself, I can do this. After taking more time than probably necessary, she headed to the employee locker room.

The entire time she was in the room, she did what she could to hype herself up and get into a better mindset to have a good work day. She knew that even though she was struggling, it would all be okay in the end. Plus she couldn't possibly go out to the course in a sour mood when there were guests waiting for her. She could do this without Jordyn.

Plus, it would be nice to finally see Zara again; they hadn't worked a shift together for a while and it would be fun to catch up and talk.

Zara and Lili had been working at the club together for 3 years, but they were friends in high school beforehand. They met in the 10th grade when they were assigned as lab partners in chemistry, and clicked instantly. Lili was actually the one who had gotten Zara the job. There had been a staff shortage at the club at the time, and they were desperate for new employees.

Zara worked mostly in dining or the kids club, where she felt the most comfortable. She rarely ever took shifts in the parlour. She wasn't qualified to drive the carts, so she remained stationed behind the register. She wasn't as close with Zara as she was with Jordyn, but Lili did still consider her one of her closest friends, and always appreciated the moments they were able to hang out. When you didn't really have many friends to begin with, you'd take advantage of every single relationship you have in your life, best friends or not. 

The thought of seeing Zara again brought a smile to Lili's face, and she headed out of the locker room with lighter steps. Her smile grew even wider as she approached the parlour and, looking through the small window in the door, saw Zara behind the register, counting the till and organizing cash.

Her hair cascaded delicately over her shoulder.

Lili pushed the door hard and it flew wide open, hitting the wall behind it. The sound drew Zara's attention, and she looked over, her face breaking out into its own bright smile.

"As I live and breathe, is that Ms. Lilian Hughes?" Zara exclaimed, in her best Elizabeth Bennet impression. She clutched her hands to her chest, feigning surprise.

Lili laughed loudly; Zara's personality was vastly different than Jordyn's, and she was a fantastic character. She was kind hearted and sweet, and Lili was convinced Zara didn't have a mean bone in her body.

Zara walked around the counter quickly, nearly skipping across the floor towards Lili, and the two embraced tightly.

"It feels like it's been years since I've seen you!" Lili said.

She pulled back, hands on Zara's shoulders, and took a good look at her. Zara still had the same long strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes that captured Lili's attention when they first met all those years ago. Her face was speckled with the most beautiful freckles Lili had ever seen, and her soft, alabaster skin seemed to glisten like diamonds under the fluorescent light. Zara's cheeks grew pink as she smiled.

"I know, I wish I could see you more often. Sometimes I get so jealous that Jordyn gets to be with you every day." 

Lili scoffed playfully. "I'd beg to differ, she gets tired of me so easily."

"Oh, please. Don't even go there," Zara retorted, smile still present on her face. She turned back towards the cash register, hopping onto the counter and swinging her legs over it instead of walking all the way around. "So how have you been?" she asked kindly. She leaned forward on her elbows, eyes wide in anticipation of Lili's response. Lili smiled weakly.

"Honestly? I've been better," she said quietly. "I just feel fucking burnt out, and you have no idea what a vacation would do for me right now. But I need this job and the money so badly."

Zara smiled at her sympathetically, her features softening.

"Have you talked to anyone about those feelings? I think we all feel a bit of the burden of it sometimes, but I'm sorry that it's been really hard for you." 

It was nice to have someone validate those struggles. Lili shrugged.

"I never even thought to talk to anyone. I have people I can talk to, but I don't really feel like bothering them with my problems." She shook her head and furrowed her brows, disappointed that the conversation had already been focused on her for so long. "But I'm alright. It'll get better, so I'm not too worried. Thank you though. You?"

"Eh, I've been better, but I guess I've been worse, too," Zara said, swatting at the air dismissively. "Can't really complain when that direct deposit hits, though." 

Lili giggled, nodding in agreement.

"As for life outside work, things have been good. Did I tell you Dani and I are adopting a kitten?"

Her eyes brightened and a blush spread along her cheeks at the mention of her long-time girlfriend. Lili smiled.

"No, you didn't! That's so cute, when are you guys getting her?"

"Next weekend," Zara said, smiling shyly at the ground. "We're so excited. We've been talking about adopting a pet since the first day we moved in together, so it's kind of surreal that it's actually happening now."

Lili smiled, trying to ignore the heaviness she felt in her chest. How she wished she could experience that with someone someday... Nothing made Lili happier than seeing her friends happy. It was difficult not to compare herself to them. But then she felt guilty for making their moments about her and forced the feelings away. 

"I'm so happy for you guys," she continued. "I'll definitely have to come over one day and see this kitten in person." 

Lili must have unfortunately still been wearing her inner feelings clearly on her face, because Zara's expression changed. She studied Lili for a moment. "Hey, I have something that will 100 percent cheer you up."

Lili blinked, shaking the feelings of sadness out of her mind. "What's that?" She could feel her interest piquing.

"Niall Horan is here. Training at the club. And he'll be here all summer."

She was practically bouncing up and down on her toes with excitement and her eyes were shining. Clearly, this had been incredible news she was just dying to share.

Lili was silent; she had no idea who that was, and it was obvious Zara was expecting her to either cry or jump up and down screaming. She looked at Zara with raised eyebrows, waiting patiently for some kind of explanation.

"No! Don't tell me you don't know who that is!" Zara yelled, a hysterically shocked expression on her face.

Lili scratched her forehead awkwardly. "Maybe the name is familiar?" she suggested, her voice rising dangerously high. Now that she thought about it, she'd definitely heard that name before. But she couldn't put a face to it.

Zara's eyes were crazy. 

"I'm sorry!" Lili shouted exasperatedly. "Who is he?"

"One of the sexiest young golfers ever!" Zara said incredulously. "He's won Masters and Opens and shit, he's sweet, and he's gorgeous. He's, like...famous." Based on the way she was speaking, Zara was clearly both disappointed and offended at Lili's lack of knowledge about this Niall guy.  

Lili scoffed. "I'm sorry, but when you put 'gorgeous' and 'golfer' together in a sentence, I find it hard to believe. I've never seen a hot golfer before."

Zara cocked an eyebrow and stared at Lili as if she had a third arm growing from her chest. She shook her head and reached under the hem of her shirt, pulling her phone out and aggressively tapping the screen.

"Allow me to prove you wrong, my dear."

Lili tried not to laugh - clearly she was out of the loop about something. Zara vigorously turned the screen towards Lili, practically shoving the phone up her nose. Lili took the phone from Zara's hand, rolling her eyes, and looked at the images loaded on the screen. Her eyes widened instantly. Lili was genuinely shocked at the pictures she was seeing; this was probably the most gorgeous man she had ever laid her eyes on.

His face had surely been carved by gods, features developed from the most luxurious Grecian marble known to mankind. His golden skin looked soft and perfect. His face was elegantly framed by dark, luscious locks of chocolate brown hair styled and coiffed to perfection.

But his eyes - they took Lili's breath away.

His eyes had to have been mirroring the sky outside; they were the clearest crystal blue she had ever seen - bright pools of clear, precious sapphire standing out delicately against his smooth skin and dark hair. They captured your attention immediately. Even the photos taken from far away were heartstopping.

She studied the pictures again. No, he was definitely the most gorgeous man she'd ever laid eyes on. Easily.

"You're joking," Lili said incredulously, handing Zara her phone back. Those photos were like a shock to the system. She had to subconsciously wipe the corners of her mouth in case she had drooled. "How old is he?"

"Twenty-seven, I think," Zara said, her voice dreamy as she scanned the images now burned into Lili's mind. "I kind of already knew who he was because my uncle loves golf, but I did my research when I found out he was going to be training here. Needed conversation topics if I ever happened to run into him." 

Lili laughed loudly at Zara's confidence. That could definitely never be her.

"Winning major tournaments like the Masters and he's that young? I mean, good for him." She reached up and twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "I can't believe I had no idea we were going to be housing a celebrity this summer."

Lili turned towards the fridge as she spoke and gasped when she caught a glimpse of the clock on the wall, realizing she needed to get going with her shift. Zara shrugged.

"They sent an email about it to the admin staff. I only found out because Georgia at the front desk loves to gossip."

She chuckled, then shook her head to stop herself.

"Anyway, they wanted to keep it really low key, to protect him I guess. I mean, they obviously wouldn't want swarms of people here every day trying to catch a glimpse of him. I'm sure he wants his privacy, anyway."

Lili nodded as she organized her crate of drinks. "That makes sense. But do you really think they were anticipating that many people coming to see him?"

She looked at Zara, who just nodded slowly, eyes wide. Alright, so maybe he was way more well-known than she'd expected. Well, it wasn't that surprising, considering she worked in a country club whose main money-maker was the golf course. Lili huffed, half surprised. Guess she really was out of the loop here.

"You know my dad loves golf, so I'm surprised I've never heard him talk about this Niall guy. He could go on for days about these players." She paused for a moment, gripping the fridge door handle with one hand. Her head fell slowly back until the base of her skull was touching her neck. "God, I hope I don't run into him," she said, studying the speckled ceiling. "I'll definitely make a fool of myself."

Zara chuckled, but made no further comments. She was, however, unable to wipe the amused smirk from her face. Lili continued to prepare her cooler in silence, head swirling with the image of this beautiful Niall Horan man.

She wondered what an A-list athlete like him would be doing training at a public golf club in LA. One would think he'd ask for all the privacy he could get.

"Oh, by the way, I heard Gretchen say that he's here today. Just a heads up." Zara's lilting voice from outside the door surprised Lili; she hadn't realized how deep in her thoughts she had fallen.

Lili looked back at Zara, rolling her eyes and pushing the air out of her nose in a weak laugh.

She heaved the crate up from the floor and balanced it on her knee as she closed the fridge door behind her. She sighed in annoyance when she exited the parlour and realized she hadn't brought the cart around, so she begrudgingly dropped the crate on the grass and jogged to the garage. The rumble of the engine under her thighs woke her mind up just a touch and brought her back to reality. She parked in front of the door and hopped out.

"Knowing my luck, he'll be on my course," she said through the open door, attempting humour but failing miserably.

The thought of it actually terrified her.

Finally, Lili was pouring the last few ice cubes into the cooler, smoothing them into one even layer before closing the lid and turning the key in the small lock. She walked back into the parlour, kicking the empty crate forwards with every step. Zara was leaning against the side of the counter, hip jutting out and arms crossed over her chest. She wore a sly smile, but her eyes remained kind. She was enjoying this way too much.

"Say hi to him for me if he is." 

Lili sucked her teeth, suppressing a smile, before sarcastically waving goodbye to Zara and turning back out the door.

"Bye, lovely!" Zara's voice rang out, before the door finally shut behind Lili.

She turned to blow Zara a kiss through the window, laughing as she dramatically pawed at the air to catch the kiss.

Lili sighed happily and strode over to her cart, plopping onto the bench behind the wheel and starting the ignition once again. She shifted into drive and carefully sped away, whistling into the quiet air. Her soft melodies mimicked those of the birds floating from tree to tree, bringing food back to their nests for their little ones.

Some of those feelings of stress and overexertion she had been feeling that morning seemed to melt away as she drove through the quiet atmosphere of the golf course. There really was something special about warm sunshine and a soft breeze; they could do wonders for a person's mental stability.

Lili cruised through the first ten holes in just over an hour. It was a surprisingly busy day on the course, but she didn't mind it at all - she actually welcomed the temporary distractions with open arms. Plus, with how good the weather had been lately, it wasn't a surprise that more and more groups were coming out to enjoy the sunshine with a round of golf.

She encountered a group of teenage boys at Hole 4, who had clearly entered the club premises with their parents' membership cards. Out of the 6 boys there, only one of them was over 18 years old, but they were all, for the most part, respectful. Lili had an irrational fear of teenage boys sometimes. They could be crude and intimidating, especially around someone they found attractive.

Not that she expected them to find her attractive, but she just knew how they acted. 

They tried pretty hard to flirt with Lili - she picked up on their change in attitude almost immediately, but politely turned them all down, of course.  It was more surprising to see that they all took the rejections well and continued to be nice to her. They had a pretty interesting conversation about the Lakers game from the night before. The boys didn't act as if they knew more than her when it came to sports, and actually listened to her critique on the way the game was coached.

The conversation felt pretty equal, and Lili left their group with nearly $100 in tips. She had sold them each two sodas. It must be pretty damn fun to have that kind of cash to spend at their age, but she guessed that the money had been given to them by their parents. Not that she was trying to assume, but majority of them didn't even look old enough to legally work.

She left their group with an actual, real smile on her face, which was hard to come by these days when serving guests. She was actually pretty glad that her first encounter on the course for the day went as well as it had - she wasn't sure she could get through the shift with a positive mindset if she had a shit first encounter. That group of boys really helped loosen her up for the day, and she was thankful.

Holes 7 and 8 were filled with larger groups, and Lili's eyes lit up in the shape of fat dollar signs at the sight. In no way was she trying to sound greedy or money hungry, but she had to admit the tips made her giddy. Any sane person would be excited at the sight of a huge roll of cash at their disposal.

At Hole 7, she interacted with a group of two families - four parents and seven adult children - who got together for an annual golf tournament they held during spring break. Lili thought it was actually really nice hearing their story about the competition.

One of the fathers explained that they put this competition together nearly 7 years ago, when their oldest children had first started college, just for entertainment during their spring break. Eventually it became a tradition in their families that they couldn't see themselves breaking, and though most of the children had moved out and started their own lives, they always got together at this time of year for their tournament.

Lili found it incredibly heartwarming. She must have reacted the right way to the story, because her tip count skyrocketed. On top of the hundreds of dollars she made selling multiple expensive drinks to the large group, both fathers and one of the kids, a very handsome college boy, tipped her nearly $300.

It was almost too hard for her to accept. Almost.

She thanked them profusely, hoping they could see how truly appreciative she was of their gift, before she jumped back in her cart and headed down the path to continue on with her route. She had already received so much cash that the zippers on her fanny packs were already groaning under her fingers. Honestly, she was actually kind of worried they would break, causing her to leave the loose cash in the glove compartment on its own.

Hole 8 wasn't as entertaining, but she sold a few non-alcoholic drinks to the group of ladies there, and made a few more dollars in tips listening to their boring stories about their grown kids who supposedly 'never call anymore'. She nodded her head and 'hmm'ed in all the right places, sometimes throwing out an 'I'm sorry' or an 'I'm sure it's nothing to do with you'.

Well, it's not like she didn't feel slightly bad for them...

It wasn't until she drove up the path towards Hole 11 that she caught a glimpse of someone in the distance that made her stomach flip painfully with anticipation and fear.

"You have got to be kidding me..." Lili groaned. The universe was laughing at her at this point. 

She slowed the cart as she drove over the small hill, revealing the crisp grass and clean fairways of the second, more difficult half of the course. Up ahead, she could see two men. The first, a middle-aged man, had salt and pepper hair and a matching beard. He was quite tall, with the build of a man who was once a dedicated athlete, but retirement and age had now settled into his slightly wrinkled skin. He definitely looked like he was in great shape for his age, but it was clear the height of his fitness had long passed.

But the man standing next to him was the only one Lili could focus on, no matter how hard she tried not to.

He was just as striking in real life as he was in the photos, and Lili wasn't even close enough to see his face in its entirety. Those chocolate brown locks were once again coiffed to perfection, with the tiniest strands of natural blond glinting in the sunlight perfectly.

Lili's heart rate quickened and she was suddenly finding it a bit difficult to breathe.

It wasn't even nerves over him being "famous" that was making her feel this way. It had to do with the fact that she was about to be in the vicinity of one of the most beautiful men she had ever seen, with nothing but a small piece of machinery and some skimpy clothes to protect her.

She thought back to her conversation with Zara in the parlour and how she had hoped she wouldn't run into him on the course. So much for that, she thought to herself. 

She took a deep, shaky breath to steady herself and slowly pressed her foot against the gas, feeling the cart accelerate forwards. Every fiber of her being told her to reverse and abort the mission ASAP. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, sweaty palms slipping against the warm leather, as she guided herself up the small slope towards the fairway of Hole 11.

As she approached, maintaining a slow speed, the picture of Niall Horan became clearer than ever. He was standing next to his clubs, listening intently to whatever the other man was telling him. His chest and shoulders looked big and broad in the navy blue polo shirt he was wearing, paired simply with black shorts and black Adidas sneakers. His skin had a slight golden tinge to it, similar to Lili's, and she admired the way the sunlight reflected off his near perfect complexion. His muscular arms were crossed over his chest, hands open and relaxed against the sides of his ribcage.

He was breathtaking and he didn't even have to try.

She looked ahead and realized there was no one on the course beyond Hole 11, so she slowed down even further, just to admire him from afar for a moment. She eyed Niall from where she sat, watching him listen to the other man, clearly giving him his full, undivided attention.

He was stoic for a moment; then, his face broke out into the most perfect, illuminating smile Lili had ever seen on another human being, revealing what looked like a beautiful set of perfect teeth. The smile brightened his face even further, eyes nearly disappearing behind the blushing apples of his cheeks. It was like the sun finally appearing from behind the clouds after a long, stormy night. No, that smile would definitely give the sun a run for its money.

Whatever the other man just said must have been hilarious, because Niall laughed loudly, the gorgeous sound echoing into the calm afternoon air. He inhaled sharply between each spurt of laughter. That laugh was laced with magic - Lili was sure of it. It was the kind of laugh that could make you smile instantly, even if you were having the darkest of days.

It was the most infectious, joy-filled sound Lili had ever heard, and she felt the corners of her own mouth fighting to pull up into a smile. If she wasn't mistaken, she was almost certain that her heart had skipped a beat or two at the sound.

She watched them for a moment longer, admiring the smile that was no longer able to leave Niall's face, before slowly pressing the gas once again and heading in their direction. The sound of the cart must have been noticeable enough to draw their attention, because both Niall's and the other man's heads turned in her direction. Lili's stomach dropped at the sight, but she forced a smile on her face as she approached.

She glanced in the rearview mirror quickly to make sure there was nothing on her face or in her teeth.

The other man walked forwards to meet her halfway, but Niall stayed put. He had pulled out his phone and was scrolling through it, turning slightly away from her.

"Good morning, sir!" Lili said brightly as the man approached the cart, now only a couple feet away. She noticed that he had warm, hazel eyes, and was quite attractive up close. He smiled back kindly.

"Good morning, yourself," he said, and Lili detected an English accent. His voice was smooth and deep, with a slight gruffness.

"How are you two doing today?" Lili asked, as she shifted into park. "Beautiful day."

The man nodded. "We're great, thanks. Perfect weather for some golf, for sure. I'm Evan, nice to meet you." He stuck out his hand and Lili took it, shaking gently. How unusual for the guests to be so kind.

"Lili, nice to meet you. Any drinks I can get for you guys today?"

She noticed how Evan looked at her face and in her eyes when she spoke, rather than her body. It was refreshing to see.

She tried to subtly peek over Evan's shoulder at Niall; he was still looking down at his phone, now leaning slightly against his clubs. His left leg crossed over his right at the ankle.

"What have you got for us?" Evan asked casually.

Lili smiled again and hopped out of the cart, fumbling with her keys to unlock the cooler at the back. This awkward nervous energy coursing through her was frustrating; she just wanted to do her job and get as far away from Niall as she could. Was she flustered for absolutely no reason at all? Definitely. She lifted the lid of the cooler, exposing the extensive array of refreshments she could offer. The subtle waves of cool air drifting off the ice cubes was a welcome feeling to her skin under the hot sun. She gestured inside at the refreshments.

"Just the staples. Beer, water, seltzers, juices, or coolers. Everything is ice cold, thankfully. Beer and coolers are $6.75 each, and everything else is $4.50."

She waited patiently, watching as Evan looked over his shoulder and whistled, trying to draw Niall's attention. Her knees buckled slightly as Niall turned his head; their eyes met for a split second before he looked at Evan. For a moment, it felt like Lili had been struck by lightning.

"What do you want, Horan? Beer?" Niall nodded, flashing a smile and a thumbs up, before turning his attention back to his phone. Lili's eyes lingered on his profile for half a second more, before she turned back to Evan and plastered another smile on her face.

"Two beers, then?" Lili asked coolly. Evan nodded, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet.

Lili reached into the cooler with both hands and pulled out two cans, letting the cold metal sting her fingertips. She held her arms out and shook the condensation off, before handing the beers to Evan, taking the $50 bill in return. She unzipped the fanny pack clipped around her waist and pulled out the change, but as she reached to hand it to him, Evan waved her hand away.

"Please, keep the change. I know at a job like this, tips can really make a difference. I insist." His expression was kind and soft.

Lili smiled at him. "Thank you, really, that means a lot."

As she folded up the money, she paused for a moment; she wanted to ask about Niall so badly, but didn't want it to seem like that was all she cared about. She also had no idea what she would even say. She tried to choose her words very carefully.

"So, I've heard a bit about the training you guys are doing here. How's that been going so far?" She furrowed her brow. "Sorry, I don't mean to pry."

Evan shrugged, a bit of a smile on his face.

"Not a problem. It's going alright, thanks. We were hoping to avoid most of the heat by coming in March rather than May, but obviously that didn't work out in our favour." He pointed up at the clear sky, as if to give further indication of what he meant. "It gets quite hot out here on the course, but other than that, Horan's been smashing it."

Lili nodded, pretending like hearing the name 'Horan' didn't ignite something deep in the pit of her stomach. She attempted to keep her voice as level as possible.

"I can imagine it's hard playing on a course that's this exposed to the sun. It's been super warm for March, too. Even I'm not used to it, and I've lived here my whole life."

Evan raised an eyebrow, a slightly impressed look on his face. "LA girl, born and raised, then?" 

Lili nodded, relax a bit more into the conversation. There was definitely something about Evan that eased her nerves.

"Born and raised, yes. My maternal grandparents moved here from Delaware and the other side has been here for generations. I feel like the 'living in LA' experience is so different for someone like me versus someone who moved here as an adult. I love it here, though. I couldn't picture being anywhere else at the moment."

Evan smiled. "Take it from me, as an Englishman who comes here quite often during the year, yes. It's very different. But I do quite enjoy the weather here after being in gloomy England."

He chuckled, and Lili realized how young his smile made him look. She smiled back at him, this time naturally.

"I can imagine. But this," she said, gesturing out towards the warm, open air, "must be the perfect weather for golf. I mean, I'm sure it's hard to play under overcast skies or in the chilly weather."

As she spoke, she chanced a look at Niall once more. He still wasn't looking at them, but had shifted in his stance so he was facing them.

"Oh yeah, perfect golf weather, for sure," Evan said, finally cracking open his can of beer and taking a swig. He wiped the corners of his mouth with his thumb and forefinger. "Do you or anyone you know play?"

Lili shrugged, leaning against the side of the cart. She felt the smallest beads of sweat beginning to form under her dark cap.

"My dad sometimes gets a round in with his buddies on the weekends, but he's more a watcher than a player. He isn't a bad player overall. I've never played anything aside from a kid's mini golf course when I was 10. It looks fun, though."

From the corner of her eye, Lili could see Niall's head perk up slightly. He had put his phone away and was clearly pretending to do something with his hands to cover up the fact that he was now listening to their conversation. She forced herself to hold back a smile.

"I may have picked up some brief knowledge over the years here at the club, but I doubt it would do me any good in an actual game." 

Evan chuckled. "Maybe you've got a natural ability and just haven't tried it yet."

He turned to check on Niall again, who was now watching them intently. He averted his eyes once he noticed them looking. Evan turned back to Lili with a look on his face that perfectly expressed the word 'yikes'.

"I should get back, I don't want to keep him waiting. Thanks for the drinks. Take care of yourself, yeah?"

Lili smiled and made her way back to the driver's seat of the cart and sat down.

"I will, for sure. It was great to meet you." She turned and started up the engine once again. "I'm so sorry for keeping you from your schedule here. If you need anything else, I'll be in the parlour just beside the guest parking lot. Feel free to drop in for whatever you need."

"Cheers!" Evan said, with a smile and a thumbs up, before turning around and striding back over to Niall.

Even though he couldn't see, Lili waved goodbye, feeling slightly stupid afterwards. Niall was no longer looking over at Lili, but the smile had returned to his face as Evan approached him. Her heart lurched.

Lili shifted into gear and made a small U-turn to head back down the path the way she came. Except she couldn't drive forwards. Couldn't drive away from this spot. Her eyes were glued to that beautiful boy standing less than 100 meters from her.

She watched as he squatted to the ground, puncturing a small wooden stick into the grass and topping it with one of his white golf balls. He stood and held out his left arm, choosing one of the clubs from the bag and pulling it out, examining it closely before deciding it was the one he wanted. Lili dragged her eyes along the length of his legs and up his torso as he lined his body up with the tee.

Every move he made was mesmerizing. He moved with such fluidity and grace, even when doing something as simple as widening his stance. Lili couldn't help but watch. The muscles in his back rippled as he rolled his shoulders back, bending slightly forward and lining the head of the club with the ball. He wiggled his fingers against the metal, before drawing his arms back over his shoulder and rotating down.

He smacked the club against the ball and Lili couldn't take her eyes off the way his back seized as he swung, the way his torso twisted perfectly. He ended with his hands holding the club above his head, legs crossed in a similar fashion to his torso.

Niall and Evan both watched the ball soar into the air, before it landed on the fairway just a few feet from the flag. Lili smiled at the near-perfect shot, and couldn't help but scrunch her nose and smile at the look of pride on Niall's face. 

But then, tragedy struck.

He must have felt her eyes boring into him, because he turned his head out of nowhere and they locked eyes again. Those perfect sapphires, shining even from this distance, held desperately onto hers, and everything around her melted away. She was frozen in time looking over at him, unable to escape, no matter how hard she clawed at the walls of the cage.

It felt like they were stuck watching each other for hours, but it was realistically only a second.

A single second that lasted a lifetime.

Lili's eyes widened and she turned away quickly, stepping on the gas and flying down the hill, feeling the worst embarrassment possible flooding through her entire body.

Chapter Text

mood of the chapter: Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell

"You fucking idiot!" Lili shrieked as she drove wildly down the dirt path, putting as much distance as possible between herself and Hole 11. Her exclamations echoed across the wind before dying away. Her dark ponytail whipped mercilessly behind her in the wind caused by her frantic speed, smacking her in the face and getting in her eyes.

The speedometer rose higher and higher - 10mph, 15mph, 20mph - she was pushing the cart to its absolute limit, but she didn't really have the mental capacity to care. She was beyond desperate to get away, and hoped she would never end up in the same vicinity as Niall Horan ever again after what had just happened.

The only option now was to quit her job and start a new life on the east coast. New York was expensive, but it could be nice.

She smacked her hand hard against the tough leather steering wheel in frustration, and her palm instantly turned numb. The skin prickled slowly back to life as the feeling returned. Honestly, she didn't know whether to laugh, scream, cry, or just jump out of the moving cart. She only knew that this was potentially the most embarrassing moment of her entire life. And she'd done many stupid things in public before.

She sighed angrily as she tried to focus on finishing her drive without hitting anything or anyone on her way. Maybe she was just in shock, but Lili could not believe what had just happened. Perhaps seeing him had sent her into such a frenzy that everything that occurred in the last 5 minutes was really a figment of her imagination. The memory of Niall's face as he caught her very clearly watching him burned in her mind; she couldn't get the picture of his eyes out of her head.

The only thing she couldn't place was the aftermath - was he upset? 

Angry? 

Scared??

What if he was so bothered by it that he went to the front desk and asked to file a complaint with HR? What if he QUIT?

She hadn't been actively trying to stare at him or purposely make him uncomfortable. That would never happen. She was just genuinely mesmerized by him and his beauty – she hadn't even been aware of what she was doing until it was clearly too late. Lili was never one to stare or purposely put herself in awkward situations. Her mother had always taught her that it was rude. This was new territory for her, and the embarrassment was real. Shame rolled off her in large, tangible waves.

Had he been completely horrified by her? Was he standing in that same spot next to his clubs, laughing hysterically at the situation? She couldn't possibly gage his reaction because of how quickly she had turned away, but could only assume it wasn't good. He was definitely going to be upset in some way, shape, or form.

For one thing, who would be happy having someone gawk at them like that like a feral animal? No normal person, anyway. And besides, didn't he choose the LACC specifically to avoid these kinds of interactions? How could she have done that to him knowing he wanted privacy and normalcy?

Lili's head was spinning as she tried to steer straight, and her mind was racing at about a thousand miles a minute. Shaking the cloudiness from her head was no use; she felt sick and stupid. The spinning in her head made her stomach turn, which caused nausea to begin creeping up at an alarming rate.

As she drove past Hole 9, the group of teenagers she'd served earlier waved kindly at her. She smiled weakly and raised her limp arm just a couple inches off the steering wheel in what probably looked like the most uninterested, unenthusiastic wave of all time. She couldn't even turn her head slightly to look over at them. 

As she hurried past, one of the boys call out to her. "Hey, are you alright?" he asked with concern. She forced her hand out of the cart, flashing a weak thumbs up in response. What was she going to do, get out and tell them everything? She had no desire to converse with anyone at this moment; she just needed to get back to the parlour and the safety of a locked door.

Once she was alone, she would feel a thousand percent better. The weather was also very clearly mocking her. The sky had started to cloud over, taking the sunshine away and draping Lili in a dark grey gloom. She had to laugh - even she couldn't ignore the dramatic irony of the situation. 

Up ahead, she could see the parlour in its entirety, and literally said 'thank you' out loud. Being able to hide inside the safety of the parlour with just Zara made her feel a bit better, even if it was by the slightest fraction.

Lili pulled up to the garage door, slowing to a stop and stepping out with one leg, leaning over just far enough to punch the numbers into the keypad that sent the door upwards, revealing the half empty garage. Her sloppy fingers continuously pressed the wrong numbers, and by the time she got the code right, Lili was practically screaming in anger.

She pulled forwards and parked in her designated spot, killing the engine once again; the quiet erupted around her. She took a moment to close her eyes and hang her head, resting the brim of her cap gently against the surface of the wheel. Tears threatened to slide down her cheeks.

"How fucking humiliating was that?" she asked herself, voice small and dripping with shame. "At least Zara will have a laugh." The corner of her mouth pulled into a weak smile, but she couldn't bring herself to feel any better at that.

This was all probably overdramatic, but in the moment, shame and embarrassment was all she could feel - she truly believed it would consume her very being entirely. Lili had spent a lot of time over the last few years avoiding embarrassment in any way, and now that it was devouring her once again, she felt like it would never get better. There wasn't a doubt in her mind she would have a restless night, haunted by the images of what had occurred on the course today. 

With a deep sigh, Lili heaved herself out of the cart, planting her feet on the solid cement. She paused and allowed the darkness of the garage to temporarily hide her from reality, even if it was just for a moment.

It didn't help.

She wiped her brow with a harsh hand and trotted over to the door of the parlour. She wrapped her fingers around the handle but refrained from pulling it open. There was a couple inside, ordering some drinks and snacks from the fridge display. Lili watched Zara as she served the customers; the smile on her face was genuine. She was so effortlessly pretty.

Lili admired the fact that Zara truly loved her job. She couldn't recall a moment when she wasn't happy or smiling at work, even when dealing with horrible guests. And there were a lot of them.

The image sort of made Lili feel better, so she forced a weak half-smile onto her face and pulled the door open, cringing slightly at the chirp of the bell hanging atop the doorframe. It would draw all the attention over to her immediately.

Zara looked up at the sound and waved subtly, her smile growing wider at the sight. Lili just smiled back and strode over to the storage room. She didn't want to interrupt Zara and the customers, so she pulled the door open and stepped in as quietly as she could, trying to find something random to do to pass the time. 

There was a basket in the corner next to the bottom shelf that she could use to empty her cooler, so she picked it up and tucked it under her elbow and against her waist. When she turned back, the customers had disappeared, and Zara was watching Lili intently, wiping the countertop with a sanitized rag.

"What's up? You look off?" Zara questioned. 

Lili's shoulders slumped slightly; she pushed the closet door closed by walking backwards and pressed herself up against it, leaning her head back against the cool wood. How could she even begin telling this story? Where was the best place to start?

Before she could respond, the glass door opened once again, and the tall, slightly hunched frame of Harry Styles walked through, an empty wooden crate tucked underneath his arm. Harry was the most recent hire, and resident heartthrob, of the Los Angeles Country Club.

With his dark curls, piercing green eyes, and sunkissed skin, it was hard not to fall in love with him at first sight. His perfect smile and bewitching personality didn't help, either. He was a smart, smooth-talking 22-year-old with the charisma of a worldwide superstar.

Harry had been working as the club's pool bar barista for about eight months and had already worked himself up the ranks to become one of the most popular employees with both co-workers and guests. Everyone loved him - no one could say a bad word against him, Lili included.

Jordyn, however, had not been won over by him as quickly. When he first started, it seemed as if he was weaponizing his charm and good looks to get things that he wanted.  No one really saw it that way except for Jordyn. She would constantly say there was something fishy about him, and that she didn't believe he was as good at his job as everyone made him out to be.

Yes, she had quite the vendetta against him - reasons unknown. 

Unfortunately for her, after the first few months, Harry had done more than enough to prove his worth and capability as an employee, and Jordyn actually ended up apologizing. He had proved that he was a good, hard worker, and she admitted that she'd judged him too quickly, knowing she should have given him more than a few measly seconds to show what he could do. Since then, they had become quite the pair, always gossiping in the hallways or laughing at inside jokes.

Harry crossed the room to where Lili was standing. His lips twisted up into a smirk, but his brows were furrowed with confusion. "Something wrong here?" he asked, in his slow, deep voice, a faint British accent peeking through.

Harry's family moved from Cheshire, England to Los Angeles when he was 11 years old after his older sister, Gemma, was signed by an acting agency in the city. He had lost most of his accent by now, but it occasionally surfaced, mostly when he was drunk.

Lili scoffed. "Something happened," she finally responded, and she grimaced at how whiny her voice sounded. She pushed herself away from the door and stood up straight, looking between Zara and Harry. Her palms were sweating. "With Niall Horan," she added in a quiet voice.

She found it hard to keep her eyes on theirs, but it was hard not to see the way Zara's face lit up.

"No way! What, did you talk to him? Is he as gorgeous in real life? What was he like?" Her voice rose nearly two octaves with excitement, and she was wringing the rag tightly with her hands in anticipation of the answer. Her cheeks were tinged pink, and her eyes were wide and doe-like. "I can't believe you met him!" She was practically gasping for air with excitement, questions pouring out of her mouth like a waterfall into a river.

Lili glanced over at Harry, who wore the same bewildered, almost scared expression.  It actually made Lili want to laugh, but the knowledge that she actually had to share the mortifying moment sucked all the joy out of her.

Lili held her hands out to calm Zara. "I didn't meet him, really. Just...saw him." That part was true. She hadn't been introduced to him or anything. And thank God for that... "It wasn't good. Not even slightly okay. It was awful." Lili groaned again as she turned towards the door as if to leave. Her cheeks were burning.

With the basket gripped firmly in her left hand, she reached with her right to pull the door open once more, but stopped at the sound of Zara's voice.

"Wait, you can't just say that and leave!" she shrieked. "What happened?"

Lili looked over her shoulder at her friends. Zara was leaning over the counter with an eager look in her eyes. She was tapping against the granite in anticipation, fingers moving quickly. Harry was still in the same spot, eyes and facial expression indifferent. He was leaning on his right leg, hip jutting out to the side.

"Give me a minute to empty my cart and then I'll tell you everything." Lili huffed and heaved open the door, squinting as she stepped out; the bright sunshine had returned once again. She knew it was a lame excuse, but she really needed more time to collect her thoughts and think of a way to tell the story without sounding like a fucking moron.

Looking over her shoulder, she could see Zara still standing at the counter, jaw hanging open in disbelief. Harry was saying something to her with an awkward smile on his face. They were probably discussing what could have possibly gone wrong. For a relatively quiet guy who liked to keep to himself, Harry was all for friendly gossip with the people he worked with.  It was never gossip that would harm someone or make them feel bad about themselves; it was just fun jokes to pass the time, and Lili was usually a part of it.

She could only imagine the incredulous stories he was making up at that very second.

Lili giggled quietly and hurried over to her cart; she opened the cooler, forcefully removed the inside storage container, and dumped the contents into her basket. A few bottles of water and some coolers tumbled out and crashed into the basket. She had to jump back as the water splashed out and completely soaked her shoes. She nodded to herself, thinking, alright, this day definitely can't get any worse.

Angrily, Lili threw the container back in the metal cooler, shut and locked the lid, and kicked the basket ahead of her, pressing the close button on the keypad to allow the garage door to slide down to the ground. She was sweating through her shirt - whether it was from the sun or the adrenaline of the afternoon, she didn't know, but was beyond thankful her shirt was black.

Harry was now standing in the door frame, propping the door open with his hip, arms crossed over his chest casually. He had that typical asshole smirk across his lips.

"Need some help with that?" he asked, his eyes twinkling. Lili swatted his shoulder gently as she passed him, continuing to kick the crate forwards until she was back under the harsh fluorescent light of the parlour. Harry chuckled and bent down to pick up the crate with ease. Lili opened her mouth to protest, but he shot her a look as if to say, 'don't worry'.

"I think Zara's head might explode if you don't tell her what's going on," he whispered coolly, strutting over to the fridge and opening it without even putting the crate down. He carried it as if it weighed less than a newborn baby.

Lili admired his strength for a second before turning back towards the counter and heaving herself up, feet dangling as she dropped her exposed thighs onto the cold marble. The feeling made her shiver. She pulled her phone out of the waistband of her skirt and placed it gently on the counter next to her, face down.

"Jesus Christ, Lili, say something!" Zara finally exploded, holding her hands out in front of her. Lili jumped, a surprised but humorous smile growing on her face. Zara's usual soft, calm demeanor was diminishing rapidly, along with her patience.

Harry chuckled from somewhere deep inside the fridge, and the sound traveled tauntingly through the air. "Told you," he remarked.

"Fine!" Lili said. "Relax, will you?" 

Zara rolled her eyes but leaned further forward on her elbows on the counter, ready to give Lili her undivided attention. Her breathing was starting to pick up with excitement. Lili kicked her legs back and forth slowly as she began to recount her afternoon on the course. Harry had drifted over to where they were stationed and leaned over beside Zara, his tall, lanky body covering much  more of the countertop than hers. Curiosity was clearly written across his pretty face.

Lili could feel her heart rate increasing once more with nerves as she reached the part of the story that involved Niall.

"Wait, wait, wait," Zara said, abruptly pushing herself back up to a standing position; her eyes remained wide as they darted between Lili's, filled with a mixture of shock, humour, and confusion. "You were staring at him? Like, full-on watching him from afar kind of thing?"

Lili felt her face turn red and she buried it in her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. Harry wasn't laughing at her, but she was almost certain he was wearing that trademark smirk.

"I didn't even mean to stare!" Lili released her hands from her face and gripped the edge of the counter until her knuckles turned white. She knew her friends weren't trying to judge her, but it didn't make her feel any less horrified about the situation. "I...just happened to be looking at him when he turned around."

She could hear the uncertainty in her own voice. It really wasn't that big of a deal, and Lili knew that, but she was so flustered for some reason that she couldn't get the stupid memory out of her head. She just couldn't shake off the embarrassment.

If it had been anyone else telling this story, she definitely would have been laughing it off and telling them that it was no big deal. Because, in reality, it probably wasn't.

Lili dared to look over at her friends after her momentary silence. As she assumed, Harry was smirking, but his eyes looked sympathetic. He was still leaning over the counter but he had inched closer to where Lili was sitting.

Zara had walked around the counter and was standing in front of Lili's legs. She placed her palms delicately onto Lili's knees and gave them a comforting squeeze. "Look, it probably wasn't even that bad, but felt really awkward in the moment." Her brow softened as she ducked her head slightly, forcing Lili to meet her eyes. "I'm not laughing at you, I promise. I'm sure he wasn't upset or anything. Besides, maybe he thought you were cute and didn't mind the staring."

Lili scoffed. Yeah, sure. Zara patted Lili's cheek softly.

"Don't let this fester. You'll be fine. You'll probably even forget all about it by tomorrow morning, anyway." 

Lili rolled her eyes but nodded. She wasn't wrong. She watched as Zara stepped away, walking backwards towards the employee exit as she continued speaking.

"You'll be fine, my precious friend. Believe in yourself." She reached the doorframe, but hesitated. She looked back at Lili with a solemn look on her face. "Oh, and one more thing." The look in her eyes was sort of...scared?

"Please don't stare at me when I leave, my ass doesn't look good today."

Lili chortled, her jaw dropping open. Zara stuck out her tongue playfully and dipped through the doorway, her strawberry blonde hair whipping along behind her.

"You bitch!" Lili said with a laugh, shaking her head. Harry was also laughing silently. His eyes were scrunched up because his wide smile took up nearly his entire face, and his shoulders shook violently. He opened his eyes to see Lili shooting him an annoyed glare and he stopped immediately, throwing his hands up defensively.

"Hey, I'm not laughing at you either, just with you."

Lili sneered sarcastically. But she did know they were being honest when they said they weren't laughing at her. Her friends were just teasing her. To be honest, she couldn't be more thankful to have the friends that she had here. They always knew how to joke around to make her feel better, but also understood if a joke went too far and when to end it. She always felt supported by them, and in this moment, it helped ease her shame to know they weren't trying to embarrass her any further.

"I know," she said, jumping down.

She made her way around the counter and squatted behind it to retrieve the bin of sanitary water used to clean the countertops. She lugged it out from its hiding spot and brought it to the sink in the corner, dumping the contents down the drain. "It really was super embarrassing, though. I've been around 'celebrities' before since I've worked here, and I've always been able to contain myself and act normal. But with him..."

She trailed off. There was no way she could put into words the effect that this stranger had on her. It was something that was truly out of her control, and she didn't know why. The sensation she'd gotten in her stomach when Niall looked at her was something she'd never experienced before. 

She glanced over at Harry; he had been notating some of the information from the cash till on a paper notepad, but paused to give her a sympathetic look. "It's probably because you think he's gorgeous." He drew out the last word tauntingly, wiggling his eyebrows as he spoke.

Lili felt her face flush, and turned her head away before Harry could notice.

"Okay, and? I've been around attractive guys before. I know how to keep my cool, believe me. I just don't know what happened. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if a complaint came in against me." She laughed at the potential scolding she would get from HR if a complaint like that was filed. Would she lose her job? Or get suspended? God, a thousand different things could happen, so she had to prepare for all of them. It would be awful, but she would understand.

She turned back towards Harry and looked at him pointedly. "If I ever come across Niall Horan again, I'll probably change my identity and move to another continent."

"Witness protection. Solid," Harry joked, as he opened a cabinet to grab a clean rag. "If you do leave, you should go to Finland. Best country in the world to live in, apparently. Except you'll probably have to dye your hair," he said, gesturing to Lili's long, sleek black ponytail poking out of the back of her cap. "You'll stand out like a sore thumb there."

"Yeah, well, dying my hair is one thing I will not be doing, thank you very much."

Harry tossed the rag over to Lili and she caught it, draping it over her shoulder as she twisted the tap to refill the bucket with warm water and soap. She added cleaning solution to the soapy water, using an old spoon to mix it thoroughly together.

"I would like to go to Finland, though. And Greece. I just want to travel."

"Not to sound biased or anything, but England is the best country in the world. You should consider it." Harry was smirking again as he propped the fridge door open to retrieve drinks.

He was so good at changing the subject when it was in dire need.

"There's this little village called Holmes Chapel you should go to. Pretty amazing if you ask me."

His voice echoed from inside the cold fridge, but Lili could still hear the false cockiness dripping from it.

Even though he had already been here for quite some time, Harry loved to brag about England. He did it so often and in so much detail that Lili wouldn't even need to go to see what it was like; she would just have to listen to his stories, close her eyes, and she would be there.

"Maybe one day we'll go on vacation, Styles. You, me, Zara, and Jordyn," she said eagerly. Harry paused for a moment, face soft with consideration. "You can take us wherever in England you want."

He looked up at Lili and his smile grew as he nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan."

They spent the next hour or so in comfortable silence, the only sound coming from the music Harry had begun playing through his Bluetooth speaker. They were nearing the end of one of her favourite Shania Twain albums when Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. Lili looked up at the sound; she had been kneeling in front of the open fridge display, rearranging the drinks and sandwiches so that all the labels were facing forwards.

Harry was glancing out the window with a nervous look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Lili asked, concerned. "You look like you've just seen a ghost."

Harry swallowed and tilted his head slowly to look down at Lili. He rubbed his lips together, as if contemplating what to say. "This Niall Horan guy. You know, the one you embarrassed yourself in front of?"

"Yeah..." Lili drawled. She examined Harry's face. He looked both nervous and like he wanted to laugh at the same time. "What about him?"

Harry's eyes darted over to the window, down to Lili, and back. "What exactly did he look like?" he asked casually.

He brought his hands together in front of his stomach and began picking the skin around his thumbnail. Lili shrugged, pushing herself off the ground to stand up, allowing herself to reach the top row of refreshments in the display.

"Brown hair, blue eyes, kind of buff. Why?"

Obviously, there were much better ways to describe him, but she figured keeping it simple would be better.

Harry raised his eyebrows momentarily, a slightly shocked but amused look on his face.

"Just, um..." he trailed off. Lili watched his expression change to one of complete humour. Oh no...

He raised his hand and pointed out the window in the direction he had been looking. "Is that him?"

Lili turned around at record speeds to look out the window and, lo and behold, Niall was walking down the path towards the parlour, Evan by his side. Lili could just tell he was making his way in their direction. Her eyes widened with shock, and she felt her stomach fall to her feet. The blood in her veins ran cold.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" she shrieked, feeling her palms begin to sweat profusely. There was no way she could face him. Not after what happened out on the course. Her mind was running a million miles a minute once again as she watched the two men outside. Niall continued walking forwards, but Evan had started to drift to his left towards the parking lot, leaving Niall to continue the walk on his own. She had never seen anyone walk so gracefully downhill. Was he even human? What the actual fuck.

Lili reached towards Harry and gripped his forearm tightly, feeling her own hand shake in the grasp. "Harry, you have to serve him. I'm going to go to the back, and you can cash him out and get him whatever he wants. He can't see me."

She could feel her heart pounding behind her ribcage as she looked up at Harry, pleading. Harry looked down at her sympathetically, and reached his free hand up to pat her shoulder comfortingly.

"No," he said in a soft voice, that smirk growing on his face once again. Lili's jaw dropped.

"No? What do you mean, 'no'? Harry, you need to do this for me."

She was begging, but she didn't care.

Harry chuckled and pulled his arm out of her death grip, running his fingers through his dark curls. She could see purple marks from her fingertips starting to form across his milky skin.  His eyes glinted with amusement.

"I mean exactly that. No. I'm not going to fight this battle for you. Just serve him like you would any other customer. I'm sure it'll be fine, I told you that it probably wasn't even that big of a deal, anyway."

Based on the way Harry's expression softened, it was obvious he could see how frightened his words had made her.

"Maybe he won't even recognize you. I mean, you weren't standing next to him, were you?" 

Lili shook her head. "No, I was on the path beside my cart. He was maybe 60 meters away, give or take?" Glancing out the window again, Lili could see that Niall was now only a few feet away. Harry nudged her gently on the shoulder, forcing her attention back to him.

"He probably couldn't even see your face from there. I swear, it'll be fine." He squeezed her shoulder. He slipped around Lili with ease and started walking towards the employee exit. He took a moment to lean against the doorframe. Niall was now just minutes away from opening the parlour door. Harry was definitely much calmer than Lili. 

Then again, this had no effect on him at all.

"I'll be in here, and if it sounds like it's getting rough, I'll come out and help you. But you won't need me. Promise." And with that, he ducked through the door, leaving Lili alone in the silence.

Jaw hanging open and eyes wide with fear, Lili remained rooted to the spot, gazing out the window at the brunette figure headed her way. As she watched him, she couldn't help but admire the muscular curves of his shoulders, his powerful walk, and his effortless beauty. Even from far away, he was perfect. 

He continued his approach, head tilted down, once again looking at his phone.

Lili finally realized that she needed to get a move on, and practically threw herself over the granite countertop so she was behind the safety of the register. Her legs turned to jelly, no longer able to hold her up, as Niall reached forwards to grab the door handle. Just as he swung the door open, Lili ducked down behind the display in an attempt to make herself look busy, desperately hoping he hadn't noticed her through the glass windows. 

The last thing she needed was to be caught watching him yet again.

Her heart pounded so hard in her chest, it felt like it was trying to escape from the confines of her body. The bell at the top of the door chimed happily, signalling Niall's entrance into the cool parlour. Every sense was now hyperactive, as if they'd been dulled for some time and had only now been revived. 

She could hear his footsteps on the laminate floor heading in her general direction, slowing down as he approached. Lili couldn't keep hiding from him - her overwhelming need to provide perfect customer service was the only thing she could hold onto for strength. She took a deep breath, though the oxygen burned ferociously in her lungs, and plastered a smile onto her face, hoping he wouldn't be able to see her lips quivering.

When she forced herself to stand up, her legs shook menacingly. Thankfully, she could hold the display for support without drawing too much attention to it. She had not been expecting Niall to be directly in front of her already, and now she felt completely unprepared to do her job. He stood in front of the fridge display, arms crossed over his chest as he looked down at the array of refreshments, trying to decide what he craved in the moment.

"Good afternoon, sir. What can I help you with today?" she asked, praying he couldn't hear the way her voice shook. Pretending not to know him was probably her safest route to getting through this interaction, so she tried not to show any signs of recognition as she spoke. She swallowed the nerves and nausea down.

Niall looked up at her as she waited behind the register; they locked eyes, and whatever breath she had left in her lungs was gone in an instant. His eyes were even more blue up close, still shining clearly and brightly, even under the harsh fluorescent lighting. They were shocking. His dark hair complimented them so beautifully.

He was the world's most expensive work of art. The kind of artwork museums would spend billions of dollars on just to hang on their walls. People would come from miles and miles away just to get a glimpse of him. His skin was golden and smooth, and she noticed he had the daintiest little golden hoop earrings in his ears. Perfect brush strokes of light brown stubble peppered his jawline, making Lili's mouth water. His eyes sparkled with amusement as he looked at her, his lips pulling up into a sly, sideways smirk that made her knees tremble.

"Yeah, I'll just take two waters and one of those turkey sandwiches, thanks." An Irish accent accompanied his words, making Lili's heart flutter. She wasn't expecting it, but adored its melody.

Lili nodded and stepped to the side, trying as hard as possible not to trip over her own two feet. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she slid the glass door open to retrieve his items. She willed herself to be calm. So far, so good, she thought. This just felt like a normal conversation with a guest. Could Harry have been right? Maybe he hadn't gotten a clear view of her on the course and was unable to recognize her now that he was closer up.

She chose to focus on this only, finding it gave her just an ounce more of strength and normalcy. She reached into the cold air and was about to wrap her fingers around the two bottles, when he cleared his throat gently after a moment.

"I think I saw you on the course earlier today. I...recognized your hair."

Lili froze; her hands shook slightly and she could feel a deep flush colour her skin from her scalp all the way down to her toes. The blood in her veins had ceased its flow, and she was feeling more and more lightheaded by the second. His words twisted deep in her stomach like a knife, menacingly slicing her open to devour her.

She kept her eyes down as she pulled her hands out of the chilly display, attempting to slide the glass closed with her hip. It wouldn't budge, which made her flush even harder. She placed the two waters and the sandwich on the counter in front of Niall and couldn't hide the way her hands trembled. After more effort than necessary was used, she was finally able to pull the glass closed. Her mouth and throat had suddenly run severely dry.

She took a shaky breath as her stomach churned nervously in her abdomen.

"Oh," Lili said in a small voice. She tried to force more words out, but to no avail. Her face grew even redder. All of her brain cells had suddenly died away, and she was left with nothing. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him, though she desperately wanted to see his face and drink him in. Her eyes desperately wanted to memorize every curve and contour of his beautiful face.

She kept her eyes down as she watched him casually drop a $20 bill on the counter.

"Hard to miss hair like yours. I think you talked to my trainer out there," he said. She could hear the smirk in his voice as he spoke. "You were watching me, and then you left in quite a hurry."

Any breathing Lili had been attempting to do in the last two minutes had stopped entirely.  Her lungs could no longer function, and her legs were shaking more than a newborn baby calf trying to walk for the first time. The deep red flush burning her cheeks was so severe that she wasn't entirely sure if she was actually on fire or not. Steam was probably billowing from her scalp.

This was definitely the worst case scenario. Clearly, she'd had every right to be scared about this encounter.

Using all of her mental strength, Lili forced her head up and met Niall's eyes once more, preparing for the worst. There was that lightning again.

Surprisingly, he didn't look angry or upset, like she had been expecting. Rather, he looked amused - almost intrigued. As if someone had been telling him a good joke and was on the cusp of revealing the punchline. She opened and closed her mouth multiple times, trying to find the right thing to say to him. God, she felt like a fool.

"I'm so, so sorry," she started; her voice came out smoother than anticipated. "I wasn't trying to stare at you or anything, I was just...i-interested," she stammered.

Now that she'd started talking, she felt the incredibly strong need to explain herself - defend herself. The word vomit couldn't be stopped.

She forced her hands into tight fists to stop them from shaking. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable in any way. It absolutely wasn't my intention. I can understand if you want me to stay away from you when you're golfing or anything. I wouldn't want to-"

Niall held up a hand, interrupting her, and casually swatted at the air, as if dismissing her words. Her heart leapt to her throat and she closed her lips.

"No need for an explanation, honestly. I wasn't bothered." He sounded genuine. His eyes trailed momentarily to her lips, before drifting back to her eyes. The electric current zapped through Lili's bloodstream once again. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end.

"Besides, if I can get a beautiful girl like you to look at me for even five seconds, I'd say I'm having a pretty good day."

Lili had to fight to prevent her jaw from dropping at his words. What??? Was he being serious?

"I'm Niall, by the way." He held out his hand, as if waiting for her to shake it. She stared at it for a few seconds, unsure of what to do.

Her mind was suddenly blank and unable to work. Hesitantly, she lifted her arm and placed her hand delicately in his, feeling him wrap his fingers around hers and give a solid, simple shake. His skin felt warm against her own. It was heavenly.

"Lili," she said, in an almost inaudible voice.

Niall smiled another adorable, sideways smile at her. "Pretty name for a pretty girl."

Lili gave a weak smile as a thank you for the compliment, trying not to make it obvious that his words had caused her head to spin in the world's most sickening spiral. Her heart pounded mercilessly against her ribcage; she feared he would see her shirt move from the force of it.

Niall forced his wallet into his back pocket and picked up his items from the counter. She couldn't help but notice the way his long fingers wrapped around the plastic of the two bottles. He nodded his head towards the lone bill sitting on the counter. "Keep the change."

"Thank you," Lili mustered, her voice rasping with nerves.

He smiled softly and turned towards the door, ready to head out. She watched him walk away with her heart in her throat. One hand on the door handle, he swivelled back around so he was facing Lili once again. She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him yet. He looked her up and down, a slightly cocky look on his face.

"See you around," he said, giving a flirty wink, before pushing the door open and stepping out into the blazing sun once again. 

Chapter Text

Lili remained rooted to the spot, unable to move or think. Since the moment he called her pretty, time had been standing still. 

Her heart continued to hammer against her ribcage as she panted, doing everything she could to calm her breathing. It felt like the more she inhaled, the less oxygen she took in. Her jaw hung open, brows furrowed with slight confusion as she continued to stare at the spot he had just been occupying. Almost like she could conjure him up again just by watching the floor. She had been staring for so long that her vision was blurring, making her dizzy. It took a lot of rapid blinking for her to see straight again. 

There was no way that whole exchange happened. He just winked at her. Like, winked, winked. Niall fucking Horan winked at her.

Gorgeous, handsome, confident Niall Horan winked at her.

And, not only did he wink at her, but he called her pretty. Twice. Was that him flirting with me? she asked herself. She shook her head, like she was answering someone else's question.

There was no way he had been flirting. He wouldn't possibly flirt with someone like her, because no guy that gorgeous would say something like that to her. It was more likely that he was just being nice and she mistook it for flirting. Accidents happen. No one had ever flirted with Lili before, and her sudden infatuation with him forced her to hyperfixate on this one little thing and blow it way out of proportion. That was the only option here. It couldn't have possibly meant anything.

But he winked...

"Keep your mouth open like that any longer and you'll be catching flies." A deep voice rang out from somewhere behind Lili, startling her and distracting her from her thoughts about Niall. She jumped as she was pulled back to reality. Lili closed her mouth and looked around for the source of the noise. Harry was leaning against the doorframe of the employee exit once again, a mischievous look in his eye. He smirked as if he knew a secret about her that he was just dying to share.

Embarrassment flooded her mind once again - she felt like a little kid being shamed by their parents after doing something bad. Caught in the act, and ready to be punished.

This honestly couldn't have been a worse moment for Harry to have appeared. Lili would have much rather been alone to deal with the shock of it all. She sniffled and turned her attention back down, pretending to punch her employee number into the cash register just to do something with her hands. Her fingers shook violently.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, attempting to sound as casual as possible. Her voice broke on the last word, giving away her emotional state. Harry chortled.

"How long have you been standing there?" He pushed himself up and strode over to where Lili stood, long arms swishing back and forth alongside his slender figure. His dark brown curls fell over his eyes and he swiftly pushed them back with his large hands. "I heard Niall leave so I came back. Honestly, I was expecting you to be crying hysterically behind the counter or some shit, but you've been standing there for at least 2 whole minutes, not moving."

It was painfully obvious that Harry was holding back laughter as he spoke. There was an odd little quiver in his voice.

Asshole.

He leaned against the front of the display beside Lili, propping his elbow on the cool glass and using his fist to hold his head up. He blinked lazily as he glanced down at her. "I thought you heard me come in. I wasn't exactly silent." His big green eyes were twinkling with amusement. 

Lili shook her head, unwilling to talk. Harry skimmed her face curiously with his eyes, and she suddenly felt self-conscious all over again.  His brows furrowed. "Your face is all red." He looked around the room. "What exactly happened in here?"

It was obvious by his tone that he was expecting lots of juicy details. His lips were pulled up into a smirk, but his eyes were attentive and patient. Unfortunately, she would have to disappoint him. This was an inherently un-juicy story. 

Lili avoided looking at Harry, choosing instead to turn away and waste some time by washing her hands at the sink in the corner. She pressed her palm once against the soap dispenser and watched it bloom into a pile of foam before she twisted the tap on.

"He was very nice to me," she began, after a pregnant pause. It took two lathers of soap and a long rinse in the hot water for her to finally give Harry some semblance of an answer. Extreme handwashing was probably a bad avoidance tactic - she could already feel the skin drying out from the excessive hot water.

Impatience was starting to roll tangibly off Harry's body, but he did a great job at keeping himself calm. He just knew that this conversation was going to be like pulling teeth, so the more patient he was, the better.

Lili ripped off a piece of the brown paper towel from the roll, dabbing her hands to dry them, before crumpling it into a ball and tossing it into the garbage bin beneath the sink. Her shoes squeaked on the tiny wet patches on the tile she had left as she turned around. She leaned backwards against the edge of the sink, gripping the metal on either side of her hips to support herself.

Finally, she looked up at Harry. He seemed amused, but upset that he'd already been waiting this long for the continuation of her story. She could tell by the look in his eye that he was expecting something crazy - sorry to disappoint, Harold.

She cleared her throat before continuing. "He mentioned that he saw me on the course, and when I tried to apologize, he stopped me to say that he wasn't upset. Which was unexpected, I guess."

Actually, now that she'd had a second to think about it, it was super nice of him to take it as well as he did. She would have liked to have given him a full apology, but it seemed like it really wasn't as big a deal as she had been making it out to be.

"And then he..." She trailed off, that burning feeling of embarrassment creeping up once again. She wasn't one to take compliments well at all, especially ones that she knew weren't 100% genuine. "And then he called me beautiful."

Harry's eyebrows shot up enthusiastically and his jaw dropped, the corners of his mouth turning upwards. "He's so into you!" he exclaimed happily. Harry had never shown this much excitement or exerted this much energy before.

His face lit up as a full smile stretched across it, and Lili couldn't help but laugh at his excitement. He was like a happy little puppy. Though she had a smile on her face, she shook her head, denying any further outbreaks from Harry.

"He was just trying to be nice. It was obvious how awful I felt about what happened, so he was just trying to ease the embarrassment. End of story."

Lili was 100% confident that there was nothing more than that. There was no deeper, hidden meaning behind Niall's compliment. She took a sudden interest in the designs etched into the countertop.

"But what exactly did he say to you?" Harry inquired in a gentle voice. He was now leaning forward against the counter, palms flat on the countertop and arms straight as boards. Even hunched down that much, his height intimidated Lili. The smile hadn't left his face yet.

She rolled her eyes as she repeated the surprising words Niall had spoken to her only moments ago. "He said, 'If I could get a beautiful girl like you to look at me for 5 minutes every day, I'd say I'm having a pretty good day.'"

The words felt odd coming out of her mouth. Gross, even. And they sounded about a thousand times worse in her voice. 

"Yeah, that wasn't flirty at all," Harry mused sarcastically, a smug look on his face. "No interest there, whatsoever."

Lili really did not wan to get into this with him. Her shift was nearly over, and she just wanted to go home and have a nice meal, take a hot shower, and hide in her bed until the morning. She didn't have the heart to tell him that she wasn't the kind of girl who got real compliments, no matter what he might think.

It was sweet of him to think that, but was a disservice to her. 

He took her silence to mean she had nothing left to say and spoke before she could get a word in edgewise.

"Let me get this straight. Not only did he not freak out about the unfortunate staring incident, but was actually okay with it? You're telling me he told you it wasn't a big deal, then he calls you beautiful, and you don't think it meant anything at all?"

Dumbfounded was probably the best way to describe the look on Harry's face in that moment.

"I'm certain it didn't," she muttered, punching her employee number into the register for real this time and selecting the 'clock out' option.

Her fingers just would not stop shaking, causing her to input the wrong number twice. That seemed to be a recurring issue today. She was already beyond frustrated over the events of the day and this was not helping. Neither was Harry and his stupid arrogance.

She hopped over the counter, too bothered to walk all the way around. Anything to make the moment she got home happen as soon as possible. Harry was still standing in the same spot with an incredulous look on his face, but he said nothing.

"Anyway, I'm out of here early today. Short shift. I'll see you whenever you're around again, alright, Styles?"

"Yeah, see you," he said, giving Lili the tiniest of waves as she brushed past him towards the exit. Whether his look of disappointment was real or not, Lili didn't care. She didn't have the emotional capacity to deal with tomfoolery of any kind.

"Hopefully Niall will see you soon, too!" Harry called as a last-minute addition before she turned through the door.

Lili sighed heartily and shook her head as she made her way to the locker room, pulling the cap off her sweaty head and wiping her brow. The tension in her neck and shoulders made her want to burst into tears. This day had just been weighing so heavily on her.  She was so close, yet so far away, from the comforts of her bed and the closed door of her bedroom.

The drive home consisted of Lili turning the volume on the radio louder and louder at small intervals in an attempt to drown all thoughts of Niall out of her mind. To no avail. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't wipe the stupid, goofy smile that seemed to now be permanently etched onto her face after their interaction back in the parlour.

How the hell had she gone from being upset over the compliment - devastated, more like - to being happy about  it? It was as if being alone and away from the original environment somehow made the compliment easier to accept. The sound of him calling her pretty rang loudly in her ears and echoed louder than the heavy bass pouring from her speakers. The word 'beautiful' had never sounded so good, never rang as melodically as it had from his lips. His accent made it that much sweeter, too.

She tried to physically shake the smile off her face, but it wouldn't budge. She needed to do something to get rid of it, or else risk stepping into her house looking like a complete maniac.  No one comes home from work looking happy as a clam, no matter what their job was. The family would definitely know something was up, and Lili could not risk that. She pulled into her driveway and parked behind the large red Jeep Wrangler her younger brothers shared, killing the engine.

But she didn't make any move to leave the vehicle. Instead, she glanced up at the rearview mirror, analyzing the parts of her face she could see reflected back at her. Her cheeks and forehead were slightly pink, like she'd spent the day in the sun and forgotten to apply that last layer of sunscreen.  She scrunched her nose in an attempt to hide another stupid smile that threatened her face. This was just ridiculous. 

Lili sighed and turned away, picking her purse and phone up from the passenger seat and grunting as she stepped out of the car. Her legs ached from the stress of the day.

She jogged up to the front door and slid the key in the lock, pushing the door open and sighing as the cool air surrounded her. Stepping through the threshold of her house was like a protective arm wrapping around her, which was more than welcomed after the day she'd had. It almost immediately made her feel better. The shield of her home kept her safe.

The delicious scent of dinner roasting in the oven wafted through the air, making her stomach growl loudly.

She kicked off her shoes and dropped them, along with her bag, inside the front closet and hung her key in the box, striding to the kitchen as she pulled her hair out of the painful ponytail it had been in all day. She sighed with relief when she shook out the stiff locks.

"Smells good in here," she said, as she entered the kitchen.

Her mom, Josephine, was standing at the sink, dark brown hair pulled back in a neat bun at the bottom of her skull as she scrubbed the dishes. The dishwasher lay open beside her. "What's for dinner?"

"Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts. I got home late today so I just had your brother pick up something quick from the supermarket to throw in the oven." She turned the tap off and dried her hands with the towel, turning around to get a better look at her daughter. The green eyes Lili had inherited from her analyzed her end-of-day appearance. "Good day at work today?" she asked kindly.

Lili nodded, scratching her scalp again for some relief. "Pretty good. Uneventful, as usual."

She didn't want to get into the whole Niall thing with her mom right now. She stepped around the large marble island towards the cupboard, retrieving a small glass. She opened the fridge and took out a carton of fruit juice, filling the glass to the brim.

"I got to work with Zara today, though, which was nice. Haven't seen her in a while."

Josephine smiled warmly at the mention of Zara's name. She loved all of Lili's friends.

"Oh, that's nice. How's she doing?"

"Pretty good." Lili shrugged, taking a long sip of the sweet drink. "We didn't get to spend much time together, but we're going to try to hang out one day outside of work. We haven't had an opportunity to see each other like that for a while."

She leaned back against the counter and watched as her mom walked over to the oven, turning the light on to take a peek at their dinner. Lili's stomach growled again, and she downed the last of the juice. The glass clinked loudly against the shelf as she placed it in the dishwasher.

"Anyway, I'm going to take a quick shower. Call me when the food's ready." Lili turned on her heel and left the kitchen, bounding up the staircase to her bedroom and shutting the door. She longed to jump onto her mattress and sleep the day away, but felt disgusting after sweating in the sun and needed that shower more than anything.

She spent her entire shower thinking, yet again, of Niall Horan. No, not in that way.

It was more his...beauty. How pretty his eyes had been up close. They were so, unbelievably blue. Almost crystal clear. His broad chest and muscular back. That absolutely dazzling smile.

She couldn't get him out of her head, no matter how hard she tried. Lili's brain was now completely consumed by Niall Horan.

The embarrassment from that morning seemed nonexistent now that she'd moved onto overanalyzing his compliments and whether or not they were genuine. The tone of his voice when he said it. His body language.

She thought of everything.

If he had looked at her in a different way, would it have changed the meaning at all?

She dried herself off with a rough cotton towel and slipped into a big t-shirt and a pair of warm sweatpants, before plopping down on her stomach on her soft bed and resting her eyes. The pressure melted away from her back and feet as she sank farther into the mattress...It felt like only a split second had passed between when Lili closed her eyes and when her mother yelled upstairs to call everyone down for dinner.

She jerked awake, her blood pulsing rapidly in her veins. Lili groaned and rolled off her bed, practically slithering to the ground and pushing herself up. She hadn't expected to fall asleep that quickly, but the power nap actually felt good. It gave her the tiniest bit of energy. 

Dinner at the Hughes house was always a family event, no matter what. It was rare that the five of them didn't all sit together at the table and eat, talking and sharing stories about the day. The only times they didn't eat together was if work or school pulled them in opposite directions. But they tried to have dinner as a family as often as they possibly could. It was Lili's favourite time of the day. She was very grateful that her family happened to be as close as they were; they meant everything to her.

She took her regular seat on her dad's left - he sat at the head of the table - her mother across from her, and her two brothers on either side of them.

She was the oldest of three children, and was extremely close with her brothers. Being the only girl definitely had its difficulties, but Matt and Aiden had grown up into really great guys, and she was so lucky they had the relationship that they did. They were the kind of siblings that would go to brunch together on Sundays or go bowling with friends on Fridays. Attached at the hip since day one, Lili loved her brothers to death, and was incredibly protective over them.

Lili helped her mom bring the plates of food over to the table from the kitchen, and once Aiden had settled into his seat and put his phone away, everyone began helping themselves to the hot food steaming in front of them.

Lili plopped a perfectly carved chicken breast, a spoon of potatoes, and a few round brussels sprouts onto her plate - she could feel her mouth watering just at the smell. She picked up her fork and knife and dove into the chicken - she hadn't realized just how hungry she was.

One problem she had when she was working was that she always forgot to eat. She would sometimes remember to take a few bites of a protein bar or sip some water on the way in, but it was a bad habit that needed to change. No wonder she came home with a headache most days.

The family ate in silence for a couple minutes before her dad, William, started the conversation with a story about something that had occurred at his office that morning. Her father worked as a paralegal at a firm downtown and somehow always came home with a story about a co-worker or a client with the intention of making his family laugh.

"And then, the poor guy couldn't get the door open because his hands were full, and before any of us could get to him and help him out, he had spilled both coffees down his shirt and all over the door!" William said through raucous laughter. 

Lili and her brothers were laughing along with him, but her mom was scolding him, though there was a hint of a smile playing on her face. Even she couldn't resist.  Sometimes, the reactions to the stories were funnier than the actual story itself, but getting a good laugh in with her brothers was something that always made Lili's night ten times better. William wiped away the tears in his eyes while his breathing evened out until he stopped laughing, sniffling occasionally.

The silence enveloped them once again, the only sounds coming from someone chewing, the clank of a knife against the china, or a sip from a glass.

"How was work today, honey? You didn't say much when you got home," Josephine questioned as she scooped a forkful of potatoes into her mouth and politely wiped her mouth with her napkin.

Lili smiled stiffly as she swallowed the bite she had been chewing.

"It was fine. Like I said earlier, nothing special happened. I just kind of hung out with Harry and Zara for a bit, served some customers. The usual, I guess."

She thought back to her shift, and all she could see were Niall's eyes burning behind her eyelids. She couldn't even remember any of the other interactions she'd had throughout the day.

"I accidentally soaked my shoes when I was emptying my cooler and I need them to dry by tomorrow morning."

"You could probably throw them in the dryer on low heat for a minute or two," Josephine replied. "Shouldn't do too much damage and it'll dry them right up."

Lili nodded, lips pressed together in a thin line. She tapped her foot impatiently under the table; now, all she could think about was Niall. Great.

She wondered if her father was aware he had been at the club or what his plans were for this summer. She had been wanting to ask him about it since she had gotten home from work, but wasn't entirely sure how to bring it up. Maybe it was best to leave it alone.

But she was so damn curious.

"Hey, Dad?" she said, breaking the silence that had fallen. Guess she was just going to go for it.

He looked up at her expectantly, wiping his mouth with his napkin.

"Would you recognize the name Niall Horan at all?" His name rolled off her tongue as if she'd been saying it her whole life.

Her heart was racing as she asked the question, but she attempted to remain as calm as possible. Her toes curled nervously under the table. Just asking that question felt like she'd been set on fire. 

Her father's eyes glazed over, and his brows raised slightly.

"How could I not recognize that name? One of the finest young golfers this century has ever seen," William responded, leaning back in his chair and relaxing. He had emptied both his plate and his wine glass.

William was an avid golfer, both in and out of the LACC, so Lili figured he would know at least something about Niall. A contemplative look crossed his face. 

"I watched him a couple of years ago at his first Masters when he was, what, 20 years old or something like that? Kid was unbelievable. Some of the shots he was making...I've never seen even the most seasoned of professionals attempt those." He smiled like a proud parent. "If I'm not mistaken, he finished that tournament 16 under par or something crazy like that. He's got some real talent."

Lili's eyebrows shot up. That was damn impressive. God, he really did not look the part at all.

William looked her in the eye curiously, studying her expression. It was almost as if he could tell something was up. "Why?" 

Lili squirmed in her chair nervously and tried to cover it up by reaching for her water glass and taking a gulp. Could they see how much her hand was shaking?

"Oh, no reason. He's training at the club this summer apparently, and I just wasn't sure if you knew who he was."

William's eyes grew wide, and even Aiden shifted in his seat so he was facing her.

"Wait, wait, wait," he said incredulously. His hazel eyes were wide and round. "That Horan guy is training at the club? Like, he's actually there? In person?"

She raised one eyebrow quizzically, still not believing what she had heard. "Yeah. I saw him this morning, actually. On my route." She avoided going into further detail about the event, and had to dig her fingernails into her palms to try and stop the blush threatening to creep up her neck. 

"Since when did you know anything about golf?" she asked, hoping to redirect the subject. Aiden shrugged nonchalantly but said nothing.

"You said he was on your route, so did you talk to him?" her father asked.

Well, that lasted all of 10 seconds. Lili dreaded answering. But then she remembered that she could just make something up. Not a single person at this table would have to know the truth but her. She shrugged one shoulder. Thinking quickly on her feet was not her strong suit. Maybe making up a story was a bad idea.

"Not really. I didn't even know who he was, so it wouldn't have been a big deal to me if I did. I spoke to his trainer though, and he was really nice."

Well, she wasn't exactly lying...

"I've heard he's a really nice kid," William said. He sounded excited at this newfound information. "He's known to be very humble. You don't find that very often anymore with young guys in the spotlight, you know. If you ever come across him, introduce yourself."

"Will do," Lili said awkwardly.

Well. That went better than she'd anticipated. 

The family finished their dinners, continuing to make light conversation about Matt's day at school as they cleared off the table. Lili brought all the plates and cutlery to the sink so her mom could load the dishwasher. Each sibling had a job to do during the after-dinner cleanup, no excuses. Having finished hers, Lili excused herself from the kitchen and hurried back upstairs to her room, shutting the door behind her and leaning back against it, hand clutching the doorknob.

Her heart was still fluttering - it didn't know how to act when Niall's name was mentioned. This was new territory for her. She willed herself to calm down, because now it was getting ridiculous. It was beyond unnecessary for her to be reacting this way.

From where she stood, Lili gazed over at her bed as she waited for this wave of nausea to subside. Her laptop was lying on top of her mattress, half hidden under the thick comforter. She crossed the room quickly to shut her blinds and curtains, feeling more comfortable in the cool darkness, before laying atop her bed once again and pulling her laptop towards her. She opened the lid gently and fell back against the pillows while she waited for it to power up. After punching in her password, her fingers hovered over the keyboard hesitantly. They wiggled impatiently while her brain worked.

She contemplated momentarily about what she thought about doing. This might be a super weird thing to do. And for a second, she made the firm decision not to do it. But changed her mind again about a millisecond later.

She sighed deeply and opened a search engine, typing 'Niall Horan' into the search bar. She flinched as she pressed enter, as if the button had burned the skin of her fingertip.

Hundreds of thousands of results appeared instantly. From Wikipedia pages to YouTube videos, Lili had everything she needed to learn whatever she wanted about the beautiful man from earlier. Every piece of information was, quite literally, at her fingertips. A plethora of results pages held potentially everything she needed to know about him.

Except she was hesitant.

Did she really want to know more about him or the kind of person he was? He seemed pretty nice when they spoke, but what if that all changed in an instant? What if she read four or five articles detailing how shitty a person he truly was? Most celebrities are trained to appear kind and considerate in public. That's literally part of their job.

This could potentially be disastrous.

She figured that with her working at the club and him training there all summer, she was bound to run into him again and talk to him in the future - did she really want any future conversations to be affected by what she could potentially find out with a simple click of her mouse?

Lili didn't like to have biases about people. Was she overthinking this? What the fuck was going on in her head?

Lili rolled her shoulders a couple times and took a deep breath, trying to rid herself of the negative thoughts, and moved the mouse on the screen.

The first website she looked at was his Wikipedia page, which seemed to be a good place to start. She had always found these to be odd but was too curious about him to not read at least a paragraph.

She skimmed through the information on the page, not wanting to read too far into it. It felt like she was invading his personal space reading all these details. As if she'd found his diary and was reading all of his personal thoughts.

From the bits and pieces she read, Lili gathered that Niall was from a super small town in Ireland, had been playing golf professionally for over nine years, and that he owned a house in LA, where he lived part-time. Nothing too crazy as of yet. All nice, normal things to know. 

As she scrolled further down the page, the heading 'Personal Life' caught her eye. She dragged her mouse over towards it and clicked. Nothing special came up, except the last line of the paragraph, which read that Niall was single. She felt herself blushing at that - for reasons why, she was unsure.

How would people even know that, anyway? And why should she care so much?

She quickly clicked out of the Wikipedia page, fanning herself with her hand. This was going to somehow end very badly if she didn't relax. 

Back on the results page, there were quite a few videos that had popped up that piqued Lili's interest. After the small conversation they had had earlier in the day, she was incredibly curious about his personality. Did he always act in that manner, or did he carry himself differently around different people? Was he the kind of guy to always joke around, no matter where he was, or did he have a work persona and a private persona? What did other sentences sound like in his voice and with that accent?

Curiosity getting the better of her, the second link she clicked on was a YouTube video from an interview he did right after he won a tournament a year or two earlier.

She felt her heart rate speed up in anticipation as the video buffered.

After loading for a few moments, the video began playing - it opened to a pretty, middle-aged woman sitting on a director-style chair, the beautiful backdrop of a magnificent golf course behind her. Hidden fountains sprayed water up from the lake.

She spoke in a heavy English accent, introducing Niall, before the camera panned over to him sitting a few feet from her in a similar chair. He looked breathtaking in a navy blue polo shirt and khaki pants.

His face was flushed, and there was a slight sheen of sweat across his skin. A wide, proud smile lit up his face and stretched his cheeks to the max. Seeing him once again, even through the dim screen of her laptop, made Lili's heart flutter in her chest at an alarmingly rapid rate. She turned the volume up and pressed 'full screen'.

"Now, Niall," the interviewer began, "how does it feel to win yet another major tournament in your young career? I mean, it's got to feel pretty good, I presume." 

Niall's smile grew even wider, and his cheeks turned a darker shade of pink.  He shrugged shyly, pulling his shoulders in towards his chest, as if to make himself look smaller. His hands were sitting in his lap, fingers laced together.

"It does feel great. I mean, how many guys my age can say that they've won, not just one Masters, but now two?" He paused; a look of disbelief and satisfaction clouded his eyes. He tilted his head down and shook it slightly, before lifting it back up. "Just saying those words feels absolutely surreal. It's amazing, for sure, but I couldn't have done it without all the support I have around me. My family and friends, my trainers, the fans...everyone who shows up for me every day and pushes me to be my best. This is for them. I wouldn't be here without them."

The interviewer nodded, a sweet smile on her face.

Lili felt her stomach fill with butterflies at his words. It was just a small sample, but the genuine humbleness oozing from him made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. Even his body language suggested he was being completely honest with his words. So far, her dad's impression of him had been spot on.

The interview continued on, and Lili couldn't help but notice that Niall laughed at almost everything the interviewer said to him. Whether it was a cute giggle, or full on laughter, Niall was managing to find the humour in every second of the interview, and Lili loved it. The sound of his laugh every single time made her her heart flutter and her stomach flip. It was the most perfect sound she had ever heard in her life, and it caused an absolutely ridiculous smile to remain on her face, painfully plumping her cheeks.

She was laughing along with him, like she was actually on the course with them and hearing the jokes in real time.

Niall was also incredibly sweet to the interviewer the entire time. He was patient, and he answered every question she asked with complete willingness. It was clear his level of respect for her was off the charts. Lili found him adorable, charming, and endearing.

She clicked out of the video as it finished, unable to take Niall's cute self any longer, and quickly rifled through some of the pictures of him on Google Images. There was an abundance of images as she scrolled. Majority of the pictures were of Niall golfing or just standing on a golf course in general - obviously. There were a few pictures of him with fans of all ages, at Starbucks, even some candids of him getting groceries.

It was odd seeing all these pictures of Niall taken by either adoring fans or bothersome paparazzi. She knew that he had a pretty big following, but it was weird to see people from the outside be so invested in his life.

Even though she had only met him for five minutes, he was just a normal human to her. She didn't feel the need to pull out her phone and snap a photo of him - granted, she wasn't aware of who he was at the time, but the knowledge of his status didn't change anything for her.

She wondered what it was like to live in the public eye like he did. In a way, she felt bad for him. It couldn't be fun having to live this way. Then again, she didn't know him personally. Maybe he loved the attention. She couldn't be entirely sure.

Lili admired a few more beautiful photos of Niall, before huffing and closing the window, shutting her laptop and pushing it a few inches away from her. She reached over to her nightstand and picked up her tv remote, jutting her arm out forwards and pressing the power button. The small television mounted on her wall turned on, lighting up the dark room.

She scrolled mindlessly through the apps of her tv before pressing play on the episode of Gossip Girl she had been watching earlier. She looked at the bright screen for a few moments, but didn't necessarily watch it.

She felt her eyes glazing over, and before she knew it, she was replaying the horribly awkward conversation she had with Niall in the club parlour, specifically replaying the moment he called her beautiful.

It played over and over in her mind, as if she was watching it on a screen with some other person controlling the rewind function. A broken record unable to skip to the next song, forced to keep playing the same melody over and over again.

She was laying on her back, head on the pillow, smiling up at the white ceiling. The more his voice echoed in her ears, the faster her heart seemed to beat. She pictured his perfect smile beaming at her and the way his eyes had sparkled when he looked at her. The smile on her face grew wider as the memory of his accent rang in her ears, and she could feel the blush creeping up her neck and spreading over her cheeks once again.

Irish accents were cute.

She found herself missing him and his momentary company. Though it was only their first interaction, she felt some sort of security being around him, regardless of how nervous she was in the moment. He made her feel safe, and she had been comfortable around him. She might not have been able to show it, but there was a feeling in her stomach that she just couldn't shake away. She longed to see him again and talk to him, to touch his delicate, golden skin and hear his voice again...

Instantly, her eyes grew wide and she sat bolt upright, shaking her head like a dog trying to rid itself of fleas.

"What the fuck is your problem?" she said, out loud, to no one but herself.

She rubbed her eyes harshly with the heels of her palms, seeing kaleidoscopes of shapes and patterns bursting behind her eyelids. She removed her hands and blinked rapidly as her eyes readjusted back to normal.

With shaking hands, she reached for her remote control and shut off the tv, enveloping her in complete darkness. She panted heavily, chest rising and falling. It felt like she had just been caught sneaking out or doing something illegal, and she didn't know why.

Those thoughts she was having about Niall seemed so stupid now.

How could she possibly be feeling that way about someone she had, quite literally, just met? She knew nothing about him and who he was - so why was she feeling like this? What kind of security could he have possibly made her feel in the five minutes he was beside her?

She needed to stop being such an imbecile.

Beginning to feel slightly angry at her feelings, Lili crawled under the covers of her bed and pulled them up under her chin like a shield. He's a beautiful, famous man, what would he even want with you, anyway? she thought to herself angrily. What would he want from her after a five-minute conversation? It was pathetic.

And besides, crushes did not do her well. Ever. She wasn't particularly keen on getting her heart broken, and was sure as hell not going to do it to herself. It wasn't worth getting herself worked up over someone who surely wanted nothing to do with her. This was exactly why Lili avoided men and feelings at all costs. It had taken years for her heart to mend, and she could not let it get broken again. 

She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, just wanting to sleep the day away and wake up to a fresh start in the morning. Whatever this...infatuation was needed to go away ASAP. It couldn't continue on.

As she began to lose consciousness and her breathing slowed, the last thing Lili saw before she dipped into sleep was the beautiful, smiling face of Niall Horan. 

Chapter Text

One Week Later

The day could not have possibly started off worse for Lili. Currently, she was stranded on the shoulder of the highway, using her parked car as protection from the other vehicles that came zooming around the corner. She had been making her normal drive to work, with no issues, when something in her engine suddenly banged loudly and the car began to slow to its death. Smoke had started to drift out of the front hood, which was never a good sign. Where there's smoke, there's fire. The sight made Lili's heart practically stop in fear.

The highway was definitely the worst possible spot for a car to break down. There was no safe place to stop. The weakening engine produced just enough energy for Lili to pull over onto the shoulder before the car completely shut down for good. When she tried to restart the ignition, it wouldn't even make any semblance of sound. Normally if there was still a little bit of life left in the engine, it would click or stutter. But now, nothing. Her car was good and dead.

After more than a few tears had been shed, Lili calmed herself down enough to step carefully out of the car. There had been a bit of a break in the traffic, so the road was empty enough for her to safely do so. She chose to sit on the small grassy hill that was a few feet away from the road to call a tow truck. The grass was damp with morning dew, but she found an old blanket in her trunk that she could sit on so as not to ruin her uniform. At least that was one good thing that occurred that morning.

She had been waiting for a tow truck for about ten minutes before she unlocked her phone to place another call. Her fingers trembled as she searched her recent calls for the name she needed. The line rang twice before Jordyn picked up, cheerfully greeting her best friend.

"Have you left your house yet?" Lili asked, exasperated. She'd barely even given Jordyn a chance to finish her greeting. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair and gripped the roots as she rested her elbow on her exposed knee. Her palms were slightly clammy - the fear from seeing steam billowing from her car hadn't entirely subsided.

"I was literally stepping out the door when my phone rang. Why, do you need something?" Jordyn sounded rushed as she responded.

"Actually, yes. I'm so sorry to do this to you, but can come pick me up? My fucking car broke down on the highway and I'm waiting for the tow truck to get here."

More tears pricked the corner of her eyes again as she spoke, but Lili willed herself not to cry. She really could not afford to pay for a mechanic right now, and didn't want to hassle her parents for the money. The thought of her parents reminded her to call her dad right after she hung up with Jordyn. 

Jordyn was silent, but Lili could almost feel the sympathetic smile on her face through the phone. The image somehow brought even more tears to her eyes. Coming here would be a terrible detour for Jordyn, but she would drop everything in a heartbeat to help her best friend. And Lili would absolutely do the same.

"Alright, be careful while you wait for me," Jordyn said calmly. "And call Geena. Let her know we might be late."

"I will. I can't thank you enough for this," Lili said, relief washing over her like water. "Love you, J. See you soon."

She hung up and played around with her phone until she figured out how to on her location and share it with Jordyn. She placed her phone on the blanket beside her and leaned back on her elbows, letting the sun wash over her momentarily. It gave her a very small bit of comfort knowing that she had left for work early that morning, as per usual, meaning they didn't necessarily have to rush to get to work on time. That gave her some breathing room, albeit not very much.

Still, she sent their supervisor, Geena, a text to let her know the situation. Lili felt even more relieved when she received a positive message back telling her not to worry. Finally, Lili called her dad, chewing the cuticle of her thumb nervously as the line rang. 

"Hughes speaking," he said gruffly. 

Lili laughed. "Dad, you do you have caller ID, right?" It didn't matter how many times she called his work phone. William would always answer as if there were a client on the other end. Couldn't be too careful. 

He chuckled through the receiver. "Sorry, honey, I'm just so used to it. What's up? On your way to work, I presume?" 

Lili sighed, and her chest grew tight. "I was, but my car broke down on the freeway. I'm fine, don't worry!" she added, before he could freak out. That was probably a bad thing to lead with. "I've called the towing company, I'm sitting away from the road, and Jordyn's on her way to pick me up." 

William groaned softly.

"I'm sorry. But I'm glad you're okay. We can deal with the mechanic later tonight, alright? Just make sure to give whoever tows your car my name and number, and I'll work it out with him."

Lili couldn't be more thankful that her dad wasn't the kind of person to get angry at her for something like this. All he cared about was that she was safe. She pulled her lips into a tight smile. "Thanks, Dad. I'll text you when I'm on my way to work, let you know I'm safe."

"Alright. I'll let you go. Focus on the road so you don't get hit, and keep me updated." That was mostly a joke, but freaked Lili out enough to scoot back another few feet. "See you tonight." The receiver clicked.

Lili dropped her phone into her lap with a sigh. She lay back against the hard ground and let the minutes pass as she watched the cotton candy clouds drift past her up in the blue sky. It probably wasn't the best idea to be lying down like this when she was literally less than ten feet away from a highway, but she needed to take a minute to sort out her thoughts.

She was mentally adding up the cost of every repair she would probably need, cringing at the number she'd conjured up. It definitely wasn't right. Math had never been her strong suit, anyway.

After a few minutes, a dull honk followed by tires crunching on gravel pulled her attention back to reality.

She sat up straight as the tow truck pulled up in front of her dead car and parked. The truck belonged to a towing company Lili was unfamiliar with, so she took a second to look it up just to make sure it was legit. Nothing but positive reviews and a well designed website popped up, which made her feel slightly better.

A tall, red haired man wearing a stained flannel shirt hopped down from the driver's seat, hand in his back pocket as he approached her. Lili stood and brushed her skirt down, suddenly feeling very vulnerable in her too-short, skimpy attire. There wasn't enough time for her to wrap the blanket around her waist. 

"This your car, here?" the driver asked, in a slightly Southern accent. He was, quite literally, every single stereotype of a small-town mechanic wrapped into one. Jesus. How did he even end up in Los Angeles? It took all of Lili's strength not to roll her eyes at him.

What do you think? she thought sarcastically, almost sneering at him. Instead, she smiled and nodded, taking a step back as he approached her. 

"Yes, that's mine. I came around the bend and the hood started steaming. There was a bang and then it just died."

He looked her up and down menacingly, and Lili felt her stomach turn. Had he even heard a word she said? As his eyes drank in her long, exposed legs, Lili was suddenly wishing that she was wearing her heaviest, baggiest pair of sweatpants. Or a suit of armour.

"You driving alone, or is there somebody with you?" His tone made her feel sick. It sounded like he was hoped she was alone. Her heart started to pound with fear, and the blood rushed loudly in her ears. Suddenly there were no cars coming by? No one to see them here together in case something happened?

Just as she opened her mouth to make an excuse, she heard the familiar clunking of Jordyn's thousand-year-old Toyota pulling up along the bend in the road. Just seeing her best friend's face through the windshield helped Lili breathe with a bit more ease. They weren't 100% safe around this guy, but definitely safer together than she'd been alone. She closed her eyes and sighed. Lili pointed as Jordyn slowed to a stop behind Lili's car, waving.

"I've got a friend here, thanks. How much is it going to be just for you to tow it to a shop?" she asked nervously.

The man scanned her up and down once again with his menacingly dark brown eyes. Lili pulled one arm over her chest in an attempt to shield herself. She wanted to slap him. Hard. His eyes remained glued to her chest and neck as he spoke.

"For you, no charge. Can't say the same for the boys at the shop, though." 

Lili felt the corners of her mouth twitch with fear as she forced another smile onto her face. That sounded much too threatening for her to take it with ease. "Thanks, I really appreciate that," she said kindly. 

The driver nodded gruffly and turned back to his truck, beginning the short process of hooking Lili's car up to it. Every time he bent down, he groaned, and his hand flew to his lower back.

Once her car had been properly strapped in, he strutted back over to her and pulled a small square of paper out of his front breast pocket. He handed it to Lili proudly, along with a black pen that looked like it had been chewed on recently. "Just need some contact information," he said. "You know, for the shop."

Lili grabbed the pen, retching silently, and filled out the info card with her father's name, phone number, and email, just as he'd said. Honestly, she probably would have done that regardless of what he dad said. There was no way in hell she would risk giving this man her personal information.

"What shop are you taking my car to? I'll have to stop by with my father later tonight." Even if she was planning on going alone, Lili had no choice but to wait until after work. A flash of what seemed like disappointment crossed his face, as if he'd been hoping she wouldn't bring anyone with her. Especially not her father. She shivered. The man reached into his back pocket and pulled out a very distressed, stained business card and pointed to the bottom right-hand corner.

"That's our shop there. Open until 11:00pm, and I'll be there all night."

"Great," she responded dully.

She handed the contact form and the pen back to the man, discreetly wiping her hands on the sides of her skirt in the aftermath. Hopefully Jordyn had a bottle of sanitizer in her purse.

As he strode back to his truck, he saluted Lili, before jumping back into the driver's seat and turning the engine. She held up her hands to stop him. Before he could drive away, she rolled up the blanket and threw it back in the trunk, then opened the passenger door to retrieve her purse and LACC cap. She left the keys in the cupholder but removed all of her keychains. After shutting the door, Lili shot the man a thumbs up, which he returned through the open window.

He pulled off the shoulder, and Lili watched sadly as her car disappeared down the road, clutching her phone tightly between her fingers. It was like watching a piece of yourself being taken away.  Was that too dramatic? Who knows.

Lili jogged to Jordyn's car, desperate to sit somewhere other than wet grass. The backs of her thighs were damp and it was making Lili squirm uncomfortably. She opened the door, only to hear Jordyn's uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh, shut up," Lili said, annoyed, as she pulled her seatbelt tightly over her chest. She pointed towards the road. "Just fucking drive." 

Jordyn continued chuckling as she pulled back onto the road with ease, casually glancing in the mirror to make sure no one was coming. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes with just the faint music from the speaker playing in the background.

Lili hadn't seen or spoken to Jordyn in a week, so she was desperate to tell her all about Niall. Now that the initial awkwardness of their first meeting had subsided, she felt comfortable enough to talk about it. She and Jordyn hadn't had a chance to have a conversation since that first time Lili met him, but she had come across Niall on the course twice since then.

He would acknowledge that he saw her and would be super nice, but it was nothing more than that. No more winks, no more compliments. Just nice, casual conversation between a guest and an employee. The way it should have been since the very beginning. He hadn't come into the parlour again either, and Lili wasn't sure if her disappointment was warranted or not. There were times where she felt like she'd done something wrong and that it was her fault, but had to keep reminding herself that their relationship - or lack thereof - was strictly platonic.

They were strangers who shared a work space and nothing more. 

"Hey, so, I'm sure you've heard by now about Niall Horan being at the club?" Lili asked nonchalantly, adjusting her seatbelt over her chest. She crossed her legs at the ankles, then uncrossed them. Every movement felt awkward and over calculated. She looked over to see Jordyn nodding, her freshly-dyed blonde hair bobbing along with her. A new nose piercing glinted in the sunlight.

"Of course I have. It's all any of the guests can talk about these days. Can't say I blame them, though." She shrugged casually. "A sexy man like that appears at the club, it's kind of hard not to make him the topic of conversation everywhere you go."

Lili bit the corner of her lip. "Yeah, he's even hotter up close." 

Jordyn snapped her head to the side in surprise, and she had to swerve back into her lane. A car honked angrily at her. "I'm sorry, did you say up close? As in, you saw him from closer than 20 feet away?" 

Yeah, this was definitely a win Lili needed today. Anything to cheer her up after the morning she'd had. She smiled.

"Yeah, I briefly ran into him on my route last week, and then he came into the parlour later on to get drinks and stuff. He introduced himself to me." 

She then went on to explain the staring incident; it was slowly turning into nothing more than a funny memory Lili shared with her friends to get some laughs. She even exaggerated some parts to make the story more interesting because, the more often she told it, the dumber it sounded. Every time she recounted the story, she actually felt embarrassed about how embarrassed she was in the moment. If that even made sense. It was such a little thing to have worried about as much as she did. That was the funny thing about anxiety, though.  

When she finished sharing, Jordyn was laughing so hard that Lili was worried she was going to have to steer from the passenger side. Luckily, Jordyn calmed down and was able to focus on the road once again, though Lili saw her reach up and wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Talk about dramatic.

"Oh, sweetie, I love you, but that is fucking hilarious," she said playfully. "You're so lucky that you got to see him up close, though. Was he nice when you talked to him?"

"Surprisingly, yes. I tried to apologize for what had happened on the course, but he didn't even care. He actually said it wasn't a big deal. And he called me beautiful, like, twice. Well, pretty once and beautiful once."

Jordyn shrieked at the revelation, and the two girls spent the remainder of the short drive to the club talking about and freaking out over what had happened. This was the first time ever (probably) that something good happened to Lili at the hands of a man that she was able to enjoy with her best friend. It may or may not have healed a tiny section of her heart. 

They crossed the empty parking lot arm in arm, trying to decipher his words, body language, and eye movement when he spoke to Lili, before going their separate ways for the day. Jordyn had picked up an extra shift in dining, so Lili sent her off in the opposite direction with a wave and a kiss on the head, before turning towards her own path.

The parlour seemed to be filled with light and positive energy today. Once again, she moved through the familiar actions of filling her cooler, before making her way down the sunny path for yet another day of selling drinks to club guests. A busy day meant lots of distractions, and lots of cash. And knowing today was going to set her back in buying a new car, that cash was needed now more than ever.

A wonderful surprise was waiting for her as she pulled up towards Hole 3 - one of her favourite families was playing a round together, and her stomach filmed with warmth at the sight. She sped up excitedly as she approached them, smiling as the son noticed her coming and waved her over, dropping his club on the grass. She pulled up just off the path and parked, killing the ignition and stepping out into the blistering sunlight.

"Lili!" Gregory called out happily. Gregory and his husband, Marco, were long time members of the LA Country Club, and they had been the very first customers Lili had ever served during her first shift as a cart girl. Back then, it had been just the two of them coming to the club because their children weren't mature enough to care about playing anything more than mini-golf.

In reality, Gregory and Marco just wanted to wait until they were older and had better control over themselves before they allowed them to step foot into such a prestigious club. However, she had met their two kids, Filipe and Sofia, shortly afterwards, and had grown extremely fond of the four of them over the years. They were at the club every other weekend, it seemed, to enjoy a round of golf, a dip in the large pool, or just a casual lunch together.

Being regulars at the club, Lili encountered them quite often, and before she knew it, she would be talking up a storm with them whenever she came across them; they knew everything about her, and vice versa.

Any time they met, it was like reuniting with an old friend that you loved dearly. Their presence at the club was one staple she looked forward to often. It was safe to say that the Laurent family played a big role in both her work and personal life.

She approached Gregory and enveloped him in a big bear hug. She smiled brightly as she hugged the remaining three family members tightly. "Oh, it's so good to see you guys!" she exclaimed cheerfully. "I feel like it's been forever. How are you?"

Marco beamed down at her as he stood next to his husband, wrapping an arm around his thin waist. "School has been so busy for these two, so it's been hard to get down here as a family," he said, jutting his thumb in the direction of his two teenagers.

Filipe had just turned 14, and Sofia was weeks away from her 12th birthday.

"Luckily, it's spring break, so we had to come down for a bit, even if it was just a day or two. You look lovely, sweetie, you're practically glowing."

"Oh, trust me, I did not look this good until I saw you guys." Lili laughed as Sofia pulled her into a side hug. Her long auburn hair cascaded down her back in a waterfall of gorgeous locks.

"I've been okay, for the most part. I don't know if I mentioned that I'm trying to buy a new car, but of course, this morning my car decides to shit the bed on me."

Her brows shot up and her eyes widened when she remembered the kids were there, but Marco just laughed it off. There could have been a worse word used, anyway. She crossed back to her cart with the family in tow and unlocked the cooler. The five of them discussed cars, work, and life in general for a few minutes as Lili handed out drinks and snacks to the family, accepting a large cash tip in return.

Gregory and Marco were the perfect people to go to for advice, and Lili just loved getting to talk to them and hear what they had to say. They always made you feel safe and supported, and you never once felt judged by them for anything. They even made her feel better about her car incident, and their encouragement over her hard work made her feel incredibly validated.

Sometimes, it felt like she was the only person who could see how much she was pushing herself. Not that she needed external validation to be proud of what she was doing, but it would be nice if, just once, someone patted her on the back and told her she was doing a good job. 

After a truly wonderful conversation, Lili glanced down at her watch, and she practically gasped at the time. Marco noticed her expression immediately.

"Lili, sweetie, please don't let us keep you," he said, gesturing towards her cart. She had been so caught up in talking with them that she didn't realize she was now nearly 40 minutes behind schedule. Those were the dangers of making friends with the guests. Once Lili got going, it was hard to stop. Talking was her downfall. 

"Go do your work, don't worry about us. You've been wonderful, as per usual. We'll be around all week, so don't hesitate to reach out before we leave."

Lili hugged them all once more, not wanting to leave the comfort of their conversation. It pained her to say goodbye.

"Alright, I'm going to head off. Seriously though, it was so, so nice to see you again. Hopefully I can catch you guys later tonight before you head home."

"We'll come find you sometime this afternoon, alright?" Gregory said sweetly. Lili nodded and smiled, before waving goodbye to her favourite family.

She sat back in the cart to start the engine and, before speeding away, blew the family a sweet kiss that Sofia pretended to catch and distribute to the others. Lili laughed as she accelerated, leaving the family behind as she zoomed off into the day. Her heart felt light and happy. It was amazing how a simple conversation with a group of amazing people could completely turn her mood around. 

Her route along the course was a pretty delightful one, which was especially nice after the awful morning she'd been having. It was busier than it had been the last couple of days since the weather was really heating up nicely, but everyone was being kind to her, and she didn't receive any sort of inappropriate or creepy comments. That was a shock she could never have seen coming. If she wasn't mistaken, this was the very first day since she'd started working at the club that no one said anything that made her stomach turn. Then again, it was still only early afternoon. Anything could happen between now and the end of her shift. 

What a sad reality that was. 

She made some quite decent tips, as well. All in all, it was a successful, splendid day.

She was driving back towards the parlour when she paused, slowing momentarily. There was a strange, inexplicable feeling growing in the pit of her stomach that she hadn't quite felt before.  Something deep in her gut, an inclination of some sort, was telling her to stop by the driving range. She didn't know why, but knew that was what the feeling was telling her. 

There was a strong, imaginary rope tethering her to it that wouldn't let her go forwards, no matter how hard she pulled in the opposite direction. This rope was tied in an extremely tight knot behind her navel. 

It wasn't part of her route - it would actually require her to deviate quite far from the path towards the parlour. But she felt compelled to go in that direction. Something was pulling her towards it; an invisible, magnetic force of some kind...It was inexplicable, but she knew she needed to go.

She sped back up and made a wide left turn, heading southwest towards the driving range, instead of northeast towards the parlour. That unsettled feeling in her stomach just wouldn't let up. It was like it knew something she didn't, and Lili needed to follow this intuition because it was the only way she would feel better.

She drove downhill at a decent speed, feeling the blood in her veins heating up with anticipation. The hairs on her arms stood on end.

Up ahead, she could see two figures at the driving range: one swinging away emphatically while the other watched from a short distance and wrote things down on a small notepad. There was a rather large bucket on the ground beside the golfer, half full of bright yellow golf balls. A familiar black case of clubs stood tall next to him, with purple and grey head covers draped over half the clubs.

The closer she got, the clearer the image came into view, making her stomach drop.

It was him.

She tried to swallow but her throat was suddenly bone dry. Lili slowed down to prolong the journey as much as she could. That bubbling sensation in her stomach seemed to grow in strength, fizzing and popping around in her abdomen like a shaken soda bottle. The metal detector had found the treasure buried in the sand. 

Though it wasn't objectively loud, the sound of the cart must have been audible enough from where he stood, because Niall turned his head in her direction suddenly. His face broke out into a smile as he saw her and he loosened his grip on the club he was holding; he lifted an arm and waved her over. Lili felt her toes go numb in her shoes, and she had to pull her feet off the pedals to avoid something horrific.

Her hands shook as she attempted to glide smoothly along the path until there was only a short distance left between them. She parked a few feet away from them and stood from the cart as Niall approached on his own.

Holy shit. 

Her head was spinning so badly that she'd forgotten to shut the engine off, so she quickly sat back down and pressed the brake as she turned the key in the ignition and pulled it out. She dropped the keyring on the seat next to her and wobbled back onto the grass. It looked as if Niall was saying something to Evan before he confidently strode over to her.

Her heart dropped to her ass - Niall was never the one to come over to her. And if he did, he was never alone. This was a first for him. 

Lili's brain was on red alert as she watched him making his way over all by himself. Her legs had suddenly turned into marshmallow, but she smiled at him like nothing was wrong. He was wearing a pale pink polo shirt and black pants today, and the colour looked utterly delicious against his warm golden skin. His dark hair was covered by a simple white Nike baseball cap. Absolutely breathtaking.

"Hey, you," he said, now an arm's length away from her. In the subtle breeze, Lili caught a whiff of his aftershave. It was a sweet, light scent that made her hands tremble. His voice carried along the wind like a sweet melody. He smiled wider at her. "I had a feeling I'd see you today."

Her smile grew and she relaxed a bit, that sense of security slowly starting to envelope her once again.

"You had a feeling, huh?" she said, jutting out her hip and putting her weight on her left leg. "Must have been a pretty strong one, then."

His cheeks tinged pink as he smiled back at her. Lili prayed he couldn't see her chest heaving. His eyes glowed from underneath his cap, the white material reflecting in his pupils.

"It was." He pointed at his midsection with a limp hand. "Felt it right in the pit of my stomach here."

She blinked rapidly, unsure of how to respond. How odd...Lili cleared her throat and tried to brighten her expression.

"Well, I'm glad that feeling was right. What can I get for you today?" she asked casually, her voice perhaps a touch more musical than normal. Her eyes widened at the sound. She wasn't trying to flirt with him on purpose, but her voice came out sounding much more sultry than she had planned. 

Jesus, Lili, get yourself together.

He must have picked up on it, because something flashed behind his eyes momentarily. Her heart lurched.

"Erm..." he stuttered, bringing his hand up to the back of his neck and rubbing it nervously. His throat bobbed as he swallowed.

Holy shit, Lili thought to herself, Am I actually flustering him?? He cleared his throat and dropped his hand. "Yeah, I'll take two beers and, uh, a water. Thanks." His voice was normal, and she tried not to let the disappointment show one her face.

Did you really think he'd be nervous? Idiot.

Lili nodded and unlocked the cooler. She could feel his eyes on her as she reached into the ice water and pulled out two metal cans of beer and a plastic water bottle. Her skin somehow burned where his eyes had landed. She handed the drinks to him, and a powerful electric current burst through her fingertips when his skin grazed hers.

It was almost strong enough to make Lili drop everything she was holding. He caught her eyes for a second but immediately lowered his gaze, fumbling in his pockets for his wallet.

Did he just feel that, too??

She rubbed her fingers together hastily to try and subdue the burning. She watched as he pulled a $50 bill from his wallet and passed it to her. His hands were strong and steady.

"Keep the change, I know you need it," he said sweetly. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, but he just gestured with his chin for her to take it. She thanked him and folded the bill up in her sweaty palm.

"So, driving range today," she said. She wasn't sure if she was asking him or telling him. "Bit of a different view than normal."

Oh God, was that weird to say? Shit.

Niall smiled a closed mouth smile, his eyes still gleaming.

"Yeah, we figured it would be better to focus on just my swing today. Can't really get as down and dirty with that if we were on the course."

She flushed at his words and looked over his shoulder at the vast blue backdrop of the sky. It felt like looking into his eyes, but nowhere near as nice. They stood in the silence for a few awkward moments before Niall cleared his throat.

"We're sort of matching today," he said casually. Lili looked down, confused, but a smile twitched on her lips as she understood his comment. Her black shirt and pale pink skirt almost perfectly mirrored a reverse version of his own outfit. The shade of pink was nearly identical. She looked back up at him, smiling fully.

"I guess I was meant to see you today after all," she said sweetly. "What are the odds?"

Niall chuckled, nodding. "Yeah, what are the odds? You look gorgeous, by the way." 

Lili flushed again. 

"How's your day been so far?"

She was struck by how nice he was being and how easy it was to talk to him. It was a complete 180 from the first conversation they had just a week ago. Though, she couldn't say she minded a bit of that sexy flirting.

"Pretty good," she admitted, crossing her ankles for support. "One of my regular families was here for the first time in months, so it was nice to see them, but the rest of my route was pretty boring. And then I saw you, and..." She trailed off, her cheeks flushing deeper. If he hadn't been standing right in front of her, she would have rolled her eyes so hard that she would be able to see behind her.

Was she ever going to learn to stop talking when people didn't care about what she had to say? How was it that the wires connecting her brain to her mouth always seemed frayed when she was around him?

He smiled smugly, but there was a hint of shyness in it. Bashful wasn't a word Lili would ever use to describe Niall Horan, but it seemed to fit him decently well in this moment. 

"Well, seeing you has made my day," he responded. Lili looked up at him and feigned a smile, feeling her face burn.

"Um, how are you?" she asked, her voice shaking slightly. "Has your...practicing...been going well?"

Her face was on fucking fire.

He shrugged and looked over his shoulder at the driving range. Evan was standing in the same spot, arms crossed over his chest and a sour look on his face. Clearly he was not enjoying this little conversation they were having. He looked down at his watch hastily and back up at Niall, before turning away. Niall glanced at Lili again and looked as if he had been caught red handed. The adorable expression on his face made Lili laugh.

"Yeah, practice has been good. Just working on the swing really. I'm trying to find different ways to improve."

"Your stroke looks great from back here," Lili said innocently.

Oh, Jesus. Really?

Niall stared at her, bewildered, his tongue pressing against the inside of his bottom lip to avoid smiling. Lili's stomach flipped at the sight. How the hell did he make that so hot?

He paused, and when their eyes met, it felt like Lili's heart had stopped. Lightning strikes twice.

She didn't realized that he had been edging closer to her as they spoke until they were only a few inches apart, their toes nearly touching. One decent step forward and she could press her chest against his - what a dangerous thought to be having. She was now forced to look up at him, tilting her head back as her chest rose and fell rapidly. He was taller than she had anticipated him being.

Her lips parted and she sighed out a shaky breath. Niall closed his eyes momentarily as he listened to their heavy breathing mingling in the small space between them. What in god's name had happened in the last few seconds? Lili's mind was blank. 

When he opened his eyes again, they glanced down longingly at her lips for less than a second, then back up to her eyes. His pupils were dilated, turning his once bright blue eyes dark as the night. He licked his lips as he continued to gaze into her eyes, his head inclining ever so slightly towards hers...

Niall broke their eye contact after what felt like hours and gave her a polite smile, clearing his throat and stepping back awkwardly. It seemed to be an incredibly difficult task for him to look away.

Lili's head spun sickeningly as she brought her chin back down to a reasonable level and tried to even out her breathing. Her eyes fluttered shut for a second as she came back to her body. Her heart was pounding at the base of her throat. Niall was now more than a foot away, his face red and beginning to sweat.

"Anyway, I should be getting back." He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb as if she didn't know what he'd meant. The way Niall kept his body turned halfway between Lili and Evan, it looked as if he truly didn't want to leave her. He looked into Lili's eyes once again from the short distance.

"How long are you going to be in LA for?" she blurted out. Immediately, she lifted her hand to cover her mouth, shocked at how forward she'd been. She hadn't meant to ask, but was suddenly desperate to know the answer. For some stupid reason, she felt like she was entitled to knowing. That crooked shy smile twisted across his mouth again.

"Well, I live here part-time, so I'm always in LA. But I'll be at the club until the middle of August, at the very least." He looked her up and down hungrily, before meeting her eyes again. "Plenty of time for us to get to know each other." He winked again, and Lili nearly fainted.

"I'll see you around, then, gorgeous."

And with that, he turned and left, once again leaving Lili speechless as she watched him depart.

"Bye," she whispered in an incredulous voice after a few moments, though he was too far away to hear.

She couldn't turn away from him just yet. Using delicate fingers, Lili touched the surface of her lips. They hadn't kissed, but her lips burned as if they had. She could have, if she wanted to. All she'd had to do was just lean on her tiptoes and close the space between their mouths. His lips on hers, dancing together as partners. And it was clear he wanted to kiss her too. His eyes gave him away quite frequently.

Fingers still on her lips, Lili smiled as Niall turned back around and waved timidly at her. She waved back and watched as he turned back to Evan and tried to focus again. Lili headed back to her cart and sat down, eyes darting back and forth as she tried to decipher yet another wild interaction with Niall Horan.

She spent the remaining hours of her shift in a distracted haze, unable to think coherently or do her job properly. She dropped things, handed guests the wrong orders, and made messes wherever she went. It was odd and, quite frankly, she was angry with herself for allowing him to affect her as much as he was. Why did he do this to her?

His eyes and that smile should not be driving her insane to the point where she could no longer function like a human.

And yet, she couldn't help the way she felt when she thought about him, or the way her heart lurched at the memory of his lips nearly on hers. Well, not nearly on hers, but he definitely wanted it. And the way he said that there was 'plenty of time to get to know each other' bothered her. In a good way, of course.  Was he really interested in her enough to want to get to know her? He wouldn't say something like that and not mean it.

Then again, as she always had to remind herself, she didn't know this man anymore than she knew the strangers at the supermarket. Didn't know his personality or his life. He could very well be the kind of person who strings people along just for the fun of it. And if her life experiences had taught her anything, it was that she was clearly a person who was easy to manipulate. Her feelings were easily malleable, and she could get hooked on someone with no problem at all.

Thoughts whizzed through her brain as she clocked out and exited the parlour at the end of the night. She had worked a double shift, meaning it was now after 6pm and she had yet to leave the club.

Not wanting to bother Jordyn about giving her a ride home, Lili ordered a taxi and stood out in the parking lot to wait. An old white Honda Civic pulled up to take her home just after 6:20pm. The drive home wasn't terrible. The driver was nice, but didn't talk much, and Lili was grateful for the silence. She just felt like ruminating in her thoughts without being distracted. She wasn't the type of person to make meaningless conversation with a driver, anyway. She got too nervous for that.

Instead, she gazed up at the sky through the window, watching the stars begin their nightly dances in the warm orange sunset. It was her favourite time of day - how she loved the stars so. They seemed so carefree up there, not a single obligation on their plate but to sparkle and twinkle, to present the world with their natural beauty. She envied them.

How Lili wished she could join them up there, never having to worry about life's unpleasantness. She dreamed of laying up in the sky, looking down at the Earth from the perspective of a bright, shining star. Maybe then, she would be beautiful.

Upon arriving home, she thanked the driver and strode tiredly up to her front door, throwing her shoes and purse into the closet and heading up the stairs to her room. She was tired, and all she wanted to do was shower the day off, eat, and pass out. Her dad had gotten pulled into a dinner meeting, so they weren't going to deal with her car until tomorrow. Which was fine, because Lili was honestly too tired to worry about that tonight. 

A hot bath did wonders for her body, the scalding water easing the tired muscles in her shoulders and back after the long day. It was too late to wash her hair, so she just threw it in a bun to avoid getting it wet. She could worry about that in the morning. The calming scent of lavender soap filled the air as she floated around in the tub until the water had turned cold and the bubbles had all disappeared.

Lili dried herself off and sighed as she pulled on a pair of fleece pajama pants and a big t-shirt; there was no better feeling in the world. Her eyelids felt heavy as she plopped down on her bed and lay her head gently on the soft pillows. A full stomach plus a long, hot soak was a recipe for a deep, dreamless sleep. Her eyelids were fluttering shut and she fought to keep them open just a few moments longer to check her phone one last time. A notification from Instagram caught her eye.

She opened the app to her inbox and her eyes opened so wide that it actually hurt, and she felt her heart leap into her throat. The corners of her vision were blurring with shock.

niallhoran has requested to follow you

"What the fuck?" she yelled, sitting up straight and rubbing her eyes. "What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck!" She threw her phone to the edge of her bed and stared at it, expecting it to explode or catch fire. She couldn't form any other sentence but "what the fuck".

This had to be a joke. A cruel one, too. One of her friends was being an asshole and made a fake account just to mess with her head. There could be no other explanation. She could just see Harry's smirk glowing in the light of his phone screen as he created the account. It was definitely something he would do. That asshole.

Her hands shook as she leaned forward to retrieve her phone and clicked on the account, head swirling as she noticed the blue 'verified' check mark beside the username. "Holy shit..." she whispered as she scrolled through the page. There was a pit in her stomach the size of a grapefruit.

There were quite a few posts on the account; most of them were of him playing golf in either a tournament or on the course with his friends. The rest of the pictures were selfies, pictures with his friends and family, or pretty landscapes. She selected one of the selfies posted as her heart rate continued at its rampant pace.

The picture had just a sun emoji as the caption. Niall was shirtless, wearing dark sunglasses to protect his eyes from what looked like an absolutely sweltering sunny day. His chest was lightly covered in chest hair that matched his dark locks, and a single golden chain sat along the base of his neck. His lips were puckered in an adorable attempt of a duck face, which he failed at.

Lili stared at it for what must have been a half an hour, analyzing every inch of the photo and feeling herself drool at the sight.

She zoomed in on the bottom left corner to look at the potted plant on the concrete beside him. A large plane was passing in the sky overhead, and you could just see the tail if you zoomed in on the blue backdrop.

She followed the same analytical pattern with the rest of his account, making sure she was more than careful about liking something accidentally. One slip of her finger and it would be over.

She couldn't fathom that this was actually the real Niall Horan. She had to admit, she loved seeing some of the personality behind the face. In most of the pictures, it looked like he was letting loose and relaxing like a normal guy. She admired the account for a few seconds with a smile on her face, before a question crossed her mind that had her furrowing her brows and chewing on her cuticle in thought.

How had he found her account? Had he just been searching Instagram nonstop, hoping she would come up? Did he ask someone? How many tries did it take him before he was successful in finding her profile? He only knew her first name. And her account was private, so he had to actually request to follow her and wait for a response. Did the possibility of her declining the request cross his mind at all? Not that she would have, anyway.

She took a deep breath and pressed accept, following him back in the process. Lili dropped her phone on the bed and stared out to her empty room, dazed. Was this some sort of odd fever dream she wasn't aware she was having? Maybe the steam from her bath had knocked her unconscious and she was having a vivid, out-of-body experience.

This day could not have been any weirder. Or so she was mistaken.

Her phone screen lit up once more, and the notification made her scream and jump off the bed, as if it had suddenly electrocuted her.

niallhoran: hey beautiful

"Nope. This isn't real. I'm dreaming," Lili said, out of breath as she paced around her room, hand planted firmly on her hips. She waved her other hand in front of her face, the way an actor would when they wanted the cameras to cut on a movie set. Her heart was thumping so fiercely in her throat, she thought she might vomit. The apples of her cheeks were positively burning. She ran back to her bed and looked at her screen to check if the notification had been a figment of her imagination.

It wasn't.

It was still there, in all its horrifying glory. She stood up straight and closed her eyes, taking multiple deep breaths to slow her heart rate down, to no avail. The oxygen just burned in her lungs. She had to answer him, right? She couldn't just leave him hanging.

Her hands shook dangerously as she opened the chat. Her fingers trembled as she typed back, writing and deleting every single message, before just settling for something simple.

lili.hughes13: hey there!

She tugged at the roots of her hair nervously. Was the exclamation mark too much? It didn't sound too eager, did it? Her throat pulsed as she awaited his response.

Her heart rate had to be at least 120, she was sure of it. This was definitely what it felt like to have a heart attack. Three tiny bubbles popped up in the chat and she threw her phone back down, too afraid to look.

niallhoran: I'm sorry for contacting you out of the blue like this, and I hope you don't think it's weird. after I saw you today, I just wanted nothing more than to keep talking to you, so I kind of asked around at the club for your socials

A second later, another message popped up.

niallhoran: wait, that probably sounds terrifying on your end...anyway, the only person who actually gave me something was a guy called Harry, said you were friends?

Lili rolled her eyes, but her cheeks burned. Leave it to Harry Styles to give her away like that. Maybe she'd consider thanking him if this went well. She contemplated how to respond.

lili.hughes13: don't apologize! I don't think it's weird at all. Yes, Harry's a good friend of mine, and I'm really not surprised he told you my username. I thought about our meeting all day today, too. I'm actually glad you've messaged me :)

Okay, that didn't seem too far off of his vibe. So far, so good? Not too eager, but eager enough that she seemed interested in the conversation. 

niallhoran: good, I'm glad. I couldn't get you out of my head after I saw you earlier. actually, this whole week you've been on my mind. and I wasn't bullshitting with my compliments, no matter what you might think. you really are beautiful and I wanted to get to know you more but I didn't want to be too forward

What the hell? Was he serious right now? 

They messaged back and forth for nearly the whole night, and Lili was almost certain life was playing a joke on her. It was giving her this amazing conversation with the most beautiful man she'd ever come across, just to pull the rug out from under her feet and take it away from her. This was, without a doubt, simultaneously the best and worst thing that had probably ever happened to her. The best, because a sweet, genuine, beautiful man was interested in her and actually wanted to talk to her, and the worst, because she was fairly certain she would open her eyes in a moment and the facade would be broken.

Talking to him just felt so right, and she wasn't ready for it to be over. Because this was obviously a dream, right? There was no way it was her real life.  She tried to push the negative thoughts away and just focus on the sweet conversation they were having.

They made small talk, going on about their days and simple things like that. Niall told her how the rest of his training session had gone, and she explained that she relaxed at home after her shift came to an end. The conversation didn't go too in depth, but as Lili put her phone away and climbed into bed for the night, she couldn't help but feel a bit closer to Niall.

They hadn't said much, but it was enough for her to know that this was something unexpected and potentially great.

But she wasn't going to get ahead of herself. She'd been in this exact situation before, and had gotten burned almost immediately. It was a great conversation, there was no doubt about that. But it was one conversation.

And sure, Niall said he'd been thinking about her all week, but that could mean anything. For all she knew, he could have been thinking about how weird she was and wanted to see if there was some strange reason for it. 

Even if he was interested in her now, she was positive that once he got to know her, he'd disappear like all the others. There was nothing special about her, and he'd find out about that soon enough. Facing the reality was better for her mental health than relishing the imaginary.

But as she closed her eyes to drift to sleep, she felt a calm smile playing on her lips as the image of Niall Horan smiling at his phone screen flooded her sleepy mind.

Chapter Text

mood for the chapter: Message in a Bottle (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift

Lili woke up the following morning in a daze. It took her quite a few minutes to actually separate reality from dreams. Her head spun as messages from the previous night flashed through her brain as if playing on a movie screen. She scrunched her fingers together into tight fists until her nails were digging into the skin of her palm - it was all she could do to keep from screaming at the top of her lungs into her pillow.

She rolled onto her back and stared up at the white ceiling, watching as a thin sliver of sunlight peeking through the curtains caught the crystal of her chandelier, causing perky rainbow reflections to dance along the walls. That was sort of what her heart felt like, too.

She looked over at her phone and reached out from under the covers as if to grab it, but hesitated. What if unlocking her phone would somehow erase the memory of the night before? Maybe she was experiencing some weird kind of lucid dreaming and the light from her phone screen would pull her out of it. The memories felt more like hallucinations than anything.

She shook the sleep from her eyes and picked up the phone anyway. The first thing she did was read through the chat she'd had with Niall, heart fluttering at dangerous speeds as she scrolled.  Every single message was still there. So it hadn't been a dream at all...

It was surreal that he had even followed her in the first place, never mind the fact that they'd had a real conversation. And not just 'hey, how are you, what's up'. It was an actual real conversation between adults. One that he initiated!

She thanked whoever might have been listening that she didn't say anything weird or stupid to Niall, which was typically her go to. Having the protection of a phone screen between them helped her be more confident. 

It was surprising just how easy it was to talk to him. The conversation flowed as if they were old friends who hadn't caught up in a while.  For once, Lili didn't feel like she overshared or that he judged any of the things she said. He was truly kind, and a complete gentleman. There had been moments where she'd typed something out but deleted it before she could hit send, but they were rare and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. 

She read through each individual message from Niall, studying what he said and the tone of the sentences. If he'd used a comma instead of a period, could that completely change the meaning? Way to read way too far into this, Lili...But anyway...

Nothing indicated that he had lost interest throughout the course of the conversation or regretted sending the initial message, which was a good sign.

And she remembered how quickly he would respond to everything she sent. Had he just been sitting next to the phone, waiting for a reply to come through? Was he as nervously excited about the situation as she was?

She smiled as she scrolled slowly down the chat. It was a very basic conversation, but it was nice to get to talk to him without the fear of looking or sounding like an idiot getting in the way.

They talked a bit about their day and things that happened after they saw each other on the driving range. Lili thought it was so sweet that Niall actually enjoyed hearing about her dinner by herself or the Uber ride home from work. Other people might not really care to hear those kinds of things. But he wasn't like other people.

He was curious about her work life and schedule, which she loved, secretly hoping that meant he would try to insert himself wherever and whenever he could to see her, even if it was just for a brief moment. Not that she'd been thinking of doing that herself or anything. Because that would be weird.

Right?

Lili had told him that she works as often as she can because her goal is to save enough to buy a new car and, hopefully, move into a place of her own. She wasn't entirely sure where the moving part had come from because that had never been her plan, but telling him made it feel...real? And like she wanted that? It was strange.

He was very encouraging when she spoke about her goals. Her stomach filled with butterflies when he gave her advice for things like working hard without over exerting herself. He was clearly a hard worker and was so knowledgeable about little things that can make your time at work that much better.

Being the curious girl that she was, Lili questioned him about his training and what it was like. When she asked him, she kind of freaked out for a few seconds because she was worried he might think it was too forward of a question. She remembered throwing her phone away, panicking over the fact that he might think she was going to stalk him once she knew his schedule or something like that. Something she would absolutely never do, by the way.

Lili smiled at the memory, her grin growing even wider as she read his cool, casual response.

He mentioned that he had been in Ireland for Christmas and returned to LA at the end of January. His plan was to spend as much time as possible on the course in preparation for the next tournament he had coming up. He lived in LA but was constantly traveling for work, as well as finding time to go back to Ireland whenever he could. This obviously piqued her curiosity even further because she had no idea he even lived in the US.

But the questions she had definitely should not be asked at this stage. God, imagine someone you've just met five minutes ago asking about where you live? Talk about stalking.

Based on what he told her, Niall was aiming to be at the club three days a week, possibly adding a fourth day to work on his strength training the closer it got to the tournament.  He seemed really determined to succeed, which Lili admired.

The tournament he was attending in August was called the PGA Championship, so Lili took the opportunity to do a quick search and get herself up to speed, even though Niall was kind enough to explain some of it on his own. She could just tell through the way he worded his explanation that he loved this sport to death. Passion just radiated off of him.

They laughed about how Lili didn't know much about the sport even after years of working at a golf club, but she was honest when she told him it was something she wanted to learn. She made the excuse that her dad had always wanted her to become more well-versed in the sport, which was half true, but she was not willing to admit that Niall was the sole reason for her new sudden interest in golf.

Maybe she'd tell him in the future if she ever got the chance.

They talked for a few hours before Niall, unfortunately, had to head to sleep and end the conversation. Her eyes had nearly fallen out of her head when she realized it was already after midnight by that point. She stared at the very last messages of the conversation.

niallhoran: look, I've got to get to sleep now, but I'll hopefully talk to you tomorrow?

lili.hughes3: I'll hold you to it

niallhoran: you have my word then. goodnight gorgeous

lili.hughes3: goodnight :)

She didn't think she would ever get used to Niall calling her 'gorgeous' or 'beautiful', though it would actually have to continue in order for her to feel that way. And odds are, it wouldn't.

Last night really solidified the growing crush Lili had on Niall. The crush that had seemingly come completely out of nowhere. She wasn't even attracted to him because of his fame or fortune. That kind of shit didn't matter to her at all. No amount of money in the world would make Lili more inclined to know someone. That just wasn't something she was interested in about anyone. 

Like she'd mentioned before, she didn't know anything about him, and frankly, learning about it didn't change the way she saw him. She was attracted to his personality and his kindness, and the way he treated everyone so thoughtfully, even if he didn't know them. His sense of humour, too. And the fact that he went out of his way to talk to her the night before, the fact that he initiated it, made her feel special.

Of course, his extremely good looks were also a factor. Come on. What was she going to do, pretend they weren't? Ignore the fact that he was easily the most gorgeous man in the world?

She sighed happily and closed the chat, which couldn't have happened at a more perfect time; 3 tiny dots had popped up under Niall's username, indicating that he was typing. Lili's heart thumped madly in her chest and she watched with wide eyes as his first message of the day appeared.

niallhoran: good morning gorgeous! got a busy day ahead of me so I won't be on my phone much, but I just wanted to say that I hope you have a good day at work. try to relax a bit as well, you deserve it x

The message itself wasn't even a big deal seeing as it was just a simple good morning. Yet it was adorable. And the fact that he went out of his way to tell her he wouldn't be on his phone much? Who does that? Clearly, it showed he was thinking about her. It made her heart skip a beat. It would be impossible to wipe the smile off her face for the rest of the day. She responded after a couple moments, before peeling herself out of the warm sheets and sitting up on the edge of the mattress.

What a wonderful way to be woken up.

* * *

The next few weeks following the initial message treated Lili so well, she was fairly certain nothing that was happening was actually real anymore. This was some kind of parallel universe. How could this be her life? She and Niall continued to message each other often through social media for about a week until he asked her for her phone number so they could text instead. She couldn't remember the last time someone had asked for her number.

He mentioned briefly that he had wanted to ask for it that first day but felt like it was too soon. Lili appreciated that he was so sweet when it came to respecting boundaries, even if she wished he had done it right away. She could only imagine the look on Zara's face if she'd come back from her route with that man's number in her phone.

At least twice a day, Lili would stare at Niall's contact card in disbelief, as if she was waiting for the moment where everything faded to black and the end credits began to roll. Even the best movies couldn't go on forever, right? Texting him consistently was absolutely beautiful. They were developing a really strong trust with each other, and she was learning so much about him. He was a breath of fresh air in her otherwise muggy days.

She was finding, however, that she was hesitant to ask questions about his career. It felt like a double-edged sword.

On the one hand, things were progressing so well for them that she was actually afraid to ask; she didn't want him to think that was all she cared about. Lili truly wanted to get to know him for who he was before they got into all of that. She wanted to understand the ins and outs of his personality - the things that made Niall, Niall.  She was pretty certain she'd been doing a good job with that so far.

But on the other hand, she really did want to know all about his career because she was inspired by his success. To be so young and have as many achievements as he did was almost unheard of, and she was desperate to pick his brain about all of it. Learning about work and his career was inherently learning about him.  Of course, she could easily spend hours reading and learning everything herself, but it was more special having information come directly from him. That made it more real. 

She would ask him eventually - once she'd convinced him that it wasn't all she cared about. And she was sure he wanted to talk about it, too.

But until then, she was content with learning all the other little things about him that he was so keen on sharing.

She knew she was developing an unhealthy crush on Niall Horan. Every thought was about him now. Every time she closed her eyes, it was him she would see. His smile, his eyes, everything. He was permanently burned into her memories.

Any time she heard something funny or stupid, whether it was on a TV show or overheard at the club, the first thing she wanted to do was relay it back to Niall. Their sense of humour was very similar, so she didn't have to worry about him not finding the things she said funny or vice versa.

She heard songs that reminded her of him, which was something that had never happened before. Love songs, especially. How foolish.

She spent days dreaming about running her fingers through his hair or along his perfect golden skin. She longed to feel his skin against hers, kiss his lips and hold his hand. Lili was smitten - fully, completely, and utterly infatuated with Niall Horan.

They were seeing each other in person more often as well. Whether it was coincidental or not, Niall happened to almost always be on her route the days he was at the club.  The idea that he'd changed his schedule around to work better with hers was preposterous. He wouldn't do that. But it was nice to see him more often and imagine that had been the case.

If she was pulling up to wherever he was, Niall would immediately drop everything to greet her. Sometimes he would already be waiting in his regular spot because he 'heard her coming'. Thinking of him actually being excited to see her sent chills up her spine.

And those weren't the only things he did. He had begun using every excuse in the fucking book just to be around her. If he knew she was in the parlour, he'd purposefully go inside and do something as stupid as ask for a tissue or some hand sanitizer. One time he came in while she was cleaning and acted surprised that it wasn't the bathroom because that was where he thought he'd been heading.

He was such a fool, and Lili loved it.

The only problem was that it was now getting dangerous. A crush was one of the worst things to ever happen to a person's feelings. It was aptly named, too. And the last time Lili felt this way about another person, it came crashing down in a hot, fiery mess that left her permanently scarred. There had been too many tears shed. It wouldn't be fair to let this happen again after she'd spent so many years protecting herself and healing. Being dizzy with infatuation was great, but she needed to be careful. She could not go through that again.

Once more, and it would destroy her.

Lili had to make sure that she would come out the other side of this happy. She was constantly nervous around him, but in the best way possible. Whenever she saw him at the club she would get this sweet, sickly feeling bubbling in her stomach that she'd never felt in the past. Like a warm champagne spreading across her intestines.

He would smile at her and she would suddenly become a stuttering, sweaty mess. He would say something completely sweet and innocent and her legs would turn to jelly. It took incredible mental strength just to stay on her feet. It was getting harder and harder to keep her cool around him, but she remained outwardly collected, surprising even herself.

Though she was certain he had picked up on her reactions, because Niall seemed to smirk or blush whenever she reacted to his words and actions.  She both loved and loathed that he had this kind of effect on her. It wasn't fair, and yet, it was an exciting little game that only the two of them were playing. 

Lili sometimes thought she was picking up on was the fact that whenever they spoke, whether it was over text or in person, Niall seemed very flirty with her. Everything about his tone, body language, and actual words came across as flirting, but she tried not to get ahead of herself. It was difficult to accept the fact that he might actually like her the way she liked him. It just seemed too far-fetched to be true.

Lili already had a hard time accepting affection from anyone at all, but she definitely could not see him wanting her the way she wanted him. Which was why she had to constantly tell herself to calm down and not fall head first into the deep end with him. He did everything with so much suave and confidence, no matter what, and it was so sexy.

He was always calm, cool, and collected. How could he possibly want someone who didn't have that same confidence? Wouldn't he want someone just as collected as him? And it was only fair that she didn't bring him down to her lowly level. He didn't deserve that.

Regardless, Lili tried not to let it get to her head or affect the growing relationship she had with Niall, whatever it may turn into. She reminded herself day after day to just let it play out and see how things went. 

But the fact that he hadn't made a move yet was discouraging her a bit. Was it normal that they hadn't hung out alone together yet, or even kissed? Well, why would they? This was a friendship. But friends didn't talk to each other the way they did. Didn't look at each other with those eyes...

She had started to slowly build to the idea that, if he didn't make a move within the next few days, she would work up the courage to ask him out herself. A rare task.  She needed to know if he was in this as just a friend, or something more. But if she got rejected - then what? Would the friendship they'd created thus far be ruined forever? Wouldn't she rather have him as a friend than not have him at all?

Her fear of rejection was way too much to overcome, no matter how badly she wanted to.

Maybe he preferred being just friends, anyway.

It was a warm Thursday evening at the club, and Lili was nearing the end of a gruelling eleven-hour shift. She had been asked to cover for one of the newer cart girls, which meant she would have to work a double. Though she was exhausted, she couldn't say no to the extra money.

She paused where she stood behind the register, reaching up to massage a terribly painful knot from her left shoulder, groaning as she worked at the tender area. 

It had been a busy day, surprisingly. On the course, she had served groups of at least three people at almost every hole, and her route ended up taking over two hours longer than it normally should. Her shin was actually sore from driving.

She made great tips, which she never complained about, but it was kind of frustrating and unexpected. Mid-April was usually pretty dead at the course, and Thursday was such a random day for people to come golfing. There had been no rhyme or reason to it. Either way, she made a lot of cash tips and was glad to be finished with her cart for the night.

She was spending the second half of her day, her original shift, in the parlour serving people from behind the counter rather than by the cart. She didn't mind this as much because less people came into the parlour, meaning she got the opportunity every now and then to rest in silence. She could take a second to close her eyes, gently roll out the strain in her neck, and actually take a breath.

This was one of those moments; she hadn't had a customer in the last half hour, so she sat on a chair behind the counter, putting her feet up on an overturned mop bucket. 

She picked up her phone from its hiding place under the counter and leaned back against the chair. Instinctively, she scrolled to her text messages; the first chat at the top was the one with Niall. After waiting all day for a message from him, there was still nothing. The last thing he had said was that he was going to be running errands all day and might get distracted. They hadn't spoken since 10:15 that morning, and it didn't help that today was an off day in his training schedule - which meant she wouldn't see him until at least tomorrow afternoon.

Hopefully he actually was busy and not ignoring her on purpose. She was desperate to talk to him, but refrained from texting again to avoid seeming too clingy.

He wasn't her boyfriend, after all, so she didn't really have the right to question him about why he hadn't gotten back to her. It was stupid and juvenile, but she felt discouraged about one day of silence after three weeks of consistent messages.

She sighed and locked her phone and replaced it on the shelf underneath the register, before standing up and smoothing her skirt. She couldn't allow this to bother her. Wallowing in something she had no right to be upset about would never end well.

It was foolish to think she had any priority in his life right now.

Something to distract her ridiculous thoughts was exactly what she needed. She glanced around the empty parlour and spotted the cabinet of cleaning supplies on the wall across from her. She crossed the room with purpose and took out a bucket, a couple of rags, and three bottles of environment-friendly cleansers, shutting the cabinet door behind her.

She spent the next hour or so cleaning the parlour from top to bottom, focusing hard so she didn't have to think about anything. She scrubbed the entire countertop and the cash register, wiped down the glass display case, mopped the floor, and dusted the windowsills.

Once the floor dried, she spent some time refilling the fridge. After wiping down the shelves with a clean rag, she replaced all the missing items, making sure the labels were facing forward so customers could read them. She refilled the shelves to max capacity and made sure they looked presentable. She even tried to colour-coordinate each shelf, but that became too much of a hassle.

As she fixed up some of the bottles from behind the counter, the bell atop the door chimed. A man and woman walked in, faces red and sweaty. She stood up straight and wiped her palms on her skirt, greeting them and smiling politely.

As they made their way to the register to order, the door opened again and five more people entered. Lili furrowed her brows slightly; it was odd seeing this many people come in so close to closing. And she was by herself, so they had no choice but to be patient with her.

She turned her attention back to the first couple that had walked in, but before she could even open her mouth to speak, the husband rudely interrupted.

"Could you focus on us, sweetheart?" he asked in an angry voice. "I don't have all day to wait for some damn water."

Lili was taken aback, and her eyebrows shot up in surprise. Her mouth opened and closed stupidly before she could process what had happened.

"I'm sorry, sir. I apologize for getting distracted." Lili was trying her best to not sound sarcastic. "You mentioned water, would you like two bottles?" she asked, glancing between him and the woman standing quietly next to him. 

The man paused and sneered at her. "No, I want tap water." He rolled his eyes. "Of course I want bottles. Is this your first day or something?" He scoffed as he turned away.

Lili took a deep breath and kept smiling as she stepped to the side and slid the fridge door open, grabbing two of the water bottles she'd just put in there and closed the door. Oh, it would feel so damn good to dump these on his head. 

As she moved back over to the register, the bell on the door chimed once again. Lili's shoulders slump; she was not happy with this many people coming in so close to the end of the day. Why did the club never schedule two people for closing? It took almost all of her strength not to yell 'we're closed!' to anyone else who walked in.

But when she looked up at the new guest, her heart stopped. The noise in the room seemed to die away. It was him.

Niall's crystal eyes met hers from across the room and every single hair on her arms stood on end, as if she had been electrocuted. A strike of lightning through the dull clouds. He smiled and moved over to the window, leaning against it and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. He looked well rested. He looked at the customers waiting in line, also seemingly shocked at the amount of people in there. He'd been at the club long enough to know when people usually headed home for the night.

Lili was surprised to see him, but the smile grew on her face at the sight of him nonetheless. Seeing him after the day she'd had was quite welcoming. Niall was more casual than she'd ever seen him, dressed in plain black cotton shorts, a white t-shirt and white Converse. Black sunglasses sat atop his head, getting lost in the dark brown waves that were his hair. 

Lili felt her heart hammer against her ribcage and struggled to take her eyes off him. Had he come all this way, on a day he wasn't working, to see her? Leaning against the window, with the orange glow of the evening sun surrounding him, he looked like a perfect angel. He couldn't possibly be real.

Lili forced herself to snap back to reality to continue serving the horrible man and his wife. Hopefully the time spent lost in her world of admiring Niall was only a millisecond of real time. Painfully, she tore her eyes away from Niall and resumed her position behind the cash register. The man now had his arms crossed over his chest, foot tapping impatiently as he stared up at the ceiling.

Lili placed the bottles down on the counter in front of him and punched some information into the register. He shoved his credit card into the machine and was out of there before Lili could even open her mouth to ask if he wanted his receipt. He turned and pushed through the thin crowd, not even bothering to excuse himself. He'd knocked into the girl behind him, who turned to scoff at his disrespect. 

His wife trailed after him like a lost puppy, both bottles clutched tightly in her fists.

The tension in the parlour visibly lifted in their absence. Lili glanced over at Niall; he was looking back at her with an expression on his face that was probably saying "The fuck is that guy's problem?" Lili covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh, turning her attention to the young girl who was now at the front of the line. She was about Lili's age and had a very kind smile on her face.

"Hi, what can I get you today?" she asked the customer. The girl glanced down at the fridge momentarily.

"Could I just get one of those fruit punches, and a ham and cheese sandwich, please?" 

Lili nodded and grabbed the items quickly, sliding the glass door shut. Surprisingly, her hands weren't shaking with anger like she thought they would be. She placed the items down in front of the girl.

"Sorry about that guy," the girl said, gesturing over her shoulder with her thumb. "I used to work in customer service, too. I don't understand why people are such assholes for no reason." 

Lili huffed out a laugh in agreement. "It's not like I did anything to him anyway. Honestly, I love this job, but the entitled old men make me want to quit and never come back." 

The girl smiled sympathetically and dropped the exact cash beside the register before picking up her items. Her smile lit up her face in a really pretty way. "Thanks. Good luck for the rest of the day." She glanced at the last three people in line behind her. "Hopefully everyone else is nice." 

Lili smiled and nodded. "I hope so, too. Have a good night." 

The girl headed towards the door to leave, but paused momentarily as she brushed past Niall. She looked up at him and he flashed that award-winning smile at her, making her flush and run out of the parlour. She stormed down the path towards the parking lot, turning back to see if Niall had really been there. Her face was still bright red.

Lili chewed at the corner of her lip as she watched the scene unfold in front of her; her face instantly burned, and a wave of jealousy rolled through her belly.

She had gotten so used to seeing that smile directed only towards her that she almost hated seeing it flashed to someone else. She took a deep breath and shook her head. She needed to focus on the last few people in line.

She turned her attention back to the customers and tried as hard as she could to focus solely on them. She served them and made simple conversation, but couldn't help glancing over to where Niall stood against the glass.

The setting sun cascaded around him in the most beautiful golden blanket ever, creating an almost halo-like reflection. He was ethereal, and it made Lili weak at the knees.

Every time she looked over at him, his eyes were trained carefully on her. He watched her every movement, and she could have sworn she detected a hint of lust in his eyes. Probably not, though.

He dropped his arms to his sides, resting his hands delicately in his pockets. His chest rose and fell slowly to accommodate his calm breathing. And those eyes were dazzling, even from this far away. Lili managed to finish serving everyone in line without passing out. She was pretty good at putting on a straight face - no one noticed her erratic breathing.

Once the last person left, she crossed the room on weak legs to lock the door. Finally, they could be alone. Niall's eyes were still on her, watching as she flipped the open sign over to the closed side. She paused there momentarily, back still turned towards Niall. She was now hyper aware of her exposed legs, short skirt and tight shirt. The tension in the room suddenly grew thick, threatening to suffocate Lili with just one more breath. She turned to look at him and her heart skipped a beat or two as their eyes met.

"I thought you were off today," she said, breathless. She took a few careful steps towards him, eyes never leaving his. Just to give her hands something to do, Lili reached out and pressed her fingertips awkwardly against the glass.

He licked his lips as a small smile grew on his face. He shrugged one shoulder coolly. "I was. Well, sort of. Did most of my training at home today." His deep voice, mixed with that gorgeous accent, shot straight to Lili's stomach, making her legs even weaker.

She crossed the room slowly and approached the counter again, turning around and mimicking Niall's lean back. The cool granite countertop kept her upright. Her arms hung awkwardly at her sides, before she brought them up to cross over her stomach. It felt like the most comforting thing to do in the moment. 

Without looking away from her, Niall stood slowly and started making his way over. Her throat grew incredibly dry and she tried to swallow, to no avail. He took slow, careful steps as he crossed the room. With every step closer, the tension grew an inch thicker.

"Why did you come all this way?" she asked stupidly. What the hell was going on?

He looked her up and down, lips parted slightly.

"To see you," he answered simply.

Lili dug her teeth into the inside of her bottom lip to prevent a ridiculous smile from appearing on her face. Instead, she felt her neck begin to flush. Niall's eyes twinkled. "I hadn't spoken to you all day, so I thought I'd just come by instead."

"Oh," Lili said quietly. She dropped her arms and gripped the edge of the countertop tightly, looking up at Niall through her lashes. "You didn't have to come all this way." 

Niall raised one shoulder dismissively. "If it meant I got to see you, it doesn't matter," he said. 

Lili hadn't noticed he was drifting closer and closer as they spoke until he was nearly pressed against her, once again forcing her head back to look up at him. He was a head taller than her. They gazed at each other for a long few moments, the world dissolving around them. He was so close to her now. One or two more steps forward and his chest would be flush against hers.

Lili had never really liked the phrase 'lost in their eyes', but she was almost certain that was happening right now. Niall's eyes, bright as precious sapphires, were indescribable. She was completely captivated by them - by him.

When Niall finally spoke again, Lili almost jumped. She had nearly forgotten where they were or what they were doing. 

"So how was your day?" he asked sweetly. In one swift movement he moved to the side so he was leaning against the counter beside Lili, pressing his hip against the edge. He crossed one foot over the other and propped himself up using one elbow, lacing his fingers together. The movement was so smooth that it took Lili a moment to process.

She turned her head to the side to see him smiling at her. It made her dizzy. She got up and stepped around him, moving behind the register to clock out and do something with her hands. Were her legs moving? She couldn't tell. He watched her walk again, now leaning on both elbows. He tilted his head slightly to the side.

"It was okay," Lili finally responded once she found her voice again. "I worked a double so it was fucking long, but I can't really complain." She looked up at him again. "It's not the same when I don't see you out there."

Her heart hammered against her ribcage as the words left her mouth. That may have been risky. But he smiled, and a slight blush blossomed on his cheeks. He fiddled with his fingers on the countertop.

"It's not the same for me, either." 

Her heart stopped again. Or it hammered at triple the speed. Lili couldn't really tell, but her stomach twisted from the amount of butterflies flying around in there. She pushed the cash drawer closed and leaned over the counter, just inches away from Niall. She admired his side profile and how perfect his nose was. It was actually frustrating how beautiful he was.

"How was your day?" she asked in return. Niall shrugged and stood up straight, crossing his arms against his chest again. Lili fought to ignore how his biceps bulged.

"It wasn't the worst day I've had," he said. "Walshy tried to work my swing pretty hard because it wasn't great today, but my technique otherwise was good. Plus, the weather was great. Then I came here and saw you and everything was alright again."

Lili rolled her eyes playfully, making Niall press his tongue into his cheek as a cocky smirk began forming. "I'm glad I could help," she teased. She looked into his eyes again, ignoring the way her heart thumped dramatically. Thank god he couldn't see it. She opened her mouth to speak, but he was faster.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't spoken to you much today. I needed to focus and knew I wouldn't have been able to if my phone was beside me." 

Lili immediately shook her head. "Oh my god, no. Don't even worry." Even though he didn't need to, it was nice that he gave her a bit of an explanation instead of just ignoring it. "I've been super busy myself. I barely even looked at my phone today."

Could he tell how horrible of a liar she was? Hopefully not...

He flashed her a crooked smile that nearly caused her to double over. "I just didn't want you to get the wrong idea or anything..."

"I didn't," she interrupted softly, meaning it. Her heart was in her throat. She paused and let her gaze drift across his perfect bone structure, before meeting his eyes again. "Why did you come all the way here today? Really?" she asked, voice quiet and filled with curiosity.

Something in her gut was telling her there was another reason apart from him just wanting to see her. Of course, she was happy if it was just that, but it couldn't be all. Again, Lili always tried not to get her hopes up, but this felt different. She was obviously right, because he broke away from her gaze and looked down at his feet. His expression changed and he looked...nervous?

Lili couldn't gage what he was feeling and immediately started worrying that she asked the wrong thing. Maybe it offended him somehow. She opened her mouth to apologize when he looked back up at her, but stopped. Something about the way his eyes sparkled made it seem like he did, in fact, have something to say. 

"Actually, I came here to ask if you wanted to grab a coffee with me tomorrow night? I know we're both free in the evening." 

Lili's eyes widened, and her internal screaming was so loud, there was no way Niall couldn't hear it. Or maybe she had screamed out loud. She wasn't entirely sure. Everything in her body seemed to freeze; her heart stopped beating, her veins stopped pumping blood, and her breathing halted. Her brain had clearly died because she couldn't form a coherent sentence.

This wasn't real. It couldn't be.

He remembered that she had an early shift tomorrow? That was something she mentioned, like, three days ago. 

It took a moment for her mind to start working again, and when it did, Lili blushed and licked her lips.

"I'd love to," she answered.

Almost immediately, Niall's face split into a wide smile, his perfect white teeth shining in the dim fluorescents. His usual confidence returned after having disappeared for that brief moment when it seem as if nerves had overtaken him. He looked at her again, glancing down at her lips briefly.

"Alright then, it's a date."

Chapter Text

mood for the chapter: Butterflies by Kacey Musgraves

"I'm going on a date with Niall Horan tonight." The sweet words echoed in Lili's head from the moment she opened her eyes and picked her heavy head up from the pillow.

She had been tossing and turning all night from nerves and knew the rest of the day would not be any better. Hopefully the dark circles under her eyes weren't too noticeable. Nothing a little concealer couldn't fix, anyway.

Anxious knots were forming painfully in her stomach, and she had to physically force some toast with butter down her throat for some semblance of breakfast. She couldn't even get coffee down.

Though it was hard, not eating all day would make her feel even more like shit at the end of the night. Putting something dry in her stomach helped settle it a bit but didn't rid her of the nervous burning in her chest.

She was actually going on a date with Niall. The two of them, meeting somewhere outside of the club for once, with no one to disturb them. She couldn't believe it. Of course she was excited; she'd been thinking about a moment like this for weeks. He hadn't said anything at all since the previous night so Lili knew nothing about what he was planning. She had no idea if he was even a romantic guy or not so she had no expectations whatsoever other than that the night would be phenomenal.

Except she couldn't help being incredibly anxious over it. She was, for the most part, comfortable with Niall. They'd really gotten to know each other over the past few weeks and she couldn't help but feel close to him. That whole 'feels like you've known someone your whole life' cliche was definitely real. There had never been another person in the world that Lili felt as physically and emotionally connected to this quickly as she had with Niall.

Maybe Jordyn, but that's about it. 

There were certain aspects of the date that were making Lili nervous, but the idea of spending quality time with Niall didn't scare her at all. It was what she was looking forward to the most. If he tried to make a move sometime during the night, she'd be more than happy. Lili felt completely, 100% safe around him - safe enough that she was willing to accept intimate affection from him so early on. It was rare that Lili didn't feel judged by another person, especially someone she was dating, so to experience complete acceptance from Niall made her feel really good. 

But, realistically, she'd only ever spoken to him through a screen or in the comforting familiarity of the club. That reassurance and lack of judgement could very well be something she made up in her head based off of their limited daily interaction. Being out with him in a new, public setting was a completely different situation - one that absolutely frightened her. It was new territory for both of them. Maybe these fears she had were irrational, but who wouldn't be a little nervous before a first date? 

Many of her hidden fears and insecurities were surfacing as she began the process of getting ready for the night. 

For one thing, Lili thought about how the only times she had really seen or spent time with Niall in person were when she was working and wearing a 'sexy' outfit. Even if it was one she felt good in, the outfit didn't represent her personal style at all.

He had never seen her in anything other than a tight shirt and skimpy miniskirt. Did he expect her to dress like that all the time? What if he was attracted to her because she always looked like that and thought she looked too plain in her regular clothes? She knew he wasn't shallow like that, but the thought didn't ease her anxiety nevertheless. 

Another thing she was nervous about was the fact that this was the first date she'd been on in a long time where she was actually interested in the person. That might make her sound horrible, but it was the truth. Going out with that guy a few weeks prior didn't feel much like a 'date'. God, it felt more like a fucking business meeting than anything.  He wasn't really into her, but she wasn't crazy about him either. If there was a word to describe something even drier than platonic, that's what that date was. 

Their lack of connection physically pained her - they had spent majority of the short night in silence because they literally had nothing to talk about. There was no chemistry or common interests at all. 

But this date meant something. 

Her crush on Niall was very real, and him potentially reciprocation those feelings made this night all the more special, and all the more terrifying. This could be the start of something beautiful, wonderful, unexpected. All the adjectives.

Hands shaking, Lili took a shower, washing her hair and scrubbing every inch of her body just to the brink of redness. She spent the next few hours blow drying and curling her hair, and applying some cute makeup. It was absolutely imperative that she look and feel her best. Niall had never actually seen her hair down before because she always wore it in a tight ponytail at work. If he did ever see it down, it was probably messy and tangled. Not her best look, that's for sure.

One of the things she liked a lot about herself was her hair, so she wanted to make it look as good as possible. It was long, thick, and shiny, even if she wasn't taking great care of it. It gave her confidence knowing she at least had nice hair going for her. Maybe Niall would like it. The large curls fell naturally over her shoulder, framing her face nicely. Good start.

Lili's emerald eyes were definitely her favourite feature, so she loved using makeup to highlight them, even if it was subtle. Something about the way her bright eyes popped against the black backdrop of hair made her feel a bit sexy. She paired a warm brown eye shadow with a peach blush and her eyes instantly glowed.

After forcing herself to eat another small meal, Lili carefully brushed her teeth, swiping some pink gloss on her full lips. Step one complete. She checked her phone on the nightstand where it was charging; Niall had texted her about an hour ago saying he pick her up at 7:15. Which wasn't too far away now. Lili's heart hammered in her chest thinking about him driving over to her house. The fact that he would know where she lived from here on out was strange. What a stupid thing to fixate on. 

Lili shook her head and abandoned her phone again, turning to her closet. Her outfit was definitely the hardest part of getting ready.

When it came to clothes, Lili had a strange...complex. She was so used to wearing her uniform all the time and looking like all the other girls around her, so when it came to wearing regular clothes, she had an intense, irrational fear that she was being judged.

She always worried that someone somewhere would laugh about how stupid her outfit was, or how she didn't know how to pair her shoes with her shirt. If she was walking down the street and heard someone laugh, her first instinct would be to think that they were laughing at her. It terrified her. She was certain the insecurity came from being severely bullied as a young child, and she hated that she still allowed it to affect her so deeply. Tonight was as good a time as ever to start trying to grow out of it. 

This hadn't even been a relevant issue since sixth grade, but things people say can stick forever.

Lili opened the closet door and scanned through the hangers, arms crossed defensively over her chest. Whatever she chose had to be cute, casual, and comfortable, because she had no idea what kind of a night she'd be in for. Part of her wished Niall had told her everything that would be going on tonight, but she also really liked the secrecy of it. Maybe being surprised could be fun.

Lili reached up and pulled on a dress from a hanger off to the left. It was lilac with thin straps, a sweetheart neckline, and a simple flowy skirt that fell just above her knees. She tried it on and posed awkwardly in front of her floor length mirror a few times. The dress hugged her curves nicely and covered the part of her stomach she would prefer to keep hidden. The colour actually complimented her skin tone gorgeously.

Content with her choice, Lili strode back over to her closet with more confidence than she'd had five minutes earlier. 

It took some time to come up with the perfect outfit, but she eventually settled on the lilac dress, a dark wash denim jacket, and nude dress sandals with a slight heel. She paired the outfit with a black purse that was just big enough to carry her phone, keys and wallet. She didn't want to worry about it dragging her down all night. For jewelry, she wore her favourite diamond earrings - a graduation gift from her parents - a few sleek silver rings, and a silver necklace.

An outfit wasn't complete without jewelry. And everything was light and delicate enough to work with a more casual outfit. 

She smoothed down the pleats of her dress as she headed back into the bathroom to add the final touches to her hair and makeup, redoing her lip gloss and gently combing out the curls. For a second, she thought she'd gone too heavy on the blush because her cheeks were bright red, and it took her a moment to realize it was just her face flushing. She fanned herself with her hand, trying to calm down. The nerves were causing her blood to rush. It was hard not to freak out. 

But then a ding sounded in her bedroom and her pulse automatically doubled, flinging her heart up into her throat. She sprinted out of the bathroom and skidded to a stop beside her bed, picking up her phone to see Niall's name flashing across the screen.

Niall Horan: leaving my house in five, see you soon gorgeous x

Lili shrieked nervously. Her skin was suddenly burning and it felt like she had a fever of 100 degrees. 

This was really happening. Like, actually about to take place. Niall Horan would be outside her house in half an hour, give or take, waiting to take her out on a date. Their first date. After a few perfect weeks of getting to know each other, they were finally taking that next step that Lili had been hoping for.

Oh god...Niall was on his way to her house. Right now. He was sitting behind the wheel of his truck, turning down street after street while his GPS directed him to her neighbourhood. Reality was settling in, and it was making her disgustingly nauseous. Lili peeled the jacket off and fanned herself again, trying with all her might to avoid hyperventilating. She was an electric mix of nerves, fear, and excitement. 

She hated the way it felt, but at the same time, it was nice. Being nervous meant you cared, right?

Oh, fuck. Niall couldn't see her like this - she was unravelling quickly. Almost inhumanely fast. She forced herself to walk over to the mirror and look into her own frantic eyes staring back at her.

"Relax. Breathe," she whispered to herself. Her voice rumbled quietly through the empty bedroom. "This is what you've been waiting for. You're going to have a good time. Just relax."

She exhaled sharply and closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths until she felt somewhat centered. Her head was starting to spin. More than a few prolonged moments passed before her heart rate stabilized.

She nodded and took a few measly steps, spending the next twenty minutes or so pacing around her room, pausing every now and then so she wouldn't get dizzy. Her eyes were laser focused on the hardwood floor beneath her feet.

She finally glanced at the clock and realized with wide eyes that it was almost time to go. She slipped her feet into her sandals, grabbed her phone and purse, and raced down the stairs. Panting heavily, she scoured through the front closet until she found her wallet, shoving it in her purse. The adrenaline was going to her head and she needed an outlet for disrupting it, so she started pacing again.

She was going to go into the kitchen and get some water, but paused in the living room and, hidden by the curtains, watched from the window. The sun was starting to set, draping her street in a pretty orange glow. A few houses down, a group of kids was playing roller hockey in the street, and she could almost hear their excited screams through the glass. One of the neighbours must have been having a barbecue because there was thin, black smoke wafting through the air in a cloud, before dispersing in the darkening sky. Nothing exciting happened for the next few minutes until a shiny black Range Rover pulled smoothly into the end of the driveway and parked.

Lili almost threw up. 

Her head spun and her heart raced uncontrollably. She was almost certain she would collapse if she tried to take a step. Her stomach fell to her ass. Still hidden by the curtain, Lili watched intently. The reflection of the sunset in the windshield made it hard for her to see Niall clearly, but it looked like he was typing something quickly on his phone. And then her phone buzzed once again in her hand; Niall had texted to say he was here.

She was about to head to the door, expecting to meet him at the car, but movement out of the corner of her eye stopped her. Niall had gotten out of the car. Holy shit. Was he coming to the door?

Lili's eyes widened and she jumped back, running to the front door and leaning back against it to catch her breath. She draped the chain of the purse over her shoulder and dug her nails into her fists until the feeling returned to her hands. Blood rushed loudly in her ears. 

It'll be fine.

A few seconds later the doorbell rang, and her heart stopped altogether. Holy fuck. That was him.

She swallowed the bile creeping up her throat and plastered a smile on her face, giving herself a few seconds to collect her thoughts and emotions.

She shook the nerves from her hands and turned to unlock the door, swinging it open to see Niall's perfect form leaning against the frame. He had been looking down but glanced up at the sound of the door opening. 

"Hi," she said, breathless as she admired him.

He was wearing dark blue skinny jeans, chocolate brown laced dress boots and a simple white t-shirt. The shirt was cut just low enough for her to see wisps of his chest hair. A faded bluish-grey dress shirt lay over the white one, completely unbuttoned and flowing out to the sides. The sleeves had been rolled up twice, revealing the beginnings of his toned forearms. A ridiculously fancy watch sat on his wrist.

His hair was styled to absolute perfection. It was a bit different than she had seen it in the past - it looked fluffier and shinier, as if he had just come straight from the barber. His beard had been trimmed down as well. 

He took her breath away every single time, without fail. How could one person be so devastatingly beautiful? 

Niall looked her up and down, his expression softening. His crystal eyes admired her from the short distance.

"I, uh...wow." He paused, lifting a closed fist to his mouth and clearing his throat. Those damn eyes glimmered. "You look so beautiful." 

Lili flushed scarlet. Seriously? Did he have to be so charming?

"I could say the same about you," she said, holding out a hand in his direction. He giggled quietly, and it was his turn to blush now.

Lili felt herself relax the slightest bit, though her heart was still thumping at the base of her throat and pressing against her skin. She watched as Niall gestured towards his car. Was he nervous? She couldn't tell. 

"Ready to go, darling?" he asked softly. 

Lili was mute at the use of the adorable pet name. He said it so easily - like a well-rehearsed monologue. It sounded so, so sweet coming from his lips. All she could do was nod and pull the door closed behind her as she stepped out of the house and onto her front porch. She cursed under her breath as she locked the front door after searching - for probably too long - for the right key using incredibly shaky fingers. Jesus, this was awkward. Or maybe it was just her. Could he feel the nerves rolling off her like tsunami waves? They were pretty noticeable.

They walked side by side to the car in silence, but inside Lili's head, it was tremendously loud. He had just called her darling. Did she hear that right? Lili had never been a lover of pet names - she actually sometimes physically cringed hearing boys say the word 'babe'. It usually turned her off instantly. Honestly, just the thought alone made her gag.

But when Niall said it, it felt right. Really, really good, and really, really right. She wished he would call her darling every single day for the rest of her life. For him, she would change her name to darling if it meant he'd say it more often.

They continued down the driveway towards his car, which was suddenly ten miles long; once they were a few feet away, Niall walked a bit faster to get ahead of Lili. He arrived at the car first and wrapped his hand around the passenger door handle, opening it and gesturing inside. His lips were pulled to the side in a nervous bunch that he tried to disguise as a smile.

"Thank you," Lili said, a sweet smile on her face. It was very thoughtful of him to open the door for her. Something she had never really cared for but appreciated a lot. She stepped into the car carefully and sat on the cool leather, watching as Niall shut the door and ran around to the driver's side, climbing in and plopping down in the seat next to her. The way he jogged was adorable.

Lili looked around the car with her hands clasped in her lap, afraid to touch anything and leave a fingerprint. It looked very, very expensive and made her feel extremely out of place. The leather was crisp and smooth, jet black just like the exterior. And they were so high up that she would have to lean forward to see over the huge hood. The system display screen was more than twice the size of any screen Lili had ever seen in a car. Either it was custom made or she had just never known this level of luxury could exist.  She could see a little message in the top right corner of the screen that said, "Niall's iPhone". Something about that was stupidly adorable.

The music was paused halfway through a Rolling Stones song she didn't know. The car smelled like clean linen and pine trees, but with a hint of his cologne mixed in it. Lili took a deep breath and relaxed into the large, comfy seat. If there was a massage function, then it would be absolutely perfect. When she turned her head towards Niall, he was already watching her, and he smiled as they locked eyes.

"Nice car," Lili teased. It was beautiful, for sure. A bit too large for her liking, but it suited Niall perfectly. He chuckled, another pink blush growing on his cheeks. He ran his fingers back through his hair and she almost choked. 

"Thanks. This was actually the first big purchase I ever made when I got to LA. Thought it was the perfect thing to treat myself with." He smiled, a hint of what looked like either nostalgia or pride in his eyes. 

"Really?" she asked, looking around again. "It looks brand new."

Niall shrugged. "I take good care of it, I guess." 

They smiled at each other like two idiots before Niall swallowed.

"Alright, just before we head out. Close your eyes, I have something for you." He was grinning proudly. Lili looked at him, brows furrowed. "Just do it," he said with a roll of his eyes. "It's nothing bad, I promise."

"Nothing's going to jump out at me or anything?" Lili asked, pretending to scold him. Niall's smile grew and he shook his head. A single piece of his hair fell across his forehead and he raised his hand again to push it back. 

"Alright, fine." Lili took a deep breath and closed her eyes, resting her head gently against the back of the seat. "I trust you," she said through a dramatic sigh. He chuckled softly again. 

"Good," he whispered, almost to himself. "I'm glad."

She heard a rustling noise, almost like crinkling paper, when Niall reached his arm back. It seemed like he was picking something off the floor of the backseat. Her brows furrowed deeper but she kept her eyes shut. The rustling stopped, and the heat of his arm appeared in front of her. "Alright, open," he said softly.

Lili opened her eyes to see what he was holding, and tears seemed to prick at her eyes almost instantly. In his hand was the most beautiful bouquet of flowers Lili had ever seen. White peonies, pink roses, cherry blossoms, pink tulips, and white orchids had been tied together with a simple red ribbon and wrapped in a decorative pink paper. It was such a gorgeous arrangement. She stared at it in awe as more tears welled in her eyes. Niall had remained silent, waiting for her reaction.

Lili reached out and took the flowers from Niall's hand, her own shaking, and brought the flowers up to her nose. The scent was sweet and earthy, but very subtle. This was too much for her. The emotion was overwhelming.

She turned away quickly swiped her cheek as a single tear fell from her eye. She had never received flowers from anyone before, and these were hands down the most beautiful flowers she'd ever seen in her life. Her heart danced around in her chest as she looked at him and smiled.

"Niall, thank you," she said, quickly overcome with affection. "They're so beautiful." She sniffled. He smiled back at her, looking slightly relieved. His cheeks were pink.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like them." His nose scrunched slightly. "I thought about getting just one colour, but these were prettier. They reminded me of you."

God, he was so cute. She dug her nails into her palm to stop more tears from falling as she smelled the buds again. It was the most perfect perfume. 

"No, these are perfect. Seriously, thank you so much." Never in a million years did Lili think this date would start with him picking her up at her door, opening the car door for her, and bringing her flowers.

What universe was she in right now? He smiled wider and her heart stopped. What did she do to deserve this? If he noticed her tears, he chose not to draw attention to them, which she was thankful for.

"Alright, then." He smacked the tops of his thighs gently. "Shall we?" Lili nodded and Niall smiled, starting up the engine. She felt the car vibrating gently below her as he reversed out of the driveway and turned down the road.

Her heart was fluttering uncontrollably in her chest and her stomach was performing perfect, Olympic-level backflips. She couldn't tell if she was more nervous or excited to see what this night entailed.

They drove for a few minutes in comfortable silence as the radio played softly in the background. "Would you like to listen to anything in particular?" Niall asked. His voice wavered slightly, and it caught Lili's attention. It sounded like fear. The fact that he was also nervous sent waves of anxious pleasure through Lili's abdomen. Never in her life did she think a man like this could be nervous over her. 

"No, that's okay. You can pick something," she said sweetly. She was open to anything.

His tongue poked out the corner of his closed lips as he alternated between looking at the road and reading the stations on the screen. He did it with such ease. He landed on one and smiled proudly. "How about some old tunes?"

She nodded in approval. Niall reached up, raising the volume a few points. The music flowed through the speakers and enveloped them. 'Faithfully' by Journey had started playing, one of Lili's favourites, and she smiled happily as she hummed along to the comforting melodies of Steve Perry's raspy voice. 

"I love this song," she said, more to herself than to Niall. But when she glanced over at him, he was grinning. How lovely he was. 

"Me too." The song was rolling around to the chorus, which gave Lili chills every time, and she continued to hum along.

She could hear Niall doing the same, which made the warmth in her stomach turn to a dull boil. She turned her head to subtly watch him as he drove. He was smiling contentedly as he hummed, eyes bright and face relaxed. She admired that perfect side profile once again, noticing the long, light eyelashes framing his eyes.

Her gaze trailed down his neck and arm, eventually landing on the hand gripping the steering wheel. The skin of his hands was surprisingly smooth and even, but the way the veins bulged against the skin made her forehead warm.

His left hand was holding the wheel steady, while the other lay awkwardly down beside his thigh. It was almost as if he didn't know what to do with it. Her brain blanked as she thought about holding his hand. 

As her gaze drifted back up to his face, Niall's eyes darted to the side and caught hers momentarily. Lili blushed and looked away, but she had a feeling Niall was smirking. Couldn't she just have one fucking second to look at him without being caught? 

She focused on the ending of the song as she held her flowers tightly, willing the redness in her face to subside. There was tension in the air, but it definitely wasn't awkward. There were enough nerves and electricity between the two of them to power the Empire State Building until winter. It was nice. Lili hadn't felt this in a really long time, if ever. 

She wanted to reach out, feel him in some way, but figured that would be too forward. The date hadn't even really started yet. So she stayed still, listening to the end of the song blend into the beginning of some other rock ballad.

Eventually, after a few more minutes of driving, Niall turned slowly into the parking lot of what looked like a quaint but fancy café. He pulled into an empty spot across from the door and put the car in park, killing the engine and leaning back in the seat.

"Well," he said, glancing nervously at the café. "Here we are." 

Lili tore her eyes away from the fantastic fairy lights strung all along the building to look at Niall.

"You know, I've lived here my whole life and I had no idea this was here," she said, gazing into his eyes. "How did you even come across this place?" 

He shrugged his shoulders, a playful look on his face. "I must have a talent for finding beautiful things out of nowhere." 

Lili could feel the tension building even further between them as his eyes darted to her lips momentarily. It was a dangerous glance.

He smiled a lopsided grin that made her heart and stomach lurch. "Let's go in?"

Lili nodded emphatically and picked her purse up from its place beside her feet, pulling it over her shoulder. She reached to push the door open but paused when she felt a hand touch her elbow. The hairs along her arm were standing on end at the electricity from his fingertips. Niall shook his head as a warning before he jumped out of his side of the car and ran to her. She smiled, face burning once again.

He pulled her door open and waited as Lili hopped down to the concrete. She placed the flowers gently on the seat, angling them so they sat upright. She couldn't wait to display them in her bedroom. They would be the perfect addition. 

"I can open my own door, I hope you know that." She stuck her tongue at him playfully, making him chuckle.

"Of course I do, but where's the fun in that?" he countered. "I'm a gentleman, what can I say?"

Lili rolled her eyes as they walked side by side to the cafe door. That wasn't something she couldn't argue with even if she tried. They approached slowly, but this time, she ran ahead, making a show of opening the door for Niall and allowing him in first by dramatically gesturing inside with her arm. He laughed, and the sound rang in Lili's ears like the cry of an angel.

They made their way to the front and looked at the menu. There were quite a few drink selections - cappuccinos, lattes, americanos, and hot chocolates. There was also regular drip coffee, both hot and iced. Niall was reading the menu with his hand on his chin, focused on the boards above him. He was so adorable.

Lili eventually settled on a cappuccino, and placed the order with the barista before drifting over to the dessert display. She was craving something sweet, but was unsure what. Her eyes were drawn to a delectable square of Tiramisu, her second favourite dessert ever. She felt her mouth watering just at the sight. Niall had appeared beside her, clearly eyeing the same thing she was.

She looked up at him as he searched. "There's only one, but I don't mind sharing," she offered. He looked down at her with a smile, before lifting his head back to the barista.

"Alright, two cappuccinos, then, and that Tiramisu on a plate with two forks." He reached for his wallet and Lili did the same, digging around for some cash or loose change. Maybe she should have checked if she had enough before she left...

"What do you think you're doing?" Niall asked. There was amusement in his eye that he tried to hide with a stern expression. His voice made her jump. Lili looked up at him, confused. She pointed at the coffee grinder behind the counter, as if it was painfully obvious.

"It's for my drink. I think I have enough cash to split the bill for dessert, but I can always use my debit if-"

"Are you kidding me?" he asked incredulously. It looked like he was biting his tongue softly. "Put that away."

"No, Niall, I want to pay half!" she argued. It wasn't fair of him to pay the whole thing. But Niall opened his wallet and slapped a $20 bill on the counter before Lili could say anything else.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I asked you on this date, so I'm paying." 

Lili's shoulders fell as she opened her mouth to argue again. She always felt bad when other people paid for her stuff. The barista had already taken the money and was calculating the change before Lili could even form an arguing sentence.

"I'll pay you back, don't worry," she finally said. This made Niall chuckle, and her face flushed. 

"I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunities in the future for you to pay for something. But I've always been the type of guy who pays on the first date and I don't care what you have to say."

His voice was extremely playful, but Lili's ear perked up at his words. Not only did he consider this a 'first date', but he was already hinting at dates in the future? She wasn't just imagining that, was she? Okay, now there was no way he wasn't into her.

"Fine," she said, annoyed. "I'll take care of dinner next time." She didn't want to cause a scene in a public place, but she needed him to know that she was firm on this decision. Niall chewed at his lip to prevent a smile as he nodded in agreement.

The barista placed their steaming cappuccinos and the Tiramisu on the counter before he had the chance to respond. Lili took her mug and the forks, Niall took his and the plate, and they looked around for a place to sit.

There were empty tables along the far wall, but nothing felt secluded enough. Or romantic enough. She wanted privacy. Through the window, Lili spotted an empty table with two chairs sitting directly underneath a string of twinkly lights not too far outside the door. It was a gorgeous night out, so it couldn't hurt. She turned back to Niall, who was watching her expectantly. It was like he wanted her to make the decision. "Follow me," she said, before turning back towards the door.

The air was perfect; it wasn't chilly, but not necessarily warm enough for her to remove her jacket. The sky was clear and full of stars that illuminated the concrete below their feet. Nothing screams romance like a night under the stars.

She strode over to the table and placed her mug down in front of one of the chairs, sitting down and waiting for Niall. Before he sat down he dragged the chair around the table so he was sitting more to her side rather than across from her. He placed the plate in the middle of the tiny table and sat down. Their knees touched lightly and, strangely, it gave Lili butterflies.

Niall wrapped a large hand around his mug and held it up into the space between them, licking his lips.

"Cheers to a perfect first date?" he said. Lili smiled and clinked her mug against his. They brought the drinks up to their mouths and sipped, never breaking eye contact. The fire between them was hotter than the scalding cappuccino against her lips. Lili suppressed a giggle because of the thin foam mustache that appeared along the top of Niall's lip as he removed the mug from his mouth.

He cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Hold on," she said, picking up her napkin. She wrapped it around her index finger and stretched her arm out, delicately wiping the foam from his face. Her hand shook, and she could see Niall hold his breath when they made contact. His eyes were boring into her, hers were focused on his jawline. If she looked up, it would be game over. His skin felt warm under the napkin, his beard scruffy against her covered finger.

She brought her hand down quickly and looked away, blushing. "Sorry," she mumbled. 

"Not a problem." 

They sat in silence as they both sliced their forks through opposite corners of the Tiramisu; the smooth, sweet cream layer coated Lili's tongue deliciously. The amount of cinnamon was just perfect. She tried not to be so obvious watching the way Niall's pink lips wrapped around the fork, or how he gently lapped at the metal with his tongue to pick up every crumb, but it was hard. 

G od, get your head out of the gutter, Lili!

She shook her head and tried to focus again. The sound of crickets singing in the grass helped ground her thoughts. There was a slight breeze whistling around them that lifted the fluffy hair on Niall's head just a touch.

"Can I be honest with you about something?" Lili asked, after a prolonged silence of eating and sipping. Niall looked up at her sweetly and nodded, scooping up another forkful of Tiramisu. Lili took a deep breath; she had calmed down significantly since Niall had picked her up, but was feeling a bit nervous again. Maybe this wouldn't be a good thing to say...

"After we first met, that day when we actually talked for the first time on the course..." She flushed, embarrassed at what she was about to admit. She looked down at the pattern in the iron tabletop to avoid his gaze but could feel him looking at her. "I Googled you that night."

She shut her eyes tightly, bracing herself for Niall's reaction. Oh god, this was a bad idea. Being honest isn't always good, Lili. You idiot. What in god's name were you thinking?

"What did you find?" he asked casually. When she looked up at him, he seemed genuinely curious. Not offended or weirded out. The light danced in his eyes in the most beautiful way, almost making Lili lose her train of thought. She blushed again as she tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

"Not much, honestly. I watched an interview from some tournament but I didn't want to look at too much. It felt kind of weird, to be honest, and I regretted it immediately. It was all stuff I would rather learn directly from you."

Niall's smile grew, his cheeks flushing slightly. He looked into her eyes with his own bright blue ones.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," she blurted out instantly. She flushed again. "Well, not everything. Obviously there's personal stuff that I...don't need to know, and that's fine." 

She twirled her fork between her fingers to keep them from shaking. Why did she always have to ramble at the worst possible moments?

"There's just so much I've been wanting to ask about you and work and stuff but I didn't want that to be the first thing I asked you because I wanted you to understand that I want to get to know you for you. You outside of your career and your golf life, I mean."

Niall seemed delighted by her rambling - almost endeared by it. His smile was so big, it looked painful. She laughed awkwardly through her nose and felt her heart rate slow; she took another bite of Tiramisu and a sip of cappuccino to give herself a breather. The foam was bitter on her tongue.

"I figured that much," Niall began, holding back a little giggle. He leaned back slightly in his chair. His legs were slightly spread. "To be fair, you didn't seem like the kind of person who cared about my fame much, anyway." He brought his hands up and made air quotes with his fingers when he said the word 'fame'. The grimace that followed made it seem like he didn't want to label himself that way. "I'd love to tell you about my career, though. You know I love to talk about myself." He smirked, and Lili laughed.

She shrugged and took a long gulp of her cappuccino, which was now cooling down rapidly. It was nice that he wasn't angry about her being creepy.

"Ask me anything," Niall added, eyes still twinkling. If they could give out awards for the best eyes in the country, he would win by a landslide. Those eyes gave the stars a run for their money. She allowed herself to get lost in his gaze for a few moments while she thought of a perfect first question.

"Why golf?" she finally asked. She paused. "I mean, what is it about golf that draws you in so much? And when did you start playing?"

Niall's face softened into a more peaceful expression, as if he was reminiscing on fond memories. His eyes were practically glowing. He smiled sweetly, face tilted down towards the table. He was breathtaking.

"I started when I was about 12 years old, when I was still back home in Ireland. I had always enjoyed watching it on TV or playing with my father, but my mates and I decided to join a golf club together, and I just fell in love with it." He dragged his eyes across the table until they reached her hands. "After we joined, I realized I was actually quite good and decided I wanted to try to play professionally."

He finally looked up, and the lightning she felt when his eyes met hers was almost enough to make her fall off her seat. He grinned.

"As for what it is that draws me in, I honestly couldn't tell you. There's something magical about it that can't be put into words. It's a game of skill and chance, but there's so many amazing analytics that go along with it."

He paused, gazing deep into Lili's eyes. Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest. She could listen to him talk about his craft all day. It made his face light up in a way that made it seem like the sun had just woken up. He cleared his throat before speaking again. "I just love it, and I know I'm good at what I do. It gave me confidence in myself over the years that I don't think I would have had without it."

Lili tilted her head slightly to the side and smiled, completely entranced by his voice and his words.

"I love that," she said. "It's rare to find someone who is so undeniably passionate about what they do. Just the look on your face when you're talking about golfing tells me everything I need to know."

Niall looked down, blushing. For a moment he seemed incredibly shy, as if the kind words being tossed at him were too much to bear. He rarely ever looked that way. She really did love his passion for his job. It clearly meant a lot more to him than he was letting on.

Lili gave him a moment to recuperate, but as soon as he looked up at her, he was back to his cool, confident self.

"I appreciate that, especially coming from you. I'm glad my golf talk doesn't bore you half to death." 

Lili smirked. "Never."

The two of them spent the next hour and a bit talking and laughing about countless things. They talked for so long that they failed to realize until the very last minute that the café was preparing to close.

Lili had opened up to Niall a bit about her school career; she told him what degree she received, why she chose to go into that field, the classes she took for it, and so on. It had been mentioned briefly in past conversation, but Niall wanted to know everything, and he asked her a myriad of questions about anything and everything.

There was a genuine curiosity in his tone that made her really believe he cared to know these mundane things about her. She wasn't used to that. These kinds of conversations usually went the opposite way for her. And she was happy to tell him; she wanted him to know every single detail about her life the way she wanted to know everything about his. She was just so curious.

And Niall was willing to answer every question she threw at him; whether it was potentially 'too forward' or not, he didn't care. He told her about his life back in Ireland before his career took off, describing life with his family and friends, and how thankful he was that the relationships didn't change when he made it big. He had hinted at Lili seeing Ireland one day, which made her stomach flip excitedly at the thought.

He couldn't possibly be planning that far ahead this soon, but even the prospect of it was enough to satisfy her. Maybe he saw a future with her the way she saw one with him...

Eventually, one of the café employees came out to tell them they needed to leave so they could close down for the night, ending the incredible conversation they'd been having. He was really sweet about it, but Lili could tell he was exhausted, and apologized profusely for overstaying their welcome. Feeling slightly guilty, Lili stacked the plates and forks on top of each other, stuffing their used napkins in the empty mugs and placing them on top of the plates, before pushing everything to the middle of the table. 

She picked up her purse from beside her feet and stood from the chair, once again falling into step with Niall on the way to his car. They were walking so close that his arm brushed against hers gently; her eyes fluttered shut and her skin burned where he'd touched her.

"I hope you don't have to go home yet. I've got somewhere I want to take you," he said, as he opened her door for her again. So fucking cute. Lili shook her head, indicating she was able to stay, and sat on the cold leather again, picking up the flowers and laying them delicately across her thighs. Even if she had to be home, she'd never tell him. She wanted nothing more than to spend the whole night with him. 

Niall shut the door and appeared quite quickly at his side of the car, hopping in and starting the engine once again. His white shirt stretched tightly over his chest as he adjusted his body in the seat. His nimble fingers played with the display screen until his music started once again. She watched his every movement, heart fluttering with every blink of his eye. Everything he did was sexy. 

He reversed out of the parking spot, and when he turned his head in her direction to check the side mirror, he winked at her. The butterflies in her stomach seemed to be attacking the lining of her abdomen. Her heart was pounding at the base of her throat.

They turned out of the parking lot and headed down the street. Lili wanted to reach out and touch him, but was afraid making the move would be too sudden.

It wasn't something she would ever do, but things had been so different for her tonight. There hadn't been a single second of the date so far that she felt Niall wasn't interested or invested, which was her biggest fear. In fact, he seemed more into her tonight than ever before. It seemed as if making a move wouldn't be so bad, but she needed to test the waters somehow. Make sure whatever she did was okay with him.

She placed her elbow delicately on the middle console, leaning on it ever so slightly. Her arm was centimeters away from crossing the invisible line over to his side of the car. As a distraction, she fumbled with the chain on her purse. She watched Niall from the corner of her eye as her heart raced in her chest. He had noticed her actions, and she could see his breath hitch slightly.

He was still for a few seconds, as if thinking of what to do; then, he very casually mirrored her and placed his own elbow on the console. He did it without drawing too much attention to himself, as if it was a very normal, casual thing. Their arms were hardly an inch apart, and Lili could practically feel the magnetic pull between them, but she kept her arm firmly in its spot, her chest heaving.

She smiled to herself, feeling accomplished. So far, so good. This was a perfect start.

They drove in silence for a while, and as they approached their destination, Lili could just feel her face light up from the joy blooming in her chest. He had taken her to Venice Beach, where the boardwalk was alive with lights, music, and laughter. She hadn't even realized the drive was that long. Niall pulled into a free parking space in the busy lot and killed the engine. His face split into a gorgeous smile at the sight of Lili's joy.

"I haven't been here since I was a kid!" Lili exclaimed, looking into Niall's amazing eyes. "It's always been so hard to get down here, especially now with work."

Niall chuckled; it was a soft sound from his chest that rolled delicately out of him. Her stomach jumped. "I thought this would be a good idea, but I was a bit worried you might not enjoy it."

"Are you kidding?" Lili exclaimed, turning completely in her seat to face him. "You couldn't have picked a more perfect place." She glanced out the windshield at the way the lights twinkled in the now dark sky. She looked back at Niall, who was so dazzling in the dim light that it made her head spin.

"You're really making this night the best I've ever had," she said. "I don't know how you do it."

He dropped his head gently as he laughed through his nose, and when he looked back up at her, his cheeks were gorgeously pink.

"I'm glad I could make you happy. That's all I want, really. So, let's go see if we can win something."

Lili squealed enthusiastically, biting her lip as a wide grin stretched across her face.

They both hopped out of the car excitedly and began walking towards the long, gorgeous boardwalk. The wind had picked up slightly, breezing along Lili's legs and lifting her dress up over her thighs. She had to smack her hand down to hold it in place.

Oh, it was amazing being there. All around them, circus music blared through hidden speakers that still could not drown out the shrieks of joy or the laughter coming from every corner of the carnival. Families with young children, groups of teenagers, and couples on dates filled the space to near capacity, carrying popcorn, drinks, and amazing prizes. More explosions of laughter rang out from the countless rides surrounding them, where families or children were having the time of their lives. The pure happiness was palpable. 

Between the tilt-a-whirl, bumper cars, and drop towers, there was a ride to please every single person's taste. Each game station was filled with people trying to win one of the huge stuffed toys hanging from the ceiling. The operators at every station barked out instructions or narrated matches, and winners were called out and handed fun and amazing prizes.

But the best part was the Ferris wheel, which was the focal point of the whole carnival. It towered over them in the sky, spinning round and round. Its display of phenomenal lights stood out from the pitch black backdrop.

Below the boardwalk, gentle waves from the ocean crashed along the smooth sand. Lili watched her surroundings in awe; it had been so long since she had been to the Venice Beach boardwalk, and it was even better than her kid memory could fathom.

Her heart was practically exploding with joy as memories flooded back to her with every step she took. She was so distracted by her surroundings that she kept accidentally bumping into people, throwing out apologies left and right as she powered through the crowd.

Niall walked a few paces ahead, also admiring the festivities around him. She wondered if he'd been here before tonight, or this was a first for him. There was no way someone who lived in Los Angeles had never been here before. 

Lili looked up at his face as she caught up to him, matching his long, slow strides. The glimmering lights danced across his perfect face so beautifully, and she just loved the way his eyes lit up in awe at the sight of the Ferris wheel at the center of the chaos. Her heart hammered in her chest again - it never seemed to know how to act when she was around him. It definitely had a mind of its own.

She looked down at his arm, watching his slender fingers rub against each other aimlessly. If she were to do something, now would be the perfect moment. Her arm twitched in hesitation, and she lifted it from her side and dropped it back down multiple times. It probably looked foolish on the outside. 

Come on, Lili. It's now or never.

With a sudden surge of confidence, she reached forward and grabbed his hand, lacing her fingers with his. His skin was warm against hers, and her entire hand was on fire from the contact. Her fingers were tingling with delight. Immediately, he paused in his footsteps and looked down at her with wide, shocked eyes as if he couldn't believe what was happening. She swallowed, heart beating so fast she was afraid it would break a hole in her ribs.

She looked up at him and their eyes met. The chaos seemed to freeze around them.

"Is this okay?" she asked nervously. It had taken him so long to react that she was beginning to regret her decision. 

Oh, fuck. This wasn't what he wanted. No, no, no. 

Niall looked down at their connected hands like he was seeing them for the first time. His thumb grazed the skin of her hand gently twice, and Lili's knees weakened. The touch sent shivers down her spine and her legs. He looked back up at her with the sweetest smile.

"It's perfect."

She smiled, relieved, and they continued down the boardwalk hand in hand. She looked away from him and exhaled, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her chest. Niall's hand was significantly larger than hers, yet they fit together like two of the world's most perfect puzzle pieces. As if they were meant to hold hands for the rest of their lives.

In that split second, she wondered how she'd gone the first 24 years of her life without holding his hand. It was meant to be. Lili couldn't stop smiling as they moved together; her cheeks were getting stiff, but she was finding it near impossible to stop. How could she, when she was so happy that words couldn't describe it?

God, she was so fucking thankful that she'd taken the leap. And that she landed on her feet. 

Niall gripped her hand tightly as they weaved through the throngs of people walking along the boardwalk, making sure he didn't lose her in the crowd. Her hand was still tingling where it was connected with his. The feeling was euphoric. 

They reached a thinning pocket within the crowd that allowed them to stroll at a more leisurely pace. Lili took a deep breath of the salty air around her.

"So, where does tonight rank on your all-time date list thus far?" Niall asked in a light tone. He was grinning down at her. 

Lili scoffed and looked away, suddenly very interested in the way her shoes scraped against the wood. There was a nice pattern ingrained in the planks making up the boardwalk. She tried to think of what to say that wouldn't make her look like a loser.

"That answer would require a list to begin with," she finally said. Her face flushed with shame.

She bravely looked at Niall, who stared back at her with a confused look on his face. He'd definitely been expecting a completely different answer. 

"I've only been in one relationship, which happened in my first year of college. It wasn't necessarily...great. We didn't go on dates, which was fine, I guess. I never really went on dates before that, either. This is actually the first date I've been on since that relationship ended."

Niall was silent for a few moments as they continued walking straight ahead. She cleared her throat. 

"Well, it's not the first, per se, but it's the first one that really matters." She was blushing again. Her face felt hot in the evening breeze. When he looked at her again, he was smiling the most breathtaking smile Lili had ever seen.

"That's a story for a different time, then."

Lili nodded, relieved that he wasn't judging her. Maybe he still thought she was a loser but did an impeccable job at not showing it. 

"Care to watch the rest of the sunset?" he asked; Lili was grateful for the change in subject. She nodded again and allowed Niall to pull her off to the side.

They stood along the railing of the boardwalk, overlooking the water. The sun was almost completely set, dark red and orange hues dancing along the surface of the water. It was the most gorgeous painting Mother Nature could create.

Lili watched the small waves lapping against the sand. The people walking along the shore left footprints behind them that were immediately washed away by the tide, leaving the sand completely untouched. She took another deep breath, inhaling the scent of salt and sand, and was instantly comforted. She felt totally at peace, and having Niall by her side made it even better.

This moment was straight out of a movie. It felt surreal that she was the one it was happening to. What did she do to deserve such perfection? This kind of stuff didn't happen to her. She turned to look at him; he was watching her, a serene look on his face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, suddenly shy. She lifted her free hand to face and covered her mouth and chin, something she did when she felt self conscious. Niall squeezed her hand and shrugged.

"Nothing's wrong. You're just so beautiful, it's insane," he said. She flushed deeply, and he chuckled. He took a step closer to her. She turned to face him, leaning her side against the railing, and looked up at him. This was the closest she had ever been to him and it was intoxicating. The gentle breeze picked up the scent of his aftershave and blew it in her direction, making Lili's mouth water.

His eyes were dark from the size his pupils had grown to. Niall was breathing heavily as he analyzed her face, chest rising and falling rapidly. He was nervous about something. Lili could tell by the way he licked his lips and cleared his throat before he spoke. His voice was quiet. 

"Can I kiss you?"

Lili's breath hitched in her throat, and she could no longer get her lungs to function. Her mouth opened slightly in shock, eyes doing the same. That was the last thing she expected him to say. Her hands began to sweat and she prayed that he couldn't feel it. Her heart rate had tripled in a second. She pressed her lips together and nodded quickly. Holy fuck. 

Niall glanced down at her lips and swallowed nervously, stepping forward again until their chests were pressed together. He brought his free hand up to her cheek and cupped it softly, thumb grazing the skin in the same manner it had on her hand. His eyes dropped to her lips, Lili raised her chin slightly, and they closed the gap between their lips. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Every square inch of her skin, every fiber of her being was alight as his lips pressed against hers. She nearly gasped at the initial contact, feeling the soft pillows of his lips touch hers ever so delicately, caressing them with his own. He paused to give her a moment to get comfortable, and she felt her chest burn as she courageously kissed him back.

He smiled against her lips, and her heart fluttered again. It had been years since she had been kissed, sure, but no one had ever kissed her like this - so softly, and with so much care and patience. This had to be a dream. Surely, she would pinch herself and suddenly be lying in her bed with her face pressed into the pillow. The feeling she had in her heart right now was indescribable. She melted into him, putting more weight onto his body as she relaxed into the kiss.

Niall quickly pulled away from Lili, licking his lips, before diving back down to capture her mouth against his. He seemed hungrier, as if he knew she'd be okay if he wasn't as gentle. He kept their hands connected between them but took his other arm and wrapped it around the small of her back to pull her in close as he deepened the kiss. He tilted his head slightly to the side, giving her more room to get comfortable, and she could feel his long eyelashes flutter along her skin, making her shudder.

Niall awkwardly stepped forward, putting his foot between hers, causing Lili to turn until her back was pressed against the railing they had just been looking over. As the kiss deepened further, Lili raised her free arm up and wrapped it around Niall's neck, placing her open palm flat against it, fingertips grazing over his hairline. She felt him shudder at her touch, and it was now her turn to smile into the kiss.

Niall's tongue swiped across hers in a gentle fashion - it was more passionate than it was seductive. There was still a level of respect that he clearly wanted to maintain. She allowed him to continue, legs and arms weak at the way his lips moved expertly along hers. Time seemed to stop as they kissed; the crowd on the boardwalk had dissolved, and the sounds of the world around them seemed to have disappeared. 

It was just the two of them, lost in a world of their own, and Lili wouldn't have wanted anything else in that moment. She couldn't fucking care less if people were staring.

She raised herself up onto her toes, tilting her head opposite from Niall's. His hand dropped from her cheek to her neck, and her pulse drummed against her skin, beating along his fingertips. They kissed for what could have been hours - Lili had no idea, she was so lost in his touch.

After some time, Niall pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers. They were panting heavily into each other, trying to catch their breaths. She was deliciously dizzy.

Niall's face was turning red and his perfect pink lips were slightly swollen, and she could almost guarantee she looked the same. They both smiled awkwardly, heads still pressed together, and Lili revelled in the warmth radiating off Niall's body as she remained partially wrapped in his arms.

He lifted his head placed his lips softly to her forehead, letting them linger against her warm skin for a moment. How her knees didn't give out at that point, she wasn't sure. He pulled away and looked into her eyes, before turning his head down as his face flushed, still smiling like an idiot. Her head was spinning, and she could still feel the imprint of his lips on her own. If there was a permanent scar there, she wouldn't be surprised in the slightest. 

Niall laughed through his nose and brought his eyes back up to Lili's.

"Been waiting a while for that, haven't you?" she teased, still breathless. It wasn't like she hadn't been waiting, either. He laughed, the sound a mixture of joy and relief.

"You have no idea." His face was bright red, but his smile was confident and his eyes were clear.

Lili chewed the inside of her lip as she watched him. His breathing had slowed and he was calm, but there was a slightly more assured aura around him. As if his confidence had returned to 110%. He had been cool and collected the entire night, but post-kiss Niall looked as if a large weight had been lifted off his shoulders that even he hadn't noticed was there. The idea that he could have been incredibly nervous over the possibility of kissing her made Lili's own confidence surge. It was odd, but it felt good knowing he wanted it as bad as she did. At least now she knew for sure that they were both on the same level. It sucked that it took her that long to understand, but at least she'd gotten there. Right answer, wrong formula.

She squeezed his hand as she pushed herself off the railing.

"Let's go play some games," she said, walking ahead and pulling him along. He didn't resist, allowing her to tug him through the crowds towards the game booths the way he'd done to her minutes ago.

Lili's step was lighter, and something was different in the air around them as they walked together. She could pinpoint the exact moment during the kiss where all her nerves disappeared, instead replaced by confidence and excitement.

It felt good not having to overthink the entire night. If he'd made her wait until he brought her home to kiss her - or if he hadn't even done it at all - her head probably would have exploded. That would have been as dead a giveaway as any that he wasn't feeling the date as much as she was. But - thank god - that wasn't an issue anymore. 

She approached the bottle toss table and stopped abruptly, turning on her heel to face Niall. He looked down at her expectantly, the ghost of a smile playing on his lips. He was so patient with her.

"This one first," she said firmly.

He nodded sharply once and looked over at the booth. Lili opened her purse and managed to find a $5 bill to hand to the operator before Niall could object to her paying. It was her turn, anyway. The young operator directed them to a free station, explaining that in order to win a prize, they had to knock all ten bottles in the pile. Knocking down at least six out of the ten would result in a medium-sized prize, and a large prize would be rewarded for discarding all 10 bottles.

"I'm playing," Niall announced, swiftly stepping around Lili to grab the ball from the operator. He turned and looked down at her, making her stomach flip.

"Let's make a deal. If I win something, you have to kiss me." There was a bit of cockiness in his tone when he spoke and, yes, it was incredibly sexy.  

Lili smirked. "And if you lose?" 

He shrugged. "You'll have to kiss me." 

Lili laughed loudly. "So either way, you win?" she asked. Niall nodded, scrunching his nose as he smiled. God, he was beautiful.

Lili gestured towards the bottles and took a step to the side. "Alright then, Horan. Show me what you've got."

Niall winked at her before turning to face the target and steadying himself, sliding his feet shoulder-width apart and taking a deep breath. The smile left his face as he concentrated on his target. He wound his arm up like a baseball pitcher from the '80s, lifting his knee up to his chest, and threw. The ball hit the first row of the tower, knocking down the top two bottles and one from the middle row.

"Two more tries," the operator said, handing Niall another ball.

He wound up again, tossed, and missed completely. Lili raised her hand to her mouth to stifle her laughter, and Niall shot her a look as if to say 'give me a break'. She held up her hands dismissively. "Last try, dude," said the operator. He probably wasn't even 21 years old, and was clearly over this job. He couldn't have looked more bored if he tried.

Niall took the ball and held it out towards Lili. "Give me good luck," he said, looking away and closing his eyes dramatically.

Lili laughed and wrapped her hands around his, shaking the ball like a saltshaker and blowing on his hands, before pushing his hands back towards him. She wasn't sure what she was doing, but that was something that girls did in casinos, so she figured, why not?

Niall took more time during this shot, eyes darting back and forth between each bottle as he fiddled with the ball in his hand. He eliminated the wind up on this toss and just threw the ball. It hit square in the middle of the tower, knocking down all but two bottles. He threw his head back in frustration, but the sound of Lili's faint applause made him smile once again.

"Good try, anyway," Lili said, leaning up on her toes and planting a soft kiss on his lips.

If this was how it was going to be moving forward, where she could kiss him whenever and wherever she wanted, Lili was going to take advantage of it as many times as she could. He blushed at the kiss.

"Thank you." He turned and gestured to the top of the booth, where all the prizes were hanging. "See anything you like?"

Lili glanced up at the toys, scanning them, until one particular one in the corner caught her eye. She got the attention of the booth operator, pointing and asking for that toy.

He reached up and pulled down a neon pink elephant. It was about the size of a Build-A-Bear and was plush and soft. Its ears flopped down the side of its head, and the long, adorable trunk stuck far out from its body. It was the cutest thing Lili had ever seen, and she cuddled it to her chest, feeling a sense of comfort from it. Her inner child could not have been happier.

Niall was smiling at her, nose still scrunched adorably.

"What should I name him?" Lili asked, as they continued their walk through the busy carnival. Niall had taken her hand again, lacing their fingers together in perfect form. He contemplated for a second.

"Pig," Niall answered firmly. Lili giggled.

"Alright then. Pig the elephant."

She looked up at Niall; he was still wearing that perfect, joyous smile on his face. Her heart went crazy again.

They continued walking, admiring the sights and sounds of Venice Beach. They walked past the tilt-a-whirl, where the line was so long that they couldn't even see the end of it.

Just to their left, a dad had just won a huge replica of Toad from Super Mario for his son at the ring toss, who was so excited to have it that he nearly tripped over his own two feet to grab it. The toy was practically double his size, and the smile on his face was unreal.

They continued further, until they came across the bumper cars. There was no line, and only two other people already in the cars. Lili looked over at Niall, who had the same gleam in his eye that he had when he'd asked her on this date.

"You want to go, don't you?" he asked coolly. Lili looked at the cars, then back at Niall, and nodded emphatically. He laughed. "Alright, then. Anything for you." Her heart skipped.

Lili smiled and ran up the ramp towards the entrance. There was someone sitting at the gate they had to go through.

"Two tickets each, please," the girl on the stool said. Lili's face fell. She forgot that you needed tickets to ride anything here. She felt her lips pulling into a frown.

"I'm sorry, I don't have any-"

"Here you go," Niall said from behind. His arm had appeared beside Lili head, outstretched and holding four ride tickets. What in the world? Lili whipped her head around to stare at him, astonished.

"When did you buy those?" she asked incredulously. They had been together the whole time - he never left her side once. Had she not been paying close enough attention?

Niall grinned down at her as the attendant took the tickets, placed them in a little jar beside her feet, and opened the gate.

"I came down here this afternoon and bought a few just in case." He shrugged, shoving one hand in his pocket as he gestured for her to walk. "They were pretty cheap, so if we didn't get on any of the rides, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal."

She stared at him, open-mouthed. He was constantly surprising her. She wanted to reach up and kiss him, but wasn't sure if that would be weird. A casual kiss like that was more of a girlfriend thing to do. Instead, she smiled, and her nose scrunched up tight. Probably to prevent the stupid tears that wanted to fall.

"Thank you. That was so thoughtful." He flashed her a lopsided grin.

"It's no big deal." He reached down for her hand. "Now, come on. Let's see who the better driver is."

She took his hand and allowed him to whisk her away towards the cubbies, where she dropped her purse and the elephant to free up her hands. Niall rubbed his hands together excitedly as he looked out at the floor. There were about ten cars total, only two of them currently in use. Two teenagers were driving around and smacking into each other.

As Lili and Niall walked over to get into cars, three more teenagers were coming up the ramp and joining the two already bumping around. More people made bumper cars that much more fun, anyway.

Niall jumped into a red car and settled into the seat, so Lili hopped into the yellow one behind him. She pulled the seatbelt tightly over her hips and watched as Niall did the same.

He turned to look at her and winked mischievously. A countdown began playing over the loudspeaker above them and the other teenagers had stopped moving, waiting for the go-ahead. Lili's fingers drummed impatiently against the steering wheel as she waited. 

An air horn sounded, and Lili immediately accelerated right into the back of Niall's car. She snickered as he flew forwards, shaking his head. He was grinning, without a doubt. She managed to turn the wheel enough to accelerate until she was pulling up beside him.

"Sorry, darling," she quipped, sticking her tongue out at him as she tried to drive ahead. She could hear him laughing behind her, and while she was concentrating on driving in a straight line, something collided into the back of her car, sending her flying forwards in her seat.

She shrieked with laughter as she pulled the steering wheel all the way to the left in an attempt to turn in a circle. Niall was behind her, shaking with laughter.

"Not so fun, is it?" he exclaimed. She shook her head as she laughed.

They went back and forth that way for quite a while, finding different ways to crash into each other at both ends of the floor. Lili bumped into the teenagers multiple times, too, and apologized through raucous laughter.

She looked across the floor; Niall was far away from her, trying to turn his car around. She smirked and accelerated forward, feeling her hair blowing softly off of her shoulders as she reached the maximum speed. Niall had only just turned around before she came barrelling towards him, smacking the front of his car and bumping him backwards into the wall. His hands flew up as he was tossed back, and when he finally steadied himself, he looked towards the sky and laughed heartily.

Lili's heart skipped to her throat.

"You good?" she asked after a minute. He tilted his head back down to look at her, nodding.

They only had a few minutes left to ride, so they spent the rest of the time chasing each other around. Lili's throat was raw with laughter. It was the most fun she'd had in a long fucking time. She felt so much joy in that moment that she didn't want it to end. But the cars slowed to a stop as they automatically powered down, and she sighed as she stood from the car, stretching the muscles in her legs.

Niall was on the opposite end of the floor, so she strode over to the exit to wait for him. She leaned back against the cubbies, crossing one ankle over the other calmly. He hopped out of his car and, pulling on his blue shirt to smooth it into place, walked over to her. The sight of his muscular frame coming towards her made her knees weak.

"You know what, that was fun. I've never done that before," Niall said, as he reached into the cubby and grabbed her belongings. She looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"You've never ridden in bumper cars before?" He shook his head as he handed her stuff back to her.

"Nope. Never actually been to a fair like this before."

Again, very surprising considering he lived here majority of the year. 

"There's a first time for everything, then," Lili said, walking backwards down the exit ramp. He smiled as he followed her.

"Well, thank God it was with you."

She flushed, turning away from him with a smile on her face. He jogged to catch up to her and laced his fingers with hers before they slowed down, strolling along the concrete once again.

It was so strange to be holding his hand, even if it felt extremely right. The whole night had been bizarre. It felt like she was someone else wearing a Lili costume because there was no way this was meant for her. 

The elephant was tucked carefully under her free arm, the stars were out in full force above them, and Lili wanted nothing more than to sit there with Niall all night and stare at them. But, eventually, it was time for them to leave. The game booths were beginning to shut down, and concessions were slowly closing, no longer offering food or drinks. Lili didn't want to leave, because it meant their perfect night had to end. But she couldn't be happier with how it had gone.

They strolled back to the car through the thinning crowd, finding the car parked in the now empty lot.

The entire ride home, Lili held Niall's hand. It seemed as if he was even less interested in letting go than she was. He stretched his arm over the middle console to make it easier for the both of them. She cradled his hand with both of hers, caressing the skin with her thumb the way he had done to her earlier. The feeling was surreal. A month ago, she could only dream about this. Now it was reality, and she didn't know how to handle it. 

Every time she looked over at him driving, a soft smile was plastered on his face. He looked so peaceful.

When he finally pulled into her driveway, a sudden overwhelming wave of sadness washed over Lili. It was so hard leaving him after the night they just had together. The mood in the car visibly dimmed. He put the car in park and looked over; that same sad expression was staring back at her.

"Tonight was..." Niall started, trailing off as he gazed into Lili's eyes.

"Perfect," she finished. He smiled, nodding.

"Absolutely perfect." He swallowed. "I wish you didn't have to go home."

"Me too," she whispered. It made her heart hurt knowing they had no choice but to part for the night. She squeezed his hand. "Walk me to the door?"

He nodded and shut the car off, pushing his door open to jump down to the driveway. Lili did the same, turning back towards the car to pull her purse over her shoulder, pick up her elephant, and grab her flowers. Niall was there to close the door behind her, and his shoulder bumped playfully into hers as they walked to the front door. She couldn't help but giggle. They approached the door, Lili's heart slowly sinking. She didn't want to watch him leave.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, then?" she asked hopefully. He nodded; a heavy feeling settled in her chest.

They gazed at each other longingly - it was nearly impossible for her to muster the strength to walk inside her house. Lili exhaled shakily and leaned up on her toes, pressing her lips against Niall's once again. He instinctively reached one hand up and placed it delicately along the side of her neck, using it to guide their heads, lips moving together in perfect rhythm. This kiss was less hesitant than the first one - as if they'd been kissing for years and knew just what the other person wanted.

How desperately she wished she could hold onto him and stay there forever, her lips never leaving his.

It took incredible strength from both parties to pull out of the kiss. Niall pulled his head back and left a small kiss at the tip of her nose, before pulling away so they could catch their breath again.

"Fuck me, I don't think I'll ever get used to that," he said, licking his lips, as if to taste her again. He laughed gently.

Lili swallowed and nodded in agreement. Her eyes drifted over to the window at the front of the house, and she also couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh god, I hope no one's sitting in the living room." Her face flushed at the idea, and she dropped her forehead against his chest as they both laughed. Her chuckle turned into a sigh, and she pulled her head back to look at him again. "Goodnight, Horan," she said, eyes dropping to his lips once more, before she reached inside her purse for her keys.

He watched her intensely, a sad smile on his face from the prospect of watching her leave.

"Goodnight, gorgeous." 

Lili turned and shoved the key in the lock. When she pushed the door open, she took one last look at him. He smiled, waiting until she was inside and closing the door behind her to turn and walk back to the car. An emptiness settled in her chest in his absence as the dark foyer enveloped her. She never wanted to be away from him.

However, she couldn't stop smiling as she reminisced on the night while getting ready for bed. After changing into comfy clothes, washing her face and brushing her teeth, she settled under her covers, checking her phone one last time before shutting her eyes. She had a message from Niall, and her heart raced excitedly just seeing his name on her screen.

Niall Horan: sleep well tonight, darling. can't thank you enough for making tonight so amazing. you don't know how much i'm looking forward to seeing you as soon as i can

She smiled so hard at his message that she had to bury her face in her pillow, as if she was embarrassed at how goofy she looked even though no one could see. The whole day had been so surreal; she didn't know what she did to deserve the treatment she received from him. He was so unbelievably good to her. Every plan he'd had for the night was thoughtful and considerate. He truly wanted her to have the best time ever.

If there was one thing she could confidently take away from the night, it was the fact that Niall Horan was definitely as crazy about her as she was about him. And there was no greater feeling in the world at that moment.

She sent him a cute, cheesy response back, and placed her phone on the nightstand beside her, settling her head onto her pillow, the pink elephant clutched tightly against her chest as she slowly slipped into unconsciousness.

Chapter Text

~ mood of the chapter is Beneath Your Beautiful by Labrinth feat. Emeli Sandé

Their date was, hands down, one of the best nights Lili had ever had in her entire life. There had been something hanging in the air between the two of them when Niall first picked her up that she couldn't quite explain with words. It was a cosmic energy of sorts that grew stronger and stronger as the night wore on.

She'd been on very few dates in her lifetime but this had to be at the top of the list. Actually, at this point, there wasn't even a list anymore. It was this date and nothing else. It was more special to her than any first date had ever been. Niall had planned the entire night for her, showing just how much he cared with how much effort he'd put into each decision.

Something as small as buying the ride tickets ahead of time, just in case, was so thoughtful. It was like he knew how to make her smile without even trying. He was somehow so in tune with the things she liked and wanted; as if he knew her better than she knew herself. Taking her to the boardwalk, one of her favourite places in the state, without even the slightest inkling that she'd been longing to go there again?

Either it was a completely lucky guess, or he could read her mind. There was no other explanation. And, honestly, she wouldn't put the ability to read minds past him. 

She was so happy with the outcome of the date. Looking back, it's obvious she had been nervous for nothing. Maybe she'd been concerned that things wouldn't go well, and she had every right to. Bad experiences can make a person fear the good ones that come later on. It's only natural and much harder to avoid than people realize. And with her track record, the odds of this date turning into a horror movie were, in her mind, much higher than the odds of it ending like a fairy tale.

But now, she realized that the anxiety was absolutely unnecessary. Niall had treated her like a queen the entire night, being nothing but kind, gentle, and respectful. He listened, showed her that he cared for and valued her feelings and opinions, and made it clear that he wanted them both to have a good time. That first date with Niall was one of the few times where she fully felt respected and cared for by another person.

From the moment she had opened her eyes the next morning before work, the only thing Lili could think of was him. He, and the memory of their date, were taking up ever corner of space in her mind.

The pink glow in his cheeks when he smiled; the way he looked at her like she was the only person in the world. His eyes always seemed to shine a little bit brighter when he was looking at her. The way his hand felt in hers, and how perfectly his palm seemed to mold to her own. As if they were meant to hold each other forever.

And their kiss...it took Lili's breath away just thinking about it. Every time the memory of his lips against hers crossed her mind, she felt an unfamiliar nervous ball of excited energy building in the pit of her stomach. Adrenaline would begin to course through her veins, enough to make her fingers and toes go numb. The shape of his lips was now permanently burned into hers.

He'd kissed her so passionately, yet so gently, using extreme care with every press of his lips against hers. It was clear he'd wanted the moment to be absolutely perfect for her in every aspect, and it was. No kiss could ever compare to that.

And the way he'd asked if he could kiss her rather than jumping right into it was incredibly sweet. He was so nervous about it; almost as if he didn't think she'd actually say yes. But he asked if it was alright, knowing how intimate the moment would be. She had been holding his hand but he obviously picked up on the guard she still had up. He could see right through it, though, and wanted to send the message that this kiss was just as important to him.

When he stepped up to kiss her, it was like the whole planet died away. There was no civilization or lights or music around them anymore. It was just the two of them, spinning through the stars and the galaxy as they held each other, kissing the oxygen back into the others' lungs. Lili had never understood how something could possibly be truly breathtaking until that very moment.

She had already been at work for a few hours now but found herself needing to constantly step away from whatever task she was doing just to clear her mind and take a fucking break. The brain fog was real. Memories of a flawless first date made her physically ache to be with him again, to see him again. To feel the warmth of his body next to hers, and hear that angelic laugh one more time.

She knew she would have a pretty good chance considering they would both be at the club at the same time, but it didn't make longing for him any easier. He was a powerful drug that had worked its way into her system and gotten her addicted to the high. Withdrawal from him was horrid.

She knew from the moment they first met that she would be completely infatuated by him; there was no avoiding it. The crush developed almost immediately. But she didn't think she would be spiralling towards falling in love so quickly. And she knew it was happening because of the way her mind and body both reacted to the mere idea of him.

She would think of him and the sound of his laugh and her heart rate would triple. A tremendous smile would immediately stretch across her face. That laugh always caused a happy warmth to bloom in her chest like a fantastic rose.

The thought of his lips on hers set every vein, muscle, and nerve in her body on fire, blinding her vision and causing her to see stars. His kisses could easily breathe her back to life. He consumed every inch of her. Every thought - every breath - belonged to him. She'd give him the world if he asked for it.

It was crazy how she couldn't bear to be away from him. Even after spending 24 hours with him, Lili would still miss him painfully the second he was out of her sight. His presence was just so...calming? She always felt grounded when she was near him. He did a good job at making her feel safe and secure, which was rare.

Of course, it would take a while for her to trust him completely, and to let him in fully, but the risk was worth it. He was worth it. It was all happening so fast. From one moment to the next, it felt like they were jumping through time. Lili was getting whiplash from the constant sudden movements. 

She was almost certain that, from his end of the spectrum, things were unfolding in nearly the same fashion. From what she could tell, much of what she was experiencing was happening for him, too. She didn't know very much about his dating history, but from what she'd been able to piece together, he hadn't had the best time, either.

There was something in his eyes that told her he was struggling just as much as she was. Every time he hesitated slightly to do or say certain things, it made her a bit nervous. It could be because of his past.

But there was also a little voice in the back of her head telling her that this wasn't what he wanted. Shutting that voice up and living in the moment was a lot harder than Lili realized, but it was worth it. It was terrifying and wonderful, all at the same time. Facing your fears could be the most horrifyingly liberating experience in the world.

Lili had been finished with her regular route on the course for over an hour and was now in the parlour filling out some order forms for her supervisor. The melody of 'Faithfully' had been playing over and over in her head since she'd heard it in Niall's car, and she found herself humming it quietly under her breath.  The parlour was empty and silent, and Lili hoped to get away with doing nothing for the rest of the day, when movement outside the window caught her attention. She lifted her head to look out into the sunlight.

She had to squint to see clearly through the bright rays, but there seemed to be an angel heading towards her, looking like the picture of perfection in navy blue shorts and a black polo shirt. The sunlight bounced delicately off his smooth, golden skin, creating an almost halo-like effect around his body, and the image could not have been more fitting for the moment. He was truly, truly beautiful.

Lili's palms began to sweat furiously and her heart drummed a ferocious beat in her chest as she watched him approach, the distance between him and the door quickly closing with every long stride of his legs. The pen she had been holding was slipping from her sweaty grip, so she dropped it on the counter, wiped her hands on her skirt, and retrieved it again.

Niall looked through the clear windows of the parlour, trying to avoid the glare of the sun against the glass, as if searching for something that had gone missing. His eyes darted back and forth between either side of the room.

She wanted to pretend like she hadn't seen him, but it was too hard to draw her gaze from the window. It was just impossible not to stare or admire him from a distance. That would probably get her in trouble in the future, but who cares.

The moment his eyes landed on her, he smiled, sending Lili's brain into a frenzy. Breathing suddenly became difficult. She smiled back at him and practically skipped around to the front of the counter as he pulled the door open and stepped into the cool air. There was a thin sheen of sweat along his face and neck from the heat; Lili dug her fingernails deep into her palms as the sight made her momentarily dizzy.

"Hey, gorgeous," Niall said, letting the door slowly swing shut behind him. They were now trapped in the room, just the two of them. The air was suddenly thick with tension. That familiar blush crept up her neck and along her cheeks at his use of the word.

"Haven't seen you in a while," she teased, chest heaving as his long strides picked up again and he closed the gap between them. She leaned her back against the counter, crossing her ankles, and watched him. She loved the way his hips moved so fluidly when he walked. No doubt he knew exactly how to use them...

Lili shook the nasty thought from her brain and looked up at him, tilting her head slightly to the side as she gazed into his eyes. She could think about that kind of thing when he wasn't right in front of her.

He was just a foot away and she could smell that enticingly familiar mix of cologne and sweat dancing off his skin. A thick wave of heat crashed over her, and she subtly took a deep breath, hoping it would calm her. She was desperate to just reach out and grip his shirt, pull him in close, and dig her fingers into his hair while she kissed him. Her fingers ached to feel him again and her lips stung with need. But she hesitated.

She wasn't sure if it would even be appropriate to hug him, let alone do something like that out of the blue. If he were her boyfriend, maybe then it would be acceptable. But one date doesn't automatically give her permission to do anything of the sort, and she needed to relax before losing her mind completely. It took all of her strength not to hold out her hand for a fist bump or something stupid like that.

Niall looked down at her, smiling that delicious smile, and Lili was grateful that she had the support of the granite counter holding her up. His smile always seemed to wipe her mind clear of any coherent thoughts. His eyes looked miraculous today.

"So, about last night," he started. His voice was steady. "I just wanted to make sure you had a good time." He fiddled with his fingers as he spoke, and Lili could only hope it was because he was also hesitant to touch her. 

She nodded emphatically. "I did. Honestly, it was the best night of my life." 

Looking down at his side, she decided to just go for it. She reached out, watching her fingers tremble as she brushed them against his hand. The electric current running through her fingertips was strong enough to make her toes curl. He scrunched his nose adorably and opened his hand, allowing her to slip her fingers through his. Her hand was home again. He swung their connected hands back and forth in the limited space between their bodies. Her heart was on fire.

"I'm really glad you asked me to go out." 

He looked down at her, smiling. It was a closed mouth smile, one corner of his mouth pulled up slightly higher than the other. It was shy and adorable.

"Well, asking you out was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Not to sound overconfident or anything," he said in a light, joking voice, making Lili giggle. But then his eyes changed a bit – there was that guard again.

"You know, I thought about it for a long time before I actually asked." His voice was more serious now.

Lili tilted her head further to the side. "Why's that?"

He swallowed, looking down at their connected hands, before back up to her eyes. His cheeks were red. "I was nervous. I didn't know if it was something you wanted, so I had to wait until I knew for sure." 

Hearing him say he was nervous was enough to send her spiralling, but Lili pretended it didn't affect her. That might actually make him feel worse. He watched her carefully as he waited for a response. She rolled her shoulders back slightly, fixing her posture. 

"When did you originally want to ask?" Could he hear the shakiness in her voice? If he did, he pretended not to.

"The day I found you on social media," he said quickly, a shy smile playing on his lips. She could feel a blush blooming in her cheeks again.

Damn it.

She shook her head slightly and matched the smile. "I would have been good to go whenever you asked me." 

It was true. She was ready to do absolutely anything for him after they spoke for a few seconds that very first day she saw him. His smile grew more genuine, and he looked relieved.

"That's good to know, then," he said. He paused suddenly, and the smile on his face faltered just a bit. His body tensed up. "Actually, I did want to say, though...I'm sorry if the kiss was too much last night."

Lili furrowed her brow, pulling her head back slightly so she could see his entire face. Was that regret in his eyes? Did he think it was horrible and never wanted to experience that again? Why was he apologizing? Oh god... Her heart was starting to beat faster for all the wrong reasons now. Just when she thought things were going well, here he was, knocking down everything they'd built. Her castle in the sky was now a mountain of ash on the ground.

"I know I kind of got carried away, and we've only just met or started talking or whatever you want to call it." He swallowed. "It's just...I've been wanting to kiss you so badly for so long, and when you let me, I kind of lost myself for a second. I hope I didn't go too far."

With his free hand he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, keeping his head down to avoid looking her in the eye.

Forming words was suddenly an impossible task. Lili's mouth was open slightly, and she couldn't even really think. The only emotion she could process was relief. She'd fully been expecting him to say something completely different. In some strange, selfish way, she loved how nervous he was talking about this. She appreciated that he cared so much about her personal boundaries, even if he didn't know what they were. It was cute and she fucking loved it. Again, it was yet another gesture that showed how much he cared for her.

Maybe she didn't have to be so worried about the future, after all. She squeezed his hand to get his attention, forcing him to look at her again.

"Believe me, it wasn't too much. If I was uncomfortable, I would have pulled away." She shrugged nonchalantly. "In fact, if you wanted to do it again, I mean, I wouldn't be opposed."

Niall laughed through his nose and his face relaxed, bringing back that beautifully calm expression he wore so well. It seemed like he was genuinely contemplating it. Lili looked at him through her lashes and he shook his head subtly, before leaning in and pressing his lips against hers softly. The fireworks from the previous night were exploding again as their mouths met.

His free hand came up to rest gently on the small of her back, pull her slightly forward so their chests were touching. Her heart was beating so damn fast. She brought her own free hand up to his face and placed it gently on his cheek as he pressed his lips to hers multiple times, making her giggle again. She brushed her thumb back and forth on his cheek, the way he had done when he held her hand, and she could feel him smiling into the kiss.

He pulled back to look at her, tilting his head to the side to press his face further into her palm. She nearly melted. Keeping his fingers laced tightly with hers, Niall took a step back. He laughed breathlessly.

"You're going to kill me one day with those lips, I just know it," he said.

Her stomach flipped. She had to lock her knees to prevent them from buckling under the weight of his gaze.

"Stop trying to get me worked up, Horan. I am at work, you know." she teased confidently. He laughed, and the sound echoed happily along the empty walls. Absolutely, gorgeously symphonic.

She had no idea how they'd gone from strangers to basically a couple with incredible banter in a matter of weeks, but she wouldn't change it for the world. It was terrifying to see how quickly they were moving, though. Her fears were playing right at the surface, threatening to break free, but she really had to force herself to let things play out naturally. If she worried so much over how this could possibly end, when she was barely in the beginning of it, it would ruin this completely for the both of them.

She smiled what had to be a stupid, cheesy smile as she watched him laugh.

"Alright, darling," he said, sighing. "I've got to head back. I told Evan I needed the toilet so I could get away to see you. Any longer and he'll start thinking horrible things about what I'm doing." 

Lili couldn't help but laugh. He pressed a soft kiss to the outside of Lili's hand, before breaking their fingers apart. "I'll talk to you later."

"Tell Evan I say hi," she said, as she walked him to the door. He nodded curtly in response, before pushing the door open and stepping back outside.

Lili remained in the doorway for a minute, letting the sun wash over her. Niall looked over his shoulder as he headed down the path, a smile still stretched across his cheeks. She remained in that spot, watching his beautiful form disappear behind the plush, rolling green hills of the course. A few moments after she could no longer see him, she turned back inside the parlour and let the door close behind her as she practically floated over to the counter.

She chewed on the cuticle of her thumb as she smiled at the ground; she was stupidly, idiotically crazy about Niall Horan. Feelings were crazy. And stupid. And wonderful.

She returned to the paperwork she had been doing and continued to write from where she left off. Her brain was fuzzy and distracted, and when she brought herself back to reality, her eyes widened in horror at the realization that she had drawn hearts all along the margins of the rather important papers she needed to hand in to her boss.

What a disaster. Sure, it seemed like a juvenile, schoolgirl crush, but it had been a long time since she allowed herself to feel this way about another person, and she had to admit that it felt good.

Lili scratched out the hearts with white correction tape and carried on as professionally as she could.

***

Over the next two days, Lili barely heard from or saw Niall. They had gone from texting constantly before their date to sending maybe one or two brief messages every now and then. At first, she thought nothing of it. She knew his training schedule was going to pick up once the calendar flipped to April because he told her that the very first day they spoke online. It wasn't really a big deal.

He was an incredibly hard worker, and she understood that he, rightfully so, had business to take care of that he prioritized over her. It would be wrong to expect him to reorganize his entire life just to fit her in it. He had too many other things to worry about.

But after two full days of not talking, then three days, she began to worry. He would still say good morning when he woke up but then she would go hours without hearing from him. Practically the whole day would pass before he responded to her. And when he did say something, his messages were short and to the point and would mostly consist of him saying 'sorry, been busy' before disappearing again for another few hours.

He was being cold and aloof, and it was really upsetting. Why had his entire personality completely changed in 48 hours? What happened to the cute, flirty guy she hung out with that was clearly interested in her as more than friends?

Lili found herself staring at her phone multiple times a day, hoping for a message that would set everything back on the right path. Just one 'darling' or 'gorgeous' to make her feel better. Those stupid words had grown on her, and now not seeing or hearing them every day made her feel sad.

She was stressing too much over this, trying to analyze what could have possibly happened during their last interaction that made him change his mind. Every single second was replayed, every message re-read at least three times over. There had to be something there. Evidence as to why he had suddenly disappeared from her life. She had to be missing something, right?

Lili was desperate to ask him what was wrong or if something had happened, but didn't want to seem clingy. Again, he wasn't her boyfriend, so she had no right to question his behaviour. There was no place for her to ask anything of him. The last thing she wanted was to upset him by questioning his behaviour or whereabouts.

Looking at it from his angle, she would probably be upset if she was already getting those kinds of messages from someone she'd gone out with once. The best thing she could do was to let it all play out and have him come to her - but how long could that possibly take?

What had happened that made him suddenly start behaving this way? Was he realizing that maybe they actually were moving too fast, and he wasn't as cool with it as he presented himself to be? Could it be that their date actually wasn't as perfect as Lili perceived it to be, and he was backing out of whatever they had going on because of that? It was like he was trying to distance himself from her, both over the phone and in real life. Which was a horrible fucking thing to experience. How long was she supposed to wait before it became too much to handle?

Over those three horribly long days of hardly speaking, Lili never even saw Niall on the course. She would see his car parked in the same spot as always, but never him. He was completely avoiding her by making sure they were never in the same place at the same time. She felt idiotic for allowing him to affect her this much so soon. Why was it that, in three days, everything had come crashing down on her? Had she really just built this all up in her head because she thought momentary affection from a seemingly sweet guy made up for all the years of heartache?

"Hey, are you okay? You look worried." 

Lili shook her head, coming back to Earth. She had been in the parlour by herself, and was so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't heard Harry come in at all. His voice startled her. She stood up straight and adjusted her cap as she turned to him.

"Yeah, fine," she said unconvincingly. "When did you get here?"

"Just now," Harry replied, awkwardly pointing over his shoulder at the employee door. He seemed skeptical as he looked her up and down, a worried look on his face. His dark brows were knitted together in the middle of his forehead. "Seriously, something's up with you. I know you well enough to see that."

Damn it. She hated that her emotions were so readable. Lili sighed and crossed her arms over her stomach, looking at Harry. She contemplated how much to tell him, but figured she could use the advice.

"Well, I could use your opinion, I guess..." She broke off, thinking of a good way to start this whole spiel. "Okay, well, three days ago, I went on a date with Niall Horan." 

She smiled briefly at the shocked look on Harry's face, but it faded instantly.

"Things were going really well up until the date, and I was pretty sure the date itself was good. Almost perfect, even. The next day, he came to see me here, and everything was nice and normal, but since then..." She trailed off again, glancing out the window. Ironically, it was gloomy and raining outside. She swallowed; the sound of the rain slashing against the windows filled the awkward silence.

"He hasn't been texting me and I haven't seen him, but I know he's here because I can see his car in the lot." Well, that didn't sound like a stupid high school problem at all.

Harry was patient, not moving or speaking until she was finished. He leaned against the far wall beside the employee door, hands in his pockets. She sighed.

"I don't know if it's just a stupid guy thing, or if it's something to do with me that he's not telling me. I know he's busy and he's out there working hard, but I have this feeling in my chest telling me something is wrong. Like this is all my fault somehow." She sighed. "I've been in this situation before, and I don't think I can handle it again."

She rubbed awkwardly up and down her forearm. Harry smiled in a way that made it seem as if he felt bad for her. Which made her feel even worse.

"It's definitely nothing to do with you. It's a guy thing for sure." He pushed himself off the wall and crossed over to where Lili stood, gracefully pulling himself up to sit on the countertop. He towered over her. "It's possible he's just trying to understand the feelings that he has for you and doesn't even realize he's pulling away."

Lili looked at him, a worried look on her face as she chewed nervously at her cuticles. Her stomach flipped anxiously.

"What if he's just not interested anymore? That's the most likely case, isn't it?" she asked. The thought actually made her surprisingly...angry?

If that were the case, why couldn't he tell her like an adult, rather than playing these stupid mind games? She had faith in him, and thought he wasn't like that, but now couldn't be entirely sure. Maybe this facade she'd conjured up in her head was exactly that. It wasn't real.

Harry lifted his large hand and placed it on Lili's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. The warmth comforted her a bit.

"Look, I don't think he's trying to ghost you or anything. He's not a teenager. I say to give it a couple more days, and if it continues, then send him a message and ask what's going on. I don't think he'll be upset at you for reaching out, trust me."

"I don't want to drive him away." She looked down at her shoes, feeling stupid tears welling in her eyes. "I really like him."

Her voice sounded weak and tired. She listened to Harry's rhythmic breathing and tried to match her own to it.

"I get that," he finally said. "But you can't control what he thinks or does. You just have to let things run their course naturally." 

Lili turned her head to the side and looked at the emerald green eyes staring back at her. Harry's sharp jawline looked even sharper when he pulled his lips up into a smile, this time less sympathetic. Lili smiled back, hoping it looked genuine.

"Yeah, I guess." She reached up and patted his arm twice. "Thanks, Harry. I can always count on you."

Niall's POV

Niall left the parlour with the same wide smile on his face that he always wore when he was around Lili. Or just thinking about her. There was something magical about her that made Niall want to scream and shout and dance and laugh; she made him feel like he could never be sad again. The look in her eye when she gazed at him made all his problems melt away into nothing until it was only her and nothing more.

She was everything he looked for in a partner, and he was crazy about her. So crazy, that he wanted to shout it from the fucking rooftops. Let everyone know that he'd found the girl he'd been looking for his entire life. She was beautiful, funny, intelligent, caring. All the superlatives he could think of that would make up the perfect woman.

He wished he could tell her exactly how he felt, but based on how she reacted to his question the night before about previous dates, he knew he had to take things really slowly. The worst thing he could possibly do was scare her away from something that could potentially be his saving grace in life, and he wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible in everything they did and said.

Taking things at her pace was more than easy enough for him, especially if it meant she trusted him completely. After all, he knew what it felt like to jump into something way too fast and ruin everything. He couldn't risk that happening here. He wanted to make sure she understood that he would do anything for her if it meant she was comfortable with him.

He walked back to the driving range as if he was walking on clouds - he felt lighter than he had in years. He hadn't been able to come down from this high since the moment he'd kissed her the night before. It electrified something in him that had been lying dormant for god knows how long. It truly felt like nothing and no one could bring him back to Earth. She kickstarted something in his heart that he believed had died a long time ago.

Just when he thought he'd given up on love, the world sent him an angel and said, 'Niall, it's time.'

The closer he got to Evan waiting by his clubs, the harder he tried to wipe the smile off his face. He sometimes wished that he was one of those people who hid their emotions well, but he wore them on his sleeve more obviously than most.

"You fucker," Evan said, once Niall had gotten close enough for Evan to see his face. He tried to look disappointed, but a sly smile crept onto his face. "I should have known you weren't actually going to the toilet. When have you ever left during a session?"

Niall shrugged, unable to rid himself of the smile, but he wasn't really trying anymore. "I just wanted to see her for five minutes. You knew I wasn't going to leave you hanging here, anyway."

"I know, I know, but still," Evan said. "I'm just looking out for you, man. I'm the one who's responsible for making sure you're working hard and actually improving. O'Brien will have my ass if you start regressing." He paused to chuckle. "You know I want you to be happy, but you've got to focus."

Evan opened and closed his mouth multiple times as he struggled to find the right words, eyes darting back and forth along the grass. "Some days it feels like you're actually going backwards here because your mind is elsewhere."

Wait, what?

Niall stared at him, dumbfounded. "I have been focusing," he said, his voice quieter than he would have liked. "My life doesn't revolve around her." 

Niall suddenly had the feeling that Evan was no longer on his side. Something in his gut was telling him that he wasn't getting the support he needed over this, and the look on Evan's face nearly confirmed that.

"Do you want me to be honest with you right now, kid?" he asked sharply. 

Niall nodded, and his chest began to fill with worry. Evan had only ever used that tone with him once or twice in his entire life.

Evan sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Alright, fine. I think you need to get your shit together and worry about PGA. Nothing else matters right now, and I don't think it's a good idea to continue whatever you've got going on with this girl until after the tournament."

He held up a hand to stop him when he realized Niall was opening his mouth to argue.

"Patrick agrees with me on this. Lili is a good girl, I'm sure. But right now, she's distracting you more than anything. Patrick and I have both noticed it. You've never been glued to your phone the way you have been the last few weeks." He swallowed. "You're crazy about this girl, I get it, and it's not her fault at all. I'm not blaming her for anything. But if you continue letting yourself think about her to the point where your training is coming in second place, you're going to suffer the consequences."

His face was red. They stood in the silence, glaring at each other. The stupid chirping in the trees was pissing Niall off. He felt his chest start to rise and fall at a quicker speed, and there was an uncomfortable, nervous energy in his stomach that he hadn't felt in a long time. Evan supported him with every decision he made in life - why was this the one he chose not to agree with? Sure, he saw firsthand what Niall's ex did to him and his life, but that doesn't mean the same thing will happen with Lili. It couldn't.

Niall opened his mouth to speak, and his voice was wavering more than he would like it to.

"Patrick is a good agent when it comes to work stuff, but I won't let him make decisions about my life. Trust me, I can work hard and perfect my skills before PGA while keeping things going with my girl," he said. Evan held his hands up in defense.

"You're right, but if your work and personal life overlap as much as last time, you know he's going to have a say in it. Just think about it, Niall. You know how quickly you can fall, and how dangerous it can be for you."

Niall shook his head, face heating up as he tried to contain his anger. He took a step back to distance himself from Evan.

"Why are you guys treating me like a fucking kid over a relationship? You know I can take care of both things. Lil and I have been getting to know each other for over a month and I haven't missed a single session." His hands were starting to shake so he clenched them into fists. "I'm following all the fucking workout plans and diets that are being thrown at me, and I've never once let my mind wander to her when I'm actually practicing."

If he didn't calm down, it was going to get ugly. Niall took a second to swallow and force his heart to slow.

"Going to see her today was a one-time thing and you know that. I've never stopped working to text or call her. I do that in my free time."

Fuck, he hadn't felt this angry in a long time. It was just that...Evan's words were bringing up a lot of unresolved hurt and feelings. Things Niall thought he'd shut away a long time ago. He could already feel himself spiralling towards a breaking point.

Evan sighed, running a hand through his salt and pepper hair.

"I get that. And I see that you're working hard. Don't twist my words. But for me, this is more than just your career." He cleared his throat and placed a hand on top of one of Niall's clubs, fiddling with the cover. "I love you like a son and I saw what happened the last time you fell into something serious so quickly. It wasn't pretty, and I'm worried the same thing is happening again. Not to mention how different your career is this time around."

Evan took a deep breath. "I'm just looking out for you, that's all." 

That horrid last relationship. This wasn't the same thing. Evan couldn't possibly be comparing the two. Niall's stomach churned sickeningly, and he stepped towards his clubs and pulled one out silently, knocking Evan's hand over.

"This is not like that," he said, voice cold as steel, before returning to his practice without another word.

He really needed to hit some fucking balls right now.

Evan watched for a moment, guilt written all along his face, but followed in Niall's footsteps and continued their now wordless training.

Lili's POV

Six days. It had now been six whole days since she'd heard from Niall. She was still seeing his car parked in the lot, just like always, but never him.

The first couple days of silence, she was nervously overthinking what could have possibly changed from one moment to the next, contemplating whether or not Niall had been true about his feelings. After all, that was what she was used to. It wouldn't be the first time someone had been unclear or confusing when it came to their feelings.

Maybe he just didn't have the heart - or the balls - to tell her up front that he didn't like her that way.

But after three, four, five days, she became angry. Irrationally angry. Not only was she upset that he had basically dropped her completely, but she was angry that he wasn't even mature enough to communicate those feelings to her after he had very clearly proven that he could openly express himself. It was like he didn't even respect her enough to say something. She was angry and disappointed, but felt worse about being angry because they weren't in an official relationship.

They went on one date; he was not her boyfriend and had no obligation to tell her anything or prioritize her. And her anger over his behaviour was completely unwarranted. Yet after weeks of texting and seeing each other, where there was very clearly something between them, she was devastated that he found it so easy to just let what they had go. She wondered if she even crossed his mind anymore at this point.

She continued to think about him and her feelings towards the situation as she soared across the bright course in her cart, and felt her stomach sink as she pulled around the bend leading up to Hole 8. It was the first time she had actually laid eyes on him in nearly a week, and her emotions were going crazy at the sight. Her heart skipped as she looked at him, beautiful as ever, the sunshine catching his deep brown hair perfectly and reflecting the light.

He was smiling - she could see his perfect white teeth from afar. Looking at him, her resolve crumbled slightly. Maybe everything she felt was unnecessary.

But then she forced herself to remember that she was upset with him and why, and her chest burned with fury once again. She decided that she would ignore him as much as she possibly could. Thank God Evan was with him. If he was alone on the course, she wasn't sure if she would be able to resist turning back and leaving him in her dust. It wouldn't be fair.

She took a deep breath and drove forward, parking quite a ways away from where they stood. The noise of the cart drew their attention and, as they both looked up at the distraction, Niall's face instantly fell at the realization of who had just arrived. He looked more tired than usual – the smile she'd seen from far away looked pained up close.

Seeing him made her nervous, but not in the way she usually was. Normally, she would get a nervous excitement in her stomach that pumped adrenaline through her veins and made her legs numb. There would be butterflies swarming in her stomach that made her feel so sickly sweet. Her heart would soar just at the sight of him, knowing she was about to talk to him and be in his presence.

This time, she was so nervous that her hands were shaking, and she just wanted to curl up into a ball and hug herself, covering her eyes until it was over. She felt scared. She inhaled a shaky breath, but felt the tightness in her chest loosen ever so slightly when Evan started making his way over, and not Niall. If it was Niall coming over, she wasn't sure if her job would actually get done. Would they even speak?

The corners of her mouth twitched as she smiled awkwardly at Evan once he'd gotten close enough to see her.

"Hey, Lili, good to see you," Evan said, in a fake cheery voice. Yikes. He knew something was up. There was no doubt in her mind about it.

Lili smiled a closed lip smile and nodded sharply once, as if to say 'you too'. "What can I get you?" she asked.

"Just two beers, thanks." He paused, the air between them incredibly awkward as he waited for her to grab the drinks from the cooler. He turned slightly away and became suddenly interested in the line of trees around the property.

"How's the session today?" she asked, unable to handle the fucking awkwardness any longer. Evan looked back at her and shrugged.

"Pretty good, I guess. Niall's been a bit tired the last few days, but he's picking it back up." That kind of sounded like a lie, or a lame ass excuse, but she didn't react. Internally, she rolled her eyes so hard that she saw the back of her skull.

"Well, I hope he feels better," she responded, trying not to let the sarcasm seep through. He cleared his throat and grabbed the cold cans, holding out a $20 bill for her to take. He looked as if he was going to say something, and Lili braced herself.

"Look, I don't know exactly what's going on between the two of you, but..." He trailed off, turning to look back at Niall. Lili followed his gaze and cringed when Niall looked up, his eyes immediately going to her. His expression was unreadable. The eye contact made her want to throw up. She forced herself to look down, distracting her mind by kicking the ground with her shoe. A tuft of the green grass shot up, floating through the air.

"Just give him some time, okay? He'll come around. This is a lot for him." Lili scoffed, still not looking up.

"You'd think he'd care a little more to end it in a more mature way, don't you think?" 

It was a rhetorical question, but she looked up at Evan and caught his eye, almost as if she'd been expecting an answer. Evan looked at her with an expression that told her he genuinely felt sorry for her, and her chest ached. She wished people would stop that.

He scratched the back of his head. "He doesn't want to end it," he said, after a prolonged silence. Strangely, he looked guilty. Like he knew a secret that would affect the both of them but wasn't sure whether or not he could share it.

Her heart lurched. Could she even trust what he said? How certain could she be that this wasn't Niall playing her like a puppet on a string? He could have very easily told Evan to say this so that they could laugh about it together once she disappeared.

Lili desperately wanted to get out of there and just breathe. She turned back towards the cart, pointing at the steering wheel, making it clear she wanted to leave.

"Look, I've got other stuff to do, so..." Her face burned. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

She didn't wait for him to answer; she sat down hurriedly and kicked the ignition into life before shifting into drive, listening to the dirt crunch under her tires as she sped away. Her heart was pounding in her throat, which was already tight with impending tears.

Through the rear-view mirror, she glanced at Niall as he grew smaller and smaller in the reflection. He was looking in her direction, shoulders slumped forward in defeat. She couldn't help but feel better at the prospect of him being upset.

She tore her eyes away from him and focused on arriving at the parlour in one piece, trying to drive before the tears fell. She didn't think seeing him would evoke such strong emotions, but the moment she pulled into her parking space and killed the ignition, the silence flooded her ears and a wave of sadness crashed over her.

A few tears rolled silently down her cheeks, but she wiped them away with the back of her palm, took a sharp, deep breath, and walked to the parlour, closing the garage behind her. She wouldn't allow herself to be upset over someone who wasn't hers.

She was going to be strong, even if it was hard.

Thankfully, the parlour was busy over the last few hours of her shift. It left her with no time to think about her stupid, juvenile boy problems because she was distracted serving customer after customer. As the afternoon went on, it became easier for her to plaster her fake smile onto her face and act like nothing was wrong. At least her acting skills would be top tier after this. She even genuinely laughed a few times at some jokes that had been made by some of the guests, and it felt nice. She felt like she could breathe a bit easier again.

Except in the last half hour before closing, when the crowd died away and she was forced to remain alone in the quiet parlour once again, the sadness returned at an overwhelming level. She yanked her tight cap off her head angrily. Walking quickly over to the locker room, she pulled the hair tie out of her hair and let her dark, tangled locks fall over her shoulders. The club was closing soon, anyway, so she didn't need her full uniform on anymore.

She shook her hair out with her fingers as she walked back to the parlour, letting herself get lost in the thoughts that she'd been ruminating in for the past few days. She had just gotten so used to seeing him all the time and talking to him, which had become the high points of her day, that she felt empty now that it was over. And it had to be over. Clearly, there was no coming back from this.

She was angry, sad, frustrated...

The sound of the bell on the door distracted her from her thoughts. She wanted to call out to the customer that they were closed, but that would have been wrong. She sighed and turned around, ready to put on another show for the ages, but when she looked up, her entire body turned to ice.

"Hey," he said quietly. His voice echoed dully through the room and died away immediately. Niall stood just inside the closed door, rubbing his hands together awkwardly. Like he was rubbing lotion into his palms. His hair was messier than usual, and he had dark circles under his perfect blue eyes that hadn't been there a few days ago. The usual happy pink blush that dusted his cheeks was gone. He looked miserable.

Good, Lili thought momentarily.

Niall leaned back against the door, stealing quick glances at Lili but keeping his head down. She felt nauseous looking at him. Usually, he would come right up to her. He never just hung around the door unless she was occupied and dealing with a customer. This whole thing felt so wrong.

This was the closest she had been to him in the past week, but she had never felt further away from him. Tears threatened her eyes again, so she tried to swallow them down. Her face hardened from trying not to show emotion.

"What, you remembered I exist now?" she asked. Her voice was cold. She glared over at Niall; he was looking up at her now, a shocked and sad expression on his face. His eyes were wild.

"Lili, I'm sorry." 

She scoffed, a disbelieving smile growing on her face. She sucked her teeth. "Fuck you, Niall. Don't tell me you're sorry now when you clearly didn't care enough to end this like an adult in the first place. I waited for you this whole week and nothing, so please leave." 

Niall's face changed; he was confused. "End this? That's the last thing I want to do!" 

She picked up the pile of towels she had been folding and started to walk towards the employee exit. Her eyes were brimming with tears again and she couldn't bear to look at him any longer. She could hear his footsteps following her, and wasn't sure if she was happy or not. Her heart was very confused.

He was behind her - how desperately she wanted to touch him again...No. She couldn't. She needed to be strong right now, mentally and physically. 

"Darling, please slow down and talk to me," he pleaded. His voice was strained, and she couldn't help but allow her resolve to crack ever so slightly.

She threw the towels down in the linen cabinet (she had no idea how she had gotten there so fast) and whirled around to face him. His face was sad, eyes barely shining the way they normally did. It made her heart hurt.

"You're full of shit, I don't need to hear anything." She turned on her heel and kept walking, weaving through the empty hallways, Niall still hot on her trail. She knew she was being irrational by not letting him talk; after all, all she had wanted this entire time was communication. And now that he wanted to give that to her, she wanted nothing to do with it. But she was so upset that she just couldn't think logically.

"Look, this past week has been fucking hell for me. Evan and Patrick got in my head, trying to feed me all this bullshit about how I can't be with you and work hard on my training." There was anger in his words. "But we both know that's wrong. I'm sorry that I've been letting you down, I really am. I just got scared. Between what happened to me in the past, and everything the guys were saying..."

He trailed off, but Lili kept walking. She didn't know where he was going with this, and she wasn't even sure if she was still angry or just incredibly frustrated. All she heard were excuses on top of excuses. Blaming everyone but himself for his actions. Nothing she hadn't heard before. She just knew she couldn't look at him, or she would crumble. The dam would break, and the tears wouldn't be able to stop. This was all just too fucking much.

She continued walking until she was pushing open the doors to one of the dining rooms the club used for member brunches. It was deserted, unused until the upcoming brunch next week. Niall was still following her. His shoes squeaked loudly against the linoleum. She reached one of the tables, covered in pristine white linen. She stopped walking and gripped the edge with both hands for support, closing her eyes and taking a breath. Her head was spinning.

Niall stopped behind her; she could hear him panting. "I want to fix this with you, Lili. God, more than anything." He paused. "I haven't been pulling away because I'm not interested in you. I know that's what you're thinking right now." He took a breath. "I've never felt this way about anyone else before. It's just between Patrick trying to get me to break up with you, and my history, I got scared. I've been terrified the last couple of days. And I didn't want to bring you down with me until I knew I could talk to you about this without freaking out."

His voice was growing quieter and more strained. "Please trust me. I can prove to them that this isn't like the last time. I know how to balance work and my private life." He sniffled. "Plus, I'm not a fucking child, I can handle having a career and a relationship at the same time. Please, give me the chance to prove to you and everyone that this can work."

Lili sighed, starting to feel overwhelmed. She couldn't help but notice that the terms 'break up' and 'relationship' made her knees tremble with excitement.

No. Stop that.

"Niall, how can I believe all this after you disappeared on me like that? This past week has been horrible for me, too." She couldn't look at him, or she would cry. Her voice was already threatening to break. "Maybe this isn't a good idea for us." This was her defense mechanism - she knew it was. As soon as it seemed like he was pulling away, she ran. It was clear that she wanted to protect herself. It sucked, but this was for the best. She couldn't get hurt again. Not by him.

"What makes you think I can just forgive you so easily? Or that I even want to?"

"Because I'm fucking crazy about you!" he yelled. The sound echoed across the empty room and came back to her in a shrill ring.

Lili froze, and turned slowly, meeting Niall's frantic eyes. She had never heard him yell before, or even raise his voice slightly. This was incredibly out of character for him. Her lips were parted with shock. The silence was so loud, booming in her ears at a terrifying decibel. Her heart was pulsing in her throat.

Niall took a step towards her - he was closer than she'd realized - and his familiar warmth made Lili's eyes flutter shut instinctively. She'd missed the way his body felt in front of hers. He took a deep breath and looked away, pain clearly written across his face. She waited with bated breath for him to speak.

"I'm falling for you faster than I've ever fallen for someone in my life, and you have no idea how scared that makes me."

He paused again, finally able to look at her. Their eyes met, and her knees buckled from the electric current now coursing through her veins. She slowly lifted herself up to sit on the table, giving her legs a break.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, not really knowing what else to say. She knew exactly what he was feeling but didn't know how to word it. This was all terrifying for her, too. Could she trust that he wasn't just saying all of this to manipulate her feelings? Of course not. But he seemed so genuine, it was hard not to believe him. She felt so fucking conflicted.

He gazed into her eyes and his face softened, but she could still see that fear deep inside him.

"When I was 23, I dated someone who I thought was right for me. Our entire relationship moved so fast that within two months, she moved in with me." He let out an odd chuckle that was completely devoid of humour. "Ironically, Patrick never said anything about ending it with her because she hid her intentions so well. Of course, I was at a different point in my career than I am now, but it's all the same."

He looked down and picked at the cuticle on his thumb nervously, eerily similar to how Lili did it. 

"She ended up leaving me for a more famous guy. I found out after a while that she was only with me for my status, but it apparently wasn't 'enough' for her. She was nothing but a gold digger, and I didn't realize until it was too late."

His voice seemed about a second from breaking, and the amount of fear in his eyes had tripled.

"When she left, it took everything from me. I didn't feel for her the way I feel for you, but everything between us now is moving fast and I'm so fucking scared."

He closed his eyes and shook his head infinitesimally, and Lili could see a lot of unresolved hurt in his twisted expression. It took a lot to be this vulnerable with someone. She lifted a hand up and placed it gently on his cheek.

"Niall, I would never do that," she said in a quiet voice. "I don't care about your name or anything like that, and you know that." She swallowed as tears threatened to fall again. "Why didn't you just tell me this?"

He shook his head and blinked rapidly, before closing his eyes again. 

"I don't know. I was already scared at how insane I am about you. I've basically turned off my ability to feel in that last couple years. I didn't allow myself to get like this for a long time."

Tears were brimming in his eyes when he opened them, and the sight caused a crack to form in Lili's heart. 

"When Evan and Patrick basically threatened me over you, it sent me spiralling. I know that you aren't that kind of person, because I've never trusted someone the way I trust you, but..." He trailed off and looked up at the ceiling, blinking to stop his tears from falling. "I let my fear get in the way of rationality. I hate feeling like this, but I don't want what we have to be over. I'm so sorry." 

They were silent for a few moments.

"Everything is just so scary. I keep being reminded of what happened, and everyone around me is scared the same thing will happen again. My guys are just very protective over me, and they'll do anything to prevent history from repeating itself."

"Well, I can't blame you for being scared the same way you can't blame me for being upset," Lili said softly after a moment. 

Niall looked towards the floor, but a small smile crept up his face and illuminated it, making Lili's heart burst. He turned his face back to hers and their eyes met; she couldn't deny how much she missed the simple intimacy of eye contact with him. His eyes searched hers desperately as he cautiously thought about what he wanted to say to her.

"I want you to be able to trust me," he finally said. "I don't expect it to happen right away, same as how I don't expect myself to be able to trust you fully right away."

She knew what he was trying to say, but it didn't make it hurt any less. It was nothing against her, so all Lili could do was take the words with a grain of salt. 

"You can trust me," she said reassuringly. He nodded, looking down at her lips momentarily.

"I know. But we've both got some walls up that are bound to protect us, even when we don't want them to." He looked her in the eye again. "I'm going to do what I can to show you that you can trust me. And I'm sorry my actions the past few days have proven the opposite. It's not like me at all and won't happen again."

"You had your reasons," Lili said, furrowing her brow slightly. "But it's still going to take some time for both of us to be comfortable." 

He nodded, not saying anything for a moment again. She'd missed him desperately. There was something about this moment that was drawing her into him even further, breaking down her inhibitions. Which was why she didn't think twice when she lifted her palm from his cheek and slid it to the back of his neck, pulling him down and crashing their lips together.

Her body shuddered at the contact, and she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him as close to her as possible. Her brain was empty. She wasn't even sure if he was okay with this. But, fuck, it felt good.

He moaned softly into her mouth, a mixture of pain and relief, and lifted both of his hands, placing one on the small of her back and the other against the side of her head, fingers threading loosely into her hair. This kiss was more passionate than the one they had shared on their date; it was messy and needy, as if the other person's oxygen was the only thing keeping them alive.

Niall's body pressing against the inside of Lili's legs made her stomach flip with anticipation, and the feel of his tongue against hers made her want to cry out in ecstasy.

But the way desperately gripped her with his hands, as if he was afraid she would fall, made her just want to hold him, comfort him. Tell him everything was going to be okay. And remind herself of that fact, as well.

The past week had been an absolute train wreck of emotions, and the two of them were pouring them out by getting lost in the other person. It was everything they needed to let go. They kissed until her lips were numb. Everything she wanted to say to him, everything she'd been feeling over the past few days, was transferred from her heart to his as they molded into one being.

Once nearly all the oxygen in the room had been completely sucked out, Niall pulled back, leaving gentle kisses on Lili's lips, cheeks, and nose, before finally planting one on her forehead. His lips were warm against her skin. They were both panting helplessly, and Lili was certain her lips were swollen to double the size. If she thought her head was spinning before, this kiss had just completely knocked her out of control.

"Fuck, I missed that," Niall said through quick breaths, trying to lighten the mood. Lili laughed a breathless laugh into his chest, tilting her head up to look in his eyes again. The colour had slowly been returning to his face, and the brightness in his eyes that she was so used to seeing was creeping back to the surface. He looked like himself again. He'd been lost without her, it seems.

Niall reached up and gently curled a piece of her hair behind her ear, still gazing into her eyes. It was such a simple gesture, but in a moment as intimate as this one, it sent every neuron in Lili's body firing across all cylinders.

Niall pressed his lips gently against hers once more, so softly she wasn't even sure they had touched. "I promise I'm going to fix this, and we're going to be okay. I like you too damn much to let this destroy what we have."

She nodded, mind still swirling from the kiss. She licked her lips and closed her eyes, soaking up as much of the moment as she could.

His words seemed genuine, and that was enough for her right now. Whatever issues they both had would be dealt with in due time. Clearly, they both had severe trust issues that needed to be worked out. Lili kind of hated herself for how easy it was to forgive him, but it was worth trying. He was worth everything.

What a complete 180 they had just taken. As if the past week never even happened. In a matter of moments, all the issues they'd had were fixed. If not fixed, then pushed aside to be dealt with another day. For now, she was happy working things out side by side.

She just hoped that forgiving him so fast wouldn't come back to bite her in the end.

Chapter Text

~Song of the Chapter: This is the One by the Stone Roses

Even after the entire night had gone by, Lili was unable to get over Niall's unexpected outburst in the dining room. It was strange and, frankly, a bit scary hearing him yell like that. Honestly, she didn't even think he was capable of raising his voice at all.

But more than that, she couldn't wrap her brain around the fact that it actually happened. Niall openly admitted how crazy he was about her after all the waiting and uncertainty Lili endured.

"I'm falling for you faster than I've ever fallen for someone in my life, and you have no idea how scared that makes me."

It was his first real admission of feelings for her, and it made her impossibly giddy. She'd been desperately waiting for him to just say something; to be 100% honest about where his head and his heart were. And though he alluded to how he felt about her every now and then, nothing was ever set in stone. It felt like pulling teeth with him. Not that it was any easier for her to do, but that was besides the point.

However now Lili knew for sure that she had whittled her way into his heart just as much as he had done to her. There was only so much more indirectness she could have taken before it all became too much to bear. Thank god he spoke up at the right time.

He still had things he wasn't ready to share with her, which was fine. It at least gave her a bit more insight as to why he had such difficulty sharing his feelings with her. She understood exactly where he was coming from. There were many things she wanted to tell him but didn't know how to put into words, either. She was hesitant about absolutely everything regarding the two of them and where they stood, so she had no problem sympathizing with his fears.

Aside from everything she was going through personally - intimacy and trust issues - her feelings for him were certain, even with all the fears she had. The worst part of everything going on with Niall had been not knowing if anything she was giving him was being reciprocated in any way. The longer it had gone on, the more she started to doubt everything. All that they'd started to build together felt like it had come crumbling down around her. 

In the span of one week, Lili found herself falling in love, getting nervous over being ignored, becoming irrational and angry, before finally circling back to falling in love. She had never experienced this kind of mental gymnastics in her life so she was glad that everything was, for the most part, settled and heading back to normal.

A lot of the drama was probably unnecessary or unreasonable, and any outside perspective would probably think at least one of the two of them was outright insane. But Lili had been so far removed from relationships and the whole world of dating for so long that she sort of lost control and had to figure out how to get herself back to a more levelheaded state.

She knew nothing about what was 'normal' or expected when it came to this stuff. Maybe rolling over and taking whatever was thrown at you, positive or negative, was how all good relationships started out.

A lot of it was hard for her to understand or work out in her head, and she let her emotions get the best of her. For all she knew, it was normal to never be certain about the circumstances of your relationship, and anybody who had ever dated before understood how to maneuver their way through that sort of limbo. Maybe this was a rite of passage people had to experience in order to move forwards and be happy.

Surely, everyone felt this or had gone through this at least once in their life, right?

Of course, she was slowly learning that it wasn't normal but, to a certain extent, she felt she needed to go through that to know what the problem was. Now that they'd figured out their issue, they could work towards some kind of resolution. It was probably better that this happened as early as it did because it gave them more time to learn how to communicate with each other to make whatever this is as successful as it can be.

Now they can do everything they need to be happy and work through them. Lili couldn't imagine this kind of argument happening months, or even years, down the line. She might not have survived that.

And to top it off, that kiss they shared left her, again, completely breathless. There was something special about the way they connected in that moment. Almost as if they were two frayed rope ends being tied together once again. Setting aside the whole emotional half of their connection, which was already pretty fantastic, the physical side of it was pretty damn good considering how early it was.

Whenever they were together, Lili could definitely feel the sexual tension between them. The air was always full of electricity, even when they didn't mean for it to be. The kiss confirmed that they had incredible sexual chemistry. She could only imagine what would happen if they potentially took it further...Not that that was on her mind as of right now, but the thought did hang around the back of her brain sometimes.

Aside from the immense pleasure the kiss brought her, it did make her feel closer to Niall, in a way. Like there was a strong intimacy that had been slowly building between the two of them that finally came together in a fever pitch of emotion. Kissing him so passionately after he had been so vulnerable with her made the moment even more real and raw, and it was a step in the right direction for their relationship. To kiss someone with so much vigor and need after they shared something emotionally draining was like putting all the broken pieces back together.

Lili told Niall later on after the kiss that she was really appreciative of his willingness to be vulnerable and open with her. It was refreshing knowing he was emotionally intelligent and was able to share with her. There were things he'd clearly been holding onto for so long that he finally allowed himself to be free of.

He changed after he opened up to her. He didn't share much detail about the situation, but it was a start nonetheless. And he wasn't obligated to say everything right away, anyway. Just like how Lili wasn't obligated to tell him all of her past struggles until she felt ready. He didn't seem like the type to shut himself out of the world and bar down his emotions, but no one would be comfortable sharing past traumas with someone they'd only just met.

Lili also had horrible things she'd experienced that she wanted and needed him to be aware of, but those things come up over time. As the trust builds, stories will eventually be shared. 

Besides, the best and most exciting part of a budding relationship is really getting to know each other inside and out, and what fun would that be if people learned everything about each other in the first five minutes?

She wanted him to understand that they occupied a safe space where they could tell each other things and be honest without fearing judgement. Nothing he could say to her would ruin what they had. The comfort and safety she wanted him to feel from her was also something she needed from him. This was a two-way street.

The most important part, though, was that he had proven that he trusted her with information about his past that hurt him, and she knew she had gained his trust to do the same. Stories would be exchanged in due time, when it felt right for both of them; for now, Lili was just going to focus on enjoying whatever path their 'friendship' would be journeying down.

She did have to admit, however, that she was more upset than she would have liked to be about Patrick and Evan's feelings towards her. Even if she didn't know the whole story quite yet, what she did know was upsetting. It wasn't necessarily that she was taking it personally, or that she believed they hated her. Maybe she was even being harder on them than she should. They were allowed to feel whatever it was they wanted to feel.

But she just couldn't understand why they were so against them being together at this point in Niall's life.

To a certain extent, she understood his concern. Patrick and Evan both cared for Niall deeply – that much was obvious. Everything they did was to benefit him in some way. And wasn't as if Lili had been 100% focused at work since this whole thing started, either. Her brain was constantly preoccupied, and more than a few times, she had made costly mistakes.

But when it comes down to it, she knows how to separate the two parts of her life and focus on doing her job properly without letting the distraction of romance get in the way. Niall was clearly capable of doing the same. In fact, he was better at it than Lili was. Did his own agent have such little faith in him that he couldn't understand that human beings could successfully balance work and personal lives?

Lili wondered if Patrick was married or had children. He worked pretty much every single day, and from what Niall had told her, never took a break. Weekends, holidays, sick days. He was busy throughout it all. 

Patrick wouldn't even take an hour to enjoy a nice dinner out with friends or lie in the sun for a bit. Would his potential marital status change the way he felt about the situation? Maybe if he knew what it felt like to find someone and be excited about it, his perspective would be different. 

Lili understood that she shouldn't be as angry as she was, especially since both Patrick and Evan were just looking out for Niall the way a father or brother would. At the end of the day, they all - Lili included - wanted the best for Niall.

But it was comforting knowing he would willingly try and go against his manager, potentially facing consequences, for her. No one had ever made her believe she was worth even the smallest risk. It kind of made her feel like she was on top of the world.

She would never allow Niall to put a tournament or his job in jeopardy for her, though. That was the last thing she wanted because it would just prove all of Patrick's fears right. If Lili wanted Patrick and Evan to like her, why would she allow Niall to sabotage his life?

God, this situation was so melodramatic and theatrical from a bystander's perspective, but Lili enjoyed it regardless.

Never in her life did someone want to be with her so desperately that they would do anything to make it happen. This was uncharted waters for her.  Of course, she did still have concerns. Well, fears rather than concerns. She thought a lot about Niall's sudden outburst that day in the dining room. Having him openly admit that he did feel the same way was everything she'd been wanting since they met.

Hearing those words made her heart burst with happiness. For a second, they made everything okay again. But she couldn't help thinking that it wasn't absolutely genuine. After all, it had been a long week, and there were a lot of pent up emotions that had finally just boiled to the surface and spilled over the edge.

He clearly couldn't contain himself anymore for it to reach that point. What if that was all his admission was? Extreme emotion leading him to say something he didn't mean and nothing more? What if he felt bad for the way things had gone and thought that saying something along those lines would make everything better? If she believed he had strong feelings for her, genuine or not, she would open herself up more, giving him the power to manipulate and control her from the inside out.

She would hear what he said and succumb to his power, giving herself to him and once again letting herself be vulnerable. He could very easily use that to destroy her for whatever selfish, egotistical reasons he may have.

But that couldn't possibly be the case - Niall was too good for that. He was a man who said what he meant and meant what he said. If he told her he liked her, he must have meant it. He wouldn't lie. Right?

But it was hard for her to trust someone's words when she couldn't depend on them to be backed by actions. There hadn't really been any moments in their relationship yet that would require him to do so, so she wasn't entirely sure he was able to should the moment arise.

She was also just so fucking afraid of intimacy that it was hard for her to accept anything good that came her way. She pushed everything new in her life away in an attempt to protect herself and her heart. But was this really something she wanted to mess up because of what happened in the past? Absolutely not.

It would take time for her to work through her issues, but she wanted to make this work more than anything. The possibility of screwing up a good thing like this made her worry because it could be the only opportunity she would be getting. When would another man even half as perfect as Niall come into her life? This was her shot.  However much time it was going to take, she would allow. As long as she had Niall by her side to support her, that was all that mattered.

It was going to be extremely hard, but she had to trust him fully and allow herself to be happy. Self-sabotage was her biggest flaw; it was something she wanted to fix more than anything in her life. She would only accept Niall's words of affirmation as false if he gave her reason to. The moment he proved them to be ungenuine, she would be gone.

But until then, she had to give herself the space to accept that what he felt was real and let him make her happy.

Though the rollercoaster of a week had finally passed, and things were much calmer now, Lili knew there was still one thing she couldn't possibly avoid any longer: Jordyn. The biggest disadvantage of having a best friend who knows you better than you know yourself was that she could see right through you, even when you put up one hell of a facade. Lili was fairly certain that she had hidden her discomfort from Jordyn quite successfully the entire week - mostly because she didn't even really know about Niall.

The only thing Lili told her was when they talked that first day on the course. And even then, the conversation didn't feel as serious as it should have; only because at the time, it was all very casual. Lili hadn't gotten too caught up in anything just yet.

She never said a word about Niall following her on social media. The last thing Lili wanted to do was keep their budding romance a secret from her best friend, because they told each other quite literally everything. Yet when Niall first messaged her and they started talking frequently, Lili was actually hesitant to bring it up.

In Lili's mind, mentioning what was going on with Niall would jinx it - whatever 'it' may be. It wasn't that she didn't want Jordyn to know, or that she had reason to hide it. It was quite the opposite, actually. She just felt like this thing with Niall could potentially turn out really well in the future and wanted to make sure it didn't blow up in her face before she even told anyone.

She was mostly just protecting herself, anyway. If this didn't end up working out, she would have to tell her friends and family, go through all the embarrassment of explaining a break-up so soon. Would it even be a breakup? That was even more shameful to think about.

She figured that keeping it to herself for as long as possible had been the best option. But even the thickest of masks couldn't hide what she was going through from her most treasured friend. With every day that passed, the secret ate away at her from the inside out.

"Do you want to chill at my house for a bit, or are you going straight home?" Lili asked, as she pulled her purse out of her locker.

It was early Tuesday afternoon. She and Jordyn had both been scheduled for opening shifts, which meant they got to leave at 2pm. Jordyn sighed and took her cap off her head, wiping her barely sweaty brow and running her fingers through her tangled bleach-blonde hair. She looked exhausted.

"I'll come to yours, I'm too tired to drive all the way home right now." 

Lili nodded and closed her locker with a loud clang, turning to leave with Jordyn right behind her. "Do you want to stay for dinner? My mom would love to have you." Jordyn used to come to Lili's house for dinner almost every week when they were in middle and high school. Being a single mother with two jobs, her mom wasn't always around and hated when her kids would be home alone. The Hughes household loved having Jordyn around, and it became the norm. But then life got so busy that they hardly had enough time to go to the other's house anymore.

Jordyn smiled. "Yes, please. My mom and sister went to visit my aunt, so I would have been eating alone."

Lili nodded and pulled her phone from the waistband of her skirt, sending her mom a quick text to give her an update on dinner.

"How is your aunt, by the way?" Lili asked casually; her aunt had just moved out of the city for a new job. Jordyn smiled again.

"She's really good. She's loving her job, and her apartment is right downtown. I think she's really happy there." 

Lili smiled. "That's great, I'm happy for her. She definitely needed the change."

They walked the rest of the way to their cars in silence; something about Jordyn was suddenly off, and Lili had a feeling she knew exactly what was on her mind. Jordyn was always bubbly and excited, no matter what. And nothing they'd talked about recently was any cause for concern.

A nervous feeling settled in the pit of Lili's stomach as she sat behind the wheel of her Mazda and turned the engine on. She looked through the window of Jordyn's car parked beside her. Jordyn was tying her hair back in a messy ponytail, and her lips were moving, as if she were talking. Almost as if she could feel Lili's eyes on her, Jordyn looked over to the side and caught Lili's eye.

She laughed and gave Lili the finger, before reaching down to shove her key into the ignition.

Whenever Jordyn was about to question Lili about something, she got this strange look on her face, as if trying to solve an incredibly difficult math equation in her head. Her eyes kind of glazed over, and her brows furrowed. It was a look she didn't wear too often, but Lili knew it would almost always be followed by an interrogation of some sort. And it was the exact look Jordyn had been wearing when she was messing with her hair.

Lili thought about what might occur the entire drive home, nervously glancing at Jordyn's car in the rearview mirror every two minutes. Jordyn looked oddly calm, both hands on the steering wheel and a stony look on her face.

They pulled into Lili's driveway and parked, and she did everything she could to seem calm and normal as they kicked off their shoes and ventured up the stairs to Lili's bedroom. She jogged at her regular pace, slid around in her socks like normal, and tried to plaster a relaxed smile on her face. No one else was home, so she left the door ajar and went to lie on her bed. She lay horizontally across the bottom half of the mattress, watching as Jordyn opened her closet door and pulled out a pair of comfy sweats and an old shirt. Jordyn always wore her clothes, which was fine. She quickly changed before sitting cross legged on the bed facing Lili.

Lili's heart was pounding. The quiet of the room was super awkward, so she distracted herself by getting up to change her own clothes. She found a pair of black cotton sweats and a white long sleeve crew neck sweater, pulling her uniform off and throwing the comfy clothes on. She was standing in the mirror of her bathroom, taking her hair out of its painful ponytail, when Jordyn cleared her throat. Lili braced herself.

"Did something happen this week?" Jordyn asked. Her voice was quiet, but inquisitive.

"What do you mean?" Lili asked casually, securing her hair into a loose bun at the bottom of her skull. Some of the shorter pieces in the front didn't make it all the way in, so she just tucked them behind her ear.

She turned and hopped back on the bed, throwing her phone down onto the comforter beside her. As a distraction, Lili tucked herself under the covers, leaning back against the pillows and sighing at the relief it brought her.

Jordyn's eyes never left her; she had that same expression on her face as before, but with slightly more concern. It was super weird. Jordyn shrugged and reached down, toying with the leg hole of the sweatpants. There was a loose thread that she attempted to pull out, wrapping it tightly around her index finger and yanking.

"Well, less than a week ago you were, like, super miserable and jittery. I've never seen you so angry before. And then yesterday, you were suddenly fine again." Her voice sounded pained.

Lili's bunched her mouth up to the side similar to how Niall did when he was nervous. Caught. She didn't say anything, but rolled onto her side and propped her head up with her elbow. She ran her fingers up and down the mattress where she was laying.

Jordyn sighed. "You know I'm your best friend and you can tell me anything, right?" She flashed Lili a half smile that seemed to brighten up her tired eyes a bit. "Besides, I can see right through you, and I know when something's up."

Lili smiled automatically. It was hard not to. "Nothing's really 'up with me," Lili replied, "but I do have something to tell you."

She paused, sitting up straight. A lump had formed in her throat so she tried to swallow it down. She was silent, unintentionally building the suspense. It was just hard to sort through all of her jumbled thoughts right now. Why was she so nervous? This was a good thing to be sharing. There had never been anything happening in Lili's life that she found difficult to tell Jordyn.  Her heart shouldn't be hammering this hard, and her palms had no reason to be this sweaty.

"Niall Horan and I are kind of..." She paused again, searching for the right word to say. She tilted her head from side to side, as if weighing the options. "Seeing each other," she decided. That felt like the best, most accurate way to put it for now.

She exhaled in what felt like a sigh of relief at the feeling of finally saying those words out loud to somebody. It was like an invisible weight had loosened and was slowly being removed from her shoulders bit by bit.

Jordyn's eyes widened and a small smile threatened to pull up the corners of her mouth, but she shut it down until she was finished with her questioning. However long that may be.

"For how long?" she asked.

"Um..." Lili said, hesitating. Did she want to go into tremendous detail about what was happening between them? Of course she did, but there were things she also wanted to keep things to herself. The privacy made it that much more special. She took a deep breath. "About a month, give or take. He messaged me one day out of the blue, and we've kind of been talking since then." That was a safe start.

Jordyn's perfect brows furrowed again. "Messaged you where?"

"Instagram. He had been asking around for my name so he could find me. Leave it to Harry fucking Styles to give me away to a guy I had just embarrassed myself over." 

Jordyn chuckled. "At least you know it wasn't actually as bad as you thought it was." 

True.

She brought her hands together in her lap and began picking at her cuticles, a nervous habit she'd picked up from Lili. They had become freakishly similar over their long friendship. "So when he messaged you, did he just say hey or was it for a specific reason?"

Yup. This was a full-blown interrogation, just as Lili had expected. There was no use lying now, because the truth would be prised out of her eventually. But she smiled as she remembered that first night.

"It was just to say hi because we had spoken that morning on my route." Her heart flipped like a trained dolphin just thinking about the memories she'd already created with him. "He said he'd been wanting to talk to me for a while and had finally mustered up the courage to do so. After that night, we kind of just never stopped talking. It's been all day every day."

Okay, well, that wasn't necessarily a lie, per se. It was just...omitting a bit of the truth. Completely harmless.

Jordyn nodded her head slowly in understanding as she chewed at her top lip. Lili could see her calculating stuff in her head and piecing the story together slowly.

"What kind of stuff do you guys talk about?"

"Literally everything," Lili gushed. Oh, how she'd been dying to brag about Niall. "He's so curious about me. We've talked about all the stupid shit like favourite colours and favourite movies. You know, basic things." She reached up and played with some of the loose hair around her face, twirling it between her fingers. "But then sometimes he'll get personal and tell me about his life and his past. We're still getting to know each other, obviously, but it's going well so far."

Lili realized that she was smiling like a goofball as she spoke - she couldn't help it. Her cheeks were burning from the way her smile had stretched them. One of her favourite things about Niall was his ability to make her smile like this, even if he wasn't around physically. Lili's smile was made for him. 

Jordyn analyzed her face, eyes narrowing slightly.

"So do you guys only hang out at the club?" she questioned. Strange question. Lili shrugged again.

"Well, I do mostly see him there, because we're both super busy during the day. I don't have a problem with it. But we went out on a date recently." 

Jordyn gasped, and now was smiling a bit more than she originally had been. Her best friend talking about a date she went on that didn't end with her being sad? This had to be good.

"What! When? Why didn't you tell me?" She had sat up straight and was bouncing around excitedly, unable to keep up her stone-faced demeanor any longer.

Lili laughed. "I didn't tell anyone. My parents don't even know I went out that night. I haven't told you about him at all because things have been so good between us and I didn't want to jinx anything."

Jordyn shook her head slightly, probably out of disbelief, but the smile never faded. "Your parents had no clue that you went out? Where were they? What about Matt and Aiden?" The questions were just tumbling out now, and it was hilarious. Lili shook her head.

"Okay, first of all, you know my brothers don't care whether I'm home or not. They spend so much time in the basement now that we got that new TV that they barely even come up to say hi to me anymore."

She felt a slight pang in her heart at the prospect of her and her brothers growing apart, but she chose to ignore it. Surely, it was just temporary. 

"My dad had a work dinner that night, so he and my mom didn't come back until closer to 1am. I actually didn't even know they were going out, either, so I guess we were even." 

Jordyn chuckled, but didn't speak, as if she were waiting for Lili to say more.

"I never said anything because I was kind of worried about it. There's so much outside of just him and I seeing each other that I wasn't ready to bring all that out yet." She paused, picking at the delicate skin of her thumb. Her smile had faded slightly. "Sometimes I think about how everything went with Daniel, and I wonder if it would have turned out differently if I had waited to tell you and my family about him."

That was the first time Lili had ever shared that thought with anyone. It had been silently bothering her all these years.

Jordyn rolled her eyes; she didn't groan, but Lili could hear it in her mind.

"Shitty guys will be shitty no matter how long you keep them hidden for. He would have done what he did regardless of whether the whole world knew, or not a soul knew. What happened had nothing to do with you telling me or your parents about him."

Lili looked up at Jordyn and they locked eyes. The comfort of Jordyn's honey eyes made her smile. That was something she'd always refused to allow herself to accept. The circumstances always made her think that she was the problem. Of course, she knew that it wasn't her fault. But she'd spent so much time being told the exact opposite, that it was hard to come to terms with. So hearing Jordyn say exactly what she needed to hear made it just a bit easier to deal with.

"You're not upset that I didn't tell you?" she asked in a quiet voice. Her heart practically stopped for a moment out of sheer nervousness. God, Lili didn't know what she would do if the answer ended up being yes.

Jordyn took a deep, quiet inhale.

"Would I have liked to have known about it sooner? Maybe. Just because, like...if something bad had happened, I would have felt guilty if I hadn't been aware beforehand, you know? But honestly, I'm not upset," she added, realizing the look on Lili's face.

Lili relaxed a bit and took a breath. 

"Okay, good. I honestly contemplated telling you sooner, but I just...I kind of liked that him and I were in this little private bubble together. No one knowing our business or anything." She paused and grimaced slightly. "I mean, his trainer and his agent know, but they don't care the way a parent or sibling would."

That also wasn't exactly true, but it wasn't a lie either. If Lili could avoid telling Jordyn about that whole fiasco, things would be just fine. There were things she didn't need to know right now, and that was okay. Jordyn's eyes were a shade lighter than they had been before they left work, so clearly she was okay with what Lili had been sharing with her. So far, anyway.

"So, when was this date you two went on?" 

Lili smiled again.

"Last week. He took me to this adorable little café that I had no idea it was even there. We actually stayed talking for so long that they had to kick us out. But it felt like we were there for five minutes."

Lili face was burning and she knew it was probably bright red. She bit the inside of her bottom lip in an attempt to suppress the ridiculous smile she wanted to let out.

"Then he took me to Venice Beach and we went to the carnival. Whether it was a lucky guess or not, the fact that he took me there when I've been dying to go again for years made me feel so special."

She reached behind her to the pile of pillows at the top of her bed, pulling out her new favourite stuffed animal and sitting it on the bed between them. "He won me this elephant that day." 

Jordyn looked down at the elephant and smiled. "He seems really sweet, even though I've never actually spoken to him," she said. Lili nodded.

"He really is. His personality is just so bubbly and fun, but he's so sexy and mysterious at the same time. He's always laughing or smiling and, honestly, I could listen to him laugh for the rest of my life." There was that stupid smile again. "He's such a great person to be around."

Lili's heart fluttered nonsensically in her chest the way it always did when she saw or talked about him. Or thought about him in any capacity. She couldn't help it.

"We kissed that night, too," Lili added, and Jordyn's face lit up again.

"And?" she pressed. 

Lili blushed harder at the memory of the two extraordinary kisses she had shared with Niall, and had to hide her face in her hands. It was burning her skin.

"He's definitely the best kisser I've ever had," Lili said. "I'm pretty sure I actually felt fireworks when he kissed me the first time." She smiled and reached up to play with the foot of the stuffed elephant. "He asked before he kissed me if it was alright, which I thought was really sweet. I don't think guys realize how much something like that means to us." She blushed again. "And he was so gentle, like he was afraid to hurt me or something." She looked at Jordyn and could see there was something missing in her eyes. "He's been treating me so well, honestly. I'm really happy right now."

"I can tell," Jordyn said with a soft smile. But suddenly, her face changed rapidly to confusion. It was an almost instant reaction. "Wait, so why were you so upset last week? Was it something to do with him?" 

Lili felt her stomach twist uncomfortably. This was expected, but it still made her nervous. She wasn't sure if she should tell Jordyn about the incident as a whole. There was a lot at stake when it came to sharing. This conversation was going so well. Lili didn't want to ruin Jordyn's perspective of Niall so soon. She obviously wouldn't say anything about the personal things he shared because it wasn't her business to tell anyone. He'd trusted it with her for a reason, and she'd never go behind his back that way.

But she contemplated explaining what Patrick had said and the whole chaotic few days that followed. She argued with herself mentally.

If she came clean, it could go one of two ways. Jordyn could say she understood and offer helpful advice, which would be the more preferable route. Or, she could get upset over it and say it might not be worth pursuing if such important people in his life are against it. Lili chewed the inside of her cheek, trying to make a decision. There was a war raging in her head that she wanted to end.

"Well, yes. Kind of," she finally said. "Nothing bad happened, I promise. He didn't do anything to me. I had just...severely misinterpreted a situation and it made me really upset."

She was wringing her hands together, but stopped immediately. If she seemed nervous talking about this, it would make it that much harder for Jordyn to believe that everything really was fine.

"I thought something was wrong and I kind of got in my head because the last time I interpreted a situation one way, it ended up backfiring on me. I kind of just got scared about something and let it affect me. But he and I talked through it and everything's been resolved, so we're fine."

She guessed dancing around the truth wouldn't be as bad as flat out lying. Plus, that was pretty much what had happened, minus a few details. They weren't important ones, anyway. Lili analyzed Jordyn's face. She was smiling politely and her expression was calm, but something about the look in her eye was disturbing to Lili. It was almost as if she didn't believe her, which was exactly what Lili was afraid of happening. That was the absolute worst-case scenario.

Jordyn's eyes narrowed ever so slightly - if Lili hadn't been paying very close attention, she probably would have missed it. A strange feeling of unease settled in her chest, though she tried to push it away.

"That seems odd..." Jordyn said, her voice strangely low and quiet. Her eyes darted back and forth between Lili's. Lili tried to give her the most comforting smile she could muster.

"Look, I swear it was nothing. If it was something awful, I would have told you right away." 

The hesitance was completely understandable. Knowing the way she'd suffered in the past made Jordyn very protective over Lili's heart. Almost like she believed it was her duty to keep Lili safe. It did make Lili very happy knowing her best friend wanted to protect her, because she would absolutely do the same. But it also meant that Lili didn't have much leeway when it came to feeling or seeming unsure, because Jordyn would immediately become suspicious. As soon as she thought something was wrong or not good enough for Lili, Jordyn would want it shut down immediately. And usually, her instincts were right.

Jordyn carefully scanned Lili's face again, before she shrugged lightly and looked away, not saying anything else.

Lili breathed a quiet sigh of relief - it seemed as if Jordyn believed her. For now, at least. She knew that if Jordyn thought something didn't feel right, she would express it. She wasn't one to hide her feelings about certain things – especially not this.

They were quiet again for a few moments, but the silence was no longer tense. When Jordyn finally looked up again, she had a devious gleam in her eye. "So, are you guys dating, then?" she asked.

Lili contemplated the sentence for a moment. What even constitutes 'dating'? Were they dating? They'd been on a date, but was that dating? She shrugged one shoulder and looked over at Jordyn.

"I'm honestly not sure."

"Well, is he your boyfriend?"

"No," Lili said firmly, with no hesitation. Jordyn's eyebrows shot up at how forcefully Lili's response flew from her mouth. "I mean, I would love for him to be my boyfriend, but nothing's official yet. We're taking things slow."

She tried to explain what she was working through in her brain.

"Things are kind of in a weird limbo right now because we've fallen pretty hard for each other, and we've both admitted it, whether we wanted to or not. But we aren't..." She tried to find the right words. She shifted on her bed, trying to find a more comfortable way to lie down. "Let me put it this way. I can't see myself getting involved with anyone else right now. And it would fucking hurt if he did, but I couldn't be upset because I have no right to be. We aren't in a relationship, so technically, he's allowed to do whatever he wants."

She figured that would be the easiest way to explain it for the both of them. Jordyn nodded in understanding.

"I get that, but I think you'd be pretty fucking jealous if he started flirting with another girl."

Lili laughed, but the idea left a sour taste in her mouth, and her stomach flipped at the thought. Jealous wouldn't even begin to cut it. 

"Yeah, I'd be seething. But until we actually confirm whatever this relationship is, he has every right to see other people and keep his options open."

Just saying that made Lili immensely sad, but she wasn't technically wrong. It absolutely was his right. She didn't see him getting close to someone else the way they currently were, but it wouldn't be her place to say anything if he did. If he wanted to take another girl on a date or hold her hand, he was more than welcome to. Her mind flashed back to everything they had experienced together in the last month - the adorable text messages, their date, those kisses...the thought of him doing that with someone else made her nauseous.

She was so dedicated to him already, it might crush her if he didn't reciprocate that. If any other girl got to have this with him, it might kill her. But after what he'd said to her yesterday in the dining room, there was no way he had anything else going on that wasn't strictly platonic. And that was as good a win as any in Lili's book.

The sudden vibration of her phone underneath her knee tore her from her thoughts and interrupted the conversation. Her brows furrowed - who would be calling her at this time? She almost never got phone calls anymore. She hustled to find the phone before the call ended; if it was a work thing, she would hate to miss it. It was probably Geena calling to confirm something about next week's schedule.

She tossed the blankets to the side quickly, and Jordyn laughed as the comforter smacked her in the face. Lili found the phone hidden under her leg and her heart skipped a beat as she read Niall's name flashing across the top of the screen. His ears must have been ringing. She looked at Jordyn, who was smiling knowingly, and slid to answer, putting the device on speaker.

"Hey, darling," he sad. "How are you?" His perfect voice on the end of the line made her cheeks heat up. 

She smiled as she looked down at his name on her phone. A heart would look really cute next to it.

"I'm okay. How was training today?" she asked. Niall was training from home today, using one of those golf simulation games. He sighed.

"Pretty shit, if I'm being honest. My head hasn't been right all day, so my swing was off. I've been chucking balls into the trees all afternoon." She could hear the disappointment in his voice and it made her sad.

"Fake trees, you mean," she tried to joke. "I'm sure it wasn't that bad, Niall. Stop being so hard on yourself sometimes."

He chuckled softly. "As long as I've got you to make it better afterwards, then I don't see the issue with being sulky about it. Makes it more worthwhile, actually."

They both laughed, and Jordyn rolled her eyes. For a second, Lili forgot she was even there. Once again, she and Niall were in their own world. 

"I don't think Evan would like it very much if you started sucking on purpose just because of me," she pointed out. She just knew he was smiling on the other end of the line.

"What he doesn't know won't kill him. Besides, I'm too good to fake being bad. It's just not in my blood." Lili laughed again. His playful ego was too cute sometimes.

"Alright, relax," she said. "One too many jokes and it'll become reality."

"Never," he said casually. "Anyway, sorry for the call out of the blue. I just missed your voice and knew you wouldn't be at work anymore, so I wanted to take advantage."

Lili's face flushed a deep red, and she chewed on her thumbnail, turning her head to the side. He was so cute, it was disgusting.

"Are you trying to make me blush, Horan?" she teased.

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" She could practically hear the smirk on his face. Lili loved that he already knew her well enough to know just how much of an effect he had on her. She shook her head and bit her lip, the smile growing wider. Only he could make her this stupidly happy and giddy. Jordyn watched Lili's face with a look of content on her own. This call might have just been the one thing she needed to give her stamp of approval

Niall laughed at the silence; he obviously knew exactly how Lili would react to those words.

"Anyway, love, what are you up to? How was the early shift?"

Of course he remembered her schedule. Her heart also fluttered erratically at the use of the new pet name. How did he know that word would turn her into a pathetic pile of mush? She wasn't even aware of it herself. She thought darling was her favourite, but this might just be first overall now.

"It was fine. There are never too many people in the morning, so it was pretty slow. Got some nice tips again, though." 

"That's great, I'm glad," Niall responded sweetly. "Any creeps out there today?" 

Lili chuckled. "Nope, not today. But it's too bad you weren't there. It would have been nice to see you."

It had only been one day, but her heart ached from missing him. The longing she had to see and be near him was stronger and more painful than anything she'd ever experienced. There was nothing and no one that made her yearn this much.

Niall sighed softly on the other end. "I know, I wish I had been there. But maybe tomorrow we can hang out, if you're free. You know I'm off." 

She smiled brightly. "Yeah, I'd love to. We'll talk more about it in the morning." She paused, before an idea came to her head. "I'm actually just hanging out at home with my best friend. You're on speaker right now, she wanted to say hi to you."

Worried that Niall would bring up what happened with Patrick the day before, Lili spoke quick enough to change the subject before he got a word in. They would talk about it eventually, but now was definitely not the right time.

Jordyn's eyes widened and she shook her head - she hated talking on the phone. The only thing that could bring down her tough, confident exterior was a simple phone call. Whenever Geena needed someone to call guests or delivery services, Jordyn somehow always had an excuse as to why she couldn't do it. It was quite the phenomenon. Lili gestured to the phone hurriedly and shoved it in Jordyn's direction, nodding encouragingly. She cringed but took the phone, shutting her eyes tightly.

"Uh...hi, Niall. This is Jordyn," she said in a weak voice that didn't necessarily sound like her. It was more like a robot. She cleared her throat nervously. Lili covered her mouth with her hand to avoid laughing.

"Hey Jordyn, it's nice to finally talk to you," Niall said coolly. "You know, Lili talks about you all the time. Sometimes more than herself." 

Jordyn blushed slightly. "Sorry to hear that," she joked, but visibly relaxed into the conversation. Niall had such an amazing magical ability to make every single person he talked to comfortable, no matter the circumstances. It was wonderful.

"So, you're the secret guy who's been stealing all of my Lili's attention these days?" 

Lili's jaw dropped slightly, but a smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. On the other line, Niall laughed, the precious sound filling the speakers and the room delightfully. Music to Lili's ears.

"I guess you can say that," he replied. "Though I can't say she hasn't been doing the same to my friends, so I guess we're even." 

Jordyn chuckled, and Lili's heart soared listening to the two people she cared about most in the world getting along so easily.

"How do you like the club, then?" Jordyn asked. "And don't be biased because of Lili. Be as honest as possible." Niall was silent for a moment, and Lili knew he was thinking of what to say.

It was actually a good question - even she didn't know his true feelings. Everyone had been treating him perfectly there, but maybe he didn't like it that much. Maybe the atmosphere wasn't an enjoyable one for him. It was a great club, but there were better ones. And some of the guests weren't the greatest. If he complained about that, she would understand. Lili leaned in towards the phone, curious.

"Honestly, I love it. I haven't met many of the other employees just yet, but everyone seems really nice. That Harry Styles lad is a good kid, I liked him." 

Lili and Jordyn shared a look, biting their lips to hold back laughter. Of course Niall would like him - after all, there would be no conversation happening right now if he didn't. 

"All the old lads hanging around the course know their golf pretty well, so I can actually talk to them about it. I know Lili doesn't mind, but sometimes I feel like I'm boring her arse off with all my golf talk." 

Lili scoffed. "Niall, you could talk even more about golf than you already do and I'd still be perfectly content. Trust me, I love hearing about it." 

It was true – if she had no choice but to spend the rest of her life listening to him go on and on about golf, it wouldn't matter. That seemed like a dream come true in her mind. She'd be happy no matter what. His passion breathed life into her meek existence.

"Alright, fair play," he said, and the smile in his voice was evident. "But yeah. I haven't had a bad experience yet, so I'm pretty pleased. I've been to some clubs that were absolute shit, so this one is pretty refreshing." 

Jordyn nodded, clearly pleased with his answer. One thing about her was that she loved that place; she'd fight anyone who had a bad thing to say about it or its employees. Even if she put up a nonchalant exterior, that job was the first place Jordyn had ever truly felt at home, and it meant a lot to her. She could take complaints about it, but would rather not have to worry.

Jordyn then looked over at Lili and cocked an eyebrow mischievously, and Lili's eyes widened in horror. It took everything in her not to scream. She knew something was coming. She waved her hands mercilessly in front of Jordyn's face, begging her not to say anything, but she ignored them.

"So, Niall. As the best friend, it's my obligation to make sure Lili is happy all the time. You know that don't you?" Her tone was deviously innocent.

"Of course," he said. Lili was already cringing. Where could she possibly be going with this?

"Alright, good. Because, if you ever decide to fuck around behind her back or do anything stupid to hurt her, just know I'll be ready to take you down."

Lili covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laugh again. She was horrified at Jordyn's bluntness, especially after she had literally just said their unofficial relationship meant she had no right to be mad in that sort of case. Imagine how that sounded on Niall's end – the girl he'd just barely started a fling with had her best friend threatening him over loyalty. He must think they were absolutely insane.

Yet when Niall responded, there was no humour in his voice. Just sincerity.

"Well, the good thing is that I can promise you no one else exists in my eyes anymore."

Lili flushed scarlet again and turned her face towards the mattress to hide the reaction. She bit the corner of her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Unable to contain herself, she grabbed one of her pillows and shoved it over her face.

Hearing him say that so clearly, to someone as important as Jordyn, made her want to scream until her throat grew raw. That sentence evoked such intense feelings of pleasure and excitement she hadn't felt in god knows how long.

Jordyn hadn't ever seen Lili this happy, so it was a long fucking time coming. If Lili was embarrassed about her reaction, there was no reason to be.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear," Jordyn said triumphantly. Lili looked into her honey brown eyes and smiled. Nothing would make a relationship with Niall sweeter than knowing he got along with her best friend in the entire world. Her soul sister for life. No one would ever come above her. 

"I hope we can meet one day in person soon, Niall. It'd be nice to actually see the face of the guy who can make Lili turn into Clifford the Big Red Dog in ten seconds flat," Jordyn joked.

Lili gasped and swatted Jordyn's arm, making both her and Niall laugh loudly. "You're such a bitch!" Lili exclaimed, smiling wide. 

That was a horrible joke, but it broke the tension that was slowly building. Jordyn stuck her tongue out in response. 

Niall was still laughing on the other end. "Hey, that means I'm doing something right here, so I'll take it," he said jovially.

She couldn't see him, but Lili just knew Niall's face was wearing the brightest, most beautiful smile known to mankind, and was definitely turning pink in the cheeks. Any time he got compliments of any kind, he blushed.  His perfect blue eyes would be shining like expensive crystals, the skin around them crinkling in a delicately adorable fashion.

"Alright, don't get too ahead of yourself," Lili teased, even though he was right. She grabbed the phone from Jordyn's hands and shook her head. He snickered.

"Yeah, yeah. You love it. Anyway, I've got some stuff to do before the night's over. But I'm definitely glad I called. I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked hopefully. 

Lili smiled and bit her lip. "Yeah, see you tomorrow."

"Alright, love. Talk soon. And Jordyn, it was nice meeting you, if you can call it that. I'll see you guys soon."

They said their goodbyes and Lili hung up, tossing her phone down beside her and flopping face down onto the comforter, using the heavy blanket to drown out her screams. She kicked her legs back and forth like an imbecile. When she pulled herself up, Jordyn was beaming.

"You're really crazy about this boy, huh?" 

Lili looked into her eyes and was almost brought to tears. "You have no idea."

Chapter Text

~ mood of the chapter is Crush by David Archuleta

"He really does seem sweet," Jordyn admitted, as they trudged back up the stairs together after dinner. "Honestly." The tone of her voice seemed oddly surprised, and Lili willed herself not to take offence to that. It was, after all, a nice comment. They'd only spoken on the phone for five minutes, anyway.

"Yeah. He is sweet," Lili responded, already smiling at the sheer mention of Niall. "And he's taken quite the liking to you."

Jordyn chuckled and closed Lili's bedroom door quietly to shut out all the noise her brothers were making in the basement because of their stupid video game. Seriously, could they ever just play it at a normal volume?

"He has, has he?" she asked coyly, jumping on Lili's bed again. "Let's just hope he doesn't end up liking me more than he does you." She propped her head up with her elbow and bit back a smile. "Although, I don't really think that's possible."

Lili blushed. Although she refused to admit it out loud, she thought the same. 

After Jordyn left to head home an hour later and Lili was finally left alone with her thoughts, her brain began working in overdrive. Like it had been lying dormant all day and was now being startled awake.

'I can promise you no one else exists in my eyes anymore'.

The words echoed and swirled around her head, buzzing and coming to life in every corner of her brain. It was unfathomable that someone had said that about Lili. Without any warning at all, Niall admitted his very strong feelings for her without hesitation while also guaranteeing there was absolutely no one else who caught his interest anymore. And he sounded genuine.

What was even better was the fact that he admitted it to Jordyn, Lili's best friend in the whole entire world, who he knew meant more to Lili than anyone in her life. To see him so willingly and so proudly admit what he was feeling to someone that holds that kind of significance in Lili's every day life was unexpected, seeing as that wasn't something that had ever happened to Lili before. No one had shown that much care or interest in her life. 

They weren't 'together', together, but clearly, he wasn't up for dating anyone else. He'd made that very clear, whether he'd meant to or not. There had been no dancing around the subject, either. He wasn't giving vague, suspicious answers that would drive Lili insane trying to figure out what he meant. Everything was just...straight up and clear. She'd never been able to afford that kind of luxury until now. She was used to confusion and uncertainty.

One thing was for sure - she was glad they were on the same page about what was going on between the two of them. She didn't have to second guess everything she did, said, or thought. It had been an extremely difficult road for her to navigate these past couple of weeks.  She had grown so used to decoding secret messages that she really was missing all the clues that had been front and center the entire time.

But she'd managed to get somewhere in the end, and now it seemed as if the treasure was only a stone's throw away.

Lili had been completely honest with Jordyn when she told her that she had no desire to give another person the time of day anymore. She'd become so entangled with Niall that she no longer had eyes for other people. Of course, she would still be nice to other guys. Being rude or standoffish was not in her nature. But she honestly couldn't care less about them anymore.

She was quickly developing a severe case of tunnel vision where the only point of view that existed was Niall Horan. Her vision now had several blind spots, seeming to only be crystal clear when it was him she was looking at.

She couldn't even find other people physically attractive anymore - whether it was because of her intense feelings of infatuation and desire for Niall, or the fact that his natural beauty was heavily unmatched, she wasn't sure. But it was a struggle to find anyone else's appearance even remotely appealing. To think that there were even other people she was attracted to before Niall was appalling really. Jesus, how dramatic was that? You have to laugh, honestly.

Other people's personalities didn't even attract her anymore the way they once used to, which was something she always searched for above good looks. She never really noticed how fucking boring some people could be. It was like these people suddenly had the personality of a wet mop. No one else could compare to Niall; that much was clear. His personality, sense of humour, charm, and aura were all out of this world.

It was exquisite and refreshing. He was exquisite. Lili was really, truly falling for Niall Horan, and it was proving to be absolutely unescapable.

Of course, there had been moments where she thought for sure that she was falling way too deep into their whole 'relationship' too quickly, because she wasn't sure if he was committed to her the way she had so quickly become to him. It wasn't something they hadn't spoken about or discussed with each other, so she experienced these intense moments of fear that maybe it wasn't as serious as she'd originally thought.

There were a couple of instances where she had to step back, physically and mentally, to evaluate what exactly she was doing. How could she possibly commit herself to this man, so fully and so completely, before ever even knowing for sure that he was willing to do the same? Was it even reasonable for her to commit to him so soon? Cutting off any other potentials right away could be a recipe for disaster.

But she didn't care. It was him that she wanted, and that was that. She just wished she'd known right away if he was as committed as she was.

Most of the time, these fears stemmed from her issues of self-doubt, but she did have to be realistic to a certain extent. She couldn't just go into this blindly without thinking of all the possible outcomes. She and Niall hadn't really communicated their feelings to each other much at all before now. Everything was said in passing or through subtle hints, but neither one of them had actually been straightforward about their emotions.

It wasn't because they were avoiding it. It just... hadn't necessarily felt like the right time. Sometimes, it was simpler to wait to talk about those things.

Besides, they went on one date - for all she knew, he could have been going on a date every night with different girls. Obviously, she knew now that wasn't the case, but how could she have known before Niall told her? She had to think about these things, whether she liked it or not.

There's a very fine line people walk at the beginning of a budding relationship where talking about anything involving the future is no longer taboo or weird. If you do it too early, it'll scare either one or both of you away. If you start casually seeing someone for a few weeks and already start bringing up long-term plans, the odds of them freaking out and dropping all contact with you increase significantly if they aren't on the same page.

And Lili just hadn't been entirely sure if they had made it to that line yet. For all she knew, they hadn't even gotten to the starting line yet. She wasn't even sure if they had even been on the same track at all. Niall could have been at a different stadium entirely.

But now, the fact that he admitted that he had basically erased all other romantic paths in his life except for theirs felt good. No, it felt great. Really fucking great, actually.

It was refreshing, like waking up from a deep sleep after a long, tiring day on the job. Lili could stretch her arms, rub her eyes a bit, and smile, instead of shoving her face back into the pillow and sighing. There was hope at the end of the tunnel now. Never before had there been hope. 

Whatever path their relationship took in the future, at least Lili had the comfort of knowing that Niall truly wanted the same thing she did. And that she indeed was the kind of person someone could commit to. 

His blowout that day at the club ignited something in him that Lili had not yet been given the chance to see before. There was a fire in his eyes that had been slowly building over time; each moment they spent together added a piece of wood that only helped feed the flames. But that flame in his eye became a full-blown forest fire when he shouted his affections at her in the secluded dining room. It was real and tense and passionate times infinity.

She had known since the moment they met that he was indeed a passionate man in all walks of his life, and that his ability to flirt so smoothly and confidently could bring anyone to their knees. He had a way with words that could affect you deep in your core to the point where you became putty in his hands, and it definitely didn't help when he added that look in his eye that could set your soul on fire. So to see him flustered over the situation to the point where he was unable to control himself any longer was frightening and beautiful.

And then, the fact that he was so easily able to switch back to his smooth-talking, delicate self and get right back on track was, simply put, mind-blowing. Lili wasn't sure if she was more sensitive to his abilities than others might be, but she knew that one more delicate word or soft touch would send her crashing and spiralling right into the palm of his hand. And, damn, did she love it.

It seemed as if he knew exactly what words or facial expressions would trigger a response from her, and he definitely used it to his advantage. Over the course of the past few weeks he'd gained more knowledge, as if he'd been studying her. He knew just what to do and say to illicit the strongest reactions from her, regardless of how hard she tried to fight it.

One look, and she would give him absolutely anything that he wanted.

She guessed that once he had shared his feelings and broken through whatever invisible barrier was keeping him at bay, he understood that she had basically given him permission to take things to the next level. He'd always tried to flirt with her but kept things respectful, because he knew there was a certain point that they could not cross simply because of that barrier. But she never discouraged him from doing what he did best.

He had always said cute and flirty things to her from the moment they first met, but it would always be subtle. They would be sweet accolades, or even just a plain old compliment that very clearly had a sexual or sensual undertone. And he had been very good at using those subtle compliments. Sometimes so good that it took a moment for the words to even register in Lili's brain. They were like those reading comprehension problems you had to do in school that had the answers hidden in plain sight, but you had to dig around a little bit before you found them.

There were so many moments where Niall would say something that Lili thought was cute or sweet, but when she thought back to it hours later, she found herself blushing. How was he so good at doing that?

But now he had let go of his inhibitions and it opened up a whole new world of emotional and physical reactions that were previously foreign for Lili. Every single comment and compliment was up front. There was no more hiding behind metaphors or vague language for him. He was straight to the point and feisty.

As the next few weeks passed, Niall had also turned into a completely different person when it came to physical affection. Lili could tell he loved being physical in any way - his eyes would light up when they would hold hands or brush up against each other as they walked. His fingers would twitch with excitement if she touched his arm playfully.

Lately he had been finding every excuse in the book to touch her and connect with her in some way. Even just a simple graze of her fingers against his gave him enough of a kickstart to continue on with his day. That was one incredible aspect of intimacy Lili had never understood until it happened to her.

She first noticed it a few days after the phone call. It was the first time they had both been at the club at the same time since, so Lili made sure they would cross paths to see each other, even if it was just for a brief moment. And yeah, she may have altered her route a bit to make sure they had a moment together, but so what?

Who was going to tell her she couldn't do that? It wasn't as if her supervisors ever actually paid attention to her route.

The second he heard her cart pulling up to the hole he was currently at, Niall hurried to meet her at the edge of the dirt path she rode up from. Just watching the way he walked, swinging his hips ever so slightly, could turn her into a pile of mush. His body was always so relaxed and fluid. He greeted her with a long, soft kiss on the lips - they had been kissing more often and more casually, and it filled Lili with absolute euphoria.

The fact that she could even do that without it being weird or forward was insane. Who would have thought she'd ever be able to do that? After all the times she'd imagined kissing him when they first met, there had never been a moment where she thought they would actually get to the point of doing so. That had just been a dream for her and nothing more. 

The entire time she stood beside him after handing him whatever drink or snack he ordered, he was touching her, either by lacing their fingers together or caressing her skin softly. Always teasing her. The way his fingers grazed against her own made Lili's heart jump to her throat, and visions of those fingers working against other, more delicate areas of her skin sent painful shivers down her spine.

Not that she was trying to get ahead of herself or anything...

Niall would keep his hand in hers until the very last second, looking as if he wanted nothing more in the world than to hold onto her forever. The idea of letting go of her hand seemed to genuinely pain him sometimes.

Eventually, he had to return to his duties, sending her off with another sweet kiss that made her lips tingle and burn for the rest of the afternoon.

Yes, it was true that she had been absolutely terrified of intimacy for some time now. She'd always thought that being vulnerable to this degree with another person was incredibly dangerous, because you never know when it could come back to bite you in the ass. There was something so special about allowing another person to touch you like that - to be gentle with you in such soft, adoring ways. But it was also fucking terrifying.

Even though she really didn't want to be, Lili found herself apprehensive around Niall. When he touched her, the warmth of his skin was inviting, but she wanted to just push him away sometimes. When he held her hand, she never wanted to let go, but also wished with all her might that he would just stop and let her breathe.

The constant back and forth in her head was exhausting because she wanted it so badly, but her brain was telling her to push it away and not let him get any closer than he already was. It was hard because it also made her feel extremely guilty. She had all these crazy feelings for Niall that she now knew were being reciprocated, but she couldn't help thinking that her fear of this affection would give him the wrong idea. She felt so guilty because she didn't want him to think she was lying about her feelings or anything like that. That couldn't have been further from the truth. 

If someone tries to hold your hand and you push it away, they're going to think the spark that was once there has died out.

Only a small part of her that felt that way because she knew Niall understood where she was coming from. He understood her better than anyone else ever had and wouldn't judge her feelings or think anything was wrong. And that was the best part of this whole journey they'd been on so far. It eased her guilt slightly knowing that he was sympathetic to everything she had been desperately trying to work through.

She just kept telling herself that it would get easier. That there would be a day where she wouldn't have these problems anymore because she'd learned how to deal with and push past her biggest fears. And it had gotten easier, which was a good sign. There was light at the end of the tunnel. At first she worried that telling him she wanted to take things slow would turn him away.

But Niall was a good man through and through; he was respectful and understanding, and had made his pure intentions quite clear. There was never any pressure on his end, which she was beyond gracious for. He'd proven her fears wrong day in and day out. Even if she still had those worries, which wouldn't go away in a single moment, Lili allowed herself to accept the affection from him and, little by little, it started to feel better.

Since the day of their blowout, he only hid his affection in front of certain people. That might sound like he was embarrassed or ashamed to be seen with her, but the reality made a lot more sense. They still had to be careful. To a certain extent, some club members might be a bit skeptical at the sight of a world-famous golf star getting cozy with a lowly employee. Especially so soon after he'd arrived for the summer.

Though the right people understood the intentions behind the relationship, others simply might not. On the one hand, Lili really didn't care what members or employees had to say because she knew they would be proven wrong in due time. But on the other, she understood there were boundaries that had to be respected and, for now, she was okay keeping their affections limited to private places.

Both Niall and Lili were okay being couple-y in front of people like Jordyn, Zara, Harry, Patrick, and Evan - those closest to them that understood the intentions of the relationship were well within proper boundaries. Even though they hardly even had the opportunities to do so. They were so busy all the damn time that they could only see each other briefly.

Her friends hadn't necessarily met him, and Lili preferred to keep it that way for the time being. But she had come clean to the people she spent the most time with that there was something going on between them. Aside from Jordyn, Zara and Harry were her two best friends at work.

Talk of Lili and Niall's new budding romance would 100% get around the club if they weren't careful, and the last thing she wanted was for her closest friends to feel betrayed and lied to. Lili didn't worry at all that they might not approve. Honestly, the only thing she cared about was being first to tell them what was happening and not allowing some rich gossip to be the way they found out.

As expected, they were both 100% supportive and happy. Even though Harry tried to hide it by making jokes and comments, he had been wanting to see Lili smile like this since the day they met. He was almost as protective of her as her brothers sometimes.

Once everything was out in the open with her co-workers, Lili knew she could allow herself a bit more breathing room when it came to everything going on.

It was still so fucking weird that she was even doing this stuff with him, anyway. Obviously, when two people start seeing each other, every single emotion and feeling run at a fever pitch. Lili had never been a fan of PDA. Whenever she saw couples shamelessly kiss in the street she had to turn her head, often getting waves of second-hand embarrassment that she couldn't seem to control.

She never understood how people could have such little regard for the comfort levels of everyone around them. For a long time, she couldn't imagine wanting to do something so intimate and private in such a public space. Not that she would ever make out with Niall in the middle of a crowd or anything like that, but the point still stands, regardless.

But being on the other side of it - being the one experiencing the kissing and touching - changed everything. There weren't enough words in the English language to describe how much she loved being able to kiss Niall however and whenever she wanted when given the chance. If she was with her friends and he stopped by to see her and gave her a hug, instead of being embarrassed, she just felt warm. If he wanted to give her a little kiss before he left, she wouldn't say no. And if he spent the entire time holding her hand and running his thumb along the back of it, she just moved her arm closer to him so he had better access.

She didn't feel the need to shy away from any of it when she was in the presence of people she trusted with her life. Of course, it wasn't as if she had been trying to brag about their relationship or make anyone uncomfortable. She just knew they wouldn't be bothered by it.

It was hard, though, for her to accept the kind of affection Niall loved to give in front of others because she was so used to receiving it in private. She'd had one relationship in the past. That was it. And the guy she dated - Daniel - was so adamant on people not seeing them together. They never went out, even to do something as simple as getting gas. But if they ever were out together, he wouldn't hold her hand. He would never kiss her or wrap his arms around her shoulders as they walked.

It was like there was an invisible forcefield around him that forced her to stay a minimum of five feet away from him.

Everything happened behind closed doors, and even then, it wasn't necessarily spectacular. It filled her with pure dread and shame when she'd finally realized that Daniel only did 'sweet' things when he wanted sex. He never treated her like a proper girlfriend, which was part of the reason they never built up any physical or emotional intimacy. They had never even made their relationship official. Lili referred to him as her boyfriend, but he never asked her to be his girlfriend. They never spoke about the label. 

So it was weird to be around someone like Niall, who wanted to touch her in some way, no matter the circumstances. And what was even weirder was that he made it incredibly clear that he wasn't doing this with the intention of taking things any further than they already were. There was never the expectation of reciprocation from his end.

He could tell she was apprehensive about being physical and made sure she understood he would go at her pace. To him, respecting the boundaries she'd established early on was one of, if not the most important thing to him. It wasn't that she didn't want to be physical with him, but it was something they would have to build to. Nothing about his words or actions ever suggested that his only intention behind all of this was to hook up with her and be done with it, anyway, no matter how much she convinced herself of that.

She truly adored him for everything he did, but this was just an extra special layer.

She also loved how Niall had begun to purposely flirt extra hard around Patrick. They would be hanging out together as normal, but the second Patrick came around, if he ever did, Niall wrapped his arms tightly around Lili, kissing her face and her lips nonstop. The fact that they'd even grown to that comfort level in such a short period of time was hard to wrap her head around, but it was also hard to hate. He would whisper things in her ear that made her knees weak and her lungs collapse, and the smirk that crossed his face when he realized Patrick was watching was deadly.

To those who didn't know the situation, it seemed like Niall night have been overcompensating, as if to prove what they had was real. At first, that was kind of what Lili thought, too. It was hard not to when it all came out of left field. But after a while, she came to understand that it wasn't about proving things were okay or perfect between the two of them, or that they had to affirm there was a spark between them that people didn't see.

It was about demonstrating how Niall could be happy and involved in an adult relationship without worrying about his work suffering. It may seem petty to some, but it did the job it needed to do. Honestly, Lili admired Niall's ability to focus on the task at hand almost immediately after being caught up with her on the side. It took her quite a few minutes to make her head stop spinning enough to stand up on her own two feet again - she didn't know how he did it so easily.

Although the extra affection in front of Patrick didn't necessarily bother her, she was definitely curious about it.

It was the end of a long shift on a Wednesday evening when she decided to round up the courage and ask him. Lili was waiting by Niall's parked car, sitting under one of the large oak trees in the guest lot, stretching her legs out on the warm grass and letting the tiny blades tickle her skin. He had driven her to work as an excuse for them to spend more time together, even though her shift started nearly two hours before he was supposed to be training. It was cute, though, and she couldn't complain. It was something she could definitely get used to.

She had removed her hat, snapping the adjustable band around the strap of her purse, and pulled her hair out of the ponytail it had been in all day, shaking her head out and sighing. Her scalp was screaming in pain, and she tried to soothe it by massaging her fingers along the surface. Lili ran her fingers through the ends gently, trying to style it in a way that looked half decent. Niall loved her hair, so she always tried to wear it down when he was around.

She looked out across the now empty lot, and her stomach flipped with excitement as he appeared on the dirt path leading to the parking lot. She watched him walk in her direction with wide eyes. Even from far away, his presence heavily affected her body to the point where she was powerless. From her spot on the grass, she admired him. His golf clubs were hanging over his back, but he walked as if they weighed a single pound.

He was incredibly strong, more so than he looked, and it made Lili's mouth water to think about what he was capable of doing with those arms. The polo shirt he was wearing was perfectly fitted to his muscular body, and the material stretched across his broad chest and shoulders. Fuck, he looked good. 

Niall was already smiling, clearly having spotted her from a distance.

She stood and wiped the grass off her skirt, before slowly leaning over the hood of his car and propping herself up on her elbows, bringing her hands together in front of her. She was bent at the waist, which was a recipe for disaster considering she was wearing her tiny skirt, but she didn't care. Teasing Niall was too much fun, even if it was in subtle ways like this. And it clearly worked, because his eyes darted down to her thighs and raked slowly up her body as he approached. 

Her heart leapt to her throat.

"That is a very inappropriate look, darling," Niall said in a slightly condescending tone once he was close enough for her to hear. The words made her stomach pulse. She pushed herself up on her palms and smiled at him innocently, tilting her head a bit to the side. Her hair fell delicately over her shoulder.

"I'm just waiting for you, I haven't done anything wrong."

She stood up straight as he appeared beside her and leaned sideways against the car, crossing one ankle over the other. There was an odd amount of confidence surging through her in this moment. Once he closed the gap between their bodies, Niall reached up and delicately grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head back so she was forced to look up at him. The touch ignited something deep in Lili's stomach, and her eyes momentarily fluttered shut.

He leaned his head down far enough for his lips to slightly ghost against hers. "I didn't say I didn't like it," he said in a soft voice, before kissing her.

If the car hadn't been there to keep her upright, Lili's legs would probably have given out and she would be sprawled on the ground in two seconds flat. She inhaled slowly through her nose as his lips worked delicate magic against her own. She reached out and placed her hands squarely on his hips, steadying herself just as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. When he pulled his head back he grinned at her, eyes a slightly darker shade than usual, before stepping back and moving towards his trunk.

If she listened closely, she could hear him laughing to himself. Bastard.

Lili fought to catch her breath and walked on shaky legs to the passenger door, pulling it open and sliding onto the cool leather seat. It shocked her just how easily he was able to turn her on like that, and how often he managed it. Yeah, she'd just thought about how she wanted to wait to be physical with him, but did he really have to make it so fucking hard? Jesus.

Niall appeared in the seat beside her a moment later. His forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat from the day's practice in the hot sun. There was the smallest indent in his dark brown waves where his sunglasses had been sitting a moment ago. His exposed neck was the same deliciously golden colour as the rest of his skin. Lili wondered what it would feel like underneath her lips.

Niall looked over at her, and she smiled as he reached over and grabbed her hand. 

"Sorry," she said quietly, looking away for a moment. Hopefully he couldn't see how hard she was blushing. He chuckled and squeezed her hand as he pulled out of the parking space.

"You don't have to apologize for looking at me," he responded, as he reached the exit of the parking lot and turned onto the deserted city street. "If I apologized every time I did that to you, every second word out of my mouth would be sorry."

Her heart fluttered and flipped in her chest because of the way he was grinning at her.

"How was practice?" she asked, resting her head against the seat. She winced quietly when her sensitive scalp touched the leather. "You look like you got some good work in." 

He smiled wider. "Yeah, I did. Evan is feeling a bit under the weather, so I came in by myself."

"And how was that?"

"Better than I thought. It was nice not to have his constant bitching whenever I did something wrong." 

Lili giggled. Niall loved Evan so much, so it was funny to hear him complain. 

"So, how many balls ended up in the water today?" she asked. Niall laughed, bright blue eyes shining as he looked out at the open road.

"Give me some credit, will you?" he teased. "I'll have you know that not a single one of my balls got wet today." 

Lili rolled her eyes and tried to laugh, but it ended up sounding more like a shocked gasp than anything. Niall surveyed her, pleasantly dumbfounded. "Alright, get your head out of the gutter, will you?"

"Relax, babe," Lili said with a scoff. "I'm a grown woman. I can laugh at whatever I want to." 

She couldn't help but notice the way he scrunched his nose and smiled wider at her casual use of the pet name. It was surprising how easily it rolled off her tongue, but she couldn't help it. Note to self, she thought silently. Do that every single day.

He nodded in agreement at her retort. Quickly, Niall unlaced their fingers to play around with the AC settings, then instantly replaced his hand in hers. As if he couldn't go another second without holding it. Lili sighed in relief as the cold air blasted through the vent and cooled her burning skin. It had been unseasonably hot and she was sweating her ass off.

They continued driving silently for a few moments before Lili took the opportunity to talk. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" she said, turning to look at him. His face was calm - the epitome of perfection. What a stunning human being, he was.

He glanced at her through his peripherals and nodded, looking completely unbothered. An upbeat old rock song began flowing through the speakers, and he immediately turned it down using one of the buttons on his steering wheel.

She swallowed. "Your...behaviour with me has really changed recently. We kind of went from 0 to 100 in ten seconds over the past few weeks." 

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

She laughed nervously, squirming in her seat. "You know. Kissing in public, wrapping yourself around me all the time. I've noticed you do it a lot more when Patrick is around." She glanced quickly out of the windshield at the road in front of them, then back over to his face. "Don't get me wrong, I love it. God, you have no idea how much I love it." She paused, trying to find the best way to get her thoughts out. "But I'm just...curious where the sudden turnaround came from. I mean, we went from you practically avoiding me because of what Patrick said to basically trying to rub this whole thing in whenever he's around."

Lili didn't want Niall to think that she wasn't comfortable with what he was doing or that she didn't understand it. She also didn't want him to think she was judging his decisions. All she needed was a bit of clarification. 

Niall ran his thumb along the surface of her hand gently, and her skin erupted in goosebumps. He licked his lips and smiled.

"Well, I just got tired of waiting for him to come around. He doesn't think I can prioritize you and my work equally, so be it. But I'm an adult and can do whatever I want, and what I want is to have you in my life." His smile grew wider as he spoke, and it made Lili's stomach erupt with butterflies. She squeezed his hand again and watched the slight pink blush fill his cheeks.

"So you're not overcompensating, then?" she asked. This was the part that made her the most nervous because she didn't really know what to expect out of his answer.

"If I'm being honest, maybe at the beginning I was," Niall said, furrowing his brow a bit. He made a right turn and cleared his throat. "I just really wanted him to see how important you are to me so, yeah. Maybe I was being a bit over the top at the start. He and Evan play such a huge part in my life and, at the end of the day, their opinions really do mean a lot to me." He paused, swallowing, and pulled to a stop at a red light. "But seeing how happy you are because of everything I do makes it all worthwhile, and I just can't control myself sometimes. I wish I could have kissed you a thousand times a day from the moment I met you, so I'm just making up for that."

The light turned green after a moment and he accelerated forward, squeezing her hand. "Is that alright with you?" he asked softly. She just laughed in response.

"I can live with that, yes," she said, gazing at him again. He was so beautiful that it caused her physical pain. "As long as it doesn't suddenly stop. Then I'll be really disappointed." 

He chuckled. "You have my word."

***

The next few days continued on as normal - wake up, go to work, sleep, repeat. Lili worked tirelessly, picking up double shifts nearly every day, keeping her at the club for 10 to 11 hours a day. Being short-staffed was a horrific problem. It was absolutely killing her, but the club had finally hired a few new people that would be absorbing all those hours from now on, so it was only a few more days until she could go back to normal.

The money was amazing, though - she was only a few thousand away from a new car. Any day now and she'd be crossing that off her bucket list. She was proud of herself for putting in so much hard work, especially since she was watching it literally paying off right before her eyes. If there was one thing she took pride in, it was her personal work ethic.

The only thing that made the extra hours suck the most was the fact that she barely saw Niall anymore. He called her every night since her crazy double schedule started since they didn't see each other during the day, and he liked to joke that the universe was doing it on purpose.

Every single time they tried to see each other at the club, even if it was just for a second, something would come up that forced them apart. Lili would have a few minutes to herself between tasks, but before she could head off to say hi to Niall, one of her supervisors came bursting into the parlour to ask her to fill out some paperwork that ended up taking over an hour. By the time she'd finished everything asked of her, Niall was calling and apologizing profusely to say he had to go home because he was late for a meeting.

Another time, Niall was just about to meet her in the parking lot before he headed out when a pipe burst in the cart garage, so Lili had to stay with the maintenance guy since she wasn't allowed to leave him there unattended.

Every stupid thing that could happen that would prevent them from seeing each other happened, and Lili just had to grin and bear it for the next few days. It was actually insane. Three weeks ago, she probably would have taken all of this as a sign from the universe telling her to stay away from Niall before more bad things happened. But now, it was quite laughable. Obviously, she wasn't happy that she had to be away from him, but there was nothing they could do to stop things from happening out of the blue. This just happened to be out of their control and they had no choice but to accept it. 

But at least she still got to talk to him on the phone at the end of the day; hearing his voice before she went to sleep was the best lullaby ever created. It was her new favourite thing to do: his phone calls became their nightly debrief. They'd tell each other everything that happened, even if one of them hadn't been working. It was just an opportunity for both of them to vent and let out some stress, or have a bit of relaxation and fun, before saying goodnight.

They had been connecting so well as of late, and Lili felt closer to him than ever before. Learning new things about him every day made her fall deeper and deeper; she really felt as if she had known him her whole life.

The first day that Lili didn't work a double shift was almost like a breath of fresh air in comparison to her last few harrowing days. She now worked exclusively afternoon shifts, which allowed her to sleep for an extra hour or two in the morning, and she couldn't be more grateful. Her body was exhausted, and the extra sleep could do wonders for her mental and physical well-being.

The first day that she didn't have to be up at the crack of dawn, she woke up in a cold sweat, panicking because she thought she'd slept through her alarm. It took her a solid five minutes to realize that she hadn't even set an alarm because she didn't have to be up until 11am the earliest.

With each passing day, she felt better and better. Gaining back the strength and energy you lost at work was a very rewarding feeling.

But the greatest part of it all was that she was finally seeing Niall after god knows how long. Even though they spoke on the phone every day, she genuinely missed him. She missed being around him and holding his hand, smelling that familiar scent of his delicious aftershave mingling with sweat. She had butterflies in her stomach the entire morning, feelings of nerves, excitement, and anticipation swirling around her brain.

She was so excited that she raced through the beginning of her route, looking at each upcoming hole in search of him. Her heart sank a little every time she saw someone that wasn't him. Thankfully, there were only two other groups out on her course, and neither one took up too much of her time. She made polite conversation and smiled at the guests, hoping nobody noticed the impatient tapping of her foot or her erratic eyes darting past them in search of a familiar body in the distance.

Why, why, why did today of all days have to be full of all the oldest people in the fucking state? Everyone had to be at least 75, and they all took their sweet ass time telling their stories and making conversation with Lili.

Realistically, she was probably only speaking to them for twenty or thirty minutes, tops, but it genuinely felt like hours. She was afraid she'd miss him if the stories went on any longer.

Finally, Lili was able to escape the confines of the other guests, and steered herself rather erratically along the course until the heart-stopping image of Niall Horan at the teeing ground of Hole 8 sharpened her senses. The butterflies that had been dancing in her stomach all day were now painfully flapping their wings at dangerous speeds, as if trying to break out of her abdomen and take flight into the blue sky.

She took a deep, shaky breath and slowed the cart down enough to allow herself to drive straight ahead while still admiring Niall from afar. Imagine how fucking embarrassing it would be to crash right in front of him. She'd never emotionally recover from that.

It was surprising how nervous she actually was to see him; her palms and forehead were sweating, and her leg continued to bounce up and down anxiously, rocking the cart back and forth. These were the kinds of nerves she'd dealt with on their first date. But it was more so anticipation and excitement than nerves, similar to the feeling you get when you're at a concert and the lights finally go down to start the show.

From where she was, she could see Niall pulling two different club from his bag, trying to decide between the two. His sunglasses were covering his eyes but she knew they were narrowed in concentration. Evan was beside him, standing slightly off to the side and talking into his phone, left hand resting casually on his hip.  He said something that made both him and Niall smile momentarily.

She bit the corner of her lip and smiled; raising one hand up to the steering wheel, she honked the horn in two short bursts, continuing to drive towards the edge of the green. Niall looked up, confused at the sound, before his face broke into a gorgeous smile when he realized it was her. He even looked slightly relieved.

Lili pulled the cart into park and felt her stomach going crazy again as Niall dropped his club and jogged excitedly over to her. He pushed his sunglasses up to the top of his head as he ran, a big smile spread along his face. Oh, to have him this excited to see her for the rest of her life would be the sweetest gift she could ever receive.

She stood up and walked around to the side of the cart facing Niall, leaning back against it to wait for him to approach.

"Feels like the first time in years that I'm seeing you, angel!" he called out, still a few feet away. His hands were high above his head in excitement; it was like seeing a baby raise their arms and beg to be picked up. It was adorable, especially considering how genuinely happy he looked to see her. Lili laughed and tilted her head to the side adoringly as she admired him.

"I know!" she called back. "The club can't separate us forever, unfortunately."

He giggled, and the moment he approached her, his hand was reaching for hers, picking it up and lacing his fingers in hers as he planted a single, gentle kiss on her lips. His free hand had come around to wrap around her waist, pulling her in towards his chest and hugging her body against his. She was home again. He pulled away from the kiss and tilted his own head, mirroring Lili's action, and smiled brightly down at her.

Finally she was able to fill her lungs with his phenomenal scent, and it was like it breathed new life back into her. She returned his smile, before trailing her eyes down his figure. He was wearing a deep navy polo shirt, simple black pants, and white sneakers. Thankfully, he didn't have a hat on, so she could admire his dark brown locks. She was desperate to run her fingers through them.

"You look nice today. That colour looks great on you. It's very sexy," she said in a flirty voice. He flushed slightly and smiled nervously.

"You're one to talk in that skirt," he countered. Lili rolled her eyes and shook her head, feigning annoyance, which caused him to smirk momentarily. "You really do look beautiful today," he whispered, squeezing her hand softly. 

"Thank you," she whispered back, trying to ignore the way her face burned because of his compliment. She gestured behind Niall with her free hand. Evan was still on the phone, but she could see him glancing over at them every once in a while. His face was slightly red - from the sun or from anger, who knows?

"Think he's happy about this right now, or no?" she asked. Niall shrugged, looking over his shoulder but turning back to her almost immediately.

"Probably not. I don't give a fuck, anyway," he grumbled, leaning down to kiss her once again. Her lips were on fire, and she wouldn't have it any other way. His mouth tasted like spearmint.

They pulled apart and Niall leaned against the side of the cart, now folding his free arm across his chest and letting his hand rest under the arm holding Lili's hand. It was an awkward movement that he somehow made look so effortless and sexy. His bicep bulged slightly, even though he wasn't even flexing the muscle, and Lili's face grew warm. He was so physically fit; it took every ounce of strength she had sometimes not to just jump him whenever she saw him.

He noticed her admiring his body and licked his lips, trying to keep his cocky smile at bay. "So, how's the day been so far? Feeling good now that you don't have any doubles?" 

He was always the best at changing the subject.

Lili breathed a short sigh of relief. "You have no idea. Honestly, this past week I've felt like a fucking zombie. I don't think I slept at all, and when I did sleep, I was dreaming about this place."

She cringed in horror. Even in her dreams, she couldn't escape this damn place. It followed her like a lost puppy. She smiled at the look on his face, and the way he watched her intently when she spoke. It may seem like such an insignificant gesture, but the way he truly paid attention and actively listened to the things she said really touched her heart. For the first time in her life, someone other than her parents or best friend made Lili feel like the things she said mattered. It was clear he actually cared about what she had to talk about, which was something she'd never gotten to experience from a partner.

She swatted her hand through the air dismissively, shaking her head. "I'd hate to sound like I'm complaining, though. It was my choice to work all these hours, and I'm really lucky to have this job. Complaining makes me sound like such a brat."

She scrunched her nose up in disgust, hating how those complaints had sounded. There were probably so many people her age who would kill to have a job like this. 

Niall furrowed his brow, taking an unconscious step towards her. "You're allowed to talk about about being tired, you know that right?" he asked. "Yeah, it was your choice to take the shifts, but it doesn't mean you can't complain about feeling tired or drained." He paused, looking down at their connected hands. His voice sounded oddly sad. "I've noticed you do that a lot, actually. I know you're grateful for the job and everything, but sometimes you hold yourself back from sharing your feelings about it."

He raised his free hand to her face, brushing his thumb against her cheek as he lay his palm flat against the side of it. His voice was so delicate as he continued speaking. "It's okay for you to share your stress. Especially with me. If it's something I can help you with, I want the opportunity to do so."

She gazed into his eyes, feeling his reassuring words calm a stress level she hadn't realized had risen so high. How incredibly sweet was that sentence? What the fuck? Tears forming in her eyes, she sighed, tilting her head a bit more so her cheek sank into the warm comfort of his hand.

"I know. It just feels like I don't have the right to complain sometimes. I've been that way since I was a kid. I feel bad for complaining about the privileges I have because there's someone out there who has it worse than I do."

There were people who lived paycheque to paycheque, desperate to just have the chance to work as much as Lili did. Not a day went by where she didn't express her gratitude for the position in life she currently held. So was it really fair for her to complain about the amount she worked when she was better off than most? 

She analyzed his face, but there wasn't an ounce of judgement in his expression. Niall smiled softly at her.

"Trust me, I know how you feel. But it's okay to let that out sometimes. Plus, that's an awful way to think. You're still a human being with feelings, regardless if someone has it 'worse' than you or not. Don't be afraid to let this stuff out every once in a while."

He was too god damn perfect.

Lili smiled despite her mood. "You're right. It's just frustrating to feel this way sometimes, I guess." 

He definitely made it easier to accept, but Lili would never stop feeling this way, no matter what. Feeling bad was just in her nature. 

Niall chuckled. "I mean, if you ever want to break some dishes or crash a car or something, I'm your guy."

They both laughed, and Lili felt even more of that stress melting away. It was amazing how easily he could make her feel better; he had to have some kind of magic powers. No matter what, even when it came to something like this, it was effortless for him. How he did it was beyond her comprehension. There was no way he was this perfect naturally.

She turned her head to the side and kissed the inside of the hand that was resting on her face before stepping back and returning to somewhat of a professional state. There was no one around for miles, but she couldn't fuck around all day.

"Okay, I'm here to get you drinks, so you need to order something." She took a few steps to the side, opening her cooler and gesturing inside. "What can I get you today, sir?" she said, leaning on one leg and popping her hip out.

She had just meant to pretend he were a regular customer, considering that was normally how she would talk to the random men she encountered. But Niall's eyes darkened slightly at the use of the word, and the look on his face made Lili weak in the knees. Her stomach flipped, and she felt a flutter between her legs she thought had died years ago.

Niall cocked one eyebrow and tilted his head to the ground, nodding slightly to himself with his tongue pressed against his bottom lip, before shaking his head and returning to his regular demeanor. Holy fuck. Suddenly, the tension between them was so thick that Lili could cut it with a butter knife and spread it on some toast.

"Two beers and two waters, please, love." 

Swallowing, Lili gestured down to the neatly lined bottles and cans swimming in the fresh ice. "Help yourself."

Niall reached down and pulled out two bottles of water and two metal cans of beer, shaking the water droplets off. He placed them on the cart bench and reached for his wallet in his back pocket, but Lili put her hand on his forearm to stop him.

"It's on me today. Don't worry about it." 

Niall shook his head vehemently. "No, I can't let you do that. People already think I'm using you here and you know that. They find out I'm getting free drinks too and this whole place will practically go up in flames." His expression changed as he spoke, as if the words actually pained him to say. He looked angry and upset. Lili sighed and removed her hand from his arm, sighing.

"Okay, fine. But no tip," she added, pointing at him sternly. He chuckled and retrieved a $50 bill from his wallet, gasping sarcastically.

"Well, would you look at that? This is all I seem to have, and I just hate carrying change." He shrugged innocently and shoved his wallet back in his pocket. "Guess you'll just have to take it."

"I hate you," she responded, desperately fighting back a smile. He was so goddamn charming, it made her sick.

"You don't, though, love," he whispered, taking a delicate step closer to her. The breeze picked up his sent and blew it in her direction, and she almost choked on the desire she suddenly felt for him.

He was leaning down to kiss her again when they were interrupted. "I'd hate to break up all the fun, but we have a schedule to keep up with here!" called an annoyed voice from behind them. Lili and Niall both looked over to see Evan waiting beside Niall's clubs.

He looked slightly amused, but it was obvious he was actually frustrated. Considering this was the exact thing they expected to happen when Niall and Lili got involved, it wasn't hard to believe Evan was genuinely bothered. Evan raised his hands and sarcastically tapped his watch, pointed down at the clubs on the grass, then threw his hands up in the air again.

"Alright, relax!" Niall called back angrily. Lili was laughing so hard she had to cover her mouth with her hands. Niall turned back to her and smiled apologetically, cheeks pinking up rapidly. "I'm sorry, gorgeous. I wish I could stay with you longer, but I should get going before he has a heart attack."

"No, don't apologize," she said, shaking her head quickly. "You have things to do." 

"But I'll see you soon, I hope," he said softly. "I'll call you tonight." 

Lili smiled and nodded. She was so lucky. 

Niall raised their connected hands and brought the back of hers up, holding just her fingers now, before placing his lips against her hand and kissing it for a long, delicate second, eyes never leaving hers. Lili's breath caught in her throat, and for a moment, the world melted away around them. She struggled to breathe as she looked into his perfect eyes. Her head was spinning. Eventually, he winked at her, before dropping her hand and turning to leave, picking up his drinks along the way.

She couldn't help but notice how easily he carried two large bottles of water in one hand.

Evan glared at Niall as he arrived and swiped his drinks out of his hand aggressively, twisting off the water cap and taking a long sip. Niall was saying something to him that Lili couldn't hear from that far away; Evan raised his arms up defensively in response and took a few steps back. It looked like he was giving Niall the floor to make a speech or something.

She watched as Niall picked up the club he'd dropped on the ground earlier and bent to place a ball on his tee. He lined his feet up square with his shoulders and placed his club in front of him, lining up the shot. He looked out towards the fairway, and Lili knew he was squinting his eyes as he searched until the target he wanted had come into view. His head turned back down towards his ball, and she watched the muscles ripple in his back through his shirt as his arms retreated and he swung hard. The small white ball soared through the wind, arcing farther and farther up, until it fell from the air and landed so close to the hole that Lili wasn't sure if it had gone in or not.

Niall turned back to Evan with a triumphant smile on his face; Evan stared back at him with a look of horror, clearly impressed but unsure if he wanted to show it. Lili could hear Niall's yell echo through the quiet sky.

"Proven!"

Chapter Text

~ chapter vibe is Jealous by Nick Jonas :P

~ slight CW/TW: body image issues 

"Are you going to tell me what that was all about earlier?" Lili asked curiously. She was balancing her phone between her shoulder and ear as she carried a pile of clean laundry to her room, dropping it on her bed and sighing.

Lili hated chores, and doing them after work was quite possibly one of the worst things ever. She could never just come home and relax, maybe take a bubble bath and watch a movie. No. There was always something that needed to be done, and it was exhausting. Just once, Lili wished she could finish a shift and have no obligations to worry about once she got home. 

Quickly, she crossed the room and shut her bedroom door, giving herself as much privacy as possible before switching to speakerphone. She placed the phone gently on her bed and began folding her clothes.

"What are you talking about?" 

Niall had called her when she got home from work, gushing over how much he'd missed her voice since they spoke earlier that afternoon. Lili could say, with a decent amount of confidence, that he missed her just as much as she missed him. Maybe she wished they weren't as co-dependent as they were, but life was so much more fun this way. It was nice knowing someone missed her presence. 

She could hear his couch squeaking slightly underneath him, which meant he was finally home and getting comfortable after the day of training. He usually spent his alone time on the couch in front of the TV, having a beer or a cider while putting his feet up. More than a few times, Lili daydreamed about lying in his arms on the couch, or in his bed, watching a show they picked together that would eventually become 'their show'. 

She wanted it so badly.

The image of him lying on his couch in comfy jogging pants, holding the remote loosely in his hand as he searched for something to watch was incredibly endearing. More so, it made her ache to be with him grow even more.

"You were shouting about something, and Evan didn't look so pleased."

Niall laughed happily in a quick, short burst of sound that warmed her soul. "Oh, you mean my near hole in one?" he asked, amused. She could hear the confidence dripping from his voice. "Are you questioning my talent?" 

Lili rolled her eyes, even though he couldn't see it. His cockiness, no matter how exaggerated it may be sometimes, was always incredibly hot.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, it's a serious question."

His tone was light, and she knew he had a big, wide grin on his face while he spoke. There was no way he didn't have a sixth sense for this kind of thing.

"No, idiot. When you yelled out 'proven' after the shot," she said pointedly "What, were you trying to prove that you could actually hit a hole in one or something? Don't tell me you've never done that before." 

She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. Over the past couple of months, she had been quick to learn exactly what kinds of things would rile him up, and this was the perfect example. Niall clicked his tongue dramatically. She knew he was conflicted between wanting to sit back and take it, or throw something right back at her.

"Of course I have. I am a professional, thank you very much," he finally said.

Chewing the corner of her mouth, she smiled as she folded her shirts neatly. One of her favourite things about the two of them was how easy they could banter without getting upset. 

He cleared his throat quietly.

"When I went to give Evan his drink, he was talking shit about me being distracted again. Told me I had to stop wasting time if you came over to us because you pull my focus from what's important. And that's not entirely true, but I can't really say it doesn't happen at all." 

Lili chuckled quietly. "It does happen. All you do is kiss me when we're on the course together." 

Her heart fluttered with every memory of his lips. She couldn't believe that was even a sentence she could speak with her own mouth. What a privilege it was to be in this position. 

"Well, can you blame me?" he asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She grinned wider.

"Not at all. So, what happened?" Honestly, she had no idea where he was even going with this. 

"I told him I could prove to him that I can see you, even in the middle of a session, and still make a good shot right away. And I did."

He sounded incredibly proud of himself. Lili couldn't help but smile even wider. He really was the cutest.

She lay horizontally across her bed and rested her head on one of the pillows, now completely avoiding the pile of clothes desperate to be folded. The two items she'd actually gotten to didn't even look folded. Oh well. It would get done eventually.

She placed her phone on her chest next to her heart and looked up at the white ceiling. The pink elephant he'd won on their first date was hiding between her pillows, so she pulled it out and wrapped an arm around it, hugging it loosely.

"Now, is that actually what happened, or are you just trying to talk yourself up and make yourself look good? Because you know you don't have to do that for me." She paused for dramatic effect. "And I can handle you being mediocre, anyway, it's fine."

He clicked his tongue again, and she could feel the laugh threatening to escape from his throat. She fucking loved when they went back and forth like this. It was so much fun. Playfully riling each other up was one of the more fun aspects of their emotional connection. It was completely harmless, and it showed they trusted each other enough to have this entertaining back and forth that wouldn't end with hurt feelings.

Plus, it made for great tension between them.

"You're really annoying sometimes, you know that?" he teased back, avoiding her earlier statement entirely. Lili shook her head as she smiled up at the ceiling. Her heart was hammering, and she was almost certain he could hear it through the phone.

"You love it, don't even lie," she said.

"You know I do, darling."

***

It had been two days since Niall 'proved' to Evan that he wasn't easily distracted by Lili, and he couldn't have been more right - much to poor Evan's chagrin. It seemed as if every shot he took was better than the last. His swing was tight and clean, his hips were loose, and his accuracy had improved drastically. From the day she'd met him up to now alone, there had been significant improvement in all aspects of his game.

Though she had never watched him play a full round of golf before, after admiring a few of his training sessions from afar over the past two months, Lili could tell that he was getting markedly better.

It was wonderful to see his confidence growing every single day, too. After his horrible outing at the last tournament, it was clear that he was discouraged. He did as well as he could do hide his true feelings, but Lili knew him quite well by now. She could tell in the little ways that he would overanalyze a shot or whisper criticisms to himself after a weaker session that he was mentally struggling just a little bit. But once his game started improving, his mental health did, too. He was nicer to himself, gave himself more room for error without constant judgement, and he smiled more.

It was absolutely wonderful. Lili couldn't wait to see him again and encourage him even more than she already had.

Today, she was in the parlour preparing to head out for her route, once again feeling thrilled because she knew Niall would be out there. He always made sure to head to the North Course when he arrived, since that was where she most often took her route. They'd gotten decently lucky with the schedule they were both on recently. They were always bound to cross paths at some point in the day, and that was more than enough for the both of them to look forward to another day at work.

She had just finished filling her cooler with all the necessities and was wiping down the counter when the bell at the top of the door rang. She looked up with a smile, but a severe feeling of unease settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched the tall figure walk through the door.

It was one of the really rich men that frequented the golf course. He was part of the group that was notorious for harassing female employees. There had been many complaints lodged against this specific group but, of course, money talks. Every complaint had seemingly disappeared or gotten 'lost' in the file rooms. There was never any action taken. None of them had their memberships revoked, or even reduced in any way. They were just free to carry on with what they were doing without getting so much as a slap on the wrist.

Now, Lili didn't feel unsafe, per se, because she knew they could only defile her with their words. They'd never once given her reason to worry that they might try putting their hands on her. But she knew he was going to make her extremely uncomfortable, no matter what, so she needed to make this encounter pass as quickly as possible. He wouldn't leave until he'd gotten a rise out of her, but she was determined not to let it happen.

"Good afternoon, sir. How are you doing today?" she asked, tossing the rag she had been using into the bin just by her feet. It wasn't too heavy – she might be able to pick it up and dump it on him if need be...

She stood up to her full height and rolled her shoulders back. It wasn't intimidating in the least, considering he was over six feet tall, but it made her feel better. He grinned at her; the two gold teeth on the left side of his mouth sparkled dully in the fluorescent light. She watched as his eyes drifted down to her chest and stayed there as he spoke.

"Well, aren't you pretty?" he said in a low, slow voice, and Lili practically gagged.

Over the years, she had gotten pretty used to the awful men and their comments. In a way, she'd become desensitized to them, almost prepared to hear gross things. But it didn't make them any easier to stomach. It also didn't make the situation any less wrong.

"A beautiful girl like you shouldn't be cooped up at a golf course all day." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Such a waste."

His tone made her shiver. The man stepped forward and his eyes finally left her chest to look into the display case.

"I'm about to head out for a round with the guys. What would you say would be the best way to keep hydrated out there in the sun?"

Water, maybe? she thought to herself. Fucking moron.

He looked back over and glanced at her chest one last time before, surprisingly, looking her in the eye. Lili felt the hairs on her arms stand up. She swallowed and moved to stand behind the glass case, thankful that it hid the majority of her figure. The idea of him looking at her legs in this tiny skirt was turning her stomach.

"I would say the best way to go is either some water, or a nice cocktail. But if you're a beer man, you'd be better off with a can or two." 

He grinned wider. "I could tell you were a smart one." He looked her up and down again. "Will you be out there sometime soon? Serving us men, I mean. That is what we come here for, anyway."

Lili looked at him blankly, hoping her expression wasn't too sour. Really? Yeah, sometimes this job really made her feel like she was setting feminism back 50 years.

I'm serving you because I want to, ass. Not because this is all I'm good for. I know that's what you're thinking.

Her mouth slowly curled up into a painfully fake smile that made her cheeks ache. "Yup. I'll be out to start my route within the next few minutes."

He nodded, and grinned again, waving goodbye as he turned to head out. The forced swagger he walked with was painfully uncomfortable to watch. It was like he had a full diaper on. The image made her laugh a bit.

She finally took a breath once he was more than ten feet away from the door. Her entire body shuddered, but she took a second deep breath and tried to steady herself. This conversation was only a simple introduction to what was sure to be a horrendously unpleasant day, but the good thing was that it ended as quickly as it began.

She watched through the window, waiting until the man got in his own cart and sped off to meet his group.

Just the knowledge that there were more of him made her want to cry and vomit. God, why did she have to be the one getting stuck with them? Just once, she wished she could say no to doing her job. Just a simple, blunt 'no' should be acceptable.

When she felt he had driven far enough away for her to comfortably leave the parlour unnoticed, Lili grabbed a large bag of ice from the freezer and brought it out to her cart, filling the cooler and bathing the slowly warming drinks with refreshing cubes.

The first few holes of the course were empty, which was both good and bad. Good, because it made her route pass by faster; she didn't have to constantly stop for people and smile at inappropriate comments about her body. It was a nice, welcomed break. When the course was empty, she could spend a bit more time out in the sun. There was no rush to get to the next group. No having to worry that the guests would be angry that she'd taken so long to get there because they 'don't have all day'.

But also bad, because it meant she had more free time, and knew right away that the group of men she was slowly approaching would take advantage of that fact. They'd hold her there for hours if they could.

Looking ahead with the quickest of glances, it didn't seem like there was much of a crowd at all taking up the second half of the course. Worst possible scenario, it seemed. She whimpered to herself out of fear and pulled up the hill towards Hole 7 as slowly as physically possible. There was no need to speed. Actually, maybe she should get out and walk the rest of the way there. Pushing the cooler with her own two hands would take an extra hour at least, right?

Lili sighed, defeated. There was nothing she could realistically do to avoid this. Well, nothing short of quitting her job, but that option was absolutely not on the table.

She pulled up the path and put her car in park, closing her eyes for a moment and breathing in and out slowly. She could already feel her lungs constricting. Her fingers moved at a snail's pace to turn the key and kill the ignition. Plastering another fake smile onto her tired face and stepping onto the plush grass, Lili steadied herself.

The group was already heading her way, looking her up and down like hungry wolves approaching unsuspecting prey. Jesus, could they not relax for just a second? Give her some fucking space, for once.

Lili turned to look out into the beautiful day, hoping it would calm her somewhat. Maybe the shadowy shapes from the trees on the grass would help her brain relax. The birds were singing a happy melody in the blue sky – that was quite nice.

Coincidentally, the sight two holes down made her smile turn genuine. How she didn't see them before, she wasn't sure. Niall and Evan were standing side by side at the teeing ground, but Niall wasn't shooting just yet. He was listening intently to something Evan was saying, nodding his head every now and then to signal that he understood.

The way he pulled his brows in tightly at the base of his forehead while chewing on the corner of his lip was a dead giveaway that he was extremely concentrated. He was holding a club in his hand, a driver, maybe, and was halfway positioned to take a swing, but kept the club firmly in front of him. Evan pointed at something around Niall's feet, before bending down and hastily adjusting them himself.

Niall nodded and began to swing, as if in slow motion, but Evan put his hand up to stop him when he had drawn his arms about halfway back. Evan stepped towards him again and put one hand on Niall's top arm and the other on his twisted hip; they were obviously breaking down the mechanics of Niall's swing and really going into depth with fixing whatever the issue might be. It was actually quite interesting to watch.

Niall nodded and smiled at Evan, and as he lowered his club back to a resting position in front of him, he raised one hand up to his forehead to wipe the sweat forming on his brow. He lifted the cap off his head and ran the back of his hand across his forehead roughly, fluffed up the waves in his hair, and put the hat right back on. The way he moved was so attractive. 

Evan leaned down to pick up a discarded water bottle on the grass and twisted it open to take a long swig of water. His face was bright red from the intense sun rays beating down on him.

Just as Niall looked up into the sunlight to stretch his neck, he spotted Lili, and a smile bright enough to light up even the darkest of nightmares spread across his gorgeous, tanned face. If she really wanted to, Lili could just take off running and jump into his arms. There was nothing more she wanted in that moment, but the men were closing in, so she just waved at him and smiled.

She would see him in a few minutes, anyway. Her heart jumped eagerly at the prospect of it. If there was ever a time to need motivation, it was now. He waved back, equally excitedly, before his eyes drifted over to the group now standing next to Lili, and his expression changed. She could see it all the way from where she stood.

She tore her eyes away from Niall's perfect face and over to her customers; the man from inside the parlour was leading the pack, his equally creepy cronies following steadily behind. There were five of them, all probably over 60 years old. They all wore tacky gold jewelry that was probably bought at a convenience store because they thought it would make them look young and appealing when, in reality, it would just turn their skin green.

These guys lived the classic early-retiree life. Wake up, have a beer, play some golf, repeat. They'd leave the house just after the sun rose and wouldn't return home until after it had set. Anything to keep them away from their wives, whom they despised and treated like shit, rather than divorce them and go their separate ways. Lili sympathized with those women, heart aching for them. Their lives were miserable because of the husbands they fell in love with but couldn't get away from.

"Fancy seeing you here, sweetheart," the first guy said, half an evil smirk playing on his face. Lili nodded, smiling an awkward, tight-lipped smile. She was praying this would go quick and smooth.

"Yup. Promised you I'd be here. How's the round going?" 

She smiled politely and listened as each man barked about their 'phenomenal' scores, talking over one another and trying to be the first to impress her with whatever statement they made. The reality was definitely not even close to what they were tossing at her, but it was fun to act like she was impressed. She would gasp and smile, nodding proudly with each new facet of information they spat at her. Even after all these years, Lili still surprised herself with how good she actually was at pretending to genuinely care about what these men said.

At this point, she could definitely teach a college course on fake-bitchery.

One of the men from the back of the group stepped in front of all of his buddies, waving a wonky $100 bill in the air that was as wrinkled as an accordion.

"Hey, gorgeous, let me get one of those six packs I know you've got in that cart of yours. I think I deserve it, after all. I am winning the game here." He pointed at his chest triumphantly, probably expecting her to leap up and down in applause. But she just stood there, unphased, wearing a weak, kind of awkward smile.

Anyone not named Niall Horan should ever be allowed to call her gorgeous. It just made her feel gross. 

Unhappy with her lack of response, he stepped closer to Lili until he was only a foot or two away from her, and reached forward to pick up her hand, placing the money in her palm. Using minimal effort, he wrapped her fingers delicately around the money, patting her closed fist twice for good measure. It was clear he thought this was some epic romantic gesture that she would surely fawn over.

He grinned down at her, and her stomach turned. It literally took all of her strength not to gag in his face. And she wanted to. She stepped backwards carefully, unwilling to turn around in front of them, and opened the cooler. A thin cloud of cold air floated up from the sea of ice cubes and into the warm breeze.

"We don't sell six packs, unfortunately, but I'll give you a discount. Six cans of beer for the price of five. How's that?"

He grinned wider, once again stepping closer to Lili. The smell of stale cigarettes and whiskey was so strong that she had to breathe through her mouth just to survive that moment. He reached a hairy arm out and awkwardly placed it around her back, attempting to pull her in close. She smiled politely and tried to swerve out of his grasp. It worked, but she smacked her hip into the corner of the cooler. Tears sprung to her eyes from the sharp pain but she blinked them back rapidly.

"Sounds like a deal, pretty." Using shaking fingers, Lili reached into the cooler to retrieve the cans. She handed him the beers without saying a word.

As he passed them along to his friends, Lili looked over her shoulder at Niall, knowing a single glance at him would make her feel better. Even if he was turned away, just seeing his back would give her motivation to get through this shitty encounter.

Surprisingly, he was watching the interaction very intensely. His face was stoic, expression unreadable, and his chest was heaving up and down. The smile had completely disappeared from his face. Instead, his brows were furrowed so far over his eyes that they cast a darker shadow on the bottom half of his face than his hat did. He was glaring at the man standing closest to her, and Lili feared he might actually get burnt from the heat of the stare.

She had to admit, that look was a bit sexy, but she wondered what he was feeling in that moment. Was he...angry? Jealous, even?

Trying not to think about it, Lili turned back to the men. They were all looking at her as they sipped their ice-cold drinks, eyes hooded and dark. It was like a fucking horror movie. She smiled at them, fingers pulled into tight, defensive fists. Her nails were digging into the skin. There would be blood soon if she didn't relax.

One of the other men stepped forward, chugging his beer before crushing the can in his large hand, clearly trying to assert his dominance over the inanimate piece of metal. Was that supposed to be impressive?

"You play?" he asked, gesturing out toward the course. Lili shook her head.

"Not really. If I watched a game, I would understand it, but I'm sure my swing is terrible." She laughed awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.

The man smirked and his brown eyes darted down to her exposed legs. "Why don't you grab a club and put on a little show for us, huh?" He looked down at her knees again. "That skirt is awfully short." He licked his lips. "Does your father know you walk around at work half naked? Not that it bothers us, of course."

He laughed, looking back at his boys for backup. She wanted to die. Why the fuck would he think that was okay to say? What the hell? The colour drained from her face as a wave of nausea hit her, but she continued to smile. She even tried to laugh a bit, swatting at the air dismissively.

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?" 

The men all laughed louder in response, as if that was the funniest joke they had ever heard. The same man who made the awful comment turned to her with an impressed grin.

"Let's hope he never does find out, then." His tone was oddly threatening.

Lili cleared her throat as she stepped towards the driver's side of the cart, putting as much distance as she could between them. There were nonexistent walls closing in on her, making it hard to breathe.

"Well, gentlemen, I've got to head off. Duty calls, you know?" She tried to keep her voice light and airy – friendly, even. "Good luck with the rest of your game."

They whined in protest, but she just smiled and sat down, hardly giving the cart time to turn on and shift properly into drive before she was speeding away towards Niall. All she wanted was to feel his arms wrapped safely around her. Then it would all be okay again.

That was one of the worst comments she'd ever gotten. She'd heard a lot over the years, but none have affected her so instantly and so deeply like this one.

She looked out to see Niall alone beside his clubs; he was squatting down, using one of his propped knees as a flat surface. A piece of paper was balancing on it, and he was scribbling away with a small pencil. He hadn't noticed her arrival.

Slowly, she pulled up to his teeing ground and killed the ignition, but she didn't get out right away. She closed her eyes again and rested her forehead against the top of the steering wheel. It felt better being away from them, at least. She didn't understand why they had to make such gross comments all the time. What did these men possibly gain from being disgusting? Don't they ever realize their words are horrifically unwanted? She felt sick.

Lili stepped out of the cart and pulled out two beers from the cooler, before heading over to Niall, taking the opportunity to stretch her legs and spend some time in the sun. Her legs were shaking slightly. For a moment, she pressed the side of one of the cold cans to her cheeks and neck, cooling herself down. The icy metal felt incredible against her now burning skin.

"Hey, you," she said, once she approached him. Hopefully, her voice sounded relaxed. His shoulders jerked and he looked up, smiling as she stepped closer. He threw the paper and pen to the grass and stood.

"Hey, gorgeous. I didn't even hear you driving. Thank you," he said with a smile, as she reached out an arm to hand him the drinks. He took them, immediately tossing them down to hide in the shade underneath one of his bags.

"Where's Evan? He was just here," Lili said, looking around. Niall tilted his head and shrugged, wrapping his arm around the small of her back to pull her closer, and she let him. He leaned his head down slightly. Lili took another quick look around, for a different reason entirely; there was no one other than the large group around for miles, and they all had their backs turned.

"Off to the toilet, so I'm by myself out here for now. I don't mind, though," he said, before pressing his lips against Lili's. The familiar electric shock that usually coursed through her body due to his kisses was present once again. She allowed herself to melt into the kiss; it felt especially good after the harassment she endured just moments ago.

The warmth from his strong arms around her was more than enough to send her into a frenzy of emotions. She felt so fucking safe with him. In these moments, she knew he'd protect her from absolutely anything.

His tongue swiped delicately across her bottom lip, and she had to pull back and catch her breath before it went too far. They couldn't risk being seen by the group, anyway. She breathed shakily as she pulled her head back far enough to look at him. He was smiling, but something definitely looked off.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked. Her brows furrowed with concern.

He looked away but she kept her eyes on his face, watching his expression. He looked upset, though he was calm. Except his jaw seemed tense, like he was clenching it tightly. After a moment, he looked back at her, meeting her gaze. His face softened.

"Did those guys do anything to you?" he asked, catching her off guard. "Or say anything bad to you?" His voice was soft and careful.

Her eyes darted over to the group of men she had previously served. They had their backs turned, and were in the middle of what looked like a heated discussion. She swallowed, and have a half shrug.

"They didn't do anything," she lied. "You can see that I'm fine, can't you?" He nodded, still looking unsure. She smiled sweetly up at him. "Nothing bad happened to me over there, don't worry about it."

On the last word, her voice cracked slightly, giving her away immediately. Niall caught the break and reached up to cup her cheek gently with his hand, frowning slightly.

"You don't sound sure, love. You can tell me if something happened." 

She looked up into his eyes, and felt tears welling in her own once again.

"They just made a horrible comment that didn't sit right with me," she said, sniffling and trying to blink the tears away. She chuckled quietly, though it wasn't really funny. "I think they might have slut shamed me."

It wasn't actually funny, but she'd do anything to make herself feel better. Niall's hand on her face definitely helped. His touch was so soft and so gentle.

"You don't have to tell me what they said," Niall began. He dragged his thumb softly across her cheek. "But I'm sorry they made you feel this way. It's not fair that you have to deal with it." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Lili shrugged as her abdomen filled with butterflies. "I know. But they didn't hurt me in any way. So I'll be fine."

"You promise?" he asked, eyes trailing along every inch of her face. He seemed so genuinely concerned, and she adored it. She nodded as she slid her hands up his arms, resting them gently on his biceps.

"I promise."

"Good," he said firmly. A small, humourless smile began creeping onto his face, almost like a grimace. "Because I did not like the way they were looking at you back there." His face tensed up again. "Those fuckers don't know boundaries, do they?"

Lili laughed lightly as she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, crossing her hands at the wrists. "They really don't. How shitty is it that I'm so used to it now?" She sighed. "I wish sometimes they would understand how fucking terrifying they can be."

Niall shook his head. "I know, love. But what amazes me is how they think they could ever have a chance with you, anyway. Like you'd be interested in them or something." His chest contracted with a silent laugh. "God, I could see the way they were looking at you from all the way over here. It's embarrassing." 

Some of his normal, relaxed demeanor was returning. "I reckon if you'd stayed another two minutes, you'd have a date tonight." 

Lili's mouth dropped opened slightly as a smile formed on her lips.

"Mr. Horan, are you jealous?" she asked incredulously. The mood was significantly lighter; it was so easy for her to joke around with him. She was thankful for that, because it meant the danger was long gone.

She was just having a laugh, but secretly liked the way he reacted. No one had ever said those kinds of things about her. He looked at her, one eyebrow raised as he sucked his teeth. He then looked up at the sky and smiled, tongue pressing firmly against the inside of his bottom lip, and Lili's knees weakened slightly at the sight.

Fuck, he was so hot.

"I wouldn't exactly say jealous, but if that makes you feel better, then sure." His words were firm, but the slight blush on his cheeks and the wild look in his eyes clearly gave him away. It would be alright if he was jealous. She'd have the same reaction had it been him surrounded by a group of women who were getting all touchy-feely. And it wasn't like she could ignore the way he was practically staring those guys to death.

"Don't be afraid to admit it, Niall. Jealousy is a disease, and you have it," she teased. He exhaled sharply through his nose in a half-assed laugh.

"Do you really think I enjoy watching these perverts trying to touch you like that? They were standing so close to you, I felt claustrophobic from all the way over here."

What had gotten into him?

Lili giggled, and he rolled his eyes. "I could see that one in the green shirt trying to grab your hips from a mile away. What was he trying to do, anyway, have a nice cuddle or something?" 

He scoffed angrily.

She never would have taken Niall for the jealous type in a relationship, but it was incredibly hot. The way he got all worked up just thinking about someone else showing her literally any kind of affection, whether it was wanted or not, was extremely attractive. And just knowing that was how he felt about her gave her some kind of...power? Confidence, maybe?

"Well, if it's any consolation," Lili said, as she leaned back against her cart. She pulled him along with her so he was still pressing against her, sandwiching her between him and the cart. "You're the only one I want touching me."

As she spoke, she raised herself up on her tiptoes and brushed her lips against Niall's. She wasn't exactly kissing him, but there was enough contact to make them both shudder. The air around them was suddenly thick with tension. Niall's breath shook slightly. He licked his lips as she stood flat on the ground again.

She tilted her head to the side as she looked at him, removing her hands from around his neck and sighing dramatically. "Anyway, I've got to go now," she said innocently.  He was still breathing a bit heavier, and he gazed at her in disbelief as she turned to sit behind the steering wheel. His jaw was hanging open and his eyes were wide.

"See you later!" she called, trying to keep her voice as cute and even as possible. He scoffed out a laugh, shaking his head and smiling as he watched her.

Her ability to get him so worked up that way with just a little bit of teasing gave her a fair bit of self-confidence. It was hard not to let her thoughts run wild because of it.

She turned the key and the ignition rumbled to life underneath her feet. Niall was laughing now as he watched her, amazed at how quickly the situation had turned.

"You're something else, you know that?" he said. She shrugged innocently in response, but her stomach flipped. She bit her lip gently.

"Don't act like you don't love it," she retorted. The butterflies in her stomach were going mad. This was easily the sexiest banter they'd ever had. It was making Lili want to scream. 

Before she could turn and speed away, Niall quickly jumped into the cart, sitting beside her on the bench. She jumped at his sudden movement. He slid into the spot with calculated ease, knocking the side of his knee against her thigh.

"Hey, since we're both off tomorrow, I was wondering if you wanted to come to my house for a swim?" 

She turned her head to look at him. Even in the shadow of the cart, he was beautiful. She smiled at him and leaned over to kiss his cheek. The rough stubble on his face felt heavenly under her lips.

"I'd love to. Send me your address. I'll be there around 1." Niall smiled; a look of relief crossed his face as his lips stretched into a perfect smile.

"Sounds like a plan," he said, and her heart skipped. They looked at each other for a long moment until Niall finally broke the eye contact and looked away, blushing. How the hell was this her real life? Since when was she the kind of girl to make a gorgeous man like Niall blush? It didn't make sense. 

"I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, then," she whispered softly. He nodded once and leaned over, planting a gentle kiss on her lips, before stepping out of the cart. He reached down and tapped the bench twice, sending her off for the day.

"Bye, love," he said with a grin.

She blew him a kiss and turned the wheel, slowly driving down the manicured dirt path to continue with her route.

It was nearly impossible to contain her smile throughout the rest of the day. Her mood had improved significantly since the encounter with the awful group. The only thing she could focus on was Niall's question. This was a huge deal that she couldn't quite wrap her head around just yet.

Going to Niall's house, being in his own private space, just the two of them, was a big step forward in their relationship. It would be the first time that they really hung out together with no one else around. Driving alone together or running to get a coffee on the way to work didn't necessarily count. Obviously, she cherished every minute they spent together, casual or not, but it wasn't the same.

Being at his house meant they didn't have to worry about who saw them - didn't have to worry about being careful with each other. There were no limits to what they could do. No more being afraid. They were obviously affectionate in public sometimes, but only in those spaces where they were certain no one would see. Everything had to be incredibly calculated and strategically done.

Like just now, with the kissing in the cart and holding each other in the sunlight. They were only able to do so because there was a large distance between them and the other group, and Lili had made sure no one was paying attention. Just like every other time they saw each other at work, they were constantly keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings to make sure they had the privacy they needed.

At Niall's house, they didn't have to keep looking over their shoulder. They didn't have to worry about standing at the perfect angle so the security cameras couldn't make out what they were doing. They would have complete and total privacy – shut away from the prying eyes of the world. It would be a nice, welcomed change, but the idea did make Lili incredibly nervous.

The more she thought about it, the more scared she felt. She was going to be truly alone with him at his house. No one except the two of them. Not that she had any expectations at all for how the night would go, but she had some idea that things would get more physical at some point. It was something they both wanted. And what better opportunity would they have to be intimate in the privacy of one's own home?

There was no hiding anymore. They were free to take things as far as they wanted.

The thought of Niall pressuring her into doing something she wasn't ready for hadn't even crossed her mind, because that was the least of her worries. Since day one, he'd proven how respectful he was towards the boundaries she'd very adamantly set. He never made her feel judged for not wanting to do anything she wasn't prepared to do. He was kind and gentle, always willing to wait for her. And she had been doing the exact same for him.

So, to know that the culmination of all of their flirting and kissing and touching could potentially arrive within the next 24 hours or so was exciting, but frightening.

But aside from that, being at Niall's house alone with him was bound to put a lot of newfound pressure on their relationship as a whole. Being able to spend private time together and not feel uncomfortable or awkward is very telling about how a relationship will turn out. If you can't be comfortable with a potential partner in the most relaxed of spaces, it's not going to work out.

Lili just knew that if she didn't feel comfortable with him in that kind of space, then this relationship wouldn't work out. She needed to know that she was safe anywhere with him, especially in a place as intimate as his empty house.

Not to mention that it's his house. It'll be the biggest invitation Lili will ever receive into his life and personality. Everything she has wanted to learn about him that she hadn't been able to ask would be revealed to her. She would see where he ate, where he slept, where he spent his free time. It would be the biggest consensual invasion of privacy they would experience together so far. They would be seeing each other in a new raw, uncensored way that would completely change the trajectory of their relationship.

Was she ready for all of this to change? Or was it too soon to take this step?

Lili absentmindedly picked at the food on her plate at dinner, making the excuse that she was just exhausted from the long day in the sun when her parents questioned why she wasn't eating. Her anxious thoughts about what this day at Niall's house could possibly contain were overtaking her mind, and her stomach was turning painfully, making her feel nauseous. Anxiety was settling like a large, heavy rock in her chest.

She managed to get down a piece of bread with butter and a few slices of cucumber, washing it down with some cold water, to settle her stomach somewhat. It didn't help. After she cleared the dishes from the table and helped her dad load the dishwasher, she excused herself and hurried up the stairs to her room, shutting the door behind her and closing her eyes as she took a few deep breaths.

Her head was spinning with anxious thought after anxious thought. She gave herself a second to relax, willing herself to calm down enough to think rationally. Everything would be fine in the end, she was sure. But at the moment, the fear was taking over. This was just paranoia at its finest.

The breathing did help, because she was able to clear her head enough to come up with a plan for the rest of the night.

She opened her closet door and dug through the pile of clothes growing on the floor in the corner before she found the large tote bag she normally carried around on day trips to the beach in the summer. She tossed it onto her bed and put her hands on her hips; her eyes darted around the room as she gave herself a second to think.

"Okay, outfit first, swimsuit second," she said.

Over the years Lili had found that, in moments of stress or anxiety, reciting her thoughts out loud helped her guide herself through what she needed to do, almost like a voice of reason. It helped her see things more clearly. There was something about physically uttering the words in her brain that made all the thoughts become linear. It was a coping mechanism she'd relied on quite heavily throughout her lifetime.

She thought about what she should wear. It was going to be a humid, sunny day, so she wanted to be comfortable, but also wanted to look cute.

Any normal person might see her panicking about clothes and think it was incredibly dramatic. And honestly, it probably was. But that complex she had with clothes was ever present, and she needed to make sure she showed up not feeling like a fool.

Even though it was just Niall. Kind, adoring, judgement-free Niall.

She picked her favourite dark wash denim shorts, which was the safest bet, and dug around in her dresser until she found an old Led Zeppelin t-shirt that she turned into a cut-off tank top years ago. The image on the shirt was fading, but it looked adorable on her, and was light and fresh enough to sit around in the sun. Figuring sneakers would be too heavy, she settled on pairing the outfit with some slides - she would paint her toenails later. Would Niall really even care if her damn toes weren't painted? Lili also grabbed a black baseball cap and threw it next to her outfit. That should be good enough, right?

This should be the least of her concerns, but of course, anxiety is a menace.

She walked to her bathroom and opened the cabinets under the sink. A shampoo/conditioner set that she kept as a backup in case she ever took a trip sat under the sink, so she threw it in the bag along with a travel sized bottle of body wash. If she had the opportunity to take a quick shower at Niall's house, she didn't want to have to bother him with toiletries. The chances were probably low for that, anyway. She also tossed in a travel dental kit that had a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss, just in case.

Now came the hard part: the swimsuit. This was what was causing her the most anxiety. It was causing her brain to malfunction. Niall had only ever seen her in something other than her work uniform once, and she had been wearing something that covered what she was most insecure about. Bathing suits were her worst enemy. The thought of wearing a swimsuit in front of him, and being incredibly exposed, was gut wrenching.

Stupid tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

Lili knew, without a doubt, that Niall would never judge her for the way she looked. He very clearly did not care about that at all, and he'd told her time and time again how beautiful he thought she was. He was constantly making her feel good about her appearance. And he always encouraged her to build self-confidence, which she'd been doing slowly every single day.

But she couldn't help being nervous nonetheless. Ever since she was a kid, the voice at the back of her head would constantly tell her that everyone hated the way she looked. That everyone was laughing at all the things she was the most self-conscious about. She constantly felt judged and scrutinized for not having the ideal body type, even though it was more likely that people actually didn't care.

She didn't know how to shake her insecurities; she wanted Niall to see her happy and confident, but wasn't quite sure how to get there in time. It wasn't going to happen overnight. She didn't want to have to spend the entire day with him worried about things like sitting up straight so her stomach didn't protrude out, or slightly lifting her legs off of whatever chair she sat on so her thighs didn't spread too much.

There were so many little things that she was constantly aware of, day in and day out. It was exhausting trying to work through these issues. It was an awful feeling that she constantly experienced day after day, and wished with all her heart that she would be able to push it aside when she was with him.

She felt her hands tremble as she left her bedroom and walked down to the basement where all of her family's summer stuff was stored away. It had been a while since there was a need to search through these items. Kneeling against the cold hardwood floor, she snapped the lid of the bin off and laid it gently on the ground next to her.

She gazed at the bin with all the bathing suits and swallowed as she searched for a decent one. Her heart rate increased drastically as she picked up set after set; she wasn't even sure if she would fit into any of these pieces anymore.

The last time she went swimming was probably four or five years ago, and that had been with Jordyn, whom she was the most comfortable with. No one else was there to bully her for the way she looked. On top of that, she only owned bikinis, which made her feel even worse. There was no time to go shopping now – all the shops would be closing soon. How she wished she could magically make a one piece suit appear out of thin air.

She swallowed and picked up the set she deemed appropriate enough to wear. It was a plain navy blue bikini top and simple black bottoms that were a slightly higher cut than a regular suit bottom would be. The band sat about an inch below her belly button. It was nothing too nice or fancy, but was good enough to make her feel somewhat okay.

She also swiped a cotton beach towel and a couple bottles of sunscreen from the bin and, cradling everything in her arms, ran back upstairs to the safety of her room.

She packed everything securely in the bag and zipped it shut, before leaning forward on her bed, palms gripping the edge of the mattress, and closing her eyes again. The sun had already started to set behind her blinds, draping half the room in darkness and half in the warm orange of the evening sun. She exhaled sharply through her mouth and stood up straight, shaking the nerves out of her limbs.

She wanted this day to go as well as possible; after all, it was meant to be a great day. He wouldn't have invited her over in the first place if he wasn't looking forward to spending this kind of time with her. And judging by the way he'd asked, it seemed as if he'd been wanting to make these plans for a while now.

She would get to be with Niall however they wanted, and the private space his house afforded them could really do wonders for their relationship. This was a step she wanted to take. It was a happy, encouraging step that she should want to take. She didn't want to ruin their time together by being consumed with anxiety, no matter what. If ever there was a time to learn to be confident, it was now.

Lili promised herself she would have a good time and that her worries would become insignificant the moment she saw him.

Easier said than done, but not impossible.

Chapter Text

~ mood for the chapter is Into You by Ariana Grande :)

Lili woke up the next morning feeling more refreshed than she anticipated. When she turned off her lamp before bed, she expected to spend the whole night tossing and turning from anxiety. From the moment she closed her eyes and laid her head on her pillow, there wasn't a doubt in her mind that she would be riddled with nightmares until the sun came up.

But it was a good omen for the day that she didn't open her eyes once during the entire night. Things were bound to be good from here on out. She had even slept in later than usual - by the time she woke up and had some kind of breakfast, it was closing in on noon. It was strange to be starting her day after the world had already been functioning outside her window for a few hours.

But waking up with a smile on her face and little to no nerves made Lili feel good. It was going to be a fun day spent with the boy she adored most in the entire world.

Her feelings were a bit confusing, though - she simultaneously felt no nerves at all, but was also more nervous than she'd been before their first date. A lot of it had to do with how self-conscious she was, and those feelings were quite hard to just push aside and ignore. All she'd ever wanted was to feel good about herself and be happy with the body she had, but it was easier said than done. And who knows how many beautiful girls Niall has seen in bikinis throughout his lifetime? How could she possibly live up to these unknown women?

But was that really her main concern right now? Other women in the world wearing bikinis around Niall? What kind of pathetic train of thought was that? She could guarantee he wasn't even going to think about thinking about other women today. She needed to get over this mindset that everyone around her was better than she was.

Lili pressed her feet flat on the cold hardwood floor of her bedroom and padded over to the washroom, flipping the light switch up. The light burned her tired eyes. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. She admired the curve of her lips and the apples of her cheeks. Her eyes were shining and were the prettiest shade of green she'd seen in a while. All things considered, maybe she could see why Niall was always so quick to call her beautiful.

Smiling a bit wider, she leaned over and pushed the shower curtain to the side just enough so she could turn the water on. Even though she was going to be swimming and getting covered in chlorine, she took a fast shower just to wake herself up and energize her body a bit. She shaved her legs and underarms quickly, regretting not doing it the night before. At the last second, she decided to do more than just clean up her bikini line as well.

In the event that things got...hot...she wanted to be prepared. Not that she was expecting anything to happen...

Okay, so maybe it was something she'd thought about. Multiple times. It wasn't as if she didn't want anything to happen...It all depended on whether or not Niall had thought about it, too. She would never, ever do anything he didn't want to do or wasn't prepared to do.

But never mind that. That's not what today should be about. She didn't want to take away from the plan of spending time together and enjoying each other's company away from the wandering eyes of the public.

She stood next to her bed wrapped in a towel and stared down at the bathing suit laying on her comforter. Her opinion on it hadn't changed since the evening, but the nerves had certainly increased. So much for waking up feeling calm and refreshed.

She swallowed and let the towel drop to the floor so she could get dressed. Again Lili was determined not to let her brain or insecurities ruin their day. Picking up the top, she held it out in front of her, arms outstretched. She gently tugged on either end of the material to stretch it out. Sighing, she brought it to her body. It took longer than necessary to fasten the clip of the top properly and situate it on her chest because Lili's fingers were shaking so much. But she'd gotten it on, regardless. Everything was fine. She pulled the bottoms on quickly without giving herself the chance to second-guess the decision. 

Lili crossed the room and looked at herself in the mirror, putting her hands on her hips. The top fit quite nicely - her boobs actually looked phenomenal, which put a smile on her face. Something about the way the top hugged the curves of her breasts and pushed them together made her feel...sexy? It was the first time in a long time she'd had positive things to say about the way she looked, and she liked it.

The bottoms weren't as high-waisted as she had originally thought they would be, and she felt the slightest bit disappointed when she realized they didn't cover her belly as much as she had hoped. The waistband stopped just beneath her belly button, which she hated. But the cut of the leg holes elongated her legs and the band sat high on her hips, making her look extra curvy.

She shook her head and took a deep breath, looking away and closing her eyes. The suit felt comfortable, and she knew Niall would love what she had on regardless. With the way he looked at her sometimes, she could be dressed in an old, oversized potato sack and his eyes would still gleam when he saw her. That was the only thing keeping her together. Niall made it very obvious, with words and actions, that he was very much physically attracted to her.

He always made her feel beautiful, and that was something she wanted to work towards doing herself. No one had ever looked at her the way Niall always did. He got this look in his eye that made her heart break, mend itself, and break all over again. It always made her smile.

She slipped the tank top and shorts over the swimsuit and felt a bit better. The material hung loose over her stomach.

She slid her freshly painted toes into her slides and trudged back into the bathroom, kicking her towel in front of her along the way. She bent to pick it up, stretching out the cotton and hanging it on the towel rack so it would dry.

It had been a few days since she'd washed her hair, but figured it wasn't a big deal on a day like today, so she threw it up into a messy ponytail. She pulled some of the hairs out to frame her face and genuinely smiled at her reflection for the first time. She looked pretty.

Everything was going alright, it seemed; as long as she continued to think good, positive thoughts throughout the day, she wouldn't have a problem.

Even though Niall lived about 25 minutes away, they had agreed on meeting at around 1:30pm when she called him before bed. Looking at the clock, it was way too early to leave. She didn't want to seem too eager.

Lili passed the time by packing and unpacking her beach bag to make sure she had everything. Of course, if there was something she needed urgently, she could simply pop out to the drug store, but Lili doubted that would be an issue. She also ran to the backyard and stood in the middle of the patio, spraying as much of her body as she could with some sunscreen. It was a painfully sunny day – the last thing she needed was to get burnt. The spray felt nice and cool on her already overheating skin.

She wiped her feet on the carpet just inside the door, slamming it shut before she took off back upstairs, taking the stairs two at a time. It seemed as if she was ready to go - she had everything important, aside from her purse, which she would grab on her way out. Looking around the room with her hands on her hips, Lili made a mental list of everything she had just grabbed and packed into her bag.

She gasped suddenly and ran to her dresser, picking out a big, comfortable t-shirt that she would usually wear to sleep. Then, stepping into her closet, she grabbed sweatpants, socks, and a pair of cute underwear. Obviously, she was going over specifically to swim, but there was a pretty decent chance that they wouldn't be doing just that. And she wasn't planning on coming home after just a few short hours. Maybe they could cuddle together on the couch and watch a movie or something. Lili was happy to do anything with him if it meant they got to spend meaningful time together.

That being said, there was no chance in hell she would lounge around in a wet bathing suit, and she didn't want to have to bother Niall for a change of clothes. He probably wouldn't even mind, and having something of his would actually be quite nice, but she didn't want to be more of a hassle than she probably already would be.

Lili glanced at the clock and figured it was a decent time to leave - even if she got there a bit early, it wasn't a big deal. There would probably be some traffic on the highway, anyway.

Her hands shook as she sent Niall a quick text to let him know she was leaving, and his excited response sent butterflies fluttering madly in her stomach. She couldn't stop smiling as she gathered her things one last time.

She was unsure if she was more anxious or excited, but she looked forward to the day regardless. And the adrenaline coursing through her veins gave her a surprising amount of energy. It had been a long time since she'd gotten a day off where she was actually able to relax and have fun.

More often than not, Lili spent her days off running errands or doing things she wouldn't be able to accomplish because of work. Whether it was grocery shopping, going to the bank, or doing laundry, she was always doing something. It had probably been years since she had a day off from work and just did absolutely nothing. The feeling was foreign to her. But a day like today, where she could spend hours lying in the sun and recharging, was so inviting.

She tossed her purse inside her beach bag so that she would only have to carry one thing, and dropped it on the passenger seat next to her once she got in her car. Lili punched Niall's address into her GPS and reversed out of her driveway, pulling out her sunglasses at the same time. Being on the road made this whole day finally start to become real, and the nerves were definitely settling in harder than they had all morning. The anxiety was crashing into her like a ton of bricks. Her stomach flip-flopped anxiously; she gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white, willing the feeling to pass.

Lili rolled both front windows down and cranked her music up, which was the only correct way to drive, in her opinion. Life without music was just boring. She sang along to each song loudly, and every uncomfortable feeling in her body seemed to minimize. It was the perfect way to let all the stress and emotion out.

Her heart rate sped up again as she merged off of the highway - he was only about five minutes away from this point. She took short shallow breaths as she moved over to the left lane. She rolled the windows back up and turned on the AC, before using her voice command to dial Niall's number. It rang twice before he picked up.

"Hey darling, are you almost here?" Niall's enthusiastic voice flooded Lili's speakers, making her smile. He sounded like an exuberant puppy. Oh, how she adored him.

"I just got off the highway." Her head was spinning – this was so strange.

She could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke to her. "Perfect. I'll be waiting outside on the driveway for you. You'll see me right when you turn in. Drive safe."

Lili giggled. "Alright, love, see you soon," she said, before hanging up.

The fact that he sounded so genuinely excited to see her made her so happy. It made her feel appreciated and important. Lili honestly couldn't recall the last time she dated someone who was just as excited to spend time with her as she was with them. If anyone had ever even felt that way at all. And Niall was the kind of person to get excited over literally everything they did together. Even if it was something as simple as driving down the road, he would bounce up and down and smile, as if it were the best thing they could possibly do together. He just made her feel so...wanted. No one had ever given her that feeling or those butterflies before. Lili hoped and prayed with everything she had that it would last for a long, long time.

Most times, though, she felt like she didn't deserve it. Unlearning everything she'd convinced herself of would take time. But he was probably the best person out there to help her do that.

Lili's eyes widened as she approached the stop sign and turned onto Niall's street.

All the houses here were so...grand. They were way bigger than hers - modern, with incredible landscaping. Thousands of stunning flowers and trees were planted in front of every single house, bringing life and colour to the street. No two houses were the same - each and every one had its own unique personality and style, which she loved. The houses created a beautiful mosaic that told hundreds of different stories.

Her jaw nearly dropped as she pulled into Niall's driveway, parking beside his truck. It was going to take more than a second for her brain to actually comprehend the beauty of his house, so she chose to ignore it and just focus on Niall.

He was standing beside his car, and Lili grinned at him as she killed the ignition, pulling her bag over her shoulder and stepping into the heat. He looked absolutely delicious in the white muscle tank and black swim shorts he was wearing. There was something about the way he so effortlessly took her breath away that both scared and excited her. His hair wasn't styled as normal, so it just lay flat against his forehead, and his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses.

They were only separated by a couple of steps, but she wanted to run into his arms at top speed, desperate to touch him. She wasn't even given the chance to open her mouth and say hi before he reached for her waist, roughly pulling her towards him and crashing his lips against hers. They were both smiling into the kiss; clearly, he had been desperately waiting until the second they were alone when he didn't have to hold back his affection.

She lifted her arms up and wrapped them loosely around his neck. Lili whimpered softly into the kiss when his thumbs rubbed gentle circles against her hip bones. His lips were soft, moving in perfect sync with hers. Her head was spinning again, but for all different reasons now.

After quite a few moments that left Lili gasping for air, she pulled back, smiling up at him.

"Hi," he said, gleaming down at her. They were standing so close that she could see the blue in his eyes through the dark glasses. He was heartstoppingly beautiful.

"What a nice welcome," she joked, and he laughed airily.

"You saw that coming, darling. I think it's more shocking that you're not used to it yet." 

Lili rolled her eyes. "I'll never get used to that," she said, licking her lips. 

Niall chuckled. "Alright. Whatever you say." 

His voice was light and full of sarcasm as he took her hand to lead her to the backyard. The way he always laced his fingers tightly in hers when they held hands always made her heart jump to her throat.

She looked up in awe. Niall had a two story house that was nearly double the size of hers, made of clean, crisp white stucco. There were crystal clear glass windows everywhere, spanning almost the entire length of the side wall of the house. The only thing that would make this house look more like it was pulled from the pages of a fairytale would be vines or ivy growing along the walls.

The roof was made of a dark greyish material that contrasted perfectly with the white walls. The front door was a deep chestnut brown wood, and white columns stood high in front of it, holding up a beautiful stone awning.

Niall grinned as he watched Lili, clearly proud of the reaction he'd gotten out of her. She looked back at him and smiled, before letting him whisk her away to the backyard, which she gasped at as she turned the corner.

The yard was even better. There was a gorgeous stone patio, decorated with beautiful deep blue couches surrounding a large, metal fire pit that was perfect for making s'mores. A rather large flat-screen TV was mounted on the wall just across from the largest sofa. Two tall fake palm trees stood on either side of the door leading into the house, and multiple sconces hung around the perimeter of the house that were sure to light up the yard in a warm, orange glow once the sun went down.

A garden filled with amazing flowers of every single colour imaginable decorated the perimeter of the entire yard, peppering the grass and dirt with beautiful bursts of colour. A wall of tall, full trees enclosed the yard and ensured the utmost privacy.

But the pool was what caught Lili's attention and truly took her breath away, which was obviously the goal. That pool was the focal point of the whole yard. It took up nearly the entire backyard space, and was filled with crystal blue water that closely resembled Niall's eyes. It had to be at least 12 feet deep. There was a diving board situated on the wall in the deep end.

Two grey lounge chairs were planted on the grass around the middle of the pool, and off to the side was a small wooden cabana made of the same wood as the front door. 

Lili spun around and looked at Niall with her eyebrows raised and mouth open, hoping he realized how impressed she was. Now, she knew he was going to have a big, beautiful house, but not like this. He smiled back at her, blushing hard. "Welcome to my house," he said shyly. He rubbed the back of his neck with one hand as he used the other to push his sunglasses up to the top of his head. There was an adorable little indent on the bridge of his nose because of them.

It was so fucking adorable how humble he could be. Lili scoffed, a disbelieving smile on her face.

"Niall, this place is amazing. This backyard alone is phenomenal..." 

He blushed harder, and Lili physically couldn't handle how adorable it was. Fuck, she wanted to squeeze him. She placed her bag on one of the chairs and drifted back over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck once again. His hands automatically moved to her waist, and he pulled her in tight.

"I can't believe you get to live here," she said, glancing over his shoulder and around the yard.

This house was, quite literally, a dream. Like, when she was a little girl thinking about what her dream house would look like, it was this. It was actually kind of terrifying how many parts of this house were written in her hypothetical dream journal.

Niall chuckled, face still bright red. He scrunched up his nose in the cutest way. 

"This was my first major purchase after I sort of 'made it' in my career. I always wanted to live out in LA, and I figured having my own house would be the best investment." He was smiling, and her heart lurched. "After I bought this, I also paid off my parents' mortgage for their house back in Ireland." He paused and looked up at his house, trailing his eyes along the entire property. They were shining in the sunlight. "I never imagined as a kid that I would be this lucky."

Lili smiled and placed a gentle kiss on his jawline while his head was still turned to the side. She really did adore him.

"You work hard for the money you earn, you should be proud of it," she said softly. She knew exactly how hard it was for Niall to openly take pride in his success, because she was the exact same way.

He nodded and smiled wider, sending Lili's heart into a frenzy.

She furrowed her brow suddenly, looking from the house to Niall. "Hold on," she said slowly. "On our first date, you said your car was the first big purchase you made in your career." 

There was no way she was remembering that wrong. It was an important detail he chose to share with her. 

He looked down at her with half a smile, seeming slightly taken aback.

"That's right, I did," he said with a laugh. "They were kind of consecutive purchases, I guess. But the house came first, and then I bought the car two weeks later." He paused, and his eyes glimmered in the sunlight. "You remembered I said that?" he asked, almost in disbelief. 

She blushed.

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I?" she asked in a soft voice. He shrugged and kept looking at her with those goddamn eyes.

"I don't know," he said after a moment. "It was such a small detail. I didn't think that would stick." He squeezed her hips gently. "I kind of really love that you remember those kinds of things."

A lopsided grin grew on his lips, and her heart jumped to her throat. She tightened her grip around his neck momentarily, gently running her fingers through the hair at the back of his head.

"I do pay attention, you know," she said pointedly. He smiled and rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah." 

Lili bit her lip and looked away from Niall, unable to handle how hard his eyes made breathing. Seriously, it was like she was under a spell every time she looked at him. She turned her head towards the two chairs beside the pool.

"So," she said, breaking away from his hold and moving over to sit down, claiming the chair on the right as hers. The material was hot under her legs. She leaned back on her palms, letting her legs dangle over the edge. She crossed her ankles. "Are you going to get in?"

She gestured towards the pool with her chin, looking up at Niall through her lashes. There was a hint of something in her voice she hadn't planned on adding. Tension grew suddenly in the air, and it settled around them like a warm hug. He grinned and shrugged, reaching back to pull his shirt over his head as he strode over to the other lounge chair and sat down.

As he draped the shirt over the back of the chair, Lili tried desperately not to stare at his perfect body, though it was hard not to. He wasn't even flexing, but his biceps were tremendous. A single golden chain that matched the hoops in his ears sat just below the hollow of his throat. His chest was wonderfully muscular and covered in a thin layer of light brown hair; a decent outline of abs appeared on his stomach. The hair covering his chest trailed delicately towards the waistband of his shorts, and Lili had to avert her eyes to contain her blush.

"You know, you make your staring painfully obvious sometimes," Niall teased, crossing his large arms over his chest. It was like he was reading her fucking mind! Lili flushed and looked away again, causing him to laugh.

"Oh, please! Like you don't do the same?" she countered, cocking a brow in his direction. He shrugged, though the corner of his mouth was pulling into a petrifyingly gorgeous grin.

"Oh, I do. But I don't try to hide it. I'll stare away, darling." He paused, tensing slightly. "I mean, only if you'll let me," he added. Lili laughed loudly.

"Go right ahead," she replied, shaking her head. He laughed and nodded, looking relieved. Like she would have said no, anyway.

Something in her stomach twisted - probably the butterflies taking flight again. They were always running rampant when she was around Niall. In the best way possible. She shook the clouds from her head and pulled her bag onto her lap, unzipping it and digging around for her bottle of sunscreen.

She put the bottle down on the chair beside her and reached down, listening to the blood rushing in her ears as she fingered the material of her shirt nervously. This was the moment she'd been fearing since last night.

Obviously, she had to take her shirt off. She couldn't really swim or tan with it on. But this was terrifying. She honestly thought that they'd be able to prolong this moment for as long as possible. Should she stand up and take her shirt off? Would that be stupid? Or would it be better to stay sitting and not draw as much attention to herself? Fuck, if she didn't do something soon, Niall would know something was up. She'd been quiet and probably staring into space for too long. Plus, the sun was incredibly hot.

Just fucking do it, you loser, she thought to herself.

God, she wished her brain was nicer sometimes.

Taking a quiet deep breath, she slowly removed her shirt, pulling it over her head, folding it, and setting it down on the chair beside her. Niall's eyes burned into her skin like a laser. She stood up and unbuttoned her shorts, letting them slide down her legs as slowly as possible. Her face was burning with embarrassment.

Did he think she was trying too hard to be sexy? She wasn't, but now she was overthinking every movement she made. Maybe he was unimpressed with her...

She bent at the waist to pick the shorts up and place them with her shirt, and she heard Niall gulp beside her and let out a shaky breath. Well. That might just make this all worthwhile.

She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face, but tried to keep it hidden. Her confidence levels were suddenly rising as she turned towards him, hands on her hips. Niall's now dark eyes were trailing up and down her body, and he rubbed his lips together slowly.

"Jesus Christ," he said, under his breath, before bringing his eyes up to hers. "Even if navy blue wasn't already my favourite colour, it certainly would be now."

His chest was heaving up and down ever so slightly, and Lili's smile grew wider. The tone of his voice sent chills down her spine. The tension in the air was growing thicker by the second, and Lili loved it. Prolonging it would only make the moment of collapse that much sweeter.

She dug around in her bag and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen, tossing it to him; she tried not to laugh as he attempted to catch it with very shaky hands.

"Can you help me with that?" she asked innocently, tilting her head to the side. "I had an awful lot of trouble getting my back this morning."

This might be a dangerous play, but it couldn't hurt to try. Niall licked his lips in response and grinned, standing up and stepping towards Lili

"Turn around," he said quietly. Again, the tone of his voice made her shiver. 

She did as she was told, turning her back towards him. There were quite a few moments of silence before he moved, which told Lili he was staring at her ass. If that didn't make her so self-conscious, she might have actually laughed. But then, all of a sudden, he appeared behind her, pressed almost flush against her backside.

His fingertips grazed her skin delicately as he pushed her hair over her shoulder, sending another prolonged chill up her spine. Lili swallowed. The heat from his body radiated against her exposed skin as he flipped the lid of the bottle open and squeezed lotion onto his hand. The silence had grown so loud between them in the last few seconds that the cap opening sounded like a gunshot.

She inhaled sharply as the cold lotion came in contact with her skin, but her shoulders relaxed as his rough hand rubbed it into her skin using small circles. He was moving painfully slow, making sure to cover every inch of her skin. Gently, he hooked his fingers under the strap of her top and pulled it from her shoulder, letting it fall down her arm so he had uninterrupted access to her skin.

She tried to control her breathing as he squeezed another small bit of cream into the palm of his hand. The only noise now came from the birds chirping in the trees lining the yard.

Bringing his hand up again, he rubbed the lotion in, pulled the strap back in place, then moved over to repeat those same actions on the other side. Lili felt like she was suffocating as his hands danced across her skin. It was the most intimate way that he'd ever touched her; it was delicate, but electric. He moved his hand up to cover the top of her shoulder, and she nearly whimpered as his fingers brushed along the side of her throat. The gentle touch ignited a fire in her belly. If she listened carefully enough, it sounded like his breathing had picked up significantly. That made two of them.

His fingers were magical against her.

Her breath hitched as he moved his hand down to her lower back, working the lotion even slower into her skin. This time, he used his thumbs. She bit her lip when his hand moved back up and slipped underneath the band of her top, making sure to spread the lotion evenly underneath the cloth. It took everything she had to remain calm, even though her head was spinning. The heat of his skin on hers was honestly a little bit too much for her to handle. But in a good way. 

When he finished, he removed his hand, and Lili frowned at the loss. She was going to turn towards him but stopped, and her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his soft lips press against her right shoulder. She almost gasped.

He kept them there for a moment before lifting his head and placing more gentle kisses in a line along her shoulder and up the side of her throat. She swallowed hard, and felt him smile against her neck. Oh, this was not good.

"All done." He spoke quietly into her ear, placing another kiss on the skin just behind it, before he stepped away, taking the warmth of his body with him.

Lili finally exhaled. That was...a lot. 

Niall tossed the bottle onto her chair before moving over to the other lounger, pushing it so that the two chairs were now only a couple inches apart. He plopped down on his chair, smiling.

Lili sat down as well, throwing the sunscreen into her bag and placing the bag on the grass beside her chair. What the fuck just happened? Well, she kind of walked into that one herself, but still.

When she finally calmed down enough to function normally again, she turned to look at Niall; he was lying all the way back on the lounge chair, ankles crossed and one arm tucked under his head, watching her intently. His eyes followed every one of her movements sharply.

She scooted back and trying to lie down the same way as Niall. The hot sun beating down on her felt absolutely spectacular. He immediately held out his hand over the armrest and she took it, lacing their fingers together and placing their connected hands on her stomach. Just like he did every time they held hands, Niall swiped his thumb back and forth on the surface of her hand. It always made her smile.

Before getting comfortable, she pulled her hair out of the ponytail, letting it cascade down her shoulders. 

She lay back on the chair and sighed; this moment was absolutely perfect. There wasn't a single cloud in the sky, the sun was warm and inviting, and Niall's presence next to her filled her with peace and serenity. It seemed as if, for the time being, every insecurity she happened to feel leading up to this moment melted away into nothing. Everything about him made her feel safe. For once, she didn't feel like she had to be on red alert. She could calm down and not have to worry about being judged or laughed at.

"It's so nice back here," she said, breaking the silence that had slowly enveloped them. She turned to look at him again, squinting against the sun. "If I had a house like this, I'd be out here 24/7."

He grinned. "You're welcome here whenever you want," he said sheepishly. The apples of his cheeks almost immediately started turning pink. She smiled at him, feeling a happy warmth erupt in the pit of her stomach. He had no idea what that sentence meant to her.

"Be careful what you wish for, Horan," she teased. "Say the word and I'll be here every single day. You'll be sick of me in a week." 

That was obviously a stretch, but maybe not too far. Whenever he asked her here, she'd come over in a heartbeat. 

Niall chuckled, squeezing Lili's hand adoringly. "I could never get tired of you." He sighed heartily. "This house is too empty sometimes, anyway" From behind his sunglasses, she could see his eyes grazing over her body. "And, honestly, you'd look too damn good by this pool all the time for me to not want you here."

Lili rolled her eyes, but a blush crept onto her cheeks and probably along her chest as well. He laughed jovially at her lack of response. He always knew the perfect things to say that would make her completely tongue-tied.

She closed her eyes and sighed, letting her head rest gently against the back of the chair, and just breathed calmly as she let the sun soak into her freshly sunscreened skin. She had no response for him, but knew he wasn't searching for one.

After the excitement that was the sunscreen debacle, Lili had only just noticed how...quiet it was. Really, the only noises in that yard were the trees rustling with the wind and the occasional birdsong. Not even hear a car horn in the distance. "Does it freak you out when it's always so quiet?" 

"I need noise, so I've always got music or the television playing," he said, shrugging. "Even when I'm sleeping. It's never quiet around here. I can't stand the silence, actually."

Lili scoffed playfully. "So you bought a house where there isn't an ounce of sound anywhere?"

She shot him a pointed look, thinking she'd gotten him. He exhaled a laugh, and the cutest crinkles formed around his eyes. She loved his smile lines so fucking much.

"The location is good. I can deal with the silence if I have to," he said matter-of-factly.

"Fair enough," Lili replied, grinning. Niall really never was one to be 'quiet'. He always had music playing in the car, no matter what.

Whether he was working or even just hanging out, if he wasn't talking nonstop, somebody else was. Or, he had some kind of music playing. Not that she minded, though. She could listen to him talk forever. Even if he was just reading her the phone book. And he had such an amazing taste in music that she wanted to learn every single song he had ever loved. 

In this moment, Lili felt completely at peace. If it wasn't so dangerous, she'd spend the whole afternoon sleeping out here in the sun.

After a few minutes, Niall carefully pulled his hand out of hers. He probably wanted to get more comfortable in his chair. She brought her empty hands down to her sides, hoping they would get a good amount of sun. Niall shuffled around before standing up. She couldn't tell which direction he was walking because the sound of his footsteps against the ground was very muted.

The sun was unbelievably hot, so Lili assumed he'd gotten up to get a drink. But then there was too much silence, and she started to grow suspicious. He was up to something. 

Lili opened her eyes and managed to sneak a peek at the very last second, giving her next to no time to prepare. Niall was at the deep-end of the pool, just a few feet to her right; he was running across the concrete with a wide, childlike smile on his face. He jumped high into the air and pulled his knees into his chest, cannonballing into the pool. Loud, maniacal laughter left his mouth but died away when he slipped below the surface.

Lili shrieked as the ice cold water splashed over her entire body. Chills erupted across her skin, causing her to shiver aggressively.

"HORAN!" she screamed angrily. The sound echoed into the painfully silent afternoon. She was going to kill him.

Niall emerged from the water, still laughing like a madman as he pushed his wet hair out of his face so he could see her, shaking the drops from his hands. Those beautiful blue eyes rivalled the crystal water. The pure joy in his smile and eyes made it quite hard for Lili to stay upset. He was such a kid.

Niall swam up to the edge of the pool and lay his forearms on the hot concrete to hold himself in place, kicking his feet out behind him as he floated parallel to the floor. "Come on, princess," he started softly. "It's just water."

"You're an asshole," she threw back at him, pressing her tongue into the side of her mouth to hold back her smile.

Niall shook his head. "Fine. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it." He gestured to the vast water behind him, before turning back to Lili. "Now, get your ass in here with me before I do it myself."

Lili huffed dramatically and crossed her arms over her chest, turning her nose up into the air and closing her eyes. "Make me."

Wrong answer.

Almost instantly, the concrete was flooded with water as Niall heaved himself out of the cold pool, making a beeline to where Lili was laying. She stood up and took off running away from him, shrieking with delight. Their laughter echoed out into the sky, mixing together in perfect harmony.

"Niall, don't you dare!" she screamed, looking over her shoulder at him. "I swear to God!"

She wasn't fast enough; Niall had caught up to her, still laughing his precious laugh, and wrapped his strong arms tightly around Lili's waist from behind.

"Sorry, my darling, but this has to be done!"

She screeched in protest, fighting against his arms. He lifted her high off the ground until she was looking up at the sky. Within a second, they were both plummeting into the pool. Every inch of Lili's skin broke out into goosebumps as the ice cold water enveloped her. Her chest was burning as she tried desperately to keep herself floating upwards. The sunlight glinted off the tiles under the water, creating a warm, shiny atmosphere around her.

Kicking and thrashing in Niall's arms, Lili finally freed herself from his tight grasp and managed to swim upwards. She broke through the surface, gasping for air as she pushed her long hair out of her face in search of Niall. It hurt to breathe, but she swallowed the thick, warm air, lungs expanding with each inhale.

Niall appeared in front of her, smiling so wide, it was impossible that his cheeks weren't hurting. She felt the floor of the pool under her toes and sighed with relief - they had floated all the way over to the shallow end.

"Sorry, but I was just following instructions," he said innocently, shrugging. His eyes were alight with mischief. Lili put her hands on his broad shoulders and pushed hard, though he didn't go very far.

"You asshole, I wasn't ready!" she yelled, half laughing. Her heart was still hammering in her chest as she continued to catch her breath. Everything had happened so fast that she wasn't even given a second to be scared, but now Lili was terrified. That could have gone horribly wrong. 

She attempted to push him again, but he managed to catch her wrists midair and pull her towards him, spinning her around so her back was flush against his chest. He nuzzled his face into her neck, leaving gentle kisses along the side of it. His warm breath brushed against her skin as he spoke, sending chills down her spine. He kept her anchored to his body with his strong arms around her stomach.

"I was just having a bit of fun." More soft kisses. "I would never do something to harm you, I promise." 

Lili smiled, shaking her head. She spun herself around to face him, laying her hands delicately on his chest. The gentle beat of his heart hammered beneath her fingertips.

"I'm not upset, don't worry," she said in a reassuring voice. Maybe she had been for a second, but that feeling had disappeared the moment he wrapped her in his arms.

"Are you sure?" he asked quietly. He looked genuinely concerned. She nodded and leaned in close, lips less than an inch away from his. 

"I promise," she muttered softly.

He sighed quietly and ducked his head down to kiss her. Just as their lips brushed against each other, Lili plunged downwards, turning underwater and swimming as far as she could towards the other side of the pool. His muffled voice was shouting with disappointment after her, and Lili smiled with glee as she kicked hard, reaching her arms out until her hands hit the cool concrete of the pool wall.

She emerged, panting hard, and turned to find Niall, wiping the water from her eyes. He was still floating in the spot she had left him, a disbelieving smile on his face. He was shaking his head, biting his lip as his smile grew.  "If your ass didn't look as good as it did right now, I would be very angry with you," he called from across the pool.

Lili laughed loudly, throwing her head back towards the sky. "Oh, please! You could never be angry with me, love. Just admit it."

He laughed sharply. "Never."

She glanced to the side as she chuckled and realized she was floating just to the side of the diving board. She turned back to him, licking her lips, and inclined her head towards the board.

"Think I should have a go at the board?" she asked casually.

Honestly, she wasn't even sure why she asked that. She was terrified of jumping off diving boards. Lili didn't have an issue with water, but it did freak her out when it was deep enough to go past her shoulders. And who wouldn't be scared launching themselves into open water from a small wooden plank on springs?

Niall raised his eyebrows, challenging her. "I'll go if you go," he offered. The way he said that was kind of sexy. Really sexy, actually. 

Smiling, she turned to the wall and used all her strength to pull herself out of the water, splashing the surface of the concrete along the way. That definitely wasn't as graceful as Niall, but who cares?

She sat on the edge of the pool, feet still in the water, watching as Niall doggy paddled over towards her. He was so fucking cute. He approached with a smile and kissed the curves of her knees gently, before situating himself between her legs, using the wall to hold himself in place. He looked quite delicious from this angle...

She reached down and placed her hands on the sides of his neck, brushing his cheeks with her thumbs. Niall looked over to the diving board before moving away from her legs. He pulled himself out of the pool effortlessly once again and stood next to her.

"Do you want me to go first?" he asked. Lili shrugged nonchalantly.

"I'd like to see what you've got," she said, trying to buy herself more time. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Fuck, this was dumb. Why did she ask that stupid fucking question?

Niall snickered and climbed up the board, exhaling dramatically and focusing his eyes on the edge of the board, just like a professional diver. His body was incredible. He made a running start down the board before bouncing off the edge, doing a single somersault in the air and slipping into the water with only a small splash. It was quite impressive, really. As he came back up, Lili applauded and he smiled, pretending to bow against the rippling surface. His cheeks were pink.

"Think you can beat that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. There was nothing Niall loved more than a good challenge. 

Lili looked from him to the board and back, nerves settling in the pit of her stomach. Fuck. She looked down at her legs awkwardly. Her instinct was to pick at the skin of her cuticles, which she did with shaking fingers.

"I'm actually kind of scared," she said, still looking down into the water. "I know, that sounds stupid. I actually don't know why I challenged you to anything."

She felt like an idiot. The last thing she wanted was to disappoint Niall, but she feared she may have done just that. This made her look like such a loser.

Niall splashed over to her again and her heart lurched. Was he going to laugh at her for this? He settled himself back between her knees and raised one hand to her thigh, grazing the skin comfortingly. He looked concerned.

"You don't have to jump if you don't want to," he said sweetly. His brows were knitted together in the middle of his forehead. "It's okay. We can do something else."

Lili looked into his eyes, then again at the board. "I want to, though." She looked down at him once more. "It looks fun." 

It really did look fun - and Niall had done it so effortlessly, so it couldn't be that hard...right? But what if she fell wrong and broke her neck? Was that even possible? Fuck, she was panicking now.

Niall nodded encouragingly. "It is fun." He paused, chewing his bottom lip. "What part are you most scared of?" There wasn't the slightest bit of judgement in his voice.

Lili looked into his eyes again. "The feeling of falling, and then not knowing where I am," she said honestly. The scariest part of jumping into a pool or body of water was how disoriented you could get, not knowing which way was up and which was down. What if she jumped in, thought down was actually up, and then just never came back up again? The idea made her shiver.

Niall looked away thoughtfully for a moment, as if he were trying to come up with a plan. She could see the gears turning in his head. "Okay, how about this," he said finally, meeting her gaze again. "I can stay right in front and you just jump right to me. It might help more than jumping into the empty water."

Lili contemplated his offer for a moment. It did sound intriguing. And she knew she could trust his word that he would catch her if something went wrong. It was helping.

"What if I hurt you?" she asked, frowning. Niall chuckled softly.

"You won't, my darling. I promise." He bent and kissed the top of her thigh. "I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with, but if you do want to do this, I'll help you."

Why did he have to be so god damn sweet all the time? 

Every single day, Lili wished she could be more fun and spontaneous. There had been so many instances where she held herself back because she was scared of certain outcomes or she just didn't have enough self-confidence. But what better time would she have then right now to fulfil that wish?

After a second, she nodded, lifting his hand to her lips and kissing it before pushing herself to her feet. This was going to be a moment she would think about in the future and look back on with pride. For once, she wasn't going to let fear stop her from having fun. 

Niall yelped with excitement at her bravery. He smiled and swam backwards, never taking his eyes off her face as he positioned himself safely in front of the board. He held his arms out wide as she climbed up the two small steps. Her legs shook nervously beneath her, nearly causing her to fall over.

"You promise you're going to catch me?" she asked with a wavering voice once she'd planted her feet firmly on the board. His smile faded.

"I promise, my love," he said gently. "I won't let anything happen to you."

The honesty of his words was more than enough for her to find the bravery she needed. The tone of his voice was just so comforting. Music to her ears, really. She nodded and took a breath, then lifted her feet and jogged down the board. The springs groaned under her weight.

At the edge, she bent her knees and jumped; she was momentarily soaring through the air, and she closed her eyes and took a deep gulp of air before hitting the water. The pressure of the water filled her ears painfully as she sank lower and lower. The further she sank, the darker it got behind her closed eyes.

But she was determined not to let the fear take her. So, with vigor, she kicked her feet to propel her back to the surface; she emerged shrieking with excitement, feeling a sense of accomplishment and pure, unadulterated joy. She'd just faced one of her biggest fears ever. And it felt damn good. 

She swam over to Niall, who was smiling with pride. He placed his arms around her back and spun the both of them around emphatically. Her heart was pounding in her chest, adrenaline coursing through her veins. Lili wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled herself as close to him as the water would allow, draping her arms around his shoulders. He was beaming at her.

"How did that feel?" he asked, eyes gleaming.

"Fucking amazing!" Lili exclaimed loudly. Honestly, she couldn't even put into words how good it felt to do that. Jumping off that board was a big thing for her, and to accomplish that with Niall - her favourite person ever - made her feel invincible. 

"I'm proud of you, darling," he responded adorably, and her heart squeezed.

"I don't know if that made me look stupid, but I was actually really scared," Lili admitted. "I haven't been swimming in years because I've always been a bit afraid of water."

"You didn't look stupid at all," he said immediately, and the conviction in his voice made her heart lurch again. "Everyone has things they're afraid of."

It was always so ridiculous how he said the most simple things, and yet they always seemed to carry the most weight. If anyone else said that to her, Lili would have scoffed because of how obvious it was. But somehow, when Niall said it, it made so much sense. It was like he was reminding her that it was okay to be afraid. She was human, after all. 

She smiled softly as she traced the surface of the water with her fingertips. "I know. But only you could make me do something I'm so afraid of and actually enjoy doing it."

Niall chuckled quietly as his own fingers grazed up and down the small of her back. "That's what I'm here for," he said with a soft smile. "To help you be brave."

That may have been the sweetest thing he'd ever said. Lili scrunched her nose as she smiled at him, leaning down to plant a cute little kiss on his soft lips. "I appreciate that," she whispered.

She pulled back slightly, leaving minimal space between their faces. Niall's eyes darted down to her lips in a flash, before he was leaning forward and kissing her again, this time with more force. He was hungry for her.

She felt herself melting into him as he kissed her more passionately, hands gripping her waist and lower back. The water lapped against them as they floated along. Every square inch of her skin was alight as his lips pressed against hers. The feeling was indescribable. The muscles in her stomach contracted with excitement as butterflies sped back and forth with each press of his lips to hers. Electricity zapped and crackled along the surface of her skin.

She gasped against his lips, and he smiled almost immediately. Their chests were rising and falling at quicker speeds, the air around them suddenly thick. His tongue swiped across her bottom lip and she opened her mouth wider, allowing him to slide it in further to mingle and dance with hers. She moaned softly. His breathing picked up as the kiss deepened to a level they had not experienced just yet. This kiss was hungry, dirty, and sexy.

It was the kind of kiss that sucked all the air out of your lungs while simultaneously breathing clean oxygen into your system. The world was melting away around them, leaving nothing but their two bodies intertwined amidst the passion. Nothing else existed anymore, and piece by piece, the earth broke with each caress of their lips until there was only empty space.

Lili, being completely consumed by Niall's lips, hadn't even realized they were moving. When she felt her back hit one of the cold walls of the pool, she groaned quietly against his mouth. The extra leverage of the hard surface gave Niall more control of the kiss, and he raised one hand up to the base of her neck as he kissed her, tilting his head further to the side as his tongue worked wicked magic against her own. His fingertips grazed back and forth against her sternum before raising up slightly to ghost across her throat.

He had her pinned tightly against the wall with his muscular body, not willing to let her slip out of his grasp for a single second. She whimpered as she used her ankles to press his body closer to hers and felt how hard he had grown in his shorts. His erection pressed against her inner thigh. Slowly, Lili raised her hips up and dropped them back down, finding a pattern that created the slightest bit of friction between their bodies. The throbbing between her thighs was distracting, and she ached for a bit of relief. Her movements caused Niall to gasp; he pushed his body against her even more, meeting each thrust of her hips with his own. 

Her hand slid up the back of his neck and into his hair, and she tugged lightly as she felt Niall's lips wrap around her tongue, sucking slowly and deviously. The foreign sensation made her entire body shudder, and Niall groaned into her mouth as she tangled her fingers deeper into his messy, wet hair. The sound sent a tingle down her spine that went straight to her core. He detached his lips from hers and moved them down to her jawline, peppering kisses there before continuing down to her neck. The scruff of his beard brushed harshly against her soft skin.

She panted, trying desperately to catch her breath, as she tilted her head back to give him more access. Dark spots of pleasure clouded her vision as he sucked lightly at a spot along the side of her neck, just where her neck and jaw connected. The thrill of his teeth grazing against her jugular had her eyes swiftly rolling back. He sucked at a spot on her neck, soothed it with his tongue, then blew on it, causing her to shiver. Immediately, he moved to a different spot and repeated the phenomenal action.

Somehow, it felt like he was teasing her with these kisses, and she just couldn't handle it any longer.

Lili swallowed and used both hands to pull his hair a bit more harshly, causing his lips to detach from her neck and his head to tilt back just enough for her to crash her lips against his again. They both moaned at the contact, and the sound was heavenly in Lili's ears. She was completely lost in the moment; the only feeling that existed in the world anymore was his lips against hers.

His lips on her neck had ignited something deep in the pit of her stomach, and she fought to catch her breath as his tongue found its place inside her mouth once again. He was an expert kisser - that much had been established. Of all the times she'd kissed him, this had to be the best. There was something so animalistic about the way his lips engulfed hers that drove her mad. They were both so desperate for each other, and each swipe of their lips against one another further proved that.

This was her favourite kiss of all time.

They remained that way for a few more delicious moments, before Niall seemed to come back to his senses and pulled away, pressing his forehead against hers as they panted heavily into each other. She was seeing stars. Lili fought to catch her breath and, after seeing how swollen Niall's lips had become, she could only imagine what hers looked like.

"Holy fuck," she said, breathlessly, a satisfied smile creeping onto her face. There were no coherent thoughts in her brain anymore.

Niall chuckled, eyes closed. "I don't think you understand how badly I've been wanting to kiss you like that," he said, still fighting to catch his breath. He pulled his head back a few inches so he could look into her eyes. There was hardly any blue left because of how massive his pupils were. 

"I felt it," she replied. "I wanted it badly, too." She would never admit just how many times she'd imagined what it would feel like to make out with Niall. But never in her wildest dreams did she anticipate it being that good. 

He licked his pink lips.

"We need to be in private like this more often," he said. "It's so fucking hard having to control myself in public sometimes, and I know it's been hard for you, too."

Lili nodded emphatically. "It's so hard being a good girl in public sometimes," she responded sarcastically. But something about that sentence triggered the hottest eye-roll from Niall that she'd ever seen. He groaned a quiet, growl-like sound deep in his chest that sounded incredibly desperate, and Lili bit her lip to prevent herself from smiling.

She had to look away, or else she would burst out laughing and ruin the moment. Not because anything was particularly funny, but because she was so lightheaded and turned on that she couldn't think straight.

They both continued to take deep breaths, finally managing to get back into a normal breathing pattern. The world slowly started to form around them once again. After a few moments, Niall looked at her and smiled brightly.

"Let's keep having fun, shall we?" he said calmly. And just like that, all the tension from the moment prior was gone. Though the evidence was still written all over their faces.

Lili nodded and Niall grinned, before dramatically flopping backwards into the water and swimming the length of the pool in one breath. He popped up in front of the opposite wall and pulled his arms out of the water, resting them on the wall behind his head. He looked unbelievably gorgeous. Lili laughed loudly and dove, following his path. She'd almost made the length of the pool in one breath, but had to stop and come up for air because she was laughing so hard at the way Niall was smacking the water, encouraging her on.

They spent what felt like the next few hours playing around in the pool like small children, laughing and having the time of their lives.

Lili had never been so relaxed in her life; she was glad Niall was the kind of person who could make her forget every ounce of stress in her life and just have fun. He made kicking back and relaxing so damn easy. She was also glad that he wasn't one of those people whose version of a 'pool day' only constituted tanning on the grass and drinking. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but she wanted to go crazy.

They pretended to have a sword fight with bright yellow pool noodles, which ended with Lili stabbing Niall in the stomach and him dramatically splashing to his death. They played Marco Polo, though it was just the two of them, and even had a jumping contest off the diving board. Of course, Niall won, but the fact that Lili was even able to do all of her jumps without fear was, in her opinion, a huge step forward. It was like the fear never even existed.

It was easily the most fun Lili had had in years. She was able to, quite literally, let her hair (and her inhibitions) down, and loosen up. In one day, she felt like she could learn to love life again.

Eventually, her legs began to give out on her, so the two of them pulled themselves out of the water and lay on their lounge chairs to dry off in the sun and maybe get a nice tan going. Lili reached into her beach bag and pulled out her towel, draping it over the lounge chair so she wouldn't burn her skin trying to sit on it.

"Niall, babe, do you have any water or anything? I'm so thirsty," Lili asked, as she squeezed out her hair and draped it over one shoulder. It was desperate for some conditioner. He nodded and got off his chair, marching over to the cabana off to the side. He disappeared through the door, but she could hear him rummaging around in the fridge in the corner.

"You know, I really like when you call me babe," he said over his shoulder, grinning madly. "I think it might be my new favourite thing."

He emerged a few moments later holding two cold water bottles in his left hand and a guitar in his right. Lili furrowed her brows in confusion. "You play guitar?" she asked stupidly. Niall chuckled lightly as he crossed back over to where she sat.

"Yeah, I do. I taught myself to play when I was about 12 or 13. Never could afford lessons, and it was either music or golf. As much as I love golf, I'm also really passionate about music. It's a pretty big part of my life, too."

Lili took the bottle from Niall's outstretched hand, and turned to lie on her side facing him as he settled back into his own chair. The water was dripping quickly off his muscular back, and his already dark locks looked even darker and shinier when wet.

"How did you teach yourself something like that?" she asked. "That seems so hard." Considering Lili had less than zero musical ability, that seemed like one of the hardest tasks out there. But, of course, he did it no problem.

Niall shrugged. "It is at first. I started by watching all kinds of videos online of people breaking down the instrument and going through each string and fret."

"And then you just learned from there?" She was amazed by this information. Then again, he was perfect, so could she really be surprised?

Niall nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I picked it up pretty fast."

"Play me something," Lili said quietly, twisting the cap off the water and taking a long drink. She grimaced as the cold water travelled down her throat and settled in her empty stomach. Her heart was fluttering with anticipation.

Niall gazed longingly at her for a moment, before he half smiled and brought his fingers up to the neck of the guitar to position them, placing the body of it across his bent knee. He strummed a simple melody, closing his eyes and letting the music consume him. Lili didn't recognize the song right away, but she was too immersed in the way his fingers moved and how his face twisted to listen close enough. His fingers effortlessly glided along the frets, playing difficult patterns with ease. His brows would furrow as he played one passage, then the muscles would smooth out and he would smile as he played another.

He kept his eyes closed the entire time, allowing himself to get lost in the song entirely. Her chest constricted at the sight of him. He truly was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. She was falling so far and so hard in love with him, and every single thing he did and said just made it harder to avoid.

She watched him, a serene smile on his face, as the song came to an end and he strummed the final chord with gentle fingers. Lili applauded him and smiled when he blushed instantly.

"I'm not great, but it's just a hobby, so it doesn't even matter."

Lili shook her head in emphatic disagreement. "It was perfect. You're perfect. In every way."

He blushed harder and gently placed his guitar on the ground beside him, before reaching over to grab her hand. He brought it to his mouth and kissed it multiple times, before lacing his fingers with hers. Butterflies burst in her abdomen.

"You're a really great liar, love, but I appreciate it," he said, chuckling slightly. Her jaw dropped.

"I'm not lying! That was incredible!" How he couldn't see how perfect he was, was astonishing. "The fact that you are completely self-taught but you play that beautifully says a lot about you."

He laughed out loud. "Does it now?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. She nodded, squeezing his hand.

"It absolutely does."

From there, they lay together, talking, laughing, and relaxing for the next few hours. The sun was slowly dipping further and further west with each passing minute, indicating the coming sunset. Her heart squeezed sadly as the sun went down. Their perfect day was rapidly coming to an end, and she didn't want to have to leave him. Couldn't this night last forever? How was she supposed to just go home after such an amazing day?

After a while, Niall asked if she was hungry, and suggested they order food from his favourite Italian place that wasn't too far from his house. Lili agreed, stomach rumbling menacingly; she hadn't eaten since breakfast. Well, she'd scarfed down a protein bar on the drive over, but that wasn't sufficient enough.

As they waited for the food to arrive, Niall showed Lili the bathroom in the cabana - yes, it had a full bathroom, with a stand-up shower and everything - and she took a quick warm shower to scrub the chlorine from her hair and skin. Niall had originally asked if she wanted to use the shower inside, but that felt like more of a hassle for him than she wanted to be. Plus, with the outdoor shower, she could save time and return to him in just a few minutes.

It felt so nice to get out of that wet bathing suit and change into the warm comfy clothes she was now incredibly thankful she'd thought about bringing. Niall did the same, and they moved over to the couch to lie together as they waited.

He looked so adorably cuddly in his black sweat shorts and white t-shirt. She was swooning over him.

"I hope your day has been good so far," Niall said, after a long few moments of comfortable silence. They were lying on the outdoor couch on opposite corners, tangling their feet together in the middle. Lili nodded, smiling.

"This was one of the most fun days I've had in a while. With how much I work, I never have the opportunity to just...relax and have fun." She paused, watching the reflection of the setting sun in the glass windows. "Sometimes, I even find it kind of hard. But you make it so easy. It's like..." She trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Sometimes, it feels like it's physically impossible to be stressed when I'm around you. I don't know how you do it."

Niall smiled, and that familiar warm feeling of comfort settled into Lili's stomach. "I was exactly the same way," he said calmly. "For me, it came down to just reminding myself that I'm working hard for a reason, and relaxation is just as important as the work." His eyes met hers; she felt like she'd been struck by lightning right there on the couch. "I know it seems like a challenge to tell yourself you're allowed to have good things," he added.

Lili laughed quietly to herself. "Yeah, I usually feel like I don't deserve it, though. It's hard to allow myself that time to recuperate."

Niall shook his head disapprovingly. "Well, you do deserve to relax and have fun just as much as I do, no matter what you think," he said, smiling. He tapped his toes against hers playfully. "But I am glad I could help you relax as much as you have," he continued. He smiled wider. "And it was nice to hear you laugh today the way you did. It's like music to my fucking ears."

Lili chuckled, grinning. "That's exactly what I think every time you laugh."

They smiled at each other stupidly, getting lost in the other's eyes. The moment was unfortunately broken when Niall's phone rang, letting him know the food had arrived. Lili sat alone, waiting patiently as he jogged to the front of the house to pick it up. She listened to the breeze blowing through the trees and finally took a second to realize where exactly she was.

The fact that she was here, with Niall, at his house, was strange. Usually, when she went places she'd never been before, every inch of her skin would be crawling with awkwardness. She'd spend the whole time thinking about going home and how out of place she felt. But being here at his house, she'd never felt more comfortable. It was like she was meant to be here. Meant to spend her days here. The whole thing was just unbelievably strange for her.

When Niall brought the bag back and set it down on the table, he disappeared into the house, returning moments later with two bottles of red wine and two glasses.

"Red wine?" she teased. "How romantic."

Niall chuckled. "You know me, princess. Mr. Romantic."

With a smile, she watched him expertly open one of the bottles using some kind of electric cork opener and pour some wine into both glasses, handing her one and taking the other. Niall held his glass up in salute. "Here's to...new beginnings for us," he said, and his eyes glimmered as they clinked their glasses together.

The eye contact excited Lili, and she couldn't take her eyes off his as they sipped the sweet wine.

She was shocked at how much she enjoyed the taste - red wine wasn't necessarily her drink of choice. It was usually too strong and/or bitter for her liking. But this one was a light, fruity wine that tasted more like juice than anything.

Niall placed his glass down gently on the table to rip open the brown bag of food and passed Lili her box. She had ordered a fettuccine alfredo with roasted chicken, and the aroma wafting off the food was orgasmic.

"Can I ask you a question?" Niall asked, popping the lid off his container and picking up his fork. He twisted some spaghetti around it. "Is Lili short for anything? Or was that the name your parents gave you?"

She was taken aback - what a random question. She giggled softly as she watched him feed himself, getting sauce all over his face. She leaned forward and passed him a napkin that she picked up from the bottom of the bag.

"My full name is Lilian Elizabeth Hughes. I was named after my grandmas, who both passed before I was born. I always thought Lilian was such an old lady name, and when Jordyn first called me Lili when we became friends, it kind of just stuck." She smiled at the memory. "My parents don't even call me Lilian anymore."

Niall smiled, crinkling his nose in the most adorable way. "That's sweet. And kind of like me, too. My middle name, James, was my granddad's name. Well, his name was Seamus and I had my middle name derived from that."

Lili bit her lip as she smiled at him. "Well, look at that," she said. "What a coincidence."

This wasn't the first time they had something as out of the ordinary in common as that. Any time he said something that she connected deeply with, it was shocking. 

They sat side by side and ate, talking the entire time about life and themselves. Lili's food was beyond magnificent. Niall's spaghetti marinara looked phenomenal as well, and judging by the speed at which he ate it, it must have been as good as it looked.

As the night wore on, they talked so much that Lili hadn't realized they'd run through both bottles of wine until she felt a delightfully calm buzz in her head that she wasn't used to. It was rare that Lili drank alcohol, and when she did, the most she would have was half a cooler. But she'd asked Niall to refill her glass at least three times since they started eating.

The sun was now almost fully set, cloaking the yard in darkness, The sconces around the house lit up, dousing them in a warm orange glow. It felt very comfortable and inviting.

The food and wine had been finished long ago, and the two were now just hanging out together, too tipsy to carry on the conversation much. Niall was sitting in the middle of the couch, facing forwards, legs slightly spread open. He leaned his head back against the couch cushion, looking over at Lili with sparkling eyes.

She wasn't sure if it was the wine coursing through her veins that was making her feel adventurous or something else, but she had a sudden surge of confidence that she felt she needed to act on. Without thinking, she crawled over to Niall and swung her legs over his hips until she was straddling him, crashing her lips against his and letting every last one of her inhibitions melt away.

Chapter Text

Mood for the Chapter is Like a Virgin by Madonna

TW/CW: brief mentions of sexual coercion

Every nerve was on fire, every muscle tense with excitement as they kissed. There was a passion behind their lips that had been building for quite some time now, waiting for the right moment to burst towards the surface. All the sexual tension between them was going to come to fruition tonight. And if the earlier make out session in the pool hadn't already confirmed that, this definitely would. 

They were on the way to taking a big step together. Whether this had been the plan for the day all along or not, it didn't matter. This was happening, and Lili did not want it to stop. It felt good, and she was eager to see where this would take them. Even if things didn't go any further than kissing on the couch, she would be content. She was stepping so far out of her comfort zone for the first time in a long time, and it was encouraging.

She wanted this more than anything.

Niall's strong hands immediately found her hips, gripping them with such force that Lili had no choice but to whimper into his mouth. His fingertips pressed deep into her hip bones. His touch was electrifying.

She pulled back momentarily, though it nearly killed her to do so. The moment their eyes met, a wave of comfort she didn't know she needed washed over her. "Is this okay?" she asked, completely breathless. "Do you want to keep going?"

Though they had felt the pressure mounting all day, she couldn't know with 100% certainty that he wanted this as much as she did. She had made a move in a moment of confidence, but would stop everything the second he said he wasn't comfortable. The last thing she wanted to do was put him in a compromising position. Consent was a two-way street.

The blood rushed in her ears as she awaited his response, heart pounding at the base of her throat.

Niall nodded fervently; his cheeks were a deep shade of pink and his pupils were so wide, there was practically no blue left. The corners of his lips pulled up into a playful smirk. That was all she needed.

She grinned and leaned back down to reconnect their lips with her heart now fully in her throat. Fireworks burst in her chest and stomach with every caress of his lips against hers. Carefully, she shifted her hips down against him to create some friction, causing him to groan and buck his hips upwards in response. Their hips collided. It was deadly, and made Lili crave him even more. Her body was practically buzzing with anticipation.

The dull throbbing between her legs seemed to beat harder and harder each time his tongue touched hers, and if they didn't do anything about it soon, it might just drive her insane.

Niall's hands, which had been resting on her hips, began trailing along her curves underneath her shirt, journeying higher and higher on her body. His rough fingertips tickled her skin, and she whimpered quietly into his mouth as chills exploded along her abdomen. But he didn't stop there. As he kissed her deeply, tongue tangling with hers, his hands continued their trek up her body, grazing the sides of her breasts and along her chest. He then pulled them out from under the shirt and settled them on her shoulders.

With his left hand, he rubbed circles into the skin with the pad of his thumb. The slight pressure seemed to release tension in her muscles, helping her relax. But his right hand continued on, this time sideways and up, until his fingers were loosely hanging around her throat. He pressed his thumb right in the dip between her jaw and neck; he tightened his fingers slightly, before loosening them again. It was nothing more than a gentle squeeze, but Lili gasped at the new sensation.

The intention was clear, and and it made her stomach lurch. Immediately, his fingers went slack, and he almost dropped his hand from her neck completely. "Fuck, I'm sorry," he whispered, sounding slightly panicked. He swallowed nervously. "That was too far, I didn't mean-"

"You can do that," she cut him off with a whisper, shuffling in place to get more comfortable. She could feel the outline of his erection underneath her and licked her lips.

He gazed into her eyes, slightly shocked. "What? Are you sure?" he asked incredulously. "I should have asked if it was okay before I did it, and that was my mistake, but..." He was fumbling over his words in such an endearing way.

She nodded. "I liked it."

His nervous rambling was quite adorable. It was nice to know that he was feeling at least a bit anxious about this, because it made her feel less alone. She didn't know much about his history up to this point, which was fine, but it was obvious he was much more experienced than she was. So to see him flustered and fumbling over his words like that showed her that this was just as important to him as it was to her, and that he might be just as nervous.

He exhaled with relief before leaning in, sucking on her bottom lip and pulling back, letting it recoil, then kissing her again. Once again, his fingers pressed down on her throat. It was nowhere near choking, but it was just barely hard enough to impede the flow of oxygen, which made her delightfully light-headed. Everything he did was so dangerous. This was something Lili never would have thought she'd enjoy. And yet here she was, letting him do these things to her without any hesitation at all.

She allowed him to continue, moaning as his fingers danced across her throat with ease.

With sightless hands, she felt around for the hem of Niall's shirt, gripping it tightly between her fingers once she found it. For a moment, she twirled the shirt between her fingertips, unsure how quickly she was supposed to go about doing this. Was it too soon? Should they spend more time kissing before starting to undress?

Sensing her hesitation, Niall smiled against her lips. "Do it, love," he said, breaking the kiss momentarily. "It's okay. Here, I'll help you."

She removed her hands and tightened her legs around his thighs as he leaned forwards and pulled the material over his head by himself. He threw it somewhere to his left and brought his hands back to their original spot on her hips. Lili giggled slightly.

"Are you just going to leave that there?" she asked, letting her fingertips rest against his now exposed stomach, just above the waistline of his shorts. 

He shrugged. "Do you really want me to stop just to pick up a shirt?" His voice was playful. 

She shook her head as she leaned forward, pressing herself against him. His bare chest against hers, separated only by the thin silk of her shirt, warmed her skin. His chest was heaving up and down with anticipation.

One of Lili's hands trailed up the length of his body and along his neck to tangle in his hair; the other sat delicately on his chest. She could feel his heart beating rapidly beneath her fingers. His pulse matched hers, beat for beat.

"Let me take you upstairs," Niall whispered softly against her lips.

Her heart lurched again. Okay, this was happening. No need to be nervous. The past is the past for a reason...Lili smiled into the kiss and nodded slowly, removing her legs from around Niall's waist. It took a moment to find her footing on the cold, hard concrete below her. Her legs were already so weak, she could hardly keep herself up.

She glanced down at Niall sitting on the couch, raking her eyes up the length of his body. His legs were slightly spread, and she could now see the outline of his erection pressing against his shorts. His chest was heaving, face and neck flushed bright red, but he was smiling brightly. He was so, so, so, so beautiful.

Lili reached out a hand for him to take, helping him off the couch. He stood straight up but immediately bent down to kiss her again as he began walking backwards towards the house. They nearly tripped over each other as their feet tangled with each awkward step they took. Blindly, he reached an arm out behind him and slid the glass door wide open, stepping through.

Lili was amazed that he could do this so perfectly, but when he finally tripped on the almost took them both down, she laughed.

"Just turn around and walk, babe, it's fine," she said, taking a short breath. "You're going to break something. Or hurt yourself."

He grinned and shrugged nonchalantly, licking his lips. His beauty was painful. "I can't," he said softly, reaching up to brush a piece of her hair away. "I don't want a second of kissing you to go to waste."

Lili scoffed and turned him around with both hands, blushing hard. "Just go!" she said, laughing. He could be such a child sometimes, but she adored it. Even when they were about to have sex, and had just been making out quite heavily, they could still be goofy and immature and have fun together. Lili loved it so much. 

He only gave her half a second to slide the backyard door closed before he grabbed her hand and took off through the house, turning every few seconds to kiss her again. He really was impatient, wasn't he? The house was dark, and she was afraid she would bump into everything in her path. But he managed to guide her without a problem. It would have been nice to take a look around and familiarize herself with the place, but that could happen another time. They clearly had other priorities to deal with first.

He pulled her this way and that, up a stone staircase, and down a long hallway until they were turning into a room that she assumed was his bedroom. When he walked through the doorway, he turned to look at her. His eyes were shining in the darkness.

"We can keep the lights off if it'll make you more comfortable," he said sweetly, running his thumb across the back of her hand in a comforting gesture. "Or we can turn the lamp on instead of the big light."

Her heart ached with adoration for him. Even with how desperate he was to get her in bed - how badly he wanted to do this with her - he still made sure to take the time to make her as comfortable as possible. He was, without a doubt, the sweetest person she'd ever met. No one had ever shown her that kind of care before. 

She glanced around the room with a soft smile. With the lights off, the moonlight streaming through the curtain was more than enough to set the mood. She looked up into his eyes once again. "This is perfect."

With a smile, Niall crashed his lips against hers once again as he shut the door with his foot, walking her backwards until the backs of her knees hit the bed. She broke their lips apart momentarily to sit down and crawl backwards, laying her head on Niall's very soft pillows, looking up at him expectantly.

Her heart was pounding in her chest and her fingers were growing numb. Anticipation was killing her, but the nerves were overpowering. It took all of her mental strength to remain calm. He watched her from where he stood at the foot of the bed as a small smile crept up his face, eyes trailing the entire length of her body. Did he still find her sexy in her t-shirt and faded sweatpants? Would lingerie have been the better bet? Maybe she should have taken cuter clothes with her to wear...

"I could get used to this," he said, as he lifted himself onto the bed, crawling between her legs and kissing her again. She moaned softly into his mouth at the contact. "You're so gorgeous."

Well. Clearly, the answer was yes.

His lips trailed down her jawline to her neck, meeting that spot on her throat that had made her knees practically give out earlier that afternoon. He sucked it again, harder this time, and Lili moaned as the sensation sent sparks shooting through her body. She tangled her fingers in his hair, tugging playfully each time his lips or tongue pressed against her skin. He smiled against her neck and moved to the other side, sucking again at a spot just a bit lower. The action was harsh and just a tad painful, but it didn't make the throbbing between her legs stop at all.

In fact, it might have made it that much worse. 

She wrapped her legs around his hips to try and bring him in closer as his mouth worked against her skin. His erection pressed against her and her mouth went dry. He licked a short stripe up her neck and pulled back to blow cold air on the spot, chuckling at the way she visibly shuddered.

"I love the way you react to me," he mumbled, as he ghosted his lips across her throat. He placed a kiss underneath her chin. "I like when you show me how good I make you feel."

Fuck, the way he said that was so hot. Lili couldn't figure out how to respond because her brain was rapidly turning into mush.

His hands drifted over to Lili's hips again, but the moment his fingertips grazed the skin, her stomach filled with nervous butterflies. She swallowed. For a moment, everything stopped. She couldn't take a proper breath. Her body was numb and hypersensitive, all at the same time.

He lifted his head so their eyes met. "Can I, love?" he asked gently. He could sense her fear, 100%. She swallowed again, and after a moment, nodded hesitantly.

"Yes," she whispered. "Do it." 

Realistically, Niall probably wouldn't care if she wanted to leave her shirt on. Again, he would never push her into doing something she wasn't ready for. But she wanted to be open and vulnerable with him, and that could only start here. 

He gripped the hem of her shirt with steady fingers and, with a slight nod of his head, began pushing it slowly up her body. She lifted herself of the mattress just enough for Niall to slip the material over her abdomen, shivering as his rough fingertips grazed her skin delicately. Every time he moved the shirt up an inch higher, he left a soft kiss in its wake. Almost as if to say that it was okay.

Hands now shaking slightly, he pulled her shirt over her head, dropping it on the floor next to the bed. Lili was glad that she'd chosen not to wear a bra.

In an unconscious gesture, she raised her arms up and loosely crossed them over her chest for a bit of security. The desire to hide was growing with each passing second. Niall flashed her a soft, sympathetic smile, but said nothing. He gave her a moment to get comfortable, before moving his hands down and placing them on the waistband of her sweats. His thumbs rubbed comforting circles on the skin just above it.

"Can I keep going?" he asked, in a quiet voice. It sounded like he may have been just as nervous as she was. 

Lili rubbed her lips together anxiously, but allowed it, not wanting to stop. He slowly pulled down her sweatpants and underwear at the same time, following the same delicate process with his fingers that he had with her shirt. He held his breath with each of his gentle movements. 

Lili's face flushed; she couldn't bear to look him in the eye any longer, so she turned to study the wall closest to them. She was suddenly hyper aware of how she must look lying underneath him - the size of her thighs, the way her belly protruded out, the extra skin on her arms. There was no way he couldn't see every single imperfection on her body, regardless of the lack of light in the room.

Every scar, every beauty mark, was right there for him to see. She felt raw. Exposed.

All the confidence she'd built up on the couch outside and throughout the day had disappeared almost instantly. It had been years since another person saw her this way. Saw her this...naked. Swimming around with Niall in that small, tight bathing suit was one thing. There were more distractions to keep his eye away, and she could hide under the surface of the water or the protection of her towel if she really needed to.

This was a completely different story; being so exposed in such an intimate, vulnerable setting made her more nervous than she'd ever been. She was actually afraid. Her skin was burning, and she felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him, but this moment was a lot more overwhelming than she'd ever imagined it would be.

Could this potentially make or break their night?

She chanced another look over at Niall, pulse racing. He was scanning her body up and down, shaking his head ever so slightly as he chewed on the inside of his bottom lip. There was too much of a shadow to see what his eyes looked like. She felt a wave of nausea begin to build in her stomach. This was the moment everything would come crashing down around her - he wasn't happy with how she looked and he didn't want to continue, she knew it.

He was regretting his decision to sleep with her. Maybe he was embarrassed because he had pictured her looking different - better. He was disgusted, wasn't he? This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. Every corner of her brain was screaming at her to get up, find her clothes, and walk out of the house with whatever dignity she had left. It couldn't be that hard to find the front door.

But her body wouldn't move. She couldn't even lift her arms up from either side of her. Something was telling her to stay, to just wait it out. She kept her eyes trained on his face.

His eyes finally landed back on hers, and she nearly stopped breathing as she waited for him to say something. What was taking so long? Was he trying to find a way to let her down easy? Her blood was rushing in her ears. But when he finally did speak, it was so quiet and so soft that Lili was almost sure she had misheard him.

"You couldn't be more perfect if you tried, my darling."

She inhaled sharply through her nose as tears welled in her eyes the moment his words registered in her brain. Maybe it would be okay after all.

She reached her arms up to wrap them around his neck, bringing his lips back down to hers. She kissed him with more passion than she had all night, tightening her legs around his waist. She didn't know how to audibly respond to him just yet. This kiss was different, and Lili knew it was because of what he'd just said to her. Such simple words meant the world to her in that moment of raw intimacy.

If anyone else said that to her, she'd sabotage the situation immediately by accusing them of lying or just being kind for the sake of sleeping together. Anyone who wasn't Niall would only say that to manipulate her feelings. But the way his voice practically broke when he said that wonderful sentence told her this wasn't a lie at all.

She was still scared. Sex had been off the table for her for quite some time - but she knew there was no one else she wanted to take this step with. Niall made her feel safe and comfortable, and even if it took all night, she knew she wanted to do this with him. Wherever he wanted to go with her, she'd go.

All the alcohol from earlier seemed wash away with every kiss. She was completely sober now, her brain 100% clear and focused on the unfolding task at hand. The emotion of the moment had once again evolved into desire and lust as the kiss deepened.

Niall grinded his hips slowly into Lili's naked center as he lapped his tongue along hers, and she moaned softly into him, eyes rolling back behind her eyelids. She was desperate for him to touch her, to work his magic elsewhere. She placed her hands on his shoulders and subtly, not-so-subtly pushed down. He seemed to have gotten the message because he began trailing his kisses softly back down her neck again, but continued further along this time, dragging his lips down to her chest.

He left wet, open-mouthed kisses along her sensitive collarbones. Lili gasped as he kissed down her breast, wrapping his warm lips around her nipple and lapping his tongue along the sensitive bud. Immediately, her hands flew up, finding their way to the back of his head and tangling her fingers softly in his fluffy hair.

Her back arched slightly, but he gripped her waist with his free hand to pin her back down against the mattress. She squirmed under him impatiently. He smirked and pulled his lips off with a quiet pop, moving to the other side and repeating the phenomenal action as he kept his eyes trained on her face. His tongue moved slowly and expertly along her.

"Fuck," Lili whispered quietly, as his tongue rolled over her nipple again. He smiled against her and continued to tease her nipple with his tongue, sliding his free hand up her curves to cup her other breast with his fingers. Her mouth opened slightly and the softest whimper left her throat.

"Do you like that, darling?" Niall asked, in a low, gruff voice. She could tell by the way his eyebrows were raised that he was asking to make sure she was comfortable, and not because it was his version of dirty talk.

She nodded, whimpering once again as he pulled his lips off her nipple to kiss across her now flushed chest. Lili rubbed her lips together in anticipation as Niall slid further down her body; her heart rate increased dramatically as he got closer and closer to her most sensitive spot. His tongue traced a wet line down the middle of her stomach; he peppered kisses around her belly button, before moving even further down, settling himself between her thighs.

He looked up at her with a devilish look in his eye, and Lili bit her lip.

Oh, wow.

"If only you knew how good you look down there," she said, making him grin confidently. The messy hair/bright blue eyes combination was actually going to make her go crazy. 

"How good do I look, love?" he asked playfully, and Lili laughed. He was so good at making her feel comfortable. She shrugged.

"Very." 

She breathed out; any other words she tried to say seemed to get lost at the back of her throat. Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt his warm breath against her skin, causing goosebumps to erupt across her thighs. He closed his eyes with a satisfied smile and turned his head to the side, leaving a line of kisses from the dip in her knee all the way to the inside of her thigh, ghosting over her center and repeating the action on her other leg.

He moved unbelievably slow and Lili writhed at his touch, silently begging him to speed it up.

Her thighs were already quivering from just the slightest movements. She shuddered at the feeling of his lips against her sensitive skin, but it just wasn't enough. Something had to be done to relieve this tension that was slowly killing her. Her fingers twitched at her sides irritably. Did he have to be such a fucking tease?

He looked up at her again with those damn blue eyes, before dipping his head down and placing one long, gentle kiss just above her clit. Lili groaned in frustration and bucked her hips, aching for more. She was pulsing with need. Niall chuckled, and the little hint of arrogance in it was unbelievably sexy.

"Patience, princess," he said. "I'll make you feel good, don't worry." His voice was low and deep, and it shot straight to her core and echoed in the pit of her stomach.

She whined in protest. He continued to watch her without moving, as if he wanted her to pull all of her hair out in frustration. Which she would do in about five seconds if he didn't do something. Niall laughed to himself and shook his head slightly, and the ends of his hair ghosted across her thigh and tickled the skin.

He dipped his head down again and left a single kiss on either side of her slick folds, before looking right in her eye and licking a long stripe up the middle of her folds and to her clit, where he circled the tip of his tongue in a few gentle rotations before pulling back. Lili gasped at the sensation, her eyes squeezing shut. She was panting heavily and her stomach twisted with nervous excitement.

"Please..." she begged quietly; her voice broke as she spoke. Her fingers seemed to be buzzing now. Never did she think she could become so desperate and vulnerable at the hands of a man. But here she was, writhing in his large bed and begging for him to go down on her.

Niall smirked at her reaction and lowered his head again. Her heart leapt to her throat. "Anything for you, angel," he whispered against her, lying flat on his stomach and positioning himself once again.

His tongue pushed out from between his lips and lapped at her wet folds, every now and then dipping inside her. His sinful tongue made Lili cry out with pleasure, and her hands found the back of his head once again, twisting her fingers through his dark locks. She tugged his hair in encouragement, and the way his soft groan vibrated through her body knocked the wind out of her. 

Her jaw hung open as his tongue continued on its path of destruction, and she lost both her breath and her voice as his lips wrapped around her clit. He sucked mercilessly, grinning as her hips continuously bucked into his face, pleading for more friction. Her thighs were already shaking. It was hard for her to find the oxygen in the room again, and her head was spinning delightfully. Nothing in her life had ever felt this good before.

Niall lifted one hand off her thigh and brought it to her entrance, teasing slowly while his other hand remained on her waist to hold her in place. She couldn't move, forced to endure all of his relentless teasing. His middle finger circled her entrance and she pleaded desperately through her moans, begging him to continue.

Whatever he was doing was so, so good, and she needed all of it. This was an experience she'd never had before, and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could for as long as possible.

As his tongue continued to devour her, he finally slipped a single finger inside, and she moaned out in ecstasy. Instinctively, she tightened around him, and he cursed. He slowly pumped his finger in and out, pausing the movement of his tongue to watch the way her body reacted to the stimulation. She rolled her hips upwards, trying to get more friction from his skin to hers. The way his beard scratched her inner thighs was heavenly.

His hand suddenly halted all movement as a second finger now played at her entrance, and she whimpered. "Is this okay, princess?" he asked, his voice gruff. God, that was hot.

Lili swallowed and nodded quickly, eyes hooded. No one had ever made her feel this good, and it was only just beginning. It amazed her that, not only did Niall care about her pleasure, but he seemed to want to prioritize it over his own. Nobody had ever done that, either.

"Use your words," he said, still not moving. "I need to hear you."

Her eyes opened a bit wider, and she chewed the corner of her lip. He kept his eyes firmly on her, refusing to do anything until he'd received her verbal consent. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she was panting like a dog in heat.

"It's okay," she managed to get out. "Please, give me more."

He smiled and licked his lips. "That's my good girl. From now on, I need to hear you say it, alright?"

"Okay," she breathed out again. Oh, that was so hot. Fuck, he was so hard to handle. The look in his eyes plus his words...she wouldn't be able to hold off for much longer if he continued that way.

She hissed in pleasure as he slowly slid a second rough finger inside her, picking up the pace and curling his fingers slightly upwards. His tongue hadn't returned to its place on her clit, but she was so focused on the way his fingers felt inside her that it didn't matter. As he pumped his hand at a good, pleasurable pace, he hit a certain spot deep inside her that made her shriek.

She reached for his hair again, but he had moved his head away to watch his fingers disappear over and over again, so she settled on gripping the muscular forearm that was holding her down.

"Fuck, do that again," she moaned, feeling her breath hitch as he continued to pump his fingers mercilessly, hitting that same delicious spot that caused black spots to distort her vision. He was so damn good with his fingers. The pleasure made it hard to keep her eyes open, so she allowed them to shut and dropped her head back down on the pillow. A warm sensation had started growing in the pit of her stomach.

Suddenly, she felt Niall's hair brush against her stomach, and gasped as his tongue found her center once again. He swirled it around in a spot that was so sensitive, the feeling genuinely made her stop breathing. The combination of his fingers deep inside her and his tongue lapping hungrily at her clit caused the ball of pleasure in her stomach to rapidly start growing and expanding towards the point of release.

He pumped his hand harder and lapped his tongue quicker; the little grunts and moans emitting from his throat were enough to send her over the edge. Lili cried out as the ball in the pit of her stomach finally exploded.

"Fuck, baby, I'm-" She could only muster those few disconnected words as the pleasure shot through her veins, making her toes curl and her eyes roll backwards. Her head hit the pillow but her back remained arched, and she was a mess of moans and whimpers as he continued to work her through her orgasm. Her hips twitched and bucked relentlessly as he guided her to the most intense orgasm she had ever had in her life. There weren't many to compare it to, especially ones that had been, quite literally, at the hands of someone else, but this one definitely took first place.

A long, high-pitched mixture of a whimper and a moan left her throat as she released against his lips, vision spotted with kaleidoscopes of shapes and colours. Waves of pleasure continuously crashed over her, blinding her vision and sending chills down her spine. 

Niall left one last, chaste kiss on her clit as she lay panting, flat on her back, staring up at the ceiling and trying to regain her vision. It was hard to breathe through the phenomenal burning in her chest.

For a moment, she felt herself blushing with shame. The fact that she had lost herself like that, unable to control herself, in front of Niall, was quite embarrassing. Did her moans seem over dramatic? Was he going to be turned off by the way her body was squirming relentlessly? Did guys actually like when girls were vocal? This was all completely new to her.

That was just one thing she would have to get over eventually. She knew there was nothing to be ashamed of. But it was still going to be hard to let go of that embarrassment.

She tilted her head down to look at him; the sight of him between her thighs, knuckle deep inside her with her juices smeared all over his mouth, was nearly enough to make her orgasm again. It was the hottest fucking sight to see.

In a moment of pure confidence and orgasm-induced euphoria, she reached down and grabbed his wrist just as he pulled his fingers out of her. Heart still pounding, she brought his two wet fingers to her mouth and wrapped her lips around them, tasting herself as she sucked them clean, making sure to keep the intense eye contact. She'd heard of girls doing that before, so would it be weird if she did? Again, was that something guys were into?

Of course, confidence during sex was a big turn on for anyone. Right? Her inexperience was really going to show tonight, wasn't it? This was a very foreign thing for her. She didn't even know how the gesture would be received. Maybe he'd be disgusted by it?

But based on Niall's immediate reaction, it might have been the best choice she could have possibly made tonight. His mouth dropped open slightly and his eyes widened as he watched her. The tip of his tongue ran the length of his bottom lip slowly.

"Okay, everything about those last five minutes was so fucking hot," he said, clearly trying to catch his breath. He exhaled in what sounded like a laugh, seemingly in disbelief of the sight in front of him.

Lili smiled and blushed, his fingers still in her mouth, and she gave them one last lick before removing them.

"I could say the same to you," she said, teasing him, before reaching up and grabbing his wet chin, bringing his face back down to hers. She licked and sucked at every corner of his mouth as she kissed him, both inside and out, to clean him up. This was scary new territory, but it was clearly working. Niall absolutely loved it - the way his moans got lost in her mouth was breathtaking.

Everything about them was so sexy.

Niall's weight had fallen against her again, and she revelled in the warmth of his body as the kisses slowed to a deeper, more passionate pace. As they kissed, he reached down and tugged the waistband of his shorts, wriggling out of them and tossing them to the floor along with his boxers. She wrapped her legs around his waist again and his erection pressed against her core, causing him to breathe out against her lips.

He felt big - bigger than she was expecting. Her stomach filled with those excited nerves once again, and her breathing started to pick up once more. She swallowed nervously. "Let me take care of you now," she whispered against his lips. He pulled back to look at her, brushing the hair out of her eyes gently.

"What's that, my love?" he asked. Her eyes flickered down to his lips and back up, and she blushed over what she was about to say.

"I want to, um..." She shifted awkwardly underneath his weight. "It's your turn." God, that sounded fucking stupid. 

For a moment, he looked baffled, but as the words registered in his brain, a soft smile began to creep onto his face. "Ah. I understand," he said, smiling wider. He leaned down and kissed her nose gently. "Look, I want tonight to be all about you. There's already a lot of pressure here, and I just want to make you feel good." He paused, brushing his finger against her cheek softly. "Another time, okay?"

She frowned. "But that's not fair," she said, pouting. Did he not want her to do it, and was just letting her down easy? How could he even judge whether or not she'd be good at this? "You've been amazing to me tonight, I want to return the favour."

He chuckled gently, shifting his weight onto his elbow to give her momentary relief. "Tonight is your night," he said. He drew a spiral on her shoulder with his fingertip. "Another day, I'll let you go absolutely bananas on me, deal?"

She couldn't help but laugh at his choice of words. Every now and then, he let out these little goofy sayings, but they were so endearing. Feeling guilty, she smiled at him and nodded gently. "Fine. But only because you're being so nice about it."

He smiled triumphantly. "That's my girl," he said, before leaning down to kiss her again. All the guilt she felt washed away the moment his lips touched hers. Once again, she was on fire. A soft, breathy moan escaped her mouth as he began trailing his lips lower.

"Are you okay to continue?" he asked, kissing up and down her jaw slowly. His erection twitched against her thigh. She placed one hand on either side of his face and directed him back to where he belonged, kissing him once again. She draped one of her arms around his neck.

"I am," she said quietly, moaning softly as their tongues tangled once again.

Niall smiled into the kiss and placed one last gentle peck on her lips, before breaking away and reaching out to the side. She sat up a bit and kissed along the skin of his bicep and shoulder, trailing her kisses across his chest and towards the base of his neck. He giggled adorably. He opened the top drawer of his nightstand and dug around for a second before pulling out a condom. He slammed the drawer shut and returned to his position above her.

Lili couldn't help but laugh, and brought her hands up to her mouth to suppress the sound. "How long have you had those in there?" she asked, one brow raised. It was a challenge not to laugh in his face, because she didn't want to make him feel bad.

He blushed, a shy look in his eye. He dropped his head against her shoulder to hide his expression, but lifted it back up slightly to look at her.

"Well, I wasn't trying to be presumptuous about today at all," he said. "But I thought that if we did end up...doing this," he waved his hand back and forth between their bodies, "I wanted to be safe." He blushed again and hung his head, hair falling over his eyes. He kept his head down for a moment, before he tilted it back up to look her in the eye. "Are you upset?"

His voice was soft and apprehensive, as if he was actually very worried that he'd done the wrong thing. How could she possibly be upset at him for this? 

Lili laughed again and reached up to brush his hair out of his eyes. "No, don't worry," she said. "I kind of had a feeling something like this was going to happen today, anyway."

Niall smiled and shook his head, kissing the tip of her nose. "Doesn't it make you feel good knowing I'm a responsible lad?" he said, trying to lighten the mood again.

She laughed and nodded, biting the corner of her lip. "Oh, absolutely. It's very sexy," she teased. Honestly, yes, she did admire that a lot. Maybe it was stupid and simple, but she liked that he cared about being safe. It was sexy. 

He chuckled and brought the small foil packet to his mouth and ripped it open with his teeth, removing the rubber condom and discarding the foil on the ground. It floated out of their sight and landed somewhere beside the bed. She tried not to imagine how many times he'd done that in the past. That didn't matter anymore.

Niall reached down to roll the rubber over his hard length with steady fingers, making sure it was all the way down. The sight made her extremely nervous once again. Lili suddenly felt her chest rising and falling rapidly, but this time it wasn't from excitement. It was as if she couldn't catch her breath, and was suffocating on nothing. She was starting to sweat and her chest was burning.

The excitement had been building and building, but now that the moment had finally arrived, all her fears and traumatic memories were threatening to break through the surface. She shut her eyes and tried to shake them from her head.

***

' "Hold on," she said quietly. She looked up into Daniel's eyes; they were cold and uncaring. "I'm scared." 

He rolled his eyes.  "Scared of what?" he asked aggressively. "You said you wanted this." His voice was angry. She swallowed nervously.

"I know. I did, but now I'm-"

"You're being such a bitch, you know that, right? You do this every fucking time." He practically spat the words at her. Her mouth dropped open slightly, and she was appalled at the attitude dripping from his tone.

"What?" She couldn't form any other words. He laughed without humour.

"You're being a bitch," he repeated, punctuating every word. "You fucking tease me for a week, and when you finally agree to let me fuck you, you just get all 'scared' and shut down. Do you really want me to go home with fucking blue balls again?" He was breathing heavily, but out of anger, not passion. She opened her mouth, closed it, then opened it again.

"I'm sorry, Daniel, I just...." Her stomach felt like it was made of lead.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me," he said angrily. "I thought you wanted me to stay with you." What the fuck was his problem?

"I do," she said, attempting to sit up; he blocked her, forcing her to stay lying down against the mattress. She was trapped, with no escape. "But it's not fair for you to make me do something I don't want to do."

He scoffed. "No. It's not fair of you to tease me just to let me down at the last second." His words were poisonous. "If you don't do this, you'll be fucking sorry. Believe me." His nostrils were flaring with anger. "You should feel grateful I'm still here right now," he said, grimacing. "I could go out and find someone way hotter right now and fuck her. Is that what you want?"

She wanted to cry. Or throw up. How had she gotten herself into this situation? Didn't he love her? She shut her eyes tightly and lay back against the pillow. "Fine," she said, swallowing away the vomit rising in her throat. "Go ahead."

She kept her eyes closed the entire time, only allowing a single tear to roll down her cheek once. He groaned into her neck as he finished, before pulling out, rolling onto the other side of the bed, and getting up.

"Isn't it so much better when you just listen to me?" he asked, before he discarded the condom in the trash, pulled on a pair of jeans, and headed into the living room.

It was only when she returned home and locked herself away in her bathroom to clean up the blood that never seemed to stop that she allowed the heaviest of her tears to flow.'

***

She lifted a shaking hand to Niall's chest, catching him off guard. "Wait, give me a second," she said, slightly breathless. That memory...she thought she'd blacked that out of her mind forever. She might never, ever forget the way she felt that night. Or how obscenely sick the events had made her. It wasn't the only time he'd coerced her into doing what she absolutely did not want to do. It didn't happen every time, and they'd only slept together a handful of times, but those nights were the hardest to deal with.

Niall's eyes met hers, and he looked genuinely concerned. He could tell something was up immediately. "Are you alright, darling?" he asked. He brought one hand up to the side of her face, stroking her cheek gently.

"I am, but..." She took a shuddering breath, trying not to burst into tears.

His brows softened. This wasn't what she'd wanted to happen, but at the back of her mind, she felt this was inevitable. Right now wasn't the time, but eventually, she'd have to talk to him about this. She needed to be open with him about her past experiences.

"Hey, if you don't want to do this right now, we won't." He was so gentle with the way he spoke to her. "I know we were just joking about it, but it doesn't have to be tonight if you're not ready."

Lili shook her head in response and closed her eyes for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. Her brain was fighting her heart. She knew she wanted to do this – that was for sure. Her walls were slowly drawing back up, and she needed his help to knock them down. Her brain always went into fight mode when she felt like she needed to protect herself. But protect herself from Niall? When he'd never, ever given her a reason to be afraid? That couldn't happen.

She gave herself a moment to slow her breathing down. When she opened her eyes back up, Niall was still above her, waiting patiently, his face calm but concerned. There wasn't a hint of judgement behind his eyes. She smiled softly at him as she ran her hands gently across his broad chest.

"I do want to do this tonight, believe me. And I trust you more than anything." She searched his eyes for an answer she didn't think she needed. "We just need to...go slow. To start."

A shameful flush grew across her face and neck, and now all Lili wanted to do was shrivel up and hide under the sheets. Real sexy.

"It's been a really long time since I've been with someone, and I'm just a bit scared," she continued, avoiding his gaze. Even though it was unnecessary, she felt the need to explain herself to him. Her face was burning. "Fuck, this is so embarrassing. I'm 24 years old and completely inexperienced." That was besides the fact that she'd endured some trauma as well, but he didn't need to know that right away.

Niall smiled a crooked smile that made her heart lurch. "You have absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about, love. I promise." His hand was still on her cheek, once again stroking the skin in a consoling way. "There's no timeline for these kinds of things. We'll only do what's comfortable for you, and if it's too much, we'll stop. Just say the word, okay?"

He sounded so damn genuine. Was this what it felt like to be cared for? To be respected? She nodded and picked her head up off the pillow, capturing his lips again. She hadn't meant to ruin the heat of the moment, but it was a conversation she felt was extremely important to have with him. If this was something they were going to do together, it was important they knew each other's' limits. Surely, there had to be some things that Niall needed time before doing as well.

"You promise you'll start slow?" she asked. It was a stupid question, but she needed to be sure he was listening to her. She needed to be sure that she'd been heard.

The smile had faded from his lips. "Of course, sweetheart. You can trust me, no matter what. I'm not going to do anything to hurt you."

She swallowed and nodded, rubbing her lips together anxiously. The nerves in her chest had eased slightly, but they were still burning intensely in her stomach. She willed herself to relax as they kissed - she could feel her entire body going rigid. Niall brought his lips down to the hot skin along her throat, kissing and sucking in the perfect spots in an attempt to get them both back in the mood.

Every drag of his lips against her throat sent shivers down her spine.

As his mouth moved along her skin, his thumbs rubbed gentle, comforting circles into her hip bones. It definitely helped, and Lili felt herself relax a bit more as she wrapped her legs tightly around his waist again, slowly thrusting her hips upwards. Her slick folds rubbed along his length and he shuddered, his breathing becoming more erratic. His heart hammered under her fingertips, and she couldn't help but smile. Watching him lose himself because of her might never get old.

With one final deep breath, she cleared her mind of everything but him. All her fears - all her memories - were pushed to the furthest corner of her brain and locked behind a big, wooden door. The only thing that mattered now was her and Niall being together.

He swallowed and reached his hand down, pumping the length of his cock a few times before lowering his hips and lining himself up at her entrance. He stopped and looked up at her. "Are you okay to keep going, angel?" he asked carefully. Every move he made was tender and calculated, careful to avoid doing anything to upset her.

The air around them was thick with tension, both nervous and sexual. It was an odd mixture.

She nodded, gazing into his sweet, caring eyes. Remembering his earlier rule, she quickly uttered the word 'yes'. 

He moved his hips forward just an inch until the tip of his cock was inside her, watching her expression carefully. He would only proceed forward when she was ready.

"I'm okay," she reassured him. "Keep going." God, she was terrified, but this was what she wanted. 

He nodded and continued pushing forward excruciatingly slowly, until half his length was inside her. Lili hissed at the feeling; there was a slight pressure in her lower abdomen that she hadn't felt in a long time. There was a bit of pain, but it wasn't too tough to endure. It was just going to take a few moments to adjust. 

She tightened her ankles around his hips and tried to push him forward, signalling that she wanted more. He was willing to go at her slow pace, but it was obvious how hard that was for him. One slow, deep thrust, and he was all the way in, but he paused to give her a second to breathe. She gasped at the way he stretched her out.

"Oh, fuck, you feel so good, princess." His voice was deep as he spoke, head dipping down to kiss the middle of her heaving chest. Her stomach tightened at the sound. He was bigger than she'd been prepared for, but her endorphins were running wild; she didn't care about giving herself time to adjust to his size anymore.

She just needed him to move. So badly. She lifted her hands up to either side of his face to bring his face closer to hers. His face and neck were slowly turning pink.

"Please, fuck me," she whispered, before crashing her lips against his passionately. Niall groaned into the kiss and drew his hips back, pulling nearly his entire length out, before thrusting forwards a bit harder than he had the first time. Lili moaned into his mouth, feeling him deep in her stomach.

"Shit-" he groaned out through clenched teeth. His face was now red and his brows were knit together in the middle of his forehead. His hair hung in front of his eyes like a dark curtain. He continued to thrust, drawing his hips backwards and rolling them forwards at a slowly increasing speed.

Her head dropped down against the pillow, mouth slightly hanging open as he continued thrusting; a soft grunt emerged from his lips with each thrust, and the sound sent Lili into a frenzy. It was like having a do-over of her first time, only a hundred million times better. To feel so much passion with someone who cared so deeply for you made this all so much better. She tried not to dwell on it, but she wished with a heavy heart that it had been him from the very beginning.

She tilted her head back slightly, allowing the pleasure to take over. She closed her eyes and focused on the way he felt inside her. Niall took the opportunity to place his hand gently on her cheek, brushing his thumb across. "Look at me," he whispered between thrusts. "I want you to watch me." She forced her eyes open, finding his beautiful baby blues in the darkness. His gentle touch mixed with his sinful thrusts was proving to be a deadly combination.

"More..." she whispered, reaching up to place her hand on top of Niall's. He grinned and leaned down to kiss her again, letting his lips and tongue wrap around hers at the same rhythm that his hips rocked against hers. He was so deep inside her that she could feel him hitting her cervix, and each thrust was more delicious than the last. If this was how good sex was actually supposed to feel, it was a god damn shame she hasn't been having it this whole time.

"You look so pretty, darling," he said quietly, biting his lip as his eyes scanned her face. "You're so beautiful."

Her mouth just hung open, unable to form coherent sentences because the pleasure was overbearing. The only sounds she could muster were pathetic little whines and whimpers. He kissed her once again, letting his tongue explore her mouth as he picked up the pace of his thrusts. He was simply devouring her, and it was lovely. His free hand was lying next to her head on the mattress, balled up into a tight fist.

She could do nothing but moan loudly, crying out with each thrust. That familiar ball of pressure was already beginning to form in the pit of her stomach once again.

The hand on the mattress beside her disappeared, and she felt it wrapping around her wrist gently. His thrusts slowed dramatically as their two hands lowered to the spot where their bodies connected. For a moment, she was confused. But then it registered what he was asking of her. She pushed his hand away and lowered her own, nearly crying out when her fingers found her clit, rubbing it in slow, sensual circles as he snapped his hips forwards.

"Oh, fuck," she moaned out, the words getting trapped at the back of her throat. She had to bring her other hand up to her mouth to bite down on her knuckles in an attempt to keep her from screaming out loud. "That's so good, baby. So good."

The speed of her fingers increased as she found a perfect rhythm, circling her clit in time with his thrusts. Tears seemed to well up in her eyes at how good everything felt. Her body was vibrating with pleasure. Niall placed his sweaty forehead against hers as he picked up his pace, each thrust growing sloppier as he began to lose control. The pressure in Lili's abdomen was mounting at an incredible speed, and she wrapped her legs as tight around him as she could as she felt herself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss.

Each hard thrust pressed her further into the pillow. "I'm so close..." She was practically sobbing with pleasure now. Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "I'm going to come, please don't stop."

She squealed as the pressure was reaching the point of unbearable. Niall left a gentle kiss on her sweating forehead. "Hold it for a few seconds, love, I'm almost there. Christ..."

The sound of his rasping voice went straight to her core, and her toes curled as she fought to hold onto the edge just a bit longer. His pelvis smacked relentlessly against hers as he fucked her to another blood-curdling orgasm; his hand had left her cheek, and he was now using both hands to hold her thighs in place, gripping them from the back and pressing her knees against her chest.

Her fingers continued to work her clit as his deep strokes became sloppy and needy, and the rhythm had been lost. She wasn't sure she could hold herself any longer - one more second of his magic and she would simply burst. His head dipped down to her neck to leave a hot, wet kiss.

"Come for me," he moaned against her skin. She finally stopped fighting and cried out as she felt her orgasm swallow her entire body. Her hand slowed its movements. Pleasure erupted from the tip of her toes to the top of her scalp, and she was a moaning mess as Niall continued to thrust, helping her ride out her high as far as he could. Her stomach was a hot, boiling mess.

He must have finished at the same time because he was groaning relentlessly into her neck, and his thrusts slowed before he stopped completely and dropped his tired body against hers. Lili could feel her legs shaking with pleasure, and she fought to catch her breath as she tried to bring herself back to reality. Her vision had gone black and she had to blink multiple times to get it back to normal.

Niall was a sweaty mess on top of her, also struggling to breathe. He lifted his head to take a deep breath and gave her body a once over, a satisfied smirk growing on his mouth. He looked deliciously spent; his hair was matted down against his sweating face, cheeks and neck a delightful shade of red. His broad chest heaved up and down with excitement and passion. She imagined she looked just as used as he did, and it felt absolutely unbelievable.

"Well," she said on an exhale, lips pulling into a satisfied smile. He laughed breathily and dropped his head against her chest again. "That was better than expected."

"You're fucking incredible," he said, bringing his hand up to rest on her chest beside his head. His cock was still buried deep inside her, and he groaned as Lili slightly twisted her hips to tease him. "Don't you dare," he said, in a low, somewhat threatening voice. She smiled innocently at him when he looked up to glare at her, but he dipped his head back down to capture her lips in his, unable to resist.

She sighed into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his beautiful back, unwilling to move from her position beneath him. The experience had been incredible, to say the least. Lili would never have guessed that sex was supposed to feel that fucking good. She didn't have the words to say to Niall just yet to thank him for the whole experience, start to finish. 

Nothing would be good enough for this man.

For now, she wanted to just enjoy the moment and be with him, revelling in the passionate step forward they had just taken together. 

Chapter Text

"Every time your heart is broken, a doorway cracks open to a world full of new beginnings, new opportunities." - Patti Roberts

A single sliver of warm sunlight tickled Lili's skin delicately as her eyes fluttered open. It was a shame that the blackout curtains weren't exactly in place, because the darkness surrounding her was reassuring.

She blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted to the light, rubbing the sleep from them with the back of her palm. 

Her throat was dry and scratchy, and her attempt to swallow was unsuccessful - she needed water ASAP. She attempted to wet her lips with her tongue, to no avail.

There was a dull throbbing just above her eyebrow that most likely came from the wine she'd consumed the night before. It was more of a nuisance than anything, but Lili wanted it to stop. 

She stretched out her arms above her head and let out a soft groan, but slapped her mouth with her hand immediately as the sound quietly echoed out into the room. She didn't want to wake Niall - she wasn't even sure what time it was. For all she knew, it wasn't even 8:00am yet.

They'd gone to bed quite late, because they stayed up for hours, talking and laughing with each other while they tangled themselves up in the sheets. The whole night was so sweet, but that might have been her favourite part. It really drew the two of them even closer together, because of how intimate it made everything.

She sniffed and turned her head towards his side of the...bed. Huh?

It was empty; the sheets were ruffled, so he was there at one point, but it looked as if someone had attempted to smooth them out. There were wrinkles in the pillowcase that very heavily suggested someone had slept on that pillow in the last few hours.  She glanced towards the end of the bed. The light was off in the bathroom, and the bedroom door was shut all the way. 

Immediate panic settled in the middle of her chest, and her heart started racing so fast it made her vision blur. Where was he? Why wasn't he asleep next to her? He was there when she'd fallen asleep the night before - she was sure of that. 

The only reason she'd fallen asleep as quickly as she did was because of the way he gently scratched her back as he cuddled her against his chest.

He obviously wasn't using the bathroom, because if he was, he wouldn't be in there in complete darkness. 

Oh, God...what if this was her worst fear coming true? Her most terrifying nightmare becoming reality?

She knew it. There was no way he actually wanted to be with her. Who was she kidding? She wasn't worth it. It was quite laughable, actually, how quickly and easily she'd gotten her hopes up. And they were wonderful hopes, too.  He'd probably done everything he could to get her to trust him just enough so that she would have sex with him, and then he would leave. 

And he was damn good at it, too. Maybe manipulation wasn't so hard. 

This was probably his plan right from the very beginning. It was all he'd wanted from her, and she should have known that from the start. She should have seen this shit coming from a mile away. A man that beautiful could never seriously be interested in someone like her. How could she have been so fucking stupid? Maybe there were a hundred signs and red flags she'd simply missed.

She dropped her head against the soft pillow and covered her eyes with her palms as thick tears of shame and hurt filled her eyes. She tried to stop, but it was no use; the tears rolled down her temples and onto the pillow beneath her, and her chest started rising and falling a bit too quickly. This was the kind of pain and embarrassment you felt after you were asked out as a joke in grade school by the most popular boy.

All she wanted was to curl up into a ball and wither away into nothing. This shame was beyond unbearable. Her stomach was turning violently – she was going to be sick. She had to get out of there. She needed to find her clothes, grab her bag, and run. Hopefully, she would never have to run into Niall ever again - she couldn't possibly face him after this.

How could he do this to her? After everything they shared together over the past weeks? After she allowed herself to be so fucking vulnerable with him the previous night? And how could she have gotten herself into this situation again? This was exactly what she'd been protecting herself from after all she'd gone through in the past. How could she have been so stupid?

She wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and dropped them against the mattress, feeling her head spin and her stomach twist as she stared up at the white ceiling and began planning her escape route.

Would she be able to make it out the front door without him noticing? Perhaps his bedroom wasn't too high up. Would the broken ankles and/or other bones be worth the jump from his window?

Her brain was scrambling with hypotheticals that she seemed unable to work through logically. Her only option might just be to make a run for it and hope for the best. That could work. 

But then she paused, blinking slowly. She was lying in his bed. In his house. If he was really going to abandon her, why would he do it in his own house? Wouldn't he have kicked her out, instead of leaving on his own? Why would he have even allowed her to stay the night if he knew that it was the end of the road for them? He wasn't nearly that stupid. 

She sat up and pulled the plush comforter up under her chin, shivering as the cold air of Niall's empty room ghosted along her naked body. The gears were starting to turn again in her sleepy brain.

She brought her knees up to her chest and rested her chin there; suddenly, laughter overtook her. Her shoulders shook with wave after wave of giggles. Yeah, she was aware that she had some trust issues, but she really did not think they were this bad. Did she really, honestly think he would do that to her? After everything he'd done over the past few weeks to prove his feelings for her were genuine, how could she accuse him of such a vile, horrific thing?

How could she possibly accuse him of being a monster like that when he'd given her nothing but the world since the day they met? Especially after he had been so careful and so thoughtful with her the entire night before? The thought actually made her laugh out loud again, and the laughter rumbled through her chest as she ran her fingers through her messy hair to get it out of her eyes.

Clearly, this was something she really needed to work through, possibly with a therapist of some kind, but at least she'd had the decency to have this freak out alone and not with Niall. Well, she'd bring it up to him eventually. If they were going to do...whatever it was they were going to do, he needed to understand the thoughts she was having, no matter how vile they might be. 

Honestly, she was curious to know how he'd react to these kinds of moments and freak outs. Maybe he'd laugh along with her. Or maybe he'd get angry...

She took a slow, deep breath, letting her forehead rest against her knees as she rolled her shoulders, waking up the tired muscles. It would all be fine. She wouldn't allow herself to ruin the perfection of the night before with unwarranted fear that came out of nowhere. Her memories absolutely will not be spoiled by the poison in her brain.

She bit the corner of her lip and smiled as the events of the previous night came flooding back in waves. Niall's tender, soft kisses against her warm skin. The grace of his hips as he thrusted into her. Everything about the previous night was absolutely perfect. Mind-blowing wasn't even a good enough description for it.

She'd been imagining their first time together in her head for quite a few days. It was hard not to put pressure on the way the events may have unfolded because of those fantasies she'd conjured up over time.

The night could have very easily gone to shit. The sex could have been awful. And yes, even inexperienced people like her would be able to tell the difference. But the real thing ended up being even better than she could have possibly pictured.

The way Niall had made her feel so safe and comfortable meant the world to her. Her biggest fear going into the night was that he was going to view her inexperience and fear negatively; not a lot of guys want to deal with the pressure of something that big.

Most guys would probably want to avoid sleeping with someone like Lili at all costs, because they know how hard it is for a lot of people to detach the emotion from the moment. Not to mention, people in their mid-twenties just shouldn't be that inexperienced. At least, that's what Lili had been taught to think. 

The weight that society puts on sex as a young person is tremendous, and can be extremely harmful.  And Lili had been extremely scared that Niall would push her away because of it.

But he wasn't most guys.

He embraced her inexperience, and didn't make her feel judged or stupid in any way. He made everything okay. Regardless of whether or not there was a stigma around this kind of thing, he made it clear that it didn't matter either way.

All her cared about was making her feel good, all while being extremely comfortable, physically and emotionally. He was so wonderful the entire time. With him, she didn't have to be embarrassed about a thing. Not about how she looked, or sounded, or anything of the sort. It was obvious that he accepted her unconditionally.

She stretched her back and swung her legs to hang over the edge of the mattress as she sat up, grimacing at the slight soreness she felt shooting up her inner thighs. It was a soreness she could definitely get used to, but she figured she wouldn't jump too far ahead just yet. For all she knew, this was a one-time thing between them. It could have been nothing more than a pot of sexual tension finally boiling over. 

Although, with the way their bodies moved together the night before, that seemed highly unlikely.

She looked around slowly, taking in her surroundings for the first time while her eyes fully adjusted to the brightness.  Being in Niall's room was incredibly weird on its own, but it was especially strange since he wasn't there beside her.

Not waking up next to him left her feeling a bit...disappointed? Let down, perhaps? Maybe she had been looking forward to seeing his beautiful sleeping form next to her as soon as she'd opened her eyes. It would have been a dream come true. It was odd that he wasn't there. Then again, she wasn't sure if she was surprised or not that he felt comfortable leaving her alone in his bedroom, considering it was her first time just being in his house.

Clearly, it meant that he trusted her fully - not that she had any ill intentions, anyway. She had to admit, she was flattered. A person's bedroom is their most vulnerable space. Everything they hold dear and all the telltale signs of who they are as a person are kept in their bedroom. To know that he trusted her in this kind of a sacred space told her everything she needed to know about the relationship they had. It was a wonderful feeling.

All the distractions from the previous night prevented her from taking any sort of notice of his room and what was inside it. She was lying in a large, king-sized bed with crisp white sheets and a matching down-filled comforter. She never would have taken Niall for the white bedsheets type. He seemed like a slate grey kind of guy.

On the wall directly across from them hung a thin flat-screen TV that had to have been at least 65 inches, with a chestnut brown six-drawer dresser against the wall underneath. The entire wall on the left hand side of the room was made completely out of windows, covered by a dark set of blackout curtains.

Lili was super curious and wanted to explore his room - take advantage of the fact that he wasn't there. She knew it was wrong, and probably a horrible invasion of privacy, but she wouldn't touch anything. She just wanted to see what he was all about. On the surface, at least.

First and foremost, she looked around the room for her clothes. Last night was the first time she'd ever slept naked, and it was surprisingly comfortable. It definitely had to do with the mattress and the blankets, but that was unimportant. That, and the fact that a very sexy and very naked Niall had been lying next to her, made it all okay.

Niall had vigorously thrown her clothes away last night after he'd undressed her, but she couldn't figure out where they had ended up. He'd just tossed them to the side without a second glance.

Her eyes landed on a dark grey lounge chair parked in the corner of the room, just in front of the window. On the cushion, her shirt and sweatpants were folded in a neat little square. A white Bruce Springsteen 'Born in the USA' tour shirt and a pair of plain black boxers were hung over one of the armrests. A pair of grey sweatpants was lying on the floor in the corner in a messy ball. 

Lili rubbed her lips together in contemplation, before hopping out of the bed and tiptoeing over to the chair. She held her arms tightly against her chest as she bounced across the soft carpet.  She very quickly wiggled into the boxers and threw the shirt over her head, desperate to get some kind of warmth after unwillingly leaving the comfy cocoon she'd created in the bed.

Bringing the collar up to her face, she inhaled deeply; the shirt smelled just like him, and she instantly felt comforted. Men's cologne always seemed to linger forever, but she didn't mind it one bit. It was her all-time favourite scent. The boxers fit quite nicely around her hips, but rolling them down once accentuated her waistline in a way that made her feel surprisingly sexy.

She smiled stupidly as she dressed herself; she could only imagine Niall's reaction to the sight of her wearing his clothes instead of her own. He would definitely go crazy over it, without a doubt. He seemed like the type of guy to actually encourage his partners to wear his t-shirts to bed and things like that. 

How unbelievably cliché it was to wear the guy's clothes after sleeping together and spending the night. Lili couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Her life over the last 24 hours really felt like a cheesy rom-com.

She found her socks thrown on the floor in a heap near the dresser and pulled them over her feet, before standing up with her hands on her hips.

Just before she made any more decisions about what she would do, she reached up and pushed opened the curtains about halfway, instantly flooding the room with early morning sunlight. She then planted herself in the middle of the bright, quiet room, with multiple potential paths ahead of her.

There were two doors on either side of the room, directly across from each other. One beside the TV, which she knew led to the bathroom, the other next to the headboard of the bed.

Lili trudged over to the door next to the bed and pushed it open, eyes widening in shock as the sight in front of her was revealed when she flicked on the light: it was the biggest walk-in closet she had ever seen.

The entire right-hand side was a floor to ceiling wooden wall unit where Niall had stacks of neatly folded shirts, basketball shorts, and sweats. Each pair of shoes had its own little cubby along the bottom two rows of the unit as well. On the far wall across from the door, all of his dress pants and golf clothes hung neatly on metal hangers, spread carefully apart at one-inch intervals so they weren't touching.

An ironing board stood flat against the wall in the corner, hidden by the wooden shelves. The corresponding iron was nowhere to be seen. His belts and ties were also hanging neatly in their own section of the closet, hung on what looked like a carousel.

She stepped over to a large cabinet in the middle of the unit and pulled the doors open. All of his suits were hung according to colour, and he had quite a lot of them. She grazed her fingers gently along them, feeling the expensive silk and cotton glide under her fingers. A dark, tan-coloured suit on the far left caught her eye, and the image of Niall decked out in that suit with a simple white dress shirt underneath practically took her breath away.

She carefully closed the doors and continued looking around the room. A full-length mirror stood on the wall across from the wooden unit. There was a matching wooden island in the middle of the room, with drawers made of glass covering one entire side. Lili ducked to see what was inside - watches, cufflinks, bowties and other odds and ends were placed carefully in their own little drawers or containers. Lili blew out the air from her mouth sharply, impressed by what she saw.

Niall definitely came across as a neat and tidy man, but she didn't think it went this far. Everything was perfectly placed in its own careful spot; not even a single thread seemed to be out of place. She smiled as she shut the light off and backed out of the closet, closing the door again. She turned her attention to the door on the other side of the room, which was the bathroom.

She walked over to it and pushed the door open, turning on the light. She had been in here last night to pee before they went to sleep, but it had been dark, so she wasn't able to get a good view of the room just yet.

It was the most elegant, expensive-looking master bathroom she had ever come across.

He had a double vanity along the right-hand side with two porcelain sinks - why a single man needed two sinks, she wasn't sure, and the thought made her chuckle. Just imagining him using one sink for brushing his teeth and the other for washing his hands was absolutely hilarious.

A large mirror hung on the wall above the sinks, and she was amazed that there wasn't a single water droplet or stain on the glass. Niall was definitely the kind of person to squeegee the glass every single day to make sure it was perfectly clean.

She glanced at her reflection momentarily, and did a double take, gasping quietly at the girl staring back at her. She tilted her chin upwards to examine the damage. There were three small purple bruises along her neck that Niall had clearly left the night before. She was sure he hadn't been sucking her skin that hard, yet she had the physical proof that he was.

They weren't very large or very deep in colour, but they were there.

She lifted her hand up towards the marks and gently ghosted her fingers over them. They didn't hurt, but something about the way her skin tingled when she touched them made her stomach lurch. She loved being kissed on the neck.

She found it hard not to smile at the sight - she was never one to enjoy hickeys or marks, especially at her age, but somehow found it extremely hot when Niall left them. Almost as if he had been marking his territory, in a way. Like he wanted everyone who saw her to know she was his.

That was hot.

She shook her head lightly at the memory of their night together, still smiling. These memories would stick with her forever simply because of how wonderful they were. The other thing her reflection showed her was how messy she looked. Her eyes were full of sleep-induced gunk, and her long hair was a lion's mane of tangles. She ran her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it, before she wiped at her eyes gently with her fingers.

On the counter next to the sink was the hair elastic she'd had on her wrist the night before. She didn't necessarily remember taking it off, but she picked it up and used it to tie her hair into a bun that would be good enough to hold her hair out of her face until she was able to wash it when she got home.

She also quickly turned on the tap and cupped her hand, filling her palm with water. She brought the cool water to her mouth and rinsed out a bit of the morning breath she'd woken up with, before splashing some water on her face and wiping away the last remnants of sleep.

Using the towel that was folded neatly on the countertop, she wiped her mouth, her hand, and the counter dry, before folding the towel in the exact same way it had been. It would have been nice to brush her teeth before seeing Niall, but she'd unfortunately left her bag in the backyard, and she wasn't about to use Niall's toothbrush. 

She smiled and continued exploring the incredible washroom. She walked along towards the other side of the vanity and placed her palms along the edge, analyzing all the products Niall owned. A thousand different face washes, moisturizers, toners, hair gels, and hair waxes were lined neatly along the countertop. He also had a blue jade roller, which Lili thought was adorable.

She could only assume a man who looks that good clearly believed in taking good care of himself. And he did a damn good job of doing so.

Along the wall opposite from the mirror was a rectangular bathtub, whose crisp white porcelain directly matched that of the sink. Even further to the left of the tub was a door that was half open, revealing a tiny room with nothing but a porcelain toilet and a small table with rolls of toilet paper. Lili chuckled - how comfortably private.

The bathroom, and everything in it, was absolutely gorgeous, but the shower was what really caught her attention. It was a massive corner shower, big enough to hold at least 10 grown adults at once. Well, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it was fucking enormous regardless. It was tiled with gorgeous off-white granite panels that spanned the entire length of the shower walls. There was a shelf in the far corner of the shower where Niall kept his soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and his loofah.

The rainfall shower head attached to the ceiling was the biggest Lili had ever seen, and she furrowed her brow as she stepped closer to analyze the elaborate mechanism she guessed was the shower handle. There was literally a remote control with a thousand different buttons. What on earth could this shower do other than wash people?

If she ever had to shower here, she would need Niall to show her what to do. It would take her months to figure out that contraption on her own.

It was hard not to let her thoughts wander to something more inappropriate as she gazed at the heavenly shower. She could just picture it. Her chest pressed up against the cold wall and her hands held behind her back, Niall directly behind her, thrusting passionately into her as hot water rained down on them from above. Her moans would echo against the glass...

She swallowed and tore her eyes away from the glass, breaking the train of thought she'd unintentionally created. A large bay window took up most of the wall space above the bathtub, and the sunlight pouring through gently warmed what looked like ice cold tiles on the ground. There was a short shelf along the windowsill, where Niall kept towels, washcloths, and expensive bubble baths of all kinds of scents. Lili shook her head, smiling.

This bathroom was somehow nothing what she could have imagined it to be, but also exactly what she was expecting. It was minimalistic, expensive, and gorgeous, just like Niall. She shut the light and pulled the door closed behind her, leaving it the way she'd found it when she woke up.

This was still just so weird. A person's bedroom tells you everything about them, and Niall's did exactly that, while simultaneously giving her absolutely nothing at all. It was quite the paradox.

There was a beautiful piece of abstract artwork hung neatly on the wall above the grey lounge chair that gave the room a nice pop of colour. He had a few picture frames posed atop the dresser underneath the TV. Tiptoeing over to take a look, Lili smiled as she glanced at the photos.

There was one of Niall with two older people that looked exactly like him, who she assumed were his parents. The man had the exact same breathtaking eyes as Niall, and the woman had round cheeks and Niall's lips. They were standing at the top of some kind of cliff overlooking choppy grey waters. Niall was standing in the middle, and had both his arms wrapped tightly around his parents' shoulders. They were all smiling brightly at the camera.

A second photo was of Niall and a man who looked like it could be his brother. They looked kind of similar, but not enough for Lili to be certain, and she didn't want to pick up the frame in case Niall realized something had been moved. The man looked familiar, so Lili was sure it had to be his brother. She remembered a picture or two he'd shown her recently of him.

The third photo was of a group of young boys wearing soccer uniforms, and they were all covered with mud and grass. Niall was front and center in the group. He must have been 14 or 15 in the picture, and his smile was big and bright. His hair was also much lighter, with strands of blond highlights scattered through the layered locks. It was adorable. He was adorable. Her heart skipped.

Pushing a piece of her bangs out of her eyes, Lili crouched to get a closer look at the picture, but her ears suddenly perked up at the sound of...a piano? It was coming from somewhere in the house. For a second, she thought she may have turned the TV on accidentally, but taking a step back to look, realized it wasn't on. She furrowed her brow.

Lili glanced at the alarm clock on Niall's side of the bed - it read 7:56am. Why were they awake so early, and why was there music? If she had already been awake for at least twenty minutes, what time had Niall gotten out of bed? She was confused - the music had to be Niall, right?

She crossed the room to the bedroom door and pulled it open; the music became slightly louder, though it was still muted and hard to hear clearly. Judging by the volume with the door open, the intention wasn't to wake her up. There was no way this was playing when she woke up, or she would have heard it. Niall's room was beyond peaceful and extremely silent. How strange.

Lili stepped into the hallway and followed the dark iron railing towards the staircase. The house was completely open concept; the second floor overlooked the living room, and Lili could see Niall's couches, table, and TV, but not him. The TV was off in the living room as well. Well, there goes her theory of Niall watching a movie in the living room. 

She continued walking towards the stairs and slowly climbed down, using the music as her guide. The steps creaked quietly beneath her feet, making her heart jump every time. She stepped down to the floor and slowly turned the corner. Much like his bedroom, Niall's living room was also decorated with very few items.

There was a TV mounted on the wall that was almost double the size of the television in his bedroom - where the fuck did he find something like that? Was he getting TVs custom made?

The TV was surrounded by a slate grey wall unit, whose shelves were full of more photographs, little knick knacks, and silver trophies of all different sizes. Hung on the wall on either side of the wood unit were two gorgeous frames that housed his Green Jackets. She remembered reading that Niall had won two Masters tournaments already, but to see the iconic green in person was a breathtaking reality.

In front of the TV was a long glass coffee table, with a gorgeous light grey sectional couch atop a dark blue rug. It was a very cozy room, but Lili didn't want to take too much time to look at it because, out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement, where the music was the loudest. She took half a step forward, exposing herself to the most heartbreakingly beautiful image.

Niall was sitting on the bench of a magnificent, shining grand piano tucked in the corner of the room in front of a wall of windows overlooking his backyard. The sun was pouring in, cascading around him and the piano in a heavenly golden glow. The lid of the piano was closed, which was what had been muting the sound.

Niall sat there, eyes closed as he lost himself in the music. The tiniest of smiles played on his lips as he worked the piano - he looked completely at peace. Serene. He was shirtless, wearing just grey tracksuit bottoms, black socks and slides. How he managed to work the pedals so well in those shoes, she had no idea. She didn't even know he could play piano - just learning the day before that he could play guitar was absolutely wild information. This was even better.

Lili leaned her shoulder against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, as she studied him. His fingers danced expertly over the keys, arms and body moving fluidly along to the sweet melodies he was making. Every now and then his fingers would graze against the wrong key, and he would furrow his brow or make a face, still keeping his eyes closed. The mistake didn't stop him, though - he kept playing as if nothing had happened.

It took her a second to notice what he was playing.

listen at 0.75 speed <3

He had slowed the tempo of the song down to almost half the speed, turning it into an even more painful ballad than it already was. It was astounding. His ability to take the song and make it effortlessly his own just blew Lili's mind. To play a song at random, seemingly at the drop of a hat, in a completely different fashion and still make it sound absolutely beautiful, took a certain kind of talent you just couldn't teach.

And by the looks of it, this was all being improvised - he had no books or sheet music of any kind in front of him. All of this was coming just from his ear. She was amazed at what she was hearing.

Her heart ached in her chest at the sight of him. He was so irrationally beautiful - almost inhuman. He was a real life angel - and had the halo of sun to prove it. She felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes from the sheer beauty of the music he was making. How could one human being be capable of so many perfect things simultaneously? It really wasn't fair to other people out there.

Right here, in this moment, she fully realized just how lucky she was to be here. To be with him, no matter what capacity that might be in. She was truly grateful that life had brought her to this moment. 

She could tell he was bringing the song to an end, because his hands began to slow their movements, the melody resolving to a delicate cadence, signifying the end of the music. The final notes were being sustained by the pedal, echoing quietly in the now silent room. His head tilted down towards the keys as he stopped, but it snapped up with surprise, eyes wide, as Lili began to softly applaud him.

He blushed and smiled shyly at her, pushing the bench back from his thighs and standing.

"Morning, gorgeous. I didn't hear you come down," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. He had gotten so lost in the music that his surroundings must have momentarily disappeared. Lili smiled as he stepped around the piano to approach her. She tilted her head to look up at him; even this early in the morning, he was the picture of perfection. He looked well-rested and calm. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him close.

"Before you give me shit for playing so loudly in the morning, I heard you walking around upstairs, so I knew you were awake." He was grinning ear to ear, and it took her breath away. 

She giggled. "I wasn't going to give you shit, Niall. I was already awake when I heard you, yes. But even if you did wake me like that, I couldn't possibly think of a better way to do it." He laughed through his nose and leaned down, placing his hands on both sides of her face and leaving a delicate kiss on her lips. Her heart fluttered erratically.

"Although," she started, once he pulled away, "it would have been nice to see you in that bed with me when I opened my eyes." His face fell; the corners of his lips turned downwards into a frown, and Lili immediately regretted her words. 

"I'm sorry, my love," he said. "I was awake so early, and you looked so peaceful. I didn't want to turn on the TV and wake you up so I snuck down here." His slight pout was so damn endearing.

"It's okay. Next time," she said playfully. He licked his lips and grinned. His eyes traced along her face, looking at all of her features individually.

"Are you sure you just woke up?" he questioned. "You're telling me you look this beautiful right when you wake up? Christ, I'm a lucky guy."

"Shut up," Lili said immediately, shoving his shoulder gently. The blush creeping up her neck was embarrassing. "So," she said, changing the subject. "After all the talking we've done the last few weeks, you failed to tell me that you play guitar and piano?" Lili questioned with a quirked eyebrow.

He laughed and shrugged as he wrapped her in a warm embrace. "It just never came up, I guess. I'm not a great pianist, so I tend not to tell people. It's just for fun, really."

Lili's head snapped back and she looked at him, bewildered. "If that's not 'that great', you would think I was absolute dogshit."

He laughed again, his smile brightening the room a thousand times more. "Alright, stop trying to play up my ego," he warned. Lili rolled her eyes with a smile.

"Seriously, though. That was beautiful. Did you just put that together on the spot?" she asked. His fingers were ghosting up and down the small of her back underneath the shirt, and her skin was full of goosebumps. He nodded.

"Yeah. Well, not entirely." His brows furrowed slightly. "That's one of my favourite songs of all-time, so I just started playing around with the keys until I got the notes right." He was blushing so hard. Lili smiled.

"That's amazing, Niall. You are so talented, it's unreal. You have to play something else for me again, soon." Niall grinned down at her and it felt like the earth flipped upside down around them.

"Alright, sounds like a plan, love." He leaned down and kissed her softly again. "Are you hungry?" he asked sweetly. "I can make you something." She nodded, suddenly aware of the menacing growl toiling around in her stomach.

Niall took her hand, bringing it to his mouth and kissing it, before lacing his fingers with hers and gently pulling her arm as he guided her through his beautiful house. Her heart was beating at the base of her throat. All of this was so strange. The casual kissing, the sleeping together, having breakfast in his kitchen the morning after.

It was like she was having an out-of-body experience. She knew all of this was happening in real life, but it was almost like she was watching it from another person's perspective. There was no way it was her getting to live this life. God, this was everything she had ever dreamed about, but everything she was beyond terrified of. It was all happening so fast, but at the same time, it was about damn time this kind of stuff happened for her.

Her heart fluttered as they crossed into the kitchen. It was stunning, and Lili absolutely loved a good kitchen. It was just off to the side of the living room, completely open and bright and taking up the whole back of the first floor. The cabinetry was, as expected, a bright shade of white - Lili figured Niall liked keeping things as clean and simple as possible.

The countertops were made of a luxurious white and light grey marble, fitted delicately around his stainless steel appliances. He had a full sized chef's fridge, one of the biggest Lili had ever seen, and a 6-burner gas stovetop. A large marble island with four tall stools stood just a few feet from the stove, but there was still enough room for multiple people to walk around at a time. A dark brown metal bowl full of fresh fruit had been placed in the center of the island. 

What was surprising was how warm and inviting the kitchen felt, considering all the cool colours surrounding her.

Lili pulled out one of the stools and sat down, crossing her ankles under the chair. She propped her elbows up on the cool countertop. Behind her, the kitchen opened up into a stunning dining area, with a large rectangular glass table surrounded by eight chairs. A vase of gorgeous blue and pink flowers stood tall in the middle of the table. The entire back wall was also windows, and Lili could see the entire backyard, end to end, from where she sat.

Lili turned to Niall and smiled as she watched him bend in front of the stove and open a drawer, pulling out two large frying pans. "Your house is gorgeous, Niall." She shook her head in disbelief as she took one last look at the pool outside. She could see her overnight bag still lying on the couch cushion. "Honestly, I've never seen anything like it."

He turned his head to smile at her. "Thanks, love. I'm a huge fan of interior design, so I wanted to make this house as 'me' as possible. It looked nothing like this when I bought it." She looked around again as Niall drifted over to the fridge and pulled out a carton of eggs and a package of fresh bacon. Lili hopped off the stool and walked around to the other side of the counter, leaning backwards next to the stove and crossing her arms so she could stand next to Niall.

"What did it look like before you moved in?" she asked curiously. This house looked like it had been built to look exactly as it did - she couldn't imagine it having a different style. Niall chuckled. He hadn't noticed her moving, since he had his back turned, but smiled widely once he turned and realized how close they were again.

"It wasn't bad, honestly. A bit too 1980s for my taste. Most of the work was done in the backyard." He dropped the contents from the fridge onto the countertop and reached towards the stovetop. His hand paused on one of the burners. He'd opened his mouth to say something else when his eyes drifted down to her body, finally noticing her attire. Her heart leapt.

He raised one eyebrow curiously. "You're wearing my clothes." 

Lili laughed. "Is that a question or a statement?" she teased, tilting her head to the side. He shrugged in response, making her laugh again. "Yes, these are your clothes. I figured I'd borrow something that looked a bit cuter than what I brought. I hope you don't mind," she said, batting her eyelashes and taking a step closer to him.

He looked at her incredulously, before rolling his eyes and smiling, tongue pushing against the inside of his bottom lip. His gaze trailed down her body again as he took a step back. "I don't think there's ever been a human being who's looked as sexy in men's underwear as you do." Lili giggled and spun slowly on the spot, giving him a full view of her little outfit. She could feel his gaze burning into her skin. 

He was shaking his head at the sight, a devilish look in his eye. "Jesus," he breathed out. "You're a goddess." Lili flushed. She couldn't possibly look that good right now. He was definitely bluffing. "I have to say, though, the shirt does go well with the hickeys," he said innocently. His eyebrows ticked upwards on his forehead playfully.

Lili's fingers automatically reached up to her neck to gently touch the bruises decorating her skin. "Yeah, I noticed those upstairs. They're a little much, don't you think?"

Niall grinned, his pupils widening. "I disagree." His eyes trailed across her neck and her heart pounded in the silence. "You know, not to sound uncomfortably possessive or anything, but seeing you all marked up like that really gets me going. Proof that you're all mine."

Lili chuckled softly. "Funny. I was just thinking the same thing earlier."

He stepped toward her and placed a hand on the small of her back, pulling her in close. He dipped his head down to brush his lips against the middle of her throat, making her breath hitch. "I quite like how they look." His whispers licked at her skin in a warm rush of air. Lili's eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed against the skin again, with a bit more force.

"I like it, too," she said, barely breathing. Niall smiled against her neck and trailed slow, wet kisses up her neck and jaw, making sure to kiss each individual bruise on the way up, before placing one on her lips. Lili's mouth automatically opened for him, their lips moving together in perfect sync.

He stepped forwards, sending Lili backwards, until she was being pressed harshly against the counter, pinned underneath his weight. His tongue dragged lazily along hers, and it took everything in her power not to moan out at the touch. Niall gave her lips one last kiss before pulling his head back, admiring the trance he had just placed Lili into.

"So, breakfast?" he said, as if nothing happened. Lili swatted at his chest and he laughed out, bending to kiss her forehead before turning his attention back to the stovetop. "Don't you worry, my darling. We'll continue that after we eat."

She rolled her eyes and shook the lust from her head - it was way too early in the morning to feel this way. And it was definitely way too early for the space between her thighs to be throbbing as quickly as it was.

She watched as Niall sprayed the larger frying pan with cooking spray, before laying five pieces of bacon flat on the bottom, making them sizzle and pop. The instant aroma made Lili's stomach growl intensely. Niall stepped forwards and turned, leaning back against the island so he was standing across from Lili. His strong arms were crossed over his chest the way Lili had done a moment ago. He cleared his throat nervously.

"So, about yesterday," he said, looking down at the floor. He seemed suddenly very interested in the pattern of the tiles. After a moment, he brought his concerned eyes up to meet Lili's.

"What about yesterday?" she asked, trying not to let the anxiety bleed into her voice. Oh no...Her heart hammered nervously against her ribs. She thought everything was okay...

He took a deep breath. "Are you, um..." He seemed to be searching for the right thing to say. One hand came up to rub the back of his neck. He seemed to do that a lot when he was nervous. "Are you okay? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I? I know it was a lot for you."

Oh, thank god.

Lili shook her head fervently. "Niall, yesterday was amazing." Her voice was soft as she spoke to him. "What makes you think you hurt me?" She stepped forward and placed her hands on his hips, looking up at him. His skin was warm under her fingers. He half-smiled at her, but his eyes still seemed to dart around nervously.

"I was just thinking about what I did outside. When I..." He made a choking action in the air with his hand. "I've just been worried that I might have been too rough with you considering it was our first time." He paused again. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay with everything that we did. That you don't...regret it. I'm just asking because we didn't really talk beforehand about boundaries or what we're okay with...in the...bedroom. So..."

She smiled up at him. "You're adorable, you know that?" she said softly. He scrunched his nose. "I promise you, last night was better than I could have possibly dreamed it would be. You have no idea how badly I wanted to take that step with you." She let her fingers tap gently along his hips in a gentle pattern. "And besides, you have my word that anytime we do something I'm not comfortable with, I will tell you right away. I hope it's the same for you."

He nodded, a stoic look on his face, and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her in for another precious hug. She loved his hugs so much. Lili tilted her head back so she could look at him; he smiled brightly and kissed the tip of her nose.

"You promise that I wasn't too rough?" he whispered, gazing into her eyes. "I don't ever want you to think that I don't take your feelings into consideration."

"Niall, stop. Please," she said gently, placing her hands flat on his chest. His heart was racing beneath her fingertips. "I promise you, everything was perfect. Not once, not even for a second, did I think you were ignoring my feelings." She lifted herself up to the tips of her toes and kissed him softly. "You did everything I asked for and more."

She cleared her throat. "However," she started, as she began to trace random shapes into his chest with the tip of her finger. "I'm not made of glass. I'm not breakable."  She paused and looked up at him through her lashes, head tilted slightly. "If you wanted to be a bit rough with me, I wouldn't be opposed."

It took a moment for her words to register, but when they did, his eyes darkened slightly. He laughed out loud and looked down at her, shaking his head as his tongue glided along his top teeth.

"Don't tempt me like that, princess. You have no idea what you're asking from me."

She shrugged and pressed herself up against him. "Maybe I do."

He bit the corner of his lip and smiled, turning his head away from her so she couldn't see the blush creeping up his cheeks. Lili took advantage of the movement; she stretched her neck and placed her lips gently on his jaw, before settling herself back flat on her feet. Niall dipped his head down and kissed the top of her head, still hugging her, before laying his cheek against the top of her head. They stayed that way for a moment, only to be forced apart by the severe crackling of the bacon in the pan.

"Fuck, that's going to burn," Niall exclaimed, as he quickly dropped his arms from Lili's back and pulled the top drawer open. He took out a pair of silver tongs to flip the bacon, jumping back as the oil sizzled and flew from the pan in painful droplets. He turned the heat down on the burner and raised his arm, flipping a switch on the range hood to turn on the fan.

Niall exhaled once the damage had been cleared and looked over at Lili, clicking the tongs before setting them down on the countertop. "Crisis averted," he said, with a laugh. Lili smiled. "My hero," she teased.

Niall swiped at his arms with his palms to wipe away any oil that touched his skin. Lili opened and closed her mouth multiple times, because she didn't know how to word the thoughts in her brain.

"Um," she started, moving to lean back against the island so they were standing face to face. "It's funny that you mentioned being worried about me regretting last night." She scratched at her arm awkwardly under the sleeve of Niall's shirt. His brows knitted together in the middle of his forehead.

"Why's that?" he asked. She chuckled humourlessly.

"I was thinking the same thing about you upstairs," she said. "When I woke up and you weren't there, I kind of...panicked."

She avoided his eye, because she felt embarrassed. Open communication was something they both valued, so she wanted him to know her feelings, but saying this out loud made her feel even more stupid than she had in the moment. She cleared her throat and looked out the window to the backyard. The sun was glinting beautifully off the crystal pool. "I just got in my head about all of it, because us having sex kind of changes the whole dynamic we have going on."

She finally worked up the courage to look at Niall - he was standing sideways, poking at the bacon with the tongs but stealing glances at her over his shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way, because I don't think that's the kind of person you are at all. It's all coming from my own insecurities. But I thought that maybe you had gotten what you wanted after all, and that we were done. But then I remembered that I was in your bed in your house, so it wouldn't even make sense for you to be the one to leave."

She was rambling, but now that she'd started, she just had to finish her thoughts.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to upset you. I got caught up in my fears and it was easier to blame you than to face them, which I understand is completely wrong."

Eyes still shut, she heard the tongs settle against the granite and the oven door close. "Come here," Niall said, and when she opened her eyes, he was holding his arms out. She stepped into him and allowed him to wrap his warm arms around her waist. He was looking down at her with a serious face, but didn't seem upset.

"I appreciate you being honest with me about your feelings. It's clear we both have some things that we need to work through, and our insecurities won't just go away from one minute to the next." She blinked, waiting patiently for him to continue. He smiled softly.

"I promise, that was absolutely not my intention. All I want to do is make you happy. I'm sorry that you were upset this morning and I wasn't there to comfort you, but I want you to be able to trust me."

"I do," she said automatically. "Really. I'm sorry. Last night was incredible and I didn't want to ruin it by talking about this."

"You didn't ruin anything," Niall reassured her, reaching up and brushing his thumb softly across her bottom lip. "We're just having a talk about our feelings. It's exactly what we should be doing."

"It's very adult of us," Lili said, trying to joke.

He smiled again, pulling her closer to his chest. "Are you okay, though? Be honest with me." She smiled, and the nerves she felt were quickly dissipating.

"Yeah. I'm okay." He nodded and kissed her forehead.

"Alright, good." He leaned his head back so he could look at her, and his eyes were sparkling. "Do you want to do me a favour and put the coffee on before I start the eggs?"

She was glad for the change in subject. Lili nodded and followed his instructions about the preparation; she found the coffee grounds in the cabinet above the coffee maker, and he directed her through the actual process of making the coffee. Now, Lili wouldn't normally need an explanation for something as simple as making coffee, but his expensive and probably professional-grade machine was intimidating. Thankfully, his instructions were clear and she was able to get a good pot going.

She leaned against the counter again as she watched Niall crack four eggs into a bowl with some spices, scrambling them with a fork as the second pan slowly heated up with some butter. The two of them together in the kitchen were oddly domestic - it felt like they were a married couple preparing breakfast for the kids before soccer practice.

It was strange, but it filled Lili with a desire she had never felt before. It filled her with peace and happiness, like she was longing for the dream to become a reality. It amazed her just how quickly they'd become comfortable with each other to this level. This was a future she could absolutely get used to. Except, maybe, the future would involve more of him still in bed when she opened her eyes.

She picked out two mugs from the cupboard where she found the coffee grounds and placed them next to the slowly brewing pot, before opening the fridge and taking out a carton of milk, dropping it carefully onto the island. 

"Do you want me to start pouring the coffee?" she asked, moving next to Niall to watch what he was doing. She wrapped her arms around his waist, careful not to get in the way. Who knew a grown man cooking a few scrambled eggs could look so sexy? She kissed his exposed shoulder gently a few times; he nodded, grinning.

"Yeah, go ahead. These are just about done." He reached up to the cabinet over his left shoulder and pulled two blue dinner plates down. He turned the stovetop off before lifting the pan of eggs and dividing them in half to put a bit on each plate. Opening the oven, he used a towel to pull out the plate of bacon, where they had been keeping warm. He then placed two and a half strips of bacon each on the plates and dropped the hot pans on the stovetop, picking up the plates and turning towards the island.

Lili picked up the coffee pot and poured the delicious smelling coffee until both mugs were filled, pushing one towards Niall before setting the pot down on its perch and sitting down beside him. They prepared their coffee in silence; Lili just poured a bit of milk until it was a shade or so lighter, and scrunched her face up in disgust as she watched Niall add three teaspoons of sugar and some milk to his own mug.

"That's not even coffee at this point, Niall," she teased, a hint of disgust in her voice. She could just feel the cavities growing in her teeth from the sight. He scoffed.

"I think it's perfectly fine." He set the wet spoon down on the edge of his plate and picked up his mug, raising it in the air between them. "Cheers, love."

"To what?" Lili asked, wrapping her hand comfortably around the hot porcelain and lifting it to meet Niall's. He smiled coyly.

"To...our first successful night together."

He winked and Lili laughed, clinking her mug gently against his. "Cheers." 

That first sip of the sweet, hot coffee hit her stomach and perked her up instantly. Niall passed her a silver fork and they dug into their food - Lili hadn't realized how hungry she actually was. She normally never had an appetite when she first woke up. They ate side by side, turning in their chairs so that they were basically facing each other.

"So," Lili said, chewing a hot bite of scrambled egg and swallowing. "What does all of this mean for us?" she asked, trying to sound casual.

Niall wiped his mouth with his napkin. "What do you mean?"

She sighed. "Are we going to be having sex more often now?" she asked outright, feeling her cheeks burn. She'd never spoken this bluntly before in her life. "I mean, I wouldn't mind it at all, personally. But if this was just a one-time thing for you, then..."

Niall scoffed, turning to face her completely. "You're so funny. When you say little things like that, I mean." He wrapped his feet around one of the legs of her stool and tugged, pulling her closer to him. 

"It's pretty normal for people that are dating to have sex." His voice was extremely playful. "We can do it whenever you want, however you want, as often as you want."  He was chuckling so hard that his words were interrupted, and Lili shoved his shoulder playfully, making him toss his head back and laugh.

"So we're dating now, then?" she teased, picking up a strip of bacon and nibbling on the end. Niall's face fell oddly serious.

"Well, yeah." She sensed a sudden nervous energy radiating off of Niall, and she watched him curiously as he turned his head down and ate a forkful of eggs. He had a strange look on his face, like he was miles away in his head. Whatever she just said must have triggered something.

She tapped her foot gently against his leg. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked. This was strange. He kept his head down towards his plate for a moment and, though her own stomach suddenly felt nervous, Lili kept her face calm and patient. He finally looked up at her, and he was definitely nervous about something. His plate was now empty, so he set down his fork and picked up his mug, shifting awkwardly in the seat so he was fully facing her again.

"I mean, everyone has a different definition of dating, which is fine. But to me, you and I have been dating since we started talking."

Lili's heart leapt to her throat. She smiled and clasped her hands together on her lap. "Yeah, that's how I see it, too," she said. He looked up at her and the corner of his mouth tugged up into a grin, but he still seemed off.

"I'm just thinking about the other day when those old guys were fawning over you at work," he said unexpectedly. Well, that came out of nowhere. Lili furrowed her brow, and he smiled slightly at her confusion, shoulders visibly loosening.

"You were right. I was incredibly jealous. I get jealous quite easily over you, unfortunately. It's not something I'm particularly proud of. I get jealous because I believe we're dating, but nothing has been set in stone, so I technically couldn't be mad at you seeing other people or flirting with someone else. Even though that scenario is different."

He shook his head furiously. "That's not really the point here. Well, maybe it is. I think." The anxiety was rolling off him in tangible waves. He reached his leg out and propped his foot up on the footstool under Lili's seat, tangling their legs together. Lili's heart lurched at the action.

"Niall, what are you worried about?" she asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous before."

It was clear that was how he was feeling, because he couldn't even speak a sensible sentence. He chuckled to himself, and looked up into her eyes. There was the electricity again.

"That's the thing. I'm not ever this nervous. You make me more nervous than any person ever has, and I don't know why. Well, I do know why, but I don't understand it."

He scooted his chair closer so their knees were touching and reached his arm out. She wasn't sure if it was what he wanted, but Lili lifted her own arm so he could take her hand. He smiled warmly as their fingers connected. He looked up at her with the most sincere expression she had ever seen.

"I've been absolutely mental about you since that first moment we met. It was instant, and it kind of took me by surprise. Every single time we were together I wanted to say something to you, but I didn't know how. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss for words. Just your beauty and your presence made it hard for me to think. The worst part was that I wasn't sure if you felt the same about me. Obviously, I know now, but two months ago, I couldn't tell."

He paused, cheeks red, and kept his eyes down on their connected hands.

"After our first date, when I drove you home, I thought about asking you out. Officially, I mean. I had been thinking about it the entire night and after everything that happened at the carnival...it was the only thing on my mind. But I didn't say anything because...well, one, I wasn't sure if you liked me as much as I did you. I didn't want to embarrass myself. And two, if you did feel that way, I was afraid I was making a move too soon and that it would ruin what might come in the future. I couldn't possibly risk that, so I've been holding myself back until the time felt right."

Lili's chest was heaving and her throat was tight with emotion. She swallowed and squeezed his hand.

"Niall, I just think you're really bad at picking up signs," she tried to joke. "I don't think I could have been any more obvious these past few months about how ridiculously insane I am about you. I honestly thought you could tell. I wasn't exactly subtle."

He looked up at her and their eyes met again, and a wide smile spread on his face. Lili's heart leapt into her throat again and started dancing around against her skin.

He shifted in his seat again so he was sitting a bit taller. "The day we had our big...blowout...at the club," he grimaced as he said the words, "was the day I fully realized my feelings for you. It was the day I made the firm decision to move this relationship forward."

He laughed awkwardly. "I've been trying since that day to come up with the perfect way to ask you, but nothing I've thought of has been worthy. You deserve pomp and circumstance for every single thing in your life, even when it's something as stupid as buying a new pair of shoes. I kept putting it off because I've been fucking scared of screwing everything we have up, but then last night happened, and I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

He sighed. Lili's lips formed a hard line on her face. Her heart was pounding and her brain was a puddle of mush.

"You're saying a lot of words Niall, but I have no idea what you mean." He laughed quietly to himself as his cheeks flushed.

"Since the very minute I met you, there's been no one else."

Silence consumed them for a few moments, and Lili must have looked completely dumbfounded, because Niall grinned.

"I want to be with you. Like, really with you. I want to be your boyfriend. I basically am already, but I want us to really be together. I want it to be official. You're everything to me and I want this relationship to be as sure as I feel. I would have asked you sooner but I didn't want to scare you away because everything between us has been so beautiful."

Lili's mouth was dry and her eyes were wide open. "There's been no one else for me, either."

Her voice came out at nearly a whisper. Niall smiled, as if her words relieved a deep ache he had been feeling for a long time. He squeezed her hand as she cleared her throat.

"You want me to be your girlfriend?"

He nodded.

She still couldn't say anything - she was too shocked. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Since their very first meeting, she knew she wanted to be with him in whatever way possible. Her heart was filled with such joy, and it overwhelmed her so much that she didn't know how to express it. Niall must have taken her silence the wrong way, because his face flashed with concern.

"Look, we don't have to make this official right now. I know sometimes when you put the pressure of a label on a relationship it becomes too much to handle and everything changes. Believe me when I say I'm happy with the way things are going right now, and if you're not ready for this, I'm more than fine with just-"

"Shut up," Lili said, cutting him off.

"What?" he said, furrowing his eyebrows. 

"I said shut up."

She raised her hands up to the sides of his face and pulled him in for a kiss that had sparks shooting down her spine. His shoulders relaxed the moment their lips met, and he raised his arms up to the small of her back and pulled forwards. She hopped off the chair and stepped forward, still kissing him, now standing between his knees.

Her head automatically tilted to the side as she pressed her chest against his, arching her back slightly. She pulled back, breathless, admiring his flushed cheeks and his long eyelashes. His eyes remained closed for a moment, but a smile played on his lips. He opened his eyes and met her gaze, and Lili smiled down at him.

"I want to be your girlfriend more than anything."

He smiled wider, his face bright and beautiful. The image and the emotion of the moment brought a tear to her eye. Her lip and chin quivered. She quickly turned her face away before he could see - it didn't work.

"Hey, what happened?" he asked, gently taking her chin between his fingers and turning her head back towards him. He looked concerned again. "Why are you crying, angel?" His voice was so gentle that it made more tears threaten to fall. She sniffled and smiled, moving her arms forward so they sat lazily on his shoulders. Her fingers played with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"It's stupid, but no one's ever asked me to be their girlfriend before," she said, slightly embarrassed. She cringed inwardly at the horrible memories she had of her past. "I've only really had one relationship in my life, and that guy definitely never wanted to make it official with me. He would act like my boyfriend and we would be all coupley and stuff behind closed doors, but he didn't put the label on the relationship so he could get away with it when he did something behind my back."

She sighed. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't think labels are for everyone, and sometimes they aren't necessary when you understand the foundation of your relationship. But I've never had the label or the commitment and it's just a bit overwhelming for me right now."

Niall smiled the most perfect crooked smile ever created, and Lili's heart lurched. She couldn't believe this was all happening. He stood from his chair and picked Lili's arms up off his shoulders. "Well then, I should do this the right way. Give me a second," he said, before turning away from Lili and walking out of the kitchen.

Lili stared at the spot he was standing in just a moment ago, mouth hanging slightly open, hands open and palms facing the ceiling. What the fuck? Where could he possibly be going right now? This was the absolute worst time for him to get up and take a walk. A confused but entertained smile danced on her face as she waited for him to come back.

Feeling awkward alone in his kitchen, she gathered up the silverware and plates, stacking them one on top of the other. She also wiped the crumbs from the countertop onto her hand, brushing them onto the plate. 

After a few strange, silent moments, she heard his light footsteps making their way back to her. He appeared in the doorway with his left hand behind his back and a beautiful, joyful smile on his face. Lili's confused expression didn't change as he approached her, returning to the spot a few inches away from her that he had been standing in a minute ago. He seemed giddy.

Lili looked up at him expectantly. "What are you doing?" she asked, a hint of humour in her voice. Niall's smile grew wider and his pink cheeks plumped up adorably. He brought his arm out from behind his back; he was holding a single beautiful, white daisy from one of the bushes in his garden.

"Lili Hughes, will you do me the incredible honour of being my girlfriend?"

Her heart could just fucking burst. It was such a sweet, thoughtful gesture. 

Except she couldn't ignore the laughter bubbling in her stomach, threatening to explode. She let a few giggles out and smacked her hand against her mouth, eyes wide with shock. Niall's eyes were mirroring hers with his eyebrows raised; within seconds, the two of them had burst into a raucous fit of laughter.

Tears of joy filled Lili's eyes, and she tried to catch her breath and calm down enough to wipe them away. She had a stitch in her side - it was the hardest she had laughed in a while. It felt nice.

They had finally calmed down enough to be sane again. Lili took the flower from Niall's hand, before wrapping her arms around his neck again and bringing his head down towards hers.

"Yes, I absolutely will," she finally responded, before tilting her head up and finding Niall's lips with her own.

He smiled into the kiss as his large hands found her waist. He turned her slightly around and took a step forward until her back gently hit the cool marble. He pressed her up against the island as he kissed her, but there was nothing sexual about this moment. It was filled with pure joy and contentment, and Lili never wanted this feeling to end. The kiss was a mesh of lips and teeth because the two of them just couldn't stop smiling. Niall pulled his head back to look at her, his cheeks slightly flushed. He looked perfect.

"I hope you don't mind how juvenile that whole thing was." Lili laughed again and shook her head.

"I loved it, honestly. It was very strange, but very endearing." Niall shrugged, the smile on his face unremovable. Lili looked down for a second, before bringing her eyes back up to meet Niall's. "I still want to keep us sort of private, though. I like the little bubble we're in right now." Niall's smile warmed her to her core.

"I like it, too. You already know I'm a pretty private guy when it comes to my life, but we don't need the opinions of thousands of unnecessary people when this is all so new." He paused. "I mean, you should tell your friends, and maybe your family, if you want."

Lili nodded. "I'm going to tell my parents tonight. I really want them to know about you." She laughed. "It's actually been so hard not saying anything to them this whole time. But I'm going to do it tonight."

"Sounds like a plan," Niall replied. "Are you going to tell her about those love bites, as well?" His eyes flickered down to her neck.

Lili gasped and he laughed out, leaning down to kiss the marks once again. "Shut up! My mom can never see these. I'll have to cover those up before I leave for work."

They broke apart after a moment to begin cleaning up the kitchen. Niall washed the dishes, and Lili dried them and put them away. She felt like she was just floating through the kitchen; she was so happy in this moment.

She was Niall Horan's girlfriend. He was her boyfriend. They were officially in a relationship. From the outside looking in, it might seem stupid or overdramatic to be this excited about being asked to be someone's girlfriend at 24 years old. She was an adult, it shouldn't be such a huge production of emotion. And Niall wasn't wrong when he noted how juvenile the whole thing really was. 

But for Lili, it was an experience she had never gotten to have before, and having Niall as the person to give her that chance made everything even better. The man of her dreams, who had already been treating her so well, just asked her to be in a relationship with him. Even after she shared her insecurities and imperfections with him. It was unreal.

As Niall wiped down the countertops with a wet cloth, Lili stretched out her arms above her head, feeling the slight pull on her spine.

"Hey, can I get a quick shower in before I head home?" she asked casually. She had work at 3:30pm, but she was exhausted, and felt that getting a shower in now so she could take a nap later on would be beneficial. Niall smiled and nodded, before turning his attention back to the counter. Lili hesitated, clearly waiting for him.

He must have felt her presence still lingering behind him, because he turned around and looked her up and down. "You need my help with the shower, don't you?" he teased. Lili rolled her eyes.

"We don't all have massive contraptions like that in our bathrooms, Horan." He laughed loudly and tossed the rag into the sink, wiping his hands on a clean towel before holding one hand out for her to take. 

"Alright, alright. Come with me."

***

"So, what did you say to your mum when you didn't come home last night?" Niall asked. They were standing outside of Lili's car. She had just thrown her bag into the passenger seat and was standing next to Niall, dreading their goodbye. She chuckled.

"Well, I told her I was spending the day with Jordyn, but before you and I fell asleep, I texted her saying I was sleeping over. She doesn't really care though, as long as she knows I'm safe. She won't ask any questions."

Niall smiled. "Well, you didn't necessarily lie about having a sleepover," he said. A grin started spreading across his face. "Though I doubt you and Jordyn would be having the same kind of sleepover that we did."

Lili's jaw dropped and she scoffed, feeling the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile. "No, we wouldn't. You're the only person I'll be having those types of "sleepovers" with, thank you very much," she teased.

Niall laughed and reached for her hand, and Lili felt the awkward silence settle around them. She didn't want to say goodbye to him, and he obviously didn't want her to leave. "I wish you didn't have to go," he said, as if reading her thoughts. Lili frowned.

Niall stepped closer to her and put his free hand on her hip, pressing her against the car. "I'm really glad last night happened. And this morning. I don't think our first night together could have gone any better, honestly." 

Lili smiled. "No, it was perfect. This part sucks, though. Having to leave you. But," she said, sighing, "I'll see you at the club tomorrow." She pressed her hands against his chest. 

"That's too far away," he said, pouting. Lili laughed softly.

"I think we'll survive."

He smiled back at her and dipped his head down. Lili's eyes fluttered shut as his lips touched hers, and she whimpered automatically into his mouth. The kiss immediately became as passionate as the one they had shared the day before in his pool, lips and tongues moving together in perfect sync, their heartbeats becoming one. Her hands trailed up his neck to tangle her fingers in his hair again. Niall's lips ventured down to her jawline, where he left soft kisses that made Lili's toes curl inside her shoes.

"You're not making this any easier for me," she said, breathless. He smirked against her skin.

"That's the point, darling," he murmured against her skin. He kept smiling as Lili shuddered, bringing his lips back up to hers, placing one more long kiss on her lips, before pulling back.

Lili sighed deeply. "I need to go," she whispered, pouting. Niall placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, before reaching his arm out to grip the door handle. She stepped out of the way and he opened the door for her, gesturing for her to sit down. She did, though it pained her to do so.

"Tomorrow," she said, giving him one last kiss before shutting the door behind her and turning the ignition over.

He stepped back to let her move the car, a sad smile on his face as he watched her reverse out of the driveway. She rolled the window down and blew him a kiss, before turning the wheel and driving in the opposite direction towards the highway.

She glanced in her rearview mirror; Niall was standing in the road, hands in his pockets as he watched her drive away. She smiled and brought her eyes back to the road, concentrating on the instructions her GPS was throwing at her so she wouldn't get lost.

The entire drive home, Lili did nothing but scream and shout. She had just been filled with so much joy and excitement over the last 24 hours that she couldn't contain herself.

In just one day, she and Niall managed to take two major steps forward in their relationship. Plus, she'd managed to somewhat get over her fear of intimacy enough to have sex with Niall, and god, it was fucking fantastic.

And now he was her boyfriend. The word 'boyfriend' sounded so foreign coming from her mouth - she'd never had a boyfriend before. Though, she couldn't say she wasn't beyond thrilled that a guy like Niall Horan was the one to be her first.

She couldn't help but smile ferociously the entire drive home - she probably looked like a maniac to the other drivers. But she didn't care. She was too happy to. 

~ these two make me so jnvjdnfjdnfjadk

Chapter Text

~ bestie vibes this chapter with Oath by Cher Lloyd :)

It was amazing how, in such a short amount of time, everything in Lili's silly little life had changed and yet, everything was exactly the same as it had been a day ago. The traffic lights still changed from green, to yellow, to red, and back again. The toaster still shot her perfectly toasted bread out with a ding, just as it did every morning. And yet, her whole life had basically been flipped upside down.

The night spent at Niall's house had forced their relationship to make a pretty drastic turnaround fairly quickly; sleeping together - literally and figuratively - as well as making their relationship official, were significant steps forward. Steps Lili hadn't really taken with other people in the past, and the reality of it all was frightening. 

Learning to trust people was incredibly hard for her, so to do it so fully and so deeply with Niall was horrifying. She wasn't lying when she admitted to Niall that no one had ever asked her to be their girlfriend before. It was a rite of passage she'd never experienced, and for a long while, believed she never would experience it. It just seemed so out of reach. 

The fear of being judged for that statement made it hard to share. Even after he'd proven to her time and time again that he wouldn't judge her, Lili still had such a deep fear that every new thing she told him could potentially be the one little thing that would set him off.

But for him to accept her confession the way that he did said a lot about how he felt about her, and reminded her that he cared deeply for her. Of course, she had dated in the past, but it was mostly casual. Nothing that ever made her want to move forward. Lili had never felt the spark that so many people promised her would eventually come. She had only ever been in one 'serious' relationship, but was honestly unsure if she could even consider it a relationship after everything that occurred. Or didn't occur, as previously mentioned.

Daniel clearly had less than zero desire to make it official or take things a bit more seriously. He received all the benefits of a relationship without the official title, meaning he was technically free to do whatever the hell he wanted. Or whoever he wanted, in Lili's case.

She remembered all of those nights vividly. So vividly, in fact, that her chest sometimes hurt, almost like phantom limb pain. When she was seeing Daniel in her first year of college, she thought she'd had it all. He would be quite affectionate with her at home in private, making her feel like the only girl in existence. With Daniel, she thought she felt loved and appreciated. But it was all on the surface.

He'd whisper lovely sweet nothings in her ear, then turn around and flirt with the most beautiful girls at the bar during guy's night out, compliment them or asking for their numbers. He'd sometimes offer to buy them drinks, too. And he wouldn't even try and hide it, either, which was the worst part. He'd talk to his friends on the phone right in front of her and brag about the latest girl he'd pursued at the bar or the club the night before.

He'd never say it outright, but would always imply that something physical happened, regardless of whether it was just a kiss or something more. And he'd say it with a wickedly evil smile on his face, almost as if to taunt her. She knew he was having sex with them, especially considering he and Lili were never intimate. She wasn't stupid.  

If Lili ever opened up to him and shared how his actions bothered her, he would immediately throw it back in her face by reminding her they weren't together and that he could do whatever he wanted. It was his favourite thing to do, too, because he knew it would end the argument in a second. And it hurt her feelings horribly.

The worst part was that there was nothing she could say to counter his argument, because it was technically true. Every single argument ended with her sobbing into her pillow, wondering when she was going to finally build up the strength to leave him. He was constantly breaking her heart, chipping away at her self-esteem little by little until there was nothing left.

And yet, the very next day, he would come crawling back, full of apologies, regret, and crocodile tears, and Lili would foolishly take him back. Just for him to do it all again the next weekend.

It felt awful knowing Daniel was out there treating other girls the way he should have been treating her, but it made her feel even worse if she said no to him when he tried to come back to her. He was so good at faking his apologies and getting in her head that, sometimes, she felt it was impossible to say no to him at all. It was as if he had this magical hold over her that made her physically unable to walk away.

He'd get all serious, even hold her hands delicately in his, and say 'I'm sorry you were hurt by what I did' while looking deep into her eyes. It was never 'I'm sorry for my actions', or 'I apologize for hurting you with the things I've done'. He never took ownership of what he did. The blame was always somehow placed on Lili, like it was her fault that she was upset by what he'd done. Like his actions had absolutely no effect on the outcome. By saying what he said, the onus was on Lili to decide whether or not her feelings were valid. He managed to give himself an out each and every time, without fail.

But she would eat it up every single time, thinking each time he did it would be the last.

Maybe this time, he'll change, she'd always think to herself. Maybe today is the day he apologizes for real. Maybe this time, he'll make me happy. It never happened.

She really, truly thought that one day, he would shape up and change. That he was a good man and would one day mature enough to be the partner she needed and wanted out of him. After all, they were only 17/18 years old. Being immature at that age is almost expected. But that maturity just never came.

They weren't physically intimate with each other, and though sex wasn't the be all, end all of their relationship, it would have been nice if they'd gotten the chance more often to be with each other that way. Of course, there are multiple ways to strengthen and build intimacy in a relationship, sex being just one of many, but it still held some sort of importance, no matter what people might think.

They'd only had sex a handful of times in the six months they were together, and they were all horrible for Lili. Pleasure was never, ever reciprocated, and he never bothered to...see things through to the end with her. She was there to be used for his own pleasure, and that was it. He would get his fix and be done with it, and she would have to get herself through on her own.

He was never gentle with her, and she was always in unnecessary discomfort the next day. A lot of the times - almost every time, really - consent was coerced or guilt-tripped out of her. And although she would never say the word out loud, Lili knew what the coercion meant. It took months of reflection for her to realize what he did was wrong – that she never really consented to anything. And once that realization came, she felt violated, confused, and disappointed.

It really ruined how she viewed men and trust in general. 

She never saw anything wrong with his day-to-day behaviour until she'd been completely removed from the situation and could view it from an outside perspective. It had gotten to a point that Jordyn sat with her one day, putting her foot down and telling her it couldn't go on any longer. Lili had seen the concern in her eyes for a while, but willingly chose to ignore it. After all, if you ignore something for long enough, it disappears, right?

Plus, maybe Jordyn wasn't giving the situation enough time to settle. It was too soon for her to be having all these strong opinions. No relationship was going to be perfect after just a couple of months, so why would they jump the gun and end things before they even really got started? 

She knew Jordyn would come out and say something if there was ever anything plaguing her mind, but it didn't surprise Lili any less when the talk finally came. Jordyn said that the bullshit had to stop and to walk away from Daniel once and for all, cutting him off completely. She couldn't keep allowing him to walk all over Lili and treating her like garbage just because he was good at manipulating her into thinking things were good between them.

Everything Jordyn said made sense, and hearing the truth so bluntly from her best friend really put things into perspective for Lili. It was a good, necessary conversation, but it honestly made Lili angry.

The worst part of it all was that, for a week after that talk, Lili actually felt betrayed by Jordyn, arguing that she just didn't want to see Lili happy and was jealous Lili was figuring her life out without her. Lili had convinced herself that Jordyn was trying to sabotage her by forcing her to break up with Daniel.  After all, she'd been in a long-term relationship for nearly two years at that point, so maybe she was just upset that she no longer had a 'fun single friend'.

It was hard to admit, but Lili held one hell of a grudge against Jordyn for it. It was the worst fight they'd ever had during their practically lifelong friendship, and the pain of it was like being punched in the gut on a daily basis. Lili cried herself to sleep every night over it. She tortured herself, day after day, trying to convince herself that Jordyn was in the wrong. 

But after all the emotional turmoil she put herself through, Lili finally admitted that she was wrong. It was completely unfair that she was lashing out at the one person who was brave enough to stand up against a shitty boyfriend. 

Eventually, she stopped being so hard-headed and apologized. They actually had a very emotional talk that day, discussing Lili's relationship and what needed to change. The two of them broke down together, hugging and crying as they apologized for everything that had happened. Above it all, Lili needed Jordyn to understand that she appreciated the way she looked out for her, and that her words really struck a chord deep in her soul.

It was the most open conversation they'd ever had that permanently changed the dynamic of their friendship, in the best way possible. It brought them closer as friends and as people. After she and Jordyn spoke, Lili went straight to Daniel's apartment, dumped him, and never looked back. Even when he would send a thousand angry text messages or call her a hundred times in a row, she didn't crumble or cave. She just blocked his number and all his socials, picked herself up off the ground, and held her head high as she walked away for good.

In the short five months that they 'dated', Lili experienced more pain and heartache than she had in her entire life. She'd been thoroughly beat down and emotionally destroyed, almost to the point of no return. Her entire perspective on the world, and love in general, had been completely twisted because of him. Lili always used to say that he had ruined her life. 

Yet leaving him was so hard. The idea left a hole in her chest that she felt could never be filled again, even though she understood it was what she needed to do just to keep herself alive. Being single wasn't something she had planned on. And the good times they'd shared were almost enough to convince her that they were right for each other. 

From the minute she had broken up with Daniel, Lili basically vowed to herself that she wouldn't get into another relationship again until she was absolutely certain that it was worth it, or that it was going to work out. There was just no way she could give another person the power to hurt her ever again. Because of this, she never really went on dates, or even hung out with guys if there was a chance that it wasn't strictly platonic.

She would download a dating app or two, match with a few people get their numbers, and have a conversation with them for maybe a day before politely declining a date and moving on. There were no meetups at coffee shops, no quick stops to say hello at the park. It was a vicious cycle that she never seemed to break out of, and it took quite a toll on her. As soon as someone would even hint at wanting to take her out, she would freeze and break into a cold sweat. It was like her body didn't know what to do or how to react, and she always wound up pushing any potential prospects away.

It took her quite a few years to realize that she was so deathly afraid of being hurt again that she was physically and mentally holding herself back from exploring the possibilities of a new relationship. She was petrified that she would open herself up to someone juuuust enough for them to find a way in and destroy her from the inside out. It was her worst fear.

She ended the relationship with Daniel because she was exhausted from being treated so poorly and, though she was glad to have finally stood up for herself, the relationship left a lasting taste of fear in her mouth that had never truly gone away.

Until she met Niall Horan. It was as if the fear never even existed.

Niall James Horan had completely flipped her world upside down, and she wasn't even afraid to face it head on. He just made her feel so...safe. So secure. Every move he made, every word he spoke, was genuine. She just knew it was. There was a feeling deep in her gut that told her to trust the things he said and did. When he complimented her, she didn't cringe or try to deflect it - she accepted it graciously, even if it took some getting used to. When he spoke about his feelings for her or about their situation in general, she didn't look at him through narrowed eyes, waiting for him to laugh and take it all back.

She could just nod her head, smile, and listen, because she knew he really meant every word that he was saying. She didn't hesitate to say yes when he asked her out the way she would have had it been anyone else. She wasn't afraid to hold his hand or kiss him. Or to be vulnerable with him, physically and emotionally. 

There wasn't anything about their relationship that she worried about. Everything just felt right and good with him. And she was completely certain that he wouldn't turn around and flirt mercilessly with another girl when she wasn't looking because he'd proven that wasn't his intention on multiple occasions. Somehow, deep down, Lili knew that Niall was as dedicated to her as she was to him. And that feeling was unbelievably comforting.

She was still going to be cautious when it came to giving him her heart; protecting herself in all capacities was still her number one priority. Of course, there was also the issue of her many insecurities getting in the way, but that was something she would have to really work through if she wanted a relationship to be successful.

But with Niall, it was easy to accept happiness and let those insecurities slowly shrivel away. No matter how much time that would take, he would be by her side, no matter what. That she was sure of. 

Still, Lili was worried about one thing in particular more than anything else. Having sex with someone for the first time really does change things, whether or not you want it to. No matter how much you try to avoid the shift, it's inevitable. It could make things awkward or unenjoyable; it could even make the relationship feel suddenly wrong or different. It completely alters the dynamic between two people.

When she left his house after spending the night together, though she was incredibly happy, Lili unwillingly spent the entire rest of the day worrying that things weren't actually changing for the better. She had somehow gotten it into her head that Niall had been doing everything right over the past few weeks just to get in bed with her, and now that it happened, he was letting her go. Her constant fear of being used had shown up when she least expected it, even after she had thought she was done with it forever.

These were the insecurities and fear of intimacy getting in the way, and she fully understood that, but also felt like she couldn't help the way she was feeling. Anything about their night together could have made Niall realize that he didn't actually want this. She couldn't read his mind, no matter how transparent he was with her. Maybe he was a much better actor than she'd been giving him credit for.

But she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she realized that nothing, as a matter of fact, was changing between them at all. Niall was treating her exactly the same way he had before; he was caring, affectionate, and open with her, he made her feel loved and appreciated, and was very clearly not tossing her to the side. If anything, he seemed to be even more attracted to and crazy about her than he had been before, which she didn't think was even possible.

Sleeping together had forged an invisible connection between them that Lili could not see breaking in the foreseeable future, opening them up to an entirely new level of intimacy that was bound to deepen their relationship even further. They had been so emotionally in tune with each other, but it always felt like something was missing. It wasn't a big something, but it was something nonetheless. Once they'd forged that physical connection as well, it seemed as if everything fell into place.

It was also a breath of fresh air knowing she could talk to Niall about this, and that he wouldn't freak out or make her feel bad. She'd been ruminating on those awful, post-sex thoughts for a while, and it just seemed to be getting worse and worse. After spending a couple days ruminating in the horrible thoughts, Lili decided she needed to be honest and tell Niall how she had been feeling. Keeping this to herself was going to drive her insane. It was something that could potentially affect their relationship if she let it go any further, and they both cared so much about open communication that she couldn't stay quiet any longer.

She called him one day after work - he had just gotten in the car after finishing his training - and told him they needed to talk urgently and asked if she could swing by his house. He must have known immediately from the tone of her voice that whatever it was couldn't have been good, because he said yes without hesitation. She arrived at his house about an hour later, and the moment she saw him, she broke down and cried in his arms, spilling every single feeling and emotion she had into his hands.

He guided her to the couch and forced her to sit down, holding her in his arms and cradling her while she had her freak-out. It was hard to articulate exactly what she wanted to say, so she kind of word-vomited everything that was inside her head and hoped it somewhat made sense. Niall listened so attentively to her words and showed nothing but the utmost patience, warming her heart tenfold.

He let her say everything she needed to say and get all her feelings out before he took his turn to speak. He started by thanking her for trusting him with her fears, which was unusual, but sweet. Wiping away her tears with his thumb, he reassured her again and again that he would never do that to her, and that he truly cared for her.

To him, the sex was irrelevant. Their relationship and the emotional bond they shared was what he appreciated and treasured the most. He told her that sex with her was a privilege that came second to their mental and emotional connection.

He spoke softly to her, making sure he never used a rude or judgmental tone of voice, making sure she understood that he would never judge her for what she was feeling. He held her tightly in his arms and kissed her face gently as she cried, whispering words of affirmation in her ear as he stroked the hair away from her eyes.

It was incredibly cathartic, especially since she'd never been able to share her feelings with a partner in her entire life. Sincerity was dripping from his words, and from that moment on, Lili never had another doubt about anything involving their relationship.

To any regular person watching from the outside, Lili's emotional journey probably wouldn't seem like that big of a deal. She was strangely good at keeping herself composed on the outside, even though her head was absolutely screaming bloody murder. It was one of her greatest weapons sometimes.

But when you have a best friend who knows you even better than you know yourself, every little thing about you gets noticed instantly. Even the slightest fraction of a change can't fly under the radar.

Lili desperately wanted to tell Jordyn everything that had happened in her life in the last little while, but could never find a good time to share the news. It wasn't something she wanted to tell her over the phone, and work had just been so busy that they almost never crossed each other's paths during the day. The only time they saw each other was in the locker room on the way in or out, and it would be a brief 'hey' and a quick hug before they each had to head off. It was actually quite frustrating.

Finally, now was as good a time as any for them to have an old fashioned catch-up. They had coinciding breaks in their schedules for the first time in over a month, and were overjoyed to get some one-on-one time again.

It had been just over a week since Lili's sleepover with Niall. She and Jordyn were ending the work day early, having both come in for afternoon shifts out on the course. Lili was working in the parlour, cleaning up the counter after a long, busy day, when Jordyn pounced through the employee door, a look of determination written on her glistening face. Lili had texted asking to meet in the parlour, and had been patiently waiting for her arrival. The moment the door opened and Jordyn walked through, chills of excitement shot down Lili's spine.

"Hey," Lili said, smiling at Jordyn. Jordyn blew a kiss back and strode over to the counter, leaning over and placing her weight on her elbows to stretch out her back. She took a couple steps back, keeping her elbows on the counter, until her torso was almost parallel with the floor. She let out a groan of relief before standing up straight again. Lili cleared her throat.

"Do you have to go straight home tonight, or do you want to grab a drink with me?" she asked casually. Jordyn nodded, licking her bottom lip.

"I'm down to go out," she said. "I'm so hungry. I haven't had a chance to eat since 9 this morning." She frowned, placing her open palm against her stomach and rubbing it in gentle circles, as if to soothe the hunger pains. She sighed, closing her eyes momentarily as a look of discomfort crossed her features. Lili tossed the wet rag into the sink and wiped her hands on her skirt, leaving dark patches across the pink material. "Why the spontaneous plans today?" Jordyn asked, opening her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. 

Lili shrugged. "We just haven't hung out in a while, so I thought it would be nice to get together for a bit." Her voice went up at the end, indicating she was lying. Oh, fuck off, she thought. 

Jordyn looked at her suspiciously, studying Lili with her narrowed honey eyes. It was like she had fucking telepathic powers and could read all of Lili's thoughts. "Something's been going on with you," she said suddenly, catching Lili off guard.

Jordyn lifted herself up to sit on the counter, leaning sideways against the cool glass of the display case. Her short blonde hair was pulled into a bun at the back of her head, though a few tufts of her uneven bangs hung down around her face.

"What's been happening recently? Something's different with you." She propped an elbow up against the glass and leaned her head against her fist, analyzing Lili. Her chest rose and fell at a calm pace underneath her tight shirt.

Lili smiled and swatted at the air dismissively as she stepped towards the register to clock out. Jordyn followed her every move. "Nothing's different. Life's just...good right now, I guess," she said, reaching up to punch in her employee ID. She knew Jordyn hated vague answers, and the annoyance was written all over her face.

Jordyn's eyes were still narrowed as she watched Lili's face, burning holes into her skin. Did she have to be so intense all the damn time?

Lili sighed as she inputted her employee number wrong for a second time, clearly too distracted to do things correctly. "Fine," she said hastily. "Things have happened with Niall that I haven't had a chance to tell you about yet."

"I knew it!" Jordyn exclaimed, practically cutting Lili off; it was hard to tell if she was happy or not. The smile on her face was odd.

Lili rolled her eyes in response, holding up her hands. "Look, let's just get some drinks. I have a lot to tell you." That was the understatement of the year.

After a long, awkwardly quiet pause, Jordyn nodded and leaned towards the cash register, clocking herself out before hopping off the counter and striding towards the employee exit. "I'll see you there," she said, her eyes alight with curiosity as she disappeared through the doorway.

Alone again, Lili blew the air out of her mouth and took her hat off, pulling her hair out of its ponytail and letting it flow down her back. She shook it out with her fingertips, before securing it back again in a much looser ponytail at the base of her skull.

Her heart rate had suddenly tripled – was it because of nerves or excitement? She wasn't entirely sure.

How much was she actually going to tell Jordyn? Would she explain the whole situation in layman's terms, keeping most of the juicier details to herself, or would she dive deep and dissect every little thing that happened?

On the one hand, she wanted to just spill anything and everything, telling Jordyn the story with as much detail as possible. After all, that was how Jordyn usually told stories, and Lili didn't want her best friend to think she was purposely keeping things from her. And it was more fun that way.

But on the other hand, did she really want to go into excruciating detail about sex and intimacy like that? Especially considering it had only happened once? It was disrespectful to Niall for her to share so many personal things with Jordyn that had been so special for the two of them. Especially when he wasn't around to partake in the conversation and give his input. The two of them definitely needed to have a conversation about boundaries, and what they were/weren't okay with the other sharing with their friends.

Sighing, she pulled her phone out of the waistband of her skirt, sending Niall a quick text to let him know she was going out with Jordyn and that she'd call him when she got home. His immediate response of, 'I can't wait, have fun my darling' was just adorable. Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest with immense adoration for him. 

Smiling, Lili gathered everything she'd left on the counters and headed out the door Jordyn had just disappeared through, weaving her way through the hallways until she reached the locker room.

"Do you want to go to our spot?" Jordyn asked, as they both removed their bags from their lockers. "It shouldn't be too busy right now." 

Lili nodded, smiling. "Yeah, I'll meet you there, I'm just going to make a quick phone call. Get us our table." 

Jordyn nodded and turned to leave, swinging her keyring around her finger as she walked.

Lili sighed again once she was alone in the room. She didn't actually have anyone to call, though she thought about calling Niall, just because she missed the sound of his voice. He would probably give her really great advice for this conversation, too. It would be nice to have him involved, even if Lili was the only one aware that he was. But she decided against it for now. She'd tell him all about today the next time she saw him in person. She preferred it that way.

She knew she was stalling simply because she needed more time to figure out what she was going to say. It wasn't because she was worried that Jordyn was going to be upset about what happened - that wouldn't necessarily be realistic. If there was one other person in Lili's life besides Niall that she firmly believed would never judge her for anything, it was Jordyn Richards.

Honestly, she was more worried about whether or not Jordyn would be upset that it took Lili a week to share the news, when something this huge would normally be brought up immediately. They never kept things from each other, especially for long periods of time. So, to have to tell Jordyn for the first time that this life-changing event happened an entire 7 days ago was absolutely terrifying to Lili.

She took a deep breath and retrieved her keys from her purse as she walked out the door, feeling slightly comforted by the cool evening air surrounding her. It was just after 6:30pm, and the orange and purple sky was stunning.

The drive to their spot was a nostalgic one - it had been months since they'd been able to go. Jordyn and Lili's 'spot' was a rusty old dive bar about 20 minutes south of the club that they had gone to every week as teenagers in high school. They came across it one day in eleventh grade when they had gone for a drive during their free period the day Jordyn got her license. They found it, loved it, and made it their meeting spot for almost every important thing in their lives.

Anytime either girl had big news to share, good or bad, they would meet at the restaurant, sit at their table in the farthest corner beside the kitchen, and share an order of pulled pork fries as they talked about whatever event had taken place. They'd started with meeting there once a week for dinner, but that once a week meeting became twice a week, then three times a week, until they were eventually spending more time there than they were at home with their families. It was a wonderful tradition that had died down significantly as they started getting older and working at the club, but every now and then, they sat there together and talked.

The last time they had been there was nearly six months ago, when Jordyn told Lili about her parents' impending divorce. They ate their fries, drank bottomless cherry-flavoured soda, and cried with each other. Lili comforted Jordyn through the pain of her father leaving until she had no more tears left to cry, hugging her and caressing her hair while Jordyn sobbed into her shoulder.

It was moments like these that brought the girls closer together and strengthened their friendship, and Lili found herself excited to experience it once again. There was a certain emotional intimacy in their friendship that seemed to have been missing over the past couple of weeks, and Lili was determined to get it back today.

She found Jordyn's beat-up car in the half empty lot and parked next to it, smiling as she looked up at the building. It was a shabby thing made up of red bricks that had faded to a dull grey over the years. A humungous neon sign perched on the flat rooftop flashed the name of the restaurant in the exact way it would in a movie. There were a few dusty windows lining the perimeter of the building, and one door right in front.

Lili walked up to the door and pulled it open, the smell of fryer oil and freshly grilled hamburgers hitting her instantly. It was a smell she hadn't realized she was missing until right this moment. The walls inside were plastered with posters of old movies and 1960s rock stars. Hundreds of picture frames also lined the walls, containing photos of the staff, C-list celebrities who had eaten at the restaurant, and drawings of landmarks in the city that customers had given as gifts to management.

There were so many pictures and posters hung on the walls that Lili didn't know what colour the paint was, even after all these years.

She smiled wider as their regular hostess, Katrina, hugged her and guided her towards the back table. Katrina was a Serbian immigrant who had moved to Los Angeles in search of work nearly 30 years ago. This restaurant was the first place that was willing to hire her, and she'd been there ever since.

She was the first person to seat Lili and Jordyn at their table, and was working nearly every single time the girls walked in for dinner. They grew incredibly fond of her over the years, beaming at the woman as she shared stories about her kids and her life back in Serbia. She was the sweetest woman with a heart of gold, and walking in and seeing her smiling face made Lili feel right at home again. Katrina held Lili's hand tightly as they weaved through the tables.

Jordyn was already sitting in their spot, tucked in the corner and sipping on a glass of Coke through a paper straw. She'd thrown an old crew neck over her uniform that was stained around the collar. Lili thanked Katrina and took her seat across from Jordyn.

"I already ordered the fries, don't worry," Jordyn said, and Lili smiled her approval, stomach growling with hunger.

"My hero," she teased. Jordyn stuck her tongue out sarcastically.

Just as she'd settled in her chair, Katrina appeared again, holding a glass identical to the one Jordyn had, as if she knew exactly what Lili had been about to ask for. Lili thanked her and took the drink, lifting the straw to her mouth and taking a large gulp of the cola. She had to squeeze her eyes tightly as the bubbles burned down her throat and caused tears to well behind her eyelids.

She swallowed, exhaled, and set the glass down to her right, looking up at her best friend expectantly. Her heart rate had already doubled in the last second or two. Jordyn seemed calm, but then she was suddenly placing her elbows on the table and bringing her hands together in front of her, pressing her fingertips together in a delicate gesture. She meant business.

"Alright, bitch, spill it. I can see in your eyes that there's a lot you haven't told me."

Lili laughed nervously as she reached up to tuck a piece of her bangs behind her ear. Guess they were getting right down to it, then. No waiting around. Chewing the inside her lip, she thought about how she wanted the conversation to go. What would be the best way to dive into everything?

"Okay, lots of things have changed in the last...week and a bit with Niall. Where do I even start?" She paused, looking down at the table as she gathered her thoughts, half expecting the answer to be written in the scraped granite. She exhaled sharply and brought her eyes back up to Jordyn's. "You know how we've been talking for a while, and that we went on a date recently?"

Jordyn nodded. "You're stalling, but yes. I do. What, are you guys not talking anymore or something?"

"No, no, we still very much are," Lili said, shaking her head emphatically. Okay, now it sounded so stupid. She sat up straighter. "Anyway, this all really started with him getting super jealous over some of the old guys flirting with me on the course." Going back to the beginning seemed unnecessary. This was a good starting point.

Jordyn chuckled quietly and, unsure of what that could mean, Lili ignored it and continued.

"One of them kept trying to touch me and was being gross, as you know. Niall was watching from a few holes down. When I finally went over to see him, he was angry at what happened. Like, chest heaving up and down, eyes wild and dark, the whole thing."

She tried to hide her smile at the memory. Her stomach was buzzing with butterflies and her skin was threatening to burst into goosebumps.

"He told me that he was jealous seeing other guys all over me like that, which was unexpected. I wasn't flirting back or showing interest in them or anything, but I kind of liked seeing him that way. Knowing he was so jealous over something like that was kind of hot. I didn't even think he was that into me, but he wouldn't have gotten that jealous if he wasn't, right?"

Jordyn nodded slowly and hesitantly, eyes darting from the table, to Lili's face, and back. "Well, yeah, I guess."

They both paused as Katrina approached and slipped between them to drop their food on the table, placing a set of rolled-up cutlery in front of Lili and doing the same to Jordyn. They smiled up at her and thanked her before turning back to each other.

Jordyn took a long sip of her drink. "Doesn't it bother you that he got like that for no reason, though?" she asked carefully. "I mean, you guys aren't even really together and he's acting all 'no man can have you'. It's weird, no?"

Her eyes were slightly narrowed with suspicion, and based on the way she was pinching her straw at the bend, she was feeling uneasy. Lili smiled and blushed. She would get to the 'together' part after.

"It doesn't bother me at all, honestly," she said, shrugging. "I mean, If the situation had been reversed and I was watching all these women hanging off him, I'd be fucking fuming, too."

Just the mere idea of it made her blood boil.

"You know I'm not really a jealous person, and he says he isn't either, but obviously we both feel protective enough over each other to act that way in that situation." She paused to unroll her fork from the napkin, picking up a good mix of pork, fry, and cheese. She popped the bite in her mouth and chewed gently, before swallowing. "Anyway, that day he invited me to his house," she continued nonchalantly. Jordyn's eyes grew wide and she leaned back in her seat, sitting straight as a board.

"Wait. What? He just invited you over? Just like that?" she asked. Lili nodded, shrugging again.

"We've been wanting to hang out together, no distractions, for a while now. And his house was the most private place we could possibly go. It was actually really nice to be completely secluded from other people and just enjoy each other's company."

There were certainly plenty of nice things that happened that day...

Jordyn shook her head quickly. "So, you saw his house?" she asked, as if she didn't believe the words. Lili laughed softly. "Was it nice?" 

"It's gorgeous," she replied with a fervent nod. "He has such a bright and colourful personality, but his home being the exact opposite kind of balances it out, and it matches him perfectly."

Jordyn probably didn't care about that aspect of his house, but Lili couldn't help mentioning it. She'd been fawning over his kitchen since the moment she drove away. She did, however, purposefully omit the fact that she felt more comfortable and at home there than she'd ever expected. Like she was meant to be there. "I was there to swim in his pool."

Her face flushed as the memories of that night came flooding back, and she discreetly crossed her legs under the table. Swallowing, she smiled evenly again.

"And did you swim?" Jordyn asked, dragging her words out slowly. Her eyes were like daggers, eyebrows perched high above them in perfectly angled arches.

"Of course I did," Lili said, giggling nervously. She tried to make it sound as if she were saying 'what else would I be doing?', but, as per usual, gave herself away. "His backyard was unreal. And I wish you could have seen the pool. It was nicer than the one at the club, hands down."

Alright, now she was just babbling. Jordyn raised her eyebrows further and Lili covered her face with her hands, flushing so red that it burned her skin. The moment of truth had arrived, and now that she had to speak up, it seemed as if she couldn't say the words.

"We had a nice dinner in the evening, and then we...slept together," she said from behind her hands. The sound was muffled by her palms.

Now was the time to decide how much detail she would put into the story. She could just feel Jordyn smiling at her, so she removed her hands and looked up. She was right. Jordyn was beaming with pride, though she still looked oddly hesitant.

"And by 'slept together', do you mean 'had sex'?" she asked, pressing her tongue into her cheek.

Jordyn knew how awkward Lili always got when it came to being open about these kinds of things. It wasn't necessarily that she was ashamed, but it just felt so unnatural coming out of her mouth. Like it was someone else speaking for her. Lili laughed awkwardly, and squirmed in her seat, but she couldn't stop the blush from continuing to bloom along the surface of her skin.

"I do," she said after a long pause. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage. Jordyn rotated her hand in front of her, as if to say, 'keep going'.

"Was it good?" she asked harshly, when there was no further answer. Lili laughed and picked up another forkful of fries, shoving them into her mouth and chewing slowly just to waste some time. God, this was both incredibly uncomfortable, but super freeing.

"Yes," she said after she swallowed. "It was unbelievable. He was unbelievable. I was so scared, and I told him that. I couldn't continue without him knowing how I was feeling. I was worried it would destroy the mood, but it didn't at all. He was so gentle and careful with me, always asking me if I was alright or if what he was doing was okay. It was perfect."

She stopped, smiling. The amount of attentiveness he'd shown her still made her stomach warm. He never, ever failed to prove how much he cared for her, even in the heat of the moment. She laughed to herself.

"But I will say this. That boy definitely knows what he's doing."

Lili was still blushing as the image of his gorgeous face between her legs flooded her mind. The way his eyes darkened as he pleasured her. How his gold chain dangled back and forth around his neck when he was above her. Honestly, she hadn't been thinking of much else the past few days.

Jordyn was shaking her head, though she was still smiling. "Are you not going to give me details?" she questioned, her voice excitedly impatient. Lili laughed again, relaxing into the conversation. She couldn't be more thankful for the open communication the two friends had.

"He was...unexpectedly good," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I mean, a guy like him has to be good, but sometimes things just aren't what they seem, you know. But..." Lili felt herself starting to sweat so she took a long sip of her drink. "I actually initiated it."

Jordyn's eyebrows shot up in surprise at this revelation; they flew so high they practically disappeared into her hairline. The topic of conversation may have been unexpected, but she definitely would never have guessed Lili would say something like that. 

"Things got a bit heated in the pool earlier in the day, and then we had some wine with dinner, and I had a buzz, and I just thought, go for it."

Her head was starting to spin and her throat was dry from the nerves.

"I kind of had a feeling we would do it eventually because there's been so much sexual tension between us, but I didn't think it would be that good the first time. I mean, no one's first time is ever that good."

Of course, Jordyn knew it wasn't her real 'first time'. But it was pretty clear she understood that it was the first time that really mattered. And the first time that Lili actually wanted it.

She frowned to herself. The idea that he'd slept with other people before her was slightly upsetting. Even though he was a grown man that had a whole life before her. Then again, she had, too. She shook the thoughts from her mind.

"We were kissing on the couch in the backyard, and I was completely fine. Better than fine, actually. But when he took me upstairs, that's when I started getting nervous."

"Is that when you told him?" Jordyn asked. It was clear what she was implying. She was leaning forward in her chair, clearly excited about her best friend's sex life.  It was about time, too. Jordyn was clearly sick of being the only one having stories to share. Lili shook her head.

"I didn't. But he was undressing me and stuff, and I got really self-conscious. It was absolutely terrifying. It was weird, though, because I had been basically half-naked with him the whole day and it didn't really bother me." She started scratching the skin of her cuticle, nearly drawing blood. "But then you get in that situation, and every sense and fear becomes heightened. I was so scared he was going to judge how I looked."

Unexpected emotions began creeping up on her, so she swallowed them back. "But he literally did not care how I looked. Honestly, I think he actually liked what he saw."

Lili cringed at the thought, but secretly knew it was true. The way Niall's eyes lit up at the sight of her fully nude body in front of him had given her more confidence than she'd ever had in her life. It made her think that maybe she was beautiful after all. And the way he constantly reassured her made her actually feel just as beautiful as he told her she was.

"Then he...went down on me, and I swear to God, I blacked out twice. That boy's mouth is absolutely sinful." 

"Lucky you," Jordyn groaned quietly, making Lili roll her eyes. Based on all the stories she'd heard over the years, Isaiah clearly knew what he was doing, too. She was just being bratty to get a rise out of Lili.

"Anyway, it was after he...went down...that I told him how I was feeling. I didn't give specifics, but it was implied, and he understood right away."

Again, Lili would probably never be able to say the word, but she thought Niall had an inkling of why she was hesitant. It's not something you can hide.

"I thought it would be horrible, but he handled it so well. He wasn't angry or judgmental or anything. He listened to what I said and constantly reassured me that we didn't have to do anything I wasn't comfortable with. It was so unlike anything I had ever experienced before." She twiddled her thumbs together, still smiling down at the table. "He took it slow, asked me every few minutes if I felt okay. He was honestly so amazing. And the sex was mind-blowing, Jor. I always hated when they said that in movies and shit, but honestly, I never thought it could feel that way. He just knows what he's doing."

This was probably a happy medium. She told Jordyn what had occurred without giving up too many personal details. Focusing more on how she felt, rather than what they did, was definitely better. Jordyn sighed, looking away momentarily. Her eyes travelled from empty table to empty table, before back over to their own. She looked up at Lili and plastered a smile on her face so the story could continue.

"Was it weird actually sleeping with him? Like, next to him in his bed?" she asked, her voice even. Lili shrugged one shoulder.

"No, it was nice. It felt natural. I remember waking up once in the middle of the night and his arm was around me, even though he was dead asleep. Like he couldn't let go." She chewed the corner of her lip instead of picking at her cuticle, trying to find the best way to soothe herself. "He wasn't there when I woke up, which was weird. I actually panicked and cried, but then I remembered it would be fucking idiotic for him to ditch me in his house, so I calmed down. I eventually found him downstairs in the living room playing the piano and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

Jordyn rolled her eyes as a smile crossed her face that she couldn't help. "Of course he plays piano," she said, feigning exasperation. 

Lili laughed. "Guitar, too. A man of many talents, that's for sure." She smiled widely again. "Anyway, he made me breakfast, which was adorable. He looks so cute in the morning when he first wakes up, I couldn't stop staring. That's how I always am with him, but you know what I mean."

Jordyn rubbed her lips together as she listened to Lili, trying not to let it show on her face how much she hated that the story was dragging on.

"So, then what? Did you just go home after? I mean, how do you even end a night like that?" 

Lili felt her smile growing wider, and she tilted her head down to hide the flush of her cheeks. If Niall were here, he'd probably tell her something about how her smile was bright enough to light up the whole restaurant. "He asked me to be his girlfriend, actually. We made it official."

She couldn't stop smiling; that familiar fluttering in her stomach she always felt when she was around Niall was present once again. Her cheeks were flushed and her heart was racing in her chest, skipping around like a child playing hopscotch. Even thinking about him made her nervously excited. Thinking about how happy he looked when she said yes to him made her want to scream with joy. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Or just looked that happy to be around her, period. She had the best boyfriend in the world.

Looking back up at Jordyn, her smile began slipping away at the expression on her best friend's face. Her lips were pulled into a thin, expressionless line, and her eyes had no life to them anymore. They were completely dull. Lili's stomach seemed to drop out of her ass.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. This wasn't at all how she thought her best friend would react to hearing about her new relationship. Okay, so maybe she wasn't expecting Jordyn to jump up and down, clapping like an idiot. But she could have at least looked less disappointed...

Jordyn didn't say anything for a few agonizing moments. She took a long sip of her drink, ate a forkful of fries, and pushed her messy bangs out of her eyes before sighing deeply.

"You know you're my best friend in the whole world, right?" she finally said. Lili nodded slowly, brows knitted together in confusion. What? Jordyn rubbed her lips together as she contemplated what to say. She leaned forward in her chair, propping her elbows up on the edge of the table.

"It's obviously been a long time since you've been in a relationship, if you can even call that shit with Daniel a 'relationship'." She barely blinked as her eyes captured Lili's in a deep stare. "And I'm being honest when I say that I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. You're smiling more, you seem to have more confidence in yourself, and it's nice. And it is comforting to see that Niall is treating you well because you deserve to be treated like a fucking queen. Probably more than anyone I know." 

She paused again, and the silence was deafening.

"But...?" Lili said, knowing something was coming, whatever it may be. Jordyn sighed again, and it sounded pained.

"But I'm just worried, that's all." 

Lili stared at her incredulously. "What? Did you not hear what I just said? What could you possibly be worried about after everything I've told you?"

Yes, she probably seemed a little too defensive. But how could she not? Where was this even coming from? It was like Jordyn had listened to a completely different version of the story. She realized she was raising her voice a bit and flushed with embarrassment. Jordyn held up her hands in defense, and Lili took a breath to calm herself down. Getting worked up wasn't going to solve anything.

"I'm just worried about your happiness in the long run," Jordyn said. Her eyes softened. "Look, it's been a long time because you are so protective of yourself, and rightfully so. I know how you constantly feel the need to watch out for yourself. So it scares me a little to see you letting your guard down so quickly because I don't want you to get hurt again."

She flexed her fingers, brought them into a fist, and repeated multiple times against the cold tabletop.

"I understand that Niall seems like the right one for you, and I don't doubt that he truly could be, but I'm just looking out for you. I want nothing more than for you to be happy in life, and Niall really does seem like a good, nice guy. I don't have a problem with the things you're telling me about him. Really."

She swallowed, now holding her hand in a tight fist. "But the last time you jumped into something super quick with someone, it blew up in your face. I don't want that to happen to you again."

Her voice broke at the end of the phrase. She closed her eyes for a second.

"It would break my fucking heart to see your feelings blind you again. I don't think you would survive going through all that again." Jordyn opened her eyes again; they were shining, as if she were holding back tears. Lili's shoulders fell slightly, and her heart seemed to crack open in her chest.

"I love you, and I understand where you're coming from," Lili said, her voice hoarse with her own tears. She cleared her throat and started again. "But I really don't think there's anything to worry about here. I've been very careful with how I've approached this relationship, and I really have been protecting myself, like you said." 

She smiled, reaching over to wrap her hand around Jordyn's.

"But I feel so safe with him, Jordyn. I trust him 100%, and until he gives me a reason not to, I'm going to keep going the way I'm going. Your opinion means a lot to me, of course, so thank you for sharing it." She exhaled, hoping what she was saying didn't upset Jordyn. That would be worst-case scenario. "But I know what I'm doing now. I've grown up, I've got more life experience, and I'm fine. I honestly believe Niall is the one, and I'm not going to let my fear of relationships hold me back from figuring that out."

Jordyn half smiled, her honey-coloured eyes still shining.

"I believe you, I really do. But I will always be worried because you're the most important person in my life, so deal with it." 

They both laughed, but it died away quickly. The conversation was too serious for laughter. Jordyn swallowed, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "You guys do seem to be moving pretty fast, though," she said slowly.

She shrugged one shoulder as she reached for her glass, but instead of taking a drink, she just pushed it back and forth between her hands. It scraped loudly against the table.

"I mean, this all kind of came out of nowhere. You went on a date with some random guy a few weeks ago, and you were certain you didn't want to be dating at all, yet now you're in a full-blown relationship with Niall. It's like...how did this all happen so quickly?" 

Lili tilted her head slightly. "What do you mean, quickly?" 

Honestly, she didn't even know if it had been going too fast or not. Time didn't seem real with Niall; sometimes, it felt like they'd been together their whole lives. Jordyn played with the straw in her glass.

"Well, you've known him...what, two months? Maybe two and a half?" Lili nodded. Jordyn glanced down at her flat soda quickly. "Two months isn't very much time. Don't you think all this stuff is moving kind of fast?"

She could tell it was hurting Jordyn to say these words.

"I don't," Lili responded, perhaps a bit too defensively again. "Niall waited almost a month after we started talking to ask me on a date. And I think two and a half months of getting to know each other before making things official is pretty normal." She didn't actually know how normal it was, but right now, she didn't really care. It was normal to them, and that was all that mattered.  "Besides, you're one to talk. Didn't Isaiah ask you to be his girlfriend after, like, six days? Moving quickly obviously had no effect on you guys."

Yikes. That sounded a lot bitchier than she'd intended. Jordyn sighed heavily.

"Yeah, you're right. He did. But Lili..." She sighed again. "Look, I don't want you to think I'm comparing our situations, but I didn't have the same experiences you did. I had no reason to protect myself from being hurt in the same way that you do. Not saying that that's wrong, but it's true." She squirmed awkwardly in her seat as she tried to cross one leg over the other. "Besides, we were 16 years old. No one at that age thinks waiting is good or cool."

"I trust my gut," Lili said immediately. "I'm comfortable with what we're doing. Niall hasn't pushed me or forced me to do anything I'm not ready for. He's been amazingly respectful of me, and I've done nothing but the same for him."

She paused; no way was she going to share things with Jordyn that he had trusted with Lili. He told her things in confidence that she had no right to repeat. She chose her words carefully.

"Niall knows what it's like to be hurt, just like me. It may not seem like it, but he's having just as difficult a time as I am. And I like that we're figuring this all out together."

Jordyn's face didn't change at all. In fact, it seemed like she was more upset by this. She sat up straighter in her seat, withdrawing her arms from the table and placing them gently in her lap.

"There is one other thing that I worry about here, too," she said, completely ignoring everything Lili had said so far. Lili tilted her head to the side, waiting. What could she possibly say after all this?

"Now, I'm not saying that I think he's actually capable of doing this, but you have to be wary of the possibility that he could be using you." She spoke those last few words so quietly, Lili thought she'd misheard them. Her eyebrows furrowed aggressively over her eyes.

"I'm sorry, using me? In what fucking world would he be using me?"

She was a bit angry now; she couldn't believe after everything she shared that Jordyn still tried to paint him as a bad guy. Yeah, the last guy was bad. Horrible, even. He nearly destroyed Lili's life. But to generalize Niall like that and assume the worst of him before she'd even spent five minutes with him had Lili seeing red.

"Okay, relax. We're just having a conversation here. Don't get mad at me for wanting to protect you in every way I can," Jordyn said, crossing her arms over her chest. "He could be the nicest, most amazing guy on the planet. But rich people sometimes have no boundaries, and they expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter, because that's what they're used to. Maybe he's just being nice today so that he can turn around and demand things from you tomorrow."

Almost like she knew Lili wanted to interrupt, she held up a hand to stop her, a stern look on her face. "Again, I want to believe it's not something he's capable of, but I'm just concerned that he might be using you to get things at the club because you work there. Like, perks and stuff."

Lili scoffed; her leg started bouncing mercilessly under the table as adrenaline coursed through her veins.

"Jordyn, we barely even talk about work when we're together! I avoided asking him questions about his career for days because I didn't want him to think that was all I cared about. My job isn't even that important compared to others at the club." She swallowed and tried to catch her breath. "I can promise you that he is not taking advantage of me at all. The other day I tried to give him a free beer and he refused. He practically threw the money at me because he didn't want to accept anything for free. Not once has he tried to get me to break the rules for him or do something that could get me in trouble."

She brought her hands together in her lap, picking at the skin of her cuticles even harder than before. An angry red drop of blood appeared at the surface of her fingernail almost immediately.

"Again, I appreciate you looking out for me, but this is unnecessary. He would never do that. And yeah, that might sound like I'm 'blinded by love', or whatever bullshit term you want to use, but I can guarantee you that's not the case."

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, glaring at Jordyn as her chest heaved up and down angrily. Her cheeks were hot with rage. Their eyes connected from across the table. Suddenly, Lili couldn't keep the angry look on her face any longer. She felt her resolve slipping, and soon, she and Jordyn were laughing in their chairs until they had tears streaming down their faces. The sounds of their laughter echoed across the walls and mingled with the sounds emanating from the kitchen in the back.

"Holy shit, you actually got really mad there!" Jordyn exclaimed, wiping the corner of her eye with her napkin. "I didn't think you were that serious about all this."

Clutching her stomach, Lili tried to calm her breathing as she attempted to stop laughing.

"Well, what did you expect?" she said. "Just give the guy a chance, you don't even know him well enough to make these assumptions. I promise you, knowing what I know now, I wouldn't allow myself to be in this situation if I didn't think it was beneficial for me."

She finally got her heart rate back down to a reasonable speed and could breathe again.

"I really do trust him, and I feel so fucking good when I'm around him. He makes me feel loved and respected and appreciated. When I'm with him, I never have to doubt whether or not he's being truthful with me. He's constantly proving to me that he only has eyes for me." She smiled just thinking about him. "I'm excited to see where this goes with him, and I need your support for this. I just want you to give him a chance, because he really is amazing."

Jordyn smiled a crooked smile and reached her arms across the table. Lili mirrored her action, reaching for her outstretched hand and squeezing.

"Of course I'll give him a chance, I wouldn't do that to you. But you can see why I have these concerns, can't you?" 

Lili nodded, looking down at the table.

Jordyn squeezed her hands back, forcing her to look up. "You really do seem different, but in the best way possible. I don't doubt it's because of him. I'm looking forward to seeing where this goes from here. Really."

Lili smiled over at her best friend, feeling her heart swelling to three times the size. They were so incredibly lucky to have the kind of friendship where a little bit of anger didn't change everything.

Jordyn chuckled softly as she picked at the fries. "So, you've got a boyfriend now, huh?"

Lili laughed loudly, tossing her head back. "I know, it's so weird! I can't believe I get to say that he's my boyfriend. Like, he's mine and mine only. It feels good." 

Jordyn smiled, and for the first time all evening, it was genuine and beautiful.

"I never thought this day would come. Actually, when he first asked me, I thought I was being pranked."

"What? Come on, no, you didn't!" Jordyn exclaimed with an amused smile, leaning forward to pick up a bunch of fries and shove them in her mouth. Lili nodded.

"I did. Sometimes, it's just hard for me to believe that someone wants me. I think telling him he's the first person to ever ask me gave him a bit of an ego boost." 

"Well, believe it, bitch," Jordyn said with a playful pout. "It happened. And hopefully it'll be the one that lasts."

Lili appreciated that they could share these feelings with each other without worrying about upsetting the other person. Being able to laugh it out the way they did was yet another reminder of how solid their friendship was. Even when Jordyn had said some things that were hard to hear, Lili understood that it was only for the best. It was only because her happiness was important, and that all Jordyn wanted to do was watch out for her. She really loved Jordyn so much, and knew that love was reciprocated just as much.

They spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing and eating, practically closing the place down together, just like old times. It felt really good to spend time with Jordyn and talk to her, just like old times. Getting all these secrets off her chest felt like she could finally breathe again. Lili wished they could do it more often, but regardless, she was thankful for the times they did have together, because without Jordyn, she didn't exactly know how she'd survive. 

Life was unfairly good to Lili. How lucky was she?

Chapter Text

~vibes for this chapter: Confident by Justin Bieber ft. Chance the Rapper ;)

~vibes for this chapter ;)

One Week Later

The talk with Jordyn felt really, really good. When they left the restaurant, about a thousand pounds had been taken off of Lili's chest. She was able to both share her feelings and listen to Jordyn share her own. They had an open, honest conversation about a pretty significant matter in Lili's life. It was a catharsis of sorts for the both of them. There were things that they both had been keeping to themselves for who knows how long; it was nice to finally come clean.

Lili couldn't hold onto her news any longer - keeping everything from Jordyn had been eating away at her for days. She wanted to explode with her good news the very moment it happened, so not saying anything for seven whole days was torture.

The best part of their friendship, in her opinion, was the fact that they had the ability to share everything they were thinking or feeling with ease. There was never any judgement between the two of them. There had never been a single instance over the course of their friendship where Lili didn't feel safe when it came to expressing her feelings.

Even when they'd first met, Jordyn somehow created an amazingly safe space for the two of them, and they kept that space wide open as the years went on. When Jordyn would talk about things that weren't exactly music to Lili's ears, she still listened actively and gave the best possible advice, regardless of the situation. And whenever Lili rambled on about stupid problems that made her feel insecure, Jordyn always gave her undivided attention, doing absolutely everything she could to support Lili and help her through the rough patches.

Their relationship was the perfect mixture of give and take. They each gave as much advice as they took, which made for a beautiful balance. Getting to finally share all the happiness in her life with her best friend in the whole world put Lili right back on cloud nine once again. The weight on her shoulders had finally been lifted. It felt so great knowing that, regardless of what she had been feeling in the past, Jordyn really did want her to be happy, and was hoping the relationship was successful. Her support was most important. 

Clearly, it would take some time for Jordyn to completely let go of the reservations she had about Niall - he had to do everything he possibly could to win her trust and prove how pure his intentions really were. And Lili was certain they would get there, no matter how much time it might take.

When you watch your best friend go through something traumatic, you'll do absolutely everything you can to make sure the same thing doesn't happen again. Your main priority becomes her happiness and well-being. Every decision, every little action becomes about protecting that person because you love them. 

And as much as Jordyn wanted to keep Lili sheltered in a box away from all harm, it was completely unrealistic. She had to let her fly and be her own person again.

However, in the past week, Jordyn asked more questions about Lili and Niall's relationship – their dynamic, their chemistry, the things they talked about – than she ever had. The more she asked, the more she understood their situation, and Lili could tell how quickly she was softening up to Niall based on the answers she was being given. Lili hadn't been very open about it beforehand, so she couldn't have expected Jordyn to question things when she didn't know anything was even going on.

But it was really nice that Jordyn wanted to know everything.

She was thankful she had someone like Jordyn in her life - someone who cared a lot about her happiness, but wasn't afraid to call out bullshit or share her feelings when the time was right. It was refreshing.

Lili hadn't spoken to Niall much over the past week, but she wasn't bothered by it. There was no reason to fret or worry that he was out doing something wrong or hurtful. She thought back to the time after their first date when she was convinced he had ghosted her. It made her feel awful because, after all the promise the date had shown, she thought he was abandoning her. And it made her question every single thing she had done and said up to that point. But now, she could sit comfortably at home or tuck her phone away and not speak to him for hours, because she knew there would always be a phone call coming her way at the end of the night.

Niall had amped up his training significantly in the last few days. He was still only training at the club 3 days a week but was spending longer hours there, and he no longer gave himself any real days off. On the days that he wasn't going to the club, he was working out at home, doing strength training or cleaning up his swing using one of those golf simulator things he had set up in his house. Every aspect of his training was getting more and more intense with each passing day. He was such a hard worker, and Lili had no choice but to admire his determination.

He was dead set on victory at PGA, and his work ethic highlighted that significantly. He would accept nothing less than first place. But it was a bit concerning seeing the way he would push himself. He would still call her every night before bed, which was really nice, but the calls would usually only last a few minutes before he fell asleep. The most he could muster was a 'how was your day' or 'I missed you today', before the sound of his deep breathing filled her speakers.

And Lili couldn't be upset, no matter what; she wanted him to succeed and knew how important it was to him that he was constantly improving his craft.  Even if he was at the top of his game, he worked even harder to get even better. But it was so hard to refrain from telling him that it was okay to take breaks and relax a bit, because she knew how stubborn he could be.

The last thing he wanted was to sit back for a few days and lose some of his strength. In Niall's head, if he took any time off between now and the PGA tournament, his health would slide and it would cost him the win. It wasn't a good thing to think about, and Lili was desperate to get him to ignore those thoughts for his own mental sanity. 

However, at the end of the day, he knew his limits better than anyone, so he was still taking care of himself as well as he could despite the long days. It helped that he was open with her about the way his body and mind were feeling, because it gave her some insight on where he was at. If he was struggling, she'd know eventually. Lili didn't want to be clingy or complain about not seeing him, but being away from him for a week was already proving to be difficult. She was itching to kiss him again.

She was laying across her bed watching TV in the dark, enjoying her first day off from work in a while, when her phone rang. She paused the show and dug around in her bed, finding her phone wrapped in her comforter just before it went to voicemail, grinning as Niall's name flashed across her screen with the new heart emoji she'd just added recently. So incredibly juvenile, but she loved it.

"Hi, baby," she said, already smiling. Her face was warm. When did she become this person who used pet names all the time?

"Hey, gorgeous. What's going on?" Niall's voice was happy and relaxed on the other end, and the sound sent butterflies swarming in her stomach. It seemed to be a bit more energetic than it had been recently. She pulled herself up higher on the pillows and bent her knees, hugging them with her free arm and resting her cheek gently on her left kneecap.

"Just in bed since I'm off today. I'm behind on my show so I'm trying to catch up before the new episode comes out next week. Are you at the club?"

"Yes, ma'am. I'm at the driving range today. Got a bit of a lighter workload, actually." 

She smiled. "Good, you deserve it. It's about time you took a break." 

That wasn't going to go over well, and she smiled wider when he chuckled. "Absolutely not. Breaks are for the weak. I'm trying to be better than everyone else, love, you know that."  Lili rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see. 

"Alright. Whatever you say." Her tone was light and joking, just like his. "How's Evan? Is he annoyed you're on the phone again?"

Niall laughed softly, and Lili closed her eyes as she enjoyed the sound. Her favourite sound in the whole wide world. Fuck, she loved that laugh so much. 

"I'm not with him today. Came out on my own for some extra work." The confident little smirk he always wore was clearly plastered on his face - she could hear the smile in his voice. "Do you really think he'd let me look at my phone if he were?"

"Definitely not," Lili said through light laughter. God, she had such a crush on Niall, it was stupid.

"He'd be furious," Niall responded. He cleared his throat gently, and she could hear the quiet chirps of the birds in the background. "Look, today, I called for a reason. I know, how abnormal. But I was actually wondering if you wanted to come meet me here. I miss you loads, and I was hoping to see you." He paused briefly. "I've got the whole range rented out for the day, so I'll be here until closing. If you're busy, it's no problem."

Lili smiled, immediately rolling over so her legs hung over the side of the mattress. He made her stomach so stupidly, sweetly nervous.

"Of course you rented it out for yourself," she teased, making him laugh. "I'm not busy at all, so I will definitely stop by. I can be there in...half an hour, if that works?" she said, glancing at the time on her alarm clock.

She chewed the corner of her lip as she awaited his response. The raw excitement of seeing him was always prominent nowadays. She didn't think she'd ever get over that initial anticipation the prospect of seeing him brought her.

The smile was evident in his voice as he spoke. "Half an hour's perfect. See you soon, my love."

"See you." She hung up the phone and smiled, flopping onto her side to hide her face in the pillow as she screamed. God, she loved when he called her his love. That was definitely her favourite pet name to ever exist. Her heart did fucking backflips when he said it. She pulled herself up off the mattress and strode into her bathroom, flipping the light switch on.

She hurried in an attempt to do multiple things at once: she brushed her teeth rather aggressively with one hand while attempting to untangle her hair with the other using a wide-tooth comb. Her hair was definitely not agreeing with her today, so she tried flipping her head upside down, shaking out the roots with her fingers for some volume, and flipping upright again. The reflection in the mirror stared back at her with red cheeks and excited eyes.

She used her shaking fingers to comb through any tangles at the ends of her hair, which actually worked quite well. It gave her a messy/sexy look, which was a much better outcome than she'd expected, so she was good to go. As she continued brushing her teeth, she ran to her phone and put in a request for a car to pick her up. She figured Niall would just drive her home afterwards, so there was no point in taking her own car. 

It felt like adrenaline was coursing through her veins at top speed, giving her enough energy to practically bounce off the walls. Clearly, the anticipation of seeing Niall again was exciting her more than she realized. It was always her favourite part of any day.

She rinsed her mouth and took a swig of a strong peppermint mouthwash, swirling it around inside her cheeks and spitting harshly into the sink. She wiped her mouth with the towel and shut the light off behind her as she left the room.

She stood in front of her open closet, hands on her hips, as she decided on what kind of outfit she should wear. Cute and comfy? Relaxed and casual? Rifling through the clothes hanging in her closet got her nowhere, so she shrugged and stepped sideways until she was in front of her dresser.

She opened the bottom drawer and retrieved a pair of cute, slightly ripped denim shorts. Honestly, she figured she would just be sitting and watching Niall for the rest of the day, which was fine, so there was really no point in trying to look cute for no reason. She wanted to be comfortable. Then again, Niall would think she looked cute in anything she wore, since he clearly thought she was beautiful no matter what.

She paired the shorts with a tight white cropped t-shirt, finishing with a gentle spritz of a simple perfume she knew Niall liked. It was the one she wore on their first date, and he commented on how much he loved the smell on her multiple times.

Lili raced downstairs to tie up her shoes and grab her purse as she waited for her car. At the last minute, she pulled a dark pair of sunglasses out of the front closet; horrifically bright sun poured through the front window. She'd been sitting in the darkness of her bedroom for so long that she may have momentarily forgotten it was still daytime.

She decided to wait outside on the front porch for the car, sitting in the warm sunshine for the first time that morning and letting it soak into her skin. It was a perfect day. As the shiny black Honda Civic slowly turned into her driveway, Lili sent Niall a quick text letting him know she was on her way, and proceeded to the backseat of the car with a wide grin on her face.

The driver unknowingly took the long way to the club, adding an unnecessary 10 minutes to the drive. And because she knew all the shortcuts from every direction, it was frustrating watching him make all the wrong turns. Lili was impatient - she just wanted to get going and see Niall. Why did it have to take so fucking long?

But her heart began jumping and racing as the driver finally turned into the guest parking lot and she spotted Niall's Range Rover parked in its regular spot under the big oak tree. She was unsure how he always managed to get that spot. Either he had gotten it officially-unofficially permanently reserved for him, or he just had the best luck in the whole world. 

The second he slowed to a stop, Lili thanked the driver and yanked the strap of her purse over her shoulder, pushing her door open and stepping out into the sunshine.

Since she wasn't on the clock today, she had to go in through the guest entrance but, thankfully, it was empty. It seemed to be another slow day at the club; there were only five other cars in the parking lot aside from Niall's.

She nearly skipped through the doors as excitement coursed through her; she waved happily at her coworkers as she weaved through the hallways, making her way to the other end of the club. The main driving range was all the way on the south side of the property, and the only shortcut was to go through the dining hall, pass through the kitchen, and turn down the awards hallway.

Lili approached the driving range office and walked straight in; since Niall had rented the range for the day - she had no idea how he even did that, or that it was even allowed - there was no one at the front desk. The 'closed' sign hung across the door in bright red letters. She smiled as she made her way through the exit doors that opened up to the gorgeous, expansive driving range.

It was a phenomenal sea of green that just seemed to go on for miles and miles with no end in sight. It stretched all the way to the horizon, where it met the sapphire blue sky between the trees. The range was vast and empty, save for a single person standing at one of the tees with a set of golf clubs next to him, and her heart leapt to her throat at the sight. Her knees buckled.

"Hey, you!" she called, as she stepped out of the shadow and into the sun. The perfectly manicured grass crunched beneath her shoes as she walked.

The angel on the range turned as the sound of her voice broke the peaceful silence he was in, and a smile split his face in the most breathtaking way. Even from this far away, she could see how bright it was. He waved as she jogged up to him. Her heart was hammering at the base of her throat. This perfect man was really hers. And he was excited to see her. She just couldn't believe it. How the hell did she get so lucky?

The second she was close enough, Niall's reached out for her with open arms. He gripped her waist with strong hands to pull her in closer, as if he couldn't even wait for her to take those final steps on her own, and she laughed as she melted into his body. The feeling of his fingers on her hips sent sparks towards her sternum, jolting her heart awake once again. She pushed her sunglasses up to the top of her head so she could see his eyes clearly.

"Hey, gorgeous," Niall said, that perfect smile still plastered on his face. The apples of his cheeks were bright pink. 

Oh, how stunning he truly was. The sight made her dizzy with adoration. As he leaned down to kiss her, Lili reached a free hand up to pull the baseball cap off his head, giving her unobstructed access to his gorgeous locks. Just the way she liked it.

She tossed the hat to the side, letting it drop somewhere on the grass, and slithered her hand up his shoulder, locking her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck as he kissed her passionately. His lips were soft and gentle against hers. Her back arched as he pulled her as close as possible. She tilted her face up towards his, pressing her chest flush against his. They were both smiling into the kiss, making it difficult to make any real, good contact. A week without his kisses was way too long for Lili.

Now, she could breathe again.

She wrapped both arms around his neck as Niall's lips traced down her jaw, up her cheek, along her forehead and on her nose. She giggled at the ticklish sensation, her heart flipping and flopping in her chest. It was going crazy with each press of his lips to her skin. Niall finally pulled back a bit so he could see her whole face.

"Hi," she said breathlessly, finally being able to respond to his greeting with words. He wrapped his arms tighter around the small of her back and pulled her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. As they stood there together, Lili inhaled deeply; the scent of cologne and sweat that always drove her crazy clung to his shirt, as well as a hint of fabric softener. It was amazing how the smell of him could drive her feral, but also instantly calm her.

She felt so warm and safe in his arms and didn't want to ever let go. She gripped the back of his shirt tightly as they swayed side to side, listening to the birds singing as they embraced. He smiled down at her as he took a step back.

"Feels like I haven't seen you in so long. Being away from you for a week felt like years."

How did they always manage to think the same exact things? It was freaky sometimes. 

Niall chuckled and pulled her in again, forcing her to tilt her head back as he buried his face in her neck, leaving delicate kisses along the span of her throat. Her breath hitched and her stomach exploded with butterflies. His lips were perfect. Beyond perfect. She adored the way they felt on her skin. He smirked arrogantly against her and brought his head back up so he could look in her eyes again. His pupils were dilated - wide, black dots standing out harshly against the clear blue irises.

"You're so beautiful, you know that?" he said softly, reaching up to gently graze his fingers against her chin. The feel of his rough fingertips on her sent shivers down her spine. Lili blushed.

"So are you," she whispered back, letting her fingers glide gently across the back of his neck. God, they were gross. He smiled wider, the sight taking her breath away. That smile was driving her crazy.  He kissed her forehead before stepping back, gesturing behind Lili with one arm. For a moment, she frowned at the loss of his warmth. She turned to see a small red folding chair planted in the grass beside his clubs and laughed.

"Did you bring this just for me?" she asked, scanning the setup with her eyes. 

Niall smiled. "I actually brought it for myself so I can have a seat when I take my notes, but I'd rather you sit there so you can be comfortable."

He was so cute. She nodded once and moved towards the chair, turning around and sitting as gracefully as she could. Niall watched her adjust in the seat, trying to find a comfortable position, his eyes grazing hungrily up and down her smooth, exposed thighs. She noticed his wandering eyes and smiled, crossing her legs and casually ghosting her fingers up and down the skin of her knee. He shook his head slightly as their eyes met. His tongue darted out slightly to wet his lips.

"You like being a tease, huh?"

She shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. But you like it, so..."

"I love it," he said automatically, raising his eyebrow in a stern, almost challenging fashion.

"Then I don't think there's an issue here," she retorted, leaning back and crossing her ankles instead. She rested her hands on her lower belly, lacing her fingers together comfortably. Niall chuckled to himself and shook his head again, but stepped back over to his clubs and pulled one of them out, replacing it with the club he had been using when she arrived. It was always so fun when he wasn't able to respond to her – she loved winning sometimes. It was pretty sexy seeing him get flustered. 

Lili watched patiently as he bent and picked up a single white ball from the half-full bucket on the ground, dropping it gently on his tee. The sight of him moving so fluidly against the perfect blue backdrop the sky created was a truly beautiful one. It was like watching the world's greatest film on an IMAX screen. Even when he was doing simple or mundane things, she was fascinated. She wanted to spend every single hour of every single day watching him.

Niall moved over to the left side of the tee and turned so he was facing the ball, spreading his feet shoulder width apart and bending slightly at the knees. He glanced at the open range, a look of concentration in his eyes. He squinted against the sun. The grass was already scattered with white dots every few yards from where he'd hit his other balls. The very tip of his tongue was poking out of the corner of his mouth and curling up slightly against his top lip; Lili had noticed over the past few weeks that he did that when he was focusing hard on the task at hand. It was the cutest thing ever.

Niall rolled his shoulders back once to align his spine as he looked straight down at the tee. He lined the head of the club up with the side of the ball. With a short, quiet grunt, he swung hard, and the club landed against his opposite shoulder as the little white ball soared through the air following a loud smack. Lili turned her head to watch it go, squinting in the sunlight as she tried to find where it landed. She wasn't even sure it did. That was a phenomenal shot.

When she looked back at Niall, he was already watching her, smiling.

"You look excited," he said. Lili smiled and nodded.

"What gave it away?" she asked, laughing. Her heart skipped. "That was an amazing shot, Niall. I don't know how you do it."

He smiled wider. "Thank you. I know this is boring, love. I'm sorry," he said, studying her face as the smile faltered. Lili's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Are you kidding? I get to relax in the sun and spend time with you, watching you do what you love. I'm not bored at all."

In fact, this was possibly the best way to spend a day off. Nothing would make her happier. As long as she could be around him, she was content. 

His smile returned, a light pink flush now dusting the skin of his cheeks, and Lili's heart fluttered. He was so beautiful. It simply wasn't fair to the rest of the men in the world.

"You're sure?" he asked, sounding slightly uncertain. It broke her heart a bit to hear him question her feelings. Someone - or multiple people - probably made him feel bad about something like this over the years. If Lili hadn't been determined before to show him how supportive she would be for him, she certainly was now.

She nodded, reaching up to gather her hair and drape it over one shoulder.

"Completely. I like watching you, anyway," she added, trying to lighten the mood. "You're very sexy when you swing."

Niall cackled as he reached down and grabbed another ball to start his routine all over again. "Oh, shut it," he said jokingly. Lili laughed through her nose.

"So, what do you think of the club so far? Be honest," she said, as he placed the ball on the tee again. She really was curious. The LACC was lovely, but it couldn't possibly compare to some of the world-renowned clubs he's been to over the years. He smiled as he stood up.

"I think it's great here. Everyone's been absolutely wonderful to me, so I can't really complain. The amenities are amazing, too. I haven't had an issue with anything here yet."

When they had the chance to talk about it, Lili was so curious to hear why he chose to switch clubs this year. He'd been living in Los Angeles for years, and yet, this was his first time here. Maybe it was fate. Niall looked her up and down again quickly, his eyes burning into her skin. "Plus, you're here, so that automatically makes this the best club I've ever trained at." 

Lili rolled her eyes and felt her cheeks heating up, which just made Niall chuckle again.

"Yeah, you being here makes work pretty damn great, too," she said, chewing the corner of her lip as a smile started to spread across her face. Truly, she'd never been as eager to go to work as she had in the last few weeks. Imagine being so crazy about a man that it actually makes you look forward to being at your job. 

Grinning, Niall strode over to where she sat, holding his club behind his back as he used his free hand to gently lift her chin enough to tilt her head back. He brought his face down so it was level with hers; she pushed out her lips, expecting a kiss. Except he just brushed his own lips so gently against hers that it sent a shiver down her spine that had her shuddering in the seat. 

"Don't make me blush, darling," he said in a low voice, glancing down at her lips, before finally giving her a chaste kiss.

He pulled back and was suddenly gone before Lili could even wrap her head around what just happened. Her stomach was burning and sweat was beginning to form around her hairline. In a matter of seconds, her mouth had turned bone dry. She shook her head and watched Niall's muscular back as he walked over to his tee once again. How he was always so composed when he did things like that, she would never understand.

She laughed to herself, willing her heart rate to calm down, as Niall retrieved another ball from his bucket. It was dreadful how worked up he could get her in a mere second. How quickly she could succumb to him. That was definitely something she was going to need to learn how to control. What was worse, though, was how easily he returned to his normal self. It was a bit crazy, but so enticing. 

After setting up his feet and club in the same manner as he had before, Niall took his next swing, and Lili flinched as the crack of the ball against the club echoed menacingly across the quiet sky once again. The loud sound had helped her move past their heated moment, which was nice. The ball soared in a much lower arc than before and dropped just a smidge in front of the 150-yard sign, disappearing in the grass.

"Nice shot, babe," she said proudly. Niall just grimaced, still looking out at the grass with one eye open.

"It could have been better. That one didn't feel as good as the first one. I was off balance." He tilted his head side to side to stretch his neck, still looking upset. His lips were pulled down in a slight frown. He was always so hard on himself, even over the smallest things. Lili furrowed her brow.

"Hey, I'm fine with going home and catching up with you later, honestly," she said. "If me being here is distracting you, we can hang out another time. Your training is way more important right now."

Niall's head snapped up towards Lili before she could even finish her sentence, a bewildered look on his face. "What? No. You can't leave. My concentration is better with you here. Plus, it's kind of creepy being all alone here. Talking to you helps me focus more." He paused briefly. "I need you."

Something about the tone of his voice when he expressed his need sent butterflies ripping through Lili's stomach once again. She studied his face from where she sat as the silence fell around them.

"Are you sure, love? I don't want to interfere," she said, after a long pause. He grinned at her, and she knew it was partly because he was a sucker for being called love. He loved hearing it almost as much as he loved saying it. 

"I'm sure. Like I said, I need you."

Lightning struck the spot she sat in when his eyes met hers.

"Okay," she said quietly, unsure of what else she could say. If that was how he felt, how could she disagree? 

She nodded once and made herself comfortable in the chair once again. It was clear he meant what he'd said. She would know right away if he was just saying that to be nice, or because he felt obligated as her boyfriend to spend time with her.

The last thing she wanted was to distract him or take away from his precious training time, especially with how quickly the tournament was approaching. But, if he said it was okay, she would stay until he said it wasn't.

They sat in silence for a long while - Lili watching Niall, Niall taking shots and looking out onto the grass. It was very comfortable silence. Every now and then, he would retrieve his little notepad from his back pocket and jot down a few quick notes, before putting it away and turning to his clubs again. He was the absolute cutest.

After a long break, Lili decided to talk again. She cleared her throat and sat up straighter in her chair, cracking her knuckles nervously. "So, I finally told Jordyn about everything," she began.

Niall's head perked up slightly, and he looked at her patiently with those spectacular eyes. For a split second, she forgot how to speak.

"I told her you and I are together now. Officially, I mean." 

Niall smiled. "Oh yeah? When did you tell her?"

"Last week," she said, reaching up and mindlessly twirling her hair around her finger in a gesture of comfort. "We went out for dinner, spent some time together. It was nice."

"How'd she take it?" he asked. His voice was even, but she knew he was nervous about the answer. For Niall, it was imperative that Lili's friends and family approved of him as her partner. She shrugged.

"She's happy for me, obviously. She knows relationships are difficult for me, and for her to see how easy it is with us is a good thing." She smiled softly. Things actually were pretty easy for them. She hadn't even realized how little she had to worry about when it came to Niall. Lili had never felt this sort of calmness in her life. "It was fun watching her face light up when I told her that I have a boyfriend now. I've never been able to say that before."

Niall grinned proudly, and he seemed to stand up a bit taller. "I'm glad I was able to give you that opportunity, then." His ego was undeniably inflated.

"Me too." Lili shifted awkwardly in her seat. "But she did express some...concerns." Her heart sped up nervously. If he took anything the wrong way, it could be detrimental. Niall's brow furrowed slightly, but his expression remained even. His blue eyes pierced directly through her.

"Concerns about what exactly?"

Lili swallowed and picked at her cuticles until the skin was red and raw. She didn't want to keep secrets from Niall, especially about things concerning her feelings or their relationship, but the last thing she wanted was for him to be upset or hold some kind of grudge against Jordyn. Not to mention, the last time she brought up feelings or concerns in a relationship, it made the situation worse. Significantly worse. She was used to being ignored or having her feelings tossed aside like they were completely worthless.

What if Niall reacted the same as Daniel, and made her believe her words and feelings weren't valid? The last thing Lili wanted was for this to cause any sort of rifts or problems between them. Things had been going so incredibly well for a long time, and she didn't want to risk losing that. The idea that this could cause everything to come burning and crashing down around her made her nauseous. After another second of internal debate, she took a deep, slightly shaky breath.

"Well, first of all, she is kind of wary about how fast we're moving with everything. I didn't realize things were moving quickly at first, but the more we talked about it, the more I could kind of see where she was coming from."

She glanced up at Niall, who was still watching her patiently. So far, so good? Lili soothed the skin of her cuticles with the pad of her thumb. "I don't think we're moving that fast, but I can see her argument."

Niall looked as if he were contemplating her words as he passed his club back and forth between his fingers.

"Well, it's definitely not as fast as what I've experienced before, I'll tell you that," he said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke. Lili gave him a half smile in return. He sighed. "Sorry, love. Not the time for that. I mean, I've been wary of it, too. Knowing how I am, it's really easy for me to jump into things headfirst without testing the waters first."

He shrugged and switched his weight from one foot to the other. "To a certain extent, I do think we've moved fairly quickly, but at the same time, we've both kind of held back enough to go at our own pace." He grinned. "If that makes sense."

Lili smiled. "That's how I feel, too. Do you think it could potentially be a problem for us?"

Asking a question like that was terrifying, but when Niall shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, Lili felt like she could breathe again.

"No, not at all. You remember my cousin Liam that I told you about?" Lili nodded. "He and his fiancée only knew each other for two weeks before they got together, and now it's been over three years. And I obviously only see, like, 75% of their relationship, but from what I can tell, they're very happy."

Lili scrunched her nose as she grinned wider. Honestly, she couldn't help but laugh. It was like they shared one brain sometimes. It freaked her out how similar their thought processes could be.

"That was the exact argument I made with Jordyn, too. She and Isaiah knew each other for six days before he asked her out, and they've been together for six years." 

"See?" Niall said with a chuckle. "How lovely is that?" He lowered his eyes to the grass around Lili's feet for a moment, before he looked up at her again. "Her concerns are completely valid, sure. But I think we'll be okay."

Her heart was jumping for joy just watching him smile. His beauty sometimes overwhelmed her senses. But when she remembered everything else she needed to say, that moment of happiness disappeared, nerves bubbling in her stomach again.

"There's more," she said quietly. His eyebrow twitched, but he looked at her once again with that incredible patience, not saying anything. This was the part that was scaring her the most to share. It could be the one thing that drives a stake between them and ruins everything they'd built so far. Her palms were getting clammier by the second.

"Alright," he said finally. "Tell me."

She swallowed. "Okay, but please don't get angry. I promise she's just looking out for me and means no harm." Maybe that wasn't the best way to go about it...Yeah, that made it seem like what she was about to say was absolutely horrific.

But Niall just nodded slowly in understanding as he waited for her to continue. He had one hand on his hip as he looked at Lili, studying her face. The other hand was pressed flat against the top of his club handle, and he was using it to prop himself up as he leaned slightly on his hip.

"I could never get mad at you, angel" he said, when she didn't speak. 

She looked into his eyes and took a slow breath.

"Jordyn has a...fear that you might start taking advantage of me. I mean, she worries about the possibility of you using me to get free stuff at the club, which is terrible in and of itself, but I also think she might be worried that you'll take advantage of my vulnerability the more I open up to you just so you can turn around and hurt me."

She took another breath, not realizing how quickly her heart rate had increased as she spoke. The rambling didn't help, either. She understood Niall well enough to know that he always approached things with a level head, but she didn't know if this was something that could possibly set him off. How would he react to knowing his girlfriend's best friend in the whole world didn't necessarily trust him? That they hadn't even met yet, but she was already making judgements about him and his character? Any normal person would be upset by that statement, regardless of how true or not true it may be. 

Lili's chest heaved up and down as she watched him, awaiting his response. The tension in the air seemed to be slowly suffocating her, but it was not the pleasant kind she usually preferred. Niall picked up his club from the grass and stood up straight, rolling the metal back and forth between his fingers, as if analyzing it carefully.

"I get it," he said, after a few silent moments. He raised his head to look over at Lili once again. His crystal eyes met hers, and she felt her heart jump from her chest.

"This doesn't upset you?" she asked quietly, somewhat shocked. She'd been expecting worse. He smiled softly and shook his head.

"Not at all. She's your best friend and she loves you. She's going to want to watch out for you with everything you do."

He dropped the club he had been holding, and it landed against the manicured grass with a dull thud.

"And I understand that when it comes to your workplace and our jobs and stuff, I'm in a position that could make me look bad if the wrong things are said or done. I've learned over the years that it's a very delicate situation to handle. But from an outside perspective, you could say that for either one of us."

He stepped over to where she was sitting and gestured for Lili to stand from the chair. She did, eyes still locked on his. He reached out and wrapped his warm, strong arms around her waist, pulling her body flush against his. Her arms automatically lifted to wrap around his neck, and she tilted her head back to look at him. She wove her fingers gently through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"You and I both know that our intentions with each other are clear and genuine, but I can't blame her for the way she feels. She has every right to be skeptical of me until I've proven my word to her." He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, so soft she could barely feel it. "As for the rest of all that, I promise you I would never use vulnerability as a weapon against you. You don't have to tell me anything about your past until you're ready, but you have my word that I will do everything in my power to make you feel loved and respected, no matter what."

Lili chose to ignore the fire that ripped through her stomach at the way he said "loved". She smiled and rose to her tiptoes, planting multiple kisses on his soft lips. Kissing him was her favourite thing to do. 

"It'll be okay, baby," she said, once she'd pulled back. "Eventually, she'll see just how good you are to me. I know she will. She just has a big heart with a very large soft spot for me."

He grinned sweetly. "She should. I know I do."

She smiled and looked away momentarily, cheeks burning. Her thumb grazed up and down the back of his neck softly.

"I will tell you everything eventually." She looked back up at him again, finding his gaze. "I want you to know all of it because it's such a huge part of my life. But it'll just take some time to work up the courage for that."

The idea of verbalizing her trauma was very scary, especially because it would change the way he saw her. No matter what, his idea of her would be altered after knowing what she'd been through. But how he chose to look at it and move forward would make or break them. 

"Please don't think I'll be expecting it to happen right away," Niall said quietly, squeezing her hips affectionately. "There's no pressure. Even if you feel like you'll be ready ten years from now, I'll be here."

She raised an eyebrow playfully. "Oh, really? Ten years from now?"

He laughed and beamed down at her, and Lili's body went completely weak. God, she was falling so fucking hard for him. The way he looked at her with those eyes made her feel like she was on fire, being licked by the most phenomenal flames.

"Yes, my love," he said through his giggles. "Ten long years."

Ten years wasn't long enough. 

She returned the smile and kissed him three times before going back to sit in her chair. "Fine. I'll hold you to it. Alright, you can go back to your swinging now," she said, slouching down in the seat and crossing her ankles.

Niall smiled at her, licking his lips. "Yes ma'am."

The cocky smirk never left his face as he picked his club back up and rolled it around between his palms, warming up the metal.

After retrieving another ball from the bucket, he strode back over to stand beside his tee, that concentrated look plastered across his face once again. His brows were slightly furrowed over his eyes and his tongue had once again appeared at the corner of his lips.

He looked out at the range, then back down at his tee, before moving his arms in a sort of halfway, slow-motion swing. It was like a dancer marking their routine in the wings before stepping out onto the stage to perform. The muscles in her stomach contracted and her heart fluttered incessantly as she watched him. The way his fingers handled the club so firmly, yet so delicately, could send her spiralling. 

After a few practice twists, Niall finally lined his feet up in front of the tee, lined the club up with the ball, drew his arms back, and swung. Once again, the ball soared into the air, disappearing into the blue sky until it was no bigger than a pinhead; Lili found it just as it dropped onto the rough grass past the 250 yard line. She gasped.

"Okay, that one was definitely better than that last one," she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. She had never felt so proud watching someone do something so simple in her life. Especially something that they literally got paid to do. Niall laughed and took a stupid bow, making Lili giggle. Just to boost his confidence a bit more, she gave him a short but enthusiastic round of applause. He scrunched his nose as he watched her - it was one of her favourite things that he did.

He looked down at the club in his hand, then back up at Lili. His right eyebrow was raised enthusiastically.

"Want me to teach you how to swing?" he asked. "It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it."

Tilting her head to the side, Lili grinned at him, pressing her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip.

After countless trips to the driving range with her father as a kid, plus years spent working at a golf club, she already had a pretty decent swing in her arsenal. It was nowhere near as good as his, but it wasn't terrible. But he didn't need to know that.

She shrugged casually and brought herself to her feet, clasping her hands gently behind her back.

"Sure," she said, drifting across the grass to stand beside him. Almost immediately, her heart began jumping with excitement. Yes, just standing next to him made her entire body out. 

Niall handed her the club he had been using; the metal was still warm from his palms.

"Alright, so this is my 4-iron," he began, flipping the club around so Lili could see the head. It was an L-shaped club, and it was quite small and thin compared to some of the others.

She looked up at Niall expectantly, waiting for him to continue his explanation. He flashed her another heart-stopping smile.

"I was using this one because I'm trying to get as accurate a shot as possible, and this one is the best for that. If I wanted to shoot for distance, I'd use my driver, which is the bigger, rounder one."

Lili nodded along. "Isn't shooting for distance what you do at the driving range, though?"

"It is, but I'm working on my aim right now." He turned slightly and pointed outwards. "This club is fine for distance, too. But did you notice where I've been shooting?" She shook her head. "With every shot, I've been trying to hit the banner right on the numbers. Most of them have, but not all of them. That's my biggest problem right now."

She loved listening to him talk like this. Breaking everything down for her so that she could understand the more technical side of things. It was incredibly attractive. She blinked slowly.

"But if you were using your driver for distance, couldn't you work on your aim that way, too?" she asked. He grinned wider, and her heart stopped. It was hard not to get lost in his eyes.

"I could, yes. And I do sometimes. Just not today." He licked his lips. "But I absolutely adore you for picking up on that." He put his hands on her shoulders and gently spun her around so she was facing the tee the way he had been. "Here, let's start."

Lili looked down, watching as he bent and picked up another ball, dropping it gently on the plastic tee. It rattled around in the dip of the pin, before settling. Without saying a word, he moved to stand behind her, and Lili almost gasped as he pressed his chest flush against her backside. Her head spun - his smell was intoxicating.

"How do I hold it?" she asked stupidly, voice shaking slightly. Every bit of knowledge she had about doing this had disappeared. She could just feel the smile radiating off of Niall's face as his arms slithered around her from either side. He wrapped his hands around hers, guiding her fingers into the proper position. His lips grazed the shell of her ear and she shuddered.

"Just like that," he whispered, moving her limp fingers. "Dominant hand goes on the bottom, non-dominant on top."

His breath fanned across the skin of her neck, and Lili nearly lost consciousness. There was so much electricity between them that one single touch might send fatal shocks through Lili's bloodstream. Again, she could feel the smirk on his lips as he moved their arms together, showing her the basic mechanics of a swing that she already knew quite well. 

After a few practice tries, Niall decided Lili was ready to go. He kissed the back of her neck as he withdrew his arms, making her eyes water. He was about to step away and let her take the shot when she turned her head and caught his gaze over her shoulder.

His perfect eyes bore into hers, and in that moment, the entire world melted away. No one else existed anymore. Her eyes darted down to his pink lips, and she stretched her neck to close the space between them.

Boom. Fireworks.

He kissed her with vigor, the two of them breathing heavily as their lips and tongues tangled together expertly. Lili nearly choked with pleasure as he slid his right hand slowly up her chest, placing it delicately around the base of her throat. His fingertips danced along her skin, causing goosebumps to appear. The touch was innocent and gentle, but it made Lili crave more. She wanted all of him.

She bit down on his bottom lip and tugged it softly, earning a low, needy groan from Niall.

The kisses started to grow more passionate. Using his left hand, Niall twisted her body slightly to give himself better access. His tongue rolled lazily against hers, and she whimpered slightly when the fingers on her throat started to gently graze up and down. He was simply devouring her, and she never wanted it to end. The throbbing between her thighs was making her desperate - feral. But they couldn't get too carried away right now. She pulled back to take a breath and looked into his eyes - they were an entire shade darker. She smiled and bit the corner of her swollen lip.

"I think I'll take my shot now," she said, her voice barely a whisper. Her head was absolutely spinning with delight, blurring her vision and making her sway on her feet. She turned her head to look at the tee, feeling the blood immediately rush to her face.

"Always fucking teasing me," he said in a low voice, and the grin on his face was obvious. He squeezed her hips. "I'll get you for it one day, don't you worry, princess."

Lili was thankful her back was to him, because the hot scarlet flush growing on her face and neck was embarrassing. He would comment on it in a matter of seconds if he saw.

She took a deep breath and realigned her body with the ball, mimicking Niall's concentration face to see if it would bring her luck. Her blood pressure was slowly returning to normal. Even though her legs were trembling with pleasure from their kiss, she managed to steady herself enough to not fall over. She wiggled her toes in an attempt to wake them back up. Her limbs seemed to be numb, but the prickling underneath the skin was a good sign.

She raised her arms and swung as hard as she could; the force of the club smacking against the ball sent a slightly painful shock up her fingers and arms. Niall let out an excited scream as the ball soared through the air. Lili dropped the club as she watched the ball fly further and further away.

He was jumping up and down excitedly, and when the ball dropped just past the 180-yard sign, he threw his arms in the air triumphantly and screamed, as if his favourite soccer team had just scored the winning goal in the Champions League final. Lili smiled and exclaimed loudly as well, running over to Niall and jumping up, wrapping her arms around his neck. He wrapped his own around her waist and picked her up; her feet left the grass as he spun her around excitedly, a gorgeous smile plastered on his tanned face.

Lili laughed gleefully, throwing her head back as the joyous sound came pouring out of her throat. His excitement for her made her feel like she was on top of the world. What man would react this way over a shot at a driving range? Genuinely? Niall put her down and placed a big kiss on her lips, bringing his hands up and squeezing her cheeks together. 

"Looks like I'm coming for your job, Horan!" she exclaimed through laughter.

Niall chuckled along with her, and Lili's heart soared at the look of pure pride on his face.

"Hey, I could give up my spot at PGA right now if you want it. Reckon you'd do better than me, anyway." The apples of his cheeks were bulging from the humongous smile on his face, and Lili could only imagine that she looked the same. She shook her head as she watched him.

"You're so cute," she said, tilting her head slightly. "Alright, that was fun, but enough being dramatic. I'm going to sit back down, and you're going to keep working hard. No more distractions." 

Niall rolled his eyes. "Fine. I don't know how many times I have to tell you that you're not a distraction, but I digress." He held his hands up in defense, and Lili rolled her own eyes at him. Curiously, he looked her up and down. "You totally knew how to do that already, didn't you?" he asked, licking his lips as he continued to smile.

Lili looked at him and attempted to widen her eyes in the most innocent fashion. "Possibly. But I guess you'll never know."

He laughed loudly and shook his head in defeat, turning back to his clubs.

The two of them spent the next couple of hours on the driving range. Unable to help herself, Lili took quite a few pictures and videos while he worked, adding them to the album she already of him on her phone. Niall did eventually settle into a working rhythm, and Lili could tell he was concentrating hard on the task at hand. He made a few mechanical adjustments each time, doing things like changing the distance between himself and the tee to find what worked and what didn't. Sometimes, he would add a bit of a longer hesitation in his swing before he hit the ball to see if the timing would change how far it would travel.

He changed up his clubs every now and then as well, working on putting as well as swinging. The issue for him seemed to be that he was using too much strength when putting at shorter distances.

Lili also ended up taking a few more swings of her own after a lot of begging on Niall's end. He wanted to involve her as much as he could so she wouldn't feel left out, even though that could never happen. Some of her balls ended up around the 180 yard sign again. Others she completely whiffed at, causing her and Niall to crumble into fits of laughter.

Amazingly, she didn't feel embarrassed when she made a mistake or did something foolish around him. There was no shame in anything. In fact, she felt less judged than she ever would had it been someone else watching. That had never happened with someone she'd been romantically involved in before. And the fact that her being weird or making a mistake didn't make him want her less was crazy. 

It was such a fun afternoon - Lili was so thankful they could have good times together like these, and that it was so easy when they hung out. Whether they were laughing and talking loudly, or sitting in silence, it was equally comfortable. 

Eventually, the sun began to set, meaning the day had come to a close and they had to head home.

Lili watched Niall carefully pack up his clubs, wrapping each individual club head in its own little case. She noticed that they all had his initials inscribed on them, as well as a tiny Irish flag. That shouldn't have been as endearing as it was. He picked up his clubs, swinging the strap over his shoulder. Lili took her purse, Niall's backpack, and the folded-up chair, and they turned to leave.

"Let's go get ice cream," Lili said suddenly, as they neared Niall's car. "I don't want to go home just yet." She paused. "Unless you have to go."

Niall smiled as he pressed a button on his car keys that made the door to his trunk slowly lift open.

"I don't have to go anywhere, darling. Let's do it. My treat, though," he said, laying his clubs down gently and pushing them all the way to the back of the trunk. Lili sighed as she placed the chair and his backpack down as well.

"No. You can't always pay for everything. It's not fair." 

Every single time they went out somewhere, no matter where it was, Niall paid if there was something to buy. Even if they argued about it for two minutes straight, he always ended up doing it. Lili hated it. Niall groaned, as if her words annoyed him. He pressed a button on the inside of the trunk and the door began shutting until the lock clicked.

"Fine," he whined, pouting like a little kid. "You're no fun."

Satisfied for now, Lili smiled and opened the car door, getting into the front passenger seat. Niall slid in behind the wheel and pressed the start button, the engine coming to life underneath their legs. Almost automatically, he reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together as he used his left hand to shift into reverse and pull out of his parking spot. He rolled their windows down as he drove through the setting sunlight, letting the unseasonably hot evening wind fill the car, and Lili couldn't help but watch him intently.

She rested the side of her head on the headrest, drinking him in with her eyes. The quickly setting orange sun, now half hidden behind the horizon, outlined his form in yet another angelic way. Her heart thumped madly as she looked at him. She was so, unbelievably lucky that he was hers. He must have felt her eyes on him, because he looked over at her as he stopped at the next red light, smiled a breathtaking lopsided grin, and brought her hand up to his lips to kiss it.

Her heart leapt to her throat.

She continued to watch him as he drove, only tearing her eyes from him when he pulled into the parking lot of a random ice cream shop. It was pretty dark now, and the lot was empty. There were only two street lamps lighting it up.

"Is this place alright?" he asked, as he pulled to a stop outside the door. He looked skeptical.

"I'm sure it's fine," she said with a shrug. "I'll just run in and order." She looked over at Niall, studying his lips carefully. "What do you want?"

Leaning over, he looked through Lili's window and squinted, as if trying to read the menu from his seat. The shop was empty inside except for two employees standing behind the counter, looking at their phones.

"Small vanilla cone," he finally said. 

"Boring," Lili teased, smiling. He rolled his eyes but said nothing as Lili opened her car door. 

Before she could hop down to the sidewalk, Niall tugged on her arm gently, preventing her from getting out. She turned to see what he wanted and was met by his lips on hers, giving her three perfectly soft kisses.

"Alright, now you can go," he said, giggling adorably.

She grinned and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she jumped down to the sidewalk, slamming the door behind her as she jogged towards the entrance. The first employee - a boy who looked about 15 - looked up as she opened the door, hiding his phone as she approached.

"Hi there, what can I get you tonight?" he asked, sounding nervous. He stepped up to the cash register in front of him and cracked his knuckles.

"Two small vanilla cones, please," Lili said, smiling. Her lips were still stinging from Niall's kisses. The boy punched the information into the register quickly.

"$5.50," he said, still looking down. Lili pulled her wallet from her purse and dug around in the pocket for money. All she had was a ten-dollar bill, so she handed it to the kid. He punched a few buttons on his machine and the cash drawer opened. After handing Lili her change, he turned towards the ice cream machine. He grabbed a pair of plastic gloves from a box and snapped them on, before reaching for the waffle cones stacked above the ice cream dispenser.

As Lili began collecting napkins, her phone buzzed in her hand.

Niall Horan: hurry up, i miss you

She rolled her eyes and typed back "Be patient angel!". She couldn't stop smiling. Leave it to Niall to text her after less than five minutes apart. How the hell did they manage an entire week not seeing each other? Were they insane? 

The boy turned around, two cones in his hands. Lili thanked him as she grabbed them and turned to head back to the car, pushing the shop door open with her backside. The passenger door of the car was already open, so she hopped in, handing Niall his dessert before pulling the door closed. He leaned over and planted a sweet kiss on her cheek, before putting the car in drive and heading forward. He parked in a spot in a far corner, where the last remnants of the one streetlight barely lit the inside of the car. It was nice to have a bit of privacy, even if there was no one around anyway.

The two of them sat in silence for a bit, enjoying the sweet ice cream. For a small, dingy shop, it was surprisingly good soft serve.

"Can I be honest with you about something?" Lili asked after a few moments, crumpling her napkin between her fingers. She looked up at Niall through the dim lighting.

"Of course, love. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she said quietly. She shifted in her seat, facing him slightly. "It's just..." She continued to fiddle with the paper in her hand. "You made me feel so special today. I've never had that before."

He furrowed his brow as he took a bite of the cone. "How so?"

She smiled shyly. "No one's ever wanted to just spend time with me for the sake of spending time with me. You didn't need any reason to invite me out other than just to hang out. I really appreciate that."

Unfortunately, her words were true. She'd never had someone, especially a romantic partner, want to hang out with her simply because they missed her. There was always some ulterior motive. It always made her believe that people only wanted her around when they needed something from her. But Niall just wanted to see her. To be in her presence. And that was a wonderful feeling.

He smiled, his eyes softening. "I'm glad I made you feel that way," he said. "I love spending time with you. I don't care if we do nothing at all, as long as we're together. You deserve that."

"Thank you," she said. She really meant it. Fuck, he was so perfect. What did she do to deserve him?

They talked a bit more about the conversation with Jordyn, because Niall wanted to know everything they said to each other. He was curious about any other concerns Jordyn might have had, and how Lili dealt with all of them.

One of her favourite things about him was how good he was at listening to her. He took in absolutely everything she said, paying close attention and making sure she understood he heard everything she was saying. 

She condensed the conversation quite a bit, because watching him lick his ice cream cone slowly as they talked really made her lose her train of thought. Literally, she kept stopping mid-sentence because all semblance of thought was gone. Lili's memory flashed back to the way his tongue felt on her body and she visibly shuddered. That familiar throbbing returned between her legs, and knew she had to control herself before she was headed for disaster. But it was so damn hard.

She had finished her own ice cream, and watched as Niall took the last few bites of the cone and wiped his mouth and hands on his napkin, discarding it in the empty cupholder. Fuck it. 

"Are you finished?" she asked, though she could hardly hear her own voice over the blood rushing in her ears. He turned to her.

"Yeah, why?"

The words were barely even out of his mouth before Lili pounced. She practically threw herself over the center console, crashing her lips against Niall's. He groaned at the contact and immediately kissed her back, sending shivers down Lili's spine. Resting her elbow on the console to keep her propped up, Lili wrapped one hand around the back of his bicep, letting the other rest gently on the top of his thigh.

The sweetness of the ice cream made the kiss that much better. Niall wrapped his lips around her tongue, and she whimpered as he sucked on it, that throbbing in her core returning at full force. He lifted one hand and laid it gently on the side of her neck, brushing his thumb along her jaw. She tilted her head to the side to deepen the kiss, and they both moaned quietly as their tongues circled and entwined together. Fuck, her head was spinning.

There might honestly be nothing better in life than a slow, dirty make out session. 

Lili slid her hand upwards as slowly as she could. Niall's body tensed as her hand ghosted over his length, now rock hard in his pants. It still blew her mind that she had the ability to do this to him. She added a bit of pressure as they continued to kiss, and he groaned a low, sexy groan into her mouth. The sloppy kisses, mixed with the way she was palming him through his shorts, was causing his chest to rise and fall at a rapid pace. She loved watching him come undone.

She pulled back to breathe but kept her hand where it was, though she was no longer applying any kind of pressure. Niall gazed at her through hooded eyes, lips and cheeks bright pink. His eyes were practically black.

"Let's go to the back," she said, her voice low and quiet. She grazed her fingers up and down the bulge in his pants. Niall swallowed and nodded, licking his lips. Smiling, Lili removed her hands completely and wiggled her way to the backseat, gesturing for Niall to follow. Thank god the car was big, because it gave her enough space to squeeze through the two front seats.

Niall smirked and followed in her footsteps, though he wasn't as graceful as Lili. He was a big mess of arms and legs squeezing through the front seats, plopping down hard beside her. She giggled as he slid dramatically into the seat behind the driver.

"That could have been a lot worse," she teased. "I give the landing an 8.6."

"Shut up," Niall said with a smirk, reaching forwards and grabbing her chin. He dragged the pad of his thumb across her bottom lip, tugging it down gently and watching it recoil. "Come here."

With his guidance, she leaned forwards and pushed so his back was against the corner where the door and the seat met. She straddled him as well as she could and kissed him once again. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her back. His erection sat prominently beneath her. She made sure to grind her hips down against him and he hissed, bucking his hips up to meet her movement.

They'd only had sex once since their first time, so they were still getting the hang of it. The kissing part was easy, since they did it all the time. But anything further than that was still a learning curve for the two of them as a couple. 

She trailed her kisses down to his jaw, lingering there for a moment until she continued towards his neck. She sucked at a tender spot just along his throat, making him gasp.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked, almost completely out of breath. She pulled back enough to look into his eyes. A smirk was playing on his lips, but he seemed slightly shocked at her forwardness. She shrugged innocently as her arms hung loosely around his shoulders.

"Well, you've been so stressed lately." She laced her fingers gently through his hair. "I figured you might need some...relief."

Niall's eyes widened and the smile on his lips grew. "Oh, really?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Oh, that look was so incredibly dangerous. She nodded, biting the corner of her lip gently. The hairs on her arms stood on end when their eyes met. He grinned and licked his lips.

"You know, I think you're right, princess. I do need some help."

Giggling quietly, Lili bent to kiss him again, heart lurching to her throat at the contact. Kissing him was life changing. Shifting down his thighs to give herself some room, Lili reached blindly for his belt and fumbled with it, trying to pry it open. The anticipation was killing her already. Niall kindly guided her until the belt was undone, the two ends hanging loose by his hips. She could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly below her, and she smiled into the kiss.

His body went rigid as her fingers undid his button and slowly lowered the zipper all the way down. She continued to kiss Niall, nearly losing her focus when he swiped his tongue along hers. She whimpered into his mouth, causing him to grin, but the grin quickly faded once she took control again. She grazed his hard length through his pants with gentle fingertips as she made her way to the waistband of his boxers, letting her fingers linger there for a moment to tease him.

His stomach muscles contracted with anticipation, and his brows furrowed. It was a silent plea. After a few seconds, his kisses became more needy, so she finally dipped her hand inside and wrapped her fingers around his length.

"Oh fuck..." Niall groaned into her mouth, his voice low, deep, and gravelly. His breath had hitched slightly when her fingers wrapped around him. Kissing the corner of his mouth softly, she pulled back enough to watch him as she stroked his length as slow as possible. Everything about his reaction to her was so sexy.

He was watching her through hooded eyes, face pink and lips swollen. He was still fighting to catch his breath. He started to unravel at just her touch, and it made her smile. Each stroke of her hand made him take sharper breaths. She leaned down and kissed his jaw gently before completely stopping the movement of her hands, and Niall immediately whined in response.

"Patience, baby," she said, remembering him saying those exact words during their first night together at his house. "I've got you."

She stretched her legs out to try and crouch down in the space between his legs, but there wasn't much. Her foot hit the back of the seat. Niall took a deep breath and sat up straight, trying to keep himself under control.

"Hold on, let me fix this for you," he said quickly.

Lili removed her hand from his pants and slithered to the side to give him room. She watched as he leaned forward, slipping his hand between the driver's seat and the door. He pressed a button and the chair began moving forwards until it was practically touching the steering wheel. She giggled as she watched him, and he smiled down at her.

"There," he said. "Is that more comfortable, my love?" His voice was so soft and sweet, it made her heart ache. She smiled up at him.

"Perfect."

But he didn't sit up straight just yet, instead keeping his face a couple of inches from Lili's. He placed both hands on either side of her face, gazing deep into her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked quietly. The cocky, playful attitude he had a moment ago was gone. "I don't want you to feel obligated to do anything you don't want-"

"I want to," Lili said, cutting him off. Her voice had lowered to practically a whisper. "Really. Let me make you feel good."

He swallowed and nodded slightly, brushing her cheeks softly with his thumbs. "Okay, princess."

Lili absorbed the sweet moment for just a second longer, before she attacked his lips again, standing up on her knees and pushing him back into the corner of the seat. He groaned softly into her mouth. Her nervous hands found the waistband of his shorts again; she gripped it, along with his boxers, and pulled them both down together until they were bunched around his ankles.  He pulled one foot out and spread his legs wider, which allowed Lili to move closer to him, making this as comfortable an experience for the both of them as possible. 

Lili wrapped her fingers around his hard cock again, stroking up and down as slow as she could while Niall's tongue explored her mouth. He inhaled at the contact, struggling to breathe once again. With what felt like significant effort, Lili drew her lips away from Niall's and dropped down to sit on her heels. Her heart was hammering in her chest at a dangerous speed, a mixture of nerves and excitement. This had to be good for him. It was going to be the first thing that she would really do for him.

The first two times they'd slept together, he did all the work. No matter how much she argued about reciprocating pleasure, he refused. Lili wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want her to worry about it, or if he just preferred it that way, but it wasn't fair. But now, the spotlight was completely on her. She was finally being given the opportunity to make him feel just as good as he'd been making her feel. 

Her inexperience would really show right now, though, but she couldn't worry about that. She just needed to focus. It would all be fine in the end.

She looked up at Niall and slowly leaned forward, laying her tongue flat against the base of his cock and licking a long, slow stripe up towards the tip. Niall's eyes fluttered shut and his head dropped back against the seat.

"Fuck..." he whispered, as his brows furrowed. The blood in her veins turned to lava. That was the hottest sound she'd ever heard, and it absolutely boosted the confidence she barely had in her abilities.

She wrapped her lips around the throbbing tip, circling her tongue slowly around the head. Niall's hips bucked upwards slightly. She carefully lowered her head all the way down until she felt the tip of his cock hit the back of her throat and her nose brush the skin of his stomach. Tears filled her eyes as he stretched her throat to the brim.

Niall cried out, reaching up and weaving his fingers into Lili's hair. He tugged on it slightly, causing her to moan around him. She began bobbing her head up and down on his cock, making sure to drag her tongue along the length as she moved.

"That's my girl," Niall said, in a gravelly voice so breathless that it shook Lili to her core. "Just like that, baby. So good."

His simple, sexy encouragement was doing wonders for Lili's self-esteem. Maybe she was good at this after all.

She continued with her movements at the same slow pace, wanting to tease him just a little bit more. He was so big in her throat that she gagged lightly every time she brought her head all the way down, but eventually, she got the hang of it. Every now and then, she would stop and lap her tongue around the tip, before lowering her head back down. Spit was dribbling out of her mouth and down her chin, making a mess, but she ignored it.

She contracted her throat, as if she were swallowing, making Niall jump and groan, tightening his fingers in her hair. He tugged on it, massaging her scalp with his fingertips every now and then. There was no way her panties weren't absolutely soaked right now.

Niall was a moaning, cursing mess above her, and the sound turned her on more than anything in this world. He had, quite possibly, the sexiest moans in all of human existence.

The air inside the car was now so thick and hot that Lili felt she couldn't breathe, but she forced herself onwards. All she could focus on was making Niall feel good, and he was being more than vocal about that.

He panted as her mouth worked its magic around him; his chest was heaving up and down so heavily, she worried he might start hyperventilating. Niall cleared his throat gently as he used his hands to gently guide Lili's head up and down, making her work at a pace that he clearly enjoyed.

"You look so good on your knees for me, princess," he said, completely breathless. She glanced up at him quickly, keeping her eyes on his as she rolled her tongue around him. He smirked, meeting her gaze with dark eyes. "Look how pretty you are with your mouth full."

His words turned into a string of curses and moans as Lili picked up the pace, now using one hand to pump the base of his cock and her mouth to pleasure the rest. The two movements together seemed to be exactly what had been missing.

Niall threw his head back against the door and groaned, his hips starting to buck upwards with need. Each groan collectively grew higher and higher in pitch, until he was almost whimpering frantically. He was getting close - his face was red and slick with sweat, and his thrusting hips were getting sloppy and shaky.

He wriggled around desperately in the seat, moans and whimpers constantly leaving his pink lips. His eyes were shut tight and his mouth was dropped open in a perfect round 'o' shape. His broken moans sounded tearful, as if the pleasure was consuming him to the point of crying. It was heavenly. She continued to push him towards his orgasm with her mouth and tongue, revelling in the gorgeous moans that left his lips. The throbbing between her thighs was becoming unbearable.

His fingers buried deeper into her hair, and he threw his head back as his orgasm quickly approached its peak. His legs were getting restless, and she could feel the vein in his cock throbbing along her tongue. He tried to speak, but it sounded like he was having trouble. The words just couldn't form on his tongue.

"I'm...fuck, princess, I'm going to come," he was finally able to muster out. "Keep going, just like that." His voice broke as his breath hitched in his throat. "That's my fucking girl."

His abs tightened and he let out quiet moans and whimpers as he finished inside Lili's mouth; hot streams of his release shot down Lili's throat, and she kept her lips wrapped around the tip of his cock as he came, swallowing everything. Niall seemed to be completely dumbstruck as he watched her, admiring the way she took everything so well. He moaned at the sight. 

His breathing shuddered as he began to come down from his high, chest still heaving rapidly. A shaky exhale left his lips. Lili pulled her mouth off Niall's cock, watching as a thin string of spit drew off her lips and broke. She looked up at him through her dark lashes from her position on her knees. 

A single drop of his cum remained on her lips and threatened to roll down her chin. Slowly, she lifted a delicate hand up to her mouth and wiped it away with the pad of her thumb, licking it away with a flat tongue, eyes never leaving Niall's. He looked down at her, face red and slick with sweat, chest rising up and down rapidly from excitement and stimulation. The corner of his mouth was pulled up in a satisfied smirk.

He swallowed. When he spoke, his voice was thick and gruff.

"You have no fucking idea how hot you are."

She smiled up at him, causing him to smirk again. He reached forward to grab her chin, pulling her up to his level and crashing his lips against hers. The kiss was filthy and sexy, and it just made Lili crave him more and more. Niall kissed her desperately, as if he wanted to taste every inch of her mouth with his tongue. He let his lips trail down to her chin and jawline, cleaning up the mess she'd just made.

Her eyes rolled back with pleasure and she whimpered when his lips wrapped around her tongue once more, sucking slowly. The way he had kissed her tonight was so sexy, it was making her head spin. He moaned once again as he sucked on her bottom lip. Stars floated behind her eyelids.

He pulled back a few long moments later, when the two of them had been left completely breathless. They both smiled and laughed, feeling the tension in the air break. Niall sniffed and kissed Lili's forehead, chuckling slightly as he finally took a good breath.

"Well," he said. He exhaled sharply. "That was..." All he could do was shake his head, and Lili's face immediately heated up.

"Was it good?" she asked, hoping he couldn't hear how nervous she was. He grinned, and she watched as his eyes began to turn into sapphires once again. He picked up her chin and kissed her once more, this time softly.

"I don't think you understand how good that was," he said, reaching up and brushing her hair behind her ear. His hands were shaking ever so slightly. "Honestly, princess, I'm kind of speechless right now."

She laughed. "You're welcome," she teased. 

He chuckled and kissed her forehead again. His lips were warm against her skin. "My sweet girl," he mumbled against her. He sat upright once more and took another breath. "Alright, gorgeous, let's get you home."

Chapter Text

Niall's POV

Two days had passed since that amazing night with Lili in the back seat of his car - two very long days - and Niall simply could not get his mind off the events that occurred. He was completely consumed by the memory. The shape of her lips would forever be burned against his. Not that he minded, of course.

Niall was blown away by Lili's ability to pleasure him so effortlessly and so perfectly. It was like she was so in tune with him and his body that she knew exactly how to get him going without even trying. Her ability to care for him was phenomenal and like nothing he'd ever experienced.

It was obvious in the moment that she was extremely nervous, but he could only tell because he knew her so well. Her performance absolutely did not reflect the storm of anxiety he knew had been brewing in her mind. Even though she had initiated everything, he saw so clearly in her eyes how freaked out she was when the spotlight was on her, which broke his heart a bit.

It fucking hurt knowing that was so self-conscious about every little thing she did. How hyperaware she was of the things she said or did, or the way she acted. All Niall wanted to do was show her how perfect she was. 

But he loved the confidence she had managed to find, both in the moments leading up to the main event and throughout the course of the night. Even if it took a bit of time, Niall knew she would find it eventually and did what he could to encourage her. There was something so unbelievably sexy about a woman who knew how to take control in the moment and perform to the highest of standards. 

Of course, Lili Hughes was so much more than a sexual phenomenon - she was gorgeous, intelligent, funny, caring, exciting. Perfection wrapped into a human. She was an absolute dream of a woman in every possible way, shape, and form. He cherished her for so much more than just her ability to please him like she had the other night. Their relationship went leaps and bounds further than sex. 

But that didn't mean he couldn't allow himself to enjoy those moments where she did become a beautiful, sexual prowess for him. Watching the confidence take over her body was magical.

It had been a long, lonely 48 hours. Every few minutes, the image of her on her knees in front of him would flash through Niall's mind, and he literally had to take a breather, willing himself not to grow rock hard in the moment. Which proved to be much more difficult than he ever thought it could be. It was impossible not to think about her. Or her lips. Or her hands...

He really couldn't believe this woman was his and no one else's. Not that he wanted to sound obsessive or territorial, but it was true. Lili Hughes had chosen to be with him. She'd given herself to Niall in every possible way, as he had done with her. They belonged to no one but each other, and that made him happier than words could express.

Niall had always dreamed about having someone to be his forever – the person who would remain by his side through all the trials and tribulations life brought him. Someone who could be his partner and lover until the day he died. And Lili could very well be exactly that. How in the fucking world could he have gotten so lucky? It really wasn't fair to everyone else that he got to be with the greatest woman in the entire world. She'd chosen him over everyone else. What could he have possibly done to deserve her?

The sound of his phone vibrating on the couch beside him brought Niall's mind back to reality, shaking him from his very vivid thoughts of his angel. Pausing the show he'd been trying to watch, Niall picked up his phone and answered on the third ring.

"Paddy, boy, what's going on?" he said excitedly into the receiver.

"Hey. I'm in the area and thought I'd stop by for a drink. Are you busy?" Patrick's voice was distant on the other end, meaning he was probably using his Bluetooth.

Niall sat up straight on the couch. "I'm never busy when it comes to you, mate," he said, smiling. "See you in a few."

He hung up and stood from the couch, picking up the empty beer can he had been drinking from.

Today was an off-day in his training schedule, and Lili had convinced him to use it to the fullest advantage. No weight training, no mechanics, nothing. He was simply spending the day in sweatpants, having a trashy TV marathon to recuperate before he got back into the swing of things - no pun intended.

The only problem was that Lili was working the day shift, so they weren't able to talk as much as he would like. That was fine, because she had things she had to do that came before him. Plain and simple. But he missed her like hell. He would probably just pick her up for dinner or something once she got off. Seeing her for even five minutes would make the day that much better.

Just as the can rattled around the bottom of the recycling bin in the kitchen, there was a loud knock at the front door that completely disturbed the peace and quiet of the house Niall had been ruminating in for the past few hours. He sniffed and turned, walking over to the door and opening it, pushing his trainers to the side.

Patrick stood there typing something into his phone, wearing his regular dress pants and button-up shirt. He had either just come from an important meeting somewhere, or had just rolled out of bed and decided this was the best thing to throw on.

It was never easy to tell with Patrick - he dressed up no matter the occasion.

His thinning black hair was gelled back into a stiff style. A thick cloud of aftershave seemed to hang around him. The smell of it was putrid and strong.

Patrick looked up from his phone at Niall and smiled, stepping past him into the large foyer of the house without an invitation.

"Looking good, lad," Patrick said, as he crossed the cold tile floor, shoes squeaking against the smooth material. Niall smiled wider and shut the door, before he shoved his hands in his pockets as he followed Patrick's tall form into the living room.

Even in his own home, he couldn't help but feel out of place and severely underdressed in his track pants and slippers. Not when Patrick looked as put together as he did.

"You're not so bad yourself, mate," Niall teased back.

In all the years Niall had known his agent, he'd seen him in regular street clothes maybe two times. And even then, they were top of the line, designer street clothes. It was rare that Patrick wasn't dressed to the nines.  

Patrick's first instinct when he entered the living room was to glance at the TV, and an odd, almost amused expression crossed his face. He turned to look at Niall with one eyebrow raised. "Really?" he said, seemingly annoyed. "Is this what you've been doing all morning?".

Niall couldn't tell if he was actually disappointed, or just having a laugh. Patrick was one of those guys who didn't differentiate between emotions very often. He shrugged.

"Thought I would just hang out alone today. Give myself a bit of a break. I am allowed to relax sometimes, aren't I?"

The two men laughed. They both knew Niall Horan was not one to enjoy relaxing, especially when he had something important like PGA coming up. Sitting on the couch in the quiet doing nothing but watching TV all day was not his forte. But it was hard to disagree with his beautiful girlfriend when she expressed how much she believed he needed a break, so Niall figured he'd try his hand at being 'lazy' for a few hours. and, honestly, it wasn't too bad.

Patrick held up his hands in defense.

"Of course you are. I didn't say that." He swallowed. "But it could wait a few more months, don't you think? We've got a lot to worry about, and we can't have you slacking off."

What? Patrick was all about work, work, work, but this was a little much. Sure, Niall hated having free time, but at least he understood that a break every once in a while could be extremely beneficial.

It took a second for Niall to notice the humorous gleam in Patrick's eye, which he rarely ever saw, and his shoulders relaxed a bit.

"Ha, ha," he continued sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. "I'll be just fine, get over yourself."

Patrick grinned as he took a seat on the end of the couch, but it faded quickly. Niall felt something twist in his stomach at the sudden change in expression. He only ever used that expression when he was upset or disappointed about something.

Niall sat on the opposite end of the couch. "What's wrong? Why the face?" Whatever it was that was bothering him, Niall knew it couldn't be good. "Has something happened?" he asked hesitantly. Immediately, he reached for the hem of his shirt, twisting it around his fingers.

Patrick leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together and letting his hands hang loosely in front of him. This position always meant business. He cleared his throat.

"You're still seeing this Hughes girl, correct?" he asked, his voice low and even. Niall furrowed his brow. What the fuck? Given a hundred tries, that wasn't the question he would have ever guessed would come out of Patrick's mouth.

"Her name is Lili." Niall felt his heart rate increase slightly. It was kind of rude for Patrick to not even use her name, but that was a completely separate issue entirely.

Patrick nodded slowly, as if the words were processing in his brain with each bend of his neck. He closed his eyes. "Just answer the question, please."

"Of course I'm still seeing her," Niall immediately fired back, not caring how rude he sounded. Patrick swallowed.

"And you're sure you really want to be with her? You're serious about moving forward with this, I mean?"

"Does it look like I've been joking about?" Niall asked, his voice now dull and emotionless. What the hell were these questions? Patrick sighed.

"Alright. Then I think you need to go public with her. Let everyone know you guys are together. You need good PR right now, and this is the perfect way to get it."

Niall's brows knitted further together in confusion. Where was this coming from? What the fuck was going on? As far as he was concerned, they didn't need to do anything they weren't already doing. Everything was just fine the way it was, and neither one of them was intent on changing a thing.

Niall ran the palms of his hands up and down his thighs as he thought to himself. He tried to comb through Patrick's words to find some answers. "Hold on, mate, I'm really confused here." He held up a hand while he thought. "What happened to you not even wanting us around each other? What's with the sudden change?" 

There were more things he could have added, but he needed to do it slowly to give his brain time to catch up. This was going to turn into a very long conversation. Patrick leaned back against the sofa and crossed his right ankle over his left knee. He seemed too calm and casual for Niall's liking.

"Media attention is very important to someone of your stature, especially right before a big tourney like PGA. I mean, look at Tiger. He's always in the news doing something or other, no matter whether it's good or bad, and people still come out to see him. In the thousands, might I add." He looked over at Niall with an expression that was difficult to read. "I think you know by now how important your image is for your career. After what happened last time out, people are going to question what your mental state is. And trust me, there's been talk." 

He paused and grimaced slightly. "If people see you with a good partner on your arm, knowing you're happy and doing well, it'll help steer some of those conversations back in the right direction." Patrick wrapped his hand around his ankle to keep his leg propped up. "This will get you lots of attention and, potentially, extra support at PGA. Especially with Tomlinson there. We want as many people behind you as possible."

Just the sound of that name sent angry shivers down Niall's spine. He took a deep breath to calm himself as he listened to Patrick go on and on about this media bullshit. As much as he loved the guy, this was the one thing he did that absolutely pissed Niall off. He was a good agent. A great one, really. He knew exactly the right people to talk to and how to talk to them. And he'd gotten Niall some of the biggest and best opportunities throughout his career that he wouldn't have gotten on his own.

But Patrick's obsession with good PR and public perception was really fucking frustrating. Did he even see Niall as a person? It was almost as if he cared more about how Niall looked at PGA rather than how he performed. Like the golf part of it all came second to how he came across to the public. It was insane. Niall's talent and abilities were more than capable of speaking for themselves at a major tournament - he didn't need newspapers filled with pictures of his girlfriend to get people to come see that for themselves.

An irrational bout of anger seemed to be rising quickly to the surface. Niall fiddled with his fingers to keep himself calm.

"Let me get this straight here," he said quietly. "A month ago, she was a distraction that was going to cost me so much that you couldn't bear seeing me in that position. You literally threatened my career over her, and now you want to act like you've been supportive since day one?"

This was such a ridiculous argument to be having in the first place - as if their relationship was wrong or illegal - but Niall couldn't help it. If there was one thing Patrick wasn't going to do, it was disrespect Lili.

"I really wish that, for once, you'd care more about my actual happiness in life over my job. Sometimes there are more important things, lad." He exhaled sharply through his nose. "I think sometimes you forget that I'm a human being."

It was a low blow – he knew that. Regret instantly washed over him as the words left his mouth. But what else was he going to do? Patrick couldn't treat him like a money-making robot forever. Patrick sighed again and closed his eyes briefly. He was getting agitated.

"You're right. At first, I thought it was a very bad idea. I judged the girl too soon, and I was just searching for the red flags. How was I supposed to know what her intentions were? She kind of just came out of nowhere, and could have easily been in it for the money."

Niall scoffed, laughing without humour. "Maybe if you'd taken the chance to speak to her even once, you'd realize instantly that she's not like that. That she'd never even dream of being like that."

He was positively fuming now, and it was getting harder and harder to keep his cool. One more out-of-pocket sentence, and he might just break. Niall had a zero-tolerance policy for disrespect against Lili. 

Patrick tilted his head to the side slightly, and Niall couldn't help but feel like he was being mocked. "I get that now. Calm yourself." Patrick swallowed, looking around the room for a moment. "Like I said, at first I was worried. This girl, who happened to work at the club you were training at, appears out of nowhere, and all of a sudden you're going on dates with her and bouncing off the walls talking about her? Yes, I was concerned."

He sniffed and moved his head back over so it was upright.

"But I've seen the way you've changed since you started this thing with her and, as much as I hate to admit it, I think it's been better for you than I anticipated."

A soft smile unwillingly began to spread onto Patrick's face that disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. He rubbed his palms together. "I've seen how happy you've been lately, and I think we should celebrate that now."

For a split second, Niall's anger melted, and his chest began to warm.

It was true. He had been so genuinely happy since Lili became a part of it. He thought he'd understood happiness before, but nothing could have ever prepared him for this feeling. This relationship was honestly a blessing he didn't know he had been praying for all his life. The day Lili walked into his life, everything changed. Life as he knew it would no longer be the same.

"Yeah, I have been happier," he said. "She's an angel, man. You have no idea."

He found himself smiling from ear to ear just at the thought of her. Saying he was crazy about her was a hell of an understatement. She made his hands shake and his stomach flutter with excited nerves in ways he had never experienced before. The first thing he thought of when he woke up and the last thing he thought of before he went to sleep was her.

Patrick gave a weak smile. "I can see that. I'm happy for you. And that's also why I think you should go public. A lot of people would love to see a girl like that on your arm." He shrugged, like everything he was saying made perfect sense. "Plus, if you go public now, people will have enough time to absorb it. If we do it too close to the Championship, they might think it's a PR stunt."

Niall scoffed rudely once again.

"I'm sorry, mate, but what fucking life do you think I have? You seriously make it sound like I'm the most famous person in the world whose life is constantly scrutinized. I don't need to use my girl to 'prove' anything to anyone."

Seriously, it was like Patrick thought he was a goddamn Kardashian.

He was standing now, unsure what to do to contain the agitation coursing through his body. This switch in Patrick's mindset was going to give him whiplash. He began pacing around the room.

"We're perfectly happy with how things are right now. I don't want to change that, and neither does she." Niall finally paused mid-stride, now on the opposite side of the room, and stared at Patrick with a blank expression. "There's no need to bring everyone else into our relationship."

Patrick ran his fingers through his stiff hair, loosening some of the strands.

"Look," he said, standing up and crossing his arms. "This is my job for a reason. I represent well-known people - people who have a generous following, such as yourself. I know what the right decision is and what it isn't."

He started walking slowly towards the piano in the corner, arms still crossed over his chest. He watched the breeze blowing through the trees in the backyard for a silent moment, before turning back to Niall.

"All I'm asking is that you guys do a pap walk. Go on a regular date, hang out. Do whatever it is you like to do, and we'll hire someone to take pictures and send them out. You don't have to do anything yourself."

Niall's jaw dropped and his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

He stared at Patrick, completely bewildered. This wasn't real. Niall had definitely fallen asleep on the couch and was in the middle of some odd lucid dream. There was no way this was his life right now.

What fucking planet were they one?

"Are you fucking insane?" he finally cried out, his voice an octave higher than normal. This was all incredibly laughable, really. "A pap walk? Seriously, mate, who the fuck do you think I am? Do you realize how mental that sounds?" He didn't even know what he could say to this - there was no way he was hearing anything correctly. He was completely mystified by this conversation. This is why he didn't take days off. "This is so fucking weird," Niall muttered, mostly to himself.

"Then what do you want to do?" Patrick asked; he sounded exasperated.

"I want to leave this alone!" Niall exclaimed, hands held out in front of him in shock. What the fuck else would he want to do? Patrick sighed, and Niall took a breath. "We've been keeping our relationship quiet because we want to. The two of us value the privacy we have right now. Neither of us wants to invite people in just yet."

They'd only really spoken about this once or twice since making things official, but Lili and Niall were very much on the same page about sharing their lives with the public. There could be repercussions for both of them that they didn't want to have to deal with. And even if there weren't, wanting to keep a relationship private shouldn't be a bad thing. This was all so frustrating for Niall.

He shook his head. "Did you even bother to think about how this could affect her job?" he asked, clenching his jaw. "Or do you really only care about me and my image?"

"Of course I've thought about it," Patrick spat out. It was almost like he was offended at the accusation. "I'm well aware how it could look for her. But don't you think it's better for her to come clean about it rather than keep it hidden?"

Niall just stared at him, baffled. "No?" he said, almost like a question. "I think keeping it private is better. Like, significantly better. It's no one's business but ours, and I won't have her risking her job for me."

The very last thing Niall had wanted since he became involved with Lili was for her to have problems at work because of their relationship. If she lost her job because of him, he would never forgive himself. And knew she would never forgive him, either. Her job was one of the main reasons why they'd been so careful with what they did in public or who they told about their relationship. This was so much bigger than just Niall. 

Patrick stood and smoothed the material of his pants along his thighs.

"Look, I need to go, but talk to her about this, will you? Just do me this one favour and see what she thinks about this whole thing."

Well. That definitely felt like he was disregarding everything Niall had just said.

Patrick pulled his phone out of his pocket and began crossing the room, heading towards the front door. He paused and turned back to Niall, who was still standing in the same spot, absolutely stunned.

"Call me later, alright?" It sounded much more like a demand than a request.

He didn't even give Niall a chance to respond before he turned and yanked the front door open, stepping through and slamming it shut behind him. The house had fallen silent once again. Niall stood alone in that silence, unsure how to decipher what the hell had just unfolded before him.

There was no way that conversation just happened. He was completely blindsided by how quickly Patrick's opinions on everything had changed. And why the hell was he all of a sudden acting like Niall was some tv character that didn't have feelings? He ran his fingers through his hair and tugged at the ends, frustrated beyond words. Again, how fucking stupid of an argument was that?

Niall's biggest worry was how Lili would react. Her opinion mattered more than anyone else's, and if she wasn't okay with going public, Niall would shut the whole thing down immediately. She had just as much say in this relationship and what they chose to share as Niall did. But he honestly couldn't exactly gage what her reaction could possibly be. The idea of even bringing this conversation up to her made him nervous.

He could see her being upset with the suggestion because he just knew it would make her feel used. Even if she understood it wasn't coming from him, the feeling was inevitable. And that would just be awful.

Niall trudged back to his couch and flopped down, landing softly on his back. He blinked up at the ceiling for a few long moments, trying to calm himself down. His mind was running at a thousand miles per second. If he was going to do this, it had to be done properly. It couldn't be something that was just mentioned briefly in conversation without being discussed at length. 

Eventually, he sighed and sat upright, reaching for his phone on the coffee table.

Lili's POV

"Hi, baby," she said into her phone after the third ring. She had gotten home from work not even twenty minutes ago, and was just about to step in the shower when she heard her phone ringing in her bedroom. Niall's name flashing across the screen sent her heart lurching into her throat once again, and she smiled. These were her favourite phone calls ever. A five-second call just to hear his voice instantly made every bad day better.

"Hey, princess. Sorry to bother you out of the blue. Are you still at work?" His voice sounded low and tired, which was quite unusual. Even after his hardest days, the joy in his voice never faltered. She furrowed her brows as the smile faded from her face.

"It's never a bother when you call me, Niall. I just got home. No plans. Why, what's wrong?" Setting the towel she had been holding down on the dresser, she slowly walked over to her bed, sitting on the edge of her mattress.

Niall sighed heavily into the phone. "Nothing's wrong, I promise. But can you come over? I need to talk to you about something."

Uh oh, she thought to herself. That was never good. Her stomach twisted into nervous knots.

"I was just going to hop in the shower quickly, but I can be there in half an hour."

"Alright, my love. No rush. See you soon."

They hung up and Lili stared at the floor, blood rushing loudly in her ears. He said nothing was wrong, and of course she believed him, but it was hard not to worry. Had something happened? He asked if she could come over because he 'needed to talk to her about something' that was clearly meant to be discussed face-to-face. Was he breaking up with her, preferring to do it in person rather than over the phone?

As far as she was concerned, they hadn't gotten into any fights. If she said something that offended or upset him in any way, she knew he would have brought it up in the moment rather than waiting. So what could possibly be the issue? 

Fuck, why did she always immediately jump to the worst-case scenario possible? He said nothing was wrong for a reason...

It took all the mental and emotional strength she had to push the negative thoughts to the back of her mind as she walked into the bathroom, reached into the shower, and turned the handle all the way to hot.

***

Her knuckles had barely even grazed the wood of Niall's front door before it swung open in front of her. He must have been watching for her car through the front window. Niall stood in the doorway wearing his most casual sweatpants and t-shirt, looking more delicious than ever. It was rare that she got to see him dressed so comfortably, and the sight was odd. But it made her want to melt into the warmth of his arms more than ever. 

He smiled, and though there was still some strange fatigue behind his eyes, it felt like the sun had just emerged from behind the darkest storm clouds.

"Hey," she said, stepping through the doorway into his house. "Are you alright? You sounded strange on the phone." She eyed him as he closed the door behind her, trying to watch for some kind of telltale sign of what was going on. Was he sick? Did he get hurt? She couldn't tell. When he turned to look at her, he was still smiling, and her heart skipped. Even when he was going through whatever it was, he was absolutely stunning to look at.

"I'm fine, darling. Better now, that's for sure."

Lili kicked her shoes off quickly and pushed them up against the closet door, laying her purse and keys on top. As soon as she turned back to face him, he reached around her back, pulling her into a tight, warm hug. Lili wrapped her arms around Niall's neck as they embraced, taking a deep inhale of his scent.

As much as she loved being greeted with a kiss, Niall's hugs were phenomenal, and she couldn't ignore how warm and fuzzy they made her feel inside. It was like slowly slipping into a perfectly hot jacuzzi after you'd been outside in the snow. Plus, he wouldn't hug her like this if he wanted to dump her, right? That had to be a good sign.

He pulled back just enough so he could look at her but kept his arms wound tightly around her waist, forcing her to remain flush against him.

"How was work?" he asked in a soft voice. She smiled as she pushed herself up on her tiptoes to place gentle kisses on his chin, jaw, and finally his lips. The moment they kissed, he let out a soft, barely audible sigh. 

"Good, I guess," she responded nonchalantly when she pulled away. "Boring since you weren't there."

He giggled, and his eyes were shining. Her stomach flipped.

"How was your day off?"

He laughed again, this time louder. "Horrible," he said. "I don't think the ability to sit on the couch and relax is in my DNA. I seriously can't do it."

Lili laughed and tilted her head to the side slightly, admiring him. He was so perfect. 

Niall grinned down at her. "But, like I said. Seeing you has made it all better. I'm glad you could come by."

"Me too," she responded. "I missed you today."

Now it was Niall's turn to lean in and kiss her. His lips found hers and connected them with a gentle touch - it was the kind of kiss that instantly turned your legs to jelly. One of his hands came up and rested gently on her face, and he swiped his thumb back and forth along the apple of her cheek. She moaned softly, closing her eyes and allowing herself to enjoy the intimacy of the moment. Every single time she kissed him was better than the last, without a doubt. 

He pulled back after a long moment and smiled at the way she leaned further into the grasp he had on her cheek. His hand was so warm on her face that she never wanted him to drop it.

"Let's go sit down, my darling," he said softly, gazing into her eyes. "We have some stuff to talk about."

She didn't say anything in response to this. She just allowed him to take her hand and guide her through the tall, gorgeous foyer and into his living room.

Instantly, her eyes were drawn to the piano in the far corner, where the beautiful memory of Niall's music made her smile. She couldn't wait to hear him play something again soon. If he took requests, she had a couple songs in mind she wanted him to learn for her.

Niall flopped down on the couch with a heavy sigh; Lili followed suit, sitting on the cushion beside him. She gazed at him, patiently waiting for him to talk. He noticed her looking and blushed slightly, which was a reaction she didn't think she could ever get used to. It was just so adorable.

"Stop making me nervous," he said, his voice playful. Lili laughed and crossed her legs underneath her, turning so she was facing Niall completely.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"Yes, you are." He grinned wider. "You're looking at me with those eyes and being all beautiful. It makes me nervous."

"You're so annoying," she joked, rolling her eyes. She reached over and grabbed his hand, pulling it into her lap and lacing their fingers together. "Now will you please tell me why you called me here? You're worrying me."

There was maybe 5% of Lili that didn't actually want to hear what he had to say. If it was bad, she couldn't bear it, and that 5% was looking like a pretty good number right now. He stared into her eyes, expression almost immediately changing to something more serious. The playfulness she loved was gone. He took a deep breath and began talking.

"Alright. Where do I start?" His eyes darted across the floor as he collected his thoughts. "Patrick came by earlier and we started talking about you. Well, us, really. Which was kind of strange considering him and I haven't really had an actual conversation about you before."

He paused and furrowed his brow, reaching up to brush the tip of his nose with his knuckle. What could he be so nervous about?

"He was being really pushy about us going public. He thinks it'll be good for my image for people that follow me to see me in a relationship with a girl like you, and that I'm happy despite what happened at my last tournament and whatnot." He was still looking down at the floor, clearly avoiding her gaze. "I don't know why my image matters so much, if I'm being honest. It's not like I've got a bad reputation and have to convince people I've changed or something. I'm also not the global superstar he believes I am."

He snickered oddly. "He's obsessed with all this PR bullshit, and it's frustrating. He told me he thinks we should do a pap walk as our way of going public, which is absolutely insane. He makes it sound like I'm in the public eye every second of my life. Yeah, I get decent attention sometimes depending on where I go, but it's not nearly enough to warrant that."

He paused and looked up at Lili. Their eyes met with a strike of lightning that made the hairs on her arm stand up.

"I'd love to show you off and show everyone how proud I am to be with you. How fucking lucky I am to be with you." He grinned. "Knowing I could make every single man out there jealous with just one picture selfishly makes me very proud."

He shifted in his seat so he was facing her head on. The hand that wasn't linked with hers was resting on top of his thigh.

"But I like the privacy we have. I hate when everyone knows all about my business, especially stuff this personal. And there's no reason for me to do something like this to 'better my career' or whatever bullshit it might be for. I think Patrick's being an absolute ass."

He took a breath and swallowed, eyes darting back and forth between hers.

"My last breakup was incredibly public. I felt ashamed by it, because so many things that happened were embarrassing and childish. I don't want to have to go through that again." He paused, eyes immediately growing wide and regretful. He inhaled sharply. "Not that I think we're going to break up. That's absolutely the last thing I want. But if, God forbid something did happen, I don't need millions of people involved again."

He sighed, and his forehead creased slightly. "Since that happened, I've been much more careful about keeping my private life private. And, honestly, the idea of sharing you with the world really does scare me. It makes everything that much more real."

His palm seemed to be sweating against hers. "I know this is his job, and he probably knows better than I do, but I can't be certain on my own that this is the right decision." There was a brief moment where he swallowed and was quiet, but Lili knew he had more to say, so she refrained from speaking until the time was right. "This situation is so fucked up, but I needed to talk with you about it because I care so much about your opinion and how you feel. We're in a relationship. It's not just me."

He looked away, then back at her. "What do you think, my love?" he said quietly, after a minute.

Lili searched his eyes as she thought of what to say or where to begin. She had not been expecting any of that, and felt very confused. At least he hadn't called to talk about how he thought their relationship was failing or something crazy, as she had been anticipating. Stupidly anticipating, anyway. And for that she was grateful. She bunched her lips up to one side as she sorted through her thoughts.

"I have to be honest with you, this was very unexpected" she finally said.

Niall laughed lightly, and his eyes softened. It was obvious this had been weighing on him and he wasn't sure how she'd react when he finally brought it up. He scooted closer to her on the couch and pressed his side up against the back of the couch, propping his head up with his elbow.

"This whole situation is so weird," she continued. "I kind of don't know what to say about it."

Niall's eyebrows shot up. "Imagine me this morning." 

Lili smiled despite his tone. "Has Patrick always cared this much about your image or relationships or anything?" she asked hesitantly.

Niall lowered his free hand to her leg, and he started drawing shapes in the skin of her thigh with his fingers. Immediately, she broke out into goosebumps. Niall always did stuff with his hands as a distraction when an uncomfortable topic came up. It was the defense mechanism he resorted to the most. She was about to tell him he didn't have to answer if he wasn't comfortable, but he interrupted her.

"Not necessarily." His voice was quiet as he spoke, and his eyes remained focused on his fingers. "I think because of my last relationship, he tries to be careful with this stuff. Like I said, everything that happened between us was pretty public, and it really affected my game and my mental health. Since then, I've chosen to keep basically everything I do private." He sniffled, and she was worried he might start crying. "And now, the idea of sharing you with everyone really fucking scares me."

His voice had dropped significantly in volume, eyes still focusing on the movement of his fingers. He was now drawing straight lines up the length of her thigh, stopping at the hem of her shorts, before going all the way down to her knee. Lili remained quiet, giving him the chance to say everything he needed to without rushing him.

"I know he's just looking out for me, but I think part of his obsession with good PR is to counter all the bad shit that happened so many years ago. I guess, in his mind, people who have followed me since then and watched me go through that would like to finally see me in a better spot."

He looked up at her now, and Lili had to remind herself how to breathe when his beautiful eyes met hers. A smile ghosted across his perfect lips.

"Like I said, I could be fine with either option, regardless of how scared I am. Telling people or not, I mean. I care more about how you feel about all this." His grin grew mischievously. "I mean, since you've never dated someone in the public eye before."

Lili giggled and shoved his shoulder playfully, making him smile wider. Her thoughts were running wild.

He was right, though. She'd obviously never been in this situation before, and truly didn't know what to do. Could this be one of those 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situations? How was Lili supposed to know what to do. 

She took a deep breath. "Like I said before, this is very strange," she began. "It definitely is a bit dramatic and unnecessary, but I can also understand where he's coming from." She raised her arm to rub the back of her neck in an attempt to comfort herself. Niall pushed himself up to a more upright sitting position so he could see her face better.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, still keeping his fingers on her thigh. Lili smiled.

"I mean, on the one hand, I love the privacy we have. I like being sneaky with you and hiding what we have from everyone. It makes everything more intimate, more fun. Every smile, every kiss..."

Niall smirked and lifted their connected hands to his lips. "You mean like this, love?" He kissed each of her fingers gently, sending her stomach into a frenzy, and she had to physically shake her head to stop herself from getting distracted.

"Yes, like that," she said, her voice wavering. Now was not the time to be distracted by his lips. She cleared her throat and continued on. "I've never been one to overshare about my life, and I don't intend on starting now. I've always been very quiet when it comes to my relationships, or lack thereof."

Lili laced her fingers tighter with Niall's and smiled as she admired the way they fit so perfectly together. Two puzzle pieces manufactured for each other. It was beautiful.

"But on the other hand..." She looked up at him through her lashes. "I really want to show you off. I want so badly for everyone to see how lucky I am to have a man like you. I even kind of want people to be jealous, too, but that's not important."

Niall laughed lightly and she smiled at him. Her heart was racing. She couldn't believe they were even having this conversation. 

"So what's your answer?" he asked carefully. "I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with."

Lili licked her lips and grinned. "I think we should do it."

Judging by how fast Niall's eyebrows shot up on his forehead, he'd clearly been expecting her to shut the idea down instantly. 

"I want us to show each other off and be proud of our relationship. There are ways to do this while still keeping all the important things private." She squeezed his hand adoringly. "I want everyone to see that we're together, because I sure as hell want every single person I know to see the gorgeous man I've got on my arm. The idea of everyone knowing that you're mine and I'm yours is special to me. I've never had that before."

Niall rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the pink flush rising in his cheeks. It was always so endearing to see him blush.

"You're sure?" he asked. "I don't want you to make this decision because you feel pressured by Patrick. Lili nodded her head.

"I'm sure. I have to show you to the world. It's not every day a girl like me gets to be with a guy like you."

He furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, a girl like you?" 

She didn't like how upset he sounded when he'd said that. Lili looked away and swallowed, shrugging. Wasn't it obvious? "I'm so...plain. There's nothing that special about me. Having someone as perfect as you is rare for someone like me."

Niall scoffed gently and rolled his eyes. The part of the cushion beside Lili's leg dipped as he leaned forward. Using his free hand, he cupped her chin and lifted her head enough for her to look at him. He ran his thumb across her bottom lip.

"I don't understand why you think that way. Do you even realize how fucking beautiful you are? How wonderful your personality is? Or how incredible your mind is? Everything about you is amazing." He gazed deep into her eyes. "The day you see yourself the way that I do, you'll laugh at how you used to think about yourself. You are so perfect in every way."

Oh.

How unfair that other people couldn't experience this man's adorations and affirmations. The world would be a better place if the did.

Lili looked away as tears welled in her eyes, and she felt a blush burning her cheeks. It was impossible for her not to melt when he spoke that way. She shook the tears away and looked at him, smiling, before she leaned forwards and kissed him, letting her smile grow.

"You really have a way with words, don't you?" she said against his lips. Niall laughed and pressed more kissed to her lips, before he sat back on the couch.

"It's only because they're true. I speak from the heart, my darling. You should know that by now." He squeezed her hand affectionately when she blushed. "But really, are you sure you want to do this? Once it's out there, we can't take it back."

It was risky, for sure. The idea was terrifying. Once the news was out in the world, everyone was going to have something to say. People were going to share their opinions because they feel like they've been invited into your life. But if they spent their whole relationship living in privacy and fear, would it really ever get the chance to flourish?

Before she could stop herself, Lili nodded. "I'm sure. But I want us to do it on our own terms."

"What do you mean, love?" Niall asked, watching her intently. His voice was calm and patient, completely free from judgement. 

"No ridiculous pap walks," she said with a shake of her head. "That would be stupid and unnecessary. If Patrick is okay with it, we could probably just post pictures on our social medias or something. Very casual and normal, but still unexpected."

That seemed like the best compromise she could come up with at the moment, and something that she was comfortable with. If it didn't satisfy Patrick, then that would be fine. They would just work something else out, but there was no way a pap walk was happening. That was not the world Lili lived in, or even wanted to live in.

Niall's smile spread widely across his face, making Lili's heart stop. He unlaced their fingers and reached up, placing his hand on the back of her neck to pull her face down towards his. She fell on top of him as he lay back on the couch, and Lili couldn't stop smiling as he tried to kiss her, resulting in the two of them erupting in a fit of giggles, their foreheads pressed together. Lili's heart was now racing so fast it was almost painful, but she didn't care. Looking into his eyes was the best feeling in the world. Niall's pupils dilated slightly.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. She smiled at him, trying not to shiver at the contact.

"Hey," she whispered back. Leaning down, she captured Niall's lips in another kiss, causing him to sigh into her. The kiss was soft and slow, sending hot bolts of lightning down Lili's spine. Niall finally pulled away again and looked at her for a long moment; his eyes glistened as he studied her. It took Lili's breath away. 

"Okay, let me call Patrick."

Lili rolled off him with a smile and sat back in the corner of the couch she'd just been resting in, trying to calm herself down once again. Niall also sat up with a groan and reached for his phone on the table. As he dialled Patrick's number, he reconnected their fingers. Now Lili's heart was racing for a different reason. This was so nerve wracking. He put the phone on speaker; as he waited for the line to connect, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle softly .

"Yeah." Patrick's gruff voice spoke on the other end impatiently. Niall rolled his eyes and Lili had to stifle a giggle.

"What, no hello?" Niall teased. "Kind of a rude way to greet your best client."

Patrick clicked his tongue in mock disapproval on the other end of the line. "What do you want?"

Niall chuckled satisfactorily. "Alright mate, I'm here with Lili, and we have some stuff we need to talk to you about." Lili's stomach flipped. Fuck, this could go really, really badly. What if Patrick hated their idea? Or got angry that they were even suggesting something like this?

Niall cleared his throat "We talked about what you mentioned earlier. We've decided that we're both willing to go public, but only if you let us do it our way."

The only noise coming from the receiver was slight static, which made the nervous tension in the room grow even thicker. Patrick was silent on the other end; Lili and Niall glanced at each other expectantly. She raised her eyebrows in alarm, as if to say 'what now?'. Niall just responded with a gentle shrug of the shoulder. Lili's heart was pounding. Nerves were bubbling in her stomach, and Patrick's silence was not helping. But then, finally, he sighed.

"What are you thinking?" he said, in a very straight tone. Almost like he didn't want to give away how curious he was or how willing he would be to go with their suggestion. A smile played on Niall's lips.

"We'll go public with our relationship, if that's what you want us to do, but only if we get to do it by posting a picture online or something casual like that. And we get to pick what we post," he added, one eyebrow cocked.

Lili held her breath as she waited for Patrick's response again - his silence was longer this time. What if he wasn't happy? Lili had been expecting - hoping, really - to have to compromise, but she honestly didn't know what other options they could possibly come up with. This was all very strange for her. Having never been involved with someone 'famous' in any way, she could never have expected how much thought and consideration had to go into something as small as this.

Is this what a large portion of Niall's life was like? Spending long periods of time thinking and discussing before making decisions like this? That couldn't be easy at all...

Patrick cleared his throat after such a long silence that the sound made Lili jump. She'd almost forgotten they were still on a call. "Fine," he said; his voice was dull, almost indifferent. Niall's face instantly lit up. Once again, the sun had appeared and brightened up their lives. "This isn't how I would have liked to do it, but you know what? Whatever makes you happy, man. Go ahead."

Niall couldn't contain his smile, and the sight made Lili's own smile grow wider than ever. She would do any and everything to make sure he stayed this happy for the rest of his life. 

"Alright, sounds good. Cheers mate," Niall said happily into the phone, hanging up before Patrick could double back and change his mind.

He tossed the phone onto the cushion behind him and lunged at Lili, wrapping his arms around her back as he fell on top of her. Lili shrieked with laughter. The back of her head pressed gently against the curve of the arm rest, propping it up so she could see him.

That conversation had gone miles better than she could have anticipated it being. And much quicker, too. She had definitely been prepared to argue back and forth with Patrick for at least ten minutes. Him giving in that quickly was never even an option. 

"Wow," she said, when the realization of what they were about to do finally hit. "You're going to be the first boyfriend I've ever posted about." Unable to help herself, she chuckled. "It's not like I had opportunities before, anyway. 

The idea both excited and deeply terrified her. There were going to be lots of people with lots of opinions, and like Niall said, once it was out there, they couldn't take it back. It was going to be a big change for Lili - something she would have to get used to. For the first time ever, people she didn't even know were going to be injecting their opinions in places they weren't wanted or needed.

Could she handle this newfound attention from every corner of her life? 

The answer was yes - she was ready for this. She'd been waiting her whole life to have someone to show off and couldn't possibly think of a better person to be in this situation with. Any outside opinions didn't matter. 

Niall smiled shyly and bent his head down to kiss the tip of her nose, and then her lips.

"You'll be the first good girlfriend I've ever posted about."

Lili laughed awkwardly, ignoring the dull pain his words caused deep in her chest. He had obviously meant no harm with that sentence, but that didn't mean she couldn't react. Was this pain jealousy or sympathy? This was yet another first she was experiencing with him that he'd already experienced with someone else. It was always so hard for her to ignore these things, but she was working on it. There would be plenty of firsts for them to have together in the future, anyway. 

She forced the feeling to the back of her mind and smiled at Niall. He kissed her lips gently again before pushing himself onto his knees and sitting back up straight.

Lili followed suit, catching her breath as she sat up against the couch and crossed her legs underneath her body again. She reached down and retrieved her phone from the table, unlocking the screen and swiping over to her photo album.

"What should I post? We've taken so many good ones," she said, as she scrolled through her photos.

The fact that he was always willing to take pictures with her made her so happy. Not that it was a priority to have her phone out all the time when they hung out, but she liked to have the memory of good days they had together.

It was so hard to choose the perfect photo because he looked phenomenal in all of them. Even the candids she took of him where he wasn't paying attention or the background was blurred still looked absolutely angelic. It wasn't fair that he was that beautiful. 

And then she came across one of the ones she had taken in his pool, and her eyes widened. It was a selfie from inside the water - she remembered being so afraid she would drop her phone in the pool that she held onto it so tightly, her knuckles turned white. In the photo, Lili and Niall were both wearing their sunglasses, but the joy written on their faces was clear. Niall's arms were wrapped around her back, holding her close to his body.

Her cheek was pressed against the side of his forehead. The water droplets along her skin looked perfectly placed, almost photoshopped, and her hair was falling in a mess down her back, but it looked quite sexy. She admired how she looked in that photo, which was something she almost never did. Her skin was glowing, her smile was bright. Happiness looked damn good on her.

"This is the one," she said, turning her phone so Niall could see the picture. As soon as his eyes landed on her screen, they lit up with joy, and he smiled.

"That's definitely one of my favourites we've taken so far. Look how gorgeous you are," he said sweetly. Lili blushed, avoiding the compliment. 

"What are you choosing?" she asked, scooting closer to him to look at his phone. Lifting his arm slightly, she hooked hers through it and cuddle up to his side, resting her arm in the crook of his elbow. He scrolled through the many pictures he had of the two of them in an album that was just labelled 'baby', and once again found herself overwhelmingly happy about it.

There had been a point in her life where Lili couldn't even dream about a guy wanting even one picture of them on his phone. She was used to being hidden away. Daniel had been so ashamed to be with her or be seen with her, and made it very clear that she needed his permission if she wanted to post something relating to the two of them on her social media. And 100% of the time, his answer was always no. 

But Niall made it a point to show her that he felt the complete opposite, and did so with the copious amounts of photos he took when they hung out. Whether it was candids of her or selfies of the two of them, he was always willing to snap a couple memories for the two of them to have. 

Lili couldn't help but giggle, pressing her forehead against his shoulder as the laughter overtook her. Niall looked down at her from the corner of his eye.

"What's so funny?" he asked, once her laughing fit had subsided. 

Lili licked her lips. "This feels so juvenile. Picking the perfect couple photo to post online. It makes me feel like I'm in high school."

From an outside perspective, it really did seem stupid and juvenile. Grown adults in their mid-twenties really shouldn't care about social media like this. There shouldn't be copious amounts of pressure on them to post a photo and worry about the consequences. But Lili had missed out on so many of those young teen experiences throughout her life, and it was nice to kind of rekindle these feelings now as an adult. Little by little, Niall was healing her.

He contemplated her words for a second, shrugged, and smiled. "Yeah, I get that. But at least it's fun. I've never been this excited to post on my socials before."

Lili rolled her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder again, heart fluttering incessantly. She really believed him.

Niall continued to scroll through the thousands of pictures he had. Lili didn't think she would ever meet someone who posed golf clubs for photos the way Niall did but, honestly, it was so cute. He took such great care of them. His fingers finally landed on a photo and he literally yelled out "Aha!" as he selected it.

It was from a few weeks ago when they'd gone for lunch in the park. It was another selfie, but this time, Niall was the one taking it. The green grass and blue sky behind them turned into the perfect backdrop. Lili had one arm around Niall's waist, her other hand against his chest. Her sunglasses had been pushed up to the top of her head, and she was smiling so big that her eyes nearly disappeared. Before Niall, it had been so long since she had genuinely smiled. Over the years, she'd gotten really good at the fake one. The real smile looked foreign on her, but truly beautiful. Photo Niall was kissing her cheek, which was probably the cause of the smile. 

Lili smiled up at real-life Niall. "I love that one," she said quietly. Niall kissed the side of her head and nodded.

"Me too. It's so hard to choose just one when you look so beautiful in all of them," he said happily. "I could just make a thousand different posts." Lili pushed her shoulder into his as a way to shut him up, but he just giggled. "Alright, are you sure you want to do this?" he asked again. He was so protective of her feelings, and she really appreciated it. Lili nodded, trying to ignore the nervous turning in her stomach.

"Yes. Let's do it." 

She turned back to her phone and started up Instagram, starting a new post draft with the photo she'd chosen.

Lili added Niall's tag to the post as she tried to think of a caption. Everything she thought of was cringy and weird, and none of them sounded like her. She'd written and deleted the caption maybe six times, too nervous to stick with anything in particular. Eventually, she settled on the word 'sunkissed', followed by the sun emoji and the pink heart she used in Niall's contact card. It looked much better than the standard red. 

That was simple enough, right?

She absolutely hated captioning photos and thought that hers was tacky, but Niall looked over at her screen and nodded in approval, grinning.

"I like that. But I think mine is better." He showed her his phone. His caption read 'my two favourite things: lunch in the park and my girl'. 

She blushed hard, scrunching her nose up. "We sound like teenagers," she said, laughing. They really did. 

Niall smiled even brighter. "Yeah, but it's all in good fun, princess. Life doesn't have to be so serious all the time." He giggled softly. "If you really want to be a teenager, we could always add each other's initials to our bio."

"Oh god, that's too far even for me," Lili said with a laugh, shaking her head. Although, that wasn't something she necessarily hated. And even though he meant it as a joke, it was kind of cute for him to even suggest that.

He exhaled sharply, drawing her attention back to him. "Okay, on three?"

His voice was so gentle as he spoke to her - he clearly understood how big of a deal this was for her. But it was a big deal for him, too, so she could imagine he felt quite the same. Lili nodded, finger hovering over the small 'post' button. Her heart was racing at a mile a minute and she was starting to sweat a bit.

She was well aware that this was going to come back around and follow her at work, but she could prepare herself for that. People at the club liked to talk just to hear the sound of their own voice - it meant nothing and had no impact on her life whatsoever. If anyone had a problem with this relationship, that was their problem. Lili and Niall were happy, and that was all that mattered. 

Her hands shook with nerves and excitement as Niall counted down from three. At the same time, they pressed post, and Lili watched as her first official relationship photo appeared on her profile. There was no more hiding. No more keeping things to themselves. Obviously, they could still keep everything private that needed to be private, but this felt like they were inviting the whole world into their intimate moments.

She let out a sharp, shaky breath. "Well, that's that." Her voice was unsteady.

"Are you happy? With this decision, I mean?" he asked. He sounded nervous, almost unsure.

Lili put her phone on the coffee table and wrapped her arms around Niall's neck, forcing him to turn towards her. He looked at her like she was the most precious thing in the world, and it made her heart skip.

"Very. Not just about this decision, but about everything. You. Us. I'm so happy."

"Yeah?" he asked, a sweet grin growing on his lips. She nodded and reached up to tangle her fingers into the hair at the back of his head.

"Yeah," she repeated. "More than you know." 

He blushed and smiled, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Her heart leapt to her throat. Niall slowly pushed her down against the cushions, gently laying on top of her again. Her legs automatically wrapped around his hips. She moaned quietly into the kiss as his body moulded perfectly with her own. Again, this was heaven.

She was trying to ignore the incessant buzzing coming from Niall's phone, focusing instead on the way his fingers rubbed gentle patterns into her arms. But after a few moments, they'd both had enough. Niall broke the kiss with a faint apologetic smile and reached for his phone.

"I think the people like what they see," he said, looking at his screen. He turned the phone so Lili could see what he meant.

His lock screen was already flooded with notifications, but she couldn't see them, let alone read them. She was completely distracted by the fact that the wallpaper on his phone was a fucking picture of her. One he'd taken when she wasn't paying attention. She felt herself blushing again for what felt like the thousandth time in the last hour alone, but chose not to bring attention to it. This man was unbelievable.

She cuddled up to his side once again.

"What are they saying?" she asked nervously.

He unlocked his phone and opened the picture. Lili's eyes grew wide with shock. It already had 4000 likes and 850 comments, even though it had literally only been up for two minutes. Niall opened the comments and scrolled through, reading some of them out loud. Almost every comment was saying how cute they were together and how happy they were for the two of them. A couple of comments from Niall's close friends made her laugh out loud, but she felt good about them all.

She picked her phone up and checked her own notifications with wide eyes. "Holy shit, I have 300 likes already. I've never gotten 300 likes in my life."

Lili had a decent following on Instagram, but nothing crazy. It was very normal for someone like her. So to see her first ever relationship post blowing up was kind of cool. She scrolled through her own comments. People she hadn't even spoken to in years were congratulating her and commenting on how good they looked together. Jordyn was the first comment, unsurprisingly, asking how it felt to be famous now. Lili replied with a rolling eye emoji.

"Well, Ms. Hughes, I guess we're officially official now," Niall said, smiling as he admired his post. He seemed proud of their decision. Life now was going to be very different, but they wouldn't have it any other way. If this was the start of the next exciting chapter in their lives, Lili was ready to face it head on.

She smiled back at her favourite person. "Yeah, I guess we are. Cheers to us, Horan."

Chapter Text

~ vibes for the chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd4pbzfvE8M (iykyk)

Being in a relationship with Niall Horan was really good - and yes, Lili was going to brag as much and as often as possible.

It had been really good since the very start. It was all phenomenal in every aspect - their emotional and physical connection, the affection, the intimacy. Their relationship gave Lili the kind of happiness that she never thought she'd ever get to experience. For years, she believed this kind of stars in your eyes, head over heels type of relationship was unattainable for someone like her.

She hid herself from any potentials because it was hard for her to believe someone wanted her in this innocent, I-just-want-to-make-you-happy way. In her mind, there was always going to be some kind of motive behind pursuing her. And then her beautiful, blue-eyed angel swooped right down from heaven and showed her that everything she'd ever dreamed of was, not just attainable, but what she deserved.

Every little touch, every whispered sweet nothing was perfect. He put Lili on a pedestal, constantly reminding her that she was a beautiful person worthy of a perfect partner. He helped her believe again. 

So overall, yeah, being in a relationship with Niall Horan was fucking amazing.

But being in a relationship with Niall Horan that everybody and their mother knew about was really, really good. As in, a million times better than Lili had ever expected, which surprised her thoroughly.

For a while she never wanted to admit it, but Lili was really worried that bringing their relationship into the public eye would set them back. When it was just the two of them in their own little bubble, there was really nothing to worry about. With no one else involved but the two of them, they could act how they wanted and do what they wished without worrying about outside perception. There was nothing and no one that could get in the way of what they had. Lili would happily live in ignorance with him until the end of time.

But lately, she'd been having this awful recurring dream where the attention had become too much and Niall backed out of the relationship, leaving her hanging onto what could have been. He'd gone through so much already in the past, and it was almost like her subconscious wanted to drive a stake between them. He couldn't hurt her by leaving if she pulled away first, right? She knew she'd eventually have to bring these fears up to Niall, but decided on leaving it for the time being.

After all the ridiculous back and forth they'd gone through trying to decide if they should even go public or not, the last thing she wanted was for him to think she had regrets.

Lili also didn't necessarily know how to deal with the fact that Niall was willing to post about her on his social media, making her presence known. It was such a stupid fucking thing to think about, but it made her feel special. Because of Daniel, Lili believed that no one would ever be proud to be seen with her. Proud to be with her. She spent years convincing herself that it was normal to be hidden away from everyone.

It took her a long time to admit to Niall that she was scared of them being on each other's social media. She'd been told so many times in the past that she literally wasn't even allowed to post photos, and that took a significant toll on her.

There were times where she would tell Niall that he didn't have to post something about her if he didn't want to. He wasn't one to post often anyway, but she needed him to understand there was no obligation to do so. Every time she said it, he'd stare at her like she had grown a second head, constantly reassuring her that, yes, he wasn't obligated to do it. He did it because he wanted to.

He loved showing her off as often as he could, not caring who or what was seeing them together. Sometimes, she really did forget that Niall was well-known, not just around the club, but in life in general. His presence in both the sports and celebrity culture world were quite significant.

But she never saw him as anyone other than her Niall, her gorgeous, down to earth, loveable boyfriend. His success meant nothing when it came to their relationship. Nothing about his lifestyle or his fortunes influenced her feelings for him in any way; she'd fallen for him before she even knew what he had. None of it mattered. Nothing was more important than Niall's personality and his heart. 

So the fact that they were getting all this newfound attention from every corner of their lives was strange, even if it was normal for him. It should have had a negative impact on them, and yet, nothing about their relationship changed when they announced it to the world. If anything, it got better.

They no longer had to avoid being affectionate when other people were around. Lili had never been a fan of PDA, and she still wasn't, but she had to admit that it felt really fucking good walking around holding Niall's hand or allowing him to kiss her at the club when other people could see. There was no need to hide behind a tree just to spend a moment alone together, or shield themselves with tinted car windows when sharing a kiss.

It did freak her out a bit, but these were fears that she could easily overcome with a person like Niall by her side. Not having to sneak around with him made her feel so much more relaxed - like she could actually breathe now. Anytime they'd hung out outside of the club beforehand, it was in very low-key places. 

The first example that came to her mind was their very first date. The café he took her to was one that very few 'regular' people attended, meaning the likelihood of someone Lili knew walking through the door was next to zero. The Venice Beach boardwalk was obviously harder to hide in since it was so public, but it had been so busy that night that no one would have even noticed them there together. It was hard enough for the two of them to even stay together in the throngs of people, which is why she was so adamant on holding his hand.

And then, obviously, spending time at his house gave them the proper privacy to do whatever they wanted and be a real couple together. There was no need to keep looking over her shoulder behind the closed doors of his house.

But, for Lili, the absolute best part of telling the world about their relationship - the thing that took first place over all the advantages - was the fact that she could share the good news with her family. The night of their first date, Lili was already dying to tell them everything, and it was actually quite difficult not to say a word. She didn't even tell them she was going on a date. All they knew was that she was going out with a 'friend from work'. Holding onto the news was tough. It took all of her strength not to blurt it out over dinner every night. She avoided saying anything for a long while, but not just because of who Niall was.

Of course, that was a big part of it, because she knew they would probably overreact, and she wasn't sure if she would have been able to handle it at the time. Plus, she wanted them to treat Niall like he was a normal guy, because scaring him away would be heartbreaking. She wanted him to feel like he fit in with the family, not like he was standing out.

But the main reason she waited to tell them was simply because of her past mistakes. The first and last time she told her parents about a person she was dating was Daniel, and she had told them only a week after they met since she was convinced it was going to work out. Obviously, that whole situation blew up massively in her face, and the shame she felt having to tell her parents it was over between them was very difficult to deal with.

She hated disappointing them in any way. Though it wasn't even her fault, she couldn't help but feel their disappointment after everything. It was an embarrassment she never wanted experience again. Having to tell her parents what a failure she was made her sick. She didn't even go into tremendous detail, but that didn't make it sting any less.

With Niall, she was even more excited to tell them, but had definitely learned how to find the perfect time to do so. Being with someone had never felt so right or so easy, and she wanted to share that with her family. They deserved to see something good happen to her for once. Plus, even though they'd only been official for two and a half weeks, they'd been seeing each other for over a month beforehand, so she felt ready.

She had given herself some time to settle into the relationship, mentally and physically, and was ready to take that next step with it.

The day they publicized their relationship, the first thing she did when she returned home from Niall's house was sit down with her parents to tell them everything. She told them that she and Niall had been seeing each other for some time now, that things were going really well, and that she was extremely happy. There was no need to say any more than that. She explained how they'd met at the club - omitting the embarrassing first interaction - and that, since then, they'd been nearly inseparable.

She knew she was gushing and possibly oversharing things that they didn't care about, but she had so many strong feelings for this man and wanted her parents to see just how much of an effect he had on her. They needed to fully understand that she finally found happiness after the years of hurt.

Both her parents sounded genuinely happy when they sung their praises about the new relationship. It was obvious that they were slightly hesitant, but they loved Lili more than anything, and seeing her happy was all they wanted in life. It would probably take them a bit of time to get used to the idea that their daughter was now involved with someone in the spotlight, but they had no choice. She had no intentions of being away from him ever again.

Lili couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like for a parent to witness their child go through something horrible and not know how to help them. She thought back to the time spent locked in her bedroom, weeping into her pillow until her entire body ached and she physically couldn't produce any more tears. Her mom was the one who always came to her door, bringing her a hot tea or a weighted blanket in the hopes that it would calm her down or comfort her just a bit. Being in that position must have been awful, because no parent wants to see their child suffering. Josephine gave Lili heavy warnings of caution because of what happened last time and, though she knew deep down that this was completely different, Lili thanked her. She really did appreciate the way her parents looked out for her.

If there was one thing in life that Lili could be certain about, it was that her parents would go to the ends of the earth for her.

Her father was probably more excited about this whole thing than Lili was, which was saying a lot. As a golf fanatic, William had been a huge fan of Niall's already for quite some time. Since the day Lili mentioned that Niall had chosen her club to train at over the summer, William would speak nonstop about him - his career stats, his sponsorships, everything. It was hard to gage how her father felt about her dating again. She was a true daddy's girl, and William was the kind of man to go to war with someone who broke her heart. But hearing Niall's name seemed to soften the blow just a little bit. 

Just after that one conversation, Lili absolutely could not wait for them to get to know Niall the way she did.

One of the more strange things about being in a relationship with someone in the public eye was that people who you'd never seen or spoken to before suddenly wanted to know every private detail about your life. It was quite the phenomenon, actually. Lili hadn't even realized that it was happening for the first couple of days until she was approached by one of the newest hires for the dining hall, who she hadn't had the chance to meet just yet. 

They ran into each other in the employee locker room and, once the girl realized who Lili was, she started asking all these personal questions about Niall and their relationship. Her eyes lit up at the mention of Niall's name, and Lili honestly couldn't blame her for that. At first, it was fine - she asked about how they'd gotten together, and whether or not he was really as nice in real life as he came across on TV and through social media. It seemed as if she knew quite a bit about who Niall was beyond just the 'well-known golfer' persona he'd been given around the club, which made sense considering his online presence.

Lili was happy to answer the calmer questions since she loved to brag about her boyfriend. Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to do, but it was hard not to. Could she really be faulted for that? She loved recounting the beginning of their story to people who cared to listen.

But then the questions started getting uncomfortably personal, to the point where Lili physically cringed. Many of the girl's questions turned sexual, and before Lili knew it, she was asking very intimate things about their sex life, hardly even bothering to censor her language, either. Everything she said was blunt and vulgar. It made Lili super uncomfortable, and eventually, she had to politely decline to answer any more questions and excused herself from the conversation.

Never in her life did she think that anyone other than her best friend in the entire world would ask such gross questions. Especially someone she had, quite literally, just met.

That one conversation really discouraged Lili from wanting to talk to people about Niall. She knew that it was probably not going to happen as often as she feared, but the fact that it even happened once was enough for her to avoid it at all costs.

Luckily, other than that, majority of the chats with these new people were nice and respectful, and Lili had no problem engaging in any of those conversations. She still didn't believe the situation much herself, and she guessed that made it a bit easier to understand why outsiders wanted to pry into the situation. Most of the time, it didn't even feel real to her. She was still convinced that she was experiencing some sort of strange out-of-body experience, or a lucid dream that she would wake up from at any minute.

For all she knew, there had been an accident at work and her relationship with Niall was all just an illusion caused by a coma or some other loss of consciousness.

Having said that, it felt nice knowing there were people out there that were rooting for the two of them. Unsurprisingly, there were more than a few people who did not 'approve' of what they saw. 

Even though they were just random guests or other employees - and their opinions meant absolutely nothing - Lili still couldn't really be surprised when she found out that there were so many people who thought the relationship was suspicious. They had every right to believe what they wanted to believe, and she and Niall both knew it was bound to happen.

She heard the whispers floating around the club – they were hard to miss. The older women gossiped to each other over their mimosas at brunch, saying they were 100% sure Lili was 'in it for the money'. Pretty bold statements considering they knew literally nothing about her.

She understood that people were bound to think whatever they wanted about the situation, even if they had no information whatsoever. If she was looking at it from the outside in, of course she would see some things that looked a bit suspicious.

Niall Horan, a gorgeous and very well-known professional golfer, joins the club to train for a huge upcoming championship, and two months later finds himself in a romantic relationship with one of the employees? Anyone who follows the sport in any way knows that winning championships means collecting a fairly large cheque along with the trophy and title. Just last year, the winner of the Masters received $17.5 million. It wasn't hard for Lili to see why people would be hesitant to accept this relationship.

She thought back to what Jordyn had mentioned about Niall taking advantage of her and vice versa, and didn't doubt that this sort of situation could very well be a real thing with other people. But they weren't those people, and regardless of what other people may think Lili and Niall both knew who they were and what their intentions were. Lili could deal with the whispers, stares, and not-so-secret glances from club members because she knew, deep down, that nothing they said was true.

Why random people felt the need to say this and that about someone else's life, Lili didn't know. Their relationship didn't affect them in any way, so why did they have to insert themselves in it like that? What Lili did know was that she and Niall were happy, they cared for each other, and that was all they needed.

Once you bring other people into your private business, it can become a lot to handle. Certain opinions or feelings can potentially have a negative impact on the people in the relationship, no matter how hard they try to fight it. Even if you work on not letting it bother you, the chances of an outsider's perspective manipulating your individual thoughts and feelings becomes significantly higher. It can all potentially lead to some form of self-sabotage that could ruin absolutely everything. It could drive a person insane.

But things actually seemed to be improving between the two of them. 

She was so used to being affectionate with Niall only when she was absolutely certain no one would pass by at that exact moment. But now that she didn't have to fret over those kinds of things anymore, it made every touch or every kiss that much sweeter.

The relationship itself was also growing stronger. They were getting to know each other on deeper levels and learning to trust one other fully, allowing them to accept every ounce of affection and care being shown. Given their bad pasts, Lili and Niall were starting to understand, through this new relationship, what they wanted, needed, and deserved from their partner. They were in a sort of 'learn as we go' mode, and Lili appreciated having someone by her side experiencing the same things as her simultaneously. Slowly, they began to open up to each other more, sharing stories that they would normally keep to themselves.

Lili had started to give Niall more pieces to the puzzle that was her dating history, letting him in a bit more every day. She was finding it difficult to tell him everything, but that was okay, because they had their whole lives to share their traumas. She revealed little things that Daniel did, like how she was treated, and how everything affected her and made her feel. It was difficult to recount these stories because they still affected her so deeply.

And Niall was also being more open about his past, though he danced around telling the full story a bit more than she did. Which was fine, because the last thing she wanted to do was push him into something he wasn't ready for. She appreciated that Niall didn't judge her for being afraid of certain intimate moments or feelings, because he felt just as much apprehension as her. It was truly beautiful watching their relationship growing and blossoming the way it was.

And the sex...it truly was mind-blowing how sexually compatible they were. That wasn't the most important aspect of a relationship, but come on! How can the rest of your relationship not improve when you're both sexually satisfied? The first time they'd slept together was amazing, even with those few, slightly awkward moments that always happen during the first experience together.

Niall had been so careful and gentle with her that day, especially after she showed him some of her fears. He was so damn good at making sure everything was okay for her, and telling her time and time again that they would stop the moment she was uncomfortable. And because she trusted him so much, she didn't want to stop. And she was glad she didn't, because that night was absolutely unreal.

But they'd only been improving since then, and Lili was left with her head spinning and her stomach flipping every single time. Even just one simple touch from Niall sent her into a frenzy, showering her in a warmth she revelled in for hours on end. He loved pleasing her, and would go to the greatest lengths to show her a good time every time.

For a really long time, Lili believed that sex would be very difficult for her in any new relationship following everything that'd happened. Intimacy of any kind was already such a struggle for her, and she didn't think she would ever be able to give herself to another person in that way again. Being emotionally vulnerable with a partner was one thing, as tough as that already was. But allowing yourself to share that intimacy with someone else by being physically vulnerable was a whole other ballgame. For years, Lili had a firm belief that she would never trust another person with something so precious ever again. And she'd built up some pretty sturdy walls over the years.

But with Niall, everything was just...easy. He made her feel safe. That was the most important thing. Because of him, she was able to let go of some of those fears that had been growing over the years, and together, they started hammering those walls down. And damn it if she wasn't thankful for that.

Every time they had sex, it just got better and better. Niall was showing her talents she didn't even know human beings were capable of having. They were still learning together, but practice makes perfect, doesn't it?

But Niall wasn't just making her feel good in the bedroom - he was doing it with everything. Since they'd started dating, Lili's feelings toward herself had been changing. She just felt so confident and sexy, and the feelings were foreign to her. There were times where she'd look in the mirror and actually smile at herself, not shy away from the reflection. She couldn't ever remember feeling as good about herself - physically, sexually, or emotionally - as she had since she and Niall began this partnership.

He was truly changing her life for the better.

The first two months of their relationship were perfect, and Lili couldn't have been more grateful if she tried. She also loved that they could go on real dates in public places, because a date night was something Niall needed more than anything right now. The countdown to PGA was officially on. Soon he would be off to compete in yet another major tournament - one that he had a pretty good chance of winning. Just the thought of it brought out this strangely nervous side in him that Lili hated to see.

He had been working himself half to death trying to make sure every single skill he possessed was perfected. There was no margin for error now, and it was taking a toll on him. Every single day that passed, he was up working. Whether it was at the club or at home, he was training nonstop. He could tell Lili until he was blue in the face that he loved working hard and that he didn't need a break, but she knew that wasn't 100% true.

Of course he needed a break. He was only human. The mind and body could only take so much work and stress before they inevitably shut down, so Lili needed to make sure he avoided getting to that breaking point at all costs.

Taking him out and basically forcing him to relax, at least for just one night, would make him feel leaps and bounds better, both mentally and physically. And she was glad that she was able to convince him to finally give himself that break and spend some time with her away from the pressure of work.

Lili wanted to take him out for drinks to give them a chance to hang out, but also to give him the opportunity to let his hair down, relax, and have a good time. She had chosen to take him to a bar that had been recommended by a friend that apparently had fantastic nachos.

And she was excited because they would be meeting up with Niall's cousin Liam and his fiancée Grace, who were both already inside waiting. It was Lili's first time ever meeting them, and she felt a mix of anxiety and excitement over it. Because of how new the relationship was, Lili and Niall both refused to rush into introducing each other to friends and family. Being patient was hard, but would always be worth it in the end.

"Okay, I only have one rule for you tonight," Lili said, as she hopped out of Niall's Range Rover and shut the door behind her. It was a warm July night, and the moon hung high in the sky above them, lighting up the concrete parking lot in a gorgeous white glow. Niall appeared by her side and took her hand as they began walking towards the door, an amused smile on his face.

"What's that, darling?" he asked, a note of curiosity in his voice. Judging by the little grin on his face, he knew it was going to be something silly. Lili smiled and stopped walking, forcing Niall to as well.

"Make sure you have fun," she said matter of factly. A bit of a baffled expression was immediately written across his face.

"What?" he said in nearly a whisper. "I always have fun with you." 

Lili smiled wider, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach, and wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, stepping forward to close the gap between them. His eyes darted down to her lips and back up, and his pupils dilated.

"I know," she said, fluffing the hair at the back of his head with her fingers. "I just meant that I want you to actually relax tonight and not worry about work. At least for just a few hours." She swallowed, tilting her head slightly to the side. "I'm so proud of you and how hard you've been working, but I'm worried you're pushing too hard. You're not giving yourself any time to relax and have a good, stress-free night." She gazed into his perfect, shining blue eyes. "Just promise me you'll let go of all your stress tonight and just let yourself laugh a bit."

Niall took a deep breath, as if it pained him to hear those words. Maybe it was a bit of a reality check? She worried she may have said the wrong thing, and her stomach suddenly clenched with nerves. Did she upset him? Had she already ruined their night together before it had even gotten started? 

But then he smiled, and Lili was dizzy with relief as he leaned down to kiss her, the smell of his cologne filling her lungs. He always smelled so fucking good. He smiled against her lips and kissed her in a way that left a deep red blush on her cheeks. He gripped her hips tightly as he pressed his chest flush against hers, swiping his tongue gently across her bottom lip. 

He pulled back and smiled. "You're right. I'll have fun, I promise." He inclined his head towards the door as he dropped his arms and reached for her hand. "Let's go inside then, shall we?" he said, and all the hesitation that was in his voice earlier had disappeared.

A proud smile grew on her face. Lili eyed him excitedly, still breathless from the kiss.

His hair was slightly gelled back, and he had a brand new gold hoop in his ear, finally replacing the old one he'd been using for ages. The blue dress shirt he was wearing - unbuttoned and rolled at the sleeves, with a grey t-shirt underneath - made his eyes look impossibly beautiful. He looked good enough to worship at this moment, and it took all of her willpower not to drop to her knees in the middle of the parking lot and do just that.

Lili shook her head to clear the unholy thoughts and squeezed his hand, letting him guide her through the doors.

The bar was dark and crowded, with very dim overhead lights being the only source of illumination. It was a decent sized room, with about 20 small, tall tables scattered along the floor, two to three chairs at each one, and it smelled strongly of beer and cigarettes. Luckily, Liam and Grace had come early enough to grab a table – the room seemed packed to capacity, and Lili was not in the mood to wait.

The guy at the bar, who seemed to do a double take when he saw Niall, told them they could take a seat wherever. After pausing for a moment to look around, Niall raised an arm and waved, before guiding the two of them to a table in the back corner, close to what looked like a small stage. A classic rock song was playing rather loudly through the speakers, making it pretty difficult to hear someone even five feet away from you.

Lili instantly recognized Liam from the pictures Niall had shown her of him. He was a tall, muscular guy with long, flowing locks of brown hair, and sweet chocolate puppy-dog eyes that twinkled in the low lighting. He had full lips and a crooked smile. He was leaning in towards a gorgeous girl with dark mahogany hair and brown eyes, who Lili could only assume was Grace.

Whatever Liam said made her laugh out loud, because she tossed her head back and shut her eyes, the sound of her laughter dying as it was captured by the music. Liam watched her laugh with stars in his eyes, and the sight made Lili's heart skip. She loved love.

"Payno!" Niall called over the music, still walking closely in front of Lili.

Liam and Grace both turned at the sound, and Liam's face broke into a bright smile. He stood and closed the gap between the two of them, holding his arms out wide to pull Niall into a great big bear hug.

"Finally got away from all that golf, have you?" Liam asked, clapping a hand on Niall's shoulder. She'd expected an Irish accent from him, yet he spoke with a smooth British one. Niall gestured behind him towards Lili just as the song finished and another one began playing at a slightly lower volume.

"Liam, Grace, this is Lili." He glanced at her and grinned, placing a comforting hand on her lower back. "Lili, the one and only Liam Payne, and his lovely fiancée, Grace." Lili smiled and allowed Liam to wrap her in a warm hug while Niall did the same with Grace, greeting her as old friends would. Liam smelled really good, too.

"It's so great to finally meet you, Lili," Liam said as he pulled out of the embrace. He had such wonderful eyes. She smiled wider before turning to hug Grace.

"It's so nice to meet you guys, too. Niall never shuts up about you." They moved to the empty side of the table, and Niall made sure to pull Lili's chair out before taking the seat next to her.

"Oh, I can imagine. Just wait until you hear how much he talks about you," Liam fired back with a laugh. He was quite charming, too. Grace nodded emphatically as she looped an arm through Liam's, letting her arm sit on his lap. She wrapped her palm adoringly around his knee.

"It's true," she said, glancing at Niall with an amused look in her eye. "All he ever talks about is you. But it's alright. Who could blame him?" She looked back at Lili and winked. "Besides, I've just been dying to meet you. It's so nice to have another girl in the group. There's too much testosterone sometimes."

Lili laughed and felt her nerves easing completely. She loved Grace already.

Pushing her hair off her shoulders so she could breathe easier, Lili sighed. "Niall and I barely have enough time to hang out alone as it is, but it's nice to do the double date thing. Especially with people that mean so much to him."

Liam smiled. "I am so glad to hear you say that. Unfortunately for you, you'll never be alone again. We will absolutely be impeding on every single date you have going forward."

Grace scoffed out a laugh. "Don't mind him, he loves double dates. A bit too much, if I'm being honest." She turned to Lili and raised her eyebrows. "But he's not wrong. I have so many double date ideas planned."

"Sounds good to me," Lili said with a wide grin.

A waitress appeared at the table as they conversed, pulling a small notepad and a black pen from the pocket of her grease-stained apron. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun, putting her beautiful natural features on display.

"Hi there," she drawled. "What can I get started for you tonight?"

"I'll just have a tequila sunrise, please," Lili said, smiling at the waitress. The plan wasn't to get drunk, but a bit of a buzz wouldn't hurt. She nodded and scribbled the order down on the sheet, before looking up at Niall.

"We'll get two pints of Guinness, if you can, please? And a plate of nachos for the table with extra sour cream, thanks." He smiled that effortless smile up at the lady, and Lili could see some of her tough demeanor dissolve almost instantly.

"Just a vodka soda for me, thank you," Grace said politely, holding her hand up briefly. The waitress nodded quickly and turned, rushing back to the bar to put their order in. Lili looked over at Niall, with one eyebrow raised. A twinkle of amusement danced in his eye.

"What?" he asked innocently, grinning. Lili shook her head.

"Always have to get a flirt in wherever you can, don't you, Horan?" she asked, scrunching her nose playfully. He laughed, but the sound was drowned in the pounding bass of the speakers. He threw his hands up in defense.

"Hey, I'm not flirting with anyone. I'm just a naturally charismatic guy." He grinned and pushed his tongue into his cheek, leaning in closer. "Besides, it only matters when I flirt with you." He winked and Lili rolled her eyes once again, but she smiled at him as she reached down and laced her fingers with his.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't let me catch you doing it." She was trying to be playful, but her words were serious. He chuckled softly and squeezed her hand affectionately.

"I've only got eyes for you, princess. I promise." Lili's heart exploded in her chest. It always made her so happy to hear him speak to her like that because she knew it was genuine. 

Laughter from across the table made Lili turn her head. "Aw, look at my little Niall, so in love," Liam joked. She blushed, suddenly remembering that there were other people around that could hear them. Niall laughed again and brushed his thumb across her hand to comfort her. Glancing up at him from the corner of her eye, Lili could see his cheeks were just as pink as hers. He was so fucking adorable when he was being bashful.

"It's been a long while since I've seen him like this," Liam said, grinning proudly, as if he was the person who had set them up and was watching his plan finally coming to fruition.

"You guys are really cute together," Grace said. She was laying her head gently against Liam's broad shoulder, gazing adoringly at Lili's hand in Niall's. "I wish he found you sooner."

Lili blushed again, feeling her face burn. "Yeah, me too," she said, looking back over at Niall. His cheeks were still just as pink, and his pupils were practically heart shaped. He licked his lips. 

"It's a good thing we've got plenty of time to make up for all those lost years, right?" Niall's eyes were shining like sapphires in the sun as he smiled at her. Lili's stomach flipped and her heart jumped to her throat, pounding against her esophagus. Any time he said anything like that, she wanted to jump for joy. Nothing in the entire world felt better than knowing Niall Horan was planning for a long future with her. She nodded, trying not to get emotional.

"Yeah. Lots of time."

Niall squeezed her hand gently again and tapped the surface of her hand three times with his thumb. She squeezed back, absolutely adoring the way his face lit up when she did so. Beaming, Lili turned back to Liam and Grace, giving Liam more of her attention. Her curiosity was finally getting the better of her.

"Alright, I have to ask, because I'm a bit confused here." Liam raised his eyebrows in a way that invited her to continue. "If you guys are cousins, why do you have different accents? Were you raised outside of Ireland?"

Liam glanced at Niall with his wide brown eyes, and she suddenly felt very stupid. Maybe she shouldn't have asked that. Or at least asked Niall for some background information before this meeting so that she didn't make a fool of herself. 

"We aren't really cousins," Liam began, shifting in his seat. "As far as we're concerned, we have no blood relation whatsoever."

Liam's left hand had disappeared under the table, laying gently on Grace's thigh in the same manner Niall's usually did when he and Lili drove together. Lili blinked at him, waiting for the next half of the sentence.

"But you say you are?" she asked, feeling even dumber. Niall chuckled.

"If you're going to tell it, Payno, tell it right," he teased. He turned in his seat so he could see both Lili and Liam at the same time. "Our dads went to uni together in London a thousand years ago. They were on the rugby team together and became really good friends. They're still best friends now, actually."

Niall beamed as he recounted the story, and it was obvious before he even gave any information that this long friendship meant a lot to him. 

"Liam's dad, Geoff, was born and raised in Wolverhampton, which is a city in central England. He went back there after they graduated, and my dad came back to Mullingar. Both got married and had kids, but they stayed in touch." He cleared his throat. "Liam and I weren't raised together physically, but we've been best friends since birth. Our birthdays are less than a month apart. We call each other cousins because our dads are basically brothers."

Lili smiled at the two of them. "That's actually really sweet," she said. It was so rare to have friendships last that long, especially ones that span over generations. She could only hope that she and Jordyn would still be sisters when they were 90 years old, and that their grandkids were the best of friends.

"I love that your dads are still friends after all this time," Lili gushed. She turned to Liam again. "So, are you just visiting now, or do you live here? And Grace, I'm assuming you're from the US? You don't have an accent like theirs, obviously." Lili shook her head, embarrassed by her rambling. "Shit, I'm sorry for all the questions. I wasn't planning on bombarding you guys with this." 

Grace and Liam both chuckled. "It's not a problem. That's the fun part about getting to know someone. You get to ask a million questions." She smiled and picked up a napkin from the holder in the middle of the table, ripping it into tiny pieces.

"I'm from Arizona, but I moved up here when my mom got relocated for work. I've been here about ten years now and I never plan on going back." She gestured to her fiancée with her chin. "Liam moved here with Niall."

Lili raised her brows in shock. "Really? How was that change for you?"

"It wasn't too bad," Liam said with a shrug. "My life was getting pretty stagnant out in Wolverhampton, and I'd been wanting a change for a while. At the time, I hated my job, had no solid group of friends. I just felt like my life was hitting a plateau. So, when Niall said he was moving here, I asked if I could come with him." He paused, looking down at the table thoughtfully. "At first, it was hard to leave my family behind. But I wouldn't change the decision I made for the world." He glanced over at Grace, and his face lit up. That decision clearly held so much more weight now than it ever had. 

Lili smiled.

"That's pretty great, I'm so happy for you. It clearly made a huge difference in your life." She raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, how did you guys meet?"

Grace looked over at Liam and gazed into his eyes with a look that would make even Lili melt.

"Well, it was four years ago," she began. "My best friend from college was moving into a new apartment uptown. The roommate she was supposed to be living with had some problems and couldn't move in right away, so she subletted the room for the first few months. And guess who was the lucky bastard that became the sublet?"

Lili gasped. "No way! What a coincidence!" It was amazing how the world worked sometimes. People who were destined to meet would always find a way, even if they didn't know it. Liam laughed.

"Yeah. It was pretty weird moving into an apartment with a girl I'd never even met, but then I saw her friend and knew I had to do everything I could to live there long enough to get said friend's number. And I did."

Now it was Grace's turn to blush. "You're lucky I fell in love with you the second I saw you," she said firmly. "Or that number would never have been shared."

Liam laughed adoringly. "Oh, I'm so sure of that, babe." He nodded condescendingly. "You couldn't resist me if you tried."

Lili smiled as Liam leaned over and kissed Grace's cheek sweetly. She turned to let them have their moment and was met by Niall's big, gorgeous blue eyes.

"Their story isn't better than ours, but it's still cute," she said in a whisper, making Niall giggle.

"It's not a competition, love," he whispered back, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes darted over to Liam for half a second, before he leaned in and cupped his hand over her ear, as if his next sentence were top secret. "But if it was, of course we'd win."

Lili laughed and scrunched her nose up adoringly. She found Niall's eyes again, and all the air in her lungs seemed to disappear.

"We definitely would."

It was amazing how, no matter where they were, the room always seemed to melt away into nothing when Niall looked in her eyes. The phenomenon was unheard of.

Lili and Niall were so busy making googly-eyes at each other that they didn't notice their waitress had returned, carrying a full tray on her shoulder.

"Sorry, dear, just on your left," the waitress said, gently brushing Niall's turned shoulder with her hip as she approached the table. He flinched, not even having realized that she was there, and leaned even closer to Lili to make room. The waitress placed the drinks down in front of everyone, before putting the plate of nachos in the middle. She also placed little bowls of sour cream and salsa on the tabletop. They thanked her, and she smiled politely at them, before heading back towards the kitchen.

Niall picked up his glass of beer, the thick, brown liquid sloshing up to the rim, and held it out in front of him. Lili picked up her drink and did the same, clinking the glasses together softly. "Sláinte!" he said to the group, pumping his glass into the middle of the table. Grace laughed and pressed her glass to his, Liam and Lili both immediately following suit.

Lili pulled her glass back and held it in front of her, encouraging Niall to clink his glass with hers. "And cheers to us," she said quietly to just him with a smile, before lifting the glass up to her lips and taking a sip. The drink was actually really good - the perfect combination of sweet and bitter. She watched Niall sip his drink, squinting his eyes closed as he let the drink coat his tongue.

"Good?" she asked, unsure of what his answer would be.

Niall's eyes opened and he smiled, shrugging. "Not terrible. It's so hard finding a decent pint of Guinness in America, you have no idea."

"There's a pub downtown that has amazing Guinness," Liam said, as he took a sip from his own glass. To Lili, it looked like they were drinking tar. She scrunched her nose up with disgust, but said nothing. "Though, this one isn't too far off. It's quite good. Cheers, lad," Liam added, reaching across the table with his glass. Niall chuckled and clinked their glasses together again, before taking another long sip.

He wiped his mouth with his napkin and held the glass up towards her. "Do you want to try it, darling?" he asked kindly. "It's nowhere near authentic, but it won't hurt." 

Lili scrunched her nose even tighter. "I hate beer," she said. Niall rolled his eyes.

"Look, Guinness is not just beer. It's sweet and cream and ale coming together in holy matrimony." 

"It's just beer, Niall," Lili said with a laugh. "Don't be so extra." 

Almost immediately, Grace gasped dramatically. "Don't ever tell an Irishman that Guinness is just beer, Lilian. Not unless you want to start a fight." She raised a knowing eyebrow at Lili, before sipping her drink lightly. There was a playful look in her eye. Niall grinned at Lili when she looked back at him.

"She's right, my love. I'm Irish, I can't help it. It's in my blood." He tilted his head to the side slightly, and looked so fucking cute. "Just try it, you might like it."

It was impossible to say no to him when he looked like that. And knowing the impact he had on her, he smiled proudly once her arm moved. She reached forward and took the heavy glass from his hands, examining the drink. It was dark and thick, with bits of things floating around, and she neither wanted or needed to know what they were. She physically braced herself as she brought the cool glass up to her mouth and took a small sip, feeling three pairs of eyes burning into her with anticipation.

Her lips instantly pursed in disgust; she couldn't even describe what she was tasting other than using the word "awful". She spluttered in disapproval as she thrust the glass back towards Niall, fighting the urge to gag as she swallowed. She picked up her own glass and took two large sips, desperate to get that horrid taste out of her mouth.

Niall and Liam laughed the whole time as they watched the scene unfold in front of him. Lili looked over at Grace for support, who just shrugged and smiled sympathetically.

"Jesus, do you actually enjoy that?" Lili asked incredulously as she reached forward and picked up a chip from the plate, dunking it in salsa before shoving it in her mouth. The spice helped somewhat, but she just knew this horrific taste would live on her tongue all night.

Niall laughed again as he wrapped his arm around her neck, pulling her in towards his chest and kissing the side of her head.

"I guess it's an acquired taste for some," he said, kissing her again, before setting her back in her seat. "Oh, hold on. You've got a bit of foam on your lip, love." He had his napkin wrapped around his index finger in a second. Lifting his arm slightly off the table, Niall reached forward and gently wiped away the foam of the beer from Lili's top lip. Her eyes never left his as he did this, but the action set off explosions of butterflies in her abdomen.

It was suddenly very hot in the bar.

He pulled his hand away, smiling, and Lili flushed. She quickly grabbed another chip and shoved it in her mouth, making Niall chuckle. "I love how the smallest things get you all flustered. It's adorable," Niall said, picking up a chip of his own and dipping it in the sour cream. 

"Shut up," Lili said quietly, blushing again. She shoved his shoulder gently. Niall smirked as he chewed, and Lili couldn't help but shake her head at him and smile. "You're so annoying."

"Liam, babe, do you think we should get another table? This one feels a bit crowded." Grace's voice was light and playful as her hands drew circles in the air above the table top.

Lili covered her face with her hands in embarrassment as Liam's laughter rang out loudly over the music. 

"Don't be ashamed, Lili. Really. That's what new relationships are like." He shrugged casually as he draped his arm across the back of Grace's chair. "You get caught up in all this stuff and forget other people exist. It was the same with us." He turned to look at Grace. "Remember your aunt's birthday?" he asked. Grace groaned and leaned back in her seat, laughing. 

"Let's not talk about that," she said, laughing painfully.

"No, no," Lili exclaimed, sitting up straighter in her chair, ears perking up.. "Now you have to share the story." She reached for another chip excitedly. "You can't just leave me hanging like that!" Suddenly, all her shame had disappeared, replaced by entertained curiosity. Grace shut her eyes, as if the memory itself was too agonizing to bear. Grimacing, she downed the rest of her drink before placing her glass on the table and looking at Liam.

"Okay, well, in hindsight, the story itself isn't really that bad," she said, after they communicated silently for a few seconds. "But it was just so fucking awkward."

"It was her aunt's 50th birthday. We had been dating...what, three months at the time?" he asked, looking to Grace for help. She nodded.

"My family had arranged to have this whole surprise luncheon at a fancy restaurant. We got all dressed up for it and everything. And my dad wanted to invite Liam because he thought it would be a nice way to introduce him to the whole family."

"Everything was going smoothly," Liam interjected gently. "All the adults loved me, the kids wanted to play with me all day, and the lunch itself was great. But then came dessert." He lowered his voice to seem ominous, though he was still grinning. "We were eating chocolate lava cake, and one tiny spot of chocolate had been left on her bottom lip. Everyone was distracted with their conversation, so I figured I would lean over and kiss her to clean it off. You know, like how they do it in the movies."

Grace covered her face with her hand as she began to laugh, face turning a bright shade of red. Liam loved it, clearly amused by her shame.

"We weren't getting hot and heavy or anything, but it was more than just a plain kiss, though it got the job done. When I turned back to the family, the entire table was staring right at us. I hadn't realized that her granddad had asked us a question right at that exact moment."

Lili gasped again. "No!"

"Yes!" Grace exclaimed. "My grandparents, parents, and cousins basically watched us make out while they waited for Liam to tell them about the job he'd just started. It was so embarrassing. I genuinely couldn't face my grandparents for at least a month after that."

Lili covered her mouth with her hand to suppress her giggles – after all, she would have dropped dead if that happened to her. She would not want them to think she was laughing at their misfortunes. But the second her eyes met Grace's, the two of them burst into raucous laughter that left Lili with a stitch in her side. Grace nearly fell off her chair, reaching for Liam for support. After a long moment, Lili was finally able to catch her breath, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. Liam and Niall were watching them, baffled looks on their faces as they tried to make some sense out of where that had come from.

"But everything's better now, I take it?" Lili asked, taking a sip of her drink to calm herself down.

Grace exhaled and nodded, reaching over to wrap an arm around Liam's neck from the side and pull him dramatically into a hug. His face squished up against her throat, and he poked her in the side so that she would release him.

"Yeah," Grace finally answered, after she'd pushed Liam off of her. "Everyone pretty much forgot about it." She laughed to herself. "That, or they chose to ignore it. Either way, it's fine by me."

She shrugged it off so easily, and Lili was amazed. One thing she wanted to work on was getting better at not letting embarrassing things bother her. If she'd learned anything over the past couple of months, it was that embarrassing things were bound to happen. No matter how much you tried to avoid feeling shame, it was inevitable. Human beings weren't meant to be perfect. But if she could just shake these moments off and not give them the power to bother her, she would enjoy life a whole hell of a lot more.

The group continued eating and drinking, talking about their upcoming plans for the weekend or how work was going. Even making small talk felt so natural and comfortable. For starters, Lili never felt awkward around Niall. She loved how he listened so attentively to the most mundane of stories, and could always turn the most boring of subjects into a lengthy conversation. And, thankfully, she felt right at home with Liam and Grace.

Grace was the sweetest person Lili had ever met, and they bonded over a shared music taste and favourite TV shows. She was incredibly friendly and easy going. Liam was an amazing personality to have around. It was clear that he was always the light and life of the party, no matter where he went. His charismatic nature was incredibly underrated. But the best thing about him was his sense of humour. He made jokes constantly that had Lili doubled over with laughter the entire night. And his strong bond with Niall was so obvious. They were like a well-oiled machine when they told stories about childhood memories. It was actually beautiful to watch.

"So, how long have you two been engaged?" Lili asked, as she wiped the salt off her hands with a napkin. The plate of nachos in the center of the table had long since been devoured, and they were now all on their second round of drinks.

Immediately, Grace flushed and looked down, scrunching her nose up shyly.

"Almost six months," she said happily, holding her hand out across the table to show off her ring. It was a stunning, oval-shaped diamond, sitting on a gold studded band. The diamond was enveloped in what looked like gold vines.

Liam smiled proudly down at the ring he'd picked out. "I still laugh thinking about her face when I asked her." He widened his eyes dramatically, as if mocking her. Grace shook her head.

"I never saw it coming. We'd only spoken about it a few times beforehand, and we were both adamant on waiting until we were financially stable enough to actually plan a wedding." She took a sip of her drink, shifting in her seat to face Lili better. "We'd been living together for just under a year, and I was between jobs. I knew it was going to happen one day, but not that day specifically."

Grinning from ear to ear, Liam recounted the story from the very beginning – what solidified his decision to propose, how and when he bought the ring, and the actual proposal. It was all so sweet and romantic, and that delightful personality really shone through some of the decisions he'd made.

It was clear that the proposal still meant so much to the both of them, because their eyes were shining with prideful tears throughout the whole story. Their love was so pure, so strong, and so beautiful, that it made Lili's heart soar. Nothing made her happier than seeing people so in love.

Just as the story came to an end, loud feedback from a microphone began blaring through the speakers. The music had stopped as well.

The four of them all directed their attention towards the small stage just a few feet from them. The bartender from the front was standing on the stage, holding a wired microphone and squinting under the harsh spotlight. Beside him was an empty stand.

"Alright guys, it's just past 8:00, so you know the drill." His face was pretty expressionless, though his voice sounded alert and interested. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the stage. "It's karaoke time," he said, holding his hand up towards the screen. "Let's get a volunteer to start this off for us, shall we?"

Crickets.

The bartender looked out at the small but mighty audience, and smiled as a hand finally went up somewhere near the back. "Yes, you sir!" he exclaimed, pointing at the volunteer. "Come on up and get us started!"

Lili turned to look in the general direction. A guy, maybe a few years older than Niall, was jogging towards the stage with an excited look on his face. He was wearing cut off jean shorts and a black t-shirt, and had light brown hair pulled into a bun at the back of his head. Loose strands hung down and framed his face.

"What's your name, man?" the bartender asked, as the guy stepped into the spotlight with him. He held the microphone in front of his mouth.

"I'm Terry!" the guy yelled excitedly into the mic. He held his hands above his head with his index fingers pointing outward as the group he was with whooped and hollered for him from the back of the room.

Lili laughed at his enthusiasm.

Terry took the microphone from the bartender, and the audience sat in slightly awkward silence as he flipped through the songs on the computer, waiting to find the perfect track. Tie-dye patterns danced along the screen behind him.

He eventually settled on a Black Sabbath song, and took his position in the center of the stage as the introduction rocked through the speakers. He wasn't the best singer out there, but he definitely wasn't awful.

He didn't have a heavy metal voice by any means, but the pure joy on his face being up on that stage made Lili smile. And his stage presence was quite amazing - he was confident and entertaining, jumping to the beat and interacting with the crowd. It most definitely wasn't his first time doing this, and certainly wouldn't be the last.

Lili and Niall cheered and clapped with the audience as the song came to a close and Terry bowed, attaching the microphone to the stand before heading back to his seat. Liam and Grace were applauding along loudly, and Grace even stood up for him.

There weren't many people singing after Terry, but the lineup they did end up having was pretty good. Lili was incredibly entertained, to say the least. If she had the guts, she'd go up there and sing something. But for now, watching from the crowd and swaying along to the music was more than enough to keep her satisfied.

One young girl sang Alone by Heart, and her voice was so good that Lili actually gave her a loud standing ovation, like many of the people in the bar. Two friends sang a duet of some Beatles song Lili didn't know, there was an electric performance of Walk this Way by Aerosmith, and the last guy performed a Shawn Mendes song that killed the mood almost instantly, though he was decently talented.

The bartender returned to the stage, grabbing the microphone and clapping his hand against his forearm. The feedback rang loudly through the speakers again.

"Wow! What a night, guys! So good! I think we've got time for one last performance. Anyone out there want to close us out?"

He looked around the room expectantly, waiting for one last brave soldier to put their talent on the line and sing. The enthusiasm from earlier seemed to have died in an instant. But then Lili saw movement out of the corner of her eyes; she looked up and her eyes grew so wide that they burned. Niall was standing up.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sounding just as shocked as she felt. Niall shrugged casually, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.

"Performing."

Her jaw dropped as she watched Niall strut over to the stage and take the microphone, bending in front of the computer to take a look at the available tracks. She was in complete shock. There was no way he was going up there and singing. What was happening? She whipped her head around to look at Liam, trying to gage his reaction. Was he just as shocked?

"He's just fucking around, right?" she asked stupidly. Liam grinned at her warm eyes, looking as un-shocked as he possibly good. Grace also seemed surprisingly neutral about this.

"Don't look so surprised, sweetheart. You're in for a good one."

His answer was so ominous, but so intriguing. What the fuck was going on?

Her heart was beating rapidly out of excitement. So fast, in fact, that she worried it might burst through her ribs and splatter right onto the table.

She turned around in her seat to fully face the stage, eyes trained hard on her boyfriend. He already looked like a rockstar up there under the spotlight and the song hadn't even begun yet. Seriously, how was he real?

Niall smiled as he looked at the screen, nodding as he reached down to press a button and select the song. She was so damn intrigued waiting to see what was about to play out in front of her. There was absolutely no way she could have seen this coming when they arrived at the bar earlier in the evening, and she was really fucking excited about it. This was probably the last thing she would ever expect out of Niall. 

A funky guitar riff began playing through the speakers, and Niall instantly reacted to the sound. He began tapping his foot and nodding his head to the beat, closing his eyes as he felt the rhythm. The drums kicked in shortly afterwards, and Lili's heart jumped to her throat as Niall lifted the mic to his lips.

"He was a hard-headed man, He was brutally handsome, and she was terminally pretty..."

The sound of Niall's smooth, raspy voice playing through the speakers made Lili's stomach jump. She was not expecting this at all - finding out he played both guitar and piano was shocking enough. This was absolutely next level. He was suddenly transforming into a seasoned professional right in front of her eyes. He sang in perfect tune, with a tone of voice mechanically engineered for this song. The country-rock feel of the song suited Niall's voice and personality perfectly as he sang through the first verse, the music taking over his body.

"They had one thing in common, They were good in bed, she'd say: Faster, faster, the lights are turnin' red..."

Her head was swimming watching him. The room was slowly fading away around her until the only thing she could see or hear was him. Literally, everything around them was just black. He was already naturally sexy and incredibly charismatic, but this was a whole new side to Niall Horan that she'd never even imagined she would see. Watching him on that stage, dancing and moving his hips, beads of sweat forming along his forehead from the heat of the lights...

She needed some air. Fast.

It felt like she was being suffocated by lust at the sight of him so gorgeously performing on that stage. A second heartbeat had suddenly developed between her thighs, matching the quick pulsing of her heart in her throat. Watching him up there was firing her up in a way she'd never thought possible. Whatever hormones he'd activated with his voice were causing her blood to boil.

She felt herself start to sweat as Niall pranced around on the stage, singing in that perfect voice that ignited something deep in the pit of her stomach. Her head was spinning, but it wasn't from the alcohol.

As he sang, a wide smile on his face, Niall looked over at her. The moment he caught her gaze he winked, and Lili nearly fell out of her chair. How the fuck was this man hers? Like seriously. This man, who was easily the sexiest human being she'd ever laid eyes on, was hers. It was psychotic to think about. 

"Life in the fast lane, surely make you lose your mind..."

His voice was raspy, but his phrases were smooth as he sang the words effortlessly, a gorgeous smirk of satisfaction on his mouth. He was clearly enjoying the lyrics, savouring them like a fresh, juicy mango.

Oh, Jesus, she may never recover from this night.

He looked out at the audience, singing to them the way a professional singer would on tour. And people were actually singing back to him. It was amazing. Niall ran his long fingers through his sweaty hair to push it out of his eyes, and Lili shuddered. The temptation to run her own fingers through those chestnut locks and tug on it was overwhelming. Her body shook with desire as the song drew to a dramatic, exciting close.

The bar erupted in cheers and hollers as they stood to applaud him, clearly just as amazed by his performance as Lili. Niall got the loudest applause of the night, hands down. It wasn't even close. Lili joined in the applause, but refrained from standing, needing to give her body time to recuperate.

Liam and Grace stood in front of her, holding their hands above their heads as they clapped, shouting and screaming loud enough so their voices were heard over the crowd. Liam was beaming at Niall, and every few seconds he looked down at Lili and laughed at her expression. She was overwhelmed with thoughts and found herself desperately needing to leave.

As Niall hopped off the stage to make his way back to their table, Lili reached for her purse with shaky hands, pulling out her wallet and unzipping one pocket. Right now, her brain was barely working, but she managed to grab what she wanted as she fumbled through the pocket. She threw down $40 in cash - she had no idea what their half of the bill would even be, but she didn't really care.

She tossed the money beside the half-drunk rum and coke she'd just ordered, and wrestled her wallet back into the small purse, screeching out a groan when she couldn't get the fucking thing in. Now that she was so on edge, little things were frustrating her. Grace noticed and turned to watch Lili, but said nothing.

Lili's heart was pounding in her ears, and every inch of her skin was burning. Niall returned to the table, sweating and smiling, and the first thing Lili did was reach for his hand. She turned to Liam and Grace, feeling her face burning.

"Sorry, guys, but we really need to go. Keep whatever change I get, I don't mind. It was so great to meet you, and I'll see you again soon." She was rambling, and Lord knows how rude she was being, but it really was hard to care. Liam chuckled.

"Hey, be safe," he said, and Lili could hear the double meaning behind his words. Liam turned to Grace and whispered something in her ear, before they both burst out into heinous laughter.

"Bye guys! Have fun!" Grace added, wiggling her fingers in a condescending wave goodbye.

Without another word, Lili turned, still gripping Niall's hand tightly, and pulled him forwards with all her strength. She started speed walking towards the exit, zeroing in on the door.

"Wait, what happened? Are you alright?" Niall asked nervously, jogging to keep up with her. He clearly didn't see the effect he had on her. Lili turned to speak to him over her shoulder, continuing forward.

"We need to get out of here."

~ gee, I wonder where this is going!

Chapter Text

~ Song of the Chapter is Pony by Ginuwine :P

"Princess, you're scaring me. Will you please stop and tell me what's going on?" Niall's voice barely carried over the music. He kept his hand laced tightly in hers, like he was afraid she'd disappear if he let go.

For a split second, she felt bad. His voice rarely ever came out that soft and unsure; he sounded genuinely freaked out. She might have felt worse if the adrenaline coursing through her veins wasn't clouding her judgement. All she needed was another minute, and he'd understand.

Lili continued to drag him through the bar, searching desperately for the door that had been in her direct line of sight just a moment ago. Sweat was starting to bead at the back of her neck. Her chest was burning with anticipation, and the desire pooling in the pit of her stomach was as warm and thick as melted honey. Her ears rang louder than the feedback from the karaoke mic.

"Are you okay, my love? Did something happen back there? Did I upset you?" She hated that Niall was so worried. Maybe she shouldn't have scared him by taking off so abruptly. "Look, if I did something or if Liam said something, I'm sorry. But please talk to me."

She finally reached the door and pushed it open, drinking in the night air; it felt good on her burning skin. The mid-July sky was thick with heat, but it was much more enjoyable than the musty air inside the crowded bar. She stepped to the side so they were hidden by the brick wall, no longer exposed in front of the glass door. She pressed her back against the cool bricks and sighed as the cold penetrated through the thin material of her shirt. If she didn't calm down now, the outcome was sure to be bad.

Niall opened his mouth again, probably to question her sanity, but she cut him off by reaching up and wrapping her hand around the back of his neck, quickly pulling his face down to hers. His lips crashed against hers, the force of the contact pushing her back harder into the bricks, and a soft grunt emitted from the back of her throat. Confusion made Niall hesitate. It took a moment, but then he finally relaxed and kissed her back, taking a small step forward to press her even harder against the wall.

His hands slithered up her curves until they found her face. He brushed his thumbs along the apples of her cheeks in slow, gentle motions.

Lili tilted her head to the side to give him better access, and he took advantage of it right away, swiping his tongue across her bottom lip before pressing it up against hers. His lips and tongue were deliciously salty from the nacho chips. She whimpered at his touch and tightened her arms around his neck; she tangled her fingers into the hair at the back of his head, tugging softly. The crown of her skull rolled against the bricks as she tilted her chin upwards so her face could meet his. The kiss was hungry and messy and desperate, perfectly mirroring the way she was feeling right now.

She could feel his growing erection against her each time his hips gently pressed forwards. One of his knees snuck between her legs and slid up between her thighs, and she moaned into his mouth, legs threatening to give out at the touch. The kiss took every bit of her breath away, and when Niall pulled back so they could get some air, her vision was spinning. It felt like she'd just been running a marathon with how much her chest was burning.

"What just happened?" Niall asked, a confused but intrigued smirk on his face. His chest was rising and falling rapidly, matching her intense breathing, and his pupils were wide. "You pulled me out of there so fast, I thought someone did something horrible. What's gotten into you?"

Lili let out a quiet, breathless laugh. "Your performance," she said, relaxing her shoulders against the wall. Niall's brows furrowed over his beautiful eyes. That clearly wasn't what he'd been expecting her to say at all. She took another breath to steady herself and calm her heart rate. "It was so sexy, Niall. I had no idea you were capable of doing that."

That was the understatement of the year. Her voice was hoarse, vocal cords clouded with desire. Niall grinned shyly, glancing down at her swollen lips before meeting her eyes again.

"Are you serious, princess?" he asked, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. "My singing really got you that hot and bothered?"

She nodded, slowly sliding her hands down his neck and shoulders until her palms were laying gently on his broad chest. She looked up at him through her lashes.

"It did, baby. So I think you need to take me back to your house right now and fuck me to make up for it."

She kept her eyes on his as the words registered in his brain. The confidence to speak so bluntly to him had come from absolutely nowhere, but she loved it. She felt powerful.

For a good moment or two, he was silent, but then comprehension finally dawned on him. In one swift motion, Niall pulled her off the wall and was practically dragging her to the car, digging around in his pocket for his keys. Lili laughed, letting the sound float up into the quiet night air and break the serene silence. They both hopped into the now unlocked car, slamming their doors shut behind them. Before he even turned the car on, Niall leaned over and kissed her once again, biting her bottom lip gently.

The air was filled with thick, anxious, excited tension as he shifted the car into reverse to pull out of the parking spot. It was so thick that you could cut half of it off with a knife and still have enough to last you a week. Lili was absolutely burning with the fire of desire, and she needed him to feed the flames as soon as possible. Watching him made it extremely hard to keep her hands to herself.

His left hand gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white, and his right hand drummed anxiously against the top of his thigh. The tip of his tongue darted out from between his lips to wet them. He was chewing the corner of his bottom lip as he tried to concentrate on the road ahead of him, suffering behind the anticipation just as much as she was. Lili's foot bounced relentlessly below her. The bar was less than a ten-minute drive from Niall's house, but in this specific moment, it felt like hours.

They were both incredibly turned on, and the hot air in the car was not helping at all. It was suffocating them slowly. Niall moved his hand over to rest on the top of her thigh, fingertips drawing soft circles so close to her core that it made Lili's breath hitch in her throat. She closed her eyes, reminding herself to breathe.

They stopped at a red light and Lili gasped when Niall's warm hand picked up her chin and turned her head roughly in his direction. His lips were on hers again, tongue relentlessly searching her mouth. He rolled his tongue perfectly against hers, and the pulsing between her thighs intensified. She moaned softly and bit down on his bottom lip as she pulled her head back an inch. He groaned desperately.

"I can pull over somewhere. I swear to God, I don't even care where we are right now." He was clearly trying to make a joke to lighten the mood, yet his dead-serious tone was a clear giveaway. "Say the word and I'll do it."

Lili laughed and kissed his lips once again. "No. I want to be in your bed."

He groaned again and turned his attention back to the road just as the stoplight flashed green. Lili was flung backwards into her seat at the sudden increase in speed. The engine roared loudly beneath them. She tried to contain her smile as she looked over at Niall, who was focused on the road once again. "Relax, Horan. Don't kill me before you get to fuck me," she said bluntly.

He laughed loudly, but the speed of the car decreased significantly.

"I'm sorry, princess," he said in a soft, strained voice. "I'm trying to control myself, I really am."

They managed to get every green light the rest of the way, and by the time they pulled into Niall's driveway, Lili was so antsy, she thought she would explode. Lili pushed her door open the minute Niall put the car in park and hopped down to the concrete driveway, legs already weak with desire.  Niall appeared suddenly in front of her, grabbing her hand and pulling her close to him as he shut the car door with his foot. His lips found hers once again, and Lili whimpered. His kisses were warm, perfect, and heaven-sent.

Niall took her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked softly as he began walking backwards towards the house, and her eyes unwillingly fluttered shut. Her hands rose quickly to his waist to hold her balance as they walked, and she tried to contain her laughter. "Just go open the door before we fall, please," she tried to say against his swollen lips.

Niall laughed. "I can't get enough of you, though." He stopped walking and cupped her cheeks with his hands, kissing her again, this time slowly and sensually. Softly, he dragged his tongue across hers, almost massaging it. Lili sighed, trying to control the butterflies in her stomach.

"You have me all night, you can take an extra second for this." She pleaded with her eyes, hoping he would get the message. He looked down at her for a moment, wearing an adorable little grin that sent Lili's heart into a frenzy. He nodded and turned to face the door, fumbling with his keys with nervous hands, trying to shove the right one into the lock with moderate difficulty.

Eventually he succeeded, turning the key and pushing the door open to reveal his dark, empty house. He flipped a light switch, and half of the foyer became illuminated by a warm, orange glow coming from the small fixture above them.

They both kicked off their shoes as the anticipation around them swelled once again, and the moment Niall tossed his keys into the bowl on the front table, Lili was pulling his body back towards her, aching to feel his warmth against her. Their lips became one again, and a whimper broke from the back of her throat.

Her fingers found the hem of his t-shirt, and he hissed as her fingertips just barely grazed the hot skin of his waist underneath. She began to drag the cloth up his abdomen and over his chest, and he pulled his perfect lips away from hers for barely a moment to rip the shirt over his head, tossing it somewhere in the room. Lili giggled against his lips.

"I'll get it tomorrow," he murmured dismissively, kissing her once again as he walked backwards, pulling her towards the staircase.

"We're not going through this again," Lili giggled against his lips. She broke the kiss and tried to turn his body around, much to his dismay. He grabbed her hand and sprinted up the dark staircase, turning down the hall and into his bedroom at lightning speed. It was quite funny, actually – he seemed more desperate than she was. He flipped the overhead light on, and Lili squinted as it flooded her eyes painfully.

"Too much?" he asked, grimacing. She nodded. He held up one finger and flipped the light off, covering them in complete darkness once again. She couldn't see him, but could hear his feet shuffling across the floor. There was a click, and the lamp on his nightstand suddenly glowed; Niall stood next to it, an adorable smile on his face. Lili smiled back, heart racing at the sight of him. Oh, how she adored him.

"Much better," she said in a sweet voice, appreciating the simple gesture. "Sets the mood perfectly, don't you think?"

He chuckled and nodded. She couldn't take her eyes off his broad chest as he crossed back over to her. He was so delicious and muscular. He stood two inches from her, putting both of his hands on her cheeks and pulling her face into his. He kissed her again and she melted. This was heaven – she could die here peacefully. Her hands came up to his warm chest, pressing gently to steady herself. He deepened the kiss as the raw desire they both felt for each other came crawling back to the surface once more. She moaned a sigh into his mouth.

Every single time they kissed, she felt the electricity.

Her heart jumped to her throat as she reached for the hem of her own shirt and pulled it up over her head, dropping it beside her feet. Niall chuckled as her hands moved up to her bra.

"Need help with that, love?" he asked. Shaking her head, she lifted herself up on her toes to press her lips gently against his as she unclasped her bra, letting the straps slowly slide off her arms. The smile against her lips made her swoon with adoration.

Her steady hands found the button of her jeans and she slowly undid those too, attempting to step out of the tight material as Niall's tongue lapped gently along hers, clouding all possible thought she could have. As soon as her jeans were low enough on her legs, Niall's arms circled her waist and he gripped her bum, squeezing roughly. She gasped. She broke the kiss and took a step to the side, easily slipping past him and pulling the jeans off her ankles completely. She hopped onto his bed and flopped down on her back in the middle of his soft mountain of pillows, gesturing for him to lay with her. Her hair fanned out across the pillows underneath her.

Niall's eyes trailed up her near naked body. "You're truly the most beautiful girl I've ever seen," he said gently, biting the corner of his lip. "I can't believe it sometimes."

"Thank you, baby," she whispered, laying her hands gently across her sternum. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage underneath.

He smiled wider and crawled onto the bed, settling himself comfortably on top of her as he kissed her again, this time with more desperation. Immediately, she wrapped her legs around his waist, holding him flush to her body. He moved his hips against her, drawing them up and down slowly. Her hands flew to his belt as his lips enveloped hers, unbuckling the clasp and undoing the button of his jeans. The blood was rushing in her ears.

The friction of his denim against the very thin material of her underwear was making her sweat, the pulse between her thighs growing quicker and quicker with each movement he made. His gentle thrusts were rubbing her in the perfect spots – just a couple more, and she'd be arching her back.

She rested her hand on his lower stomach for a second, before sliding it below the waistband of his boxers. His breath hitched as her fingertips grazed his skin, and when they wrapped around the base of his hard length, he stopped breathing altogether. He groaned softly into her mouth, and it was the sexiest thing ever. She loved hearing him.

Lili sat up slowly and pushed his shoulders, raising her eyebrows encouragingly. Licking his lips, Niall flipped them over so she was now on top of him, straddling his waist with her thighs. Using her palms to hold herself up, she gazed down at him beneath her. His face was red and his dark hair was falling into his eyes. He looked like pure sex.

"You have no idea how amazing you look right now," he said breathlessly. His eyes travelled down to her chest, where her breasts were squished together between her arms. He looked back up into her eyes. "In-fucking-credible."

A quiet, barely audible laugh rumbled through her chest. "I could say the same to you." She pressed her index finger to the middle of his chest, dragging it down slowly. "I like how you look underneath me like this."

He grinned, and her stomach jumped. He was so effortlessly sexy. Swallowing, she leaned down and pressed her lips to his jawline, leaving a line of sloppy kisses along his neck as she moved downwards. She sucked softly on different spots of his throat, trying to leave little marks in her wake. He half chuckled, half moaned in response. She kissed across his muscular chest and stomach, letting her teeth nip at the skin gently every now and then, earning a soft yelp of approval from Niall each time.

Niall's chest was heaving with anticipation, and he licked his lips hungrily as he watched her place a few kisses on his stomach, just under his belly button. She settled herself between his knees and sat up slightly, looking into his hooded eyes.

"What do you want, baby?" she asked lightly, lifting her right hand to his knee and laying her palm across it gently. "Tell me."

Now, Lili wasn't a dominant person by any means. It was rare that she took control in any way. But when she got the opportunities, like this one, she couldn't possibly pass them up.

Niall exhaled shakily. "Your mouth, princess. I want those pretty lips around me." 

Fuck, that was so hot.

She grinned. "Anything for you, my love."

Lili reached up and hooked her fingers in his belt loop, tugging downwards. Niall helped her out by lifting his hips, pushing his tight jeans down over his muscular thighs towards his ankles. His boxers followed suit, and she tossed them both into a pile on the floor. Niall sat up and kissed her, distracting her momentarily as he pulled off his socks and tossed them on the floor. He lay back down against the pillows, and her eyes immediately landed on his erection. It always amazed her that she could put him in this kind of situation. That it was her making him feel this way. That would never, ever get old.

Taking a deep, quiet breath, she placed her palms flat on his thighs as she leaned down and stuck her tongue out, pressing it flat against the base of his cock and licking a long, slow stripe upwards. Niall's eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks as he closed his eyes. His mouth dropped open slightly, forming a small 'o' shape. She wrapped her lips around the tip of his cock, swirling her tongue slowly around the head as she lifted one hand up and wrapped it around the base. She continued the movement of her tongue as her hand stroked his length, twisting her wrist back and forth with every pump.

"Oh, princess..." Niall said breathlessly, hips bucking up slightly. His voice was thick with desire, coming out as a low rumble. His moans always gave her butterflies. He lifted himself up on his elbows to watch her pleasure him. She grinned and started to lower her head, continuing to press her tongue flat against his shaft, until she had reached as low as she could possibly go. Her nose was grazing his stomach, brushing up against the faint trail of hair.

He cried out as she began bobbing her head up and down at a moderate pace, stroking the bottom half of his cock with her hand as her lips focused on the top. His breath audibly hitched when she contracted her throat around him. She relaxed her jaw as she allowed herself to take more of him with each turn, enjoying how he filled her throat.

Lili was losing herself in his moans, doing whatever she could to make him feel good. It was all she wanted. Pleasuring him was something she would never take for granted - it made her feel just as good. 

She picked up the pace once his hips began bucking upwards more often, and she whimpered around him when he wound his fingers in her hair, tugging hard. The feeling caused a ripple of pleasure to roll through her body, going directly to her core. She pulled her mouth off him and spit, using her saliva as lubricant as she pumped his length faster, before diving back down and wrapping her lips around his sensitive head.

It was obvious he was already close to his climax; his breathing was ragged, and the string of curse words leaving his mouth was nearly unintelligible. All he could do was whimper desperately. He was a moaning, sweating mess of a man, and it was absolutely phenomenal to watch. He'd become complete putty in her hands.

"Fuck, princess, you're so good to me. Don't fucking stop that, I'm so close," he whispered. "Just like that, baby. You're such a good girl."

The look in his eye when he was about to come was absolutely breathtaking. She pulled her mouth off his stiff cock, continuing to pleasure him with her hand as she sat up on her knees, crashing her lips against his in a filthy, wet kiss. Everything about the moment turned her on painfully, to the point where she could feel her wetness on the inside of her thigh. She pumped her hand up and down mercilessly, feeling him throbbing beneath her fingers.

One of his hands remained tangled in her hair to guide her head as he kissed her, but the other came up to her neck, holding her tightly just below the jaw. He squeezed gently in the perfect spots, causing her to become slightly lightheaded, which only fuelled her desire for him. She bit his bottom lip and pulled back, looking deep into his eyes as her hand brought him to orgasm.

He fought to keep his eyes open, looking deep into hers, but he'd lost the battle; his eyes closed gently as his mouth hung open, breath coming out in rapid, uncomfortable spurts. Deep lines crossed his furrowed brow. His chest and neck were a deep shade of crimson, covered in a thin sheen of sweat. Lili watched his face closely as he reached the peak of his climax, an odd sense of pride crashing over her.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..." he whimpered, and Lili smiled triumphantly as he released onto his stomach with a loud groan, dropping the hand he had around her neck. "Oh, fuck, baby," he whined. The blood began to clear from her head and she took a deep breath. She slowed the movements of her hand as his stomach muscles twitched and contracted with each individual release, little grunts leaving his throat simultaneously.

He fought to catch his breath as he enjoyed his orgasm, cheeks unbelievably and gorgeously flushed. His hair was already a few shades darker from sweat. There may not be anything sexier in life than post-orgasm Niall. He laughed and dropped his head onto the pillow, eyes still closed; Lili took the chance to crawl between his thighs and lick his stomach clean, knowing how much he loved that. The moment he felt her touch his skin, Niall's head shot up, and his eyes flew open just in time to watch her tongue gather all of his sweet release. 

"You're fucking unbelievable," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

She giggled and slithered back up his body, pressing her naked chest against his as he kissed her again, tongue immediately entering her mouth, as if to taste himself. One thing Lili loved was the fact that he never shied away from kissing her after she gave him head like a lot of guys would. Honestly, he seemed to like kissing her more afterwards, which was possibly the hottest thing of all time. 

Without any warning, Niall roughly flipped them over so he was on top of her once again, and any dominance Lili felt early had suddenly disappeared. Her heart jumped to her throat knowing exactly what was to come. The adrenaline was pumping in her veins once again, numbing her fingers and kickstarting her heart.

Niall's lips trailed down her neck and towards her chest, just as she had done to him moments ago. He stopped and sucked on the spot just below her jawline, and she was already seeing stars. He would nip at the skin with his teeth, soothe the bite with his tongue, then blow on the spot gently. It always made her writhe and squirm beneath him, and he absolutely loved it.

"You know," he said, grinning as he looked into her eyes. "I really do love marking you up, princess. You look so fucking sexy covered in my bruises."

Lili swallowed and said without hesitation, "Give me more, then."

Chuckling, Niall leaned down and kissed her neck again, sucking and biting so roughly on the side of her throat that her back arched and her eyes rolled back. She gasped, moaning softly. God, she was a fucking mess for this man.

His lips moved further down before they found the soft skin of her breasts, and she squeaked out a moan as he wrapped them around her nipple, sucking gently as he rolled the other one between his fingers. She gasped; her fingers found the back of his head and she tangled them in his hair, tugging gently.

The way he rolled his tongue around her nipple was reminiscent of the way he kissed her, and it was making her absolutely feral. Her breasts were so sensitive that she was already on edge just from his teasing. He pulled his mouth off her and moved to the other side, wrapping his lips around her other nipple. Her back arched as his tongue swiped across the small bud, and he grinned to himself as he watched her chest flush.

"Keep going," she whined, rolling her hips up in the hopes she would create some friction. It was becoming impossible to remain patient now.

Niall licked her nipple one last time before pulling his lips off, kissing down her stomach until he got to the waistband of her underwear. He pushed himself up until he was standing on his knees between her ankles. He made no further movements. Instead, he stood there and just looked at her, gazing up and down the length of her freshly marked body with his dark eyes.

"So pretty, darling," he whispered, placing his hands on her ankles and wrapping his fingers around her. His hands slowly travelled up her legs, over the curves of her knees and along her thighs, until they paused on her hip bones. He rubbed circles into them with his thumbs. Every touch, every simple graze of his fingers against her sent her neurons firing away.

It was already hard for her to catch her breath, and he'd barely even started. All she could do was watch him silently, waiting (im)patiently for him to make his next move. The room suddenly felt a thousand degrees warmer.

Finally, after he felt she'd waited long enough, Niall hooked his fingers in the thin material of her underwear and slowly pulled down, dragging them down her legs until he pulled them off completely and tossed them aside, drinking in her completely naked body with his sapphire eyes. He grabbed her legs and lifted the left one towards him, resting her heel on the curve of his muscular shoulder. He feathered gentle kisses along the inside of her ankle, slowly bringing his lips down, along her calf towards her thigh. He was moving so painfully slow that it made Lili practically burn with anticipation, and the touch of his lips against her skin ignited her desire, as if he had thrown gasoline on an already raging fire.

Every move he made was dangerous, but she no longer cared for safety. For someone who had been so desperate for this action, Niall really knew how to draw it out and make every longing moment more intense than the last.

His eyes burned into hers as his lips trailed lower and lower, a smirk on his face as he brought his kisses right up into the crease of her thigh, making her buck her hips.

She whimpered as his lips ghosted over her center and reattached themselves on her right thigh; he mirrored his previous movements, this time trailing his soft, wet kisses down her thigh, sucking the skin gently enough to leave a tiny mark. He moved along her knee, down her calf to her other ankle. Her entire body was blanketed in goosebumps. He chuckled against her leg, his hot breath fanning along the skin and causing even more goosebumps to erupt.

Lili squirmed underneath him, anxious for more. The pulsing between her thighs was now almost too much to bear, and if she didn't get some relief soon, it would drive her mad. "Baby, I can't," she pleaded, trying to encourage him to give her what she needed. He clearly got what he'd been waiting for, whatever it was. His pupils were blown wide as he lay on his stomach, looking even more gorgeous from between her thighs. He pressed another soft kiss to the inside of her left thigh as he hooked it over his shoulder.

"Please..." she whispered, so quietly that even she could barely hear herself.

One thing about Niall was that he loved when his partner begged. Like, he got off on it. She'd realized that after the first couple of times they slept together, and had been using it to her advantage ever since. The sound of her begging just flipped a switch in him, making him even more eager to please than ever before. Something completely took over him when she begged. At first, it was hard for her to do because she just couldn't get past the initial awkwardness that came with it. But the more comfortable she got with whining and begging, the more fun they had with it. It was almost a staple for them now. 

His ears visibly perked up at the sound, and he caught her gaze once again. Fuck, she could have died on the spot right then and there. "What do you want, princess? Tell me." He was leaning casually on his left elbow; he ghosted his fingers over her wet core, making her breath hitch. 

She swallowed, her throat thick with desire. Her mouth opened but no sound came out, and Niall grinned once again, biting the inside of his bottom lip.

"Come on, use your words," he coaxed softly, rubbing circles along the inside of her thigh with his thumb. "I know you can do it, princess."

"I want y-your tongue," she finally mustered, blushing scarlet. He smirked even wider and kept his eyes on hers as he placed a soft kiss to her clit, letting his lips linger along the skin.

"That's my good girl," he said softly against her. The vibration sent her into a frenzy. She inhaled through her teeth and her hands immediately flew to his hair, digging her fingers firmly into the luscious locks.

"More, baby. Please." She continued to beg, anxious to feel him work his magic against her. Her voice broke at the end of the word and her cheeks flushed. It took everything in her power not to grind her hips against his face, wanting him to come to her, but the moment she did just that, it was game over.

Unable to hold himself back any longer, Niall began his work. He lay his tongue flat against her folds and continuously licked up, like he was devouring an ice cream cone. She cried out, back arching slightly off the mattress. His large hand pressed down on her waist, pinning her to the mattress as his tongue continued its assault. His left hand kept her thigh locked in place against the bed, fingers pressing hard enough to leave a bruise.

He fell into a pattern of lapping at her folds quickly, wrapping his lips around her clit and sucking, then licking one long stripe up, repeating these actions incessantly. Her thighs were already quivering uncontrollably. This wasn't going to last very long, was it?

The heat from his hand on her waist disappeared; she felt his fingers appear between her legs, teasing her entrance, and a loud, high-pitched moan caught in her throat as he slid two long, calloused fingers in with no warning.

"I love hearing you moan for me, do you know that?" he asked in a low, deep voice, a confident smirk still plastered on his lips as he pumped his fingers in and out of her. Suddenly, he was attaching his lips to her once again, tongue deviously lapping at her soaking, sensitive core. Her entire body flushed and she fought to speak, to no avail. She could only focus on the pleasure burning in the pit of her stomach, slowly beginning to spread down her legs and up her arms. Her eyes rolled gently back into her head and she tightened the grip of her fingers in his hair, grinding her hips helplessly against his face as the orgasm built at an incredible speed.

"I'm right there, baby, I'm going to c-come," she whispered into the open air of the room, brows furrowing over her eyes. "Niall, oh my god..."

He curled his fingers upwards, just barely grazing the spot deep inside her that made her positively feral. He moaned against her as her fingers tugged his hair, and the vibrations it once again sent through her body were the final straw, sending her tumbling over the edge. Her vision went black and she saw stars as he used his miraculous tongue and fingers to guide her to one of the best orgasms he'd given her thus far. She cried out louder than she had all night, tears springing to her eyes as the pleasure rippled through her body, wave after wave crashing over her, enveloping her in a warmth that made her heart stop and her toes curl.

She was panting out, pressing her thighs tightly against the sides of his head once again as he continued rolling his tongue against her slowly, helping her ride out her orgasm as much as possible. Niall was relentless, keeping his tongue and fingers moving, not letting one drop of her essence go to waste. He never wanted her song of praise to end. Her legs were shaking dramatically and her fingers were numb. She tried to catch her breath and realign her vision as Niall finally stopped his movements, pressing one last kiss against her clit before pulling his lips and fingers away from her. The temporary loss made her whimper.

Her desire for Niall was overwhelming; she was suffocating in her need for him, and the adrenaline kept that suffering alive and well. She wrapped her fingers tightly around his wrist lifted his hand to her mouth, wrapping her lips around his wet fingers and tasting her release, cleaning every last bit from his fingers. His eyes were black with lust as he watched her, and she could feel his growing erection against her leg. Those kinds of reactions were the best. The way he watched her with those big, blue eyes was unbelievably sexy.

She dropped his hand and reached for his face, pulling him towards her with one hand on the back of his neck. "Please, just fuck me," she whispered, before crashing her lips against his, tasting herself on his tongue.

He smiled against her lips as his weight crushed her once again, hot chest pressed against her own. She could feel his cock against her stomach, just as hard as it had been earlier. She wrapped her legs around his hips to pull him in closer as they kissed, desperate to feel him inside her. She rolled her hips upwards just as he began to grind down, and the feeling of his hard length rubbing against her pulsing core sent tremors ripping through her body.

Her head dropped to his shoulder and she whimpered against his skin, unable to control herself. The friction was so good...

She felt his arm stretch out and away from her, and knew he was reaching into the top drawer of his nightstand to retrieve a condom. The action had become all too familiar to her now. Her heart was racing with uncontrollable excitement. As she listened to the crinkling of the foil against his fingers, she lay her head gently on the pillow and watched his face, waiting for his eyes to meet hers again. The moment they did, he smiled. Would she ever start to believe even a little bit that this wonderful, amazing, incredibly sexy man was hers?

Just when he began ripping the foil open, Lili stopped him, placing a palm on his chest. "I want to try," she said quietly, eyes darting down to his swollen lips and back up. "Putting the condom on for you, I mean. If it's okay with you."

The request was one she'd been thinking of making for a long time. In her mind, there was something very intimate about her putting the condom on for him, and she'd been wanting to try it for a while. She swallowed nervously. Niall cocked an eyebrow, intrigued, and flipped them over effortlessly, so she was now straddling his thighs. He lifted his hand, the half-opened condom sitting between his forefinger and middle finger.

"Here, my love," he said quietly, still grinning a bit. "Go ahead."

She licked her lips and took the small packet from him, tearing the rest of the foil away slowly and discarding it on the floor. They really needed to stop throwing their garbage away like that all the time. Her hands shook as she unrolled the rubber enough to give herself room to grip it. Okay, maybe this was dumb – she didn't actually know what she was doing. Watching him do it himself was definitely way easier - and certainly more attractive.

Niall lay his hands on her hips, sliding them slowly up and down the curve of her waist as he watched her, tickling the surface of her skin. "You're so, so beautiful. You take my breath away every time I look at you," he said, in the most sincere, soft voice she had ever heard escape his lips.

She felt her face grow hot, and her heart stopped in her chest. Lili didn't think she would ever get used to hearing him say something like that to her. His compliments always came with such ease, such authenticity. It was like a fairy tale sometimes. It was only fair that a man who referred to her as 'princess' also treated her like one, and Niall did that day in and day out. 

It amazed her how, even in a moment like this one, where the air was thick with tense lust and desire, Niall could say something so sweet that would melt her resolve in a millisecond and make her blush all the way to her ears.

"Thank you, baby," she whispered, looking down and meeting his gaze. He smiled sweetly up at her, and the world seemed to flip on its axis. Grinning, she leaned down along his chest and kissed him as her hands found his hard length between her legs, rolling the condom on as her tongue lapped at his. Every time her fingers grazed against him, he gasped, or the muscles in his abs jumped excitedly. 

"Is that okay?" she asked, pulling back and glancing down at her work. Chuckling, Niall looked down as well, before back up at her face.

"It's perfect, angel. Are you ready?" He reached up and grazed his fingers across her cheek softly, and she shivered. Nodding, Lili crawled up on her knees until she was hovering over his erection. She lowered her head and placed sweet, gentle kisses on his lips. With one hand, Niall massaged her hip slightly, smiling against her mouth as he brought his other hand down, wrapping it around himself to guide the tip of his cock towards her entrance. The head brushed against her clit and she jumped, letting out a quiet, high-pitched yelp. Niall chuckled and did it again, making Lili whimper even louder. He always had to find different ways to tease her. 

She sat up slightly, pressing her palms flat against his chest for leverage as she lowered herself down, feeling him fill her completely.

"Fuck..." she whimpered out, as he stretched her to her absolute limit. She had never been on top before during sex, and this new angle was creating all sorts of intense feelings of pleasure for her. Using her hands and knees to help her movements, Lili raised herself up and sank back down onto his cock, trying to settle into a good rhythm the both of them could enjoy. Her jaw dropped as she felt him practically in her stomach, each thrust touching a spot deep inside her that was sure to drive her insane. She rolled her hips forwards and back, circling them in a slow clockwise motion each time she raised herself up.

Niall was chewing at the corner of his mouth, cheeks flushed and brows furrowed; his eyes were laser focused on her face. "You feel so fucking good," he groaned in a low voice, sliding his hand around to squeeze her ass. "That's my girl."

She lay flat against his chest again to kiss him, and they both moaned out in ecstasy as Niall snapped his hips up, driving deeper into her core and rocking his hips against her ass. Lili cried out, pushing herself back up with her hands flat on his chest so she could meet his upwards thrusts halfway.

"That f-feels so good, baby," she griped, digging her fingernails into the skin around his collarbones. Forming words was nearly impossible - everything felt so good that she could barely even breathe. They began moving at the perfect speed - not too fast but not too slow, and Lili was a mumbling, crying mess as he rocked up into her. Niall's hands, after resting on the outside of her thighs for a few moments, slid up her legs as he watched her ride him; the touch sent Lili into a frenzy.

His calloused fingertips grazed along the skin of her hips and her stomach, and she let out a quiet cry of pleasure as he cupped her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers, sending lightning bolts of pleasure down to her already throbbing core. It was hard to control her moans as the hot pleasure swirled and crashed inside her belly with each deep thrust. Her vision was blurring in the best possible way and stars were forming in her peripherals.

Niall's hands continued their journey upwards until they reached her neck. Her eyes flew open as he wrapped his fingers pretty tightly around her throat, thumb and middle finger pressing against the outside of her throat, just underneath the sharpest edge of her jaw. She began to feel lightheaded from the partial lack of oxygen, and it was euphoric.

This wasn't just the regular, subtle pressure he would put on her throat for a bit of excitement. He was full-on choking her, and it made her pleasure levels skyrocket. Lili hoped, with a sickening thought, that there would be bruises or marks of some kind left behind.

"You take everything I give you so fucking well, princess," Niall moaned out, pressing his fingers even harder into her skin. "I love how you ride me, just like that."

She choked out a cry, adoring the affirmations he was giving her. It only made her want to move faster, and have him deeper inside her. He chuckled at her immediate response.

"You're all mine, baby. You know that?."

She nodded feebly, brows furrowing. "Only yours."

The feeling of his warm, large hand squeezing her neck as his cock continuously rocked upwards into her soaking core, mixed with his encouraging words, was enough to push her to the edge faster than she'd ever gone. She was panting, head thrown back and eyes rolling as she bounced on his cock, hips slamming against his with every deep, penetrative thrust. Every little moan or whimper she released made Niall smile wider and wider. And the sounds of his own moans sent vibrations rocking through her bloodstream, goosebumps crawling along her skin once again as she neared her release.

"Harder, baby, please," she begged, pressing her own hand against the one he had on her throat, desperate for him to choke her harder. The feeling was like no other, and it was one she never wanted to end. They normally made love, but this was the first time he'd really, truly fucked her. And she wanted it like this every single time going forward. It was just too fucking good to pass on.

Her thighs shook with anticipation as her orgasm approached at full speed and, based on the way his cock was throbbing inside her, he was just as close to the end as she was. She lay against his chest, making sure his hand was still tight around her neck, and kissed him, sucking on his tongue and rolling hers around it. They were practically screaming into each other's mouths as he pounded himself into her.

"Oh god, please don't stop, I'm so close." She knew she sounded like a whimpering, blubbering mess, but her orgasm was already so powerful it was blinding, and she needed him to just keep fucking going.

And then, she exploded.

That undeniable, delicious burning in her stomach had appeared once again, but she wasn't even given time to savour the moment before she was tumbling over the edge for a second time, crying and moaning into Niall's mouth as she released around his length, thighs shaking uncontrollably as a tsunami of pleasure crashed over her, making her see stars. Her toes curled as he fucked her through her orgasm, making sure she enjoyed every last second of it. The pleasure was like bolts of lightning shooting up the inside of her thighs and down her spine. The movement of her hips had stalled, but Niall continued to plunge into her, thrusts growing sloppy as he neared his own orgasm.

"I'm right...right there, love," he groaned, his free hand gripping her ass unbelievably tight as he reached his peak. His feet were now flat on the bed, knees bent as he rocked powerfully into her; his jaw dropped and he moaned deep in his chest as he gave one final thrust, his body freezing as he enjoyed his own release, sweat beading on his forehead as his eyes rolled back in pleasure. The look on his face as he came was so sexy, it honestly could have made her finish again. It was unbelievable how he made everything look so good. 

Lili's body fell limp against his, completely and utterly spent. That was, hands down, the best sex they'd ever had.

They lay there together, as they fought to catch their breath, both of them needing some serious recovery time from the two very powerful orgasms they had experienced that night. The expanse of their bodies was coated in sweat; Lili's hair stuck to her back and forehead, and every inch of her body was hot. She could feel his cock still buried inside her, now semi-hard.

Niall loosened his grip on her throat, and Lili took a deep breath, finally able to drink in cool, fresh air, though the feeling his hand on her throat created was one she could submerge herself in for the rest of her life. She flopped onto the mattress, curling into Niall's warm side, keeping one of her thighs draped over his abs. Already, her eyes were starting to droop as exhaustion threatened to take over. 

Niall twisted his head down as his lips found hers, giving her one more sweet, but sensual, kiss, as if to cap off the events of the night. They broke apart soon after, still needing to catch their breath completely. She looked into his eyes as she propped herself up on her elbow, looking into his perfect blue eyes. She smiled at him, unable to stop herself from giggling.

"Nice one, Horan." 

Chapter Text

~ vibe of the chapter is A Haunted House by Jon Bellion <3

They lay facing each other in the center of the mattress, noses mere inches apart. The satisfied, pleased smiles plastered lazily on their faces hadn't faltered one bit. One of Niall's legs was laying between Lili's, and she had her thigh draped comfortably across his hip. They were tucked under the comforter, cuddling in the warmth of the freshly-washed satin sheets. The smell of detergent was very calming. 

Niall's warm fingers were gently tracing mindless patterns into the skin along the back of her shoulder, causing goosebumps to appear across her arms. It was very endearing how he always had to be touching her, even if it was in soft, sweet ways. 

He was wearing his boxers, and Lili had thrown on one of his t-shirts and her underwear. The usual post-sex skin-to-skin contact was nice, but Lili preferred having some clothes on since she always got cold quite quickly afterwards. They hadn't moved from this position for at least twenty minutes now, settling under the covers after they'd gotten up to use the washroom and clean off. Why would they move, when lying together making googly eyes at each other was the best possible use of their time?

They had nowhere to be and no one else to be with. This was their idea of a perfect night. 

Lili's body was spent, exhausted from the whirlwind of events the night had brought to them, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. The adrenaline made her body crash, but her mind was wide awake. How could she possibly fall asleep when the most gorgeous man in the world was lying right next to her, smiling like he had just won the lottery? It would be foolish of her to let even a second of admiring his perfection go to waste. 

"You know, princess, that sex was fucking unreal," Niall said, still smiling. "I'm sorry that I keep saying it, but it's true."

Lili laughed, rolling forward and kissing the front of his shoulder to hide the blush creeping up her face and neck. It was funny how she was so comfortable in the physical heat of the moment, but just hearing it put into words was what made her blush. She snuggled into his side, mimicking the patterns he was drawing on her shoulder on his chest using her own fingertips. "I agree. Tonight was fun," she said quietly, tilting her head back enough to see his face. "Not just the ending, but all of it."

"Yeah?" Niall asked happily. He questioned her in a way that made her think he'd been expecting a more neutral, even negative review. Lili gazed into his beautiful eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. Liam and Grace are so great, I'm glad I finally got to meet them." She smiled thoughtfully. "You're lucky to have a friend like Liam in your life, baby. It's obvious he cares so much about you."

Niall nodded in agreement. "He really does. If there's one person who has been by my side through everything, it's Liam. I owe him so much." He paused for a moment, and she felt his fingertips against the small of her back, now tracing new patterns in the skin. "I've always wanted what they had," he said shyly, avoiding her eyes. "Their relationship is the kind you dream about. It's the fairytale everyone wants. And I always told myself that one day, I'd have one just like theirs."

There was something so innocently sweet about him dreaming of the perfect relationship and setting an attainable standard for himself. Lili didn't think it was something a lot of men spent their time thinking about, but to know he valued something like that so much was really adorable. Plus, it showed Lili how much their own relationship meant to him. He was constantly putting in the time and effort, giving her exactly what she deserved and more out of a partner. She could only hope that she was giving it back just as much. 

Lili swallowed, trying to calm her racing heart. "Do you have that now, baby?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper. A tiny part of her was afraid to hear the answer. 

A serene look crossed his face as he kept his eyes locked on hers, searching them deeply. "I do," he murmured quietly. The corner of his lip pulled up into a lopsided grin. "I don't have to dream about it anymore. I can wake up now."

Little did he know, he was her own dream come true, too. She returned the smile he gave her, with her heart thumping at the base of her throat.

"No more sleeping," she said.

He gazed at her as they lay there, almost as if he couldn't believe she was really in front of him, studying her face like he was doing everything in his power to memorize each and every one of her features. 

"No more sleeping," he repeated, reaching up to brush her dark hair away from her face. Electricity zapped between them the moment his fingers touched her skin. 

In this moment, she knew. She was certain that she loved him. Yes, Lili Hughes was absolutely head over heels in love with Niall Horan, as terrifying as that was to admit. Every single nerve, bone, muscle, and molecule in her body understood that she loved him more than she ever had anyone or anything. More than she ever thought possible. 

There had never been another human being who made her feel so safe, loved, and appreciated in such intimately beautiful ways. No one ever showed her the appreciation and dedication that he did on a daily basis.

And she was fairly certain that he loved her back just as fiercely. She could just feel it whenever he looked at her, or touched her softly. He consistently worked to show her how much he loved her, without ever having to say it. 

But he didn't have to say it, because she felt it in the little things. She felt it when he held her hand. When he called her over to his house for a movie night just because he was at the grocery store and saw her favourite flavour of ice cream. When they looked at each other from across the room and the world around them suddenly fell away. She felt it when they watched her favourite show together, and Niall asked question after question to make sure he understood the story.

Every time she looked at him, she wanted to tell him. The longing to expose herself to him was overwhelming, but she couldn't bring herself to say anything just yet. The idea of sharing that information with him scared her. It would open up a new world in their relationship that she wasn't entirely sure if she was ready for. Taking that step would mean showing incredible amounts of vulnerability. And she was content with the way things were going, so why change them?

When the time was right, maybe she'd tell him. Actually, she would definitely tell him. But until then, she was perfectly happy continuing the way they'd been going. When the right moment presented itself, she would know. 

Niall leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose, causing her to scrunch it up and blush. She loved those little touches. He chuckled softly, and then was quiet for a moment. He snuggled the side of his face further into the pillow, readjusting his arm around her back.

"I wasn't too rough with you, was I?" he asked softly, almost scared. His eyes drifted down to the exposed skin of her neck, where his fingertips had left the ghost of a bruise on either side of her throat. The love bite he left on the inside of her thigh prickled as he asked the question. She hadn't been expecting him to bring that up, especially not this long after the moment had passed. His brows remained slightly furrowed. "I know we both know the limits here, but I'm always afraid I'm going to go too far and hurt you."

The look on his face was full of genuine concern, and it made Lili's heart ache. Always showing how much he cared, no matter what. She placed her hand gently on his cheek, letting her thumb glide back and forth along the smooth skin beside his nose.

"You weren't too rough at all, baby. I liked it, believe me." It was odd how often he worried about hurting her since the idea had never even crossed her mind. "And I promise you, I would tell you right away if something hurt me. I meant it the first time and I mean it now. I would hope that we had an understanding with each other that we'd communicate when something made us uncomfortable."

He smiled, and it brightened up the dark room a bit.

"Of course we do." He placed his hand against the hand she had on his face, and the touch sent sparks shooting up her arms. "I know the choking was a bit...out of the blue. But I just wanted to do it so badly, and I've been worried that it wasn't something you would have been into. I should have asked if you were okay with it beforehand."

He glanced at her neck a second time for a moment longer. Lili scooted even closer to him, and smiled as he tightened his arm around her back. It felt like home.

"I was definitely surprised when you did it. But it felt really fucking good, so I don't think you'll have to worry about that in the future." She grinned, pushing her tongue into her cheek. "You have my permission to put your hands on my throat whenever you see fit."

If someone told 19-year-old Lili that she'd reach a point in her life where she could comfortably talk about sexual boundaries with a partner without fear of judgement, she would have laughed so hard that tears fell from her eyes. And yet, here she was.

Her angel laughed, and the sound breathed new life into Lili's lungs. "Good," Niall said, still smiling, and Lili's heart hammered theatrically as he leaned in to kiss her. The combination of his hand pressing gently on the small of her back and his lips softly caressing hers was going to send her spiralling. Her heart would absolutely skip to the ends of the earth for this man. He pulled away and rested his head on the pillow, still looking at her with eyes filled with wonder. He looked so cute that it was physically painful.

"I think you've guessed by now that I enjoy being a bit dominant," he said, so casually that it made her stomach lurch. "I mean, I'm not into the BDSM stuff, but I do like exploring." He licked his pink lips. "We can have a safe word, if it makes you feel more comfortable."

Lili scoffed dramatically. "A safe word? Alright, Christian Grey." She bit the inside of her lip to stop herself from laughing. "If you ever hear me say...mayonnaise, then we stop."

Niall laughed loudly. "Mayonnaise? Really, love? You couldn't have picked a less sexy word, could you?"

"That's literally the whole point," she said, raising a condescending eyebrow. "It's supposed to be weird and unsexy so it takes you out of the moment. But let's hope I never have to use it." She propped herself up on her elbow so she was looking down slightly at him, letting her free hand rest over his heart. His chest rose and fell rhythmically underneath it. "Speaking of sex," she said coyly, tapping her fingers gently on the surface of his chest. "There's something I've been meaning to ask."

"What is it, darling?" Niall questioned softly, bringing his own hand up to rest on top of hers. The weight of it was endearing. She smiled and took a deep breath.

"When you asked me to be your girlfriend, would you still have asked me that day if we hadn't slept together the night before?" 

It was a question that had been weighing on her since the moment they made things official. Not in a negative sense, though. More so that she was curious about it but potentially too scared to bring it up. Why had it happened at that specific time, and not the day before? What was the moment Niall realized he wanted it to happen? Had he been thinking about it the whole time and was just waiting to see if they were sexually compatible to ask, or was it all just a coincidence?

Niall's brow furrows and he grinned oddly. "Is that what you think happened?" he asked casually. Almost immediately, Lili shook her head.

"Not really. I was just curious about when you made the decision to ask and if sex was a factor in that decision in any way." 

Surprisingly, Lili didn't feel nervous to ask these questions or have this conversation. It was obviously very important for her to know, but Niall never made her worry about talking about things that mattered. Every single day, he reminded her that he actually did care about her and her feelings, and that he wouldn't judge her for the things she said. It was going to take some time for her to get used to that. 

Softly, Niall chuckled, and flashed her the cutest, most bashful smile she'd ever seen.

"My plan was to ask when you first got here," he started. He wrapped his hand tightly around hers, cradling it lovingly. "In my head, we would get to spend the day celebrating together. Sex hadn't even crossed my mind." He swallowed and the muscles in his forehead twitched. "But I got way too nervous and kept putting it off."

"Why?" she asked, now even more curious. He shrugged and exhaled loudly.

"If you said no, it would have ruined the whole night." He chuckled quietly to himself and shifted so he was laying more on his side to face her. "I didn't think you would, but on the off chance you said no, I wanted us to at least have a bit of fun first."

Lili smiled and shook her head slightly, almost in disbelief. "So, the sex had nothing to do with your decision?"

"Absolutely not," Niall responded immediately. "That was strictly because we got caught up in the moment and felt as if we had waited long enough." His smile grew a bit wider. "It didn't sway my decision in any way. I promise." He licked his lips and grinned, and Lili could just see the joy in his eyes as he thought back to that day all those months ago. 

"When I woke up the morning after, I made the firm decision to ask. I wasn't afraid anymore. At that point, I knew you would say yes." He paused and reached up to rub the tip of his nose gently. "But I also wanted you to understand that it was more than just sex to me. Since the beginning, I wasn't looking for something casual with you, so I didn't want you getting the wrong idea."

Nothing about his answer was surprising at all. Long before they slept together, Lili was aware - at least subconsciously - that Niall's feelings for her went deeper than just the surface. She would never think that it was 'just sex' for him, but it was nice to have the confirmation directly from the source. Besides, she knew they were going to be boyfriend and girlfriend no matter what. At this point, the timing didn't really matter anymore. She smiled and leaned forward to kiss him softly.

"That was a good answer," she said between kisses . Niall laughed and bit his lip, gazing into her eyes. They lay face to face without speaking for a long time, soaking up each other's affection. Silently ogling each other - a common occurrence. 

"Okay, now I've been dying to talk about tonight," she said, quite suddenly after the slightly long silence. "Where the hell did that come from?"

Niall furrowed his brows, confused. "What?"

"The karaoke." 

She really had been dying to ask him about it. Obviously, the damn good sex had distracted her momentarily, but now that her mind was clear, the question had arisen once again. He smiled shyly in response, and a blush immediately began spreading across his cheeks. "I'm not sure what you're asking me, love."

"I mean, where did that all come from?" Her eyes were wide with curiosity. "The fact that you play multiple instruments shocked me enough to begin with." She looked over his shoulder at the wall behind him to collect her thoughts, then turned back to him. "And then, not only do you come out and sing with a voice like that, but to have such natural stage presence the way that you do? I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before."

He chuckled, and the pink blush rapidly deepened to red. He shrugged.

"I don't really know what to tell you. I've always loved music and singing. My family growing up had been very musical, and I was always surrounded by it." There was a light in his eyes that seemed to be growing with each word he spoke. "I picked up the instruments when I was really young. Taught myself guitar at around 12, and started piano a year later. But I didn't realize I could sing until I was about 14." He paused, looking up into her eyes. He was dazzling. "I fell in love with music the way I fell in love with golf. It just makes me feel something so...real and powerful in a way that not many other things can."

A grin started to grow on his lips. "The only other thing that's made me feel that way is you."

"Shut up," Lili said, shoving his shoulder slightly. He giggled again.

"I mean it! You make me feel alive." Those fucking eyes were still sparkling, and it made her want to just keel over and die. He cleared his throat as he continued on. "But yeah, music has always been a big part of my life. I've always loved singing and stuff. I kind of fell out of it a bit when my career started picking up, but it doesn't bother me. Music is just my hobby, anyway. Something that's always there as a pick-me-up when I need it."

He stopped and grinned, puffing out his chest slightly. "As for the stage presence, I couldn't tell you where that came from. I was just trying to show off to impress you." He had a mischievous gleam in his eye as his tongue pressed against the inside of his cheek. Lili laughed out loud.

"Well, it worked. I was indeed thoroughly impressed."

Niall laughed at her words and reached up, placing his hand on the side of her neck. "Trust me, I'm aware." Gently, he guided her head down and kissed her again before the last word had even finished crossing his lips. Every touch of his fingertips along her skin was like fireworks. 

"Speaking of golf," she said, pulling away from him again. "How are you feeling about PGA coming up? Are you nervous?" 

She'd try anything to take her mind off the feeling of his fingers along her body before she ended up jumping his bones again. Of course, she also genuinely cared to know the answer. He shrugged, glancing down at her neck to avoid her eyes. He looked suddenly...afraid?

"I don't know. Maybe. I mean, I've been in big situations before and succeeded, so I know I'm capable of doing well." He was chewing on the inside of his cheek, something he always did when he was anxious. "It's just nerve wracking, especially going up against Tomlinson. He's been my biggest competitor for years, and the last time I faced him, he got in my head and it really fucked me over." He swallowed, now finally bringing his eyes back up to hers. "I'm scared what happened last time out will happen again."

The tone of his voice hurt her heart so much that it caused her real pain. It was crazy how someone with so much confidence and talent could end up second guessing themself as much as Niall was right now. Slowly, she placed her palm against his cheek, stroking the skin softly in hopes that it would calm him down.

"It's okay to feel nervous," she whispered, "especially after everything you went through last time." She tried to keep her voice calm and even, as far away from judgement as possible. "But you can't be making yourself sick over it. One of the greatest things about you is your confidence in yourself. It's inspiring and part of the reason why you are so incredible to watch. You just need to work your way back up to that point."

As her thumb grazed along the edge of his nose, his eyes fluttered shut gently, but he opened them back up a moment later.

"I will get there, even if it takes some time. I feel really good about where I'm at physically, so I'm looking forward to it."

"I know you'll be great," she said with a smile. "But regardless of what happens, I'm always going to be so proud of you. It takes an incredible amount of courage to go back out there after a bad experience with your head held high."

He rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide the way his cheeks pinked up again. There was something so adorable about the way he blushed when she complimented him sometimes. He rolled forward and kissed her forehead gently.

"I know," he said, lips lingering on her skin for a moment. "Thank you for supporting me the way that you do. I can't even begin to tell you how much it means to me." The words were so genuine. 

Lili smiled and brought her hand back down to the flat plane of his chest, mimicking the movements his fingers had made on her back earlier. The hair peppered across his chest was soft under her fingertips. "I'll always support you," she said softly. "It's what I'm here for. I wouldn't have chosen you if I didn't want to be around to see you succeed." 

Supporting your partner through thick and thin was one of the best parts of being in a relationship. It was shocking that he seemed to constantly expect her to do the opposite.

Niall's heart was pounding at a much faster rhythm than it had been just a moment ago. "Thank you, princess," he responded sweetly. "You're perfect, you know that?"

"You're perfect," she countered. Again, they gazed at each other with wide, googly eyes, trying not to giggle in between kisses and soft touches. "How exactly did you go professional?" she asked suddenly. "I know how, like, basketball and baseball players make it and stuff, but I have no idea how golf works."

Instantly, she blushed at how stupid that question sounded. Like, hello? Don't be an idiot, Lili. But Niall didn't laugh. Didn't even chuckle or crack a smile. Instead, a soft exhale left his mouth as he contemplated her question, that dreamy look still present in his eyes. A small smile played on his lips - the kind of smile that appears when you reminisce on happy, nostalgic memories from the best times of your life.

"Well, I had my first big break when I entered an amateur tournament back home when I was 15. It was open only to Irish golfers. No one from any other country played in it because it was this small local thing, nothing too special." The way his eyes instantly lit up made Lili sick to her stomach with adoration. Being in his presence really was heaven. "I won, and I actually set a record for that tournament with my score, which was crazy. After that, I was entered into another amateur tournament three months later that was for the entirety of the UK and Ireland. Played that, finished second overall by one stroke." He was smiling wider now. "Because I did so well there, I was approached by Patrick and his management team."

Niall's body language changed when he mentioned Patrick, but not in a bad way. It was almost like he was suddenly overcome with great emotion and didn't know how to express or handle it.

"He told me he represented a lot of young golfers and wanted to give me a chance because he heard about me through a Facebook post someone had made and wanted to come watch my next match." His brows furrowed, and Lili held herself back from reaching up to smooth the crease in his forehead with her thumb. "At first, I wasn't sure if I wanted him there. I always knew I had talent but didn't know if it was enough to actually make something of myself."

He paused and shifted on the mattress so he was lying in a more comfortable position. He captured her gaze, and she was left breathless once again.

"The match he came to watch was one of my best. I finished first overall by ten strokes, and I was facing 20 year olds." He grinned proudly at the memory of the accomplishment. "When the game was over, Patrick approached me and offered a spot on his team right then and there."

Lili's eyes widened with surprise. Being so good at such a young age must have been incredible, but terrifying. "Wow," she said stupidly. "What was that like?"

"Terrifying," Niall said, as if he read her mind. "I went home that night and spoke to my family about it for at least an hour. It was a huge decision because it meant leaving home, which I wasn't sure I was prepared to do at such a young age."

"I'm sure that was your parents' biggest worry, too," Lili said, drawing a circle, and then a triangle, against his chest. "Obviously, they wanted you to succeed, but it must have been so hard to let you go."

"It was," Niall said with a slight nod. "But at the same time, they understood that it was my one chance to get out of that small town and actually make something of myself." Again, his brows furrowed, leaving deep lines in his forehead. "It was the best opportunity I had to put my name out into the world and show them that I deserved recognition." He cleared his throat and reached out again, draping his arm comfortably across her hip. "So, I signed with Patrick the very next day. That's when he took me to America to play in bigger amateur tournaments."

The glow had returned to his face.

"I played my first amateur tournament in the US in Atlanta when I was about 17 and came in fifth. It took me a few years to get going here because the quality of the golfers I was facing was next level compared to back home. I played in as many tournaments as I could to get my ranking up."

A beautiful, proud smile began to spread across his face, and Lili's stomach practically flipped itself inside out. "By the time I turned 20, I was number 3 in the world among up and coming golfers. When Patrick told me that, I was shocked. I thought everyone else around me had so much more potential than I did."

He laughed softly at the memory, as if he couldn't believe that he'd ever thought that way about himself before.

"I kept working and practicing, getting my name out as much as I could until, eventually, I was invited to play in my first Masters. I had just turned 22 a few months beforehand, and..." He trailed off, and his eyes began watering slightly. 

"Princess, I can't even put into words how it felt to even receive that invitation. Just knowing someone was acknowledging my hard work meant everything to me. Playing on that course was a dream come true."

The pride and sheer wonder of which he spoke about his experience was evident in his smile and the tone of his voice. This was the kind of thing you would never stop being proud of, no matter how many years had passed. Lili couldn't wait to hear him recount this experience with the exact same amount of wonder in his voice when they were 90. She would feel just as proud then as she did now. She smiled wider at him, her heart racing just as his had been a moment ago. There were few things she loved more in the world than listening to him talk about his life.

"And that's when you won the first time, right?" she asked excitedly.

Eyebrows shooting upwards, Niall gazed at her with a rather amused expression. 

She rolled her eyes at his apparent surprise. "We've talked about this before, you know," she said pointedly. He laughed immediately.

"Yes, that's when I won for the first time." The hand on her hip slid down until he was cupping the small of her back gently and pushing her forwards, putting even less distance between their bodies. She tried to hide her smile. "I know we've talked about it before," he continued, "but I just assumed you didn't remember. It was so long ago, anyway. No big deal if you didn't."

"Of course I would remember that," Lili said, clicking her tongue. Why did he always assume she didn't care about the things he told her? "How did it feel? Getting your jacket and knowing you were the best one there?" 

There were a thousand questions swirling in her head, but this felt like a good starting point. She really, genuinely cared about him and his career, and she wanted to know everything about it. Even if he spent twelve hours non-stop talking about it, she would hang on to his every word. Plus, it wasn't every day that someone like her could hear first-hand accounts of something as incredible as winning the biggest golf tournament known to mankind. This was a privilege she would never take for granted. 

Niall's perfect blue eyes met hers, still shining with pride. He smiled softly.

"I..." He struggled to form a sentence, and Lili couldn't help but admire him. She couldn't even imagine the feeling of knowing you were the best in your craft and being awarded massively for it. The amount of time that has passed since that day probably didn't mean anything. Niall would be just as emotional 30 years from now. "God, I can't even put it into words. Sometimes, I still don't even believe it myself."

He paused again, this time so he could push himself up on the pillow more comfortably, propping his head up with his arm. He gazed down at her with a lazy smile, but his eyes were alight with energy.

"I knew my chances were getting really good halfway through, because I had a decent lead. But then at 16, I completely fucked up and shot a double bogey, which ended up cutting my lead to two strokes."

He shook his head quickly, like he was so afraid of the memory that he wanted to physically push it from his mind. 

"I was fucking terrified. It was my first Major, and I had been so close to winning, but in that moment I thought I lost it all. For a second, it just felt like all of my hard work had come crumbling down in an instant. I honestly don't think I would have won if it wasn't for Evan."

Lili tilted her head to get a better look at him.

"What did he do?" she asked softly. Evan always seemed to have a good way with words.

Niall looked down at her, the smile still dancing on his lips, and brought his hand up from her back to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. He moved a piece of her hair with his fingers and tucked it behind her ear, before laying his palm gently on her cheek once again.

"He just encouraged me. It sounds stupidly simple, but it was enough." He swallowed. "He helped me remember all the work and the blood, sweat, and tears I had put in to be in that position. He just reiterated how proud everyone was of me back home, and how proud he was of me. That was all the motivation I needed."

He sniffled, and Lili worried that he might start crying. But he continued on with that perfect smile still on his face, voice confident and even. "Because of him, I shot a birdie and an eagle on the final holes." He grinned, biting the inside of his bottom lip. "Fuck, I'll never forget the way my heart just burst in my chest when I looked up at the scoreboard and realized I had done it. It literally felt like I was floating because I honestly don't remember my feet ever touching the ground. It was surreal."

His free hand came up to his chest, and he lay his palm flat against his heart. It stayed there for a second, before drifting up towards his messy hair. He pushed it away from his eyes, and Lili had to avert her eyes from his bicep.

"The first person I ran to was Evan. And, even better, my parents were able to be there. Seeing my mum's face when she ran towards me was like a shot of fucking adrenaline, babe. It's still one of the best days of my life. It was one of the first times where I felt real joy and happiness."

He smiled, and now his eyes really were shining with tears.

"I didn't realize Evan meant that much to you," Lili said, feeling her own eyes well up at the sight of him crying. She couldn't control herself. Niall smiled wider.

"Yeah, he's like a second father to me. I spent so much time away from my parents when I first came to America, and it was hard. I was so lucky to have him." He grimaced. "I love my dad to death and couldn't imagine my life without him, but I also can't imagine life without Walshy. He's been there for me through every single up and down of my career, and has never once made me feel like I had no support. He's just an unbelievable human being."

He sniffled again, but the smile never left his face.

"He really does seem amazing," Lili responded. "I can see in your face how important he is to you. Every time you're around him or you talk about him, you completely light up. It's cute."

"You're cute," Niall said with a scoff. He scooted back down enough to pull her so close to his chest that she was now practically lying on top of him. The warmth under the blankets was so inviting that she might never get up from this bed again.

"If the golf thing never worked out, what would you have done?" she asked, gazing into his eyes. From up close, she could see the faint rings of yellow and green around his pupils, standing out against the crystal blue like fireworks.

He shrugged his shoulder gently as his eyes searched hers.

"Honestly, I have no clue. I was that kid that never wanted to be in school. Obviously I had my passions, like music and golf. I never wanted a career in music, and even the bulk of the golf stuff came pretty late." He shrugged again, this time much more nonchalantly. Like he was trying to prove the question hadn't bothered him. "I probably would have just gone to uni with an undecided major and figured it out from there."

He rested his head gently on the pillow. "What about you, love? What's your dream? I feel like I've been talking about mine for ages."

Lili's eyebrows furrowed. She tore her eyes away from his, focusing on a spot on the wall beside the window just above the curve of his shoulder. She suddenly felt nervous - talking about herself made her very self-conscious.

"I've had a lot of different dreams that were never really feasible," she started. Her throat was tight with nerves. "For a long time, I wanted to be a teacher, and I guess that's still my main dream, but it's too late now. I haven't been to school in years. It would be weird to go back as an adult." Her heart skipped with what felt like sadness, and a heaviness settled deep in her chest. "I love science, especially astronomy, and I've always wanted to do something with that. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with how my life is now. I just would have loved if something had worked out for me sooner."

She sighed, disappointed in herself - like always. She was missing out on so much in life, and that fact always broke her heart. Was this really going to be enough for her? Could she be satisfied with not living out her dream? The life and job that she had did make her happy, but what if she could be even happier? What if she'd actually been able to chase her passions?

Niall reached up to cup her cheek again, and Lili's eyes momentarily fluttered shut at the warmth against her skin. The touch just instantly made her feel better.

"Darling, you're 24 years old," he said softly. "You have your whole life ahead of you to do what you want to do. You're never too old to chase a dream. Don't let anyone tell you that."

Her face flushed with both adoration and embarrassment. She turned her head and placed a gentle kiss on the inside of his palm so he couldn't read the expression on her face.

"I don't know, Niall. I would love to go to teacher's college and everything, but I'm not sure it's right for me. Plus, what if I decide to go and I submit all my applications just to get rejected? Then what? I'll be crushed."

"Then you apply to more places until you get an acceptance," he responded casually, as if the answer were incredibly obvious. "You're intelligent, hardworking, and you have a good head on your shoulders. I don't think you'd have a problem getting into a program like that. Or any program, for that matter." He reached up and brushed the hair away from her eyes that seemed to keep falling forward.  "But if it's not something you're comfortable with doing, maybe wait until you know for sure when the time is right. You have so much time to figure things out, I promise."

Something squeezed her heart tightly at his words. He was so sweet, and having his support for this meant everything. It could potentially be the difference between trying and giving up.

"I guess it's something I'll just have to think about for now." She smiled. "But you're right. Maybe in the future, if it works out."

She took the opportunity to snuggle into his chest so she could hide the continuing blush of shame creeping up her neck. Why she felt embarrassed, she had no idea. It wasn't like he was about to start judging or making fun of her because she was unsure about the future. It was clear he understood the predicament and wanted to help in whatever way he could. So many people her age felt this way, so why couldn't she? Maybe it had to do with the fact that his life was so together and hers...wasn't.

It was hard not to feel slightly inferior to him, whether she meant to or not. But at the same time, their lives had gone down such different paths for a reason. Who was she to say that one path was better or worse than the other?

She pressed the side of her head against Niall's chest and listened to his slow heartbeat, matching her breathing to his. There was an overwhelming sense of calm settling around them. Niall was quiet for a few long moments. When he finally spoke, the sound reverberated in his chest and buzzed along her skin.

"For what it's worth, I think you'd be a phenomenal teacher."

She smiled, feeling the familiar butterflies swarm her stomach again. "I think so, too," she responded.

He chuckled coyly. "You'd be the schoolteacher I'd have a crush on as a kid, and everyone would tease me for getting nervous around you. I'd go to class just to see you and bring you gifts."

"Oh, shut up," she said. She shook her head as laughter overtook her, and dug her face further into the comforting warmth of his skin as she allowed the giggling fit to pass. They lay like that for some more silent moments, listening to the crickets singing a soft melody outside the window. Arms wrapped protectively around her, Niall's fingers resumed their path along her skin, drawing hearts and circles on the smooth curve of her spine. The only light in the room came from the lamp on Niall's nightstand and a small sliver of moonlight cutting through the curtains. The faint ticking of the clock hanging in the living room could be heard with every passing second.

Everything felt peaceful. Right. The true comfort of this moment was almost unbearable, but Lili didn't want it to end.

After a long silence, Niall moved awkwardly underneath Lili's body. She pushed herself back slightly to see what he was doing. His head was turned away from her, but he quickly looked back. "It's already after midnight," he said, sighing. "I didn't realize it was that late already. I can just get so caught up with you sometimes." He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly. "Did you want me to drive you home soon?" he asked sweetly. "I don't want to keep you too late."

Nervously, Lili smiled up at him. "Actually...I was hoping I could spend the night? I told my mom we would be out late and not to expect me home until tomorrow."

She knew Niall most likely wouldn't have a problem with her staying, but asking the question still freaked her out. Their relationship was so new, and she was always afraid she was being too forward or invasive by asking to stay. Plus, she'd told her mom not to expect her home under the presumption that he'd actually be okay with her staying. It didn't even occur to her that he might want some space after spending the evening together.

His silence frightened her, and it felt like she had suddenly made everything awkward and ruined the rest of the night. All the peace from the night had disappeared in a split second. She began mentally planning her quickest escape to avoid a tense exchange. But then, Niall's eyes widened, and an amused smile crossed his face.

"And she was okay with that?"

"Apparently," Lili answered with a laugh, grimacing slightly. The constriction in her chest loosened a notch at his positive reaction. Niall looked genuinely shocked.

"I mean, you've only just told her about me, and now she knows we're spending the night together? Kind of ballsy on your end there, darling." There was a little bit of a teasing drawl to his tone. She laughed again.

"I am 24 years old. What's she going to do, ground me?" Lili stuck out her tongue playfully, wetting her lips. "Besides, she obviously trusts me. I can do what I want, so I'm doing this."

Niall laughed, but there was an innocent, excited look in his eye. He really was the cutest.

"Only if it's alright with you, though," she added quickly. The last thing she wanted to do was put him in an awkward position. Again, maybe he didn't want this? Maybe he'd planned the rest of his night after she went home and didn't want to disrupt that. He sighed and smiled wider, pulling her in for a warm, tight hug.

"Are you mad? Of course it's alright with me. I love when you stay the night. I always sleep better."

Lili exhaled deeply with relief and cuddled into his chest more, letting her eyes flutter shut for a minute. He kept his hand on her back, fingers still lazily skimming up and down the shape of her spine. If she could stay this way for the rest of her life, she absolutely would.

Lili felt extremely odd in this moment. It was like she was so happy that she couldn't bear it, and that made her sad. Her heart felt weightless and heavy at the same time. It was hard for her to sort through these feelings and understand them. Everything had just become confusing. She had been ruminating in her thoughts for so long that she almost forgot where she was, and nearly jumped at the sound of Niall's voice.

"What are you thinking about, my angel?" he asked softly. "I can hear your brain running at a mile a minute." It amazed her how he somehow always knew when she was deep in thought, even when he couldn't see her face. 

She tilted her head back enough so that she could look at him, wincing quietly as the perfect heat from his body disappeared. She propped herself up on her elbow and promptly began picking at her cuticles, the worst nervous habit she had ever picked up. She couldn't speak for a few moments trying to think of the right words to say, but Niall's patience never wavered. He lay there quietly, looking at her with soft eyes, ready for whenever she was ready to tell him what was up.

"I just..." she began, but her voice faltered, and her face turned a flaming shade of red. God, why was it so difficult for her to be open with him sometimes?

"What's wrong, my love?" he asked quietly.

Ugh. So fucking cute.

The name made her smile weakly, and she felt the slightest bit more at ease. She took a shaky breath and tried again, avoiding his eyes. That also helped.

"I've just never had this before, and it's strange and scary and I'm afraid that one day I'll wake up and it'll all be gone forever."

She spoke quickly, unable to bear the sound of her own voice. Her cheeks continued to burn with embarrassment. This was absolutely awful. Niall's brows furrowed - he clearly hadn't been expecting that.

"What do you mean?" He was so caring and patient, it was painful. Why couldn't every man in the world be like him? And how did she end up as the girl that got to have him?

Lili finally brought her slightly teary eyes up to meet his. She laughed weakly, as if in disbelief of her emotions. Before she continued speaking, Niall took her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently, before letting their connected hands rest on the mattress beside his chest. The gesture was just a reminder that he was there for her, and it was so heartwarming.

"I've had horrible fucking luck in relationships. And now that things are going so well with us, I'm terrified, even though I want this so badly. I've really only had one relationship in my life, and it was awful. I was constantly being hurt and having my heart broken, and it got to a point where I accepted that that's what all relationships would be like."

Lili paused, swallowing the tears down. She was determined to get through this without crying.

"I couldn't be more grateful that I have you to show me that relationships should actually be the complete opposite of that. In just one day, you showed me more love, happiness, and respect than he did in six months. But I have moments where I think that maybe this is all too good to be true." A quiet, barely audible whimper left her throat, and Lili swallowed. "What if I wake up one day and this is all gone?"

Niall looked at her sympathetically, his eyes shining like diamonds as he looked into hers. He rubbed his lips together, trying to think of the right thing to say. It was a delicate situation for both of them.

"I appreciate that you feel comfortable enough to tell me stuff like this. I know it's not easy to open up about your past when it's so painful, but don't forget that I would never judge you." He squeezed her hand, reminding her that he was there to help. "Of course, you don't have to tell me anything, especially if it's hard for you to talk about, but I would never judge you for what happened or the decisions you made along the way." He lowered his voice but kept his expression the same. "I want you to be comfortable enough with me so that we can have these conversations, because learning everything about you is so important to me."

Tears continued to well in her eyes at his words, because she could tell he was being so damn honest. He wasn't just saying that he cared to reel her in and break her walls down. He really, truly, wanted to know everything. A single tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, but she quickly reached up and wiped it away before Niall could comment on it. She swallowed, willing herself to be calm.

"His name was Daniel," she started, listening to the shaking in her voice. That was the first time she'd ever told anyone not named Jordyn about this. Or even said his name out loud. And holy fuck, it was terrifying.

Immediately, his eyes widened, and the colour drained from his face. "Wait, princess, you don't have to say anything right now." He sounded scared. Lili shook her head and gave him a weak smile.

"I want to. Actually, I need to. Just give me a second." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to slow her breathing. "We started dating right when my first year of college started."

She sniffled and swallowed again.

"Every day, he made me feel ugly and worthless, and it's terrifying that there are people in this world that are capable of tearing down a person the way that he did. He would spend the day making me feel like shit, go out at night and fuck other girls, then come crawling back to me on his hands and knees, apologizing for what he did."

She stopped, and for a second, she laughed, but a short, humourless laugh was all she could muster. "He would tell me he was sorry and that he never meant to hurt me, and I believed him, stupidly. Every time he pretended to apologize, I ate it up, because I thought that, eventually, he was going to mean it." He's going to be better tonight, she remembered thinking, day in and day out. She really believed that if she said it to herself enough times, the universe would pick up on her desperation and find a way to get him to change.

"Any time I brought up an issue in the relationship or I told him how I felt about some of the things he was doing, it turned into an argument. He would make it sound like I was crazy for having any of those feelings, and that everything was all in my head." She shook her head very subtly, keeping her eyes down and away from Niall's. If she looked into his eyes, she would break. "He was so good at manipulating my thoughts and feelings that I really believed I was the problem in the relationship, not him. Each time I found out he cheated on me, I told myself it was because I wasn't a good enough girlfriend, and that I wasn't doing enough to make him happy."

Yeah, it was a pretty dark time for her. Every time she thought back on that point of her life, she couldn't fathom how she could have possibly been so spineless. How she just allowed herself to be walked all over like that. But then she remembered that survivors of abuse were never the problem, and that it wasn't her fault  he acted the way he did. There was nothing more she could have done to make him happy. Everything that happened was because he had made the active choices to be a terrible person and partner. She wasn't to blame for constantly going back to him, because he manipulated her into believing that was the best thing for her to do.

One day, she'll heal. Eventually, she'll be able to look back on the experiences she had with him and blame him, rather than herself. It would take a lot of work and self-reflection, but Lili was confident that the day would come.

"We weren't even together for that long, but he made me truly miserable. He broke me. It took a really long time to build myself back up." She furrowed her brow. "If I'm being honest, I'm still not 100% me again. It's been hard to get back to the girl I was before him."

The tears were now falling down her cheeks in thick, rapid streams, but it felt cathartic. Like a huge weight had been lifted from her chest and she could actually breathe again.

It was rare for her to share her darkest feelings with people - she was the kind of person to bury her emotions until she physically couldn't handle it anymore. One thing she hated was burdening other people with her problems. If she could keep them to herself and still function properly, then that was what she would do. It wasn't fair to dump her trauma onto others when they had their own shit to worry about. And she'd always believed that sharing her story would make her seem weak. Who could possibly take her seriously after learning that she made the conscious decision to stay in an abusive situation for so long?

But something about sharing this moment with Niall, being so vulnerable with him, made her feel closer to him. And it made her feel strong. For the first time in a long time, she was willingly allowing herself to be open and let another person into her heart. It wasn't something she did easily. And for the first time ever, it didn't scare her at all anymore. It felt really good.

It was kind of ironic that they were having this conversation while half-naked in his bed. It was absolutely the rawest way to speak about it, but she wouldn't have it any other way.

She flashed him a lopsided smile as he lifted his free hand up to her face, gently wiping away her tears with the pad of his thumb. The sad, sympathetic look in his eye never diminished.

"I'm so sorry you had to experience that, my angel. I know hearing that probably doesn't help, but I am. You didn't deserve any of that heartache, no matter what you've told yourself over the years." The patience and admiration in his tone made her heart want to throw up. He gazed lovingly into her eyes, and she nearly melted into the soft, white sheets. "You are so, so beautiful. And believe me, I'm not just saying that as your boyfriend. I swear to God, that first time I ever laid eyes on you felt like I'd just won the lottery."

He smiled despite the serious mood, knowing it would keep Lili calm.

"You are so unbelievably, heartbreakingly beautiful. And so kind and caring. Everything about you radiates goodness and empathy and love. I'm sorry he took that away from you, because you deserve to enjoy every bit of those parts of yourself." He paused and furrowed his brow, as if he wasn't sure what he was saying was going to do anything for her. "I promise I will do everything I can to make sure you always remember how fucking phenomenal you are."

He was too perfect for her. She didn't deserve this kindness. She'd expected him to be kind to her after she exposed her secrets, but she never expected this. For him to be so...open. So accepting of her heartache to the point where he would move mountains to take it away from her. She sighed quietly and moved even closer to him somehow, even though she was practically already on top of him. He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her in place.

"You're going to be okay," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "It doesn't have to happen all at once, or even right away. But I promise, you're going to be okay again."

She lay her hand on the side of his face as she continued to look into his eyes, finding every ounce of that love he believed she deserved.

"You make me feel safe," she said, voice barely louder than a whisper. The tears were threatening to fall again, keeping her throat tight. It was a simple sentence that held an immense amount of weight.

Niall smiled a close-lipped smile that made all four chambers of her heart explode.

"Yeah?" he asked, brows raised with joy. She nodded.

"What we have really fucking scared me at first. The idea of being involved with someone again was already hard enough for me to deal with, but then once everything started getting more serious between us...I wanted to run." She took a short breath, keeping her emotions at bay. "I'm sorry I felt that way, but it's true. You're such an affectionate person and everything you say is so perfect and sweet, and it terrified me. I've never been spoken to or cared for the way I have been by you, and I didn't know what to think."

A day ago, telling him these things would instantly make her fear the worst - that him hearing her feelings would make him want to get up and walk out of her life. But somehow, she just knew she didn't have to fear that anymore. Not with Niall. Not ever.

"And even though I've been going along with everything because I want it, I was really hesitant about being open with you like this. I was scared it was all going to end up being too good to be true, like I said before." Her breath was shaking more now, even though the tears had dissipated. It was like her adrenaline was skyrocketing with each word she spoke. "Every single day I woke up and thought it would all end up being some long, lucid dream. I mean, there's no way someone as perfect as you can exist anywhere but inside my head."

Her heart jumped to her throat when he unwillingly grinned a bit at her compliment. 

"But I was also scared that I would open myself up to you and end up having my vulnerability used against me. I don't even know if that makes sense, but everything we have together is so beautiful, yet so terrifying." She paused, feeling her heart pulsing at the base of her neck. She licked her dry lips quickly, but her tongue felt like it had swollen to three times the size. "I was really worried that all of this would turn out the way it had with Daniel, because it's what I've come to expect, but you've proven time and time again that you're different. You're good. Maybe too good. But you have only ever made me feel safe and cared for, and that really helps me feel comfortable here."

God, it was so strange to be telling him all this. But it was even stranger that he actually wanted to listen. For a long time, it seemed like no one would ever want to listen to her talk about this. The moment was so beautiful.

Niall smiled wider and lifted a warm hand up to her face, playfully tapping the tip of her nose with his finger. It was his way of trying to defuse the situation and help her relax. He was so dreamy.

"I kind of figured that you've been wrestling with this for a while. I can see it in your eyes when I compliment or kiss you that you're scared of it. But it's not something to be ashamed of at all."

Lili's eyes widened. "You knew?" she asked breathlessly. Honestly, that was a shock. She truly believed she'd been doing a decent job at keeping her real feelings hidden. Maybe she should take some acting classes instead of going to teacher's college...

He nodded, biting back another cheeky grin. "Of course I knew, love. I'd like to think I've gotten to know you pretty well over these last couple of months." He raised an eyebrow playfully, before relaxing his face once again. "But it never bothered me. I understood there were things that happened that made you feel the way you do. As humans, we're all products of our experiences, whether we want to be or not. And I never wanted to pressure you into talking about it just for my benefit."

He ran his fingers gently down her face, her neck, and along the curve of her shoulder, until they were finding their way down her arm and to her hand.

"I'm very glad that you told me all this, and I'm incredibly proud of you for the courage you're showing me right now. It takes such bravery to let someone into the worst experience of your life. The least I can do is make you feel safe and secure, so I'm more than happy to be that person for you. And we can take this step by step, as slow as you need. There's no rush when it comes to us."

Why, why, WHY did he have to be such an angel? God, she was fucking insane about him. Smiling, Lili leaned forward, pressing her lips gently against his. The kiss knocked the life back into her lungs. He kissed her back softly, full of admiration and peace, not seduction and passion. It was nice. Her lips continued to memorize the shape of his as her hand found his neck, resting her fingers gently on the soft skin as she lost herself in the kiss.

She pulled back after what felt like an hour and laid the side of her head against the pillow, still looking into his eyes. They were her favourite colour.

"I appreciate you so much. Thank you for being my safe haven." 

"Always, my darling," he responded, still smiling, and her heart jumped. Relief was the only emotion she could feel right now. They were silent for a few long moments, just taking the time to look at each other and admire the space they were sharing, before Lili finally spoke again.

"Tell me about the girl. The one from all those years ago." Niall grimaced at her words and a pit of guilt formed in her stomach almost immediately. She picked her head off the pillow. "Only if you want to, I'm sorry. I don't want to pressure you into that."

He chuckled quietly, once again bringing his hand up to her face and laying it gently on her cheek, as if to say 'it's okay'. His thumb brushed along her bottom lip. He searched her eyes as the silence grew between them again.

"Don't be sorry. I knew I'd have to tell you about her eventually, and it seems like a pretty good time right now."

He chuckled awkwardly under his breath, and sighed quietly.

"Her name is Riona," he said, after a prolonged silence. "We grew up together in Ireland. We weren't necessarily friends, but we went to school together and our parents knew each other well. I had a crush on her for a really long time, but she never liked me back. She never even really knew who I was half the time."

She kept her face neutral as he continued, trying to make him feel as safe and comfortable to share his stories as he did for her. It was only fair. 

"We never spoke much when we left school. We actually never spoke at all." He exhaled through his nose and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. "About a week after I won my first Masters, I got a message from her. Don't know how she got my number, but she texted to say congratulations and all that. I thought it was a nice gesture." His eyes seemed to cloud over, like he wanted to dissociate from himself in order to keep talking.

"We started talking more often from there, and it eventually turned into a relationship. She's the one I moved in with after only a couple of months. I was just so blind to everything because I had liked her so much in the past. I didn't realize that she only liked the fact that I was 'famous'. But there were so many signs."

"Like what?" Lili asked quietly.

She placed her hand gently on his warm chest, feeling his heart beating erratically beneath her fingertips. He closed his eyes at the contact, took a slow, deep breath, and opened them to continue telling his story.

"Well, it started with her always asking me when my next public appearance, or interview, or something was. I thought she was just interested in my career and wanted to know about what my life was going to be like after winning, right?" He seemed to snicker angrily. "But then, I remember one day, about three months after my win. I told her about a gala I had to attend for the Masters organization, and the first thing she said about that was how it would look so good on her Instagram story if she was at some big, prestigious party."

He drew his eyes away from hers, still laughing slightly, as if in disbelief. "When I told her I wasn't able to bring a guest, she threw a temper tantrum and didn't speak to me, or even look at me, for two days."

Lili scoffed. "How mature."

He chuckled. "Yup. That was pretty much when I started to take off my rose-coloured glasses and actually see the situation for what it was." He shrugged. "It's stupid, really, but there's not much else to it. There were times when she would admit to me that she wanted me to do more interviews or television appearances, not because she wanted people to get to know me, but because she thought there would be a chance she could be on camera."

He rolled his eyes. "Like I said before, she ended up leaving me for some B-list actor she met when she came with me to LA for the first time. They had this whole thing going on behind my back for weeks, and when I finally found out, she turned herself into the victim." His hand had dropped to the mattress, fingers balled into a tight fist. "She blamed me for pushing her away by always choosing my career over her, which wasn't even true. She manipulated me into believing I deserved what she did to me and that it was my fault she ran to someone else."

The breaths he was taking were heavy and over exaggerated.

"She told me that every person I dated after her would only want me for my riches, because I had nothing to offer outside of that. She went on a whole rant about how I was nothing without my status. She even attacked my character, and those words really stuck with me."

Lili's heart dropped, but she kept her mouth shut as he continued to spill his feelings.

"The whole thing nearly destroyed me. I can't tell you what it is about what she said or did that affected me the most, but it was awful."

Lili felt her face soften with sympathy, and her heart split in two.

"Niall, don't diminish your feelings just because you think what happened wasn't worth the reaction you had. You can be as angry or heartbroken or sad as you need to be. What she did was awful, and you're allowed to hurt over it. Especially because you had such strong feelings for her when you were younger. It wasn't fair to you."

She could just imagine young Niall, so excited because the girl he'd been crushing on finally gave him an ounce of attention, just to smash his heart into pieces. The image nearly killed her.

He sighed. "I know. After we started dating, I admitted the years-long crush I had on her, and I think she took advantage of that. Because she knew I had such strong feelings for her, she figured she could do whatever she wanted and treat me however and I would just go along with it."

Lili's stomach twisted. "I hate to say it, but it sounds like that was the case, baby. She manipulated your feelings in the worst way. I'm so sorry that she did these things to you. You didn't deserve that kind of treatment at all."

She felt her throat tighten as tears threatened in her eyes again. He was trying to be strong, but she could tell Niall was still really hurting over this. Knowing he had been treated so poorly made her heart hurt and break - she wished she could take it all away and make everything okay. How could someone so kind, so god damn loving, end up getting hurt in the worst ways? Why is it always the people with the biggest hearts that experience more emotional damage and heartbreak than anyone else?

The emotions of sharing such traumatic details were clearly getting to him as well. For someone like Niall - who was always so cool and confident - to be on the verge of tears, he must be hurting so much more than he was letting on. She leaned forward and placed a couple of soft kisses on his shoulder, the side of his neck, and his cheek.

"I know that now, princess," he finally responded. His voice was uneven. "I really do. But it took me a while to understand that. I figured that relationships like that would be the norm for me, and it made me want to give up my career just to have a fucking normal life." He was silent again for a few seconds. "She wanted me because nobody from our hometown ever made it big anywhere, and it would look good to everybody back home that she had gotten with me. When we were kids, she always talked about going to America, LA specifically, and finding a rich husband who could get her into the spotlight somehow. And stupid me never managed to put two and two together."

His throat clicked as he swallowed.

"But then, once she realized I wasn't going to be as 'famous' and 'well-known' as she figured I would be right away, she dropped me like nothing. For a while, it really did make me feel like I wasn't good enough, and that my success didn't mean anything."

Lili's shoulder slumped.

"Oh, baby, I'm so sorry she made you feel that way. But I know sorry isn't enough sometimes. She's a horrible person, and I'm glad you've been able to move on from that. I can see that you're very clearly still affected by it, and that's okay."

She paused, listening to him take deep breaths in an attempt to slow down his heart rate.

"Sometimes, healing takes longer than we think, and that's okay, too. But one day, you'll finally realize that you deserve so much love simply because of the person you are, not because of what you have or the success you've achieved. I know it's easier said than done, but it'll happen."

She reached up and pushed his hair off his forehead. His piercing blue eyes never left her face.

"I'm always going to support you the way I know you'll support me. You deserve so much better than what she made you believe you did, and I will not stop until I prove that to you and more. I'm going to do absolutely everything I can to provide you with the safety and happiness she wasn't able to."

His facial expression softened, the skin on his brow bone evening out. Wordlessly, he reached his arms out and wrapped them around her back, pulling her into his chest in a strong, emotional hug. It was a very vulnerable moment neither one of them had been expecting at the beginning of the night, but it felt like such a relief to be able to share these feelings and open themselves up to one another. It had been building to this for a while, and the intense emotions were very hard to work through.

Lili buried her face into Niall's neck, inhaling the smell of his skin as she took a deep breath. He smelled like happiness and home. She felt their heartbeats fall in sync with each other as they lay there, grasping at each other and revelling in the warmth their bodies created.

One of Niall's hands left the small of her back, moving up to rest on her chin as he gently pushed her head back so they could look at each other again. Her heart stopped as she looked into his eyes, filled with both peace and sadness. He leaned forwards and pressed his lips to hers, and her heart jumped to her throat.

"Thank you for sharing that with me today, and for letting me share my stuff with you," he began, once he'd pulled away, his voice a calm, low whisper. "I've never felt so comfortable with another person in my life. You make it so easy to be open."

She smiled at him, and her eyes momentarily fluttered shut as his thumb delicately grazed the skin on her cheek. The hair on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end.

"I feel the same way with you," she responded quietly. "Not that I'm glad you went through something horrible, but it just makes it so much easier." She cleared her throat. "As much as they want to try and understand, people who have never had traumatic experiences like ours don't truly understand what it's like to deal with the aftermath. Knowing we both have some baggage that will take time to heal from kind of makes this easier for me. At least I know I have you to lean on when things get hard, you know?"

He nodded in agreement, and leaned in to give her yet another soft, but painfully beautiful kiss. Lili pulled away and leaned up on her elbow, smiling down at the boy who has changed her life.

"We'll get through this together," he said. His eyes cleared up significantly. "I promise. We'll be okay."

The sincerity in his voice could bring tears to her eyes for the third time that night. She felt lighter than she had at the start of the evening, physically and emotionally.

"I want you to meet my parents," she said quickly, eyes widening immediately. The words had come out before her brain had even processed them as a thought. Blood was rushing in her ears. Niall paused, his eyes lighting up at her words. His brows raised slightly and he shifted to sit further up on the pillow.

"Really? Do you think you're ready for that?" It wasn't a judgemental statement. It was filled with genuine concern and curiosity, and it made her fall for him all over again. She half-smiled and nodded. She bit the inside of her lip, trying to find the right words to say.

"I've never brought anyone home before," she said, and tore her eyes away from him in embarrassment. She could feel the blood pooling in her cheeks again. But he didn't laugh, like she'd kind of expected, and the tightness in her chest eased the slightest bit. Niall's hand reached up to push a strand of her hair off her shoulder. The action made her shiver.

"How come?" he asked. Again, not an ounce of judgement was to be found. She shrugged and slowly brought her eyes back up to meet his.

"I never had the chance," she said in an unsteady voice. "I didn't want them to meet Daniel, and then there were no other opportunities afterwards." She propped herself up higher on the pillow, bringing her hands together in front of her to nervously pick at her cuticles. "A lot of my friends that have been in serious relationships have told me that there was always a moment where they knew they wanted to bring their partner home to their family. It's such a big step in a relationship. There's this feeling you get deep in your stomach that ensures this is the right thing to do." She looked up at him through her lashes. "I've had the inkling for some time now that I want you to meet my parents, and I'm so sure about it now. I've never experienced this kind of feeling before, and it's just so right. Everything with you is right."

She paused and took a deep breath, sitting up straight and crossing her legs. She took a deep, dramatic breath. "So, Niall Horan, will you have dinner at my house tomorrow night with my family?"

Her heart was pounding so painfully and so ferociously in her chest that the sound of the blood rushing in her ears was overwhelming. Niall looked up at her with bright pink cheeks and a smile that could stop a freight train right in its tracks.

"Of course I would, angel." He spoke with such youthful excitement that it was hard not to be endeared by him. Her heart skipped a beat. She leaned down and kissed him, unable to stop smiling. She kissed his lips, both his cheeks, and his nose, before pulling away to look at him. His cheeks were even more red now. He licked his lips.

"You know, I'm honoured that I'm the first person that gets to experience this with you. It means a lot to me that you trust me enough to take this step." He was still smiling, and it nearly brought Lili to tears. How she wished she could tell him she knew that he would be the first and only.

"I'm excited," she said, thinking of nothing but the possibilities for the following night. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Of course it was true, but she was more nervous than anything. "I think they're going love you."

Niall placed his hand on her knee and let his thumb graze along the skin delicately. "I'm excited too, princess. This is a big deal." He grinned. "We're in a serious relationship now."

She laughed. "And we weren't before?"

"Nope," he said innocently. "Now, it's real." Suddenly, his ears perked up. "Actually, speaking of invitations..." He grinned. "How the hell did this slip my mind?"

Lili furrowed her brow, confused. He smiled and sat up beside her, leaning back against the wooden headboard. His hair was messy, his face and chest flushed. He was positively beautiful.

"Remember my buddy Zayn that I told you about?" he asked, eyes alight. Lili nodded.

"Your best friend?"

"Yes." The grin on Niall's face was so adorable. "He's getting married in a few weeks, and I want you there with me. Will you be my date?" he asked, puppy-dog eyes wide with anticipation. Lili furrowed her brows.

"Did you not just say the wedding is in a few weeks? Seating charts will already be made up, you can't just add me."

Niall grinned sheepishly. "Actually, I can. I was supposed to be the best man, but I wasn't able to commit the time because of work. So, in exchange, I was given an automatic plus one. If I didn't end up taking anyone, there would just be an extra seat that I was happy to pay for." His smile widened. "So? Will you go?"

How could Lili possibly say no? She smiled, reaching over to grab his hand. "I'd love to."

~I LOVE THEM.

got some special chapters coming up<3

Chapter Text

~vibe of the chapter is Today Was A Fairytale (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift <3

Her hands trembled viciously. Her stomach ached and turned to the point of nausea. It was going to be next to impossible to get ready with her body acting the way that it was, but Lili really needed to get moving.

Today was the day she'd been dreaming about and waiting for her whole life. A fairytale come true - a real, honest-to-God boyfriend would be arriving at the house in less than three hours to officially meet Lili's parents for the first time. An honest-to-God boyfriend that meant the earth, moon, and stars to her. 

What she had told Niall the night before was true - this was a first-time experience for Lili. A never-been-done-before type of moment. There had never been a person in her life that she would consider bringing home. But now...

Was she regretting it? Not at all. She could never even think to regret doing this. It was the best decision she would ever make, and the night didn't even need to happen for her to know that. But she would be lying if she said that the prospect of this event wasn't downright terrifying.

This night would change everything – not just the dynamic of her relationship with Niall, but with her family as well. Nothing would be the same anymore. Whether they wanted to or not, her parents would look at her differently. Instead of seeing the girl who was trying her hardest just to make it through the day, they would see the woman who had grown up and found happiness. They would see her as someone who had found the love she'd been so desperately searching for. Lili was certain her parents had never seen her like this before. 

She looked at herself in her bathroom mirror and took a deep breath, exhaling sharply through her mouth as she gripped the edges of her vanity tightly in an attempt to keep herself steady. She had just stepped out of the shower, wet hair dripping mercilessly on the tile flooring. The towel wrapped around her naked body was like a comforting hug telling her it was okay before she approached the scariest moment of her life. If she took it off, it meant that she had no choice but to get ready, which , in turn, meant that this night was not a dream at all. This was reality, and it was happening very soon.

Lili glanced at her phone laying on the countertop - it read 4:27pm. She had just gotten home from work, running straight up to her bedroom without bothering to say hello to anyone. She had worked an opening shift that day, which worked out perfectly for Niall to come for dinner. Except she'd nearly forgotten about it yesterday after their fantastic night together, and when her 6:45am alarm blared in Niall's bedroom, she woke in a panic. She'd apologized profusely as Niall rose from his bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he searched for a shirt to throw on to drive her home.

He smiled lazily at her, telling her again and again that he didn't mind at all. Even when he was woken up so suddenly, his smile was beautiful enough to stop a freight train.

She cursed at herself for picking such a horrible day to have him come to her house, but the plan had unfortunately been set in stone before they could do anything about it, so she was determined for this to happen now.

Her eyes met her reflection in the slightly fogged mirror once again, and she lifted a hand to wipe away enough condensation to see her face.

"Today is going to be fine. It's good for us," she said quietly to herself. "We can do this." Lili willed her mind to focus on the positives, hoping it would help ease her anxious thoughts as she started to get ready.

It was super weird, though. She was more nervous about Niall being inside her house and her personal space than she was about him meeting the family. It would be strange just to see him there, sitting on her couch or drinking out of her glasses.

She remembered the first time she'd been in his house. Niall made her feel like she belonged there, and everything was instantly okay. She had no reason to feel out of place. All she wanted was to make her own house feel just as safe for Niall. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel like an outsider in the one place that everyone she loved could truly be themselves.

She wasn't even really worried at all about her parents liking him. She knew, without a speck of doubt, that they would love each other a whole fucking lot. Especially her dad. If anyone was going to get along perfectly with Niall, it was her father. Just the fact that he loved golf as much as Niall did was enough, because the two of them could talk about it for hours if given the chance. It was a match made in heaven, and the vision of the two of them gawking over Tiger Woods' latest tournament made her smile painfully big.

There were other things she knew they would have in common, but it was pretty lucky that the biggest, most important one was there to fall back on. 

She plugged in the trusty old blow dryer sitting on the counter to dry and style her hair, turning her long locks into soft, delicate curls that flowed gorgeously down her back. The style was pretty much identical to how she'd done it on their first date. And though Lili knew Niall loved the way these curls looked on her, having her hair styled this way also made her feel really good about herself. One thing she needed more than anything tonight was confidence, because that would just make everything run smoothly.

If anyone sensed that she was scared out of her wits about how the night would be unfolding, it was bound to turn into a disaster. However long she needed to fake it until she made it, she would do just that to ensure a successful night.

She pushed the hair out of her face using a silk headband, reaching for her makeup bag in the cupboard underneath her sink. Figuring full glam would be excessive for dinner, Lili chose to keep her makeup pretty and simple - just enough to feel better about her skin and her eyes.

For years, Lili had been terribly insecure about how she looked. It had gotten to the point where she needed to slather makeup on, even if she was just going to the post office or on a coffee run. But Niall constantly told her how beautiful she was, even if she wasn't wearing a drop of makeup. The sparkle in his eyes when he looked at her never changed, no matter how dolled up she was. His compliments meant the world to her. It always shocked her how genuine he sounded when he told her that she was beautiful. And truthfully, she had been starting to feel more beautiful lately. Every time she saw her reflection in the mirror, the crippling need to hide behind makeup shrank more and more until it was almost non-existent. 

Once finished, Lili took a couple steps back and turned her head carefully from side to side, admiring her work. It looked pretty decent, surprisingly. The simple champagne-coloured eyeshadow and black winged liner really made the green in her eyes pop, which was something Niall always complimented her on.

The quiet, peaceful air she'd settled into was broken when the sound of a sudden harsh vibration against the countertop made her jump nearly a foot into the air. The smile grew on her face as Niall's name flashed across her phone screen. Butterflies erupted in her abdomen. She swiped her finger to answer the call, putting it on speaker.

"Hi, love," she said, reaching to the other side of the sink to retrieve her lash curler.

"Hey, princess," Niall responded happily, and she could practically hear the smile in his voice. "How's everything?"

Lili leaned forward and pressed her eyelashes firmly with the curler. "Good," she said casually. "I think we've got everything ready for later."

Niall gasped dramatically on the other end. "That's right. It's almost time." 

Her stomach twisted nervously at his words. "I know, don't remind me," she whined, as if she hadn't been the one to bring it up. "I'm already freaking out enough as it is."

Just once, she wished she could be as cool about everything as her boyfriend always seemed to be. It was rare that Niall let things freak him out. Either he was really good at keeping his emotions hidden, or he was just naturally that collected.

Niall laughed quietly, and it only just barely sounded like pity.

"I wish you would let yourself worry a bit less sometimes," he said. "I already promised you that I'd be on my best behaviour tonight. Not that I need to, anyway. You know I'm a fucking rockstar when it comes to impressing people."

She giggled, giving him a nod of approval that he couldn't see. "You're not wrong there, Horan."

"Everything's going to be fine, my beautiful girl." The smile was still evident in his voice. "Your parents are going to love me, and we're going to have an amazing night together. I promise."

"I know they will," Lili said with a sigh. "They already do." She paused, grinning, as she twirled the lash curler between her fingers. "You know, I should be the one comforting you in this scenario. I don't know why you're not more nervous than I am."

Honestly, though. How was he always so laid back about anything? Was he even human? Niall laughed again, and the sound instantly calmed Lili down.

"I'm not nervous because this is a good thing, love. There's nothing to be afraid of. Bringing me into your family is a big step that we both want to take and we should be excited for it." He sniffled. "I know you're scared because it's a huge first for you, and you want everything to go smoothly, but I promise everything will be fine. We'll have some wine, we'll eat, it'll be good."

She smiled wider, forcing herself not to let the tears threatening in her eyes to spill over and ruin her near perfect canvas.

"Are you trying to dismiss my feelings, Horan?" she teased, picking up her phone and looking at her reflection.

"Is that what you think I'm doing?" he asked, using that same playful tone she had. She giggled.

"No. I know this is how you handle stress. I'll let it slide, just this once." She tried to sound like she was scolding him, but it wasn't working.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll always let my jokes slide, princess. Just like how you always let me slide-"

"Okay, let's not!" Lili yelled into the phone, begging him to shut up. How dare he try and get her riled up before she had to face her family. The blush was already beginning to creep its way up her neck and face. Niall had dissolved into a fit of laughter on the other end, and she rolled her eyes as he dramatically caught his breath.

"Christ, I'm sorry, princess. But it was right there. I had to say something." He exhaled sharply again, but his voice still wavered with laughter. "Seriously, I know everything is going to go well. I promise I won't let anything bad happen tonight."

She smiled, scrunching her nose up. "Alright, I'll try to relax. I can't wait to see you." She leaned closer to the mirror as she picked up her favourite mascara, twisting the wand out of the bottle.

"I can't wait, either." Her heart fluttered and skipped at the simple confession. "I'm leaving my house in 20 minutes, by the way. I just have to make a quick stop first, so I'll text when I'm close by," Niall said calmly.

Lili smiled and felt her stomach erupt with butterflies once again. This really was happening so fast and so soon.

"Okay, drive safe. I'll see you in a bit."

"See you in a bit, gorgeous," Niall said adorably, before he hung up the phone, making the room fall silent once again.

Lili couldn't stop smiling as she perfected her mascara, spraying her face with setting spray once more. He always knew how to get her to smile like this, even with a silly little phone call. Her heart was bursting with joy at the prospect of seeing him, even though it had literally just been a few hours apart. Her heart was happiest and her mind was calmest when she was around Niall.

Studying her reflection in the mirror again, she nodded in satisfaction. She looked great - not too overdone, but just enough to feel confident in how she looked. It had been a long, long time since she'd told herself that she looked great and actually meant it. Maybe it was nice to love yourself a little bit.

Gently pulling the headband off her head and fluffing her curls out, Lili picked up her phone and turned back towards her bedroom, shutting the bathroom light off behind her. The mess that was her bathroom would be cleaned up at the end of the night. Right now, she had other, more important things to worry about.

She tossed her phone on the bed and glanced at her alarm clock as she passed by the nightstand. It read 5:33pm. Less than two hours until her life changed.

She looked at the dress she had pulled out of her closet to wear as it lay across the bottom corner of her mattress. It was a white sundress, with tiny pink flowers scattered along the fabric like small, bright polka dots. It had loose, flowy sleeves that fell midway down her arm, stopping an inch or two above her elbow, and a slightly deep v-neck.

Pulling the dress on suddenly made the blood in her veins rush a bit faster, and the simple rhythm of her heartbeat to pick up speed. Her head was spinning, and it took all the energy she had left to keep herself calm. She was just getting dressed. No need to panic right now. Her body actually looked quite nice in the dress when she glanced in the mirror on her dresser. It was loose and stylish, but hugged the curve of her waist in a way that gave her a bit more of an hourglass shape than usual.

It was...sexy?

She'd never thought that before. Ever. The dress left her neck and chest bare, so she added some layered silver necklaces to take up the space. One of the necklaces was the Scorpio constellation, her zodiac sign, and it was her favourite piece of jewelry she owned. The other necklaces were simple chains that she hadn't yet had the opportunity to add charms to. She paired the necklaces with small hoops and a thin silver bracelet.

Since they were just going to be staying in the house, Lili didn't bother to pick out a pair of shoes, choosing instead to slip her feet into a pair of black socks.

She reached across the dresser and grabbed her favourite perfume, adding just a touch to the insides of her wrists, and along the skin underneath her ears. Niall had commented on this perfume once before and expressed how much he liked it so, naturally, she wore it all the time whenever she was around him. She placed the bottle back on the shelf with gentle hands, thankful they had somewhat stopped shaking. Overall, the nerves had seemed to subside.

Lili turned and strode over to her bed, plopping herself down on the corner and crossing her legs underneath her body. It was still early, so she could use a bit of mindless social media scrolling to keep her sane. She switched between the same three apps for a while, laughing at funny videos or beating a couple levels in Candy Crush, until she finally decided to glance at the time.

6:47pm.

Lili gasped loudly and jumped up, nearly losing her balance as her numb feet hit the hardwood. She jogged out of her bedroom as her heart pounded loudly in her ears. Niall would be here any minute, and she was fucking terrified.

"Everyone to the living room now, please!" she called out, her loud voice ringing through the foyer. The anxiety was just dripping from her vocal cords. The family needed some ground rules, and Lili cursed herself for not sitting down with them sooner. She raced down the stairs and into the living room, holding her hands up for balance as she slid around dangerously in her socks. One wrong turn, and she'd be laying on the floor with a cracked skull.

She caught herself on the doorframe and stopped, trying to take deep breaths to slow her pulse down as her family appeared from different areas in the house, clearly unaffected by the impending night. 

Come on, people, this is a huge moment! Look alive! she wanted to yell at them.

She looked up to see her parents approaching from the kitchen. They were both dressed nicely, which Lili appreciated. Their outfits were perfectly appropriate for a semi-casual home dinner. Then again, her mother always dressed like she was heading to a budget meeting, so this didn't really surprise Lili in the slightest.

Her brothers, however, did not look as nice as they needed to. They were both wearing freshly ironed polo shirts, which would have been okay had they paired them with nicer pants. Aiden was wearing ripped black skinny jeans, slides, and no socks, and Matt was lounging around in khaki shorts and Converse.

God, they looked horrible. This had to be sabotage.

"You're not serious, are you?" she questioned angrily, looking both her brothers up and down. "We're having dinner, not going to a skate park."

Aiden sneered at her but said nothing. Matt acted like he hadn't even heard her speak, which infuriated her even further. Lili glanced at the clock on the wall across from her and shook her head, digging her nails into her palms. There was no time to berate them for their outfits and, frankly, she didn't really care that much. At least they'd bothered to shower and fix up their hair, which was more of a win than she could have asked for from them. She had to take what she'd been given and just go with it.

Lili sighed as she finally caught her breath, though her heart was still pounding in her ears.

"Sweetie, you look like you've seen a ghost. Relax a bit, will you?" her father said, a sympathetic smile on his face. God, the tone of his voice right now was so condescending, even though she knew he didn't mean for it to be.

Lili rolled her eyes and tried to let the wave of anger she felt brewing subside. "I'll relax once I know for sure everything is going to be fine. Now, I need to say something before Niall gets here, which won't be long." She gestured with her arm towards the couches like a tour guide giving them a show. "So please, sit down."

One by one, the family approached the sofa and sat down, though it wasn't very eagerly. They were so annoying sometimes. Lili crossed over to the window, hiding behind the curtain but pulling it back a tiny bit so she could keep an eye on the driveway, needing to see the moment Niall arrived. She exhaled sharply and looked back at her family. "Alright, look. You guys know how important tonight is for me. Everything needs to go smoothly."

Honestly, she wasn't sure if they were even aware of the gravity of the situation, but there was no way they couldn't see the look in her eyes or feel the nervous energy radiating off of her. She crossed her arms over her stomach as a sudden wave of nausea hit her.

"I am begging you guys to be normal around Niall. Be a nicer, more refined version of yourselves. And please do not make him out to be a bigger deal than he is."

Her dad laughed, slightly shocked. "How could I not make a big deal out of this?" he questioned obnoxiously. Lili glared at him, causing him to shut his mouth immediately and hold his hands up protectively, like he was expecting bullets to start flying at him. She exhaled for the hundredth time.

"All I'm saying is don't make a scene. Tonight, he's just my boyfriend coming over for a nice, calm dinner. There's no 'professional athlete' or celebrity here tonight. Please, just be normal and polite. Don't ask stupid questions or make silly comments."

She hadn't realized she had been pinching the skin of her elbow as she spoke, and dropped her arms to her sides before she made the skin any more red or possibly drew blood.

Her mom chuckled softly. "We understand, Lili. We know how to be normal, we don't need a lecture from you. We'll be on our best behaviour, don't you worry." Josephine shared a knowing look with her husband and they both smiled, making Lili roll her eyes. Thankfully, her mom could always be the voice of reason in the family - everyone seemed to listen to her.

Aiden nodded slowly like he'd heard what was said, but didn't bother to look at Lili for confirmation. Matt hadn't even looked away from his phone for the last five minutes.

"You know, you guys could be a bit more enthusiastic," Lili commented, trying to control her temper. She knew this night meant more to her than everyone else, but Jesus, they couldn't look like they cared less if they tried.

Aiden finally looked up at her, the glazed look in his eye slowly fading. "Dude, a guy is coming here to have dinner," he said, physically unable to sound more bored than he did. "It's not like we're meeting the Queen."

"He's not a guy, he's my boyfriend."

Aiden shrugged. "Same thing. Who cares?"

"Grow up," Lili mumbled under her breath, refraining from biting on her fist in frustration. What a nuisance her brothers could be sometimes. She turned back to the window and her heart dropped to her stomach as she watched Niall's sleek black Range Rover turn into her driveway. The timing was almost comedic.

This was it. There was no turning back now. Even though she wanted to run upstairs and hide under the covers.

"Okay, he's here," she said loudly, suddenly unsure of how to speak normally. Was she even breathing? She jumped back from the window and turned to her family once again. Each movement she made caused the dizziness to worsen. She made dramatic 'shoo' motions with her hands. "Go into the kitchen and wait there. I don't want to crowd him at the door."

Matt laughed as he got up from the couch and walked away, scratching the back of his head. "You need to relax. He probably doesn't even care that much."

Lili sneered at him, though she knew he couldn't see. Did he not understand that she couldn't 'relax', no matter how desperately she was trying to? If only he knew how much Niall cared. But that wasn't something she needed to dwell on, anyway. 

Once everyone had left the room, she walked quickly to the front door and stopped just before it, taking a deep breath and smoothing out her dress. The moisture collecting on her palms was a bit concerning. She had not anticipated nervous sweats. Fuck, she was a wreck. She closed her eyes and meditated momentarily. Here we go...

Niall's silhouette approached through the frosted glass, and she couldn't help but smile, though her heart was pounding. She couldn't wait to hug and squish him and see his smile again. 12 hours apart was far too much for her to handle. Niall's now dark figure raised its hand up to knock on the glass, and Lili counted two slow heartbeats before unlocking the door and swinging it open.

"Hi, princess," Niall said, that perfectly wonderful smile already plastered on his face. Instantly, she melted. Lili's smile widened as she drank in the sight of him, feeling so happy to just be near him again. She genuinely missed being around him, even if they were together not even 24 hours ago. She took a few steps back and gestured towards the empty hallway behind her, encouraging him to come inside. The moment he lifted his foot off the concrete, she felt the anxiety creep back in.

Was he really about to cross the threshold of her house for the very first time? Was this real? Was it actually happening?? Yes, it is real, her subconscious reminded her, as he stepped through the door, placing his foot on the front carpet.

Holy shit. Niall Horan was now officially inside her house. In her private, personal space. Was this a ridiculously dumb thing to be panicking about? She had no clue.

Lili inhaled deeply and caught the scent of his aftershave as he passed her and stepped out of his black leather loafers, politely lining them up just beside the door. Fuck, he always smelled so good. Now she was lightheaded for a completely different reason.

She looked him up and down carefully, hoping he wouldn't catch her staring. He was wearing a simple off-white dress shirt, littered with thin, vertical stripes of pale blue and light red that were barely visible at first glance. The sleeves were rolled about halfway up his forearms, and a crisp white tank top poked out of the collar, low enough to reveal some of his chest hair. The shirt was tucked neatly into his perfectly pleated black dress pants, secured in place by a black belt with a simply elegant silver buckle. His pants were cropped at the ankles, something she'd begun to notice was his signature style.

No one could pull off that look better than he could. Seriously. She would love to see another man even try. He was the image of perfection once again.

"You look very sexy," she said as she gazed up at him, smiling as a hint of a blush crossed his cheeks.

"I could say the same to you, gorgeous." His eyes travelled down her body and back up, and the look gave her chills. Smiling, she admired him again. His beard had been trimmed down a touch, and his chocolate mop of hair was perfectly gelled and styled. He was so perfect, she wanted to cry.  Niall leaned forward to kiss her, pressing his lips so gently against hers. The touch sent her heart leaping to her throat. If her family wasn't in the very next room waiting, she would drag him upstairs and spend the rest of the night doing just this.

Instead, she reached down to take one of his hands, and it was only then that she realized they were full. In one hand, he was holding a bottle of what looked like some very expensive French red wine. In the other, a small bouquet of bright pink tulips wrapped in crinkly white paper. She cocked an eyebrow questioningly as she looked into his eyes. "Is this what you left your house so early for?" she asked. He shrugged one shoulder, still smiling.

"Well, I wasn't going to show up to your house for the first time empty handed. What kind of boyfriend would that make me?"

Oh. He was the greatest.

Lili's brow softened and her heart squeezed. "Love, you didn't have to do that," she said, lowering her voice. She brought her hands up and rested them on his chest. "I mean, it's very nice of you, but it wasn't necessary."

He shook his head dismissively and leaned forward to kiss her again, this time for a moment longer. The arm holding the flowers wrapped around her back and he pressed forward, pushing hard enough so she was flush against his chest. The sensation of his lips against hers made her positively reel with joy. She would stay there all night if she could, losing herself in him. But when his tongue swiped carefully across her lip, she slipped back into reality. If they got into this now, they'd never stop. She pulled away slightly - just enough to look into his painfully beautiful eyes. He smiled softly.

"This is more important to me than you think it is," he whispered, glancing down at her lips against briefly. "I want to make a really good first impression. I want them to like me."

Lili's stomach lurched and she smiled at him, crinkling her nose. She tried to keep her emotions at bay, but it was hard to stop the tears welling in her eyes. It meant the world to know how important he viewed this night. He was everything to her. Every time he said something like that or did something kind and sweet, it healed another piece of her heart. 

She stepped away from him and looked up, as if admiring the ceiling – anything to stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "Well..." she said nervously, bringing her head down and meeting his gaze again. "Welcome to my house."

Her heart raced as the silence grew between them. She knew it wasn't a big, extravagant mansion like his house, but it was her home, and she loved it. Every inch of it was perfect to her. But what if he didn't like it? Niall had never done anything to prove to her that he was materialistic, or looked down on people that had less than he did, but the fear still crept up. Niall smiled as he looked around, taking a few moments to study the different family photos hung on the wall.

"It's beautiful," he said kindly. "It feels like you. I wouldn't be surprised if it grew arms and hugged me." He turned to her again, grinning. "Will I be seeing your bedroom at any point tonight, love?"

The question was innocent, but his tone was anything but. His eyes narrowed slightly but the sweet smile never faltered, as if challenging her to make a comment. If you want to, yes. We can go up there right now.

Lili rolled her eyes, and Niall laughed. "Get your mind out of the gutter, woman. I'm here for a nice dinner with your parents. I can't have you making things inappropriate."

Now it was Lili's turn to laugh, though it came out more like a scoff. "Oh, shut up, you're the one who always makes conversations dirty."

Niall scoffed right back, dropping his jaw. "How dare you?" he said dramatically, puffing up his chest proudly. "I am as good and clean as they come." 

Lili bit back a smile. "Yeah, yeah. Sure you are." Having this little banter was a nice distraction from what was waiting around the corner. Lili wrung her hands together nervously. "Alright, everyone's in the dining room." She glanced at him. "Let's go?"

He smiled, looking cool as a fucking cucumber considering what they were about to do. "We can do this, princess," he said. "It'll be alright."

She smiled and reached up, placing her palm gently on the side of his neck, sweeping her thumb across his cheek the way he always did to her. The stubble on his face felt nice under her finger.  "Yeah. We'll be alright."

They stayed that way for a long moment, until Lili lowered her hand and exhaled sharply. Honestly, she couldn't believe this was happening, but now there was nothing she could do to stop it. As if she wanted to, anyway.

She stepped in front of Niall and led the way down the hall towards the dining room, which suddenly felt a thousand feet longer than usual. Normally, the family ate at the table in the kitchen, but tonight was as good a time as any to actually use their nice, formal dining room. The last time they ate in there was probably Christmas a decade ago. But Niall deserved the best, and that was what he was going to get.

Lili's father was sitting at the table with her brothers, making quiet conversation that couldn't be heard from this far away. She wondered if he was giving them a talk about their behaviour around Niall, or if it was just casual. Her mother was in the kitchen preparing a pot of mashed potatoes - the aroma wafted through the air and filled the house deliciously.

Lili and Niall stepped through the doorway together, and Lili's heart was fucking pounding. Sweat was starting to form along her hairline. She cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hello," she said, not entirely sure how to announce their arrival in the room. Why the hell did she feel so weird? She glanced at Niall quickly to make sure he was still there. 

Her father stood up instantly, tucking his chair in and making his way around the table. Niall met him halfway, plastering that perfect, award-winning smile onto his face. Holy shit. They were looking at each other.

"Niall Horan, sir. It's so great to finally meet you," he said politely. Niall held up the bottle of wine. "This is one of my favourite wines. I just wanted to bring a little something for you tonight as a thank you for letting me in your home." A perfect gentleman, as per usual. 

Beaming, William took the bottle and shook Niall's hand, a rather relaxed smile spreading on his own face. Lili could tell he was trying really hard to hold back his excitement. "I know who you are, Niall. No need for introductions here." Her father nodded sharply. "I'm a big fan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Oh, Jesus. Really? Lili shot daggers at her dad with her eyes, but said nothing.

Her father read the label on the wine with wide eyes, seemingly impressed at the choice. He smiled at Niall warmly, whose shoulders visibly relaxed. "We'll crack this open with dinner and have a glass together. Thank you."

Niall nodded in agreement. "That'd be great," he said.

Lili was already swooning. How was this really happening? Was this actually her life, or something in her imagination? 

William cocked his head to the side towards the table. "These are my sons, Matthew and Aiden. I'm sure you've heard a tremendous amount about them." It wasn't a secret that Lili bragged about her little brothers to whoever would listen, whenever she could. And how could she not? They were her two favourite people in the world.

"Absolutely," Niall said, confirming her father's suspicions. "Lili's told me everything about them." He nodded to each of the boys as a simple greeting. "Hey guys, nice to meet you." He stepped forwards and held his hand out to Aiden.

Lili cringed - this wasn't going to end well. Aiden hated handshakes with a passion. Honestly, he really only let his absolute best friends in the world touch him in any way. But then, Aiden held out his hand and shook Niall's firmly. Matt did the same immediately after, and Lili had to check to make sure her jaw wasn't hanging on the ground. Who were these nice, respectful boys, and what had they done with her little brothers?

The smile widened on Niall's face as William stepped back, gesturing for his wife to come to his side. Lili hadn't even noticed her come in, seeing as she was too busy admiring the gorgeous man who'd gotten her little brothers to show some decent manners.

"Niall, this is my wife, Josephine," William said proudly as he snaked his arm around her back. Lili loved the way her parents loved each other.

Josephine smiled as Niall presented her with the beautiful flowers. He also shook her hand politely, but leaned down and gave her a sweet, simple peck on each cheek. Lili swore her mother blushed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both. Really." Niall was beaming. His fingers twitched, and Lili knew it was because he wanted to reach for her hand. "Thank you so much for having me tonight. It's so great to be here."

Josephine smiled again and brought the bouquet up to her nose, smelling the buds. There was no way Niall could have possibly guessed that pink tulips were Josephine Hughes' favourite flower. "These are so gorgeous, Niall, you shouldn't have. It's so nice to have you here. I'm going to get these in some water but you guys take a seat, have a drink. Dinner should be ready soon."

The two men nodded and turned towards the dinner table as Josephine strutted back into the kitchen, holding her flowers out to admire them. How could Niall have made a first introduction - one of the most awkward things in the entire world - look that smooth? He wasn't human.

"Do you drink brandy, Niall?" her father asked, walking slowly towards the wall opposite the doorway, where his makeshift bar stood proudly under the windowsill. It was littered with crystal glasses and multiple different bottles of liquors and spirits.

Niall smiled, crossing his arms over his chest - it was in a comfortable way, not a defensive one. That was a great sign. "I do, yeah. I'll have one if you are."

Her dad smiled, gesturing Niall over with two fingers. "Great. Come on."

He placed two glasses in front of him on the surface of the bar gently as Niall headed over and stood next to him, watching carefully. William reached to the back row of bottles and picked up his favourite brandy. Niall looked over his shoulder at Lili, who hadn't moved from her spot near the end of the table for a good five minutes. Lightning struck the floor where she stood when their eyes met.  "Do you want a drink, love?" he asked sweetly, gesturing towards the table with his head.

She smiled, shaking her head. "No, that's alright. I'll get something later. Thanks."

Niall smiled adorably and turned back to watch her father's preparations. William poured equal amounts of brandy into the glasses, spun the cap back on, and replaced it in its spot on the shelf. The amber liquid swirled around the bottom of the crystal as he picked up the glasses and turned, handing one to Niall and keeping the other for himself. He raised his glass up, Niall following his lead. They clinked their glasses together wordlessly while exchanging brief nods, before they both took a sip.

Lili grinned as she watched them. There was something so fucking sweet about that one little moment they'd just shared. It was an instant connection. Her two favourite men having a drink together meant more to her than it probably should. 

After draining his glass, Niall casually turned his head until his eyes met Lili's once again. He winked and smiled, and her heart melted. So far, so good, she thought to herself. No doubt he was thinking the same. 

"Here, Niall, you can sit next to me," William said, gesturing to the seat just to the right of the head of the table.

Niall being here was going to mess up their usual seating plans, and she was just waiting for the complaints to start. If there was one thing that never changed in their house, it was the seating arrangement at dinner.

Matt was sitting in the specified seat, obliviously scrolling through his phone, clearly uninterested in what was going on around him. Staring at him wasn't helping, so William bumped him gently on the back of the head with his hand, earning an irritated groan from her brother.

"What?" Matt questioned, reaching up to soothe the back of his skull. William cleared his throat.

"Our guest is going to take that spot tonight. Please move."

Niall shook his head, furrowing his brow. "Oh, no, that's alright," he said to Matt. "I can sit on the other side, it's no big deal."

But Matt had already stood up and moved to the other side of the table beside his brother and across from William, still glancing down at his phone. "I'll sit there tomorrow," he said, lips pulling up into a slight grin. He looked at Niall and his eyes lit up a bit. "Not a problem."

Lili chuckled softly, though she had to admit that she was glad her father was taking enough of a liking to Niall to have him sit right next to him. Then again, could she really be surprised? Tonight probably meant more to William than anyone else. 

"I'm sorry for the lack of manners from those two," Lili said to Niall, cocking her head in the boys' direction. Aiden's head snapped up and he glared at her, eyes wide.

"Hey, I haven't done anything wrong yet!"

Niall laughed, and there was a twinkle in his eye. "Honestly, it's fine. I was the exact same way meeting my brother's wife for the first time, too. It's not a big deal."

Aiden grinned. "Yeah. Not a big deal."

Niall stood behind the chair that had been designated as his and gestured for Lili to sit next to him. The only thing he wouldn't negotiate was having her next to him. That was a necessity. He smiled like an eager child, and the sight warmed her heart. She walked over and stood in front of him for a brief second, fighting the very strong urge to lay her hand on his jaw and brush his skin with her thumb. It had been way too long since she touched him like that.

Instead she sat down, allowing Niall to tuck her chair in towards the table, before he took his own seat next to her. He was always a gentleman, no matter the circumstances. As soon as he was settled in the chair, he slipped his hand over and found hers under the table. Lili tried to hide her smile as he laced their fingers together, dropping their connected hands in her lap like a warm, comforting weight. They fit so perfectly together that it still shocked her sometimes. They should have been holding hands their entire lives. 

"Any idea when the food's going to be ready?" Lili asked her father as a way to distract herself, her stomach growling with hunger. She'd spent such a large portion of the day being nervous that she struggled to eat, and now that she felt better, both her hunger and her appetite had returned in full force.

Almost as if she'd been waiting for a cue, Josephine came striding into the dining room carrying a stack of plates. "Alright everyone. Dinner's ready. Phones away, please, boys," she said, as she began setting the plates down in front of each chair. She was using the fancy china they kept for special occasions.

Niall immediately pulled his hand out of Lili's, and she watched as he pushed his chair back and stood, running his fingers back through his hair to smooth it. He cleared his throat. "I can help carry some things in," he said, with a beautiful smile on his face. Josephine beamed at him but shook her head.

"Oh, don't even worry about it, sweetheart. You just sit and relax. There's not much to bring in, anyway." She glanced at her sons, raising an eyebrow. "The boys can help me."

Both Lili and Niall looked over at her brothers, who were coincidentally looking anywhere but at their mother. They always helped out even if they hated it, but would never pass up an opportunity to have someone else do their job. Niall shook his head and took a few steps towards the doorway of the kitchen. "I'd be more than happy to," he said sweetly. "Let me know what you need, and I'll do it."

Josephine held her hands up defensively, as if to say there was nothing she could do about it, but smiled and turned back to the kitchen with Niall following close behind.

Lili's nose scrunched up as she smiled, her stomach tossing and turning with butterflies over the interaction. He couldn't possibly be any sweeter if he tried.

That was an extremely simple gesture that meant more to her than anything. It showed how much Niall cared. Yes, it may seem like the bare minimum to offer help the first time you go to someone's house, regardless of whether it's your friend or your partner. But Lili could still be happy about it. All she wanted was for Niall to make a good impression on her family so they could see exactly why she was so crazy about him, and that was as perfect a start as any. 

This was exactly what she'd been hoping and praying for. She was so, so thankful. 

She tilted her head down towards her lap to hide the ridiculous smile plastered on her face, because the last thing she needed was for her brothers to see her melting over a boy. That would give them fuel they absolutely didn't need. She could tell her dad wanted to say something but was choosing to be quiet. There wasn't a doubt in Lili's mind he would ask a thousand questions as soon as Niall left for the night. 

The sound of footsteps drew her attention back to the door leading to the kitchen. Lili watched with a fluttering heart as Niall walked behind her mom, still smiling. Together, they placed platters of food down in the middle of the table and handed out the cutlery.

Josephine had made a roast chicken in the oven, and paired it with her homemade mashed potatoes, butternut squash, and a Caesar salad. Everything she made always looked, smelled, and tasted fucking amazing.

As the food was being brought out, William uncorked the bottle of wine Niall had brought and filled three glasses that Josephine brought in from the kitchen earlier. He placed one in front of his plate and the other two in front of Niall's and Josephine's dishes. "Do you want some, Lili?" he asked, holding the bottle up eagerly.

She shook her head. "I'm fine with water, thanks." Red wine wasn't her favourite, so she'd find something else to enjoy after dinner. 

Once everything had been placed on the table, Josephine and Niall finally took their seats. Again, he reached under the table to take Lili's hand. His arm twitched awkwardly, and she knew it was because he wanted to kiss her fingers. It was always his first instinct when he held her hand. 

William cleared his throat and wrapped his fingers around the stem of his glass, picking it up off the table. A solemn, slightly contemplative look crossed his face as he turned towards Niall.

"Just before we begin, I wanted to reiterate how nice it is to have you here, Niall. We've been waiting a long time for tonight, but there couldn't possibly be a better person sitting in your spot right now. Welcome to the family. Cheers."

He lifted his glass in the air as a salute, and Niall did the same. They clinked their glasses together and once each against Josephine's, before taking polite, delicate sips. William quietly smacked his lips in approval of the wine, before setting the glass down on the table once more.

"Wow, that's nice," he said, grabbing the bottle and tilting it to read the label. His lips moved with no sound as he read through the ingredients. 

Nodding, Niall took a light sip and set his glass down in front of his plate. "It's one of my favourites for sure. I'm glad you like it."

Lili's heart physically couldn't take this. She just loved how quick her family was to accept him as one of them and welcome him into the family. It made everything about their relationship that much more special. It took everything in her power not to burst into tears.

Niall's wide smile filled Lili's heart with a warmth that only he could possibly create. His cheeks were round and rosy, and he looked so happy and beautiful. Lili was the luckiest, luckiest, luckiest girl in the world. 

"But really, thank you so much for having me." Niall picked up his glass again awkwardly and looked to each member of her family, before finally bringing his gaze back over to William. "I'm really happy to be here."

He took another sip of his wine and set the glass down, before looking over at Lili and smiling, eyes wide with relief. Lili didn't think he'd been nervous at all, but now that she could seem him settling into the night, there had definitely been something beneath the surface he wasn't telling her about. She reached over and placed her hand atop his thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze of approval. It was important that he understood she was there for him, the way he was for her. They were a team, and this was where that was really going to matter. 

The little awkward tension that had been in the air since his arrival had disappeared, and the family began piling food onto their plates with pure relaxed joy on their faces. This was a dream come true. They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the only sounds coming from the clinking of forks against the plates and subtle chewing.

Not even in her wildest dreams could Lili imagine her family – her most favourite people in the whole wide world – sitting down to a meal with the most beautiful man in existence, who just happened to be her partner and other favourite person in the world. What on earth did she do to deserve this?

After a few minutes, William picked up his napkin to wipe his mouth, a small smile playing on his lips. Oh no...

"So, Niall, tell me. How are you feeling about the PGA tournament coming up? I imagine you've got to be a bit nervous."

"Dad!" Lili immediately scolded him, already feeling the embarrassment flood her cheeks. She dropped her fork and brought her hand up to cover her eyes, face burning with shame. "Seriously?"

William furrowed his brows in genuine confusion, which frustrated Lili even further. Was he fucking for real? "What? I'm just making casual conversation. It's really not weird to ask people about work." He glanced over at Niall, grinning. "You can ask me about my job later, son. It's no problem."

Lili glared at him; she had literally given the family one rule before Niall arrived and it was already being broken. They'd been eating for, what, two minutes?

But she felt her resolve start to crumble slightly when Niall chuckled softly beside her. He squeezed her hand three times under the table and suddenly, she wasn't angry anymore. How did he have this effect on her? "It's okay, darling, it's fine. Really. I don't mind talking about work." He grinned confidently. "It wouldn't be my job if I did."

William smiled adoringly at him, practically bouncing in his seat waiting for a continuation. Clearly, he just wanted to pick Niall's brain and had been waiting for the right moment to do so. Niall shifted in his seat, taking another sip of wine before answering.

"I was feeling pretty nervous a few weeks ago, but my training has been going really well, and I feel quite good about where I'm at. I reckon I've got a pretty good chance this time."

It was nice to hear him speaking positively, regardless of whether he was putting up a front or not. 

William nodded in approval. "It's coming up soon, isn't it?" 

Niall nodded as he reached for the bowl of potatoes. "Just a couple of months away now." He piled the mashed potatoes onto his plate. "I am excited though. It'll be nice to get back out there and hopefully play to my standards this time." He paused and turned to face William. "You know, if you ever wanted to join me for a round at the club, I'd be happy to show you some of my tricks," he said bravely.

William didn't even hesitate to answer him. "You know what, I'd love that. I could use some advice on my swing. It's horrific."

Niall laughed. "Just call me up whenever you're free, we can definitely make something work."

Lili smiled, heart fluttering in her chest. They already wanted to spend time together, just the two of them? And they'd only met a few minutes ago? Yeah, Niall was definitely the one.

"You know, I used to be pretty good back in the day," William said proudly, slicing through the piece of squash on his plate with his fork. "Probably could have gone semi-pro."

Lili's mom snorted, and immediately covered her mouth in embarrassment when everyone turned to look at her. She glanced at her husband apologetically. "Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," she said, reaching over to touch his forearm gently. "You were really never very good."

"Mom!" Lili exclaimed, holding her fist in front of her mouth to hide her laugh. Josephine laughed sympathetically.

"I'm just trying to keep your father's head out of the clouds." She reached for her wine glass and picked it up, holding it close to her lips. "There was never a chance of you going pro, dear. Ever."

The silence that stretched between Lili's parents in that one moment made it harder to control her laughter than ever before. Niall's shoulders were shaking, and even Aiden let out a little giggle.

"Anyway..." William said slowly, following it up with a dramatic roll of his eye. "Did I hear Tiger and Spieth have both announced they're sitting this one out?" He refilled his and Niall's glasses.

Niall nodded and sighed with relief. "Tiger is, thankfully. Wouldn't have a shot if he didn't. It's unbelievable how good he still is all these years later." A little grin grew on his face. "Spieth originally said no, but he's back in now. Which is great for me, because I always play better when he's around." 

William clicked his tongue. "Well, with the talent you have, I would think it would be the other way around," he said, lifting a forkful of potatoes to his mouth.

Niall's cheeks turned an adorable shade of pink, a true signal of his humble nature. No matter how many trophies and ribbons he had, no matter how many accolades, he always blushed when receiving a compliment. It was one of the cutest, sweetest things about him. Sometimes, it seemed as if he didn't believe the compliments were meant for him. 

"We make each other better, really. But thank you, I appreciate that." Niall bowed his head in a delicate nod.

"Are you playing against that Louis Tomlinson guy again?"

Lili's eyes grew wide and her head shot to the side. Was she hearing things? Since when did her little brother know anything about golf? Everyone stared at Aiden as he looked around, baffled at the reaction he'd received. "What? I can't be interested in this stuff too?" He shook his head, feigning annoyance. "Do you want me to participate or not?"

Lili half laughed, half scoffed, completely taken aback. Her jaw was just hanging open. She'd never once gotten any sort of inkling from Aiden that he knew anything about golf. Every time her dad even briefly mentioned the sport, he would look like he was in physical pain. Niall shot her an impressed look, one eyebrow raised slightly, trying to hide back his smile as he turned to face Aiden.

"Unfortunately, yes. He had my number last time, but I think I can take him down this time. That guy is a hard worker, I'll give him that, but he's nowhere near me."

Aiden crumpled his napkin in his fist. "He's good, but not as good as you." He sat up a bit straighter in his chair, finding even more confidence to join the conversation. "You'll destroy him."

Niall laughed jovially. "I don't know about destroying him, but that's the plan." He squeezed Lili's hand under the table gently as he spoke, making her smile. She squeezed back. "What about you guys?" he asked, giving Lili's brothers his full attention. "Are you into other sports at all?"

If Niall thought getting Lili to talk about herself was like pulling teeth, then he'd be in for it with these two. No one hated having the attention on them more than the two boys sitting across the table from her. She expected them both to shut down and avoid his eye, hoping the conversation would turn to someone else. They were usually so desperate to have the attention off of them that they'd do anything.

But then Matt shrugged casually, his voice coming out strong and confident. "I played basketball for a few years in middle school, but I got bored of it pretty fast. I like soccer too, but I don't think I'd be very good at it."

Lili snorted and tried to use her napkin to hide her smirk. Niall tensed up next to her.

"What?" Matt said with a sneer. "Are you making fun of me?" He dropped his fork and crossed his arms over her chest defensively.

Trying to detonate the bomb that was Matt's temper, Lili smiled and shook her head. "No. I'm just waiting for Niall to flip the table. He hates the word soccer with a passion."

Niall scoffed playfully and held up a hand in defense, furrowing his brow slightly. "To be fair, I am Irish. It's football. Please stop trying to make it something it's not."

The sentence made Matt laugh out loud, and it was a sweet, genuine sound that Lili hadn't heard in a while. It seemed to shock the room back to life. Soccer suddenly became a main topic of interest for him, because he went back and forth with Niall for the next few minutes, talking about which team was at the top of which league, and which players were going to perform the best next season. Her father chimed in every now and then with opinions of his own that Niall loudly yet playfully disagreed with, leading to a whole other discussion that left them all clutching their stomachs laughing.

All Lili could do was just watch in amazement.

In all the years she'd been his sister, she'd never once heard Matt speak this animatedly about anything he was interested in. There had never been a club at school, a movie, or a singer he talked about with this much joie de vivre. Yet, after less than five minutes with Niall, he lit up like a Christmas tree talking about sports, of all things. She just couldn't believe it.

Niall Horan had brought both Lili and Matt Hughes back from the dead. He was her angel.

Even after they'd finished eating, cleared the table, and served coffee and dessert, Niall talked non-stop with the family as if they were old friends catching up after spending years apart. There wasn't a second of the conversation that was boring or awkward. He spoke to Lili's mom about her favourite books and what she did for work, and even gave her brothers some advice about school and their classes that they had been unsure about. There wasn't a single topic they'd covered that Niall didn't have in common with at least one of them in some way or another. If he didn't have something in common with them, he still managed to give good advice or lend an ear for them to complain. 

Her entire family seemed to be hanging onto every word he said, and of course it made Lili swoon. It was so cute. They were enchanted by him. Was that what she looked like all the time?

Niall had even been the first one up to clear the table, telling Josephine that she shouldn't have to do anymore work since she had spent so much time on her feet cooking.

"You know, Niall, this is one of the best conversations I think this family has had in a long time." Josephine said, smiling as she slid her fork through a slice of store-bought cheesecake. The crust was hard and took a bit more force to cut. "It's been a while since we were all able to sit down together and just have a bit of a laugh. I think we all needed it. Thank you."

Niall blushed, a sweet smile spreading across his face. His gratitude was clear as day. It truly was adorable to see him react this way, and it just made Lili fall even harder for him. Nothing was sweeter than a man who had the world at his feet crumble when he received a bit of family love. He nodded as he wrapped his hands tightly around his coffee mug, letting the heat from the drink warm them.

"I couldn't tell you how grateful I am for this, and how happy I am to be here. My family is so far away and I don't get to see them often, so knowing I have one here now makes me feel incredible."

Lili's heart melted again, even though it had been a steaming pile of mush pretty much all night. She couldn't help it. He was right, though. He was part of this family now, whether he liked it or not - there was no backing out. Now that there were parents and little brothers involved, he couldn't run. Though, to be fair, it didn't seem like he was willing to, anyway.

Niall grinned, turning his attention on Lili. "Plus, Lili is such a beautiful dream come true," he said. "To be able to share this experience with her is amazing."

Tears suddenly pricked at the corners of her eyes and she looked away, trying to control her emotions. "Shut up," she joked in a quiet voice, feeling her cheeks flush.

It was a little bit awkward having him say that kind of thing in front of her parents, but honestly, she didn't mind as much as she'd been expecting to. The fact that they even got to see someone as crazy about her as Niall was made her more than happy. Plus she deserved this happiness, so who cares if her parents had to listen to a little gross compliment here and there?

"Yeah, we think she's pretty great," William said, stirring sugar into his coffee. His smile turned into a bit of a pout. "She's a special girl."

"She absolutely is," Niall agreed, and Lili flushed even harder.

She placed a hand gently on the top of Niall's thigh, smiling as their eyes met. The look of adoration glowing so obviously in his eyes could bring more tears to her own. After spending her entire life waiting for someone to look at her like that, it was surreal for Lili to see it happen in real time. 

Dessert finally came to a close with the family laughing about a dumb joke one of William's friends had told at work that morning, and Lili was dizzy with joy as she helped Niall carry the last dirty dishes to the sink. Alone in the kitchen with him momentarily, she sighed with relief and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him softly after what felt like way too long. Fireworks burst in her belly.

"I can't believe tonight is happening," she whispered, doing everything in her power not to squeal with delight like a pig. "This is going so much better than I could have possibly planned it."

He pulled her in for a hug and she melted into his chest. She could feel the gentle thrum of his heartbeat under her ear and knew she was at home with him. "God, I know, love. Your family is so great." She smiled against his chest, not willing to move away from his warmth. Niall chuckled. "Now I get why you talk about them so much."

"Yeah, it's hard not to," Lili replied, shrugging. At the risk of sounding like she was bragging, she did have the best family in the world. Niall didn't respond, instead choosing to hold her tighter against his chest, kissing the top of her head countless times.

They stayed holding each other that way until the sound of footsteps approaching forced them apart. They both turned back towards the sink, goofy smiles on their faces as they continued to clean up.

Lili would rinse the dishes off and pass them to Niall, who bent to place them in the dishwasher. They developed a pretty good system, getting through the cleaning process quite fast. It was always fun doing domestic things with him, as weird as that may sound. 

Eventually, Josephine and Aiden came to relieve them of their duties, though Lili didn't have a problem with cleaning. Josephine tried to send them off to spend some time alone after being with the family all night, and it was hard not to take her up on the offer.

"Do you want to go for a walk around the neighbourhood?" Lili asked, reaching to grab Niall's hand and lacing their fingers together. She tilted her head to look at him. "I'd love to show you around my ends."

Niall bit back a smile, but his eyes were bright. "Your ends?" He raised a playful brow. "Since when did you talk like that?"

Lili just rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. Do you want to go?"

"Of course I do, darling," he said, nodding enthusiastically. 

They walked out of the kitchen together, but Lili dropped Niall's hand once they arrived back at the table with her dad. She would have to get used to the idea of being affectionate with him in front of her parents. It felt odd, but she knew Niall understood and that he wasn't offended by it at all. It had nothing to do with how she felt about him. But if he didn't like it, she hoped he would talk to her about it, because she would be more than willing to compromise.

Lili inclined her head gently towards Niall. "We're going for a walk. I'm going to show him around the neighbourhood."

Her dad nodded casually as he wiped down the tablecloth with a paper towel. "If you need a ride home, just call," he joked.

Lili rolled her eyes before she and Niall left the room, heading towards the door to slip their shoes on. It was unseasonably warm out, even after the sun had gone down, so there was no need for a sweater or jacket. This was the perfect weather in Lili's opinion. If it could feel this way all day, every day, then she would be one happy girl.

They left through the front door quietly and, once it had been closed behind them, Lili instantly picked up Niall's hand again, jogging down the driveway and dragging him along. The skin of her fingers burned from his touch. Niall laughed joyfully, and the sound rang out into the empty street and bounced back to them immediately.

Once they'd run far enough away from the house, Lili let out a loud holler of joy, releasing all of her built-up tension from the night. Niall watched her, smiling, his eyes alight and curious.

"What's that all about?" he asked, voice dripping with entertained curiosity. He looked so beautiful in the dusk. Like an angel descending from Heaven. Lili stopped abruptly and turned towards him, a smile plastered on her own face. Her body was absolutely buzzing with joy.

"I'm just so fucking happy," she said. Emotions threatened to expose her, making her throat tight and her voice catch. She swallowed. "Tonight was unbelievable. I'm still processing the fact that you were even in my house next to me."

Niall chuckled and stepped forwards, following Lili as she directed him towards an empty park down the street, pulling his arm gently. His eyes were twinkling in the low light of the street lamps, and he was dazzling. Her beautiful, perfect boyfriend. 

"Was it worth all the nerves this morning?" he asked coolly, as they continued towards the end of the street. The street lamps illuminated the deserted jungle gym and swing set in an eerily comforting way.

Lili turned back around but kept her fingers laced with Niall's, now walking beside him and falling into step with him.

"Absolutely. If I wasn't nervous, that would have been a problem." She shrugged casually. "If you're not nervous, you don't care." Immediately, her hand flew to her mouth and her eyes widened. Oh fuck, that sounded so rude and accusatory. She turned to look at him, now feeling guiltier than ever. "Baby, I didn't-"

"Then I guess it's a good thing I was freaking out this morning," Niall said simply, a small smile creeping onto his face. He didn't seem at all affected by what she'd just said. Though, maybe he couldn't understand her seeing as she had been talking with her foot in her mouth.

Her brow softened, and she studied his expression carefully. "What? You seemed so cool and collected when we talked this morning."

It was a bit hard to wrap her head around. She didn't know why she was shocked, but she really just couldn't believe it. It was hard to picture this man panicking over something he'd done many times in the past.

Niall shrugged, staying silent for a moment. They approached a large, overgrown oak tree in the middle of the playground that had incredible branches hanging down from every inch of the trunk. The foliage was a bright, thick cloud above them. Lili turned and pressed her back gently against the wood so she was facing Niall once again, reaching out towards his hips to pull him close. His body crashed gently into hers, and the warmth it brought her was delicious.

Niall still hadn't answered her question, so she raised herself up onto her toes and pressed her lips gently against his jaw to coax it out of him. He smiled. "I guess I'm just a better actor than you thought, princess." That cool, cocky tone had returned to his voice once again, but Lili could hear the sincerity hidden in it.

Niall sighed and lifted a hand up to curl a piece of her hair behind her ear, before resting it gently along the curve of her neck. Goosebumps pricked along her skin and she shuddered. He dragged his thumb across the apple of her cheek. "I really was nervous this morning," he said quietly. "I had such a hard time eating breakfast because I kept thinking I was going to puke. I meant it when I said how important this was to me, too."

"Why didn't you tell me you felt that way?" she asked, as a soft breeze blew against her exposed legs. The hand on her neck supplied enough heat to warm her entire body. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"I thought maybe it would help if you knew I was okay. If I came across as even a little bit nervous, I was worried that it might have made you freak out more, too."

Lili's brow softened and she pouted. That sentence broke her heart a bit. "Baby, you should have been honest with me. We could have helped each other."

He looked down at her and the corner of his mouth tugged upwards in a lopsided smile.

"I know. I'm sorry, my love. But I felt better as the day went on." His grin grew. "And I am happy that I finally got to meet them. They really did make me feel like part of the family tonight. I appreciate that."

Lili's heart lurched. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, loving the way his body pressed harder into hers. The bark along the tree scratched her back through the thin material of her dress.

"They really loved you, you know. My parents. I could see it in their eyes."

Niall's eyes brightened like the sun after a cloudy night and her heart stopped beating. "I'm glad. I loved them, too," he whispered. The hand he'd been keeping on her neck slid down, and he placed both hands on her hips, gently pressing her back against the tree trunk.

"Thank you for being the person I got to experience this with," Lili said. "I couldn't imagine someone else being here instead of you."

There wasn't a doubt in her mind that any other guy wouldn't have gotten along with everyone so easily and so quickly. Niall was her soulmate, and it showed tonight. 

Niall nodded in understanding. "It means the world to me that I was that person for you." He glanced away for a short moment, and she watched as his eyes turned suddenly sad. "I wish you were the first person my parents ever met, too. I know I've been through this before, but this has never felt so special to me. It never felt right. Tonight is going to be so dear to me for the rest of my life."

There was palpable tension in his pause, almost as if he wanted to say more but couldn't bring himself to as he searched her eyes with his crystal blue ones. And Lili felt the same way. Except she knew exactly what she would say if she could. If she had the guts to show him exactly how she felt about him. Instead, she stood up on her toes and attached her lips to his, feeling his shoulders relax and his hips press against hers as they kissed.

She sighed into him as their lips worked magic against one another, swallowing all the tension that was once in the air and turning it into excitement and passion. The kiss deepened and Lili lost her breath, losing herself in Niall's arms and his soft lips. He groaned quietly as Lili's teeth grazed his bottom lip, and something sparked deep in her belly. His tongue gently caressed hers as his grip on her hips tightened, and she was pushed even harder against the rough tree trunk. The back of her skull grazed the wood, and it sent goosebumps flying down her spine. Her fingers travelled upwards until they were tangling in his hair, causing him to moan softly again.

He broke his lips off of hers, kissing the corners of her mouth and her cheeks, until he was eventually trailing them down to her jaw. He sucked a spot along the corner of her jaw gently, making her gasp and tighten her grip on his hair. He kissed down the sensitive skin of her throat with warm, hungry lips. Her vision was blurred and her chest was rising and falling rapidly, pleasure taking over her body and making her weak with need.

Niall's hands found her long hair and he tugged on it just hard enough for her head to tilt further back, giving him even more access to her neck. Her knees buckled as he left sloppy, open mouthed kisses on the side of her neck, trailing them down to her collar bone. He brought one hand up to her shoulder and, using two fingers, slowly pulled the material of her dress to the side to expose as much of her tanned skin as he could.

"Niall..." she gasped, when he sucked on the dip of her collarbone, before licking the spot gently to soothe it. He smiled against her skin at the sound of his name coming from her lips, and continued his gentle assault on her neck and chest. Every inch of her skin was on fire.

"Niall," she repeated, this time with more enthusiasm in her voice. Sighing, he pulled his lips away from her skin far enough so he could look into her eyes. He was panting. "Kiss me," she begged, before he had time to say or do anything.

He grinned, and suddenly his lips were on hers again, tongue gently massaging hers in the most amazing, sensual way possible. She whimpered; every time he kissed her was better than the last. His large hands came up to her neck, palms resting along the sides of her throat as his fingers grazed back and forth along her cheeks. This was heaven. It had to be.

Minutes, maybe even hours, passed as they kissed passionately in the glow of the setting sun, the world fading away around them. With her head spinning, Lili eventually pulled back to take a breath, leaning her head against the rough bark of the tree to help ground her. She fought to catch her breath, lungs burning with each sharp inhale. That kiss felt just as good as sex.

She looked up at Niall with hooded eyes, grinning at his slightly swollen lips and pink cheeks. His pupils were blown so wide that his eyes were practically black. He smiled at her and before she knew it, they collapsed into a fit of giggles as all the thick tension dissolve around them. Lili buried her head in Niall's chest.

"You wanted to do that all night, didn't you?" she said through a laugh. Niall chuckled and shook his head.

"You have no idea. Christ, that was good," he said, chest heaving just as much as hers.

The taste of him lingered on her lips, and she stuck her tongue out to lick them, desperate to taste him again. Kissing him was the best hobby she'd ever taken up in her life. They had never spent that much time together without kissing every few minutes, so the tension had really started to build up throughout the night. That was a pretty damn good way to release it. 

Niall took a step back and she shuddered slightly as the heat from his body disappeared. He laced their fingers together and took more steps back, pulling her off the tree to follow him.

"Alright, come on, princess. I've got an entire neighbourhood to see."

Chapter Text

~ song of the chapter is Something About the Sunshine by Sterling Knight because vibes!!! :P

Over an hour later, Lili floated back through the doorway of her house as if she were being carried along the road by a fluffy, white cloud. Her legs seemed to guide her without thought. The warmth of the house enveloped her in a welcoming hug, and she shivered as Niall closed the door behind them, shutting out the cool night air. She hadn't realized how much the temperature had dipped after sunset.

She brought her arms up and crossed them over her chest, rubbing her palms between her shoulders and elbows to warm herself up. Turning to look at Niall, her soaring heart sank ever so slightly. Why was leaving him for the night always so hard? Couldn't he stay longer?

"I'm sorry, my angel. I wish I could stay all night," he said quietly, reading her mind. "But I should head home. I don't want to overstay my welcome." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, sending butterflies running rampant through her abdomen.

She smiled at him. "It's okay. You can come back another day."

"Yeah, I can." His eyes still seemed to be glowing with the happiness that had been alight in them all night long. He gestured towards the kitchen with his chin. "I need to say goodbye before I head out," he whispered.

Lili sighed and took his hand, turning and leading him back through the house. Her brothers were nowhere to be found, probably hiding away in their bedrooms or the basement. Her parents were laying on the couch in the den, the dim glow of the TV lighting up their content faces. The volume was low, eery music pouring through the speakers. As per usual, her father was laying in the corner of the couch between the back and the armrest, one arm draped over her mother's shoulder as she cuddled into his side.

Even after all these years together, they still enjoyed each other's company, finding intimacy in the sweetest of ways. Lili had never seen them shy away from affection once in her entire life. That was the exact relationship she wanted.

Lili called out for her brothers to come and say goodbye, before turning back to her parents. "Niall's going to head out now," she said, pointing at him with her thumb, as if they didn't know who Niall was.

Excitedly, Josephine took the opportunity to say goodbye first, jumping off the couch and striding over to Niall, not even bothering to put her slippers on. She reached out and pulled him into a friendly hug, calmly stroking his back as she embraced him, something she always did when she hugged her family. It was such a comforting and inviting gesture. The sight caused little tears to form in Lili's eyes, and she blinked them away without drawing any attention to herself. It meant the world to see her mom hugging him that way. 

Niall hugged back tightly, his squished face smiling above her shoulder.

"Oh, tonight was so lovely," Josephine said, once she had pulled out of the hug. She kept her hands wrapped firmly around his biceps. "Please don't hesitate to come around whenever you like. You're always welcome here, honey. It was such a pleasure having you."

Niall smiled wider, his cheeks turning a deep pink. "Thank you so much, again, for welcoming me into the home and the family. I had such a great time." The genuine tone of his voice was heartwarming, and Lili knew he felt exactly that way. When it came to things like this, Niall never put up a front of any kind. He was the most honest, genuine man she'd ever met. 

They hugged again, and Niall planted a sweet kiss on Josephine's cheek before they pulled apart completely. Lili was dizzy with joy watching the wonderful, adorable gestures they shared. It meant everything that her parents had taken to him so quickly and so effortlessly. She was so happy he was part of their family now.

The sound of footsteps approaching signalled her brothers' arrivals; Matt was bounding down the staircase from his room on the second floor, and Aiden was trudging up the basement stairs.

"It was really great to meet you, Niall," William stated proudly, reaching out to shake Niall's hand again, clapping him gently on the shoulder with his free hand.

Niall grinned brightly - his cheeks must have been burning at this point. "Likewise, Mr. Hughes." His eyes sparkled with joy. "And I meant what I said about a round of golf. Here, I'll give you my number, and you can text me anytime you're around. I can make time for a game with you, no problem."

Lili watched her father's eyes widen and his jaw drop open slightly. "Are you sure?" he asked, after hesitating for a moment. "You'd trust me with your personal number?"

Niall chuckled, reaching towards his pocket. "Of course. I've got a bit of a following, but I'm not that kind of famous."

They both laughed, and Lili's father visibly relaxed. Smiling, William pulled out his phone, Niall following suit, and he attempted to contain his excitement as they exchanged numbers. They were talking lightheartedly about their future matchups on the golf course as they typed. The idea of the two of them spending time alone together was definitely going to freak her out, but Lili was way too happy with how the night had gone to worry about it until the time came. Besides, it would probably be really good for their budding relationship to have time together without the rest of the family around.

Quick handshakes shared with both of her brother's truly signalled the end of the night. They both seemed to genuinely like Niall, because they'd managed to remain on their best behaviour from start to finish. They'd never been so polite in their lives. Out of her entire family, it was most important that Matt and Aiden got along well with Niall and, as far as she was concerned, it was going pretty well so far. 

Lili gestured towards the front door with her head after he had finished saying his goodbyes. "I'll walk you out," she said quietly, itching to hold his hand once again, but refraining from doing so until she was out of her parents' line of sight.

With one final wave goodbye, Niall allowed her to whisk him away towards the door. He hadn't taken off his shoes when they got back from their walk, which saved about 30 seconds. Turning the doorknob and pulling the front door open, they stepped outside into the cool air and walked down the driveway in silence. Lili's heart was beating in sync with their footsteps. They approached his parked car and Niall sighed heavily.

"I really don't want to leave," he said, breaking the silence. His voice was small and sad. "Do I have to?"

Lili smiled, unable to help herself, though she felt just as sad as his voice sounded, if not more. She wrapped her arms around his neck, turning them around so she could lean back against the car door. The cold metal caused goosebumps to erupt on her skin, even as it touched her through her clothing.

Gently, Niall leaned forward and put some of his weight against her, trapping her between his body and the car. She could stay there forever. "I don't want you to go, either," she said, rubbing her thumb gently up and down the back of his neck. "But, like my parents said, you're welcome here anytime." She looked from his face to the house. "Honestly, if you want to come by and hang out when I'm not home, feel free to do so. I'm sure my dad would prefer to see you walk through that door over me."

She giggled and Niall laughed out loud, a blush creeping across his cheeks as he did so. His beauty was heart wrenching. "As much as he loved me, I somewhat doubt that. You're definitely his favourite person in that house," he teased adorably. His tongue was poking out from between his teeth. Lili shook her head.

"I used to be," she responded, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "But I think you may have changed that."

He smiled again. "I'm glad they like me." There was something about the tone of his voice that made Lili think he'd been unsure about this all night but was afraid to say it. She furrowed her brow.

"Did you think they wouldn't?" she asked hesitantly. Almost immediately, Niall's shoulders stiffened. He looked away momentarily.

"Yes and no," he admitted after a long moment. "I know I'm an easy guy to get along with, but..." He blinked rapidly, bright blue eyes shining in the dim evening night. His fingers danced along her hips, drawing mindless patterns and shapes. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I just thought they'd be a bit cold towards me. I can't necessarily explain it." He swallowed. "I'm sorry, I don't want this to ruin the night."

"Baby, you didn't ruin it," Lili said instantly, tightening her arms around his neck. Maybe it sounded weird for her to think this, but she found it refreshing to see him admit how worried he'd been all night. Knowing he wasn't necessarily as confident as he always made himself out to be felt comforting in a strange sort of way. It just made him that much more real. Sometimes, Lili hated the fact that she was this disaster of a person, constantly struggling to keep her emotions in check, and he was always perfect and collected. All she wanted was to be normal for him. So to see him willingly and openly admitting that he wasn't that confident man 100% of the time made her feel so much better. He was imperfectly perfect. And she appreciated his honesty more than anything. He always made sure to communicate his feelings to her, even if it didn't happen right away. It was important she knew these kinds of things. 

He met her eyes again when she brought one hand around to touch his cheek gently. "I understand how that must have felt for you, and I'm glad you told me. But I wasn't worried at all. Even before you got here, they could see how crazy I am about you, and because of that, nothing else mattered." She paused and reached up to run her fingers through his hair, smoothing it down. "I think if you came over and had a horrible attitude, it would have changed their minds. But they really like you, and they're happy we're together."

His eyes seemed to light up at her words, and some of the tension disappeared from his shoulders.

"Yeah? You think so?" he asked, in an adorably cautious voice. It made him sound so much younger. 

She nodded slowly. "I know so, baby."

Smiling, he leaned down and placed a soft, gentle kiss on Lili's lips. His lips were warm and delicate against hers, sweeping across them lightly. Every time their lips moved together, shivers shot down her spine. They kissed for a moment before Niall pulled away, a sweet smile plastered between his pink cheeks. He paused, taking in Lili's equally flushed expression. His eyes searched hers, darted down to her lips, then back up again.

"I, uh..." he started to say, before closing his mouth and rubbing his lips together. His smile faltered slightly and his cheeks grew to an even brighter pink. He reached up and gently curled a piece of her hair behind her ear, a sweet gesture he always made with her. It was very endearing. Lili's heart was pounding in her ears waiting for him to continue his thought, but all Niall did was swallow and clear his throat. "I had a really great time tonight," he said quietly. "Thank you, my love."

He didn't take his eyes off her, but his expression began to soften. Without saying another word, he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. Finally, he sighed deeply and stepped back, and Lili moved to the side so he could open the car door. He sat down behind the wheel and shut the door behind him, before the engine roared to life and he rolled the window down. Already, she could hear his smooth classic rock music playing on the speakers.

He smiled, that momentary nervous look gone from his face, replaced by admiration.

"Goodnight, princess."

"Goodnight," Lili said, barely above a whisper. She bent forward and stuck her head through the window, and Niall grinned as he met her halfway, kissing her once again. Did he really have to leave? Couldn't they spend another few hours together? This part always sucked. She took a couple steps back, watching as Niall reversed down the driveway. He waved goodbye through the open window and blew her a kiss before he turned and drove down the street out of sight.

She remained in that same spot for a few quiet moments, not wanting to go back inside the house just yet. She missed him already and wanted to deal with the momentary grief on her own. The crickets were out in full force all around her, singing obnoxious melodies into the quiet night air. But she embraced the song, letting herself get a bit lost in it as she looked up at the dark, starry sky. Eventually, the cool breeze caught up to her, finding its way underneath her dress to tickle her skin.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she willed her feet to move and walked back up towards the warm house. She shut and locked the door behind her and kicked off her shoes, trying to hide her smile as she drifted towards the kitchen, where her parents were finishing up the last bit of cleaning from the night. She stood in the doorway awkwardly, waiting for them to say something. Her mother was the first to notice her presence.

"That boy really is lovely," Josephine said as she towel-dried the wine glasses. A small, barely noticeable grin was pulling her lips upwards. "He's good. Hold onto him for as long as you can."

Lili let the smile she'd been holding back finally decorate her face, heart skipping at the memory of Niall's kisses. "Yeah, he's pretty great." She sighed and leaned her shoulder against the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest. All she could think about was Niall's lips.

Her mother smiled as she pushed the dishwasher closed with her hip.

"I'm really glad you saved the whole 'bringing someone home to meet the parents for the first time' thing for him, because that boy is perfect for you," she said casually, wiping her hands and hanging the towel over the edge of the sink.

Lili was now blushing like a fool. It was weird to hear them say that but so, so nice. 

"What did he think of us?" William asked casually. "And the boys. I was worried how they would act around him."

Laughing softly, Lili shook her head and stood up straight, tilting her head and staring at her father's nervous face. "He loved everyone. He had a great night." She smiled wider, hoping she didn't look too crazy. "The boys liked him a lot more than I thought they would. I've never seen them so engaged in a dinner conversation before."

Her mother laughed jovially, nodding sharply. "You're absolutely right. But, hey, if Niall can get them to be that polite every day, we'll need him here as often as he can be."

The prospect of Niall spending every single day with her family made Lili's heart soar out of her chest and explode into a thousand mini hearts. That was ideal and needed to become a reality ASAP.

"I think he'll be around a lot," she said with a smile. Sighing, she looked between both her parents and nodded. "Well, I'm going to bed. Today was kind of a long day. Goodnight, love you guys."

And with that, Lili turned towards the staircase to take a warm shower and dream of Niall's arms around her as she drifted off to sleep. But as she reached the top of the stairs, her phone buzzed in her hand. She glanced down at the screen.

Niall Horan: call before bed love?

Her smile was bigger than it ever had been.

* * *

Lili pulled her denim shorts up her legs, hoping these and the thin pink crop top she was wearing would be her saving grace from the abnormally hot weather they were having in the city. Los Angeles had seen more sunlight in the last week than they did the entire summer before. But it was hard to complain about the constant nice weather.

Since they both had the day off work, Niall called Lili and suggested going to the mall together because he needed to buy some new golf clothes and wanted her there with him. He had enough polo shirts and khakis to change his outfit three times a day, every day, yet he insisted on buying more and more. He always claimed that he could never have too many clothes, and if Lili had anyone to bet with, she'd wager a thousand dollars that he would say that at some point during the day.

She didn't mind, though. She revelled in the time she got to spend with him, even if it was doing something as simple as running errands. The more time they spent together, regardless of what they were doing, the happier she was.

She had just finished gulping down a bowl of cereal when she heard the familiar honk of Niall's truck outside. She quickly rinsed the bowl and dropped it in the sink, popped a stick of peppermint gum in her mouth, and ran to shove her feet into a pair of blue sneakers she'd found in the closet. After swinging her backpack on, she whipped the door open, smiling at the golden boy behind the windshield as she nervously slid her key into the lock.

His eyes were always focused on her, even from a distance. She could feel them burning into her skin. Excitedly, she bounded down the steps, eager to just be next to Niall again. It had only been a week since she'd seen him, but that was way too long in her eyes. Spending more than 24 hours away from him should be illegal. 

"Good morning, princess," Niall said happily, as she pulled the car door open and slid onto the cool leather. All four windows of the car were down, and the speakers were playing an old Eagles song that she could have very easily predicted would be playing. They were his favourite band, after all. Dark sunglasses were perched atop his mess of brunette hair. "You're in a good mood this morning," he said, one eyebrow raised and an amused smile on his face.

Lili shut the door behind her and leaned over the center console, letting her hand rest on his scruffy jawline. She placed long, lingering kisses on Niall's lips that made his jaw loosen and his eyes flutter shut. She bit down on his bottom lip and tugged it softly as she pulled herself away from him, just far enough so she could gaze into his eyes. His lip recoiled back against his mouth once she'd released it from her grip.

"Even better, now," she said in a low voice, chewing the corner of her mouth.

Niall laughed and looked down at the steering wheel in front of him, cheeks growing red. He waited a moment, before putting the car in reverse and backing out into the street. Lili giggled as he took her hand, speeding off towards the end of the road.

"Always such a tease, even this early in the morning," he said, shaking his head as his fingers intertwined with hers. His hand was warm and it was heavenly. He pushed down gently on the glasses with his other hand, making them land softly against the bridge of his perfect nose. She rolled her eyes

"It's your fault," she said simply. "You make it way too easy." 

It was true – he could put on as confident a front as he wanted, but she could always make his resolve crumble with just the slightest of movements. As easy as it was for him to get under her skin, it was just as easy the other way around. 

He laughed sarcastically at her. "Yeah, yeah. Be careful, darling. Keep riling me up like that and you'll be in for it." The directness of his tone made her stomach flip madly.

She decided not to respond and leaned her head back against the seat, closing her eyes as they drove in comfortable silence.

The wind whipped loudly through the windows as Niall sped down the freeway, and he kept having to turn the volume of his radio higher and higher to hear the songs playing, rather than just rolling the windows up and using the AC. Niall sang along loudly to every single song that played, and when he didn't know all the words, he shouted out random syllables and strings of nonsense that made Lili cry with laughter. He had the biggest smile in the world plastered on his face the whole time, and all Lili could think about was how lucky she was to have him in her life. It was such a privilege being the woman he chose to be with. 

These moments, when they could just relax, have fun, and be themselves, were the ones she loved the most. It was when she felt the safest, because there was never any judgement of any kind. 

It was impossible to take her eyes off of him, and even more impossible not to smile right back at him. He always knew how to make everything fun, even long, traffic-filled car rides in the heat.

She groaned as Niall finally turned into the already hectic parking lot of the Grove Mall, furrowing her brows in annoyance at the constant honks of angry shoppers desperate to get a parking spot. It wasn't like she hadn't been expecting the mall to be busy, but why did it always have to be busy? She hated coming here for this exact reason. It would probably take them longer to find a parking space than it would for them to actually shop around, because this parking lot was one of the worst to ever exist anywhere. Airports and amusement parks had nothing on the Grove. 

But somehow, as if by magic, Niall found an empty spot close to one of the entrances, pulled in and killed the engine. Alright, really? Lili just shook her head and laughed, because there was nothing else she could say. He wasn't human.

Niall looked over at her with a soft smile on his face, and when their eyes met, electricity crackled around them. It was like all the air had been sucked out of the small space, leaving her gasping for whatever breath she could find. His eyes were so blue and so beautiful.

They gazed at each other for a long moment, before Niall looked away, cheeks bright pink. Lili bit the corner of her lip as she felt her own face burning with a blush. It was so sweet how they made each other nervous like that. 

"We should get going," Niall whispered, still grinning. Silently, they hopped out of the car, and Lili smiled proudly as Niall took her hand once again.

"Okay, where to first?" she asked, looking up at Niall as they walked towards the entrance. She wanted to kiss his face a thousand and one times. He rubbed his lips together, as if thinking momentarily.

"Ralph Lauren," he said finally, as if he hadn't had his whole day planned from the very beginning. "Shirts are always first."

Lili nodded emphatically and allowed Niall to drag her through the growing crowd as they made their way to the first stop. He held onto her hand for dear life, making sure the grip of his fingers on hers never loosened. Crowds were not her scene - mix that with the boiling sun and humid air, and that was more than enough to cause all kinds of anxiety. Lili thought she maybe understood for a moment how difficult it must be for Niall to deal with his severe claustrophobia, because the feeling was truly awful. Right now, he appeared just fine, though she figured he was putting up a front to help keep her as calm as possible. She adored his strength.

They stopped walking when they made it to the intended store, leaning against the display window to keep out of the way of passing mallgoers. Niall gave her a minute to catch her breath, making sure she was okay. He raised his eyebrows quickly and she nodded, letting her heart rate return to normal. His patience never went unnoticed or unappreciated.  Smiling, he led her to the back of the store where they kept what seemed to be the more expensive polo shirts.

It was quite the experience for Lili as she looked around in awe - the insane numbers written on every little price tag caused her eyes to widen with shock. There was no way a store could actually sell a shirt for that price...right?

There were racks upon racks and shelves upon shelves of pristine clothing hung or folded perfectly. Not a single collar or zipper was out of place on any of the mannequins or displays. All the employees were dressed as if they were heading to a fancy restaurant, not a retail job. It smelled very nice in the store, too - sort of like a combination of cologne and laundry detergent. Even the paint on the walls looked a little too clean and unnecessarily expensive. It was like a completely different universe than what she was used to.

Niall pushed his sunglasses back onto the top of his head, perusing the shelves with an inquisitive look on his face, completely unphased by the numbers written on the tags. Sometimes, she really forgot how much money he had.  

Lili watched as he stopped at a shelf and picked out four or five of the same shirt, all in different colours, after about a minute of searching.

"Really?" she asked, trying to stifle her laugh. "Why don't you just get different styles? There are probably a thousand shirts in here."

Niall looked down at the shirts draped over his arm and shrugged casually. "I'm a simple guy, love. I see something I like, I buy multiple. Why fix something that's not broken?" Lili shook her head with a laugh. Oh, to have such an uncomplicated mindset would be so nice sometimes. He grinned adorably. "Plus, you can never have too many clothes, right?"

Did she know him better than anyone else or what?

Laughing to herself, Lili reached towards Niall, hooking her arm in his. Once again, he whisked her away with a gently tug, this time pulling her towards the fitting rooms in the back corner.

An employee stood behind the counter, talking into a microphone attached to a headset around his neck. He wore a gorgeous, fitted black long sleeve shirt with grey pants and black shoes. Niall would probably look amazing in that outfit. The employee looked up as Lili and Niall approached, smiling. His eyes were framed by incredibly long lashes.

"How many?" he asked.

"Um, four, I think," Niall said, counting the shirts on his arm. "Possibly five."

With a nod, the employee gestured to his right toward a large open room. The fitting rooms were arranged in a semi-circle, with clean leather couches and glass end tables taking up the space in the middle. The design seemed a bit impractical, and Lili could only imagine how awkward trying on clothes here must be when there was an actual crowd of people in the store.

Niall stepped into the second fitting room and closed the door behind him while Lili sat on the couch facing him, crossing her legs and leaning back against the cool leather. All that was missing from a room like this was a bottle of Dom Perignon and some crystal champagne flutes. She looked around the room, taking in the high ceilings. What the hell was she doing in a place like this? Honestly.

A moment later the door opened; Niall was standing there in the yellow polo he had chosen, striking a ridiculous pose with one hand behind his head and the other on his hip. Lili laughed loudly. "That looks nice," she said, standing up and moving over to him to adjust the collar. "You suit yellow surprisingly well."

"Thank you, love," Niall said sweetly, biting the inside of his bottom lip. "Onto the next?" 

Lili nodded and unbuttoned the shirt for him, smiling as he kissed the tip of her nose, before turning into the change room and shutting the door again.

He came out four more times, striking a new stupid pose with each shirt he displayed. It was hard to choose a favourite, because he looked so damn good in everything he put on, regardless of style, shape, or colour. Along with the first yellow shirt, he also chose navy blue, forest green, and a simple black, which all looked stunning on him. It was hard to look bad in certain items of clothing when you were that perfect. 

Once again, Niall refused to let go of Lili's hand, even as he paid for his items at the cash register. Something about his need to always be touching her made her heart giddy. He was just so...proud to be holding her, even if people could see. It was something he never shied away from. She would never get used to that.

Niall slung the shopping bag over his shoulder as they headed back out into the burning sunlight and large crowd of shoppers. He lifted their connected hands up, placing gentle kisses along the outside of Lili's hand, which made her stomach lurch. He trailed the kisses slightly down her wrist, before dropping their hands and continuing to walk as if nothing happened. Occasionally, his thumb would slide along the back of her hand in the sweetest gesture.

It was a simple touch, but it made every inch of her skin burst out into goosebumps. Nothing was more wonderful than gentle affection from Niall Horan. 

As they walked, they passed store after store, following nearly identical routines: Niall would approach the display window, look inside for a moment, then shake his head. After checking to see if Lili wanted to go in to shop for herself, they'd continue on. He was clearly looking for something specific that he had yet to find. And Lili would laugh every single time, like it was the world's best practical joke.

Finally, after what felt like hours of searching, they approached a store that Niall just led her straight into - no standing at the windows here. Lili looked around and saw nothing but pants. Very expensive looking, sleek dress pants hung on the wall off to her left, and in the middle of the store was a wall-to-wall stacked shelf that held probably a thousand pairs of khaki pants in all colours.

"This is what you were looking so carefully for?" she asked, one eyebrow raised. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her.

"Of course. These trousers are a staple in golf wear." He pointed dramatically at them, as if she was unaware of what he'd been referring to. "I can't just get any random pair, it'll make me look bad."

Lili laughed again, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I'm sure Tiger Woods is going to analyze your pants down to the seam right before a tournament," she teased. "Because that's exactly what he's there for."

Niall eyed her, his expression full of shock and amusement. "Maybe. I'd have to be prepared either way, wouldn't I?"

She laughed again, holding her hands up defensively. "Alright, fine. Fair point, babe." God, she adored him so much. She reached for the bag in Niall's hand, taking it so he could easily flip through the sea of beige on the shelf to look for his size.

Lili never understood how men's sizing worked when it came to pants. Like, what the fuck did 36 long mean? Every tag said something different. And why were there six different numbers on them? Slightly annoyed that she didn't understand what she was looking at, Lili huffed and looked up to see Niall watching her with an amused, almost bewildered expression. It was crazy how he was so beautiful, even when he gave her that look. 

"What?" she asked flatly, narrowing her eyes. Niall chuckled, biting the inside of his bottom lip.

"You look extremely confused, it's hilarious." He pointed at her with his left hand. "You good, sweetheart?"

"Ha, ha," she replied sarcastically, sneering at him. "I'm fine. Move it, Horan."

He laughed louder and reached toward her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. He kissed the top of her head three times while stroking the back of her arm, lips warm against her scalp. Okay, maybe PDA wasn't always bad...

"Alright, come with me, love. I've got to try these on," Niall said, taking her hand and leading her to the side of the store with the fitting rooms. She'd been so distracted by his dazzling smile that she hadn't noticed the multiple pairs of pants draped over his arm.

The fitting rooms here were much simpler than in that first store. There were no floor to ceiling mirrors, or luxurious benches to drape yourself over while you waited. It was just a plain hallway with room after room lined up along the wall, though the rooms themselves were probably big enough to fit at least a twin-sized mattress in each. There was a small arrangement of chairs at the end of the hall that Lili allowed herself to enjoy while she waited.

Between the heat, the ridiculous crowd of people, and the fact that Niall preferred to basically run from store to store, she was starting to feel exhausted. The last thing she needed was heat stroke, so she sat down, leaned back against the wall, and fanned herself with her hand. The bag of shirts sat on the floor next to the front left leg of her chair. Niall disappeared into the room closest to where she sat, but not before pressing a kiss to her forehead. She could hear him whistling happily to himself as he changed, and it took her a moment to realize it was his favourite Michael Jackson song. She grinned with adoration.

"Need some help in there?" she asked slyly.

"Nope," he giggled. "But if you'd like to come in anyway, I wouldn't be opposed."

"Of course not," she said, pressing her tongue into her cheek. If Lili did go in that room, they probably wouldn't come out until the police came, as bad as that sounded. 

The door suddenly swung open and he paraded himself out, wearing a rather tight fitting pair of beige khaki shorts. Lili's brow shot up as she looked him up and down. Hands on his hips, Niall slowly spun in a circle so she could admire the entire sight of him. The temperature in the air rose once again, and she rubbed her lips together to stop from smiling.

"How is your ass bigger than mine?" Lili joked, eyes flashing down to his bottom half before shooting back up to meet his. His body really was delicious.

Niall grinned, but his cheeks turned a little bit pink. "That is a completely incorrect assessment, princess." He glanced at his backside reflected back at him in the tall mirror bolted to the inside of the fitting room door. "But I'll take that as a compliment, so thank you." He turned back to her, smiling. "What do you think?" He lowered his hands from his hips, shoving them into the pockets.

She pressed her fingers to her chin, thinking dramatically. "Hmm. Too tight. They draw too much attention, don't you think?" She bit back a smile. "Maybe a size up would be good. What else do you have?"

Niall looked down at the floor, nodding, and Lili could see him pushing his tongue against his cheek while the corners of his mouth threatened to pull into a smile. Satisfied, she leaned back in the chair and watched his very delicious ass head back into the change room. Lili pulled her hair over her shoulder and twirled the ends, distracting her fingers as she waited.

An upbeat pop song was playing loudly on the speaker system, and she tapped her foot along delicately to the beat. There was the sound of pants hitting the floor, then material dragging along the floor, and the door opened once again. Niall stepped out, now sporting a pair of black dress pants that fit him perfectly.

"Yes. I love these," Lili said immediately, sitting up straight to get a better look. "Those look amazing on you."

Niall smiled triumphantly. "I had a feeling you'd say that. I've got another two pairs of this one. One in beige and one in a dark grey. Think I should get all three?"

Well, he was going to be playing in a pretty big tournament in just a few months...

"I say you get all of them, and then donate three old pairs at home that don't fit you anymore. Out with the old, in with the new, you know?" she suggested.

Niall contemplated her idea for a moment, before nodding.

"Good idea. I think I'll do that. Thank you, gorgeous." He walked over to where she sat and looked down from his position above her.

Lili could see the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips and a mischievous twinkle in his eye - there was always something up with him, no matter what. He brought his hand up to her chin and gently gripped it between his thumb and forefinger, tilting her head back slightly so she was now looking up at him. Her breath caught in her throat as his eyes burned into hers. Niall's thumb grazed her bottom lip; a moment later, he leaned down and planted his own lips against hers, taking all the oxygen from her lungs as he did so. He kissed her softly for a moment, pulling his head back a millimeter so their lips just barely brushed against each other.

The smirk had now appeared in full force on his face, and his eyes flashed down to her lips and back up to her eyes before he pulled away, turning suddenly and heading back to the dressing room, disappearing behind the door. Niall really had a way of sucking all the air out of the room in the most amazing way possible. His touch always left the greatest imprint on her skin.

While he was hidden away in the dressing room, Lili took the opportunity to catch her breath, gripping the armrests beside her while closing her eyes as she waited for her heart to calm down and fall back into place in her chest. The effect he had on her was instant - practically detrimental.

She smiled as she ghosted her fingers across her lips, still feeling the burn of where his lips met hers. It amazed her that he could make her feel this way every single time they kissed. It would never get old. The tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lips enough so she could taste him, and she shivered slightly.

The sound of the door opening once again knocked Lili out of her trance. Her eyes shot wide open and she picked both the shopping bag and her backpack up from the ground and stood, smiling as Niall approached her again.

"Let's go?" she said, handing him the plastic bag while pulling the straps of her backpack over her shoulders. Niall nodded and gestured for her to come to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to his body again. She inhaled his cologne, filling her lungs with his scent. He kissed the top of her head, squeezing her in a tight hug, before dropping his arm, reaching to lace his fingers with hers. Her head was spinning as they walked through the store towards the cashiers.

The girl at the register smiled kindly at them as she rang up the three pairs of pants, and Lili couldn't help but notice the way her eyes lingered on Niall's face for potentially a second too long. Feeling the rage beginning to burn inside her chest, Lili took a step closer to him and rested the side of her head gently on his arm. She wasn't jealous. Well, maybe a bit territorial.

Niall inserted his credit card into the machine, and Lili's eyes were glued to his hands as he placed the card back in his leather wallet. They were so beautiful.

They thanked the girl before making their way back out into the sun, turning left to continue their route around the mall. Now that it was just after midday, the sun was at its strongest, and the UV rays were burning into Lili's skin. It was hot and humid and she was practically choking on the heat. She was really regretting not putting sunscreen on before they left her house.

The store directly beside the one they had just left immediately caught Lili's eye. In the window were some of the most beautiful dresses and gowns she'd ever seen, and her breath caught in her throat. She squeezed Niall's hand to capture his attention.

"Wait one second," she said, pulling him along as she peeked inside.

"Do you want to go in, love?" Niall asked innocently, standing patiently beside her as she revelled at the sight in front of her, almost too stunned to speak. Everything inside was absolutely gorgeous.

She turned to him, still in her trance. "I really need a dress for the wedding." But then she paused suddenly, remembering they were there for him. "Actually, I can come back another day with Jordyn or my mom or something." She didn't want him to think her needs were more important than his. Today was about him, and that was fine. 

"Are you kidding?" Niall exclaimed excitedly, scoffing. His eyes were glowing. "You want me to pass up the opportunity to see you, the most beautiful girl to ever exist, try on beautiful dresses that make you feel good about yourself?" She could feel the scarlet flush grow instantly, and shrugged shyly. He pushed her all the way into the store with a smile on his face. "We're staying."

"You're too much," she muttered as she walked slowly, running her fingers along the racks upon racks of stunning gowns. Every single material felt soft and expensive under her fingertips.

"Is there a theme for the wedding?" she asked, unaware if Niall had been following her or not. The sudden warmth along her back told her he was.

"Nothing specific, just black tie. I'm obviously wearing a tux."

The thought of him dressed up in a fancy tuxedo was enough to make her dizzy. He was going to look so, so perfect. She blinked a few times and nodded, continuing down the first row. A few of the gowns caught her eye, but before she could even reach for one, a sales associate appeared by her side. Her hair was pulled back in a neat bun.

"Hi, dear. My name is Loretta, and I'd be so glad to help you out today. Is there anything specific that you're looking for?"

Lili smiled at her, turning to give her attention. "Yes, I need a dress for a wedding. It's a black tie event."

"Any colours or styles in mind?"

Lili shook her head. "Not a clue. I'm actually very out of my element here, so I could use all the help I can get." She chuckled nervously and reached across her body to grab her arm, suddenly feeling incredibly self-conscious. It was always her first instinct to cover herself as best she could. She had to physically stop herself from digging her nails into the skin of her arm before she drew blood.

Loretta just nodded and smiled at her, reaching up to place a soft hand on Lili's shoulder in a surprisingly comforting way. "I have some beautiful styles down this way that I think would be a great start for you, dear. Come with me." Loretta turned and started walking to the other side of the store.

Lili took Niall's hand and followed, still unable to stop admiring every single bit of lace and tulle that lined the walls. It was the most beautiful store she had ever been in. But she could only just imagine how pricey these dresses would be. They had to be high-end, top quality dresses. Then again, she never did splurge for herself. One time couldn't do that much damage.

Loretta stopped at the first rack and flipped through them, glancing every now and then at Lili's frame. "Here, let's find your size, sweetheart. One thing I like doing is wordless sizing. No need to tell me what you think you'll be. Just point and we'll start."

Lili's bottom lip pressed forwards in a pout. There was something so sweet and caring about that gesture. Subtly, she pointed towards the sign that said '10-12'. She wasn't entirely sure what dress size she'd even be, but figured that was a good starting point. Loretta smiled and nodded once again, turning her full attention back to the rack of clothes. She slowly made her way down the line.

"I like that one," Niall said from behind Lili. He stepped around her and tugged on a maroon dress that looked to be strapless with a bit of a full skirt. "Try it for me?" he asked, with puppy dog eyes.

Lili laughed and rolled her eyes, telling him to take the hanger down for her. Didn't he know she'd do anything for him? Niall carefully draped the material over his arm so that Lili could keep searching. Her eyes landed on an emerald green dress; it was slightly shorter in the front and cascaded down into a longer skirt at the back. She took it down and draped it on top of the first dress Niall had been holding. He seemed quite pleased to be her personal clothing rack.

"Okay, I'm only going to take one or two more to try, because I don't want to be here all day," she said to Loretta, raising her eyebrows. Loretta nodded.

"How about you pick one, and I'll pick one, and we can meet back at the fitting rooms."

Lili smiled her approval and turned back to the rack, trying to find one last dress to bring with her. Honestly, she was having fun, though she hated to admit it. It was so hard to choose just one. Every time she thought she'd found one, another colour or patch of sequins caught her eye, and she was back to square one. Eventually, she decided on a soft pink A-line dress that didn't have too many embellishments or anything on it. She took it down from the rack and carried it herself, gesturing for Niall to follow her as they made their way to the back of the store to find a fitting room.

Loretta was already there waiting, standing next to an open room. "I've hung the dress up in there for you. Just take the others inside, there's more than enough room."

Now it was Lili's turn to enjoy the humongous fitting room of a fancy store. Two of the four walls were completely lined with mirrors, and there was a small, round cushioned chair pushed into the corner. There was enough room for Lili to stretch her arms out to their full length and spin without hitting anything.

She smiled at the dresses and, though she was nervous to see if they would even fit her at all, she couldn't wait to step into a beautiful dress like these. She'd never worn a gown like this before. Her prom dress was bought at the last minute at a small boutique beside her high school, and it ended up looking more like a long nightgown than anything else. She'd hated the dress and cried for half the night when she realized how beautiful everyone looked compared to her. She'd never gotten to experience the excitement of dress shopping before for anything.

Looking at the four dresses in front of her, she decided to try on her least favourite first, which happened to be the emerald green one she'd chosen. Lili quickly removed her shirt and shorts, tossing them onto the chair in the corner. Hands shaking, she unzipped the dress and pulled it off the hanger gently, pooling it down around her feet so she could step into it.

"You're fine. It's just a dress. If it doesn't fit, you can try another one," she whispered to herself cautiously. Positive reinforcement was hard for her, but she was determined to make this a good experience for once. Insecurities would not win today.

She reached down and began pulling the soft material up her legs, forcing herself not to grimace at the tight squeeze around her hips. She pulled the sleeves over her arms until the halter-style neckline was pressed against her chest. She looked at herself in the mirror.

It wasn't...bad? But it wasn't good either. Something about the dress seemed off, and zipping it up didn't look like it would help much. Using her left hand to hold the dress closed behind her, she opened the door with her free hand and stepped out of the room.

Niall was right there waiting, arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the wall. As soon as she looked in his eyes, she couldn't help but burst out laughing. He wanted desperately to give her a compliment, and she could see in his face how hard he was trying to find something nice to say. "The...colour looks good on you," he managed, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "It matches your eyes."

Lili laughed louder. "It's fine, I hate it," she reassured him. The muscles in his face relaxed into a smile almost immediately.

"You still look so beautiful, though," he added, grinning adorably and tilting his head to the side.

With a smile, she turned back into the fitting room and let the silk dress fall to the ground with a sigh.

The other three dresses weren't much better. She liked the maroon one Niall had chosen, but it wasn't really appropriate for the event. The pink A-line dress felt nice but way too casual. It sucked that she couldn't find anything that worked, but it was hard for her to ignore the fact that she felt encouraged by the whole ordeal. It wasn't as scary as she'd anticipated it being, and had to give herself a pat on the back. However, feeling slightly dejected, she exited the fitting room with the dresses draped over her arm.

Loretta gently scooped them into her own and brought them over to a rack off to the side, where the rejects waited to be brought back out to the floor.

"I'm sure you'll find something, sweetheart. We have so many dresses here that would work." She placed a kind hand on Lili's shoulder to guide her as they walked back towards the sales floor.

Lili shrugged nonchalantly. "It's really not a big deal, maybe today wasn't-"

Then she stopped. When she'd turned the corner, as if by magic, her eyes had landed on the perfect dress. How she hadn't see it before, she wasn't sure. But Lili was sure that she needed Niall to leave the store as soon as possible. She turned around to face him quite suddenly, hoping his eyes hadn't followed the path that hers had just been on.

"Baby, can you wait outside for a bit?" she asked urgently, wringing her hands together behind her back.

He furrowed his brow. "What's wrong?" he asked, reaching out to touch her cheek. She shook her head and smiled, bringing her arms forward and placing her hands gently on his broad chest.

"Nothing's wrong. I just saw the perfect dress."

"O...kay?" he said slowly, trying to understand what that could possibly mean. "So why should I leave?"

She exhaled sharply. Why wasn't he getting it? "Because it's the perfect dress. It has to be a surprise for you now." She looked at him through her lashes with puppy dog eyes, knowing it was his weakness. "Please?" For added measure, she stuck her bottom lip out so she was pouting. The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile, and he scrunched his nose to stop it from spreading. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"Fine. Whatever you say, princess. You know I'm a sucker for that face. But this dress better be worth it," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. One of his eyebrows shot up towards his hairline.

She nodded emphatically, as if to convince him that it would be. She knew it would be. Grinning, he kissed her once on the lips before turning, and she watched him leave, hoping he didn't notice the dress as he strolled past it.

She had to make sure he was completely out of the store before she lunged for the dress. From where she stood, she could see him drifting over to the coffee shop on the other side of the pathway, pulling out his phone as he stood in line. She knew she could trust that he wouldn't look back into the store, so she ran over to the dress and pulled it down from the rack, pleading that it would work out.

It was the last one left, and exactly her size. The blood rushed loudly in her ears. This could potentially end up being one of the greatest coincidences she would ever experience in her life. Lili speed-walked back to the fitting rooms, Loretta hot on her trail. She entered the first one and shut the door. She took a deep breath while her heart raced in her chest.

The dress was a deep navy, almost midnight blue colour. The exact shade that Niall has mentioned being his favourite many times before. That was what initially drew her eye. It was fitted along the chest and waist, but dropped down into a looser skirt that fell all the way to the floor. A long slit travelled up the right side of the skirt, stopping right around the middle of the thigh. It had a short V-neckline, and the thick straps hung loosely off the shoulders, hugging the tops of the arms. It was simple, but elegant; sexy, but divine. It couldn't have been more perfect.

It was impossible to calm herself down at this point, because the adrenaline and excitement were mixing into a perfect cocktail that she was downing without a second thought. Tears were brimming in her eyes as Loretta zipped the dress up and she could finally look at her figure in the mirror. The material hugged every curve of her hips and waist perfectly, and the tasteful amount of cleavage was classy yet sexy. Her ass looked phenomenal, and the slit on the side was a perfect, sensual addition that elongated her legs and made them look gorgeous. A high pair of heels would just further that image.

"Yeah, I'm done. This is the one," Lili said, unable to keep her eyes off of her reflection. She could only imagine Niall's reaction to seeing her in this most wonderful creation. The way she felt looking at her reflection must be the way Niall feels whenever he sees her. In this moment, Lili could understand why Niall believed she was as gorgeous as he said she was. She looked beautiful. Sexy. Desirable.

Her stomach was flipping with joy, confidence suddenly smashing through the roof. She would pay ungodly amounts of money to feel this way all the time. Loretta smiled at her and offered to unzip the dress, much to Lili's chagrin - she didn't want to take it off.

"Let's go ring you up and pack this away properly, shall we?" Loretta said, patting Lili's shoulder softly again, before she turned and disappeared onto the floor.

Lili sighed as she put her street clothes back on, carrying the dress towards the register the way one might carry a baby. Her hands shook. She handed the dress to Loretta and watched her hang it inside one of those long grey covers you might get at the dry cleaners. Before she zipped it closed, she quickly scanned the tag.

After pressing a few buttons on her keyboard, she looked up at Lili and smiled. "Alright, sweetheart. Your total comes out to $405.35."

Lili's heart dropped, and every single ounce of happiness she'd just had a moment ago disappeared. There was no way she could afford that. What an idiot she was for not checking the tag before putting the dress on. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from crying. How fucking embarrassing. 

Loretta quickly held out a hand before she could say anything. "However, there did seem to be some damage along the hem of the skirt, so I can offer you a 40% discount to make up for it."

Lili's eyes widened and her heart dropped even further until she was sure it was sitting on the ground between her legs. What the hell happened in the last 30 seconds? "Damage?" she asked, now on the verge of tears. "But I didn't see..."

At the sight of Loretta's firm, raised eyebrow, Lili clamped her mouth shut. It took her a moment to understand the gesture, but when she did, Lili wanted to scream out with joy. If it was appropriate, Lili would definitely reach out and hug this amazing woman until she could no longer breathe. Swallowing, Lili nodded, suppressing a relieved smile.

"Yes, the damage on the skirt. Very disappointing to see, but I will accept your discount."

Smiling coyly, Loretta punched some numbers into the cash register once again, fiddling with the keys on her belt. "Okay. Your new total for today is $240. How would you like to pay?"

Lili pulled her wallet from her backpack, presenting her credit card. This, she could handle. 

Walking out of the store with her new dress on her arm, Lili thanked Loretta profusely for all her help, lowering her voice at the mention of the discount. She must have seen how much this meant to Lili, who would be forever thankful for the generosity. $240 was still going to hurt her a bit when the credit card statement came in, but it sure as hell was going to hurt a fuck ton less than $400.

Loretta sent her away with a gentle pat on the back, and Lili smiled when she was reunited with Niall, having missed him those few minutes they were apart. He was sitting on a bench outside the store, sipping an iced coffee while reading something on his phone.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, when he noticed her approaching. The way his face lit up when he saw her almost made her pass out. "Happy?" He gestured to the dress in her arms. 

Sitting down next to him, Lili leaned over and planted a kiss on his lips, not caring how many people would walk by and see. "Like you wouldn't believe," she said, kissing him a second time. That was an understatement.

He smiled brightly, delighted to hear about her happiness. "Good, I'm glad." He reached over and placed his hand lovingly on her thigh, squeezing gently. "Are you hungry, love? We can stop for lunch now."

Lili nodded, her stomach growl loudly in response. It had already been a few hours since she had that measly bowl of cereal at home, and was suddenly famished. They slowly made their way to the food court, picking up a couple of cheeseburgers to scarf down before continuing their way around the mall. It was nice to sit in the shade and relax before they finished their route.

Niall nagged her about the dress the entire time, asking question after question to try and figure out what it could possibly look like, but Lili wouldn't budge. She really wanted to surprise him, so she refused to answer any of his probes. He would alternate between pouting and flashing her puppy dog eyes, but Lili just laughed and ignored him, no matter how difficult he made it. It was so hard not to give in. Eventually, he gave up. Thankfully. Because one more second, and Lili knew she would break.

It was kind of exciting making him wait until the day of to see the dress, and Lili couldn't explain why. She was really looking forward to that moment. 

As they cleared their trays, picked up their purchases and made their way out of the food court, Niall's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and immediately frowned at the screen.

"Fuck. I'm sorry, love, I've got to take this. It's important."

Lili shook her head, dismissing the apology. "No worries, baby. It's fine! I'll walk around for a bit, come find me when you're done." It was a bit sad how he always apologized when something work-related came up that took time away from the two of them. Lili knew how important his job was and could never even dream about letting that bother her. What was important to him was now important to her, simple as that.

Smiling, Niall kissed her quickly and answered the phone, hurrying across the sidewalk to stand on the grass so he wasn't stopping in the middle of the crowd.

Lili turned and started walking in the direction they were originally heading in, looking around at the stores around her. Right in front of her was a pretty nice lingerie store, and a lightbulb suddenly went off in her head. She glanced over her shoulder to see Niall's back turned, so she ducked into the store, dress still hanging on her arm. This was an opportunity she just had to take.

The store had dark, warm orange and red lighting, like a muted sunset. Every single shelf was lined, wall to wall, with every kind of bra and underwear imaginable, plus some other, more exotic-looking pieces. All the employees had to be her age or younger, and they all had long, beautiful hair, and long lashes that fluttered delicately across their cheeks. 

A girl with platinum blonde hair and an earpiece hanging over her shoulder approached Lili, a smile on her face. She had a mouthful of braces. "Hey, welcome. Can I help you with anything?" the girl asked, twirling the wire around her finger. Lili caught a whiff of her strong spearmint gum as she spoke. She hesitated.

"Yes, you can." Her forehead pricked with sweat. "I've been thinking of buying something to surprise my boyfriend, but I've never really gotten lingerie like this before." She paused, feeling the heat rush to her cheeks. "I want something he'll like, but will also make me feel good."

The girl nodded, not a trace of judgement on her face. Well, she did do this for a living, so Lili could only imagine the kinds of requests she got on a daily basis. "Okay, we can work with that. Do you want just a bra and panties, or were you thinking of a whole set?"

"Set?" Lili asked, eyes wide. The girl nodded again and pointed to one of the mannequins on the other side of the room.

"Sets come with a bra, panties, and thigh-highs, and you can add a silk robe if you like."

Lili followed the girl's finger with her eyes, catching a glimpse of the mannequin wearing the full aforementioned set. Talk about sexy. If she didn't take this risk now, the opportunity might never come up again. It was time to take the leap. Lili looked back at the saleswoman and loosened her shoulders a bit.

"Yes. That set right up there is perfect." She swallowed. "Would you maybe have that in a bright red?"

* * *

"Ready to go, princess?" Niall asked, running his hands through his hair. He didn't look any more stressed than he had before he'd taken the phone call, which she took as a good sign. Sometimes he got quite frustrated after work calls, and she hated seeing him that way.

Lili nodded, exhaling sharply. After she'd purchased – and subsequently hidden - her brand new lingerie, she reunited with Niall to continue walking through the mall. Half an hour later, they were both reaching the end of their ropes. "I'm actually getting quite tired," Lili said, rolling her shoulders back in an attempt to loosen the muscles. She gestured to Niall's purchases. "If you have everything you need, then maybe we can go?"

Along with the polo shirts and pants he'd gotten earlier, he also bought two packs of black socks and new biking shorts. Niall nodded and brought her hand up to his mouth, kissing her knuckles once again.

"Sure. I'd say today was pretty successful for the both of us," he said sweetly.

Oh, love, you have no idea.

"Let's go to your house, though," Lili said, trying to make it sound like a casual afterthought. Niall glanced at her oddly.

"What?" She tried to act completely nonchalant. "I just want to hang out more," she said, as her new lingerie was practically burning a hole into her purse. "We can wind down together."

He smiled that heart-stopping smile, and the world tilted on its axis. "Alright, love."

They walked to the car in silence, and Lili grinned as Niall swung their connected arms dramatically back and forth between their bodies. He was swinging so hard that he nearly tossed her forwards onto the pavement, and she couldn't help but laugh. Each time he did it, he would pull her back and lean down for a kiss. His affection meant the world to her, and Lili honestly wished she was better with her words so she could tell him that. It felt like she never did enough to express her gratitude for the way he adored her.  

When they got to the car, Niall carefully took the dress from Lili's arms, laying it across the entire backseat, then tossed all his other bags on the floor behind the driver's seat. Immediately, he rolled down the two front windows when he settled in behind the steering wheel - after sitting in the sun all day long, the heat in the car was suffocating.

The entire drive over to Niall's house, Lili fought to keep herself steady and act normal, but she was bursting at the seams at the thought of showing off her newest purchase. Nervous adrenaline was coursing quickly through her veins. It took all her strength to stop her knee from bouncing up and down anxiously, which would immediately alert him that something was up. If he could feel her nerves, he never gave any indication. Her stomach flipped when they finally pulled into his driveway.

Every reaction would be a dead giveaway, and she needed him to be completely ignorant to the situation if she wanted this surprise to really work. Her legs felt like Jell-O under the weight of her body as she jumped down from the parked car and pulled the back door open, reaching in to pick up Niall's bags. Her hands were shaking as she tried to hold all his bags and her backpack.

From the other side of the car, Niall took her dress, draping it over his shoulder and kicking the door closed with his foot. Lili swallowed as they trudged up to the front door. Niall turned the key in the lock of the front door and pushed it open, letting the cool air conditioning wash over their burning skin. She shivered as goosebumps raised along her skin, but they definitely weren't because of the cold.

"Hey, I'm just going to go use the washroom quickly," she said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "Wait down here for me, okay?"

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, tossing his keys into the glass dish that sat on the table just inside the door. "You seem a bit out of sorts."

Busted.

Lili kicked off her shoes and placed his bags gently on the floor. She fixed her expression, hoping she was portraying calmness as she smiled over at Niall. "Yeah, of course. I just think the heat is getting to me." She stood on her tiptoes and planted a soft kiss on his lips, squeezing his shoulder gently to hold her up. "I'll just be a minute."

He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her into his chest. He kissed her again, this time letting his lips linger on hers for a minute more. Any longer, and they wouldn't need that lingerie to get things going. 

"Alright, but you need to tell me if you start to feel worse." It was such a polite scolding, but Lili loved when he cared for her like this. "Do you want to lie down and watch a movie?" he asked, reaching up to brush his thumb across her cheek.

Lili grinned, biting the corner of her lip. "That sounds perfect. You can choose something while you wait for me."

After giving him one last kiss, she stepped around him and hurried over to the staircase, backpack still clutched in her nervous hand. She took a deep breath and lifted her foot, beginning the climb up to the bedroom. 

Chapter Text

~ song of the chapter is Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande ;))

Grasping the railing firmly in her hands to remain steady, Lili jogged up the creaking staircase, feeling every grain and line of the wood press against the inside of her palm. The very tips of her fingers were numb with anticipation.

Atop the landing, she turned to her right and quietly raced down the hallway until she was standing outside Niall's bedroom, where the door was slightly ajar - half inviting her in, half telling her to keep out. She brought her hand up to the doorknob and, after taking a short breath, pushed the door open all the way to let herself in.

The room was so comfortingly familiar now. She'd been spending quite a bit of time in here as of late, but did not mind at all. This room - along with the rest of Niall's house - felt like home to her.

Blood was rushing in her ears, echoing so loudly in the silent room that she honestly believed Niall could hear it from all the way downstairs.

Sunlight was beaming through the large windows; she let it warm her skin as she quietly shut the door behind her and moved to the other side of the room, setting her purse down on the chair in the corner. It was beautiful, but way too hot and much too bright. She needed to set the mood.

Reaching over, Lili gently yanked on the string of the blind shade, lowering it until it brushed the floor. There was still enough light coming through to make the whole room visible, but it did darken it quite a bit, increasing the level of privacy to maximum. Lili nodded, chewing the corner of her mouth nervously. This was ideal.

She teetered energetically on her toes as she unzipped her backpack, extracting the lingerie bag from underneath her wallet. It crinkled between her fingers. The excitement of the new purchase made her heart leap to her throat. She smiled at the plastic in her hands and practically skipped over to the bathroom, flipping the light on and turning the bag upside down. She dumped the contents onto Niall's crisp white counter.

The red silk stood out like blood on freshly fallen snow.

Lili was just itching to get herself into this set that she so desperately hoped Niall would love. Lingerie wasn't a topic they really covered when discussing what they liked or didn't like during sex, so she had no idea how he would react. Would he think it was crazy of her to buy something like this? Would he love it? So many thoughts clouded her brain, most of which scared her. 

But that would be a problem for five minutes from now, so why bother worrying? 

After changing out of her clothes, Lili took a clean washcloth and some soap from the cabinet, using them to freshen up all of the nooks and crannies in her body that would soon be exposed to Niall's eyes. She also gargled on some extremely strong mint mouthwash he seemed to love for some reason.

Her hands shook as she reached for the lingerie, the moment of truth finally arriving. It was a bright, flaming red set that would clash deliciously with her green eyes. The bra was a double push up, and it pressed her breasts together with such force that her cleavage was nearly touching her neck. A thin layer of delicate black lace traced intricate patterns along the curve of the cups, and along the edges of the matching thong.

The thong itself was high cut; the band sat higher along her hips than normal underwear, making her appear even curvier than she was. The set was completed by thigh-high red stockings made of mesh so thin you could just barely see the brush of red against the skin, but it was enough to make Lili's legs look long and sexy.

She looked at herself in the large mirror and nearly lost her breath, examining her reflection with wide, unblinking eyes. She had never seen herself look like this before. Ever. In this shade of red, she looked powerful. And her body looked incredible. Sexy.

Now, Lili was never one for lingerie. Sure, she'd see different bras and such on models and think they looked beautiful, but the idea of buying something for herself never even crossed her mind. She didn't even own a thong until a few months ago, and the only reason she bought one was to feel a bit better about herself when she and Niall had sex. But maybe she was starting to see the appeal now.

Originally, she'd gone into the lingerie store looking for something that would please Niall. Whether that seemed un-feminist or not, Lili didn't care. He deserved something nice every once in a while. But now, seeing how amazing she both looked and felt, Lili was 100% certain this wouldn't be the last set to end up in her closet. It made her feel so fucking good.

It was tough spending so much time beating herself up over how she looked. The mental gymnastics had to stop, but this was as good a way as any to start working on that. 

She reached up and pulled her hair out of its ponytail, flipping her head upside down and roughly brushing out her roots with the tips of her fingers. Her scalp was aching from her hair having been tied up all day, and the relief she felt massaging it almost made her moan out. She popped back upright and smiled at her new, expertly messy hair. She looked freshly fucked. All that seemed to be missing was a swipe of red lipstick and some smudged eyeliner.

Just as she turned to leave, she remembered to rip the tags off of everything, giggling to herself.

She flipped the light switch off as she left the bathroom, and her heart hammered in her chest and throat as she opened the bedroom door all the way again.

She crawled onto the center of the bed and lay on her side facing the door, taking her top leg and draping it slightly over the bottom. Her elbow lay bent on the pillow, and she used her hand to keep her head propped up. Did this look stupid? Maybe the pose was a bit extra. The lingerie said everything she needed it to say anyway, right?

She furrowed her brows. No, she said to herself, shutting those thoughts down immediately. This is all about confidence. You look great. You're doing fine.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to muster as much of that aforementioned confidence as she possibly could. "Babe!" she called out. Her voice echoed against the walls, shattering the silence that had grown since they returned to the house. "I need you to come up here. Quick!"

She bit her lip and waited as the silence fell once again, each passing second accentuated by a loud heartbeat. Had he even heard her? Maybe she wasn't loud enough. Oh god, how embarrassing would that be...

But then, suddenly, the sound of Niall's quick feet climbing the stairs one at a time sent her heart into a frenzy yet again, and her level of excitement tripled. She flipped her hair to the side as she waited, chest rising and falling rapidly against her arm. His footsteps were getting closer and closer, louder and louder, as he approached the room.

"What's wrong, love, are you-" Niall's casual voice sounded as he turned through the doorway. He stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of her sprawled across his bed. His mouth dropped open slightly from shock, and he looked genuinely speechless. As in, not a single thought in his brain anymore. His eyes nearly fell out of his head, blue irises sparkling in the dim lighting as they raked up the length of her body, stopping momentarily on her breasts, before continuing up to her eyes.

He licked his lips. "Holy shit," he finally said, chest rising and falling at a slightly quick pace.

This kind of reaction could absolutely set her soul on fire. She loved when he looked at her with those eyes. When he desired her. Lili bit back a grin and pulled herself up until she was on her knees in the center of the mattress, sitting back on her heels facing Niall. Her mane of dark locks fell over her eyes, and she ran her fingers through it to push it out of her face, feeling the ends tickle her exposed back.

"Surprise," she said in a low voice, tilting her head slightly to the side. God, she hoped she looked elegant and sexy, and not like an embarrassing mess of limbs. She blinked slowly as she watched him continue to drink in the sight of her, waiting for him to do something.

He was still frozen in that one spot in his doorway, clearly unable to think coherently, or move even an inch. She'd had a feeling he would like the lingerie, since he liked everything she wore, but she definitely did not expect this kind reaction. It made her stomach burn with desperation and need. She leaned forward with her palms on her thighs and her breasts squished even closer together; Niall's eyes immediately dropped to her chest, and he swallowed.

Lili's confidence was growing by the second just seeing the effect she was having on him. And the funniest part of it all was that she couldn't even believe she was doing this. Six months ago, she could never even dream of putting herself out there in this kind of way. She'd never allow herself to show her hand like this.

His eyes drifted back up to hers and she immediately pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

"Are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open, or are you going to come here and fuck me?"

One of his eyebrows shot up in the sexiest, cockiest way possible. Lili could see his tongue poking through his cheek, and she grinned. Checkmate.

A pulse appeared between her thighs, and she fought the urge to rub them together for friction.

"You're fucking dangerous, you know that?" Niall said in a low voice, finally lifting his feet and inching towards the bed. Lili grinned and straightened her back, remaining on her knees. She could feel the heat of her desire pooling just behind her navel, making her frantic. It was clear he wanted to tease her and continue to make her wait, because he dropped one knee on the bed and very, very slowly moved towards the center of the mattress where she was positioned.

Her heart was racing at a mile a minute, the perfect opposition to his deliberate nature. It was frustrating yet exciting. 

Still moving slowly, Niall dragged his eyes up and down her body once again. He reached out and brushed his fingertips along her thigh where the stocking wrapped around her skin, and her stomach lurched. Even that one little touch could get her off, honestly. 

And then, what felt like a millisecond later, he lurched forward, wrapping his hands around the sides of her neck and crashing his lips against hers. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked hard, making her groan quietly as her lip recoiled. One hand remained on her neck, digging his fingertips into her skin and making her yelp. He twisted the fingers of his other hand deep into her long hair and tugged, forcing her head far back enough to look up at him.

She gasped quietly. He was towering over her, already asserting as much dominance as he could. The confidence she'd had a minute ago hadn't quite disappeared - it was now just hiding behind her meek submission. 

He swallowed again. "How badly do you want me, princess?" he whispered, tightening the grip in her hair. His other hand floated up to her face, and he brushed his knuckle lightly across her cheek.

"What does it look like?" she asked in a frail voice, challenging him. She could barely breathe; her desire for him was overpowering, filling her lungs and making her extremely weak.

He smirked and released her hair, dropping his arms down at his sides. The shade of blue his eyes had changed to was lethal.  "Go on and lay back for me," he demanded softly.

One thing about Niall was that he loved to be in control. At all times. It was exhilarating for Lili, especially in moments like this. She was able to let go and give herself to him completely, knowing there was no need to be afraid.

Doing as he'd asked, she slowly leaned back until she fell into the mountain of pillows. The butterflies in her stomach were out of control now. All the nerves she may have felt a moment ago were gone, completely replaced by excitement and yearning. He took his place above her once again, sitting on her thighs with all of his weight so she couldn't move.

Being trapped underneath him like this thrilled her more than it probably should have.

Niall gripped the headboard tightly with one hand, letting the other sit loosely at the base of her neck. Goosebumps erupted along her skin at the delicate touch. His eyes trailed down the top half of her body and back up once again. "Now, when did you get this little number?" he asked, sliding his hand over to hook his index finger under one of the bra straps. His fingers were just barely dancing along her skin, teasing her. "And how did you know that I've been dying to see you in red?"

Lili licked her lips, unintentionally squirming under his weight. "Lucky guess?" she asked breathlessly, trying her best to make the shrug of her shoulder look nonchalant.

He chuckled at her response, nodding slowly. His hand slid back over to the base of her neck, but this time he raised it up to wrap around her throat. He squeezed slightly and Lili's eyes fluttered shut from the pleasure it brought her, mouth dropping open a bit. The lightheadedness it caused made her feel absolutely euphoric. Discovering that she enjoyed being in some pain during sex was definitely...surreal, to put it kindly.

Niall applied just the perfect amount of pressure with his expert fingertips, and a tiny squeak unwillingly left her mouth. But she wasn't even given a moment to bask in the sheer glory of it before he was kissing her ferociously again, shifting down and lying on top of her completely. His weight pushed her deeper into the mattress, the warmth of his body comforting her exposed skin.

He removed his hand from the headboard and brought it down to her chest, squeezing her breast harshly as he circled his tongue around hers. Lili whimpered as Niall sucked on her tongue, alternating between wrapping his lips around her tongue and lapping at it with his own, all the while keeping his hand tight around her throat. Already, the pressure was steadily building between her thighs, and if she didn't get some relief soon, she was going to go absolutely mad.

She bent her legs and slowly wrapped them around his waist, crossing her ankles and pushing forwards so his hips pressed against hers. He drew them up and down slowly. A low groan emerged from her lips at the friction, and it felt good, but she just needed more. She could feel how hard he had grown in these last few minutes as he pressed his hips harder against her.

He continued to basically devour her in a sloppy kiss, like this would be the last time it would ever happen. These were her favourite kinds of kisses - the slow, passionate ones that seemed to suck all the air out of both the room and her lungs. Niall's kisses were desperate and full of need.

He paused to start trailing his lips across her jaw and down her neck, so Lili took the opportunity to grab the hem of his shirt, feeling the heat on her fingertips as they met his skin. Niall detached himself from her momentarily and stood on his knees, reaching to the back collar of his shirt and tugging it off, throwing it over the side of the bed. Her hands immediately met his hot, golden skin, running them up his chiseled stomach towards his broad chest, gently scraping her nails against him. She could admire him for hours. That body was carved by the fucking gods.

He shot her a cocky grin before lying down and kissing her neck once again. His soft lips fluttered across her throat, sucking gently at the one specific spot that always seemed to send her into a frenzy. She was already gasping and panting; her skin was on absolute fire. He always knew how to drive her insane by giving her neck the most attention. He sucked at it harshly, almost definitely leaving a bruise in his wake.

Her eyes fluttered shut and she moaned softly. Niall smiled against her skin before he moved over to the other side of her neck, giving the second sensitive spot below her ear the same attention. He then shifted his body lower until his lips found her cleavage. He looked up at her through his lashes as he left two long, gentle kisses on the tops of her breasts.

"This looks insane on you, but it needs to go," he murmured against her. He kissed the same two spots again, nipping at her skin with his teeth. She arched off the mattress as he snaked his arm around her back and expertly unclipped her bra without any trouble.

She shivered at the way his fingers ghosted along her skin, and he grinned as the goosebumps appeared. It was almost as if he got off on seeing her react to him. He pulled the red material away from her body and tossed it somewhere behind him, taking a second to admire her naked chest.

Biting her lip, Lili brought her hands up to the sides of his head, tangling her fingers in his dark hair as he continued to assault her with kisses, setting off fireworks deep in her belly every time his lips touched her skin. It was her favourite feeling in the entire world.

He continued downwards until he reached the peak of her breast, wrapping his lips around her nipple and circling his tongue around it. He looked up at her through his lashes again, and she fought to catch her breath just because of how intense the electric shock of their eye contact was. She choked out a moan, arching her back once again and closing her eyes. He pulled his lips off and moved to her other breast, repeating the action at an even slower pace, wanting desperately to tease her. It was a wonder how sensitive her breasts happened to be, and how well he used that to his advantage.

"Keep going," she breathed out, pushing on his shoulders to force him to continue on the path he had been making down her body. "Please, baby..." She didn't care how desperate this made her look - she was way past being frustrated with his teasing and needed him to clean up the mess he'd made - literally and figuratively. Her desire for him was getting to the point of physical pain.

"You know," he said, flopping next to her on the mattress and leaning up on his elbow. He drew swirls and circles into the skin of her abdomen with his fingertips, just above her underwear. "I love when I don't even have to ask you to beg." He licked his lips. "You just do it automatically."

Lili rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm not begging anymore," she said matter-of-factly. "It boosts your ego too much."

Niall's eyebrow quirked slightly. "Really?" he said, sounding intrigued. "You're never going to beg for me again?" He began to move his finger lower and lower until it was touching the edge of her panties, threatening to slip underneath. "Ever?"

Her breath hitched at the touch and she squirmed. Immediately, he removed his fingers, placing them gently on the mattress between their bodies. She whimpered at the loss, but refused to give him more than that.

He chuckled quietly as his fingers found her skin again, but this time he let them travel underneath the elastic. She gasped, allowing a quiet moan to leave her mouth that sounded a bit more desperate than she'd intended. "That's what I thought," he said, chuckling again. It was insane how sexy he made condescension sound. 

He grinned as he brought his lips down to her skin, leaving wet, open mouthed kisses trailing down her stomach; the grin spread even wider when she shuddered at the trace of a kiss he left along the edge of her panties. Her heart was pounding at the base of her throat from excitement and anticipation.

Niall drew his head back slightly so he could see her, eyes glinting as he hooked his two index fingers under the soft material. Automatically, Lili lifted her hips for him, but he made no move to continue undressing her. She dropped back to the mattress and looked down at him, confused.

He smiled up at her mischievously. "These look too good on you to take off," he said, softly running the knuckle of his right forefinger up and down the inside of her thigh. It was a deadly touch. "I think I want you to keep everything else on. Can you do that for me, love?" God, he sounded devilishly innocent.

Lili swallowed and nodded excessively, stomach twisting eagerly at the anticipation. Niall smirked and placed another kiss directly against her, through her panties, and his eyes sparkled as she squirmed in response. "That's my good girl," he muttered.

Niall moved her thin underwear to the side; he gently blew air onto her slit as he continued to watch her, basking in the way her body reacted to him. She could do or say nothing right now, so she just whimpered, furrowing her brows over her eyes. Her mouth had suddenly run extremely dry. Words no longer worked for her, but her head was absolutely screaming 'Please! Please!!"

And then his tongue pressed flat against her, licking a long stripe up her slit; Lili's hands immediately tangled themselves into the mess that was the back of his head, gripping tightly. She moaned as he continued his actions, using his large hand to hold her thigh against the bed as his tongue did all the necessary work, still using two fingers to pull her panties to the side. Every swipe and flick of his tongue against her was divine. He revelled in the sounds she was making for him, using them as fuel to push forwards, as he quickened the pace of his tongue.

She was so sensitive to his every action, and couldn't help but grind her hips against his face slowly, aching for more friction. He made the most sinful noises as he pleasured her, enjoying it almost as much as she was. Every touch of his tongue to her clit was accompanied by a quiet little moan or whimper. When he was between her thighs, he didn't just do it for her. It was for himself, too, and there was nothing in the world that was hotter than that. He really just enjoyed tasting her.

Niall slid his hand between her legs, and Lili jumped when she felt his fingers teasing her entrance, waiting for her permission to continue.

"Please..." she breathed out, looking down at him over the valley of her breasts. "I want your fingers, baby, please."

He looked painfully gorgeous between her legs. His hair was tangled and messy from the way she'd been gripping it with helpless fingers. His lips were pink and slick, eyes dark and sultry. He was more than a sight for sore eyes. The corner of his mouth pulled up into a grin, and he kept his eyes on hers as he lowered his head down once more, sliding his finger into her at the same moment his tongue flattened against her clit.

Lili's back immediately arched, and a cry caught in her throat as his finger pumped lazily in and out of her, tongue swirling deliciously. Already, she could feel the heat bubbling in the pit of her stomach, toes curling from the intensity. Her thighs were quivering and shaking as she pressed them against the sides of his head in an attempt to hold him in place, unsure of how to act anymore. He added a second finger and she clenched around him, suddenly feeling like she was going to explode.

Through breathless moans and lustful gasps, she begged him to keep going, knowing the pace he was working at would get her to the finish line in no time. Her fingers tangled in his hair again, using it as leverage to press his face harder against her, making him constantly brush against the spot that she needed him the most. She called his name between strings of curses, and every time he groaned against her, she shivered with joy and pleasure.

His tongue was relentless, and she couldn't find a second to breathe before she was crashing over the surface, weaving her fingers even deeper in Niall's hair and gasping as he helped her enjoy the ridiculous high. Stars burst in front of her eyes, fingers and toes tingling with pleasure. It was hard to catch her breath now – every inhale burned her lungs. Every inch of exposed skin was on fire as he began to slow the pace of his fingers, easing her through her orgasm and helping her come back to earth.

She lay panting against the mattress, watching as Niall placed delicate kisses to her hot skin, slowly tracing a path up to her stomach. He pulled his fingers out of her dripping entrance and she shuddered, feeling suddenly empty. He connected their gazes once again as he brought his fingers to his mouth, wrapping his perfect lips around them and tasting her once again.

It was a crazy sensual action that made her cheeks flare. She swallowed as she watched him, admiring the way his lips curved perfectly around his long fingers, molding together beautifully.

"You taste like heaven," he said in a low voice, licking his fingers one last time. That was going to drive Lili insane. Unable to contain herself any longer, she reached up and clasped the back of his neck, pulling him down to her level. She looked up into his eyes through her dark lashes.

"I want you," she whispered, gently grazing her nails across his bare chest, watching goosebumps erupt under her touch. As quick as she always was to react to him and his actions, Niall freaked out just as fast. His visceral reactions to her touches were immediate.

A small smile curled up his lips at the way her fingers danced against his skin. She attempted to wrap her slightly shaking legs around his waist once again, aching to just feel his body against her.

Niall leaned down and connected their lips again, sighing as his tongue massaged hers; she always loved the way he kissed her so passionately, yet so delicately. He always kissed her like he was afraid it would never happen again, taking advantage of each and every one.

She could feel his hands running along the curves of her body, tracing every square inch of the skin along her hips and her waist. The small calluses that had built up on the tips of his fingers were rough against her, scratching her smooth skin every now and then.

He continued to kiss her with fervor, his breathing starting to match the quick pace of her own. Every time his hips would grind down against her, she would feel how hard he was, and his breath would hitch at the contact. The friction created by the rough material of his pants against the thin material covering her was enough to send her into a spiral. She needed his skin on hers so badly.

Niall's lips eventually drifted off of her own and down the corner of her mouth, across her cheek, and slowly along her jaw. When his weight shifted completely off her body, she opened her eyes to look at him. He was lying directly next to her, leaning his elbow against the mattress and propping his head up. She felt her chest and neck flush as his eyes scanned her body from the tips of her toes, all the way up to the dark hair falling against her slightly sweaty face.

The ghost of a smile played on his lips, and her heart seemed to skip in her chest. He leaned down and placed one soft kiss on her nose, before returning to the position he was lying in. It was such an oddly sweet gesture in the middle of the tension and sensuality of the moment that would get lost if it happened to anyone else. But these were the types of moments that Lili treasured the most.

"You're simply breathtaking," he said, raising his right hand up to her face and brushing the hair out of her eyes. "My beautiful girl." It was such a delicate touch that sent a shiver down her spine. He was always so sweet to her, no matter what.

He rolled over and kissed her lips, once again putting his weight on top of her as he re-settled between her thighs. This kiss was sloppier than the other few had been, as if he just wanted to devour her more than enjoy her. It seemed as if their desire for each other was finally reaching the boiling point, and he'd moved past the need to be sweet and careful.

He broke their lips apart and looked her in the eye. "Do you trust me, darling?" he asked, licking his lips.

Lili nodded without hesitation. No matter what, the answer would always be yes. Without so much as a warning from Niall, she was flipped around violently, suddenly lying face down on the mattress. Niall's hard length was pressing into her backside. She gasped at how suddenly everything had changed.

With one hand, Niall helped her lift her hips, before he slid a pillow between her body and the mattress to elevate her ass a bit. His warm hands grabbed hers, pressing them down into the mattress on either side of her head. She turned her head to the side, desperate for air; she could feel her heart pumping painfully and aggressively against her ribcage.

Anytime he got her to try something new, she was always nervous and excited. It was eternally terrifying, but there wasn't a person in the world she trusted more than Niall, so that always made her more than willing to take these kinds of steps. He was the epitome of safety. Plus, she could tell he'd been aching to assert power over her in bed, and she was now giving him full permission to do whatever he wanted. The dominant side of him had been hiding for the most part, because he wanted to be gentle with her.

From the very beginning, he was always scared of taking things too far. Because of how inexperienced she'd been when they first got together, he wanted to make sure she was enjoying herself and felt good about what they did before they experimented further. But now that they'd slept together a few times and were understanding each other's boundaries more and more, he'd been able to let himself go little by little.

And damn, did she love it.

He removed his hands from her wrists, but she kept her arms firmly planted against the mattress. "You don't even need instructions from me, do you, princess?" he said with a chuckle. Something about the way he spoke lit a fire in her belly.

"No," she breathed out, eyes fluttering shut as the warmth of his hands suddenly appeared on her exposed back.

He guided his hands along her skin, dragging his fingers along her spine, leaving light kisses in their wake. His fingers were warm and smooth, applying the perfect amount of pressure. He reached her ass and took both cheeks in his hands, squeezing. He massaged the skin expertly, and all the tension from the long day's walk melted away with every knead of his fingers. It was very sensual and intimate, a nice breather between raucous activities.

A light giggle escaped her throat when his lips tickled the spot his hands had just been, but it quickly turned into a gasping moan; he raised his left hand and struck her backside. The sound of the slap echoed dully through the empty room. As the skin burned where his hand had just slapped it, Niall attempted to soothe it with his flat palm, rubbing in slow, soft circles. Glancing down, Lili could already see the bright red handprint forming on her skin.

"Again," she found herself saying through a whimper. She was so frustrated that she had to press her face into the pillow to keep herself from screaming. She bit her lip as she anticipated his next move. A quiet chuckle emerged from deep in Niall's chest, and she moaned again as he repeated his actions on the other side.

He would smack her bum with a bit of strength, then rub soothing circles with the flat of his hand. He even leaned down and placed wet, open mouthed kisses against the marks to soothe them even further. The pain felt delightful, and Lili couldn't help but squirm underneath him as the skin prickled back to life. She could just feel the heat of the smirk he was wearing as he admired his work.

The weight of his body disappeared, and Lili took the opportunity to raise herself up on her elbows and turn her head towards him, watching his movement. He stepped down from the bed and reached for his belt, unbuckling it and letting it hang open on either side as he tugged at the zipper. His muscles rippled under his skin as he shrugged out of his shorts and boxers. He tossed the material to the side and dropped his knee back on the bed; as he crawled back up her body, his eyes landed on hers and he blushed, but a confident smile spread across his face.

"Like watching me, huh?" he asked, leaning down and pressing his lips directly between her shoulder blades.

She swallowed and smiled. "Of course I do. I mean, can you blame me? I like what I see."

He chuckled again, louder this time, and leaned down so his face was just inches from hers. "Yeah, I really fucking like what I see, too," he whispered, running the tip of his nose along her cheek. He kissed her deeply once again and without warning, groaning softly into her mouth as his lips collided with hers. He drew his hips up and down slowly as he kissed her, causing unbearable friction between her thighs.

"Please," Lili whined, ready to throw a tantrum with how frustrated she was. "Just fuck me." Her legs were literally shaking with anticipation. 

Niall's lips stilled and he laughed before breaking the kiss to open the top drawer of his nightstand and retrieve a condom. The action was so familiar now. Lili's heart raced as he sat back between her calves.

Being unable to see what he was doing heightened all of her other senses. She was hypersensitive to every sound and touch. The aluminum wrapper crinkled in his hands as he tore the packet open, discarding it on the floor nonchalantly. There was silence for a moment, which could only mean he was putting the condom on. And then she felt his fingers against her hips, carefully hooking onto her panties and pulling them down her legs. He tossed them aside and ran his palms up the back of her thighs and over her ass.

He shifted so that her legs were pushed together on the mattress, draping his thighs over them so she was trapped. "You have no idea how hot this looks right now," he said, eyes like lasers piercing her skin. "With nothing but these stockings on for me? Christ..."

Lili couldn't help but grin, biting her lip in an attempt to hide it. Every time he reminded her how sexy he thought she was, it made her giddy. His hard length pressed against her ass when he lay on top of her, putting most of his weight on her legs.

He kissed the back of her shoulder. "Tell me again, princess. Do you trust me?"

"Yes," she whispered immediately - if only he knew just how much. There was so much weight behind that one syllable that Lili often wondered whether or not Niall realized it. She teased him by raising her hips up slightly to meet his, desperate for him to do something. He groaned softly in her ear. It really was the hottest sound ever.

One of his hands came up to weave his fingers through her hair, and he forced her head to the side so he could see her face, still gripping her hair tightly. She could feel him teasing her entrance, and her mouth dropped open and her eyes rolled back as he pushed himself halfway in.

From this angle, he felt bigger. She was being stretched to her limit. Her thighs were already starting to shake as they remained pressed together, held in place by his weight. She swallowed and allowed herself to enjoy the moment, but he pulled almost entirely out of her suddenly, leaving her feeling empty. Disappointed, she opened her eyes back up, ready to question him. But before she had a chance to look up, he snapped his hips forward, filling her completely. She cried out as his hips slammed against her ass.

Niall repeated the action, drawing back until just the tip of his cock was inside her, then thrusting his hips forward quickly, hitting the most sensitive spot deep inside what felt like her stomach. "God, you feel so fucking good around me," he groaned out, running his right hand up and down her curves as he lost himself in her.

His hand stopped at her hip, fingers gripping mercilessly at the skin, attempting to give himself leverage as his thrusts strengthened. He found a solid rhythm, moving his hips back and forth at a medium speed, and Lili couldn't contain herself, moaning out in pleasure as he drilled himself into her again and again. He was hitting spots deeper in her body than he'd ever hit before, and it was sending her into a whirlwind of pleasure. The sound of his hips slapping against her backside echoed dully across the bright room, though Lili could barely hear it through the blood pumping in her ears.

There were very few instances where Lili was left completely speechless during sex, but this was definitely one of them. Her brain was rapidly becoming mush. 

She pressed her forehead against the cool pillow beneath her, letting the soft mound absorb her screams while she gripped the bedsheets between her shaking fingers, the force of each thrust rocking her further and harder into the pillow. She felt the heat from his chest against her back and, turning her head to the side, immediately caught his lips in a fiery kiss that lit up every single nerve ending in her body. He rolled his tongue along hers to the same rhythm his hips were moving to, making her legs shake with pleasure. The pulsing between her thighs was almost too much to bear. 

They were panting and moaning into each other's mouth; the combination of Niall's kisses, his groans of pleasure, and his perfect thrusts, was mind blowing. Lili was in a complete daze as she allowed her man to consume every tiny little bit of her. In one smooth motion, Niall pushed his knee between her thighs to move them further apart. That new and unexpected angle caused the pleasure to near its fever pitch. She wanted to scream out for him, let him know how good he was making her feel, but all semblance of word and sound were lost in her throat.

His left hand was still tangled in her hair, holding her head up as they kissed. She could feel herself climbing up, up, up closer to the edge, heat pooling in her lower stomach. Niall's breath was hot on her face as he panted, exhaling sharply with every deep thrust of his hips.

She mumbled incoherent sentences and curse words against his lips as she crept closer to the edge, the indescribable pleasure dancing up along her legs and into her chest. Their bodies moved smoothly together as one, moans combining into a symphony of perfect harmony.

Lili's eyes squeezed shut as the journey up the hill reached the top, and she was finding it harder and harder to keep her feet on the ground.

Her jaw dropped open and she moaned relentlessly into Niall's mouth, high-pitched screeches that burned her throat. She was losing control, and it was only a matter of time before she stumbled over the peak of the hill and went rolling down the other side.

"Baby, I'm so close..." she whimpered, dropping her head, unable to hold herself up. Her toes were curling against the mattress beneath her. "I'm, fuck, I'm going to-" Her words were cut off when the hand that had been in her hair had suddenly slid underneath her head to wrap around her throat, fingers closing around her windpipe. The pain was blissful.

"Not until I say," Niall whispered in her ear, his voice low. She shivered at the sound, goosebumps rippling along her skin. The control he had over her was so fucking sexy.

She braced herself as much as she could, though she hoped he would let her unravel soon - she didn't know how much longer she could take this. He was repeatedly pounding into that one god damn spot in her cervix, and her vision was going black. Tears sprung to her eyes as she desperately tried to hold on. His thrusts began to turn sloppy with every push forward, and he was mumbling her name repeatedly under his breath, signalling he was also close to his release.

Her stomach was burning and her legs ached - she was desperate to let go. She was a moaning mess underneath him, and the way he pumped himself in and out of her was not helping maintain her resolve in any way.

Still gripping her throat, Niall pulled her head back enough to press his forehead against her cheek. His skin was layered with sweat and his own cheeks were pink. His thrusts had become long and slow and deep, filling her beautifully. The two gasped for air as they felt the moment approaching at top speed. Niall nodded against her, hips now moving at a quicker pace once again.

"Now, princess," he said, in a gravelly voice. "Come for me, let me feel you."

That was all she needed.

Her jaw dropped completely open and her eyes rolled back into her skull as she let go and fell over the edge, pleasure bursting in her stomach and crawling across every inch of her skin as he fucked her roughly through her orgasm. She screamed out and reached one arm up, snaking it around Niall's head to tug his hair, her other hand gripping the sheets beneath her. Her back arched and her toes curled, and she saw stars as she lost herself in the pleasure, the exhilaration of it all sending chills down her spine.

It was clear Niall had reached his peak too; he was moaning and whimpering in her ear, snapping his hips relentlessly until, eventually, he stilled inside of her, panting desperately as his orgasm overtook his body. He stayed in that position for a few moments before he dropped his weight against her again; the two gasped heavily for air, and Lili had to blink several times in rapid succession to clear her blurry vision.

Niall pressed his lips against the skin between her shoulder blades, before he rolled off her and onto the mattress beside her now limp body. She whimpered at the empty feeling he left behind when he pulled out of her. Her heart was pounding painfully against her chest, and she felt like she could no longer use her arms. It felt so good to be used by him. 

They lay in silence for a few moments until their breathing turned normal again, and Lili summoned all her strength to turn herself over, finally facing Niall and getting to see him. He looked exactly the way someone should look after a good, rough fuck. His eyes were closed, as if he was too exhausted and worn out to keep them open. Lili admired the way his long lashes fanned his cheeks beautifully. His lips were red and swollen, still shining from their shared kisses. His face and neck were bright pink, and his dark brown hair stuck out in every direction.

He was a perfect work of art - he should have his picture hung in a damn museum.

He opened his eyes and locked them on hers, and Lili blushed, somewhat embarrassed that he had caught her staring. She looked away, busying herself with removing the pillow from underneath her ass and pulling the comforter over their naked bodies. She finally lay on her back and turned her head towards him.

He smiled and lifted a tired arm, draping it lazily across Lili's stomach. "Hey, gorgeous," he said, voice raspy.

She smiled at him. "That was fun."

He laughed, nodding in satisfied affirmation. "We're definitely getting better at all of this, wouldn't you say?" he teased gently.

Lili giggled, sliding across the mattress to cuddle up into his side. "I think that was our best round yet."

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked, worry starting to cloud his eyes.

Shaking her head, Lili brought her fingers up to his chest, resting them just above his heart. "No, baby," she whispered. "You didn't hurt me."

In a way, it broke her heart to know that he felt the need to ask that question nearly every time they had 'rough' sex. They both knew there were limits, and that they would be vocal if things went too far, but there was something about his questioning that worried her. She knew it came from a place of care, and she loved that. But it would only be a matter of time until he truly understood and didn't feel the need to ask anymore, so she was more than happy to answer him until that time came.

They lay together in that exact position for a long time. Niall was so close to her that every exhale from his nose fanned delicately across her cheeks. His skin was warm against hers, and the arm draped across her midsection felt incredibly heavy now that his entire body had relaxed. He moved his hand up her body and brought it to her face; he cupped her cheek, running his thumb slowly and gently along the skin just underneath her eye. He searched her eyes with his own, pupils darting back and forth between hers.

"I love lying here with you like this," he whispered, smiling softly. "Even if we didn't just have great sex. Being naked in bed with you is my favourite thing."

He kissed the tip of her nose gently; it tickled, and Lili scrunched her face up at the sensation. Niall looked deep into her eyes, the movement of his thumb against her cheek never surrendering. His soft smile grew, and her heart melted into a giant puddle.

"I love it, too," she whispered back, tracing circles across his chest. "I feel so safe."

"Good. I'm glad." Smiling, he kissed her forehead, before pulling her against his chest and laying his head down. They stayed like that for a few long moments until he suddenly jerked his head back up, propping it up with his hand as his elbow lay against the pillow. "Are you going to tell me anything about your dress, or is it going to be a surprise until the very last second?" he asked, an innocent, naïve excitement in his voice.

Lili couldn't help but grin. He was so adorable. "Fine. All I can say is that it's navy blue. Well, navy blue-ish, midnight blue-ish. Something like that." She pressed her lips in a thin line, warning him that she wouldn't be saying anything else. Niall looked down at her intently, a hint of a smile on his lips.

"That's good enough for me."

He kissed her forehead again, before he rolled over, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress and sitting up straight. Lili's eyes roamed his muscular back hungrily; she wanted to lean forward and just kiss every inch of it.

He stood and removed the condom he was still wearing, tying it tightly closed. He held it in one hand as he crossed the room, pulling a pair of basketball shorts off the chair in the corner to wear, letting them hang loosely on his hips. He then entered the bathroom, discarding the rubber in the trash and washing his hands.

He leaned against the door frame, looking too much like a Greek god, and crossed his arms over his chest. He studied her, tangled in the sheets. "I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing you there, princess. It's almost too good to be true."

She blushed and smiled down at the mattress, before sitting up on the plush bedding. Super aware of how naked she was, Lili reached over the edge of the bed and found the t-shirt Niall had been wearing earlier, pulling it over her head. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin as he watched her pull her wobbly legs over the edge of the mattress and stand. She took apprehensively small steps as she crossed over to him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest against his. His arms immediately wrapped around her waist, holding her in place. "Well, you'd better get used to it, because I'm not going anywhere."

Her words hung heavily in the air around them, but Niall smiled and leaned down, kissing her softly. She'd do whatever she possibly could to hold true to her word. She didn't want to go anywhere, anyway. Right here, in this house, with the man of her dreams, was where she truly belonged.

He pulled back to look at her, beaming like the sun. Her heart skipped a beat.

"I'd really hope not."

Chapter Text

~Song of the chapter is You Had Me From Hello by Kenny Chesney (it's so cute I cried the first time I heard it)

"I never knew what love was until you came into my life without a hint, unexpectedly" - Unknown

Niall's POV

He couldn't seem to wipe the stupid grin off his face, starting from the moment he watched Lili peel her lithe body from the mattress, dressing herself after spending what felt like hours melting away in the clouds of his bedsheets.

She was absolutely captivating - an angel in corporeal form. It was a shame that she had to go home. Why couldn't she stay with him all day, every day? It just wasn't fair.

Sure, they'd only just started dating, but Niall wished they could live together, even part time. Imagine how good life would be if he got to wake up next to his angel more than one day at a time. He loved seeing her move; she was the picture of grace, even when doing such mundane things as pulling socks over her feet.

He admired her from the bathroom, where he leaned against the doorframe. Her exposed skin was perfectly sunkissed - a golden goddess sent down to earth to share her beauty with the mere humans lucky enough to catch a glimpse of her. Her hair cascaded down her back like a charcoal waterfall, and he loved the way each strand flipped into a subtle little curl at the ends. It was incredibly endearing and one of his favourite things about her.

And even after the delicious events that had just transpired, leaving them sweaty and breathless, she was still the picture of perfection. Regal, like a queen. She couldn't possibly be real.

The ghost of a satisfied smile crossed her lips as she dressed, sliding her shirt over her head and pulling those gorgeous locks out of the hem. She was painfully beautiful.

"Hey, where did you go?"

Lili was standing in front of him, now fully clothed, waving a hand in front of his face with a concerned look on her face. "You were staring at me," she continued. He hadn't realized he'd zoned out. Niall blinked a couple times and looked down at her, focusing his eyes on the emeralds in hers. He hadn't even noticed her walk over to him. He smiled, licking his lips.

"What, I can't admire you?" he asked, reaching forward to grab her waist and pull her in close. Immediately, her body relaxed as she fell into him, curves molding perfectly against him. Two puzzle pieces that had been made for each other.

She shook her head, smiling softly. A hint of a blush coloured her cheeks. "Of course you can." Lifting herself up on her tiptoes, she kissed him, and the warmth of it spread all the way down to his fingers. "Stare away, my love."

She giggled quietly and pulled away, heading back over to where she'd left her bag.

All Niall could do was smile and blush, thankful she couldn't see his face. God, he loved when she called him that. It made him feel young and giddy.

He watched as she turned towards the exposed window, a slight frown crinkling the skin between her eyebrows. The sun was setting behind the trees in his backyard, draping the room in a warm, bright orange glow. But she shined even brighter than any damn sun ever could.

Lili sighed quietly, as if the words pained her. "I should probably get home." Her voice was soft and sad. The room was silent. Neither of them moved, and for a moment, it was like she hadn't even spoken. They were both ignoring it. 

But then Niall nodded and crossed slowly to the chair in the corner of the room, picking up the shirt he had been wearing earlier that afternoon. The one Lili had thrown on after sex. Of course she'd folded it and smoothed out the creases. The image made him smile, because he loved when she did cute little things like that. After pulling the shirt over his head, he found his socks beside the dresser and tucked his feet into them.

"I'll drive you," he said, reaching out a hand for her to take.

He really didn't want her to leave - how had he become so damn attached to her in such a short amount of time? The effect she had on him was indescribable. Like a moth to a flame, he was drawn to her. He couldn't bear to be away from her. There was an ache in his heart when they were apart that only seemed to go away when she was next to him.

And honestly, he didn't care how horrible that sounded. He was, in the healthiest possible way, obsessed with his girlfriend. And maybe that wasn't normal to some people, but it was truly how he felt. Being away from her was what affected his mental health the most. Some days, Niall woke up hoping and praying for the moment she'd be next to him again. He craved her presence and her touch. There had never been another person in his life that he felt so safe with, and it was a downright shame that he wasn't able to feel that safety 24/7.

Silently, Niall helped Lili gather her things. For a split second, he considered 'forgetting' something so that she would have no choice but to stay later and grab it, or come back the next day for it. But he knew that wasn't right, so he made sure to take everything before leaving the room.

He trotted down the stairs to the foyer and picked up his keys from the glass dish on the front table, pressing the button twice to start the engine of his car, hoping the AC would thin out the air a little. Lili's delicate footsteps fluttered on the floor behind him, so he turned to watch her walk down the hall towards him. Instantly, his heart leapt to his throat.

He swallowed and looked down to hide his blush again, shoving his feet into his trainers and waiting for her to do the same. "Got everything?" he asked stupidly. An embarrassingly large part of him hoped she would say no, just for that extra minute or two he would get with her. She examined the items in her hands and nodded, looking up at him with the world's cutest smile. 

Niall tossed open the door and exited out into the blazing heat. He gestured for her to walk ahead of him, reaching inside to close and lock the door as she brushed past him. His hands shook when he shoved the key in the lock. When he turned back around, Lili was leaning against the passenger side door of his truck, waiting patiently for him. The setting sun seemed to sparkle against her skin. He approached and smiled down at her, a storm of butterflies growing in his abdomen when she reciprocated.

How could she possibly be so beautiful? Seriously? It pained him.

Saying nothing, Niall leaned down and kissed her gently, sighing because of how perfectly their lips fit together. He grazed her face gently with his fingers and she smiled against his lips. They stayed that way until the burning metal of the car was too much for Lili's body to bear any longer, and she yelped out in pain, standing up straight.

"Fuck, that's hot," she said, frowning. "Remind me never to do that again."

"Oh, you never want me to kiss you up against the car again?" Niall asked, grinning, as he reached around her waist to swing the door open. "We can do other things if you'd prefer."

Lili swatted his chest warningly, causing him to laugh out loud. She twirled gracefully under his arm and into the car, plopping down on the leather. "Thank you, baby," she said with a dazzling smile. Unable to help himself, Niall ducked his head under the door frame and kissed her once again, biting her bottom lip gently before pulling away. Her lips were just too sweet to stay away from.

He then shut the door, jogging around the back of the car and sliding into his own seat.

It was absolutely, unbearably hot in that truck. Niall turned the air con off, rolled both front windows down, and opened the sunroof, letting the very slight breeze stream through the open glass. The orange and purple sky above them was immaculate - a beautiful painting of the highest caliber. The birds were singing, and the wind was rustling gently through the leaves on the trees. It was a perfect night.

He shifted the car into reverse and glided backwards down the driveway until he reached the empty street, turning to head south towards Lili's house. Immediately his hand found hers, and their intertwined fingers rested on top of her thighs as he drove. The radio was playing an indiscernible song at a low volume.

"I had fun today," Niall said, breaking the silence that had descended over them. She squeezed his hand gently, and he could feel her smiling without having to look over.

"Yeah, me too," she responded. Her voice was calm and melodic. "The mall was okay, too."

Niall laughed and pushed his tongue into the skin of his cheek. "That's what I was talking about, love, but it's good to know your mind is always in the gutter."

She scoffed dramatically, and it warmed Niall's heart. "Oh, please. You live in the gutter and you know that." She giggled adorably, the perfect ending to her sentence. From the corner of his eye, he could see her lay the side of her head against the seat so she could look at him, admiring him in the same ways he did her. "I can't wait for you to see the dress I got, baby. It's so beautiful."

His heart skipped painfully. "Are you really going to make me wait until the day of to see you in it?" he asked, noting the slight whine in his voice. She giggled again, reaching up to rub her nose.

"Yes, I told you already!"

He sighed as he turned left at the first intersection, heading for the freeway. "Fine. If all you're willing to give me is the colour, then I'll take it. The anticipation will just make the reveal that much better."

"Oh, believe me, it will," she retorted, and he could hear the devilish smirk she was probably wearing on her face. Always a tease, even for something like this. But Niall would let her have all the fun she wanted. Hearing her laugh and joke with him in this manner gave him the will to live.

"You're going to look so beautiful, no matter what," he said truthfully. God, he could just imagine. She was perfect, even when she first woke up and hadn't brushed her hair. Lili was easily the most beautiful woman in the world, hands down. Her beauty was simply unmatched.

Lili brought their connected hands up to her lips and kissed the back of his multiple times instead of responding with her words, sending shivers down his spine.

They spent the rest of the drive to her house listening to the radio playing quietly, and Niall wondered if she was just as consumed by the memories of them gallivanting in his bed as he was. He had never felt so safe, so comforted, by another person in his life, let alone a romantic partner. A girlfriend was actually the last person he would have expected to make him feel this good about life - before he met her, of course. The way this woman made him feel, and the way she injected joy into every single aspect of his life, was unachievable to him in the past.

He never thought this would happen to him. For so long, Niall believed this kind of relationship – this kind of happiness – wasn't meant for him. He figured he'd spend the rest of his life settling for people that distracted him temporarily from the stress of his job. Having someone who actually treated him like an equal, and who made him enjoy living, was terrifying and wonderful, all at the same time. He knew he had to do whatever he could to make her feel the way she makes him feel. It was only fair.

Niall's heart dropped a little when he turned into her driveway. They'd been having such a peaceful drive together that he honestly forgot they'd had an intended destination in the first place. Carefully, he shifted into park and leaned back in his seat. He watched her retrieve her purse from beside her feet, before he unbuckled his seat belt and pushed his door open.

"Wait, baby, you forgot the windows," Lili said, glancing over her shoulder at him. Niall paused for a minute then shrugged, stepping down to the concrete anyway.

"I probably won't be inside for long, it's okay."

He slammed his door closed and reached for the handle of the back door, pulling it open. The bag with her dress almost came tumbling out of the backseat, so Niall pulled it high over his head so it wouldn't drag along the concrete. Lili dug around in her purse as she walked towards the house, fetching her keys and pressing them into the lock. The door swung open in front of her and Niall could feel the cold air wash over them.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner?" she asked, as she kicked her shoes into the closet. "I'm sure my parents would love to see you again."

Niall smiled down at his perfect girl, admiring the gleam in her eye. "I wish I could, love, but I've got a meeting with Patrick in less than an hour." He grinned slightly. "Should probably have a shower before I see him."

Surprisingly, she pouted, and his eyes dipped down to her full lips for a brief second.

"I'm sorry," he added quietly. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her feelings and make her feel neglected. But she furrowed her brows, shaking her head with a smile.

"It's not a big deal, Niall, don't worry. Another day," she said, dropping her purse on top of her neglected shoes.

The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted them, preventing Niall from grabbing her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. They both looked over to see Josephine walking towards them, a big smile on her tired face. She was wearing a black pencil skirt with a light blue dress shirt, and the key card she used to get into her office was still clipped to her waistband. She must have gotten home recently.

"Niall, so good to see you again!" she exclaimed, wrapping him in a friendly hug. She smelled faintly of perfume and hairspray. Josephine kissed Niall's cheek as she pulled back. "Did you guys have a good time today?"

Yeah, the question was incredibly innocent. But their answers were anything but. Niall glanced at Lili briefly and met her gaze, and he had to bite back a smile watching the blush creep up her neck.

"Really good time, yeah," he said, expertly holding back his laughter. He loved seeing the embarrassment written all over Lili's beautiful face. Her reactions were the best.

Josephine just smiled at him lovingly, unaware of the exchange. "That's great to hear. Well, you're more than welcome to stay for dinner, if you'd like, Niall," she said sweetly, squeezing his upper arm gently. "We're probably just going to order some takeout tonight."

Crestfallen, Niall exhaled softly. "I really would love to, and I appreciate the offer, but I've got a few work things that need my attention tonight. Any other day though, and I'm all yours," he said with a nod.

There was a little part of him that was terrified that turning down a dinner with his future in-laws was making him lose points with them. They hadn't known him for very long, yet here he was, already rejecting an invitation to eat with them. He knew it probably wasn't that serious at all, but it was hard not to be worried that he was disappointing them.

But then Josephine shook her head with a smile. "Oh, no worries, sweetheart. Do what you've got to do, and we'll work it out another night." She smiled sweetly and gave his arm one last squeeze, before saying good night and turning back towards the kitchen.

Honestly, that felt fucking fantastic to hear. It wasn't his fault he had a job, but he was thankful they understood where he was coming from.

The moment she disappeared, Niall snaked his arm around Lili's waist, pulling her in towards his chest. The tiniest squeak of surprise left her throat, but he swallowed the sound hungrily by attaching his lips to hers. He could finally breathe again. A kiss from his angel really could save his life.

When all the oxygen had been stolen from her lungs during their kiss, he retreated, smiling at her wide eyes and pink cheeks. "I've really got to get going now, princess," he said quietly, reaching up to curl her soft hair behind her ear. "I'm really sorry."

She gave him an adorable crooked smile, crinkling her nose. "It's okay, baby," she said. "Like my mom said, do what you need to do. We'll always be here."

Fuck, he adored this beautiful woman so much.

"Can't forget this," Niall said, holding up the bag containing Lili's dress, as if to remind her he was still holding it. He glided across the hallway to lay the bag carefully over the banister. He returned to the front door and Lili pulled it open, stretching up to kiss him again. Her lips were heaven against his.

"Call me later?" she asked, those breathtaking eyes staring into his. He nodded and kissed the tip of her nose.

"Promise," he said. "Good night, my love."

He admired her standing in the doorway of the house, and all the things he wished he could say to her came crashing to the surface, threatening to break through the barrier of his lips. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it instantly, swallowing and smiling before he turned and headed out the door.

"Bye, gorgeous!" he called out, before turning towards his car and shutting his eyes.

There was no way she couldn't feel the nerves radiating off of him.

He looked over his shoulder to get one last look at her. She bit her lip and smiled, waving adorably. Once he was sure she had closed the door behind him, he practically punched himself in the head, groaning into the quiet night in frustration.

God, why couldn't he just tell her how he felt instead of turning into this incompetent idiot? Every time he looked at her, he knew. Was he really so afraid of showing her that kind of vulnerability that he became mute whenever the opportunity to speak presented itself? It wasn't like he hadn't said it before, but...

This was different. She was different. Saying it this time around actually meant something.

He sighed heavily as he got into his car, slamming the door behind him. He pressed his forehead against the steering wheel and closed his eyes, willing his thoughts to slow even a little bit. Since when had he become such an ass to himself? Feelings were scary, even as a grown man, and that was okay. It couldn't hurt to give himself a little grace.

As he drove over to Patrick's office, Niall forced himself to ignore the words he didn't say, and focus solely on the ones he did say. The ones that said everything he wanted them to, without saying anything at all. He liked to remind himself that the most beautiful, perfect woman to ever exist in the world was all his. Only his. How lucky had he gotten?

He found himself smiling as he turned the music up, the bass pounding through his speakers. He knew it was coming - he would tell her soon, or else it would make him explode. He just had to find the perfect moment.

* * *

The following morning, Niall woke up in his bed, alone. He ghosted his fingers across the side of the bed she always slept on, smiling as the image of her laying there crossed his mind. She always looked so beautiful against the white backdrop of his sheets, a heavenly contrast to her ebony curls. Waking up next to her just made his days better.

That side of the bed had pretty much become hers. Niall had even bought a second alarm clock to put on that nightstand just so she could have one of her own.

He knew that she preferred using her phone as an alarm, but having the clock there just made things a bit more real. It was a reminder that his perfect girl was, indeed, not a figment of his imagination.

She was real, and she sometimes slept next to him. How crazy was that?

Niall couldn't even sleep on that side of the mattress anymore. It felt wrong for him to lie there when it should really be her. If he rolled too far that way in his sleep, he literally woke himself up to move back over. Before they'd started having sleepovers, Niall was a 'sleep in a cocoon in the middle of the bed' kind of guy. It was always just the warmest, coziest spot on the mattress. The edges were always too cold. But after the very first night they'd spent together, it was like an invisible barrier had been put up along the center of the mattress, prohibiting Niall from even stretching a toe onto that side.

It did, however, allow for cuddling, which he was perfectly happy with.

The bed just felt cold and dead without her, and 99% of the time, his girlfriend's side of the mattress went completely untouched until the next time she slept there.

Niall rolled onto his back, a bent elbow underneath his head, and stared up at the ceiling, watching the shapes of sunlight dance across the plaster. The glistening sun seemed to sparkle against the white walls. He sniffled and picked up his phone from the nightstand, frowning when he noticed it was already after 11:00. He never slept in that late anymore, and hated how much of the day went to waste when he did.

Luckily, he had the day off, so no one would be up his ass about missing the beginning of a session. He could just imagine the berating Evan would give him if he showed up two hours late on a training day.

The first thing he did, and had been doing since the very beginning, was send Lili a good morning message. Knowing she was the first thing on his mind when he woke up always made her happy, so Niall cherished that as closely as he could. She responded back instantly, and he could just see her perfect smile in his head.

The dormant butterflies in his stomach had woken once again, disturbed by even the simplest of mentions of Lili. He chewed the corner of his lip as he typed out a new message.

Niall Horan: i'm off training today, but I was thinking about asking your dad to come out for a round of golf with me. would that be okay with you?

A moment later,

Lili Hughes: Of course!! He would love that. Good luck my love :)

'My love'. Nothing was sweeter than that little half sentence. He had always thought that he hated being called endearing pet names like that. It wasn't that he had anything against them, but they always made him feel strange. Saying them was one thing, but hearing them was another.

Turns out he just heavily disliked when they were coming from the wrong person.

He stared at the message with hungry eyes, allowing the letters to burn into his vision. It obviously wasn't the first time she had called him anything other than 'Niall', but it just got better every time, and he never wanted to forget it.

But with the way his heart fibrillated uncontrollably whenever it happened, forgetting was highly unlikely. He could listen to her call him 'my love', 'baby', and 'babe' until the day he died. Every time she called him baby - her favourite name to use - it sent a little excited jolt of energy down Niall's spine. 

He swallowed and closed the messages app, opening up his contacts and finding the name he was looking for. Niall's heart was racing with nerves. He took a deep breath and sat up, pressing his back against the pillows. The house was way too quiet, and it was starting to freak him out. He closed his eyes before pressing call.

"Hello?" William answered on the third ring. Hearing his voice on the other end made Niall's adrenaline levels shoot up. Shit, was this a bad idea?

He cleared his throat. "Hey, Mr. Hughes, it's Niall. Good morning. How are you?" Was his voice shaking? Why did he just introduce himself when he knows William has his number saved? That was stupid. And why was he talking like a fucking robot?

"I'm good, son, and yourself?"

Okay, not bad. Niall smiled. "I'm great, thanks. I hope I'm not disturbing you at work or anything."

Now that he thought about it for longer than half a second, it probably would have been better to send a quick text before jumping into a phone call. Oh god, what if he was with a client? Or in a meeting? That would not end well at all.

"Not at all," William said with a casual scoff. "This is actually the longest conversation I've had with another human being since I left the house. Slow day today. What's up?"

Niall fidgeted with the comforter, squeezing the material between his fingers tightly, releasing it, and repeating. "Oh, nothing." His heart skipped to his throat, threatening to choke him. "Um, I just wanted to let you know that my offer of playing a round of golf together still stands. If you're available, I was wondering if you wanted to go today? I've got the day off, so..."

He trailed off stupidly. The line was silent, and each passing millisecond made him more and more anxious. William was at work - why would he be available for golf now? Again, this was probably a bad idea. For a split second, Niall considered just hanging up. 

"You know what, I think I will. My schedule is pretty open," William said finally. "I think some golf will do me good. We can meet at the club in an hour, if that works for you?"

Niall sighed quietly with relief, closing his eyes momentarily. "Yeah, that works perfectly for me. I'll see you then."

They exchanged goodbyes before the line went dead. Niall dropped his phone on the sheets beside him, turning his head towards the window. It seemed to be another gorgeous day out. If the weather felt anything like it had the last week or so, it was absolutely perfect for golf.

His heart was racing as he glanced down at his phone, in complete disbelief over the conversation he'd just had.

Alright, this was no big deal. He was just going to be hanging out with his girlfriend's dad...for the first time...alone. There was no real reason to panic - he knew William was extremely fond of him, and the feeling was mutual. Niall had incredible respect for Lili's father. Plus, Lili seemed to think it was a good idea, and nothing was more important to Niall than having a close relationship with her family. They were his family now, too, and he needed to do what he could to make sure these relationships flourished.

This was something that would mean a lot to her, so he was more than glad to push through these nerves and have a perfect day with Mr. Hughes. At least, that was all he could possibly hope for.

With that, Niall sprung from the mattress and landed on his feet, messily throwing the blankets over the pillows in a terrible attempt to make the bed. Lili would have an absolute heart attack if she were here - like him, she wasn't the neatest person in the world, but one thing she hated more than anything was messy bed sheets. He smiled at the image of her hastily pulling the sheet up and folding the comforter perfectly over the bottom half of the mattress.

Niall turned towards the door and jogged to the staircase in just his boxers, racing down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Eating after he first woke up always made him feel sick, but he needed the energy today. He inhaled a banana and a slice of toast with peanut butter, barely even giving himself a chance to chew. The faster he ate, the less time he gave himself to think about the food, which made it a bit easier.

He didn't even bother to make himself a cup of tea or coffee. The nerves were adrenaline enough – he was practically bouncing across the room at this point. The food settled uncomfortably in his stomach and made him slightly nauseous, but there was no time to think about that.

Taking the steps two at a time to get back upstairs, Niall then spent the next half hour in his bathroom getting ready. Nothing more than a quick shower, before he got dressed - in his regular khakis and polo shirt, of course - and brushed his teeth.

For no reason other than because it made him feel good, he styled his hair in its usual way, drying it away from his face and tousling the ends so they were perfectly imperfect.

And because he can never leave the house without smelling good, Niall made sure to spray a bit of his favourite cologne on his neck and shirt. This cologne was the one he wore on his first date with Lili, which she apparently loved, so he now wore it all the time.

He took a deep breath and looked in the mirror one last time, a nervous expression reflecting back at him. He was ready for this.

Niall gave himself a quick, sharp nod of approval, before turning and flipping the light switch off. His hands shook as he retrieved his keys and slipped his feet into his regular golf shoes. As per usual, his clubs were already tucked away in the trunk of his car waiting for him. The last thing he did before opening the door was slide his lucky hat onto his head. Yes, he still styled his hair when he wore a hat. It just made him feel better. So what?

This was a huge moment in the making. Spending the day alone with his girlfriend's father was probably an even bigger step than just meeting him in the first place had been. This was Niall's best opportunity to really set a good relationship in stone between the two of them. Today could be the day that they bonded for life. And not that he felt he had to, but if Niall could just prove to Mr. Hughes that he was the right person for Lili, he wouldn't ever have to worry about a thing again.

This was his chance to prove himself worthy for William's daughter, because she was truly perfect, and only the best man should be the most deserving of her love. Deep down, Niall knew he was a good partner. He knew how to be a loving and supportive boyfriend - that came pretty naturally to him. But if he didn't do enough to show that to the people who cared about Lili the most, it would all blow up in his face.

Niall locked the front door behind him and stepped out into the lovely summer afternoon. The sun was beating down on him, warming every inch of his exposed skin. The light breeze was perfect for golf.

After checking the trunk to actually make sure that he had his clubs, Niall hopped into the front seat and woke the ignition, blasting the air conditioning instead of rolling the windows down like usual. He glanced at his reflection in the rearview mirror, reaching for his sunglasses, before he began to pull out of the driveway.

* * *

"Hi, baby!" As always, Lili answered Niall's call on the second ring, the smile on her face 1000% evident on her face.

The moment he pulled onto the freeway, Niall had started panicking. His palms were sweating, and his heart was racing at a million miles per second. It was getting dangerous. The anxiety was starting to overwhelm him, and he knew that the only thing that could possibly calm him down was hearing his princess' voice.

He smiled as he switched lanes. "Hey, gorgeous. What are you up to?"

"Laundry. Again," she said, sighing dramatically. "I swear to god, it never ends. I'm convinced I don't even wear half of this stuff, anyway."

Niall chuckled softly at the stressful tone in her voice. Even when she was complaining, it was music to his ears. "I'm sorry, darling. Bring it to my house one day and I'll do it for you."

Now it was Lili's turn to laugh. "Yeah, right. I'd never ask you to do that in a million years." She paused briefly. "Are you driving?"

"I am," he responded simply. His eyes darted back and forth between the traffic piling up on the opposite side of the highway.

"Where are you headed?" The innocence of her question could nearly make him double over with a heart attack. He was used to those kinds of questions being paired with hidden accusations. He had always been made to feel like the bad guy. But Lili never made him feel guilty for just going places. Ever.

"I'm on my way to meet your dad, actually."

She gasped loudly, and he smiled, before clearing his throat.

"I called him earlier and he said he was free today, so we're meeting at the club in about half an hour." His heart was racing with each mile closer that he drove to his destination.

"Wow, baby, I can't believe this is happening right now," she said. "Are you nervous?"

Niall chewed on the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit he'd picked up as a child. If he wasn't careful, he'd draw blood. "Extremely," he said truthfully. There was no need to lie to her. "I can't fuck this up, princess. These kinds of moments with your dad are crucial. I just can't screw up." He rubbed his lips together as he merged off the highway, cruising to a stop at the first red light. The steering wheel was burning under his hands, and the car suddenly felt like it was getting smaller and smaller.

"You know he loves you a lot, right?" Lili said on the other line, sympathetic as always. He nodded, though he knew she couldn't see. "My father adores you, Niall. He's been looking forward to having one-on-one time with you since the very first moment he met you. Seriously, he mentions it at least three times a week."

Niall laughed, loosening his grip on the steering wheel. "Does he really?"

"Yes," she said immediately. "As long as you are your sweet, charming self, nothing will go wrong." He could hear her shuffling on the other end of the line - she was probably laying down across her bed, tucking the pillow underneath her chin. She would always lay like that when she wanted to be comfortable. "I think you guys are going to have a great time together. And I know it's easier said than done, but you have nothing to be nervous about. I guarantee it."

Everything about this phone call had comforted Niall in exactly the way he'd hoped it would. The sound of her voice slowed his breathing, and her words eased the anxiety in his head. He was so grateful to have her. Niall smiled, and his heart started doing somersaults in his chest.

"I adore him just as much. And like I said, this is really important to me. But thank you, darling. I needed that."

"Of course, baby. You have my support. Always." There was more shuffling on her end. "But just promise me one thing," she said.

He furrowed his brow. "What's that, love?"

"Don't let him win."

* * *

It felt as if he had been sitting in the club parking lot for ages when he finally saw William's SUV turn in slowly from the main road. The phone call with Lili had calmed him immensely, but now Niall's heart began to race once again. It was like they hadn't even spoken. The moment was finally here. There was no turning back now, no matter how badly Niall wanted to flee.

He swallowed and took a deep breath before pushing his car door open and stepping into the blazing heat.

William waved and parked in an empty spot not far from where Niall was standing. Niall waved back and tried to distract himself by opening his trunk and heaving his clubs out. His heart was pounding at the base of his throat. This was easily the most nervous he'd been in a long fucking time, aside from when he and Lili had their first date. The feeling was awful, but he swallowed the anxiety down once again and forced himself to remain calm. He wouldn't get through the day if he didn't.

Lili's words replayed in his mind, reminding him that this was, indeed, something good. There was no reason to fear William.

Here we go...he thought to himself.

After pressing the button on the inside of the trunk, he stepped back to allow the door to close, and turned, smiling, to see William walking over with his own bag of clubs. It was made of a deep red material, with a couple bruises and scratches along the surface.

"Long time, no see, son!" William exclaimed as he approached. He stuck his hand out and Niall took it, giving him a firm handshake. The use of the word 'son' made his stomach jump with excitement. Niall's smile grew naturally.

"It's definitely been too long. Honestly, sir, if my schedule allowed, I'd be there at the house every day."

Immediately, Niall paused, cringing to himself. Why the fuck would he say that? Would William think that was weird? Yeah, this day wasn't starting off well at all, was it? Niall braced himself for a berating of some kind from the man standing in front of him. Who the hell just randomly invites themselves to another person's house like that?

But, apparently, what he'd said didn't even matter, because William just smiled and nodded in approval.

"Lili would probably love that, and so would I." He chuckled sweetly, like he knew Niall had been freaking out over what was said. "You're welcome to stop by whenever, so please do."

Silently, Niall sighed with relief. He needed to relax. If he was going to spend the entire day dwelling on potentially saying the wrong thing, he was going to be too stressed to function. The best thing to do was to let things happen naturally and not sweat the small stuff.

William gestured toward the club. "Shall we?" he asked calmly, squinting through the sunlight.

Niall nodded, and they both picked up their equipment and made their way towards the front desk to register. There was no awkward tension or anything, but the situation was obviously odd. Niall got along very well with William, sure, but they'd only just met. They got along well at the house – who's to say they'll bond the same way outside of that comfort?

"She talks about you all the time, you know," William said, after a moment of silent walking. "Since she first told us about you." His voice was full of pride, not anger or discontent.

Niall blushed immediately, biting back a smile as he turned his face towards the pavement. He knew fairly well that the conversation in her house somehow always turned to him, but to hear it come from someone that wasn't Lili boosted his ego an unfortunate amount. There were times he believed she was playing it up just to tease him, but clearly not.

"I do the same with my family," he admitted. "I talk about her quite a bit when I'm on the phone with my mum. She can't get a word in sometimes."

Honestly, he was pretty sure his parents were tired of her already because he literally talked about her nonstop. Every single video chat or phone call became about Lili, even when Niall was unaware what was happening. It was hard to keep that from happening, though. He was obsessed with her, it was hard not to want everyone else to know how perfect she was. But he hoped they could at least see how happy she made him. It was about time.

Silently, they approached the front desk, requesting the members' amenity book. Niall had gotten so used to signing in every day for training now that it became second nature for him.

"Member passes, please," said the girl at the front desk, who still hadn't taken her eyes off of her computer. She was typing quickly, and her fingernails clacked loudly against the keys. She looked up at them after sending something to the printer, and the moment her eyes landed on Niall, she stood up straight and smiled brightly. "Oh, Mr. Horan, good morning. It's so good to see you. Is this gentleman with you today?" she asked, eyes darting from Niall to William and back.

Tilting her head slightly, she began twirling a strand of hair close to her neck, wrapping it tightly around her index finger, dropping it, and repeating.

A hot wave of shame immediately crashed over Niall's body, causing him to sweat profusely. This was, quite possibly, the worst thing that could have happened right now. Someone flirting with him in front of his girlfriend's father??? He wanted the ground to swallow him whole and chew him up. Why couldn't it have been Harry or some other lad working the front desk today? Or any of Lili's other friends?

Niall cleared his throat, nearly choking in the meantime. "Um, yes. Mr. William Hughes, I believe he's also a member here." His mouth was unbearably dry. Almost like it was filled with cotton. He kept his eyes trained on the countertop as he spoke, and could swear the heat on his skin was coming from William's eyes boring into him like lasers. This was fucking awful. Was there a worse possible way for this day to start? Honestly...

The girl nodded and passed Niall a pen - at lightning speed, he signed his name on the sheet and dropped the pen, shoving his hand into his pocket and taking a rather large step back. "Will you be needing a cart as well?" she asked, forced to look over at William now that Niall was actively avoiding her gaze. Niall turned to William, who shrugged in response.

"I think we'll walk it today," William answered for him. "It's gorgeous out. Thank you, though."

Mr. Hughes picked up the pen to sign in as well, and Niall focused on the way he curved all the letters in his signature in an almost exact replica of Lili's handwriting. Niall flashed a weak, polite smile at the girl behind the desk, before inclining his head slightly and turning back towards the doors. He gripped the strap of his golf bag tightly, making sure it stayed perched on his shoulder.

William's silent footsteps followed behind him, tension stretching the moment thin. How was he going to react to that whole encounter? The last thing Niall needed right now was for his daughter's new boyfriend to come off as a player. But he didn't even say anything. He couldn't even look at the girl. Nothing about that interaction indicated he was a player at all, right?

Niall was freaking out, worried that the lack of response was going to send this day downhill. Maybe this round would be over before it even started. But then William chuckled, and Niall's blood pressure seemed to lower just a bit.

"I was going to ignore that, but I just can't," William said. "Don't be ashamed, son. I can just imagine the way girls throw themselves at you left and right. Handsome guy, great athlete, all that."

Niall's mouth opened slightly but then closed immediately; he blushed harder, ignoring the weirdness of the comment. He turned to look at William, who had fallen into step beside him. They were trekking further away from the main building, finally stepping onto the first bit of grass that led to the first hole. They were on the South course, Niall's preferred course of the two.

"I don't really, um, notice it anymore." He raised a hand to the back of his neck, rubbing it nervously. "I never usually paid attention in the first place, but I have no reason to at all now. Other girls don't even exist to me anymore."

Christ, that was fucking weird. What was this, The Notebook? Niall cringed once again at his seemingly horrid response, but then William laughed genuinely.

"I believe you. Unless you give me a reason otherwise, I'll never ask you to prove yourself to me."

It was actually kind of funny to hear William say that when Niall's whole theme of the day was 'proving himself'. Literally the whole point of today was to prove how good of a boyfriend he was for Lili. It was nice to hear, but it wouldn't stop Niall from following through with his plan.

"Plus, that's the kind of thing I like to hear, anyway. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it's nice to see a guy in my daughter's life who's proud to have her."

If only they knew...

Niall smiled at the ground again. "I could not be more proud," he said simply.

He truly meant it, too. He was so, so proud to have this woman by his side. Lili was incredibly beautiful, intelligent, and caring. She had the biggest heart in the entire world and the kindest soul ever. She was the textbook definition of perfect. He would scream his pride from the rooftops every single day if it meant she would smile just for a second. How could anyone have such a phenomenal woman by their side and not be as proud as Niall was? That was just insane.

William grinned but kept quiet, allowing that single sentence to marinate between the two of them without interrupting it with words. The moment was actually quite divine.

Niall's comfort levels rose significantly as they climbed up the first small hill leading to the first hole. It had been a long time since he was here with anyone other than Evan. The last time Niall played a round of golf at the LACC with someone other than his trainer was probably two or three years ago.

William dropped his clubs down on the grass near the tee spot and put his hands on his hips, looking around at the vast course before him. It was a ridiculously sunny day, and Niall was starting to regret leaving his sunglasses in the car.

"Alright, Niall," William began. "Don't go easy on me here. Give me your worst." He nodded towards the tee, as if inviting Niall to start them off.

Smiling, Niall set his own clubs down, adjusting his shirt along his shoulders before taking his driver out of the bag. Carefully, he removed the protective cover and dropped it in the caddy. He also unzipped the front pocket and retrieved a ball, which was stamped with his initials so that he never got it confused with another player's. Evan had given him the stamp as a birthday gift a few years ago.

He dropped the ball on the tee and went through his regular motions of aligning himself with the ball, making sure his feet were in the perfect position. Because this was all just for fun, he didn't bother with most of his pre-swing shenanigans. There was no need to waste William's time with all that. He swallowed as he looked out at the fairway, squinting his eyes to focus his vision as they landed on the flag. Hole one on the South course was par 3, and he usually shot par here. It was a nice way to start the round.

Once he'd figured out where and how hard he was going to hit the ball, he turned back and squared up his body. Just before he lifted his arms to swing, however, William spoke.

"Wait." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to distract you. I just couldn't help but notice your hands."

Niall looked down at his fingers wrapped around the metal club. "What do you mean?" he asked, squinting at William's outline in front of the bright sun. William stepped forward to get a better look, furrowing his brows.

"I'm just looking at the way you space out your fingers," he said, cupping his chin thoughtfully with his hand. "Does that make a difference somehow?"

Niall gave him a half smile, careful not to show his cards right away. Did he really care to know this kind of stuff? It wasn't like this was a serious match. He stood up straight, holding the club forward so his hands were in full view.

"It just tightens the spin on the ball a bit and changes the way the club rotates in my hand. If I kept them tight together with no space in between, the shot would be a bit dull. That's usually what makes it stop short."

Looking up, Niall was floored at the way William was paying attention to what he was saying. He was watching Niall's every move intently, never taking his gaze off his hands. It seemed as if he was taking mental notes.

"Could you show me?" William asked.

Excitedly, Niall nodded. He got back into position at the tee again, but this time, he moved in slow motion so that he could explain the reasoning behind each and every movement - why he turned his waist at a certain angle, why his feet weren't exactly shoulder width apart, etc.

Nothing made Niall happier than teaching people about the sport he loved so dearly. And it meant the whole world that his potential future father-in-law gave him his full, undivided attention and actually listened to the tips and tricks Niall was giving him.

After a few minutes of teaching, Niall was ready to take a shot. He glanced down the fairway, exhaled sharply, and swung. The ball soared through the air and landed exactly where he'd been aiming - within a 15-foot radius of the green.

William let out a long, quiet whistle of approval. "Alright, I said go easy on me, kid!" He said with a laugh. "Already embarrassing me on the first shot."

Blushing, Niall laughed and stepped back. "Believe it or not, sir, taking a bad shot on purpose is harder than it looks." Going out of your way to make a shit putt was a lot like singing badly on purpose when you're trained well - one line will come out sounding terrible, then before you even realize it, you're back on the melody again. 

Niall gestured for William to take his spot at the tee. He really did not know how to take compliments of any kind and hoped deflecting William's kindness wouldn't reflect poorly on him.

Stepping forward, William dropped his own ball and repeated every action taught to him a moment ago, even down to the minuscule spaces between his fingers as he wrapped them around the club handle. His shot landed about 50 feet short of Niall's. Niall nodded approvingly, full of pride.

"That was actually a really great shot! And this isn't me sucking up at all, I promise." He laughed. "You'd know if it was."

William beamed, and Niall's heart soared. Something about having this kind of moment with his girlfriend's father made him feel so welcomed. It was everything to him. There were days that he prayed to have this kind of easygoing, comfortable relationship with his partner's family. It was the kind of stuff he dreamed about. All he ever wanted, aside from having a supportive girlfriend, was a second family he could easily become a part of. To him, at least 40% of a successful relationship came from having that bond with the other person's family.

With every single one of his ex-girlfriends, no matter how hard he tried, he just never seemed to fit in with any of their family members. He constantly felt like he was on the outside, not completely accepted as part of the family. Most of the time, he was treated like a zoo animal, gawked at for his name and status instead of appreciated for his heart and personality. The other times, the families just never seemed to understand who he was as a person, regardless of how hard he tried to come across as likeable. It sucked.

But since the minute he'd stepped foot in Lili's house for the first time, the acceptance was immediate. He could feel the love from her parents and her brothers, and that was all he wanted. Lili's heart, and her family's love. Being seen as part of the family - or even just someone worthy of joining the family - should be easy when you're with the right person. And that was exactly how it was with the Hughes'.

The two men picked up their bags and began walking towards the hole to finish up, the hot sun beating down on them. Niall finished Hole 1 at par, William one over. Not a bad start at all for either of them. Everything went pretty much the same as the first hole. Each time he swung, William asked Niall for pointers on his technique or for ways that he could improve things overall. And again, it was obvious he was asking because he really wanted the advice, not because he was struggling to make conversation.

Niall noticed that William's biggest issue was the fact that his feet pointed slightly inwards when he was setting up, rather than forwards, and making sure he pointed them straight before he swung made a huge difference. Just fixing that one little thing drastically changed his swing and his accuracy.

Things seemed to be going phenomenally. They weren't doing much talking much aside from the technical stuff, but Niall was still happy nonetheless. It felt comfortable. No tension whatsoever. This was a huge bonding moment for them, and anything was better than nothing. Niall felt like a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and realized he'd had nothing to worry about leading up to this moment.

"You mentioned something earlier about your parents. About how you speak to them on the phone every day," William said, as they approached the seventh hole. It had been a while since either of them had spoken, and the sound of his voice caught Niall off guard. It had broken the serene silence that had comfortably enveloped them over the afternoon. Niall looked over at him and nodded. William cleared his throat. "They still live in Ireland, I presume?"

A tightness appeared in Niall's throat. "Yeah." He swallowed, trying not to let emotion get in the way of his words. "My parents never wanted to move, especially because they have a great life back home. It's tough not being able to just drive over to their house whenever I want, but I video chat with them or call them on the phone every day."

William nodded and rubbed his lips together sympathetically. "What about siblings?"

"I've got an older brother, but that's it. He's married."

William sniffled and looked away, before turning back to Niall and capturing his gaze. "I can't imagine how hard that must be for you. Have they ever seen you play in person?"

Niall nodded gently. "Yeah, they came down for my first Masters, which was amazing. They didn't get to see everything I won in person, which was a tough pill to swallow, but I still felt their support. They're the greatest."

He grinned at the thought of his parents watching his matches back home. They always managed to support him beyond belief, even from the other side of the world. Even if they had to make sacrifices to watch him, they did it without complaint. He missed them every single day, and his heart was never fully complete without them, but that was the unfortunate reality of his life and his career.

William was still smiling, analyzing Niall's face carefully. "Well, like you said, I'm sure they're doing whatever they can to support you and be there for you, even from all the way in Ireland." He shrugged nonchalantly. "And besides, you've got a family here now to help make up for that. Not that we could ever replace them, but it's a nice new addition."

Oh, wow.

The reaction was instant - Niall's brows furrowed as he tried as best he could to hold his emotions back. Hearing that sentence was just...the most amazing thing ever. Truly, it lifted Niall's spirits immensely. How could he have possibly gotten so lucky? His girlfriend was an angel, definitely sent from Heaven above to save his life, and she came from a family of the best people to ever exist. People who loved him and saw him as part of their family. What did he do to deserve this kind of life, and how could he be sure that it never, ever stopped?

He looked up at William, who just nodded in understanding. Bashfully, Niall turned away and casually wiped the corner of his eye, distracting himself by picking out a new club from his selection. He'd been quite emotional recently.

"How exactly did you and Lili meet, and get together, and all that?" William continued. Niall could hear the smile in his voice. "I just have to ask because I'm curious."

Niall smiled instantly at the mention of his lover's name, the blood in his veins burning with joy. He turned, crossing his arms over his chest and crossing one ankle over the other. "Well, the very first time I saw her was just up there on this course." He pointed towards a spot a couple of holes ahead of where they were standing. The image of Lili sitting there in her cart, watching him, was burned into his memory forever. It was so clear in his mind that it was hard to discern whether or not she was actually standing there.

"She is, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I've ever laid my eyes on. The first time I saw her, I thought she was so gorgeous that I couldn't even look at her because I thought I would faint."

William chuckled wryly, and Niall's cheeks flushed. Talking about a man's daughter in this way, no matter how respectful he was being, was still strange. Maybe he'd regret being this open with Mr. Hughes, especially considering it was the first time they were spending just the two of them. But once he got going, it was hard to stop.

Since that first moment Niall saw her, it felt as though both a lifetime, and half a second, had gone by. Like he'd been struck by lightning. Time stopped making sense from that moment. He smiled as he continued.

"We crossed paths a couple of times, whether it was out on the course or somewhere in the building, but we never spoke." He paused and looked down at his feet, before directing his attention back up to Mr. Hughes. "Every night after training, I'd look in the mirror and practice different things I could say to her to start a conversation if we happened to see each other. I had no idea what I would actually say, but I just knew I wanted to talk to her. But then I'd see her and freak out, so nothing happened for a while."

That made him sound insane. What was he, fourteen? Why was he allowing this pathetic word vomit out? That was stuff he'd never even admitted to Lili, yet here he was telling her dad.

"When I first sent her a message online, I quite literally threw my phone across the room because I was so terrified of what would happen. I still haven't gotten the screen fixed." He picked at his cuticles nervously, avoiding William's eyes. Too far or not, he didn't care. "But it was just perfect from there. We started getting to know each other, and I realized right away how amazing she is. When I asked her to be my girlfriend and she said yes, it felt like I was a schoolboy again. I was so giddy and excited that I just wanted to jump around and dance and do crazy things."

His palms were sweating as he spoke, but he didn't mind. Every part of him was aflame with passion and joy when he spoke of his girl. It didn't matter who it was to or where they were - he was always reacting to her in some way, shape or form. And if people were willing to listen to him fawn over her, he was more than happy to oblige. Unfortunately, that was what came with being head over heels.

William exhaled with a smile. "Well, I can tell you that she felt the exact same way from the very beginning. We knew way before she told us about you that she had someone in her life. She's not very good at hiding the way she's feeling."

Niall laughed breathlessly, nodding his head in agreement. One of his favourite things about Lili was the way she was so open with her emotions. He lowered his arms and grabbed his club, dropping a ball on the tee. He lined his feet up again.

"Yeah, she wears her heart on her sleeve, that's for sure. But I think it's lovely to be that open. And she's got such a beautiful heart, it would be a shame not to show it off. She's really special."

He directed his attention down to the ball on the grass, willing the blood rushing in his ears to calm down so he could focus again. William moved a couple of steps back to give Niall room to swing.

"I was actually a nervous wreck when I first came to the house to meet you and your family."

The anxiety Niall felt that day was actually quite scary. He'd had his moments of panic over the years, but nothing had ever come close to that. He remembered how terrified Lili was, and believed that if he could show her that he was feeling okay and was calm, it would help her through it. All he wanted was for her to feel safe doing something outside of her comfort zone. If meeting the parents was something Niall had never done before, he probably would have been more honest with Lili about his nerves. But because it was a first for her, he felt that it was more important to focus on what she was going through.

William furrowed his brows questioningly, like he was surprised to hear that sentiment. "Why was that?"

"It was really important to the both of us," Niall said simply, shrugging one shoulder.

He thought back to how he'd had a restless sleep two or three nights leading up to that meeting, wearily picturing all the things that could have possibly gone wrong. The nerves had made him absolutely sick to his stomach.

"I knew how big of a deal it was for Lili, knowing that she'd never done this kind of thing before, and I wanted to be sure that the night was perfect for her. It meant so much to her. Well, to the both of us." Niall gazed out at the trees lining the course, listening to the way the breeze blew through the leaves. It was so unbelievably peaceful out here. "I can't even express how important it was for me to meet you and the family and get along with everyone. And the fact that I was the first person she brought home to you guys made it that much more special, honestly."

He shrugged again, as if to say this stuff wasn't a big deal, but he and William both knew differently. The tone of Niall's voice alone completely contradicted his casual demeanor. All Niall could hope for was that William could hear how genuine his words were. He didn't want him to think he was pandering to get brownie points.

William nodded; his brows furrowed, like he was thinking about something important. But then his face softened.

"I'm actually surprised to hear that. I mean, you seemed so confident walking into our house, I just assumed you were fine." Softly, William chuckled. "If you've never tried your hand at acting, you might want to." That was actually pretty encouraging. No one needed to know how much he was struggling at the time, and he was glad he hadn't shown his cards at the wrong time.

"I'm very good at hiding my nerves if need be," Niall replied. "It's quite the skill that I've developed over the years with a job like this." He glanced up at William, who was shielding his eyes from the sun so he could see Niall better. "I thought that maybe it would ease her mind a bit if I played it cool and confident the whole time. I was worried that she would fall apart if I gave my true feelings away." He shrugged nonchalantly, glancing down at his feet. "I guess it helped, which was all that mattered to me, but internally, I was dying."

It felt good to share that information and be honest about his feelings. But it felt even better knowing he wouldn't have to feel that kind of anxiety again for a long time, if ever again. After being the first person to meet Lili's parents, Niall knew, without a shred of a doubt, that he would also be the last.

Niall turned back to the tee, preparing himself for his shot. The breeze had picked up slightly and the sun was darting behind puffy white clouds, causing shadows to cross the grass along the fairway.

"You really like her, don't you?" William asked softly, breaking the silence once again. His voice carried along the wind.

Niall's heart lurched, and his pulse hammered in his throat. He chose not to respond right away, trying to think of the right way to. Instead, he just lifted his arms and swung, heart pounding against his ribcage. Through his blurred vision, Niall watched the ball soar through the air, landing slightly too far to the left of the fairway.

He blinked rapidly as he remained in that post-swing position, listening to the blood swishing even louder in his ear drums. The course was silent, but his heartbeat wasn't. He brought his arms back down, unable to move his eyes from the grass. It was hard to catch his breath, and his palms were sweating against the metal club.

Niall couldn't tell how much time had passed since he shot, but he finally mustered up the courage to lift his head after what seemed like way too much silence, and looked into William's patient eyes.

"I'm in love with her," he finally said.

That was the first time he had truly, completely admitted that he did, indeed, love this girl. He had been thinking it for quite some time, and was sure he felt it physically, but even in his silent thoughts, he seemed to skip over the actual word, finding it filled him with immense fear. Love was such a beautiful yet terrifying thing. Admitting that he was falling in love once again was an emotional thing for Niall. For years, he never thought he'd be able to love again. Nothing he felt in the past had ever come close to what he was experiencing now with Lili, but he'd always been afraid to allow himself to fall for someone again.

But with Lili, there was no need to feel fear. She was home - his safe haven. Loving her might actually be the easiest thing Niall could possibly do in his life.

His head was swirling with the revelation, and he closed his eyes for a moment, before steeling himself once again. His heart was pounding gloriously in his chest, reminding him that he was alive, living for love.

A smile of great approval flashed across William's face. "I can tell. You talk about her the way you hear people in movies talk."

Niall smiled and his cheeks burned. "My life has honestly felt like one since she became a part of it." He paused, swallowing his emotions down. "You know, she's the first girl who has ever shown that she cares for me as a person. The money, fame, and fortune hasn't affected her one bit." Niall smiled wider, tears threatening to form in his eyes. "She makes it so clear, day in and day out, that she wants me for me - for the person I am - and I've never had that before."

His heart was beating so fast, it still felt like he couldn't catch his breath. These were things that he normally kept to himself. Sharing them was liberating. He debated whether or not it was wise to show this kind of vulnerability to his girlfriend's father, but decided to continue. There was no backtracking now.

"She's so considerate of my feelings and my happiness. It's such a foreign feeling. That may seem like the bare minimum to most, but I've just never experienced it. She's so wonderful, it's hard to put into words."

"Have you told her how you feel yet?" William asked softly. There was no judgement behind the question - just genuine curiosity. In this moment, Niall felt like he had an ally.

He rubbed his lips together nervously, fumbling with the stem of the club to distract his fingers.

"I want to so badly. Every time I look at her, I just want to burst and tell her everything. If I was strong enough, I would have poured my heart out to her the very first moment I felt it. But I've been waiting because I don't want to do it too soon." He searched the grass for something he wasn't sure of yet. Maybe an answer to his feelings. "I just don't want to move too fast with her, you know? I want her to be as comfortable as possible with me and this relationship before I say anything to her."

Fragments of conversations he'd had with Lili in the past about her ex-'boyfriend' flashed through his mind. Though he knew a decent amount about the situation, he wasn't entirely sure how much of it she'd shared with her parents. And on the off chance she hadn't told them anything, the last thing Niall wanted to do was expose what she wasn't ready to talk about yet. Besides, it wasn't his place to say anything regardless of how much they knew. Keeping his explanations to Mr. Hughes simple and concise would save everyone a whole lot of trouble.

William nodded in understanding.

"I get it. First boyfriend, first love, it can be tough. No one knows exactly what they're doing at that point. But I think it's clear that you want nothing more than to treat her well and just make her as happy as you can."

"That's exactly the plan," Niall said with a relaxed smile.

William laughed. "If it's any consolation, I saw the way she looked at you at dinner, and I see the sparkle in her eye whenever she talks about you. Whenever you do decide to say it, I don't have a doubt in my mind that she'd be ready to say it back."

Niall's smile somehow grew even wider, and the butterflies in his stomach went absolutely mental. Those words were almost as sweet as hearing "I love you" from Lili's lips would be themselves. "You really think so?" he asked, with a childlike innocence to his voice he hadn't heard in quite some time.

William smiled and nodded. "If I know my daughter even a little bit, then yes."

Niall's body relaxed completely at the sound of those words, even though he hadn't realized he'd tensed up. He was already pretty certain that she'd say it back when he said it to her, but having confirmation from one of the people she cared about most in the world made him feel so good.

He was excited. This love was different. It was real, genuine, and beautiful. And Niall couldn't wait to share it with the angel who showed him it was possible. His heart was pounding emphatically in his chest. That little tidbit meant the world, the moon, and the stars to Niall.

Wordlessly, they turned back to their clubs and continued on with their game like nothing happened. Even more of the heaviness Niall felt had lifted off his shoulders until he was weightless. He allowed William to take his next shot - which landed halfway down the fairway - before he spoke again.

"William, I just wanted to say thank you."

Mr. Hughes furrowed his brows, placing his driver in his bag and retrieving a nine-iron. "What for?"

Niall shrugged. "Just for allowing me to be honest with my feelings. I know it must be weird as her father to listen to me gush over Lili the way I have been. But it feels good to share this kind of stuff with someone." He paused, scratching his arm absentmindedly under his shirt sleeve. "I can talk to my own father about this, that's not the issue, but it's nice to have someone here that I can confide in, too." There were a lot of people in Niall's life, not just his father, that he could talk to about this, and it was cool to add another person to that list. 

William paused, lips drawn into a thin line, before he smiled softly and nodded. "I'm glad you feel that way. I'll always be around when you need someone to talk to, so don't be afraid to reach out."

Niall inclined his head sharply once as a thank you. It was hard to put his gratitude into physical words. William licked his lips.

"Besides, my daughter is my pride and joy. Knowing there's someone out there who loves her as much as you clearly do brings me more joy than you can imagine. It doesn't bother me at all to hear you speak of her like this."

Niall laughed. "That's good, because I was definitely worried you might not like my honesty."

Grimacing casually, William shrugged. "It's a non-issue. Don't sweat it."

Nodding, Niall glanced out at the course, watching the leaves blow back and forth in the breeze. "I think I'll tell her soon," he said, smiling. "I want her to know how I feel." If he took anything away from this conversation, it was the ability to say that Niall was, indeed, head over heels in love with Lili Hughes. William beamed proudly.

"A word of advice, though. Don't plan this kind of thing." He shook his head, reaching up to run his fingers back through his gelled hair. "When the moment comes, you'll know. You'll feel it in your bones. But don't try and create the moment on your own. Let it come naturally."

"I definitely will," Niall said. He would take any and all advice for this. It wouldn't be the first time he told a girl he loved her, but it was the first time that it mattered.

This moment, this realization, made their relationship complete. From this point on, things would never be the same. He felt excited, for some odd reason. The prospect of telling Lili about his true feelings sent him into a frenzy; it made him feel motivated and nervous and terrified all at once.

The last time he'd told a girl he loved her, it blew up in his face and left him with third degree burns that would scar him for the rest of his life. When that happened, he'd almost vowed to himself that he would never do it again. He would never allow himself to fall in love ever again. He had to protect himself and his heart, no matter how lonely life may become because of that decision. He'd convinced himself that he couldn't love again. In Niall's mind, there was never going to be that person that walked into his life and changed everything for the better.

But Lili was the one. He was sure of it. He really did believe that once all the pieces fell into place, and the moment was right, telling her would be the best thing to ever happen to him. This time, he wasn't scared of the outcome, or the consequences that may or may not come from telling her.

When the afternoon had finally drawn to a close and the sun was beginning to set in the western sky, Niall felt truly happy and at peace.

For one, the first day spent with his girlfriend's father, just the two of them, went immensely better than he could have planned. They'd had an amazing talk, and Niall was certain that this day really solidified the relationship between him and William, which was so, so important to him. An unbreakable bond had been formed between the two of them. That was all he could have ever asked for.

Plus, Niall had gotten a pretty good round in, and couldn't complain about that at all. He didn't want to let William win just because, and Niall did actually beat him by a pretty decent margin, but he could tell William cared more about learning some techniques and bettering his skills than he did anything else.

And, finally, Niall had been able to admit something huge that he'd been feeling for so long that he felt he would explode if he held it in any longer. Because of the afternoon Niall had just had, he felt ready. Prepared.

He couldn't wait for the day he could look into his angel's big, beautiful green eyes and tell her that he loved her more than words could ever explain...

Chapter Text

~ song of the chapter is Shining Star by The Manhattans

Lili's POV

If there was only one word Lili could possibly use to describe the way she had been feeling over the last couple of weeks, it would be amazed. As stupid as that sounds. Amazed at the way her life changed. Amazed at how happy she'd been. 

Maybe grateful would be another word, and that would be quite a strong one to use.

She was in awe of Niall and what had transpired in their life and relationship since that first night he came over. Just under three weeks had passed since Niall had first gone to Lili's house and officially met her family. Only 19 days had gone by since Lili's two worlds – the one with her family, the other with her boyfriend – had finally collided. And yes, she was keeping track.

19 days since her life had finally fallen into place.

Since the first day, almost every day of those 19, Niall was at her house, basically appearing whenever he had an ounce of free time. If he had an early morning session, he swung by the house to share a glass of red wine with her father at dinner. Whenever his training took place later in the day, he was passing by in the morning with coffee and donuts, ready to gossip with her mom about whatever she'd heard on the news the night before. Sometimes, he wouldn't even check if Lili would be home before heading over, but she didn't mind at all.

It didn't feel disrespectful for him to be there all the time, or like he was crossing any boundaries by showing up when Lili wasn't home. It honestly just meant the world that both he and her family members were comfortable with it. 

Because of how rare it was for him to have downtime, Niall tried to cherish it as best he could, never taking those moments for granted. And the fact that he wanted to use what very little time he had to spend time with Lili and her family was truly special. It was like living in a fairytale.

There were a lot of little moments that made her smile, but one of her favourites so far had happened when she was coming home from work in the middle of the afternoon about a week ago. Morning shifts at the club were always the best, because they were short and never demanded very much of the employees. She would be in and out in six hours.

Pulling into the driveway, the last thing Lili expected to see was Niall's shiny black Range Rover parked behind her mom's car. She knew he'd had the day off, but figured he would just spend it at home relaxing. He'd just been through a stretch of five straight days of training. He was very vague about his plans for the day when they'd spoken on the phone earlier that morning, leaving her with nothing to guess about. And besides, he'd been at the house two days in a row after work, so she really thought he'd want to finally have some time to himself.

But she really couldn't be surprised that that wasn't the case anymore, could she?

Just the sight of his car shining in the driveway sent the best kinds of shivers down her spine. No matter how many times she saw him or how many hours they spent together, nothing exhilarated Lili more than seeing her lover. Being next to him was like a jolt of electricity to the bloodstream. No matter how hard she tried, there was no getting rid of the goofy smile plastered across her face.

She hadn't even opened the front door more than a couple inches when her ears were immediately assaulted with the sounds of excited yelling coming from the living room, paired simultaneously by defeated groans and shocked gasps. Someone was clapping and shouting aggressively, and the sound reverberated through the hallway, rattling the vase on the front table. Niall's gorgeous laugh rang out joyously, causing her stomach to flip. It was amazing how his laugh had managed to become a constant, instant shot of serotonin for her.

Lili quickly kicked off her shoes and practically ran over to the living room, turning to finally see what all the noise was about. Niall was sitting on the couch with Matt, an Xbox controller in each of their hands; they were in the midst of what looked and sounded like an extremely competitive FIFA tournament. The game they were currently playing had Matt, as Germany, absolutely crushing Niall's Swedish team by a score of 6-1, only 27 minutes in.

Lili had never seen her little brother so engaged with anything before, never mind in a conversation with her boyfriend. It was almost as strange to see as it was seeing Niall in the house so often.

Niall ended up winning the tournament 4 games to 3, but Matt didn't look upset at all. In fact, he seemed happier than ever, and spent the rest of the night practically attached to Niall's hip.

Another of Lili's favourite moments had happened just a few days ago. This time, she'd been fully aware that Niall was coming over for dinner, so she had run upstairs to shower and change into something slightly more presentable as soon as she got home from work. Her excitement, once again, was through the roof as she bounced around the bathroom, attempting get herself ready as quickly as possible without slipping on a spot of water and cracking her skull open.

It hadn't even taken her twenty minutes to get ready, but when she went downstairs, Niall had already arrived. Her mom was standing at the stove and, without saying a word, gestured towards the back door with her head.

Lili could see Niall through the glass door that led to the backyard. He was admiring the garden with her dad. He looked absolutely breathtaking in a white quarter-sleeve shirt and dark jeans. His arms were crossed over his chest, and he listened intently as William gestured towards the plants to explain something. Niall nodded along adorably in understanding. He pointed towards one of the rose bushes growing against the back fence, wearing an expression on his face that suggested he was asking questions.

Niall loved his garden at home and was always looking for advice on how to improve it. Any time he had a free day, especially in the summer, he was out in the yard tending to the plants and flowers he had growing back there. Her father responded quickly, and then they were suddenly both laughing. Niall seemed so genuinely interested in the conversation, hanging onto her father's every word. He listened intently, asked questions, and remained engaged the entire time. He had the utmost respect for William. 

The moment was just so fucking heartwarming. 

Never, ever, ever did Lili think she would get to experience something like this in her lifetime. It just seemed so...far-fetched. Unrealistic, even. If someone had told her just a few months ago that she would have found her person – the one she wanted to spend her life with - she would have laughed in their face. She had gotten so used to the pain and loneliness that she experienced on a daily basis that she didn't think it was even possible to find happiness again.

Sure, Lili was only 24, and she'd heard amazing stories of people finding love well into their 60s. Speaking realistically, finding her person wasn't completely impossible. But she had been down on herself for so long that she genuinely believed her window of opportunity had already shut, locking itself up and hiding away the key for good. In her mind, she was unlovable and more than likely going to be single forever.

Her friends and family would always be there, she was sure of that. Those were relationships she depended on that were never going away. But a life partner? Or even a long-term boyfriend? Never.

It sucked, but Lili always figured it was better to prepare herself now so it was easier to handle when she inevitably ended up alone. Constantly having hope just for nothing to ever end up happening would be devastating. She never believed another person, especially a man as amazing as Niall, could come into her life and thrust that window back open as if it hadn't even closed an inch.

Lili wished she could put into words how full her heart was because of him. How incredibly happy he made her. Articulating her feelings was one of Lili's weakest skills, and it sucked that she couldn't put this joy into words. To say Niall's presence in her life improved it tenfold would be a massive understatement. He genuinely made everything a million times better. For the first time in her life, Lili was waking up every morning happy. She wasn't dreading her existence anymore. It had been years since that was even a possibility. 

She was falling for him more and more with every passing second, and every single day he reminded her how grateful she was to have him by her side.

* * * 

Whenever they could, Lili and Niall were spending all their free time together, because the days were suddenly passing quickly; PGA was now just two weeks away. It was getting harder and harder to find time to themselves; it was frustrating, but nothing was more important than Niall's training. 

Though his schedule was gruesome and tiring, Niall was improving every single day. His technique was sharp and practically perfect, and it was clear that his mind was just as prepared as his body. Any mental blocks he'd experienced during the last tournament seemed to have been eradicated completely. It was obvious he was quickly gaining back the confidence he'd seemed to have lost after his recent failure.

Lili was almost certain that this tournament was going to end with a win. She could feel it in her bones, but she refrained from telling Niall that. He was incredibly superstitious, and the last thing Lili wanted to do was jinx it and give him bad luck.

But that didn't mean she couldn't wish it into existence without him knowing. She respected her wishes, but had a good feeling about the next few weeks. 

* * *

Lili stretched her arms high above her head and groaned when the muscles in her shoulders pulled painfully; she was in desperate need of a massage. She was fighting sleep - it was late, and she was about ten minutes away from being swallowed whole by her exhaustion. Today was supposed to be her one Friday off a month, but one of the guys from the equipment team called in sick because of an emergency, and she was the only one available to take the shift. The only reason she agreed was because she hated saying no and letting people down. Lili hadn't done a shift on equipment in probably 3 years, for good reason. It sucked. 

It was a short shift, only about 5 hours, but she was an early bird if there ever was one. Lili longed to be in bed, her silk pillows soothing her skin, as she stacked the chairs into the corner of the equipment closet. Closing shifts were always the worst because of how late they ended, but at least she didn't have to deal with guests. There weren't even any employees around that she could talk to, which was fine. It was nice to have the time to herself to enjoy the quiet as she cleaned up at her own pace.

If she wanted to play music or watch some YouTube videos, she could do so without annoying the people around her. Although, in all fairness, she really just played stuff to avoid drowning in silence. She was certain that if she listened to the quiet for long enough, she'd start to hear...things. The club got pretty freaky at night. All the shadows and creaking walls and shit. Being here basically by herself was frightening.

Aside from the street lamps at the front gate, the lights along the perimeter of the golf courses, and the ones in the small closet she was currently standing in, her surroundings were pitch black. Every time the AC turned on or off, the vents sounded eerily similar to a bomb exploding, and it freaked the shit out of Lili every single time.

Once all the chairs had been stacked, Lili finally checked her phone – it read 11:17pm. She yawned and swallowed, looking around at the storage room. Everything had been cleaned and organized, so she really had nothing left to do. Lili was pretty sure the only other people here were the guards, who were either in the booth at the front gate or on their final security check.

She shut the light and closed the door behind her, feeling rather sleepy, but was jolted awake when her phone began to buzz in her fingers. Her heart hammered with adrenaline. Niall's name flashed across the screen and she smiled, answering on the second ring.

"Hey, baby!" she said happily into the phone. Suddenly, she didn't feel alone anymore. A simple phone call from her favourite person automatically made everything better.

"Hi, gorgeous. How are you?" Oh, his voice just sounded perfect right now. Like warm, melted butter or a gooey cinnamon bun. She wanted to sink right into it. 

Lili smiled. "I'm alright. Just tired. You?"

"Yeah, same. Today was so boring." He sounded incredibly pouty, and it was so cute. "I hate being off and having no one to spend time with." Lili giggled at his whiny voice. He knew she couldn't resist when he talked like that, so she was anticipating an invitation to his house in the next minute or so. Niall cleared his throat. "Hey, question for you, love. Are you still at work?"

She grinned and licked her lips; it was funny how well she knew him. "I am, but I'm heading out soon. I just have to check to make sure the parlour's been closed down properly. Probably another twenty minutes or so. Why?" She figured if it wasn't an invitation to his house, then he probably just wanted to talk to her while she drove home - he usually did that when she was driving alone at night since he knew how much it scared her.

"Can I meet you there?" he asked sweetly. "I'm about five minutes away."

Lili smiled even wider. That was the best kind of unexpected question. "Of course you can." It made her so happy that he was willing to come all the way to the club just to see her for five minutes. And then an idea crossed her mind that she couldn't ignore, because they might never have another opportunity like this again. "Actually, do you want to hang out with me inside for a bit? I can sneak you in."

Maybe it was wrong to suggest that, but she wanted to take advantage of any and every opportunity she could find to spend time with him. Plus, there was nobody here. If anything, it was the most perfect time to do something like this. 

Niall scoffed, and she knew he was shaking his head furiously. "I can't let you do that. Just imagine how much trouble you'll be in if we get caught."

She shrugged, even though he couldn't see her. "Then that's my problem. I'll figure it out if anything happens. We need to have some fun, anyway. Meet me in the employee parking lot." She hung up before he could object, licking her lips slowly.

Lili crept through the dark club until she reached the hidden side exit, choosing not to turn on any lights to avoid detection. She was careful not to draw attention to herself as she pushed the door open that led out to the parking lot. Her heart was once again pounding in her chest, adrenaline pumping furiously through her veins. Going against the grain and risking punishment for a moment of fun was exhilarating. It wasn't something she normally ever did, but it was hard not to be courageous with Niall. 

She scanned the empty lot with her eyes until they landed on the security booth situated between the two doors of the entrance gate. The light was on, but no one was sitting at the desk, which meant the guards were indeed doing one last patrol of the grounds before taking off for the night. This was the most ideal situation to be in, because Niall was already pulling up on the opposite side of the street and parking along the curb.

His bright headlights powered down with the car, blanketing the property in darkness once again. Silence exploded around them as the rumbling of the engine died away. He jumped down from his seat, trying not to slam the door too loudly behind him, knowing it would draw unnecessary attention. 

Butterflies instantly swept through Lili's abdomen at the sight of him. It filled her with a strange joy knowing he was willing to risk getting in trouble for her. 

She waved her hand above her head to signal she was there, realizing he had no idea where she'd be standing. The employee entrance was practically hidden from guests. When he noticed her, he smiled and shoved his phone and keys into his pockets. Crouching low to the ground, Niall jogged across the road, glancing around every few steps out of an abundance of caution. He was clearly terrified about someone seeing him somewhere he shouldn't be. They hadn't even done anything wrong, but the prospect of getting caught was absolutely thrilling. 

A smile spread across Lili's face as she watched him weave his way around the gate through the protective lining of trees, almost as if he'd done this a thousand times before. "Are you sure this is okay?" Niall asked when he finally approached her, nerves evident in his voice. It was so sweet.

Lili placed her hands on his biceps, pulling him close and giving him a little squeeze. "Yes," she said softly, gazing up at him through her lashes. Even in the darkness, he was so pretty. "I promise we won't get in any trouble." Whether or not he actually believed her was his prerogative, but she knew it wouldn't be enough to stop him from having fun with her.

The tiniest little smile crossed his lips. He slid his hands downward until they found her hips, squeezing gently before circling his arms around her body and pulling until her chest touched his. She wound her own arms around his neck, tilting her chin up to press her lips against his. Lili took a few tentative steps backwards, not breaking the kiss, until her ass pressed against the cool concrete wall of the building.

They kissed like they hadn't seen each other in years, softly yet passionately devouring each other. That was how it always was with them. The slight breeze in the air dusted Lili's hair off her shoulders, tickling her cheeks.

Niall pulled away once they were both completely breathless and smiled down at her, pressing his forehead against hers. His skin was warm.

"Everything will be fine," she promised, once she'd sucked down enough oxygen to regain full consciousness. Just like always, her lips burned from his kiss.

"Alright, I believe you," Niall said softly, resting the palms of his hands against her neck. Her pulse hammered against her skin, and she knew he could feel it. "What's your plan for us, my angel?"

Lili smiled, her knees buckling. "Well, security is finishing the last patrol of the night, but they'll be gone soon."

"How soon is soon?" Niall asked, raising a brow. Lili chuckled, reaching up to scratch her nose nervously.

"Half an hour? I'm not sure how long it's been since they left." She stood up straighter and loosened her shoulders. "So, we're going to go to the parlour and leave the lights on, but you're going to hide. I know for a fact they'll come in and ask if everything's okay, which it will be." Carefully, Lili trailed her nails up and down Niall's arms, gently scratching the skin beneath his shirt. He shuddered infinitesimally. "I'll tell them I have a something incredibly important to do before I leave and that I'll send them a message when I'm gone so they can set the security system through their computers at home. They know me well, so they trust me." She couldn't help but grin, licking her lips carefully. "Once they leave, we're free to do whatever we choose."

Her acting skills would need to be airtight if she wanted this to work. Lying when she was nervous was usually impossible, but it would be worth it in the end, so Lili would have to focus on that.

She gazed into Niall's eyes and batted her lashes, tilting her head slightly to the right. He could never resist that look. He rolled his eyes and suppressed a smile, looking away and over her head. He pressed his tongue into his lip in that way that always made Lili weak in the knees.

"You know, this is very rebellious behaviour," he finally said, finding her gaze once again. His fingers danced beneath the hem of her shirt. "Who are you and what have you done with my cautious girl?"

Butterflies.

"She just wanted to have a bit of fun, that's all," Lili said, shrugging. Being with Niall made her courageous, simple as that. She raised herself onto her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to the middle of his throat, watching him shiver once again. His eyes fluttered shut and he swallowed carefully. Nothing felt better than watching him struggle to remain in one piece at the slightest touch. It was pretty damn cool having that power over him.

Smiling, Lili pulled out of his embrace and took his hand, looking up at the large building looming in the dark. She inclined her head towards it. "Let's go before they get back." He sighed but said nothing, letting a cheeky little smile grow on his face again. He gave her free reign to whisk him inside. She pushed the door open, exposing them to the darkness inside.

"This feels so wrong," Niall said in a low voice as he followed Lili down the empty hall. He sounded hesitant. "Kind of like when you were a kid and got invited into the teacher's lounge at school."

"Who gets invited into the teacher's lounge?"

"I did," he retorted, sounding almost offended at her question.

Lili giggled softly. "Of course you did, babe. Enjoy it, because this will be the only time you ever walk through here." As fun as this moment already was, Lili knew it would be the first and last time they snuck around the club. 

"Oh believe me, I am more than enjoying it," Niall murmured quietly; Lili could just feel his eyes burning like lasers into her ass. This miniskirt was a godsend right now. She smiled and bit the corner of her lip, not even daring to turn around or sneak a peek at him. They honestly might not have been able to control themselves if she did.

Together, they jogged down the quiet, empty halls until they reached the parlour. Lili didn't even have to see him to know that Niall was constantly looking over his shoulder, afraid they would get caught at any moment.

As much as he loved being adventurous and having fun, Niall had kind of become a bit of a worrywart recently. Especially after they'd gone public with their relationship. He was constantly freaking out, worried that one wrong move would send him spiralling into trouble. Lili knew it was unrealistic, but supported him through his fears nonetheless. Any little thing they did or said at the club was scrutinized by everyone. It was easy for things to get misconstrued nowadays, especially with how much people loved to gossip. Lili and Niall figured it was better to avoid trouble at all costs rather than take their chances.

Panting slightly, she pushed the parlour door open and stepped aside to let Niall in first, switching the lights on as he passed through the frame. They both squinted at the sudden harsh fluorescents.

Staying as far away from it as she could, Lili glanced out the window at the vast golf course directly in front of her. The two security guards had just reconvened at the far end of the course, and though they were just tiny dots from this distance, it was obvious they were preparing to make their way back. They had taken one of the carts with them, meaning they would be back in no time. From where they stood to the parlour door, it was only a ten to fifteen-minute drive.

Lili turned back to Niall, now a bit more worried than she'd been a minute ago. Honestly, she assumed they would have more time alone in here before having to worry about security. He was leaning back against the countertop, arms crossed over his chest. He also had one ankle crossed casually over the other. The thin black long sleeve he was wearing hugged his muscles perfectly, and his cropped light wash jeans hung low on his hips, revealing the band of his boxers.

Was it just her, or had the temperature in the room suddenly shot up about a thousand degrees?

His eyes, wide and dark, dragged desperately up and down her body, memorizing every little piece of her. Lili's pulse quickened.

"Don't look at me like that," she teased, her heart jumping to her throat. It was nearly impossible to stay sane when he gave her those eyes. The look was deadly. Niall chuckled but held his hands up defensively, stating he hadn't done anything wrong. It was amazing how much tension there could be between the two of them even if they did something as simple as sharing a look.

She glanced over her shoulder again - the guards had gained a lot of ground and were now over halfway through the length of the course. The weak headlights beaming from the cart were two white specks in the pitch black that seemed to grow by the second.

She turned back at Niall nervously. "Okay, there's a supply closet in the corner behind you. Get in there, and I'll knock when it's safe to come out."

Niall laughed again, louder this time. "Seriously? I can't just hide behind the counter?"

"Are you insane?" Lili questioned, her brows shooting up in shock. "They'll see you."

She attempted to shoo him away, mentally pleading for him to move his ass. They were very quickly running out of time. Thankfully, he went without a fight, though he couldn't resist leaning in for a kiss before he turned away. "You're the only person who could ever get me to do something this ridiculous, love, I hope you know that," he mumbled, before he shut the door on himself, leaving it open just a crack.

Lili smiled so wide her cheeks ached, even though she knew he couldn't see. God, he always made her so goofy and stupid. She loved it. And yes, of course she knew he would never do something like this for someone else. She was his special person. It was a great feeling.

Glancing up, she could see the guards were even closer now, so she hurried around the counter to find a clipboard and a sheet of paper somewhere below the cash register. The combination of excitement and nerves coursing through her was like an atomic bomb. She picked her items up, along with a pen, and strode over to the fridge, thrusting the door wide open. The cold air hitting her skin made her shiver.

Voices echoed just outside the glass, so she attempted to make herself look busy by analyzing the shelves, scribbling some nonsense down on the paper, and repeating. How the fuck did they get there so quickly? Was she sweating? Or was that just her imagination? Damn, maybe she was more freaked out about this than she originally thought.

The bell atop the door chimed, and her heart sped up fearfully. It was now or never. She popped her head out of the fridge and acted surprised, smiling at the guards. 

"Lionel, Greg, hey! I haven't seen you guys in so long!" The smile directed at them was wide and bright, and they returned it easily. The two guards were both in their early 30s, and they were some of the nicest, sweetest guys on staff. Lionel was tall and blond-haired, with warm brown eyes and a crooked smile. Greg already had salt and pepper hair, but he worked it well.

Lionel jerked his head towards the clipboard in her hand. "How's it going, Hughes? Sticking around late isn't really your thing." Damn them and their thorough knowledge of employee schedules.

Lili shrugged and stepped out of the fridge, shutting the door behind her. She couldn't risk letting any more cold air out. "I need to do inventory," she said, hoping her voice sounded realistically annoyed. "These numbers from the new shipment need to be in before opening tomorrow. I don't mind, though." She tucked the clipboard under her arm and pointed up at them, hoping they couldn't tell how much her hands were shaking. "How are you guys? I haven't seen you in so long."

It was easy to talk to both guards because she had a good rapport with them, so this conversation came super naturally. As long as they didn't stick around for too long, this should be a breeze.  Greg smiled and crossed his arms over his skinny chest.

"I've heard those shipments are the worst. I know Jordyn hates them. Thank God we don't have to do anything like that." He laughed. "Have you been working on it long?"

Lili paused for a brief second, trying not to chew the inside of her lip. "Actually, I've just started. I got so busy closing everything down that I haven't been able to get to it until now. It might take me close to half an hour." Her eyes flickered between the two men, waiting for them to respond. This plan she'd conjured up for Niall really needed to work. Their entire night was depending on it.

She looked around, almost as if to reiterate the fact that there was no one else in the room. "I think I'm the only one here. I've got the keys to lock up, so you guys can head home. I'll just message one of you when I leave so you can set the alarm through the online system." Her blood pumped furiously and nervously in her veins. "You can trust me," she added as a final thought.

Did they believe her? Could they even trust her? Usually, when people said something along the lines of 'you can trust me', it was almost always taken as the opposite. She wasn't planning on doing anything wrong, per se. But they didn't know that. Nor did they need to.

The two guards shared a thoughtful look before turning their attention back on Lili, and their eyes told her everything she needed to know – that she'd succeeded. Lionel cleared his throat loudly. "Are you sure you'll be fine to stay by yourself? One of us can hang around and wait."

The offer was sweet. They did seem to genuinely care about her safety, which was nice. But that was the absolute last thing she wanted them to do. Lili shook her head, swatting at the air dismissively.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about it. I'm not leaving this room, so I'll keep all the doors locked while I'm in here. It's not a problem."

"You call us if you need anything at all, alright?" Lionel said, with a firm raise of his eyebrow and a stern tone of voice. "No matter how late it gets."

Lili nodded, head bouncing up and down a bit too quickly. "Of course. I appreciate it. Good night guys, get home safe!" she called, a little too enthusiastically.

Way to not give yourself away there, dumbass.

Greg and Lionel nodded before turning back towards the door to head out the way they came, calling out goodbyes over their shoulders. Just to add to her little show, Lili made sure they watched her lock the door, sealing herself into the room. They waved and turned, disappearing into the darkness as they headed towards the front gate.

She counted to five before exhaling and turning back towards the counter. "Alright, you can come out now."

Almost immediately, the closet door crashed open, and her blood hummed with anticipation. She turned to watch Niall emerge from the dark room, a big mess of long limbs as he stepped over brooms and mops. "Oh, I haven't seen you guys in so long!" he mocked in a high-pitched voice, a slightly sour look on his face. His hands were flapping around in the air near his shoulders in wild gestures. "'Good night, get home safe!' Come on, love." His cheeks were red and his eyes were dark. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

He was standing in front of the glass display case, arms crossed against his chest. Her stomach flipped excitedly at his anger. "You knew I couldn't do anything about it."

Lili walked over to him and gently draped her arms around his neck, looking up at him through her lashes. She grinned sweetly. "Are you jealous?" she asked in a breathy voice. She knew the answer was no, but it didn't make teasing him any less fun.

Niall looked deep into her eyes, still breathing a bit heavily, before his face transformed into the softest, sweetest smile ever. Those sapphire eyes were shining beautifully. "You know I don't get jealous, love," he said, scrunching his nose. "But if it'll make you happy, then yes. I was absolutely fuming listening to you."

Lili reached up and hit him across the chest gently, trying not to let him see her laugh. Satisfied, he placed his hands on her hips and flipped them around until Lili was pinned beneath his weight, the freezing glass pressing harshly against the exposed skin of her back.

The oxygen disappeared from her lungs as he kissed her - softly at first, and then furiously, making a mess of their lips and tongues in the best possible way. When they got to kissing like this, there was almost no stopping them. Lili half sighed, half moaned into his mouth, allowing him to devour her. The heat of the kiss made the glass on her skin suddenly felt nothing short of lukewarm. 

After an undetermined amount of time, he pulled back to look at her; they were both panting heavily, breaths mingling in the small space between them. She moved one of her hands until it rested in the center of his chest, using the fingers on her other hand to play with the hair at the nape of his neck.

"I love when you kiss me like that," she whispered, running the tip of her tongue across her bottom lip. Another cheeky grin spread across Niall's cheeks.

"You just love it when I kiss you, period," he countered, using his index finger to tap her nose in an affectionate gesture. He dipped down and kissed her again, gently this time, and smiled against her lips. His heart was dancing to the same rhythm as her own. As much as she loved those heated, passionate make outs, nothing felt better or sweeter than the soft, simple kisses they shared that were just for showing each other affection. 

Niall pulled further away and stood up straight, keeping just his fingertips on her hips. 

"I should let you go home," he said, a hint of sadness in his tone. Every now and then, he tapped his fingers against her hip bones in a quick pattern. "We've got the wedding tomorrow and I don't want to keep you late. You need your rest."

Lili pouted. The whole point of him coming to her work was so she could go home late. "No, we should stay for a bit. We haven't had alone time in so long." Her voice sounded whiny and rather juvenile, but she didn't care. Plus, he couldn't resist her when she was like this. It was her way of getting little things that she wanted out of her boyfriend.

He looked down at her with a cute little half-smile playing on his lips, and Lili could tell he was fighting with himself over what the right decision would be. "Okay, fine. Just a bit longer. We can only rebel so much tonight." He reached up and took her chin between two of his fingers, tilting her head back gently. "What would you like to do?" His thumb brushed carefully across her bottom lip.

There was a slight rasp at the back of his throat. His cheeks were still a bit pink, and he looked absolutely perfect. Her perfect, perfect boyfriend.

Lili paused, hoping something in the room would spark an idea or two. The theme of the night was clearly adventure, but there was really nothing exciting or adventurous about fluorescent lights and old mops. Maybe they should have planned ahead...

But then she looked out the window, saw the sky, and became immediately inspired. She looked into Niall's eyes again, smiling. "Have you ever seen the stars over the golf course before?"

His eyes twinkled and the crease in his forehead softened. "No, my love, I haven't. Will you show me?"

She nodded, gently pushing him off of her so she could stand up straight. It was a shame she couldn't stay in that warm cocoon of his body forever. "Of course I will. Just let me actually lock up here first, okay?" she asked sweetly, pressing her hands to his cheeks.

He nodded and attempted to squeeze her hips again, which just made her giggle. His little touches were her favourite. She wiggled out of his hands and sauntered around the counter to the cash register just to make sure everything had been shut down correctly.

As expected, Niall followed her, much like a moth to a flame.

She punched in her employee ID and clocked out, before shutting the entire POS system down. The whole time, Niall stood behind her, fully brushed up against her backside. His fingers went from playing with the hem of her skirt to skimming across the skin of her stomach as he tried to wrap his arms around her, all while ghosting kisses along her shoulders. He gently collected her hair and pushed it over one shoulder, exposing more of her to him. Goosebumps erupted along her skin, and he chuckled at the immediate response. Her eyes fluttered shut and she tried to center herself, before moving out of his grasp once again. She bit the inside of her cheek to hide her smile.

"Stop distracting me." If they got into this now, nothing would get done properly. 

She walked around the counter to the middle of the room and reached up, pulling her hair out of its tie and shaking out the locks. That was always one of the best feelings in the world. Once all the guests had left earlier that evening, she'd removed her hat and thrown it in her locker, no longer needing it for the night. Niall watched with hooded eyes as she ran her fingers through her long hair, feeling the relief tugging at her roots. Her hair was one of the parts of her that he seemed to love a lot. Any time they were laying together, he had his fingers tangled in it. If the opportunity arose for Niall to play with her hair, he took it in a heartbeat. 

She dropped her tired arms and looked at him, watching him smile as he admired her. He was so, so beautiful.

"Ready?" she asked quietly. Thank god she had already counted the cash till earlier. That always took forever and she did not want to count money with that gorgeous man distracting her. With her luck, she'd miscount by something crazy like a thousand dollars, which would lead to some pretty steep consequences. 

Niall nodded and floated over to the door leading out to the course.

Lili skipped to the other side of the room to shut the lights off. Niall's dark figure stood out drastically against the backdrop of lights lining the sidewalk outside, almost like a halo. How fitting, she thought.

He pushed the door open and gestured for her to walk through; she kissed him quickly on the lips before stepping past him. The way his cheeks turned pink made her smile. He closed the door behind her and turned, looking up at the sky as she locked the door; his hands sat firmly on his hips.

"You're right," he said, nodding sharply once. "Beautiful."

It was so sweetly innocent, but there was no way he really thought that's what she meant. Lili chuckled, covering her mouth with her fingers. "We're not looking from here."

She tiptoed over to the garage and, squinting in the dark, punched in the code, stepping back as the door lifted upwards. Niall shot her a puzzled look as she hopped behind the steering wheel of her cart and woke the engine. As it roared to life, she clicked the headlights on, flooding the dark garage with painful white light. She carefully reversed out and parked beside Niall, stepping out with one leg to close the garage, before exiting the cart completely. She turned to him and popped out a hip, tilting her head.

"Do you want to drive?" she asked, letting her voice carry gently in the quiet night. The tension that always seemed to crackle between them when they made eye contact had already started fizzling once again. He raised one eyebrow and smiled, walking forward and settling himself behind the steering wheel. Lili bit her lip and grinned excitedly, running around the cart to sit next to him.

She admired his perfect side profile as he shifted into drive, turned, and pulled them onto the dirt path, immediately accelerating forward. Lili had to force herself to be quiet as Niall drove erratically, jerking the wheel side to side and speeding up the hills. He loved driving the golf carts whenever he had the chance, and it was impossible to stop his recklessness once it got started. Sometimes, it was nice to see him let loose and act out, even in childish ways. He deserved to have fun more than any person she knew. And these goofy moments were some of her most cherished with Niall.

Even though there was no one around, Lili had to cover her mouth to stifle her laughs, just in case the echo ended up getting them into trouble somehow. She didn't want to expose them, especially if Lionel and Greg were still somewhere on the grounds. Niall looked over at her with a gleam in his eye, slowing the cart to a reasonable speed.

"How far out do you want me to go, princess?"

She smiled and reached down, finding his hand and lacing their fingers together. She brought their interconnected hands up and kissed the back of his hand, along his knuckles, and around his wrist. His eyes flickered, and she could see his throat bob as he swallowed.

She gazed at the nearly pitch-black course, knowing she didn't need her eyes to find their destination. "Stop at Hole 11," she said firmly.

Niall furrowed his brows, but kept driving straight at her instruction. "Why there specifically?"

"It's the highest point of the course. It just feels like you're closer to the sky there."

Niall nodded gently, continuing at a rather calm pace. There was the ghost of a smile on his lips that made Lili's heart skip. The remaining drive was spent in comfortable silence, the only noise coming from the wind whipping beside them. It was a warm, early summer night. Now that the sun had gone down, it was a bit chilly, but not enough that you would need a jacket. The moon was out, half-full and beaming down from its position in the sky. Perfection.

Lili leaned her head against Niall's shoulder, breathing in his scent and absorbing his warmth. She tried to match her breathing to his – slow and calm. His heartbeat in her ear was like a sweet lullaby. 

The tee of Hole 11 finally came into view as Niall pulled up the small hill, and Lili felt her excitement building - it had been years since she'd stopped to just look at the stars. Niall eased over the hill and parked the cart; before killing the engine, he flicked the switch to turn the headlights off, plunging them into darkness once again. The only light now came from the emergency lights scattered along the perimeter of the grass, and the massive constellations above them, but they provided more than enough light for the two to see where they were walking.

It was honestly a little freaky being so far out on the course in the dead of night but, honestly, with Niall by her side, there was nothing that could scare her.

"Wait here," Niall said, removing his hand from her grip and stepping onto the grass. The faint grin on his lips never faltered. Lili cocked an eyebrow and smiled amusedly as Niall walked briskly around the front of the cart. He approached her side and pretended to open the door for her, making Lili laugh out loud. He reached for her hand and helped her climb out, smiling as she stepped onto the grass and straightened her back.

Reaching for her hips again, he pulled her forward and pressed his chest against hers. He hugged her tightly, unsurprisingly winding his fingers through her hair. He smiled down at her and Lili's heart exploded. "I've missed you," he whispered quietly, still beaming. His long, blond lashes framed his eyes so beautifully. Lili scrunched her nose up tightly.

"Yeah, I've missed you too." It had literally been three days since they last hung out. Co-dependency took over their lives nowadays.

She gripped the tops of his muscular arms to steady herself as she pulled out of the hug.

"You know, I've never found the time to properly look at the stars before," Niall said, his gaze flickering down to her lips momentarily, before meeting her eyes again.

She lost her breath - his eyes, right in this moment, were better and more beautiful than any galaxy she could possibly look at. That shade of blue was her favourite colour. She grinned and stood on her toes, pressing her lips softly to his.

"It's going to be worth it. Trust me."

"I always do," he said simply, capturing her lips in his again.

Lili's eyes fluttered shut as she lost herself in the kiss, her breath to falling into perfect sync with his. They always breathed as one when they kissed. He detached his lips from hers and kissed both cheeks, her nose, and her forehead, before he pulled away and removed his hands from her waist. He laced their fingers together again and stepped backwards, taking Lili with him. She wished she could kiss him forever.

Too excited to wait any longer, Lili jumped forwards and dragged Niall with her, his gorgeous laugh ringing out into the empty night air. It wasn't lost on her that he was excited to do something as stupid as this with her.

She pranced forward a few paces until she found the center of the highest point on the course. After analyzing the ground for a second, she nodded approvingly and dropped to the grass, settling on her knees, and then eventually on her butt. She stretched her legs out in front of her and lay down on her back until she was looking directly at the sky. She clasped her hands gently and placed them on her stomach, turning her head to look at Niall expectantly.

He was watching her intently. No, admiring her. She always noticed when he admired her, and the way his eyes sparkled when he looked at her. There was a softness to his face when he was admiring her. Every little line and crease on his face would disappear. Whenever Niall admired her, he was at complete relaxation. It was nice. 

He smiled and repeated what her actions until he was lying next to her on the cool grass, touching her shoulder slightly with his. Niall reached over and took Lili's hand again; she turned to look at him, and as soon as their eyes met, she burst into uncontrollable laughter. It kind of came from nowhere, but once she got going, it was hard to see the end. She needed this release more than she'd realized.

Her heart skipped a beat when Niall joined in. It was the kind of laugh that hurt your stomach to the point where tears formed in your eyes, but they just couldn't stop. Lili curled into Niall's body, pressing her head against his ribs as her own body shook from the laughter. Her ab muscles were screaming. Niall squeezed her hand as their laughter broke the serenity of the night. Every ounce of care she'd had about being caught a minute ago was gone.

After a long few minutes, Lili finally began to calm down, and could hear Niall doing the same. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, grimacing at the ache in her abdomen. "What just happened?" she asked breathlessly, lifting her head enough to look at Niall.

His eyes were already on her, unsurprisingly - his cheeks and neck were pink, and the tears in his eyes had turned his irises into perfect sapphires. A single drop rolled down the side of his face, and Lili wiped it away with a simple brush of her finger.

He giggled and shrugged, lifting his head slightly to kiss the tip of her nose, before settling back down on the grass. Why was he so fucking adorable? Lili smiled and looked straight up once again, gasping at the sight before her.

Billions of tiny bright spots lit up the pitch black sky, illuminating the ground below with a cold yet comforting white light. They bloomed against the thick black curtain like roses at the beginning of spring. A slight, almost imperceptible breeze rustled through the leaves on the trees, accompanied only by the sound of the occasional car passing by on the street below. It felt very similar to the silence of Niall's backyard. Silence, calmness, and privacy. 

Once again, her heart skipped a beat when she looked over and saw the stars reflected dazzlingly in Niall's eyes. She pointed up at one of the bigger lights just off to their left and watched as he followed her finger with his eyes.

"Do you see that one there, standing out amongst all the others? The slightly yellowish one?" Her voice was soft and innocent, almost like how she spoke when she was a kid. Niall nodded, turning his gaze to her. She met his eyes. "That's Venus. It's the planet that's the most visible from Earth. Did you know that it takes over 6 minutes for the light from Venus to actually reach our eyes?"

Niall shook his head infinitesimally, never taking his eyes off hers. She smiled, feeling her cheeks flush. For a moment, she felt self-conscious. Maybe she was telling him things he didn't care about. Maybe he didn't want to talk about the stupid facts at all. This could just be a waste of time for him. But she'd brought him out here for a reason, and wasn't going to shy away from something that made her happy. Especially around someone like Niall.

She looked back up at the sky and squinted, trying to find another interesting thing to show him. "That one, there, just slightly below on the far left of Venus is Sirius, the constellation." The sight took her breath away - she was amazed at how clearly they could see everything. Between the light pollution of the city and their lack of a telescope, it was nearly impossible to get such a clear picture.

How strange it was that these moments lined up for her so perfectly...

She gasped again and pointed like an excited child as the most beautiful shooting star she'd ever seen streaked across the sky. The head was bright white, but the tail seemed to morph into a rainbow as it passed by. She whipped her head to the side with a smile so big that it hurt her cheeks. "Did you see that?" she asked excitedly, eyes widening. Her toes wiggled in her shoes.

Niall smiled brightly at her. "I did!" he said excitedly. He laughed, and Lili's eyes immediately narrowed suspiciously. 

"You're lying, aren't you?" She glared at him.

A guilty look instantly crossed his face, and he scrunched his nose up. "I am. But I was too busy looking at you, so I think that's a fair trade." Lili rolled her eyes, but that warmth she always felt when he said things like that started blooming in her chest. "I'm serious," he added. "You're so beautiful, it's impossible to look away."

A hot blush crept up her neck and cheeks. She lifted his hand up to her lips, still lacing her fingers with his, and kissed it repeatedly, adoring the way his soft skin felt under her lips. She dropped their hands so they rested between their bodies and looked back up at the sky, scanning the vast array of stars and constellations above her.

"The world is so crazy," she said, after a prolonged silence, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's amazing how you're looking at these tiny little lights that are miles and miles away, even though most of them have already died. Crazy how they still shine so brightly, even in death."

Niall squeezed her hand to draw her attention back to him. "How do you know all of this stuff, my darling?" he asked, searching her face with his clear eyes.

He didn't ask the question in a rude or condescending way, which was weird. Any time people questioned Lili's outer space knowledge, it was almost always because they thought she was being ridiculous. An extreme obsession with something like astronomy stopped being cute and started becoming concerning after the age of 12. Or so Lili had always thought. 

She swallowed and smiled awkwardly, rolling onto her side and resting her head on her bent elbow. "Do you really want to know about my stupid space obsession?"

"Yes, I do." His voice was so firm and serious that it actually surprised her. And the answer was immediate, like he'd been waiting all night to say it.

After a brief pause, Lili pulled herself up to a sitting position, crossing her legs and turning to face Niall. Her eyes locked on his, and her heart stopped. His hair was lying flat against his forehead, and the stars illuminated his face and eyes in the most magical way. His free arm was resting under his head, keeping it slightly propped up. Those unrealistically beautiful blue eyes were on hers, attentive and patient.

"I was extremely lonely growing up," she started. "Other than Jordyn, I had no friends. I was never invited to sleepovers or to hang out at the mall. I spent every single day at school watching from the outside in, just waiting for someone to make me feel wanted." She swallowed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I read a lot because getting lost in books and different universes was my way of hiding from reality. And all the books I fell the hardest in love with had to do with outer space."

It was clear Niall could tell she was uncomfortable sharing these memories, because he leaned forward and kissed her kneecap softly as a reminder that he was there for her. The gesture was extremely sweet.

"I forced my parents to take me to the Science Center every weekend, no matter what we had planned for the day. I loved it there. I actually felt like I fit in for once." A soft smile settled on her face as the memories and nostalgia came flooding back to her. "I usually had to beg them, but eventually they would give in so I would stop whining. I loved the whole place, but the one section I could spend hours in and not get tired was the Planetarium."

She tore her eyes from Niall's to look back up at the gorgeous sky and all her friends shining down on her.

"The stars, the planets, the constellations...they were all so exciting to me. So inviting. I would read every single info card twice and analyze every little light and sparkle in the room until I could draw it from memory. I recited facts and interesting tidbits of information to anyone who would listen."

When she looked back down at Niall, he was still staring at her with those soft, caring eyes. The corners of his mouth pulled up into the sweetest of smiles. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, making her heart flutter.

"I was obsessed with the place, and eventually I began to study outer space in my free time. I would rent books from the library on galaxies and memorize the names of every single star known to man. It's been my favourite subject for as long as I can remember." She reached up and brushed a piece of hair behind her ear, immediately noticing how much her fingers were shaking. "I don't know how or where the obsession really took shape, but it quickly became all I thought about." She looked down at her lap and smiled. "My creative writing assignments at school were always about spaceships and planets."

She felt very somber in this moment, but happy at the same time. That was one of the loneliest times of her life, and yet, it gave her some of her happiest memories. She sniffled.

"I've always promised myself that one day, I would get to watch and admire the stars with someone I lo-care deeply about, and that's what's happening right now."

The blood in her veins ran cold at her near slip, and she prayed Niall hadn't noticed. The mistake caused her throat to dry up, but she had to make sure she wasn't being obvious about it. She swallowed her anxiety down and continued.

"You're making one of my dreams come true." She looked away and gazed up at the array of stars above her once again, before turning her attention back to her star. A few tears welled in the corners of her eyes until, suddenly, it was almost too much to bear. "I can't even tell you how happy this makes me, Niall."

An emotional smile crossed Niall's face as he sat up beside her. Based on the expression on his face, he hadn't expected her to get so candid and admit something like that. He pulled her into his lap and looked deep into her eyes.

"I'm so glad I was the one that got to do this with you, darling" he whispered, holding her carefully in his arms.

The moment was overwhelming. Her throat felt like it was closing due to the emotion building. He reached up and gently brushed a tear from her cheek using the pad of his thumb, causing goosebumps to explode across her arms. It was almost the simplest touches that became the most electrifying.

"I am, too," she whispered back, matching the volume of her voice to his.

Her chest rose and fell quickly, eyes closing as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. The kiss needed to tell him the words she wasn't yet ready to say. He inhaled sharply through his nose as he kissed her back passionately, wrapping his warm arms around her back as his tongue massaged hers delicately.

Without breaking their lips apart, Lili shifted in his lap, swinging her legs around his hips so she was straddling his waist. The grass tickled the skin of her shins. Niall pulled away from her, breathing heavily into the small space between them. He was gripping her hips harshly, and the feeling of his fingertips digging into her skin was heavenly.

"Wait, my love." He was trying to catch his breath so he could think clearly. He looked up into her eyes, a slightly worried expression painting his features. He licked his swollen lips. "We don't have to do this right now, darling. Are you sure you want-"

She silenced him with a kiss, and his shoulders instantly relaxed when he accepted it. It was nice that he didn't want to take advantage of her vulnerability, but Lili needed this more than he probably knew. She pulled his bottom lip between her teeth and sucked, tilting her head back slowly and watching the skin recoil as she released it. Niall's eyes were closed in a look of pleasure, and his blond lashes fanned across his cheeks beautifully.

"I want it if you do," she whispered against his lips. That was all it took. He pulled her in tightly against his chest once again and kissed her deeply, exploring every crevice of her mouth with his tongue. It was dirty and passionately romantic. She rolled her hips down and he groaned into her mouth. The friction between their bodies sent excited tingles down her spine.

His hands travelled lower on her body until they were cupping her ass, filling his palms with her skin and squeezing. Lili moaned quietly and tilted her head back. Niall took the opportunity to drag kisses along her jaw and down her neck, sucking on the spot beside her throat. The moans leaving her mouth seemed to get louder and louder.

Niall smiled against her skin. "You're going to have to be quiet, princess. Remember?" he spoke with a rather condescending tone. "We don't want to get caught."

That was, without a doubt, one of the hottest things he'd ever said to her. Lili chuckled at his remark, but it quickly turned into another quiet moan when he sucked on her neck once again. It was hard for her to keep still. Neck kisses were her weakness, and he was finding all the right places to lick or suck. She rolled her hips against him again, harder this time, and his erection pressed against her waiting core.

"Fuck," he groaned out through gritted teeth.

She could feel herself pulsing with need and desire. Every time his lips touched her skin her stomach jumped with excitement. This hadn't been in her plans for the night at all, but how could she possibly stop it now?

Niall's lithe fingers ghosted across the skin of her stomach as he snaked them underneath her shirt. One of his hands began trailing up her body, along the curve of her waist and up, until he pushed underneath the wire of her bra. He gripped her breast harshly, squeezing and pulling her nipple into a hard peak. His other hand returned to her bum, massaging the skin in a more gentle fashion. It managed to knead out all the knots in her muscles, and Lili was in heaven.

She whimpered into his mouth, begging for him to do more - needing it. He obliged immediately by bringing his hands down to unbutton his pants. Blindly, his mouth found hers once again in a sloppy kiss. Excitement bubbled in the pit of her stomach; every nerve was on fire, every inch of her skin burning with desire for him. 

There was always an adrenaline high when they were about to have sex, but knowing it was happening somewhere it shouldn't, like in public, made that high about a thousand times more powerful.

Lili broke the kiss and glanced down, attempting to help Niall unbutton his pants with nimble fingers.

"Do you have-"

"Wait, I need to-"

They had both started speaking at the same time. Lili giggled, lifting a hand to cover her mouth. She loved those moments where they practically shared one brain.

Niall met her gaze, and his pupils were blown wide. His cheeks were pink, but now he was blushing as if he was embarrassed. "I have a condom in my wallet, I just need to reach for it."

She laughed again, twirling the hair at the base of his neck with her fingers. "Do you always keep one in your wallet?" she goaded. Honestly, she was just asking an innocent question, thinking nothing of it. They always teased each other like that. But his face surprisingly turned an even darker shade of red and he hid in her chest, reaching around to his back pocket and pulling out his small, leather wallet. His face was burning so much that she swore she could feel the heat through her shirt.

"Well, I was prepared for this, then, wasn't I?" he joked, retrieving the condom from one of the pockets and tossing the leather somewhere in the grass. His smile faltered. "You're not upset, are you? I don't want you to think I was being presumptuous, or..." he said softly, trailing off.

Lili shut up instantly. The last thing she wanted was for him to think she was laughing at him. It was admirable that he a) was always prepared, and b) constantly wanted to have sex with her. It was nice to be desired.

She cupped his face gently with her hands and looked into his eyes. "No, baby, I'm not," she whispered, brushing her thumbs across his cheeks. "I promise." Carefully, she pulled his face towards hers again. He kissed her slowly this time. Deeply. As if he were memorizing every inch of her mouth with his, afraid to miss even a single detail.

She sighed and pressed her chest harder against him. She flattened her knees against the soft earth and raised herself up slightly, reaching between their bodies and taking the condom from his fingers. He exhaled a shuddering breath as he drew his head back enough to watch her work, something he always loved to do.

Putting the condom on for him always made her nervous, but in a good way. The anticipation of what was to come always made it better. Plus, it added to the intimacy of the moment in a very unique, but endearing way. 

She reached down his unbuttoned pants and grasped his length in her hand, pumping him once, twice, earning a low groan and a curse. Niall wiggled under her in an attempt to lower his pants and she giggled again, watching his body jerk side to side. He laughed along with her, but it faded into a quiet, breathy gasp as she stroked him again, scanning his face. His eyes fluttered shut and his head fell back a touch, mouth opening slightly.

Just as Lili tore open the condom wrapper, she leaned forward and kissed the corner of his mouth. His eyes snapped open and his mouth shut as he watched her, swallowing and inhaling sharply with every graze of her fingers against his skin.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, as she rolled the condom down his length. She could feel his eyes scanning her features. Lili blushed at his words, scrunching her nose and eyes as she smiled.

"So are you," she whispered back. If only he knew just how beautiful she thought he was.

He rolled his eyes but let his shoulders relax again. The smile left his face as he licked his lips and lifted his hands until they rested flat on her thighs, fingers just millimetres away from the hem of her skirt. One of his eyebrows twitched before he glanced up at her. "Can I continue?" he asked. She nodded and swallowed.

Slowly, he began to slide his palms up, hands warm and rough against her skin. Lili's breath hitched when they reached the tops of her thighs. With one hand, he rubbed slow, delicate circles on her inner thigh. With the other hand, he moved her panties aside, holding them against her thigh and leaving her core exposed. Using the thumb that had been playing with her thigh, he grazed her clit softly, causing her hips to jerk towards him; sudden pleasure bolted through her body like hot lightning.

She pressed her forehead against his as the two of them breathed helplessly into one another. He continued to tease her, rubbing his thumb in soft, slow circles. The anticipation had left her incredibly sensitive. One soft touch was almost enough to send her to the moon. 

"Please..." she whimpered, closing her eyes to express her desperation. His teasing was cute, but now she needed the real thing. Two heartbeats passed between them before Niall attempted to spread her thighs slightly, still holding her soaked panties to the side.

His free hand gripped his hard length. Lili shuffled forwards and lined her hips up with him, feeling his tip tease her entrance. She nearly stopped breathing. She circled her hips around his tip once to get it lubricated, before she slowly sank down until he was filling her completely. A low, desperate whine escaped her mouth as she enjoyed every inch of him inside her.

"Oh, fuck..." he breathed out, brows furrowing.

Carefully, she lifted herself halfway up, before sliding back down again and circling her hips slowly, feeling the friction between their hips. He was so deep inside her, it was making her eyes roll. She whined into his mouth as she reattached their lips, matching her tongue to the slow, smooth pace of her hips.

Something in her brain was telling her to take this slow - make this moment as passionate as possible. She wanted to make love to him; use her body to demonstrate the feelings that her mouth couldn't seem to share just yet. The movement of her hips remained slow and calculated. She alternated between lifting herself up and down, and circling her hips in a wide circle.

He was moaning and panting into her mouth, eyes closed and face red. His hands gripped her hips roughly, helping her set a pace that they both could enjoy. He was deep in her stomach, reaching places she had never known possible. Every thrust made him feel bigger and bigger until he was stretching her to her limit. Lili pulsed and contracted around him, making them both moan.

Holding her tightly against him, Niall lay back until he was flat against the grass, holding Lili until she was sprawled across his stomach and chest. She cried out when he snapped his hips up suddenly, slamming into her before settling down and letting her grind against him. Her hands found his shoulders, then his neck, before she wound her fingers tightly into his hair, tugging with each slow thrust of her hips.

She pulsed around him as her body began climbing up towards her release, slowly and steadily, the pressure building behind her navel.

"So good, baby..." Niall whined, brows pulled together as he focused on the pleasure. His voice was unbelievably sexy when he was close to an orgasm.

She grinned weakly and moved her hips just a bit faster, finding an even better rhythm that was sure to make them both unravel in no time. He felt so good inside her...They were panting heavily together, unable to speak as they neared their releases together. She could feel the familiar burning in the pit of her stomach already.

"Niall, baby, I'm...fuck-"

She moaned out as he angled his hips differently and pounded against a spot that had her vision turning black. She nearly screamed when his hand drifted between their bodies, thumb circling her clit in the hopes that it would bring her release forward. The movement of his hips sped up again, his thrusts turning sloppy. Her thighs began to shake uncontrollably.

"I'm so close, princess...oh, fuck..."

His eyes were now shut tightly, mouth hanging slightly open as he thrust his hips up, meeting each of her own thrusts until they had reached a deliciously dangerous speed. One of his arms snaked around her back to hold her body tightly against his. Lili's eyes rolled back, and she had to bite down on her knuckles to keep from screaming out when she reached her release, pulsing around his length as she came. White spots blurred her vision until she could no longer see.

Her abs clenched and her thighs quivered as she tumbled over the edge. She dropped her head to his shoulder and breathed hard as he fucked her through her orgasm, trying to make it last as long as possible. A low, nearly unintelligible string of curses left Niall's lips as he also reached his climax, thrusting up into her a few more times before his hips stalled and he released into the condom, stomach clenching with each spurt. He groaned in her ear, chest rising and falling at a rapid pace.

Unable to hold himself up any longer, he dropped his head back on the grass and exhaled. They lay there for a long moment, trying to inhale enough oxygen so they didn't black out. After a while, Niall laughed, and his warm breath fanned across the top of her head. Lili pushed herself up slightly, using her weak arms to hold herself above him enough to see his face. They locked eyes and immediately burst into breathless laughter.

"Well, that was unexpected," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Her lungs burned.

Niall chuckled and held onto her tightly while he pushed them both upright once again, leaning forward and kissing her jaw softly. "We would definitely be in serious trouble right now if someone were here," he said with a laugh. "Imagine if those security guys never actually left."

Lili's eyes grew wide at the thought. How downright embarrassing would it be for someone to overhear moans and screaming? And worse, imagine if those people had been her co-workers! She would have to quit and move countries. 

Lili wasn't certain how long they sat there in their post-orgasm glory, but she knew they had to move. When she felt like she'd regained enough of her strength, she lifted herself off his length, whimpering slightly at the sudden emptiness. Niall also groaned.

"I really think you should get home now, darling. I'm sure Lionel and what-his-face will be wondering why you haven't sent for the alarm yet."

She laughed as she stood on her shaking legs, adjusting her skirt and running her fingers through her now sweaty hair. 'What's-his-face' was rather funny. She glanced down at Niall, who looked extremely sexy with his messy hair and red face. The stars still sparkled down on him in the most stunning way. He looked down at his cock, hands up on either side of his body as if he didn't know what to do with them. He was still completely exposed.

She laughed out loud at his dumbfounded look, which caught his attention. Grinning in spite of himself, Niall carefully peeled the condom off, tying it closed with his nimble fingers to avoid making a mess. He tucked himself neatly back into his boxers and zipped his pants up, looking around for his wallet in the grass. Spotting it, Lili moved over and bent to pick it up. She threw it to Niall carefully, who caught it with one hand. He shoved it into his back pocket.

"I'll toss this in the bin before we go, no problem," he said, raising the tied condom up to his line of sight. He laughed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as he stood. His knees wobbled slightly, and Lili laughed. "Look at what you do to me, love," he said playfully. The grin on his face was absolutely comical, but so god damn cute.

Lili just shook her head and walked over to the cart, sitting behind the steering wheel and starting the engine. The bright headlights lit up the pathway.

"Come on, baby. Let's get out of here."

After scanning the grass one last time to be sure they were leaving no traces of their evening behind, Niall hopped in the passenger seat and stretched his legs. Lili accelerated forward, trying to get back to the parlour as quickly as possible.

Her heart was still racing from what had just transpired, and the smile painting her face was aching on her cheeks. Who knew spontaneous sex could make a person so happy? She chanced a look at Niall, who was wearing the exact same goofy smile as her.

"You know," he said, leaning back against the seat and spreading his knees. "Never in my life did I think I'd ever have sex with my girlfriend in the middle of a golf course, at night, on the grass."

Lili laughed, and her cheeks flushed. He certainly wasn't wrong.

He draped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him just enough to kiss the side of her head sweetly. Her heart skipped. She bit her lip as she made a careful turn to head back downhill. "And I never thought that I would sneak around my place of work at night and have sex with my boyfriend on the golf course."

"That was incredibly rebellious of you, if you ask me," Niall said, a hint of a smirk in his voice. He seemed...proud of her? "Where did that even come from, by the way?"

Lili shrugged one shoulder as she veered slightly to the left.

"I don't really know. I guess I just wanted to try something fun and different. Spice things up, you know? And then the emotions started running high with the stars and our conversation and I just..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "I wanted to be impulsive, I guess." That wasn't exactly what she'd been meaning to say, but because he knew her so well, Niall could piece together the real context behind those clues.

She pulled up towards the cart garage and slowed to a stop, leaning out of the side to punch the door code in. Niall placed a hand on her hip to keep her steady. He chuckled, like what she'd just said was funny. She turned to him as the garage opened.

"What?"

He shook his head, biting back a smile. "Nothing. I just love this side of you." He licked his lips. "There's nothing wrong with you normally, but this was fun. It was quite sexy watching you like that, anyway."

She blushed again and said nothing as she pulled forward and parked, shutting the engine and the headlights off. Nothing made her feel better than Niall thinking of her as sexy. Of course, compliments like beautiful, smart, and caring made her incredibly happy, but knowing he thought she was sexy too was the sweet cherry on top of the sundae.

They both stepped out of the cart and met in front of the garage. Lili could already feel the ache in her thighs, and knew she'd have a rough morning. Though, like every time they were intimate, she wouldn't trade it for the world.

Niall sighed deeply. "I just don't want you risking getting in trouble for me. Your job is too important." His voice was soft and serious, and his words felt genuine. No one had ever referred to Lili's job as a bev cart girl as 'too important.' She smiled softly as he closed the gap between them.

"I won't get in trouble," she reiterated. "I promise you. But I'd risk punishment a thousand times over for you, always." She lifted herself onto her toes and kissed the tip of his nose, watching the apples of his cheeks pink up adorably.

Niall pressed the button to close the garage door for her and gestured his head towards the parlour. Lili grinned and jogged over to the glass door, retrieving her keys from the waistband of her skirt, along with her phone, and unlocked the door. 

Shining her flashlight into the dark room, she guided Niall over to the garbage can so he could toss the used condom into the bin, covering it with a few crumpled paper towels to hide the evidence. He quickly washed his hands and shook them dry before moving back over to where Lili stood waiting for him. He lifted a finger and tapped Lili's nose, getting a droplet of water on her cheek. "Okay, pretty girl, let's run before we really get in trouble."

They turned to exit the parlour; Lili was already dialling Lionel's number as she locked the door back up. "Hey, Lionel," she said, out of breath. "Sorry it's so late. That shipment was way bigger than I thought, so I'm just leaving now. You can go ahead and set the alarm." His tired voice gave the approval from the other end so Lili hung up, satisfied that her plan had worked. It was amazing that everything they did tonight had gone under the radar.

When she turned back to Niall, he was wearing an amused smirk. It was quite cocky. "Oh, it was definitely a big shipment, alright," he said, running his tongue along his upper molars.

Lili shoved his shoulder and started walking towards the parking lot, leaving a laughing Niall behind. "You're such a child," she said, unable to stop herself from smiling. Was he wrong, though? Probably not.

He slipped his hand in hers as he fell into step next to her. "Come on, love, it was right there!"

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, though that didn't stop her from laughing with him.

Niall waited outside the door as Lili dashed into the locker room to retrieve her purse and hat. The shadows creeping in from the windows were fucking terrifying, especially when she was in there by herself.

A strange, sad feeling settled in her chest when they arrived at her car, knowing they had to part for the night. Even though they'd just spent the evening together, and would be seeing each other again in less than 24 hours, leaving him always made Lili incredibly sad.

She pouted and turned to him, reaching for his shoulders and pulling him in. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his snuck around her waist. There was no way he couldn't feel how sad she was about this moment, especially since he probably felt just as bad. He pinched her butt before settling his arms around her, making her squeak out a laugh.

He sighed, looking down at her lips, then into her eyes. Even in the darkness, his eyes were shining like bright diamonds. He couldn't possibly be a real human looking that beautiful.

"I hate leaving you," he said, lifting one arm to graze his thumb gently across her cheek. The touch sent a frenzy of butterflies loose in her stomach.

She smiled at him and leaned her cheek into his hand. "Me too. But at least I'll see you tomorrow."

His eyes twinkled. "I can't wait to see that dress."

Lili smiled, though her stomach turned. "I'm kind of nervous. Meeting all these new people, only knowing a handful of the guests..." Aside from the bride, groom, Niall, and Liam and Grace, Lili knew nobody. Like, never even seen these people on social media before. And a black-tie wedding wasn't really an ideal place to meet all these said people. The good news was that Lili was planning on getting absolutely fucking trashed, so if the introductions went poorly, she could at least forget them with copious amounts of alcohol.

Niall laughed softly, twirling the ends of her hair with his fingers. "You'll be fine, baby," he said. "I'll be by your side the whole night, you know that." That, she could always count on. Her knight in shining armour. 

He glanced at her car, then met her eyes once again. "Alright, you really should get home now. Your parents are probably worried sick." He pressed his lips softly against hers in a heart wrenching goodbye. Lili tightened her arms around his neck and pulled him into a tight hug, snuggling her face into his neck. He still smelled strongly of his aftershave - her favourite scent.

"Goodnight," she said sadly, before pulling back, kissing him once again, and dropping her arms at her side. If she held onto him any longer, she literally would not have been able to leave him. Niall reached for her hand and kissed her fingers.

"Drive safe, angel. Call me when you get home?"

* * *

"So, I was thinking I'd come pick you up around 2:15 tomorrow afternoon. The ceremony starts at 3:00, so it'll give us enough time to find good seats."

Niall's sleepy voice carried through the phone and into Lili's ears like a calming symphony. She knew from the softness of his tone that he was snuggled in bed, one arm under the pillow, the other lying flat against the mattress just about where her stomach would be. It was how he always lay when she was there with him. The thought of cuddling up next to him under his sheets sent a sad pang through her heart. God, she missed sleeping by his side.

"Sounds perfect," she said, yawning silently. She had just finished brushing her teeth and was slowly pulling her pajamas on, which consisted of a pair of cotton shorts and one of Niall's t-shirts.

"I was also thinking..." Niall continued softly. He sniffled. "Maybe you could stay the night after? I mean, it'll be late, and we'll probably be drunk. Or tipsy, at least. We can have another sleepover."

Lili smiled as she got into bed and pulled the comforter up around her chin, placing her phone on the pillow next to her. It was the closest she would get to him right now.

"Yeah, I'd like that. It shouldn't be a problem." She paused and smiled up at the ceiling. "You know, you've really fucked up sleeping for me, Horan. I can't seem to get comfortable when I'm by myself now."

He giggled in the most adorable way. "You're telling me. I can't even sleep on your side of the bed anymore."

Your side of the bed. Those words could practically bring her to tears. He was so fucking cute, it was painful. She smiled widely, letting it burn against her cheeks.

"I like that I have a side of the bed," she said, switching her lamp off before turning to lie on her back. The room was flooded with darkness, the only light coming from the screen of her phone.

"It'll always be there," he said quietly. There was an awkward pause where the only thing Lili could hear was white nose. Niall cleared his throat after a moment. "Hey, I know I was messing around with you a lot tonight, but all joking aside, I had a really good time. I mean, I always have a really good time with you, but tonight was really special, and I'm glad we got to experience that together." He was rambling, almost like he was nervous.

"I had a really good time too, Niall," she said. She reached down and played with the hem of her pillowcase to give her hands a distraction. "I meant it when I said that was a dream come true for me. I can't even tell you how special it was for me to sit there with you and have you allow me to ramble on about the stars like that."

"It was so cute, how could I have stopped it?" Niall practically shouted, and the smile was so evident in his voice. She laughed. She really did appreciate the way he'd given her the metaphorical floor to speak about her passions. Lili always worried that she annoyed the people around her by getting overly excited about the things she loved, so it was nice that Niall embraced it. For once, she didn't feel stupid about her passions.

He was silent on the other end, like he was thinking hard about what to say next. Lili's pulse quickened. "Lili, I..." She could hear his rapid breathing through the receiver.

Two, three, four heartbeats passed before he spoke again.

"Um, yeah. I had a great time tonight. Really." His throat clicked as he swallowed. "I should let you sleep, princess. Tomorrow's going to be a long day."

Her heart was in her throat. That was weird...She swallowed and smiled, shaking her head to clear it. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Sleep well, baby. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, princess."

She hung up and locked the screen, rolling over to drop her phone on the nightstand. She snuggled under the blankets, cuddling with her elephant, but just couldn't let herself go to sleep. Not after what just happened.

She was wide awake now.

Was he going to...say it? It felt like it. That pause definitely meant something. It had hung pretty heavily in the air. They'd had a few moments like that recently, but none that meaningful. Could it really be happening soon? Was this all in her head, or was something going to happen between them?

Taking a breath, Lili closed her eyes. She couldn't focus on that. The day ahead of her was going to be long and tiring, and she needed all the rest she could possibly get.

It was going to be a good day. She was sure of it. 

Chapter Text

~ song of the chapter is From This Moment On by Shania Twain - the cutest ever

this is another long one, get ready lovers

The pre-wedding jitters began shortly after Lili attempted to eat breakfast.

Another amazing night with Niall made it easy for Lili to fall asleep, and she did so with a smile on her face. Even if she spent some time wondering about their last conversation, it didn’t affect the way the exhaustion took over her body. Once she'd fallen asleep, she stayed that way until well after the sun came up. To be honest, it was one of the best night's sleep she'd had in a while.

But now, she felt sick to her stomach with nerves thinking about all the new people she was bound to meet. She knew it would be fine in the end, but these feelings were out of her control. A lot of what she felt was excitement, though.

The last time she'd been to a wedding was probably ten years ago when one of her distant cousins got married. She was the type of person to cry at every single wedding, without fail, because watching people in love promise themselves to one another forever always broke her heart. It didn't matter whose wedding it was. It was painful having to watch couple after couple live her dream when she was fairly certain she'd never be given the chance. They had everything she wanted and watching them get married felt like cruel and unusual punishment. After so many years spent fantasizing about her future wedding, she'd had every single one of those dreams crushed until they were nothing more than dust. Lili had known for years that her window of opportunity was closing.

But not anymore. This time, she would be sitting in the audience, watching two people in love commit to each other for life, all while holding her own love's hand. For the first time ever, someone else's wedding would have a happy ending for her, too.

And she was looking forward to the wedding simply because she adored Zayn and Maria. Zayn Malik, the groom, had known Niall since they were teenagers. They first met on an online soccer forum when they were 14, because they both supported the same Premier League soccer team. Zayn messaged Niall to tell him that he liked his profile picture, which happened to be a player they both idolized. There was an instant connection between them that they were able to carry into their adult years.

They had talked online and video chatted for a few months and developed a really strong friendship, before eventually travelling to London to meet for the first time in person. Since then, they'd been the best of friends; Zayn was always around to support Niall both in and out of his career, and Niall was right there to do the same for Zayn. It was obvious the two of them loved each other dearly. They had a very special bond that not many were able to experience in their lifetime, and to see them still close friends all these years later was beautiful.

Maria, the bride, grew up in the Los Angeles area after moving from Colorado when she was about 3 years old. Funnily enough, Lili and Maria attended the same college, at the exact same time, and had taken a gender studies class together sophomore year. They'd even worked in a group project together for that class and gotten a near-perfect grade. They didn't develop a close friendship after that, but would always wave and say hello if they saw each other around campus.

Maria first met Zayn when he came to LA to visit Niall a few years ago, shortly before she graduated. She was working at an Italian restaurant on the outskirts of the city and just happened to be serving the boys one day when they went to grab lunch together. The odds of them being at that specific restaurant that day were next to zero. The only reason they stopped there was because an accident on the highway blocked the exit they wanted to merge onto, and this restaurant was closest. They were too hungry to go anywhere else.

Zayn caught her eye right away, which is not difficult to do, considering how handsome he is. Maria admitted that she'd tried flirting with him the whole time, but was sure that it wasn't working. She thought the entire exchange was incredibly awkward and figured it would lead nowhere. Except Zayn thought she was beautiful and slipped her his number with a hefty tip. She called him almost as soon as she finished her shift, and the rest is history.

The first time Lili met Zayn and Maria was on a double date with Niall, and you can imagine her shock when she walked in to see her old classmate. Niall had said her name a few times beforehand, but since it was a pretty common name, Lili didn't really expect to know her personally. She'd never even seen a picture of her until that point, so for all she knew, it could have been literally anyone.

A few months after they started dating, Zayn moved all the way to LA to be closer to Maria and, and within weeks, they were living together. Any time he mentioned that, he would always use Niall as a playful excuse, stating he was moving here to be closer to him and that Maria was just a happy coincidence, though everyone knew the truth.

The harsh vibration of Lili's phone on the dresser shattered her thoughts, and she jumped to answer before it went to voicemail.

"Hey, I was just about to call you, but I got distracted," she said, taking a breath.

Jordyn laughed on the other end. "Sure you were. What time do you need me at your house?" Being the best, most amazing friend that she was, Jordyn had offered to do Lili's hair and makeup for the wedding, which Lili happily accepted. Jordyn was practically a professional when it came to beauty and fashion, and Lili wanted to look like a beauty queen tonight. As much as she loved doing her own hair and makeup, sometimes it was nice to have someone help you out.

Plus, it would give them the opportunity to spend some time together - something that had been missing over the past few weeks with how busy work and life had become for both of them. It felt like they saw each other less and less these days. Adult friendships could be low maintenance and still be successful, but going this long without seeing your best friend wasn't ideal.

Lili smiled as she ran her fingers through her long, slightly greasy hair. "Would you be ready in...20 minutes? I still need to shower."

There was loud shuffling on the other end of the line, followed by a few muffled curse words. "Yeah, 20 works. Your hair needs to be damp for my rollers, anyway. I'll text when I'm on my way."

"Alright, see you," Lili said, before hanging up the phone.

Immediately, she jogged into her bathroom and twisted the shower handle, turning the water on to let it heat up as she undressed. A pink silk robe was draped across her bed, along with a pair of fuzzy socks. She hung a cotton towel up outside the curtain and quickly pulled her clothes off, tossing them absentmindedly in the already overflowing laundry bin beside the door.

Lately, she didn't have time to do any fucking laundry and hated the way it piled higher and higher. God, she couldn't wait to finally have a few days off in a row and completely clean her bedroom, top to bottom.

Her phone buzzed once on the countertop as she was combing out her hair, and she smiled as Niall's name appeared on the screen.

Niall Horan: can't wait to see you tonight angel :) gonna be an amazing night xx

Lili Hughes: I'm so excited baby! Don't forget to text when you're on your way

Her heart thumped dramatically at the anticipation of seeing him all dolled up for the event. A man in a perfectly fitted suit was definitely her weakness. One look at Niall all dressed up and she might try and rip his clothes off on the drive to the venue...She shook her head quickly to remove the dirty thoughts from her brain and stepped into the hot waterfall.

25 minutes later, she was running downstairs to open the door for Jordyn, robe tied tightly around her body and hair thrown up in a soft towel. She'd shaved and exfoliated her entire body in the shower, and the silk felt like heaven against her skin. The softness of her freshly-manicured body was sure to drive Niall crazy.

Jordyn looked her up and down with wide, unblinking eyes as she stepped inside and kicked off her shoes, clicking her tongue dramatically. "You know what, girl, I don't even think you need to do anything else," she said, gesturing to Lili's red face. A smirk was playing on her glossy lips. "This is the look."

"You are so annoying," Lili retorted, rolling her eyes as she turned to head back up the stairs. "But to be fair, I do think I look great right now."

Jordyn laughed and followed closely behind, calling out a loud hello to the house to announce her arrival - something she'd been doing since the very beginning of their friendship. This house was basically a second home to her now, so any indication of her presence was warmly welcomed by the family.

Matt called back an annoyed "hey" from his bedroom, and Lili laughed out loud.

"He loves me, I'm not worried," Jordyn joked, as she shut Lili's bedroom door behind her. The curtains were closed, keeping the room cool and dark.

The bag Jordyn had been lugging under her arm was practically bursting at the seams, and she huffed in annoyance as she struggled to keep everything inside. Lili eyed her friend nervously, watching every move Jordyn made closely. What the hell was she planning on doing…?

Jordyn dropped the bag on the bathroom counter and sighed, reaching back to tie her short hair into a tight knot at the top of her skull. Half of it fell out of the tie, so she aggressively tucked the pieces behind her ears.

"Okay, my rollers are in that case, there," she said, pointing at a small purple rectangle made of plastic. "And your hair dryer is a fucking mess so I thought I'd bring mine. I also have most of my makeup in case I want to use something you don't have." She looked from Lili, to the now full countertop, and back, giving a tight-lipped smile. "It's all just the basics, really."

These were all answers to questions Lili had been thinking but didn't dare ask out loud, and it was pretty funny how they could practically communicate telepathically after so many years of being best friends. Jordyn stuck her tongue out playfully, before clapping her hands once loudly. "Alright, let's get started. We have, what, three hours before Horan gets here?" she asked, retrieving the rollers.

Lili nodded. "Yes. He said we need to be in the car by 2:15."

Jordyn nodded once and gestured for Lili to sit on the folding chair her dad had brought up from the garage earlier that morning. Lili took a seat and crossed her legs, leaning back in the chair and giving Jordyn the space to work.

Everything about this moment was exciting. Lili had never gotten a makeover before, so she was anticipating seeing herself all done up at the end. The last time she'd had a full face of makeup on to this extent was probably her senior prom. But knowing Jordyn, her best friend in the whole world, was willing to spend her afternoon off doing said makeover to make Lili feel beautiful on a big, important night was incredibly special. Anything they got to do together meant the world to Lili and more.

She admired Jordyn through the mirror as she set to work, first on Lili's hair. She moved silently through the motions - part a section of hair off, comb a sweet-smelling oil through it, wrap the curler around it, and pin it to the top of Lili's scalp. It was a pretty simple process. Jordyn repeated these steps multiple times, and half an hour later, she used her blow dryer on the hot setting to lock the curls in place, signalling the end of the hair portion of the afternoon.

The hot air was filling the small bathroom, and it was torture. Lili used one flap of her robe to fan her face, hoping her skin wasn’t too red.

Finally, Jordyn shut the dryer off, unplugged it from the wall, and left it on the opposite end of the countertop to cool down. Lili tried pushing some of the hot air out the open door with her hands. It didn't really work, so she just returned to fanning herself.

Jordyn instructed Lili to brush her teeth while she organized the makeup, taking out lots of products until there were about a thousand things strewn across the counter. It was quite intimidating, actually. If she was being honest, Lili didn't really like having too much on her face. Packing foundation, powders, and contours on made her skin feel like it was suffocating. But she wanted to look perfect and beautiful for Niall tonight, so she was more than willing to deal with the uncomfortable consequences.

Jordyn was dabbing a cold concealer underneath Lili's eyes when she finally spoke. "Why are you so nervous?" Her voice was cool and soft, like she was trying to keep the conversation nonchalant.

Lili furrowed her brows, keeping her eyes on the ceiling as she'd been instructed. "What makes you say that?"

"You've been picking at your cuticles since you sat down, and you've pulled so much skin off your lips that you're bound to start bleeding soon."

Lili blinked - sometimes she forgot just how well Jordyn knew her. And how obvious her tells were.

"You underestimate how easily I can read you," she said, once again reading Lili's mind. Lili sighed as a thin powder was swept along her skin.

"I don't really know. I mean, this is going to be the first time that I'm meeting a lot of Niall's friends, and it's a big deal. Meeting them in this kind of setting is terrifying."

Jordyn tilted Lili's chin with her fingers to contour her cheeks at a better angle and exhaled quietly. "They'd be stupid not to like you, if that's what you're worried about." She was batting .1000 on mind-reading already today. "They would have no reason to, anyway," Jordyn continued, "because you know how amazing you are. And if they're really his friends, they'll like you just as much as he does without giving it a second thought." She set the brush she'd been using down and picked up another one, along with a peach-coloured blush palette. "The only reason they could possibly hate you after tonight is because they'll see how hot you are and wish they were you or were with you."

She shrugged after speaking, as if that was the most obvious fact on the planet. Lili laughed out loud, earning a silent scolding from Jordyn. "Yeah, well, I doubt that would ever be the case. But thank you."

Surprisingly, Lili didn't feel as uncomfortable with that kind of compliment as she would have a month or two ago. The old Lili would have physically shied away from a compliment like that. It would have been hard for her to accept even a quarter of it. But right now, it just made her feel good. And she appreciated it more than she disliked it.

The two were silent again for a while. Lili took a long sip of her water bottle through a straw - she needed to keep hydrated because she was planning on getting absolutely smashed tonight.

"So, how are things going with Niall, anyway?" Jordyn asked, breaking the prolonged silence once again. "He's being a good boy, I hope." Lili snickered at the odd choice of words. He was always being a good boy. He was perfect to her. Perfect for her.

She smiled at the thought of him. "He's really great," she said. "I've never been so happy." Just thinking about how happy they were made her stomach all warm and fuzzy. It was true. In the past couple months, Lili had experienced the kind of true joy and happiness that she thought only existed in books and movies. Every single day, she woke up knowing there was a purpose to living. To breathing. She looked forward to it now. And she absolutely had Niall to thank for that, no matter what anyone said. He was changing her life for the better. She flushed slightly. "It's crazy to see where we are now when we were complete strangers just a few months ago..."

"Yeah, you guys have really picked up the pace there," Jordyn chuckled, reaching for an eyeshadow palette.

Lili rolled her eyes. "We're going at a very normal speed, thank you very much." Jordyn had no right to talk about moving fast, anyway, and she knew that. It wasn’t meant to put Lili down – it was more to protect her. Lili sighed and smiled again. "Everything is honestly perfect." She paused, furrowing her brows slightly. "I mean, sometimes, I still feel scared about the whole thing, but he makes it so easy to talk to him about my feelings."

If her relationship with Niall had taught her anything, it was that she was no longer going to accept the bare minimum from people. She knew what she deserved, even in her platonic relationships. There would be no more settling.

She giggled quietly to herself. "How stupid is it that I'm over the moon about having a partner who shows me basic respect and decency?"

A hint of a smile played on Jordyn's mouth, as if she couldn't decide whether or not she was allowed to laugh. "Hey, when you've had to deal with everything you've dealt with, it's not stupid at all." A cold, slimy gel was brushed onto Lili's brows, locking the hairs in place. "Are you sure he's giving you everything you deserve?"

"I do," Lili replied instantly. "He really is the best boyfriend in the world. And I never thought I'd ever be saying that in my lifetime, so I think I'm allowed to brag about it for a bit."

Niall was, without a doubt, the best possible partner Lili could have ever asked or prayed for. He treated her with the utmost respect, love, and care, and she could only hope to reciprocate it as best as she possibly could. Sorry to anyone who thought their partner was the best in the world, but they were simply wrong. Absolutely nobody could compare to Niall Horan.

Jordyn smiled wider, and it warmed up her honey-coloured eyes. The genuine reaction made Lili's heart soar.

"I'm glad to hear it," Jordyn said. "We need to go on another double date sometime. Isaiah's been annoying me about when he's going to see Niall again."

Lili scoffed out a laugh. Jordyn's long-term boyfriend, Isaiah, had very quickly become accustomed to hanging around Niall, but not in a crazy fanboy kind of way. He didn't even really know who Niall was beyond the fact that he was a professional athlete. The very first time Lili officially introduced Niall to Jordyn and Isaiah as her boyfriend, the two of them clicked instantly.

They became friends seemingly faster than Jordyn and Lili had. They hang out together sometimes, going for a beer or a round of pool at a pub. They'd almost become attached at the hip. Sometimes, they would call each other on the phone to say something that could have literally been a one sentence text message just to get the chance to have a conversation.

Lili's co-dependency issue looked minuscule in comparison to Isaiah's, but how could she possibly complain? Her boyfriend, best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend were getting along better than anyone could have ever expected, including her. It was a dream come true. Literally, she used to daydream about double dates as a kid because they seemed so wonderful. All she'd ever wanted growing up was a partner who wanted to be around her best friend as much as they wanted to be around her.

Jordyn grabbed Lili's chin carefully and turned her face to one side. "Aside from the way he treats you, is everything else good?" Jordyn questioned. "There are no other problems or issues I should be concerned about?" She raised her eyebrows playfully, but Lili knew she was dead serious. If they were fighting or had any sorts of problems that Jordyn wasn't aware of, there would be hell to pay.

Lili let out an embarrassed laugh. "Everything is great, yes," she said with a smile. She hesitated, and thought back to Niall's odd pause on the phone last night. The moment where she thought he might say it. That pause felt so...tense.

She debated telling Jordyn about it - getting her advice would definitely help her sort out these feelings. It would also help her realize whether or not she'd interpreted the moment correctly. Lili wasn't entirely certain what Niall's awkward pause meant. Of course, she had some ideas, but it could have been anything. He could have just zoned out in the moment due to exhaustion and remembered he was on the phone a few moments later.

She didn't want to read too far into it, and hearing what someone like Jordyn had to say about it would help with her potential delusions. But she decided against it. This was something Lili needed to keep private until sometime in the future, because of how incredibly meaningful it was to her. If she was right about one of her theories, she wouldn't want anyone to know what was happening until it did. That was something Lili preferred to keep between herself and Niall.

Choosing to keep quiet, she smiled up at Jordyn, scrunching her nose a bit. "I'm extremely happy." She then slapped the tops of her thighs gently, making Jordyn jump. "So, when can I see this masterpiece in its entirety?" she asked, expertly changing the subject.

Jordyn grinned. "Soon. Stop moving, I'm putting your lashes on now." Some very pretty, very natural looking false lashes that seemed to curl all the way up to Lili's eyebrows were glued to her eyelid, making her cringe. Jordyn's lips were pulled into a tight, thin line as she concentrated, making sure the lash strips weren't crooked.

After a few more moments, she stood up straight and sighed sharply, a relaxed smile appearing on her face. "Alright,” she said, covering Lili’s eyes and spraying her whole face with setting spray, “I'm going to finish your hair, and then you can look."

Lili nodded, anticipation boiling in her veins. It had been so long since she'd gotten dolled up that she almost forgot what it felt like. Jordyn started by removing the two front rollers, which were holding back the layers that framed Lili's face. She pulled the top drawer of the vanity open and picked up some bobby pins. It was strange that she curled these pieces if they were just going to be pinned back, but Lili knew better than to question her best friend's decisions.

Working her fingers through the pieces, Jordyn slicked the two sections down with some gel and pinned them both along the base of Lili's skull, giving the illusion that they were tucked behind her ears. She'd pinned them so tightly that it actually hurt, throwing out the excuse that they needed to stay put all night long.

Jordyn then worked quickly to remove the rest of the rollers, letting the curls drop down to Lili's shoulders. Instead of combing through each curl with her fingers to separate the hairs, Jordyn just sprayed Lili's entire head with hairspray and stepped back, admiring her work.

"I'm not going to brush them out until you're literally stepping out the door so they can last longer, but take a look." She rubbed her lips together in a manner that suggested she was nervous to see Lili's reaction but was trying to hide it. There wasn't a doubt in Lili's mind that she had done an amazing job, so she wasn't worried. She gestured to the mirror and took a step back, almost as if to give Lili the floor.

Lili stood and turned around slowly, and her jaw dropped at the supermodel staring back at her. Her soft black hair was styled to perfection with large barrel curls. They cascaded down her back in a gorgeous waterfall - she didn't know her hair could even be that shiny. The pieces pinned down in the front framed her face beautifully, and not a single strand of hair was out of place. Having the two front pieces pinned underneath the curls was a brilliant idea, because Lili didn't have to worry about pushing her hair out of her face the whole night.

At first, the idea of framing her face in that manner really scared her, because she was insecure about the shape of her face. Lili also used her hair to cover her face, almost like a security blanket, so she was going to have to learn to let that go tonight.

But the makeup...it was absolutely stunning. Lili was sporting a soft brown and gold smoky eye look, which made her green eyes stand out brilliantly, like emeralds in the sunlight. The lashes fluffed out at the ends to give her eyes a sexy cat-like shape, which was further enhanced by the jet black winged eyeliner. A delicate swipe of contour gave her cheeks shape and structure, accentuated by a peach blush and champagne highlight. The final touch was a soft, pink gloss that made her lips look full and plump.

Lili was too shocked to close her mouth. "Jordyn...wow." That was literally all she could say. It was impossible to form words at this point. She looked beautiful.

Blinking rapidly, Lili looked up at the ceiling and took a few easy breaths to stop the tears that were threatening to destroy her entire face. She hadn't seen herself look this beautiful in a long, long time. Maybe ever, honestly. And this was only half of it. When she had the dress and heels on...

In the corner of the reflection, Lili could see Jordyn grinning proudly. "You don't think it's too much, do you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "I know it's a black tie wedding, but..."

Lili shook her head emphatically and looked over her shoulder, smiling at her incredible best friend. "No, Jordyn, it's not. It's perfect. Seriously, this is amazing. Thank you so much." Gently, Lili ghosted her fingers along her jawline as her eyes roamed her face in the reflection, almost as if she couldn't believe the girl staring back was really her.

Jordyn exhaled quietly, and Lili was honestly kind of shocked how nervous she’d been. "I'm glad you like it."

Lili scrunched her nose up in a smile and turned to hug Jordyn, but was interrupted by her phone buzzing on the countertop. Her heart fluttered before she could even glance at the screen, like it knew who the message was going to be from.

Niall Horan: leaving home now princess. see you in 20 xx

Her heart leapt to her throat, a ball of nervous excitement growing in her stomach. She turned to Jordyn with wide eyes and an awkward smile. "Okay, he's going to be here in 20 minutes. You need to help me into my dress right now."

Lili brushed past her through the doorway and into her bedroom, practically running to the closet and flinging the door open. She needed to slow down and relax, because she was already starting to sweat. But there was no time to relax. She was not going to be the reason they showed up late to a wedding.

Her dress, which had just been freshly dry cleaned, was hanging front and center in the same protective plastic cover it was put in when she bought it. Carefully, Lili pulled the dress off the rack and unzipped the cover, using her shaking hands to remove it from the hanger. Jordyn gasped and took the plastic from Lili's hands.

"Oh, Lil, that is fucking gorgeous." With all the commotion of the past few days, Lili just now realized that she'd forgotten to show Jordyn pictures of this phenomenal purchase. Normally, it would have been the first thing she thought to do. The fact that this one little tradition hadn't been carried out sort of upset her in a way. Next time, she wouldn’t let that happen.

Lili smiled despite her nerves and tried to ignore her unreasonable guilt. "I know. I fell absolutely in love with it when I first tried it on." She turned and shrugged nonchalantly. "Niall hasn't seen it yet."

Jordyn's eyes grew wide in shock. "Seriously? Well, he's going to die when he sees you. I think I might."

With a laugh, Lili lay the dress on her bed and turned around, untying her robe. She slipped on a pair of seamless underwear and a strapless bra while Jordyn unzipped the dress. She pooled it delicately on the ground around Lili's feet, giving her enough space to step into it.

Lil shook and shimmied her way into the dress with trepidation, hoping it didn't magically shrink since the purchase. When she was fully zipped up, Lili exhaled slowly - she wanted to wait until she had the entire look together before she checked her reflection again.

The only jewelry she put on was a thin silver necklace with the matching bracelet, and silver dangly earrings. She didn't bother putting on any rings other than the silver studded band Jordyn had given her for her 18th birthday. Simplicity was always key. The dress should be the main focus of her look.

Careful not to get any marks on the dress, Lili swiped on some deodorant and sprayed perfume on her wrists, neck, and chest.

Using Jordyn's shoulders for balance, Lili then slipped into her strappy black heels. She wobbled from side to side before finding her balance – it had been a long time since she'd worn shoes this high.

"You look so stunning," Jordyn said breathily as she looked Lili up and down. A small smile played on her lips. "Seriously, he's going to die." She reached up on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around Lili's shoulders, pulling her into a warm hug. It was awkward because of the height difference, and the two of them couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you for helping me," Lili said, as she pulled back. "You're the best friend I could ever have."

"Oh, shut up before I cry," Jordyn said, laughing. "I know you'd do the same for me."

"Always," Lili replied, placing her hands on Jordyn's shoulders. She was so, so thankful for Jordyn's help. There was no way Lili would have looked or felt even half as beautiful as she did right now if she'd had to do everything herself.

And again, Jordyn dropping everything to be by her side tonight meant the world. This friendship was something that should never be taken for granted.

Lili opened her mouth to continue the conversation, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing loudly through the house. The sound set every nerve in her body on fire. "Oh fuck, that was a fast twenty minutes," she said in disbelief. She gasped and nearly fell over from the shock. "How is he here already? Fuck, I need my clutch. It's somewhere in my closet."

The panic was starting to set in as they rushed to grab all of her important last-minute items. Lili's chest was rising and falling rapidly, and she struggled to breathe as she ran around her room trying to make sure nothing was left behind. As Jordyn rushed to find the silk black clutch she needed, Lili rummaged through her purse and removed her driver's license and credit card to throw in it, along with some cash.

Jordyn handed her the clutch and she tossed her phone and the cards in, snapping it shut. Lili pointed to a bag on the floor in the corner of her room as she placed her hand over her chest, trying to slow her heart.

"Can you grab that bag? I need it for tonight."

Jordyn raised an eyebrow, looking at the bag suspiciously. "Tonight? Are you not coming home later?"

Lili shook her head as she looked around, making sure she had everything. "No, I'm sleeping at Niall's. My parents don't really care, and we're going to be out really late, anyway."

Clearly impressed, Jordyn nodded and slung the bag over her shoulder. "Wow, sleeping at a boy's house and not lying to your parents about it? Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?" she teased, placing one hand on her hip. Yeah, it was weird to hear that, even if it was sarcastic. Lili was notorious for following the rules, rarely ever lying to her parents growing up.

She rolled her eyes in response. "Correction. Sleeping at a boy's house and not lying about it this time," she said with a laugh. "They don't know about the first time, remember?"

Jordyn nodded slowly, running her tongue along her teeth. "Ah, yes. The all-important 'first night'. Got it." She shook her head, amused. Yes, the very important first night. The one that truly kickstarted everything.

Lili could hear Niall laughing happily in the hallway and her stomach flipped excitedly. It had been a day and her heart and body were both yearning for him.

"Okay, let me fix your hair before you go." Dropping the bag on the floor, Jordyn ran past Lili and disappeared into the bathroom, returning with a bottle of hair oil. She poured a dab of the oil onto her fingertips, rubbed it across her palms, then gestured for Lili to squat down a bit for her to reach. She carefully ran her fingers through the curls enough to break them apart without flattening them. Instead of washing her hands, she wiped the excess oil onto her sweatpants, before picking up the bag again.

"How do I look?" Lili asked nervously, posing awkwardly in the middle of her bedroom. She was trying not to move too much so she didn’t sweat.

Jordyn smiled. "Gorgeous. Okay, do you have everything?"

Lili rubbed her lips together as she ran through her mental checklist. All she really needed was her toothbrush, makeup remover, cotton pads, and makeup wipes, which were in the travel case at the bottom of her bag. She could just grab one of Niall's shirts to sleep in later. She finally nodded, physically swallowing down her nerves at the same time. She sprayed herself with her more of her favourite perfume and was ready to go.

Jordyn grinned proudly, like a pageant mom watching her daughter cross the stage. "Alright, I'm going to go prepare your man for your big entrance. See you in a few." And with that, she blew a kiss into the air, before rushing out of the bedroom and hurrying down the hall. Leave it to Jordyn to turn 'walking down the stairs' into a grand entrance. It was nice.

With one last deep breath, Lili walked carefully across the hallway in her heels, moving at a snail's pace down the steps. She gripped the railing tightly with one hand while the other lifted the hem of her dress. It would take a bit of time for her to get used to walking in shoes like these, and now all she could think about was what her balance would look like once there was alcohol flowing in her system. But that was a problem for future Lili.

Halfway down the staircase, she finally looked up, and her eyes landed on Niall standing at the front door. Everything around her seemed to stop. It was like she was seeing him for the very first time all over again, only much clearer. Bolts of electricity shot through her veins like lightning, sparking every inch of her body and mind awake.

His dark brown hair - freshly trimmed, it seemed - was styled in a perfect coiffed shape, full of texture and volume. A light layer of stubble covered his jaw. His eyes looked brighter and even more blue than usual, and it took her breath away. He was wearing a crisp black 3-piece tux with a clean white dress shirt underneath. A midnight-blue tie that somehow perfectly matched the colour of her dress pulled the look together. A pocket square of the same colour fabric poked out from the front breast pocket.

No wonder his eyes looked devastatingly beautiful tonight - he was surrounded by blue.

The vest under his jacket was buttoned up and seemed to cinch his waist inward, making his chest and shoulders look even bigger and broader than usual. He was absolute perfection.

The sound of her shoes against the hardwood seemed to finally draw his attention over to the staircase. He locked his phone, dropping it into his pants pocket, and looked up. When he caught sight of her, he stumbled back a step or two, throwing his hand out against the door to catch himself. He pressed the other hand against his chest in surprise.

Those piercing blue eyes were round and wide, and his mouth was hanging open slightly. He looked like a deer in headlights. There couldn't possibly be anyone in the world more beautiful than him.

He found his footing after a few long seconds and swallowed, rubbing his lips together as he tried to collect himself. His shoulders loosened and his breathing slowed. Slowly, he stepped forwards, holding out an arm to greet her at the bottom of the stairs. She took the hand he offered and fireworks exploded in her belly from the simple contact. Niall opened his mouth to say something, closed it, and opened it again.

"I..." he began. He swallowed again, furrowing his brow. "I...uh...wow," he breathed, looking her up and down. He shook his head infinitesimally. "God, you are so fucking beautiful." A shiver rippled down her spine. He licked his lips as a slow, shy smile crept onto his face. "Now I see why you wanted to surprise me with the dress." He held her gaze, and the look in his eyes would have made her drop to her knees if he hadn't been holding onto her. "You're absolutely breathtaking, darling."

She smiled and stepped off the last stair; her heels were so high that they were now nearly the same height, give or take an inch or two. "Thank you, baby," she whispered bashfully, scrunching her nose. "You look amazing, too." She also shook her head as she took her turn gazing up and down the length of his body. "I mean, are you serious right now?" She paused, before glancing back up into his eyes. "I am so fucking lucky. You’re so, so handsome, babe."

Niall chuckled coyly, and Lili almost doubled over. God, she was so fucking crazy about him.

"Oh, don't you two look great together!" Josephine had suddenly appeared in the foyer, holding her hands together under her chin and smiling widely. For a split second, Lili was annoyed, wishing she and Niall could have spent another minute in their gross bubble of admiration before being interrupted.

Jordyn stood next Lili’s mom, also smiling. Tears were welling in her eyes. "Do you want me to take a picture before you go?" Jordyn asked sweetly. She sniffled and blinked the tears away, pretending they never even existed. "I'm sure you guys will take some later, but it wouldn't hurt."

Lili looked at Niall and he shrugged, the corner of his mouth turning up into a little grin. "I'm happy to pose if you want some pictures, love." If she wanted pictures. Of course she wanted pictures. Lili nodded and opened her clutch to find her phone, passing it to Jordyn. She and Niall then moved in front of the door. Niall wrapped his hand around her waist to pull her in close. He moved his hand to the small of her back, and the warmth of his skin spread across her entire body. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating.

Lili leaned into him, bringing one arm up to rest on his stomach, and looked into the camera, smiling brightly. Unable to help himself, Niall turned his head to the side and captured Lili’s lips in a kiss, making her flush all the way up to her scalp. They were both smiling into the kiss, and she knew that was going to be the best picture they took all night.

After both Jordyn and her mom snapped more pictures than was necessary, Lili took all of her stuff back, including the overnight bag she'd packed. Immediately, Niall reached for it, taking it from her hands and swinging it over his shoulder. "You look too good to be carrying this," he said with a laugh. Lili rolled her eyes, and he scoffed. "I'm just saying. Anyway, let's go?" He gestured towards the door quickly with his head. Lili nodded, but was stopped by her mom wrapping Lili in a comforting hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow, sweetie. Have fun. Send me a text when you get to bed so I know you're safe, please."

"I will. Love you guys!" Lili said, smiling as Niall stepped ahead of her and pulled the door open. "I'll send photos when I can."

Niall walked through the door and moved to the side to give her room, holding out his free hand for her to take. He was Prince Charming. As she stepped outside, she kissed his lips softly, lingering for a couple moments just to get as many kisses as possible before they started walking.

A black Mercedes was parked in the driveway. "A chauffeur?" Lili teased, as she took slow strides down the concrete driveway to avoid falling. "How fancy."

Niall grinned. "Well, I didn't think either one of us would be in any sort of condition to drive home by the end of the night." He squeezed her hand and held her steady as they approached the car. "I'm a very responsible man, princess, you should know that by now."

Did she ever. Lili licked her lips carefully. "Good thinking as always, Horan."

Niall grinned and whistled for the driver, who promptly exited the car and walked over to where Lili stood.

"Good afternoon, miss," he said, in a smooth, deep voice. He opened the back door and gestured inside with a white-gloved hand.

"Good afternoon," Lili said back kindly. "Thank you!"

She tried as delicately as she could to scoot into the car, placing her clutch across her thighs as she waited patiently for Niall. It was more difficult to move in this dress than she anticipated, but that was the price of beauty. The driver closed the door behind her, leaving her in total silence. Niall appeared on the other side of the car moments later, opening his door and sitting down. He shoved Lili's bag onto the floor of the car between them, pushing it against the door so he could angle his legs more comfortably around it. His thigh pressed up against hers and her breath hitched.

Niall nodded his thanks to the driver as he settled against the leather. A black divider, like in stretch limos, began rolling upwards until it completely separated the two of them from the driver. They now had complete privacy. The engine came to life below her feet, and the car began reversing out of the driveway.

She turned to look at Niall, who was already watching her with sparkling eyes. His face was just a few inches from hers. Her heart skipped. "You are fucking stunning, my love. I'm serious. I honestly don't understand how I got so damn lucky."

She flushed at his comments and looked away, focusing her eyes on her hands so she wouldn't cry. Every time he talked to her like that was surreal. His compliments were always so sincere. It was nice knowing he said what he meant and meant what he said. She couldn't even fathom how much she appreciated the way he made her feel.

Niall's fingers ghosted against her chin, lifting her face up to meet his eyes. He dipped his head down to kiss her lips, and fireworks burst behind her eyelids. He kissed her softly and slowly, careful not to ruin her makeup. His tongue touched hers softly and she sighed. She could stay here forever, getting lost in his plush, full lips. He pulled back and smiled, cheeks flushed. It was cute how flustered he always got after kissing her. He lifted one arm to drape around her shoulders, forcing her to cuddle into his side. Lili reached for his other hand, lacing their fingers together and dropping their connected hands in her lap.

The car cruised along the surprisingly empty freeway as the hot afternoon sun draped over them through the tinted windows. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor wedding.

Lili turned to look at Niall after a few minutes – once again, he was already looking at her. The sight sent her stomach into a frenzy. She secretly loved when she caught him staring. "Are you excited for today?" he asked, eyes trailing down to her lips and back.

She nodded, smiling softly. "I am. I love weddings."

* * *

It was one of the most beautiful wedding ceremonies Lili ever had the privilege of attending. This was technically Zayn and Maria's second wedding - they'd done a traditional Pakistani wedding the weekend before, and were now enjoying a more traditionally Western celebration this week. They wanted to have a wedding that both sides of the family could enjoy to the fullest, so they'd splurged and split the wedding of their dreams into two amazing celebrations.

The ceremony was short and sweet, but the officiant was hilarious, and the whole congregation was laughing the entire time. It was rare to attend a wedding where the ceremony didn't put you to sleep in an instant, and the fact that it was over in about 45 minutes was phenomenal. Nothing was worse than a long ceremony that dragged on for no reason. Every moment was intimate and so personal to both the bride and groom, and it was sweet to be invited into those little aspects of their relationship. It was so clear how much they loved each other.

Zayn was constantly stealing glances of Maria when he was supposed to be paying attention to the officiant, and Maria just could not stop smiling the whole time. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Zayn. There were two or three instances where they’d gotten so caught up in making googly eyes at each other that the officiant had to clear his throat or literally nudge one of them on the arm so they could say their line. It was adorable.

Niall held Lili's hand tightly the entire time - it seemed like he never wanted to let go. Every now and then, he would brush his thumb back and forth across the back of her hand, sending chills down her spine. It was the best feeling in the whole world.

Lili's eyes filled with tears when Zayn and Maria shared their handwritten vows, and when she looked over at Niall, a single tear had slipped down his cheek, which she wiped away with her thumb gently. Every few minutes, Niall would lift her hand up to his lips and kiss it, or he would lean over and kiss her shoulder, her cheek, or her forehead. He was always a very physically affectionate person, but apparently weddings brought something out of him that took that to the next level. But could she really complain?

As soon as Maria and Zayn were announced as officially married and had their first kiss, the guests went absolutely nuts. Niall was the loudest one of the bunch by a mile; he was whooping and screaming with pride, whistling with his fingers. Zayn took Maria's hand and turned to their families, lifting their connected arms up between them. He laughed and dropped their arms, stepping forward to make his way back down the aisle. He guided Maria alongside him, and they leaned towards each other to whisper and laugh together. They really were the sweetest couple.

When they'd gone off with the bridal party and their families to take pictures, Lili and Niall decided to take advantage of the scenery and snapped a few photos of their own, which turned out absolutely stunning. It was still hard to comprehend that Lili looked as pretty as she did, but she looked like an actual model in some of the photos Niall took of her. Since when did her body look that good? She picked out her favourites of the bunch and posted them to social media. The photos she posted with Niall always got the most likes, unsurprisingly.

The wedding ceremony took place in a humongous white gazebo set up behind the reception hall, surrounded by the most beautiful cherry blossom trees ever. It took Lili's breath away. The sky was painfully blue, not a cloud in sight, and the sun was warm and inviting. It was the perfect day for a wedding.

At 5:45pm, the throngs of guests began making their way inside for the reception to begin; everyone enjoyed tasty hors d'oeuvres while they prepared for the bridal party's grand entrance. Bacon-wrapped figs, vegetarian samosas, fried shrimp, mini eggplant parmesan, and mushrooms stuffed with brie cheese were passed around on small white platters by ushers dressed in all black. Each bite was better than the last, and Lili just couldn't wait for dinner.

After eating more appetizers than they probably should have, Lili and Niall began to make their way into the hall to find their table. Lili gasped as she stepped through the large wooden doors. The room was absolutely massive. The clean beige walls were accented with sparkling gold trim, with designs of a similar shade of gold scattered all across the room.

There were maybe 25 to 30 round tables scattered throughout the hall, seating a dozen each, and a huge dance floor in the center of the room. Towards the far wall directly behind the dance floor was the head table, with enough seats for all the bridesmaids and groomsmen. A sweetheart table sat right next to it. Every table in the room was decorated cleanly, with just silverware, crystal glasses, and silk napkins and tablecloths.

The head table had strings of beautiful pink and red flowers running along the entire edge. They looked to be the same flowers Maria's bouquet was made of. The setting was simple and gorgeous, but the centrepieces were what tied all the decorations together. They were tall, glass vases - probably also made of crystal - with real blood-red roses emerging from the top in a large bouquet that draped over the side of the glass. They were absolutely stunning.

The thing that instantly drew your eye, however, was the enormous crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. Millions of rainbow reflections danced from each crystal and painted the walls. It was so large that it matched the length of the entire dance floor. Lili was so busy admiring it that she jumped when Niall nudged her gently.

"Sorry, princess," he said softly, kissing her shoulder. "We’re blocking the door. Let's get to our seats before they come in." He was leading her, one hand on her lower back, towards the table closest to the head table on the left side.

There were two people sitting down already, and Lili's face lit up when she realized it was Liam and his fiancée, Grace. Liam stood, a bright smile on his face, and waved them over. He was wearing a tuxedo similar to Niall's, and looked incredibly handsome. Instead of a tie, he'd opted for a bow tie. His short brown hair had been gelled away from his face in a coif matching Niall’s. Liam wrapped Lili in a huge bear hug to say hello, and as Lili moved over to greet Grace afterwards, Liam and Niall shared a hug and a handshake.

"It's so good to see you guys!" Grace exclaimed, keeping an affectionate hand on the top of Lili's arm. She was a phenomenal sight to see in her dark purple gown. "Lili, that dress is stunning!"

Grace was special; Lili really liked her. She was the sweetest, kindest person you could ever come across. Conversation was never thin, and Lili felt like she could say anything without judgement. In the short time she’d known them, Lili was certain she’d made lifelong friends in both Liam and Grace.

Lili blushed and sat in the chair Niall was holding out for her.

"Thank you so much!" she said appreciatively. “And you look amazing too, Grace. That dress was absolutely made for you." It was true – the gown hugged Grace’s curves perfectly, and the colour was beautiful on her skin tone. Lili smoothed her dress over her thighs and looked around with wide eyes. "This hall is incredible, isn't it?"

“Amazing,” Grace nodded enthusiastically. After taking her seat, she turned swiftly to say something to Liam, smiling when their eyes met. Giving them whatever privacy she could, Lili turned to watch Niall; he unbuttoned his jacket and sat on her right side, picking the napkin up from his plate and draping it across his lap. The way he moved was so sexy.

He leaned over to talk to her, the smell of his cologne intoxicating. "You know what's crazy?" he said, reaching up to twirl a piece of Lili's hair around his finger. Her heart fluttered from the simple action.

"What's that, baby?" she said patiently, her stomach full of butterflies. She lifted one hand and placed it on his knee, squeezing gently. Niall grinned shyly and licked his lips, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"I've obviously known about this wedding for a while. Since before I met you. And not that it would have been an issue, but I was worried that I'd have to show up stag." The dancing rainbows from the disco ball reflected brightly in his eyes. Blinking slowly, he tilted his head back down to meet her gaze, and her heart skipped. "But now I get to be here with you, my beautiful girl, and it's the best feeling in the entire world. You make everything so much more fun. I'm so glad you're here."

God, could he have been any more perfect? Lili was absolutely swooning, and her heart ached with love. He had to be the sweetest man in the world. It meant the world to her that he genuinely enjoyed having her around. She leaned forward and kissed him gently, now resting her hand on the top of his thigh. His lips were soft, nestling perfectly between hers – exactly where they belonged. The dazed, almost lovestruck look in his eye combined with the soft smile on his face was enough to send her spiralling.

"I'm really glad I'm here, too," she whispered, keeping her eyes on his. "Today has already been so special." Two heartbeats passed between them, before she swallowed and sat up a bit straighter in her seat, trying to control her racing heart. “I need to thank Zayn and Maria for working me into the guest list again. I don't think I could ever thank them enough."

As soon as she found out about the way Maria modified the guest list and table settings just to get her in as Niall’s plus one, Lili had made it her mission to express as clearly as possible how thankful she was. Obviously, she'd never planned a wedding, but anyone with half a brain knew how fucking stressful it was. Especially when it came to something like a guest list. So, she knew she had to do whatever she could to prove her gratitude to her friends. It meant the world to her and more that they were willing to move things around if it meant she could be there.

Niall giggled and removed her hand from his thigh, lacing his fingers in hers. “They know how grateful you are, love. Trust me.”

He brought her hand up and kissed the surface, keeping his bright blue eyes on hers as he moved his lips down toward her wrist. Damn, he was dangerous. Her heart rate tripled and her mouth went dry. Thankfully, some loud music began playing right at that moment, distracting them and forcing their attention towards the center of the room. A few more seconds, and Lili might have had to pull him by his tie into a closet to satiate her craving.

"Okay, everyone. If you're able, get up out of those seats and help me welcome the guests of honour!"

The DJ screamed loudly and excitedly into the microphone as, one by one, he announced the bridal party into the room.

The three gorgeous bridesmaids and their partnered groomsmen all made their way up to the head table, standing behind their respective chairs and clapping along to the music. Each couple did their own cute little dance or funky move as they crossed the room. The best was Maria's little sister, who cartwheeled her way across the dance floor. Her partner, one of Zayn's young cousins, twirled his finger in circles and patterns in the air, pretending to magically control her movements. The bridesmaid's dresses were really pretty floor length, wine-red gowns with halter necklines. Their bouquets were made of pink roses interspersed with baby's breath.

Next came the maid of honour and the best man - Maria's big sister and one of Zayn's childhood best friends. They received the biggest applause from the room so far, which was sure to be overshadowed by the bride and groom in just a minute.

The doors to the hall were closed by two ushers, who held them shut. The lights dimmed slowly until it was almost completely dark, and a whirlwind of new coloured lights began dancing across the walls. A different, upbeat rock song began pounding through the speakers.

"Alright, everybody. The moment we've all been waiting for has finally arrived." The DJ spoke in a low, smooth tone, trying to build anticipation. Lili bounced up and down on her toes as her excitement mounted, and she placed her hand on Niall’s broad shoulder to steady herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a bashful grin spread on his face, cheeks turning bright pink. "Please, put your hands together and give a huge welcome, for the very first time as husband and wife, to Mr. and Mrs. Maria and Zayn Malik!"

The doors opened once again, and Zayn and Maria jogged in, hand in hand, applause growing around them like thunder. Niall and Lili whooped and hollered along with the crowd as they passed them on the way to the head table. Maria had the biggest, most beautiful smile on her face as she blew kisses to her family all around the room. She looked so gorgeous in her ivory A-line gown, the silhouette making her look like a fairytale princess. The elegant updo kept her hair out of her face, putting her stunning features on display.

And Zayn, with his olive skin and plethora of tattoos, looked handsome as ever in a black three-piece suit. A black bowtie sat around his neck, and the same pink rose that Maria's bouquet was made with was tucked into the breast pocket of his jacket.

Lili's face hurt from laughing and smiling, and she was finally able to take a break and have a seat once the music began for the first dance. Her heart swelled with pride, and more tears formed in her eyes as she watched Zayn and Maria sway together in time with the slow, romantic song playing. Without even looking back at her, Niall reached for Lili’s hand, squeezing it three times once he laced their fingers together. Lili cradled his hand in both of hers and lifted it to her lips, kissing his skin softly.

The way the Maliks looked at each other with so much love and adoration was so beautiful. Zayn was smiling at Maria like she was a precious diamond, squeezing her hips gently as he twirled her around the dance floor. They floated around together like two angels, no longer aware of the room filled with people. It was just the two of them in their own little love bubble.

Zayn said something to make Maria smile, and her face lit up as she threw her head back and laughed so hard that it echoed over the music. They then shared a kiss that made the whole hall woo loudly; Niall wolf whistled from his seat to playfully try and embarrass them, which he succeeded at. Maria hid her face in Zayn's neck, making him laugh. They looked so unbelievably happy together.

The song came to an end, and another round of thunderous applause rang out as the couple waltzed over to their seats at the sweetheart table. Being the perfect gentleman he is, Zayn stood behind his bride's chair and pulled it back for her to sit, making sure she didn't trip over the skirt of her dress. He bent and flattened the skirt carefully on the ground near her feet.

Lili couldn't take her eyes off them as she watched them settle in for the night.

Maria sat down and smiled up at him; he kissed her cheek and lips about a hundred times, making her laugh again, before he stepped over to his chair beside her, removed his jacket, and draped it over the back. He sat down and winked at Maria. They lifted their water glasses at the same time; he whispered something to her that made her grin, and when they clinked their glasses gently together, Lili could see their mouths saying 'I love you' at the same time.

With how loud and excited the hall had become since their grand entrance, Lili was certain she was the only one who'd witnessed that sweet, silent exchange. In a way, she wished she hadn't seen it - wished she could have given them the privacy for such an intimate moment - but it felt so good to see two people who loved each other so deeply that she couldn't possibly look away.

The doors at the back of the hall opened, and multiple servers immediately emerged from the kitchens carrying large silver platters.

Dinner was absolutely phenomenal. The starting soup, a creamy butternut squash bisque, was delightfully warm and decadent. Then there was a Caesar salad, which was tangy and delicious.

From all the different entrée options, Lili chose the filet mignon, which came with a side of creamy mashed potatoes and roast vegetables. The meat was cooked perfectly; her knife sliced through it like butter, and it practically melted in her mouth. Niall had chosen the pan seared chicken breast, which was paired with roasted broccoli and penne pasta in a rosé sauce.

"Here baby," Lili said, turning to him and holding her fork in the air. "Try it." Carefully, she fed Niall a bite of the steak, watching his eyes close for dramatic effect as he chewed. She couldn't help but giggle at his reaction, and he smiled, as if he was successful in his attempt to entertain her.

"Pretty good," he said, nodding his approval. "Okay, try mine. It's really good."

He reached down and picked up his fork, looking for the best part of his chicken to cut a piece for her. He sliced his knife through it and stabbed it with the prongs of his fork, cupping his hand underneath so nothing fell on her dress. He lifted his hand and grabbed her chin gently between his thumb and forefingers, placing the fork in her waiting mouth. She wrapped her lips around the metal and looked up into his eyes as she slowly pulled the food off the prongs.

God, she hoped no one was watching. They were truly disgusting.

Niall laughed quietly, the sound deep and low in his chest. "Always such a tease, you are," he said, and his lips brushed against the shell of her ear when he leaned in to whisper. Shivers danced up and down her spine.

Lili swallowed the bite as elegantly as she could and grinned, tilting her head slightly. "It's because you're just too easy to tease, baby."

He cocked a challenging eyebrow at her and nodded, sucking his teeth. He managed to make everything he did look painfully sexy, and she felt it right in the pit of her stomach. "Yeah, yeah," he said, turning back to his plate. "Whatever you say."

She definitely won that round.

Along with the incredible food, Lili and Niall had shared a bottle of expensive red wine. It was smoky and slightly nutty, which enhanced the taste of her steak beautifully. Lili was truly having a blast. Getting to eat good food, drink fancy wine, and laugh with Niall, all while meeting some of his friends, was such great fun.

It was clear she'd been nervous for absolutely nothing. Every single person accepted her immediately, and they were so easy to get along with. She had a lot of personal likes and dislikes in common with a few people, which made conversation flow much easier than she'd thought. There were next to no awkward pauses or lulls in conversation.

But the best part of it all was hearing Niall introduce her to people as his girlfriend. It was something she wasn't sure she could ever get used to. It made her feel proud. Wanted. He would find someone new that they hadn’t spoken to yet, and as soon as the words ‘my girlfriend’ left his lips, he would beam and his eyes would sparkle. It was literally heartwarming for Lili.

During the calm between dinner and dessert, Maria and Zayn were finally able to make their rounds to each table, starting with Lili and Niall's. Lili shot up from her seat and ran to Maria, embracing her tightly.

"Finally!" Lili practically squealed with excitement. She gripped Maria's forearms to steady herself. The wine might have been getting to her head already. "Congratulations."

Maria wrapped her in another hug. "I'm so happy you could be here." She pulled back, and her eyes darted over to where Niall was standing, then back to Lili. "It's so great to see you guys here together. You look perfect."

Lili blushed and scrunched her nose, grinning. "Thank you," she said sweetly. It was always nice when people reminded her how perfect she and her boyfriend fit together.

Maria shook her head slowly and purposefully. "Honestly, though. I've known Niall for a few years now, and I've never seen him this happy. Ever. That boy is beyond smitten." She pointed at Lili with a single, scolding finger. "Whatever you're doing, keep it up."

Lili laughed, heat rising to her face. "I will. As long as I'm around, he'll always be happy." She squeezed Maria's arms affectionately. "And I'm so, so grateful that I got to celebrate with you tonight. Again, thank you so much for finding room for me. I can't even imagine how stressful it must have been adding another guest so close to the date."

Between the day Lili was invited to the wedding and this very moment, she'd probably thanked Zayn and Maria for switching things around for her about a thousand times.

Maria swatted the air dismissively, her brown eyes twinkling in the dim party lights. "We couldn't imagine Niall showing up without you. We would have done anything to get you here, trust me."

"I'm so thankful," Lili said with a smile, taking a deep breath.

"Of course. You can never have too many friends at your wedding."

"How did you guys decide on staying in LA to get married?" Lili asked, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "I mean, I'm glad it was close by, don't get me wrong."

Being at a wedding as a plus one was one thing. Would it have been weird, or even presumptuous, for her to attend had it been a destination wedding? Would she have been expected to show up if they’d gotten married outside of LA? Maria shrugged. "Well, Zayn's already been living here for so long with me, and it’s our home. Some of his family members were here too, which was a huge coincidence." She smoothed her hands along her dress, looking around the room at everyone. Her eyes glimmered. "We were able to fly most of his family out, which was so special for us. But we also kind of compromised. Our ceremony last week was back in Bradford, so it was only fair that we had our second wedding here."

Maria paused, and her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. "Besides, my parents got married in this hall, and it's always been a dream of mine to do the same." The words tugged at Lili's heartstrings. What a dream come true this whole night must be for them. "That's so sweet," she said softly. "I'm so glad you guys got to have everything you wanted." Tears clouded her eyes and made her throat tighten, so instead of saying more, she pulled Maria into another hug.

Music and laughter swelled around them as the guests continued on with their great night. Lili and Maria were gushing over how amazing the officiant was during the ceremony when a smooth, English accent interrupted the conversation.

"There you are, Lili. Come give me a hug." She turned to see Zayn's slim arms open in front of her; smiling, Lili practically jumped into his arms, laughing as he embraced her. She adored Zayn - since they met, he'd become like a big brother to her. He had the sweetest heart imaginable, and would do anything and everything for the people he loved. He was the type of person to go above and beyond for every single person in his life, even if it meant he had to sacrifice himself in some way to do so. That was his one downfall, but was too good of a person to change.

Lili had the utmost respect for Zayn Malik.

She looked up into his warm hazel eyes - they had practically disappeared behind his cheeks because he was smiling so wide. One of her favourite things about him was the way his tongue stuck out from between his teeth when he really smiled. It was super endearing.

"I can't believe this is all happening, mate."

Niall had appeared by Lili's side, wrapping his arm around her waist as he looked up at his best friend. He'd been over at the bar talking to Zayn's aunt for the last little while, and the return of his presence reminded Lili just how much she missed him whenever he wasn’t by her side. He had taken off his jacket, and looked delicious in just his vest and shirt. How dare he call her a tease when he was walking around like that?

Zayn nodded, gazing happily back at Niall.

"Everything came together so well," Lili added, melting into Niall’s side. "But how does it feel to be married?"

The couple shared a look that had Maria rolling her eyes and blushing. Zayn chuckled. "It's honestly great. But the good parts won't come until later." He looked at Niall and flicked his eyebrows up quickly, and the two of them burst into laughter like little kids. Maria swatted Zayn on the chest to reprimand him for the innuendo, and Lili covered her face with her hand.

From somewhere behind them, Zayn's name was being called over the music. He looked over his shoulder at the group waving him over, and held a hand up in response. He turned back and reached for Maria's hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "Come on, beautiful, my uncle's dying for us to get over there." He looked at Lili apologetically. "I'm sorry that was so quick, but I'll be back soon, alright?"

Lili shook her head quickly, waving them away. "We're not going anywhere, don't worry. Go do what you need to do."

They all embraced once again, before Lili and Niall sent them off to greet their waiting guests. Maria's gown disappeared into the crowd as she was swallowed up by a group of Zayn's relatives. Everyone was so excited to get the chance to say 'congratulations' to them, and it was so cute, because every single person waiting in the group began smiling ear to ear as soon as they arrived.

Once they were out of earshot from most people, Niall pulled Lili in and kissed her softly, nibbling her bottom lip affectionately. She smiled at him. "They look so happy, don't they?"

He nodded. "Yeah, they really do." Pausing briefly, he leaned in for another soft kiss. “I like to think we look like that, too.” No doubt.

As they waited for the announcement of dessert, Lili and Niall walked hand-in-hand over to the bar. Lili ordered a rum and coke, and Niall got a whiskey on the rocks. As they stood there, multiple people came up to Niall to wish him luck at the upcoming PGA tournament, or to tell him they were big fans of his. Each time one of these messages was shared, the bartender looked at Niall with a quizzical look, clearly trying to determine whether or not he recognized the supposedly famous face in front of him. Niall listened attentively to everyone, thanking them for their well wishes and support. He shook their hands with a smile, or hugged them politely. He was too kind to turn people away that he was immersed in conversation with these people for close to 20 minutes. The muscles rippling in his back underneath his shirt was the perfect distraction for Lili.

When he finally turned back to her, she just smiled at him in amazement, trying not to let her desperation for a kiss show on her face. "I don't think I could ever get used to people coming up to me in public like that. It's so weird to witness."

He shrugged as he took a sip of his drink. "I don't really mind it, especially when they're pleasant. It's nice to know people support you."

They started walking back to their seats slowly; Niall kept his hand on her lower back the whole time, grazing his fingers up and down. The weight of it against her was like an anchor, keeping her anxiety toward being in a large crowd at bay. As they approached the table, Niall held out her chair for her, waiting until she tucked herself in to plop down in his own chair.

"Did a lot of these people know you as a teenager?" she asked. She kept one hand wrapped around her cold glass, placing the other on Niall's knee. It was nice that he was always letting her touch him like this.

He nodded. "Some of them. Obviously Z's parents and sisters know me well. His mum still treats me like one of her kids, which makes me feel good." Lili smiled. That was really cute. "I've met some of his aunts and uncles over the years, but a lot of his extended family know of me more than they know me."

Lili nodded, focusing really hard on listening to Niall. The edges of her vision were slowly blurring from the alcohol, but she felt warm and happy, with a slightly excited buzz. It was the most she'd had to drink since that first night at Niall's house, but she wasn't planning on quitting here. Like she said earlier, the intention was to get plastered. And yes, drunk sex was possibly on the table.

Niall downed the rest of his whiskey before placing the glass on the table, swallowing loudly, and picking up Lili's hand. "His whole family is great, though. They've always made me feel so welcomed."

"Yeah, everyone seems really sweet," Lili said, squeezing Niall's thigh. She scooted her chair closer to him so they could hear each other over the music, and her thigh brushed against his. The simple touch was enough to light her on fire. She leaned in to kiss him, devouring his lips. Lili was well aware that there were people around who could have been looking, but the alcohol had melted all of her inhibitions away. His kisses made her dizzy, and his tongue was bittersweet from the whiskey.

She pulled away and looked into his eyes, grinning. "Sorry, I don't know where that came from," she said, blushing.

“Are you seriously apologizing for kissing me right now, love?” Niall asked, dumbfounded. “You’re crazy if you think you needed to do that.” He laughed and kissed her forehead, making butterflies explode in her stomach.

The sound of feedback pulled their attention over to the DJ booth. The DJ had the microphone in his right hand; his right arm was straight up in the air, and he was waving it to capture the audience's attention.

"Alright, you guys know what time it is! Can we please have the Maliks up here to cut the cake?"

Lili gasped excitedly and turned in her chair so she was facing the table with the cake. It was a 4-tier ivory cake, with white and pale pink piped flowers cascading along the sides. It was simple and stunning, much like majority of the decorations in the room. The alcohol was swimming in Lili's veins as she laughed. Maria shoved her fingers into her slice of cake and smeared it all over Zayn's face. The cake-smashing cliche was one of Lili's all-time favourites.

Zayn threw his head back in an attempt to avoid getting more cake on his face, but Maria just thrust her arms out until she was able to wipe her fingers across his cheek. Zayn shook his head and leaned down to kiss Maria, wiping his own cakey fingers across her cheeks in return. Lili laughed and turned towards Niall, placing her palm on his thigh again to steady herself.

"They're so cute, I can't take it," she said, loud enough for him to hear over the fun music.

He smiled down at her. "You're cute," he remarked, scrunching his nose up adorably. The alcohol had started turning his face an endearing shade of pink.

The servers came bustling out of the kitchen once again minutes later, holding large round trays. They approached Lili and Niall's table and placed white rectangular plates down in front of each person. There was a slice of the wedding cake in the center, which was a vanilla sponge cake with a cream custard filling. Along with the cake, there was a strawberries and cream tart, and a decadent chocolate brownie with caramel drizzle.

They were all to die for, but the brownie was the star. Damn, it tasted so good on Lili’s tipsy tastebuds. Her sweet tooth seemed to grow a million times the size when she had a bit of alcohol flowing in her veins. She turned to Niall to comment on the brownie, but his eyes immediately drifted down to her lips. He smirked and pointed.

"You've got a bit of chocolate on you there, love," he said. Embarrassed, Lili's hand shot up to her mouth to cover it. How many people had seen her like this? She reached for her napkin, but Niall wrapped his hand around her wrist to stop her. "No, you won't need that," he said quietly.

He grabbed her chin and pulled her face towards him, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. His licked the spot clean with his tongue, running it along the length of her lips for good measure. He then pulled her bottom lip between his teeth and sucked once, dropping it and letting it recoil back. He leaned back in his seat and grinned proudly. Her face flushed, and she suddenly felt very hot. Was her face red? It felt red. He just laughed, amused at her reaction, and lifted a glass of wine to his mouth.

"Was that really necessary?" she asked, biting back a smile. That kiss had been heavenly, but over much too quickly. Niall looked at her pointedly, with one brow raised.

"Absolutely."

He could be so annoying sometimes. Lili tried to come up with some kind of clever retort, but had nothing. He had left her, unfortunately, flustered. Just like always.

It seemed as if dessert had come to an end while they'd been entranced by each other, because people were slowly making their way to the dance floor. An 80s pop song was playing through the speakers.

Some of Zayn's aunts were dancing in a little circle together at the edge of the dance floor, and the ring bearer and flower girl were jumping up and down and trying to do crazy spins in time to the beat of the music.

Niall met Lili's eye and he smiled, gesturing with his head to the dance floor. "Will you come dance with me, love?" he asked adorably.

Lili bit her lip and smiled. "Of course." She stood, but then gasped quietly. "Oh, wait! Give me one second, baby," she exclaimed. She reached for her clutch on the table and opened it up on her lap, pulling out a pair of black socks.

Niall chuckled, surprised at the sight in front of him. "You came prepared." He raised an amused brow at her as he watched her movements carefully.

She shrugged as her right foot protruded out beside her chair, half covered by her dress. "Well, you couldn't expect me to dance in these things."

Niall bent forwards in his chair. "Hold on, love," he said. "Let me."

He picked up her leg and draped it carefully across his thighs. With surprisingly nimble fingers, Niall undid the clasp of her shoe and removed it from her foot, tossing the heel underneath the table and hiding it with the tablecloth. He picked up the other one so her legs were now lying side by side in his lap; he repeated each step with just as much care. His fingers ghosting against her skin sent goosebumps up and down her spine, and her stomach fluttered in response.

His fingers always felt like heaven against her.

Lili sighed with relief, blushing as Niall bent her leg and kissed her knee while he slid the socks on for her. She rolled her eyes, though she couldn't help but laugh. Did she ever think she'd meet a man who'd be so willing to put her damn socks on for her??

Never.

Lowering her legs to the ground, he stood and held out his hand, waiting for Lili to take it. All she could do was pause and look up at him. The rainbow lights from the disco ball danced across his face at breakneck speeds. And though it was quite dark in the room, she could still see his beautiful eyes shining. His cheeks and ears were the slightest bit pink, which was what normally happened to him when he was tipsy. And his smile was bright enough to melt the ground she was about the walk on.

How had she gotten herself into this position? To be at a perfect wedding with this beautiful, wonderful man, and her amazing friends? Lucky didn't begin to cut it.

She placed her hand in his and stood, letting him guide her to the center of the dance floor. Liam, Grace, Zayn, and Maria were already there, getting lost in the music. An old rock song from the 90s had begun playing, and Lili laughed crazily as the six of them jumped around, dancing and screaming the lyrics to each other. Liam was the loudest and most energetic of the group.

Niall gripped her waist and turned her towards him, jumping up and down right in her face. Lili laughed and put her hands in his, dancing along to the rhythm as they sang together. He made the best facial expressions, trying his hardest to match them to the lyrics he was screaming.

Lili was sweating, breathing hard, and her heart was pounding so hard that her chest was burning, but she felt so happy. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time. Right now, Lili was doing the one thing she always struggled to do – she was allowing herself to have fun. She was able to completely let loose and enjoy a night with her friends, and she didn't regret it one bit. This was the kind of fun she deserved to have.

After a second, third, and fourth upbeat pop song, the DJ turned the volume of the music down and retrieved his microphone. "Alright, everybody. I think it's about time we slow it down for the couples in the room." He looked around with a coy smile on his face. "Grab a partner, maybe two, and come enjoy the love here tonight."

He placed the mic down on his table and pressed a few buttons. A slow, familiar tune immediately began playing through the speakers. Niall turned to look at Lili with a dazzling smile.

"What are the odds that they'd play this song tonight?" she asked breathlessly, shaking her head in disbelief. Steve Perry's raspy voice flooded through the speakers, and the sound instantly transported Lili back to their first date, sitting in the front seat of Niall's car as Faithfully by Journey played quietly in the background.

Niall's eyes were shining again. "Dance with me?" he asked again, holding out his hand.

"Of course," Lili said, wrapping her fingers around his. Niall pulled her close, holding her body tight against his. His free arm circled around her waist, keeping her in place as they swayed slowly to the music. He dipped his head down and kissed her gently, stealing all the oxygen from her lungs and leaving her completely breathless. His lips were so soft, and the kiss was overflowing with passion.

The hand she'd placed at the back of his neck drifted upwards to play with the hair at the base of his neck. He shivered the moment her fingers touched his skin.

They say that the road ain't no place to start a family

Right down the line, it's been you and me

Quietly, Niall sang along, his perfect voice echoing in Lili's ear for only her to hear. He was singing an octave lower, and it was beautiful. The tone of his voice was rich and warm, filling her ears and her heart. Their hands were clasped tightly together between their chests, and she could feel the quick beat of his heart below her fingers. His hand was warm in hers.

And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be

He pulled back to look in her eyes. His cheeks had grown red from dancing and his eyes were crystal clear.

Oh, girl, you stand by me

I'm forever yours

Faithfully

He grinned and dipped her down, making her laugh out, before he pulled her back up and kissed her forehead. He was so gentle with his movements that it honestly made her heart break. It was so unbelievably sweet.

As the music swelled after the chorus, the look he gazed down at her with made it feel like she was floating. The gates of heaven always seemed to open when their eyes met. A soft, almost peaceful expression crossed his face. His smile had faded a touch but was still present, the expression on his face contemplative. His eyes darted down to her lips then back up to her eyes.

"What are you thinking about, baby?" she asked, keeping her fingers tangled in his hair. She was curious to know what was going on behind his beautiful eyes. The soft melodies flowing through the speakers enveloped them like a warm hug, forcing them together until they practically became one body.

Niall paused, almost like he was thinking of what to say. As if whatever was on his mind was hard to put into words and he wanted to get it perfect. And then his pupils widened, the smile on his face growing. It was bashful and sweet, with a hint of nervousness. He exhaled softly.

"I love you, Lili."

His voice was quiet. Filled with fear. The speed of his heart had picked up drastically - she could feel the harsh thumping beneath her hand.

The music and sounds of the wedding seemed to melt away until the only thing Lili could hear around them was a dull buzzing, kind of like a drill whose battery was dying. Either her heart had stopped completely, or it was working so fast that she physically couldn't feel the individual beats any longer. The muscles in her face relaxed, but her brows pulled together in shock. Her mouth opened slightly.

"You do?" she asked, and her voice broke on the second syllable.

Finally hearing the phrase from his lips after she had spent the whole night wondering if he was going to say it on the phone was like a breath of fresh air. She had been right the whole time, but hearing the words felt more amazing than she could have ever imagined. She gazed into his eyes again, though she couldn't see him clearly through the fat tears welling in her own eyes. She tried to blink them away, but it didn't work. Everything had stopped.

He nodded and tightened his grip on her waist, like he was scared she would run away. He held her so close to his chest that she could feel the buttons of his shirt pressing into her skin. The only thing she could rationally do in the moment was pull his face towards hers and kiss him, wrapping her lips around his like they were the only things keeping her alive. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Niall pulled back after a few moments and looked at her, breathing heavily. He was clearly nervous, worried about the fact that she hadn’t responded yet.

"Oh Niall, I love you, too," she finally whispered. The voice that came out of her was unfamiliar – potentially shellshocked. Saying ‘I love you’ to someone for the first time was incredible, but being able to say it to Niall for the first time was even better. It was a moment Lili had always dreamed of. It felt like the blood in her veins had turned to gold.

From that point on, the world had simply ceased to exist. Tears were now welling in Niall's eyes, too, and he smiled like he'd just been given the greatest news in the entire world. He actually looked more relieved than anything. Was he expecting her to not say it back? He leaned down to kiss her again, placing both hands on her cheeks to pull her face towards his. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a hug that she wished would last a lifetime. He kissed her like there was nobody else in the room. Everyone was gone, the music and dancing had stopped. It was just them.

It was the single greatest moment of Lili's life.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead against her shoulder, turning it to leave gentle kisses along the skin of her neck. Each time his lips touched her skin, he whispered ‘I love you’, sending chills down Lili’s spine.

They swayed back and forth as they embraced, definitely looking a little bit insane, but Lili just did not care. A few more tears fell from her eyes, splashing against her exposed chest. Keeping her arms tightly around Niall's neck, she took half a step back so she could see his face. His nose and eyes were red, and tears stained his cheeks. It was so endearing, it just made her cry harder. She sniffled.

"Do you really mean it?" she asked dumbly.

Niall laughed, blinking away his own tears. "Of course I do!” He brought his hands up to her face again and brushed his thumbs across her cheeks. “God, I love you so much I could burst." She giggled, feeling just about on top of the world. Hearing those words from him was...indescribable. Life changing, really.

She placed her hands on the sides of his neck and kissed him over and over again; they were both smiling so much that they practically knocked their teeth together. She brushed her thumbs back and forth across his face in the same familiar gesture that he did when he held her hand.

It was extremely hard to believe what had just happened. It was all so surreal, especially since she never thought she would get to be in this position. Lili honestly wasn't even sure where or who she was anymore. Neither one of them had noticed the song change, but everyone around them had started jumping and dancing once again, and the floor beneath them was practically shaking. After sharing a couple more innocent, adorable kisses, Lili and Niall grinned at each other and turned back to the dancing crowd. They joined in once again, unwilling to let go of the other's hand.

Lili laughed, and the sound got lost in the heavy bass pouring from the speakers. It was a sound that had emerged from deep inside her chest, filling her lungs and cascading out of her like a warm light. She couldn't stop it from happening once she started. And it was one of the most genuine, beautiful laughs she'd had in years.

Chapter Text

Song of the Chapter is I Knew I Loved You by Savage Garden <3

"It takes a strong heart to love, but an even stronger heart to continue to love after its been hurt" - Unknown

To put things as simply as possible, the Malik wedding was sheer perfection, right from the very start. It was hard to find a single flaw. The atmosphere in the reception hall that night was like no other - electric didn't even begin to cut it. Everyone was amped up and excited, and no one could stop dancing. Even if they wanted to, it was like their bodies wouldn't let them take a break. The music was too good to sit down, anyway.

The adrenaline in the room was palpable. Song after song, every single person screamed out the lyrics, jumped around with their friends, and laughed as they caught their breath during the one second between beats. It was actually kind of crazy.

Maria's 90-year-old grandmother was the center of attention at one point, twisting her hips as best as she could to an old jazz song the DJ played just for her. The crowd surrounding her went wild, and she was beaming the whole time. Then Zayn's 11-year-old cousin stole the show with the acrobatic routine she made up on the fly. She even did a backflip, landing perfectly on her feet without wobbling. It was clear that everyone in that room was having the time of their life.

But Lili was certain that no one, not even the bride or groom, was having a better time at this wedding than she and Niall. How could they? Sure, Maria and Zayn had just gotten married, and everything from the ceremony to the maid of honour's speech was beautiful and heartwarming. There was good food, good alcohol, and phenomenal entertainment.

But all that couldn't possibly compare to how Lili and Niall's night had gone. They'd just said "I love you" for the very first time, and there couldn't be anything better than that. Clean, fresh oxygen was being pumped into Lili's lungs after she'd spent her life breathing in carbon dioxide. She was seeing the world in a clearer, happier light. Like her vision had been blurry for so long and, after spending so many years trying on glasses that never seemed to fit, she was finally wearing the right pair.

If anything outside of their little bubble had changed in the moments following Niall's confession of love, Lili didn't see it. The music was still playing at the same volume it had been at all night. Drinks were still being made and handed out at the bar.

But it felt like the world had just completely turned on its axis; the planets and stars were finally aligning. It damn well felt like Lili could never be sad again.

Her tears had dried, but the smile just wouldn't leave her face. Honestly, it might be permanently etched into her skin now.

Finally, after at least two hours straight, the dancing was becoming too much to handle. Lili was panting heavily – she couldn't take a deep breath. She grabbed Niall's arm and gestured to their table, signalling that she needed a break. It was the perfect moment to leave the dance floor as well; a soft ballad had started playing, and all the kids ran off to avoid seeing anything romantic as couples found each other once again for a slow dance.

Niall smiled softly at her, his eyes glowing. "I'll get us some drinks, love, you go sit down. I'll meet you at the table." Lili nodded and sent him off with a soft kiss, watching him turn and stride over to the bar. It would be nice to watch him the whole way, but her legs were about to give out, so she had to keep her staring to a minimum.

She turned on her heel and was making her way to the table when someone touched her arm gently. She turned to see a red-faced Liam smiling down at her. Grace hooked her arm in his, keeping herself steady. Liam leaned down to shout into Lili's ear. "If you're sitting down, we're coming with you." He pointed at Grace with his thumb. "This one needs a break."

Grace looked exhausted. Her face was red and her eyes were already drooping. She needed more than a break – she needed a bed. Lili nodded, turning back around to lead them towards the table. "Come with me," she said, pretending to be a tour guide.

She plopped down on her chair and huffed, feeling the ache in her feet start spreading up her calves as soon as she sat. She could only imagine the kind of pain she'd be in if she'd left her heels on all night - props to her for thinking ahead. Now, she didn't think she'd be able to get back out there. She genuinely felt geriatric.

Massaging her calf, she lifted her head to look around, squinting in the dim lighting. Niall was already making a beeline for the table with a cold drink in each hand. He was in a rush to get back to her, or so it seemed. Her heart raced at the sight of him, and tears threatened to fill her eyes once again. This man loved her. He really, truly loved her. How did she get so lucky?

Niall reached the table with a big smile on his face, setting one glass down in front of her before sliding into his chair. He had those same dazed, peaceful eyes from before. Lili was swooning. "Hey, darling," he said, stretching his arm across the back of her chair and leaning in close. "Tired?"

Lili picked up her glass and took a sip. It was a vodka cran – her favourite. She nodded, feeling the vodka burn her throat as she swallowed. "I am, but I feel good." She licked her lips and grinned. "I can't complain about how the night's gone, though." Understatement of the year.

Niall smiled and leaned forward, kissing her nose, both her cheeks, and then her lips. He just wanted to be all over her, showering her with as much affection as possible. Almost like an excited puppy. Unable to resist, Lili giggled, scrunching her face up tightly as Niall's lips tickled her skin. If the kisses didn’t feel so amazing, she would be so embarrassed by the extreme PDA. It used to never be her thing, but now?

It was kind of like, yes Niall, please remind everyone around you how crazy you are about your girl. Remind them that the two of you are happily in love, and maybe make them a little jealous.

Liam sat down on Niall's right, Grace on Lili's left. Of course they chose this moment to not sit side by side, and were now forced into experiencing the gross love bubble Lili and Niall were trapped in. Lili blushed and pulled away, squeezing his thigh gently. One quick gaze down at his lips told him exactly how much she wanted all that kissing to end. He winked at her in response and grinned.

"I've got to give Zayn props for this wedding," Liam said loudly over the music, looking around the room. His chocolate brown eyes sparkled with the rainbow reflections. "Never thought I'd see the day that Zayn Malik had a huge wedding like this, but I reckon he's knocked it out of the park."

Being at a beautiful wedding when you're planning your own celebration must be a strange feeling. Lili wondered if they were secretly comparing what was happening tonight to what they were going to do on their night. Liam and Grace's wedding was probably going to be just as amazing, though.

Lili nodded in agreement. "This hall is unbelievable. And the food was amazing." Her slightly tipsy stomach was already growling again just thinking about the dinner from earlier. She looked over at Grace, who was nodding with wide eyes. Grace leaned forward on her elbow and turned to the side so the three of them could hear her over the music.

"I don't think I've ever had wedding food that good before. Every other one I've been to has been fucking horrendous. I can’t tell you the last time I went to a wedding and didn’t stop at McDonald’s on the way home."

Lili laughed; her drunk mind thought that one statement was hilarious. Eyes still shining, Liam mirrored Grace's position so her could see her face, bookending the group. "I think we might have to switch our caterer, love," he said with a grin. "Ours is great, but now I'm worried we'll be disappointed."

Grace rolled her eyes. "Non-refundable deposit," she said pointedly. "Deal with it."

Lili laughed again and turned to look at Niall, slipping her hand into his. His palm was warm and soft. "What about you, baby?" she asked quietly, keeping the conversation strictly between the two of them. "How does the food here rank with other weddings you've been to?"

Niall shook his head as he sipped his whiskey. Those blue eyes were fucking mesmerizing. "The food was great, but that cake was god awful," he started, furrowing his brows. "Way too sweet for my liking. We'd better not have anything like that at our wedding, or I'd have a fit."

Immediately, he turned to talk to Liam, who had tapped him on the shoulder and pointed to the dance floor. In her peripherals, Lili thought she could see someone breakdancing, a circle forming around him. But she didn't have a chance to take a good look, because she was sitting there with her jaw hanging open. No thoughts were computing in her brain right now – like, at all. A hot blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks. Did he really just say that? Her head was fucking spinning.

First, he says "I love you" in the most perfect way ever. Lili would never, ever forget the look in his eyes the moment the words left his mouth. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. And now he's talking about their future wedding. He was so casual with it, like they had been talking about the weather and not their seemingly inevitable nuptials. A stupid smile spread across her cheeks, and she was blushing so hard she had to look at the floor and take a breath.

What a fucking night.

When she'd collected her thoughts enough to be sane, Lili looked up and squeezed Niall's thigh to grab his attention. She leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I can live with that, as long as we have those crab cakes from cocktail hour. They were killer."

It took him a second to understand what she had just said, but when he did, a proud, satisfied little smirk started growing on his lips. Blood had rushed to his cheeks, turning them a rosy shade of red. He was heartbreakingly perfect. Their eyes met. He gazed at her with what she now definitely understood to be love. At this rate, his pupils were going to turn heart shaped.

The sight took her breath away. Had he always looked at her like this? How could she not have noticed it before? Was she really that ignorant to it all? Obviously she had been noticing little things over time, like how the muscles in his face would relax when he looked at her, or how he seemed to smile more when they locked eyes. But a look of love? She never could have expected it.

He lifted their connected hands up and kissed all over the surface, leaving soft kisses on each of her knuckles too.

"I think that’s a solid plan then, my love. We can have anything you want."

Lili giggled and kissed his pink lips softly, wanting nothing more than to just get lost with him for the rest of the night. And that's exactly what she did.

The last few hours of the wedding passed in a blur of alcohol, laughing, and dancing until her feet were numb. As tired as her legs were, Lili just could not pass up the opportunity to dance the rest of the night away with her friends. Too many good songs were being played in a row to sit out.

Though it was completely out of character for her, Lili took shots with everyone - Niall, the Maliks, and Liam and Grace. It was something she wanted to try, and they absolutely sucked, but she had two or three because she was desperate to get drunk. Zayn's dad joined them for a shot but couldn't handle the burn; he spit everything out into his napkin.

In her inebriated state, that was the funniest thing Lili could have possibly experienced all night. She doubled over with laughter, holding onto Niall's arm to keep her steady. His face quite literally lit up listening to her cackling like an idiot. She was delightfully drunk and having the time of her life. Partying wasn't Lili's strong suit, but her determination to make this night amazing never wavered.

It was eventually time to say goodbye and head home for the night, no matter how unwilling the guests were to bring this marvellous night to a close. Everyone was exhausted, but they dragged out their goodbyes just to guarantee an extra minute of fun.

Her head spinning, Lili trudged through the thinning crowd, finding Maria at the center of the dance floor. She was jumping up and down with her adorable flower girl, wearing a cute cocktail-style dress that was the same shade of white as her gown.

Even the volume of the music had decreased significantly, meaning the end of the night was nigh. The DJ was just as ready to get home as most of the late-night stragglers.

Lili tapped Maria on the shoulder. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Niall and I are leaving. We didn't realize how late it was." Her voice was hoarse from all the shouting and singing. Oh, how she longed for a glass of water and some chicken tenders.

Maria pouted and pulled Lili into a hug. They swayed back and forth as they embraced. "Thank you so much for coming," Maria said. "It was so nice to see you." Her voice was muffled under Lili's waterfall of hair. She pulled back and gripped Lili's forearms tightly. "Call me one day when you're free, and we'll get together."

Lili nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I'd love that. When you guys get back from your honeymoon, the four of us need to grab some drinks. But please don't come back pregnant."

Maria threw her head back and laughed, before shrugging. "Can't make any promises, sweetie."

Lili scoffed and shook her head in mock disapproval. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Niall's voice, appearing out of nowhere. A shiver crawled up her spine at the sound.

"I'm going to give you a hug too, Mar."

Lili stepped to the side to allow them to hug, smiling as she admired them. Niall's friendship with Maria was another special one. He watched her relationship with Zayn bloom from the very start, which he often spoke about being a privilege. Anytime Maria needed advice about Zayn, the first person she went to was Niall. Who out there was better to talk to about your partner than their best friend?

Niall had spent many nights on the phone with Maria, talking her through different things about Zayn and giving her guidance on how to handle certain situations. He loved being there to help because he wanted their relationship to flourish.

Zayn was striding over to where they stood, emerging from the small group of people left on the dance floor. He rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt halfway up his forearms, before reaching up and combing his fingers through his dark hair. Lili grinned and turned on her heel, making a beeline for Zayn. He saw her at the last second and smiled, welcoming her with a big hug.

"I'm so happy I was here tonight," she said as he embraced her. “I had so much fun.” She could feel his slow heartbeat under his ribcage. His cologne still clung to the thin material of his dress shirt.

"I'm the one who should be happy. You being here means so much to both of us." He pulled back and squeezed her cheeks affectionately, making Lili laugh. He always did little sweet things like that, and it was adorable.

"Congratulations again," Lili said. "I know I've said this before, but you guys are so perfect for each other."

A blush coloured Zayn's olive skin, and his eyes seemed to brighten behind his thick, dark lashes. "You guys are pretty perfect together, too," he said, jutting his chin towards Niall. One of his eyebrows quirked upwards, as if daring Lili to disagree. Obviously, she couldn't, so she just smiled and looked at her feet, trying and failing to hide her blush.

"Yeah, I think so, too," she whispered, laughing to herself. If Niall’s best friend could see how happy they were together, that was as perfect a stamp of approval as Lili could ask for right now.

She felt a warm hand on the small of her back at that moment, and looked up to see Niall by her side, gazing at Zayn with pride. "Z, mate. Congratulations." He stepped forward and practically threw his arms around Zayn's back, jumping so forcefully that they almost fell to the ground.

The way the two of them never shied away from showing each other affection was so beautiful. Every single time they saw each other, they would hug or put their arms around each other in some way. If they sat next to each other at functions, Niall would always grab his arm or his shoulder when they laughed. Their love for each other was incredibly admirable.

They patted each other multiple times on the back before finally pulling apart. Niall laughed, leaving his hands on Zayn's shoulders. "Never thought I'd see the day that Zayn Malik got married. I'm happy for you, buddy." His eyes were shining with honesty and happiness. One thing about Niall was that seeing his friends happy meant the world to him. Knowing the people he loved most in the world were happy was enough for him. "I'm sorry that we're heading out," he continued, dropping his arms. "We're pretty knackered. It's been a long day."

Zayn swatted the air dismissively, giving them a slight shake of the head. "Half the guests have already left, anyway. It's late. You should be getting home." He bowed his head in a polite gesture. "Thank you guys so much for coming. I'll see you soon, alright?"

They shook hands, and Niall snaked his arm around Lili's waist once again. Zayn excused himself to go find his bride, giving Niall the opportunity to press a soft kiss to Lili’s lips. The contact made her blood spark. Niall sighed, his beautiful blue eyes starting to droop with exhaustion. "Alright, my beautiful girl. Let's get you to bed."

He helped her over to their table where she gathered up her clutch, making sure her phone, cards, and money were still where they belonged. The last thing she needed was to get robbed at a wedding. Her vision was blurry due to her intoxication, and she had to bring the purse right up to her eyeballs to see clearly. Thankfully, nothing was missing. She breathed a sigh of relief.

Niall ducked under the table to retrieve her discarded shoes, handing them over. She thanked him and hooked her fingers in the straps to take them off his hands, before turning towards the exit.

"Wait, baby, take my shoes. Don't put those god awful contraptions back on." Niall stepped on the back of his shoe as if to take it off, but Lili stopped him, placing one hand on his chin and squeezing gently. It was so sweet, she had to laugh.

"I'm fine in my socks. We're just going to the car, it's no big deal." He was crazy to think that she'd even intended to put her heels back on in the first place.

He opened his mouth to protest, but she shut him up with a firm yet sweet smile and a tilt of her head. He huffed and straightened his back, removing his jacket carefully. "Fine, but you're wearing this. Your chest is completely exposed and you've been sweating all night." He draped his jacket over her shoulders, and it engulfed her entire body when it fell. The satin inside was boiling from his body heat, but it comforted Lili. "I can't have you getting sick on me, love." There was a cute little lilt in his voice that made Lili smile.

“Why not? If I get sick, we can cuddle in bed all day and watch movies while you feed me chicken soup and Gatorade. Isn’t that romantic?”

Niall laughed and leaned down to kiss her head. “Extremely romantic, princess. I promise I’ll nurse you back to health with nothing but love and broth.”

That sounded nice. Maybe a little head cold wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

Smiling, she allowed him to wrap his arm around her shoulder to guide her to the door. It wasn't far, but now the exhaustion was really kicking in and it felt like they'd never get outside again. When they exited the reception hall and stood in the empty lobby, Lili finally took a deep breath. They'd been inside for so long that she didn’t notice how hot and muggy it had gotten in there. The air was crisp and felt good in her lungs. And she was thankful for Niall's jacket, because she found herself shivering. Every time the door to the parking lot opened, it brought with it a gust of chilly, middle-of-the-night air that made goosebumps pop up across Lili’s entire body.

Niall pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialled the driver's number, giving him a call to let him know they were ready to be picked up at the front door. While she waited, Lili attempted to get into her own phone, though her vision was still blurry. At least the facial recognition still worked, because she couldn’t for the life of her work out her passcode right now.

Her head was spinning as she opened the chat with her mom. It took way too many frustrating moments to find the text bar. Finally, she managed to type out "leaving now", but that wasn't without incredible difficulty. Every key merged into the other until the alphabet became completely new characters from a foreign language. She had to lean against the wall to stay standing, but at least it steadied her enough to see the screen clearly. The message she'd typed actually said "lravung niw", which made her chuckle, so she erased and wrote it properly before pressing send.

The time in the corner of the screen read 1:54, and her eyes widened. She had no idea they'd stayed that late. She knew they would be out for a while, but had anticipated, or hoped, being in bed shortly after midnight. Wow, she really needed to get out more. Midnight was a long night for her.

She locked her phone and put it back in her purse, afraid she was going to drop it accidentally. At the sound of footsteps approaching, she looked up and smiled at Niall, who was making his way back over. She lifted herself from the wall, trying to stand straight. Niall placed his hands on her hips before she could stumble, sliding them around to her lower back. She smiled up at him through her drunken stupor.

"Hey, baby," she said in a small voice. The smell of his cologne was so soothing. He grinned at her with that damn daze still in his eyes.

"Hey, gorgeous. Car will be here in five."

She nodded and leaned forward, laying her head against Niall's chest and closing her eyes. His slow heartbeat hummed the prettiest lullaby in her ears. He wrapped his arms protectively around her back, rocking them slowly from side to side. This was heaven.

A second later, she jerked up. Niall was shaking her softly, wrapping his fingers around her shoulder. She blinked a few times, confused. Where was she? "Did I just fall asleep?"

He laughed quietly, brushing his knuckles across her cheek in an affectionate gesture. "You did. The car is here, so we'll be home soon."

Keeping one arm around her back, he helped her stand straight, moving her slowly so she wouldn't get dizzy. He also took the shoes from her hand, wrapping two of his fingers around both straps and holding on tightly. Lili could see the car outside the front door. They walked quickly so they could get out of the cold as soon as possible. The seat warmers had been running when they sat down, and it felt perfect on her frozen thighs.

She cuddled into Niall's side for the short drive and placed her head on his shoulder, determined not to fall asleep again. If she forced herself to stay awake now, it would make Niall's bed feel that much better. But he was making it damn hard. He was lazily tangling his fingers in her hair, massaging her scalp and relieving some pressure from the tight pins that had been jammed in there for the last few hours. Her eyes fluttered closed, and a small hum escaped her throat. Niall's chest rumbled with a quiet chuckle.

"Does that feel nice, angel?" he whispered, dragging his fingers in small, slow circles. She hummed again in a positive response. He continued on, placing his other hand on her thigh. She must have indeed fallen asleep, because the car seemed to be stopped when she opened her eyes. Niall was gently shaking her shoulder again, a sympathetic crease in his forehead.

"Come on, my darling. We're home. Just a bit longer and then you can sleep. I'm sorry."

She smiled drowsily and sat up straight, inhaling slowly and forcing her eyes open. Using Niall's arm as a guide, she stepped out of the car and sighed when her feet hit the driveway. The cold breeze hit her face and instantly woke her up. She shivered and watched with tired eyes as Niall fumbled for his keys, unlocking the door and pushing it open.

The alarm system beeped loudly, and Niall hurried to shut it off, resetting it to the function where they could walk around but the house would still be armed.

She kept his jacket wrapped tightly around her body as she waited for him to take off his shoes so they could go upstairs together. Niall gently slapped her ass as she walked up the stairs in front of him and she let out a yelp, turning to glare at him.

"Not the time, Horan," she said, trying to sound gruff and angry. Even when she was exhausted, her body still burst into flames when he touched her. He laughed and threw his hands up in apology.

"Sorry, princess," he said. "Couldn't help myself. You know you’ve got a lovely bum."

Lili rolled her eyes but said nothing. He did love her ass. When she entered Niall's bedroom, she gazed at his big, comfy bed, fighting the way her eyelids were closing with sleep. Her body was desperate for those blankets.

Niall walked around her and dropped her bag carefully on the corner of the mattress. She hadn't realized he'd even been holding it because she'd forgotten all about it. "Baby, can you help me out of my dress?" she asked, peeling the jacket off and dropping it on the bed. Her shoulders were aching. "I just need you to unzip it for me before you get changed."

Nodding, he moved behind her and pulled the zipper down carefully, kissing the back of her neck and her shoulders softly. The material pooled to the ground, leaving her in just her undergarments. She kicked the dress to the other side of the room and wrapped her arms around her stomach, still shivering. Right now, she could not care less about what happened to that dress. She was too tired to worry. Honestly, she didn't even know why she had packed her own clothes, because her instinct was to go to Niall's dresser and pick out one of his t-shirts to sleep in. He didn't oppose it.

She whipped her bra off and pulled the shirt on, sighing as she lifted the collar up to her nose and taking a sniff. It smelled like him. Perfect. Cuddling with Niall in his big, soft bed while wearing one of his shirts was actually one of the greatest feelings in the world. It sometimes made her believe she was an extension of him and not an entirely separate entity.

Yawning, she shuffled back over to the bed and unzipped her overnight bag, reaching for the toiletries. She froze as her hands touched the bottom. “You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she whined quietly, tossing her head back and glaring at the ceiling.

Lili could not sleep without brushing her teeth. And as much as she loved kissing Niall, that was about as close to his mouth as she wanted to be – sharing a toothbrush was where she drew the line.

Niall walked past her, placing a hand on her hip and kissing the spot where her shoulder and neck met, before heading towards the bathroom. “Are you alright, love?” he asked.

"I forgot all my stuff." She screwed her eyes shut as she plopped down on the corner of the mattress. That's what she gets for rushing around at home and not preparing stuff ahead of time.

Niall's face didn't change. "That's okay," he said casually. "I've got some things in the bathroom."

He glanced at her and smiled softly, before flipping the light on in the bathroom and standing at his sink. He pointed at something she couldn't see.

Brows furrowed, Lili followed close behind. Did he mean he had makeup remover handy? That couldn’t possibly be the case. But sure enough, on the countertop beside the sink was an unopened packet of makeup wipes, a bottle of micellar water, and a clear sleeve full of small cotton pads. In the toothbrush holder was a green toothbrush that looked new.

Lili glanced at him, frowning slightly. "Where did this come from?" she asked. Was he being serious right now? Could this have just been stuff an ex-girlfriend or an old hookup left behind? Or did he just magically happen to keep makeup remover handy in case of a female emergency like this one? Niall’s face immediately turned bright red. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, biting the corner of his lip.

"Well, I bought them for you. I figured you were going to be staying over more often, so I wanted to get you some things to keep here. In case we ever had a spontaneous sleepover or something like that." He swallowed, like he was embarrassed by what he'd just revealed to her. There was an almost shellshocked look in his eyes. "I know it's not a lot. I would have gotten better stuff but I...I wasn't sure what you use or what you would like. I probably should know that and I’m sorry I don’t, but…anyway, it's just a couple things for now."

The answer nearly brought tears to Lili's eyes. Her heart was beating emphatically in her chest, threatening to jump right out of her throat and splatter on the bathroom floor.

"You did this for me?" she asked, her voice practically a whisper. There was a strange feeling growing in her chest and throat, like she was about to burst into a sob but it was held back by a metal wall.

Eyes wide, Niall physically turned his body to face her; the look on his face made it seem like he was shocked she'd even ask that.

"Of course I did. I thought that, maybe, it would be easier when you stayed over, so you didn't have to bring things back and forth." He paused, inhaling sharply. "Was that weird? Should I have asked what you use first?"

Lili shook her head vigorously and jumped towards him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. She pulled him close and kissed all over his face, before planting many soft ones on his beautiful lips. He laughed and wrapped his arms around her back, lifting her off the ground as he hugged her. He set her back down and looked into her eyes, taking her breath away.

"It's not weird at all, baby," she finally answered. "I can't believe you even thought to do that for me. This is the sweetest thing ever." It was genuinely one of the nicest things someone had ever done for her. Regardless of how simple the gesture may seem, it invoked such a strong reaction from her.

Lili knew it wasn't the exhaustion or the alcohol making her react this way. It was just the overwhelming love she felt for Niall taking over.

He frowned at her sympathetically when he noticed the couple of tears that had fallen down her cheeks. "Oh, love, don't cry," he said, wiping them away with his thumbs.

She laughed and sniffled, reaching up and rubbing her eyes. "These are happy tears, I promise." Lili shrugged nonchalantly, avoiding his gaze for a quick moment. "No one's ever done something like this for me."

Seeing those items on the bathroom counter was like a punch to the gut. Or like someone had taken a hammer and bashed her right in the heart. It was yet another reminder of Niall's love for her. She was eternally grateful. He kissed her forehead, holding his lips in place for a long moment, before he pulled back and smiled.

"Well, I care about you, if that wasn't clear." He stepped away from her and reached for his toothbrush. "Now, hurry up and get to bed, I want to sleep."

She laughed and turned towards the counter, reaching for the wipes and pulling the tab open. Exhausted didn't even begin to explain how she felt right now; really, she didn't even know how she was still standing upright, but sleeping with makeup on was one of the worst things that a person could do for their skin. Lili wasn't a skincare addict or anything, but she did still take care of herself whenever she remembered. These products were better than nothing, so she pulled out a cloth and scrubbed her face. She hissed at the cold against her skin, shivering once again.

Using three full cloths, back and front, she managed to get as much of her makeup off as possible while Niall brushed his teeth beside her.

In this moment right now, he somehow looked even sexier than he had all night. He was now only wearing his shirt and pants. The shirt was completely unbuttoned, and his belt hung open in front of his hips. If the two of them weren’t so tired, there would definitely be some action before they went to sleep. Just looking at him like that made Lili weak in the knees.

This whole moment felt oddly domestic. It was such a normal thing for couples who lived together to get ready for bed side by side. She wished it was an everyday thing. How amazing would it be to get ready for bed with him every night?

As Niall scooted past her, he squeezed her bum again, laughing at the way she screeched in response. He strolled into the bedroom and flipped on the bedside lamp, turning off the big overhead light. Lili rolled her eyes and reached for the green toothbrush, wetting it and adding toothpaste before she brought it to her teeth.

While she brushed, she also pulled all the bobby pins out of her hair, combing her fingers through the mess. It felt so good to take them out since they had been basically stabbing her skull all night. She was so excited for Niall to run his fingers through his hair and play with it the way he always did when they were lying together. It was one of her favourite feelings.

From her spot at the sink, she watched Niall undress in the bedroom. The way he moved was so beautiful - his movements were calm and calculated. The muscles in his back rippled as he shrugged out of his shirt, draping it across the chair where his jacket and vest already lay. He unzipped his pants and pulled them down his legs, following the same movement of draping them over the chair. There was no reason to be so gentle with it, but it was endearing to see. After removing his socks, he walked tiredly to the bed and crawled under the blankets, fluffing his pillow and turning off the lamp before laying back. His eyes met hers and he smirked.

"Come on, gorgeous, I need you."

Her stomach flipped at his words and she smiled. She rushed to spit out the toothpaste, swirled some mouthwash around her mouth and grimaced as it burned. Getting all the food and alcohol from the night out of her mouth felt so good. She turned off the light and hurried over to her side of the bed in the dark, pulling the covers back and sliding in.

The exhaustion of the night finally hit her once her head hit the pillow. The alcohol was making everything spin. This was the moment she'd been looking forward to for the past...five hours? Niall's bed was the best. And Niall in his bed was even better. They were both lying on their side, face to face in the middle of the mattress. Butterflies were going crazy in her stomach. Lili leaned forward and brushed her nose against Niall’s, making him giggle.

“I love you,” she whispered quietly , pressing a very soft kiss to his lips. Being able to finally tell Niall she loved him made every part of her warm and fuzzy. It was scary, but so, so right. Niall smiled and kissed her again.

“I love you, darling. Sleep well.”

Happily, Lili rolled onto her other side so her back was to Niall. Immediately, he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close, protecting her from the darkness of his room. Just like always, he placed his hand on her stomach to keep her pressed against him. A tired smile grew on her face and she melted into him.

"Goodnight, baby," she said through a wide yawn. The last thing she felt before her eyes shut for good was Niall's warm, soft lips on her cheek.

* * *

The dull sunlight peeking through the top of the blackout curtains roused Lili from her sleep. There was hardly enough light to see across the room, but after a night of floating in and out of intoxicated consciousness, even the slightest bit of sun was enough of a disruption. Her heavy eyes fluttered open and landed on the ceiling; for a moment, Lili lay still, watching shadows dance across the plaster.

Everything was still – peaceful. It was nice. All Lili could hear was the happy chirping from the birds outside.

Her throat was dry and scratchy, probably raw from all the screaming she'd done the previous night. She was desperate for a drink. She tried to swallow, wincing at the way her swollen throat scratched and clawed its way back open. There was a dull thudding pain at the back of her head, signifying the beginning of a decent hangover. It wasn't unbearable, but enough to make her decently uncomfortable.

Sweat dampened the roots of her hair and made her skin stick to the shirt she was still wearing. Niall's arm, a hot, heavy weight draped around her middle, wasn’t helping the situation, but she didn't mind. It was hard to mind even slightly when his touch electrified her heart in the best way. It was sweet how he managed to hold onto her the entire night.

Trying not to wake him up, Lili slowly rolled onto her other side. If she could get up, maybe she could find some ibuprofen in the bathroom. But her brow furrowed in confusion when she turned her head and looked up. On the nightstand next to her phone was a glass of water and two tabs of Aspirin that hadn't been there when she went to sleep. Lili had been very drunk when they got to bed, but she was certain those pills hadn’t been there.

Slowly, she sat up and reached for the pills, swallowing them down one at a time. The water felt heavenly against her swollen throat. Placing the glass back on the nightstand, she picked up her phone and checked the time: it was half past nine. Not a bad sleep, she had to admit.

There was a message from her mom from the night before; she responded to Lili’s text with a sweet goodnight message. The second unread message was from Jordyn, who was already fishing for details of the wedding. Lili smiled and put her phone down – the light was starting to bother her eyes. Laying back down on the pillow, she turned her head in Niall's direction, admiring his face as he slept.

His hair was matted down against his forehead, and his cheek was squished up against the pillow; it made him look young again, almost like a boy. It was painfully endearing. The ghost of a smile outlined his perfect lips as he breathed deeply, and there was nothing more comforting than that sound. It was the world's greatest lullaby. His chest rose and fell at a slow pace because of his deep slumber.

Lili reached over and caressed his cheek gently with her thumb, heart thumping madly in her chest. How lucky she was to have the opportunity to wake up next to this perfect man. Seeing him there when she woke was surreal, every single time. There was no need to sleep anymore when her dream was right there in front of her.

She brushed her thumb across his jaw and he stirred, rubbing his lips together slowly. Immediately, she dropped her hand and hid it under the blankets. Her heart raced, and it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her shoulders.

He swallowed and opened his eyes slowly, blinking so they could adjust to the light. A brief look of confusion crossed his face, but when those perfect sapphire eyes landed on hers, he smiled, and it took her breath away. "I missed seeing you there," he said, his voice thick with sleep. It made her stomach flutter. His accent was always somehow stronger when he first woke up, and it was so attractive.

She smiled and rotated all the way on the mattress to face him completely, loving the way he instinctively pulled her in close. His bare chest was hot, and she could see the indentation of the sheets on his skin. The scent of his cologne from the night before had faded, but he still somehow smelled so good. Like fresh linen and lavender. It was delicious.

Lili dipped her head down and kissed the middle of his throat, the side of his neck, his cheek, and finally his lips. The apples of his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. "Good morning baby," she whispered, laying a hand against his cheek. "Did I wake you?"

He shook his head, pulling her in and kissing her forehead. His eyes closed again, still heavy with sleep. Carefully, he rolled them onto their sides enough for him to slide down on the mattress and rest his head against her chest. His lips fluttered against the skin just above the collar of her shirt and she giggled. Lying like this was one of Lili’s favourite things ever. Niall basically became a huge baby, wanting nothing more than to be held and kissed and loved. It was so cute.

She reached up to play with the hair at the back of his neck, and he hummed delightfully at her touch. "Did you put the water there for me?" she asked.

"I did," he said softly, slipping his hand just underneath her shirt to touch her skin. The contact sent off fireworks in her belly. He tilted his head back to look into her eyes. "You fell asleep so fast last night and I figured you'd have a headache today, so I brought some pills before I fell asleep." He smiled a crooked smile that would have knocked her on her ass if she'd been standing.

Lili smiled and kissed his forehead affectionately. "I just took them, but I don't feel too bad. Nothing I can't handle. Thank you, baby." She appreciated the gesture so damn much. Niall seemed to never stop thinking about her or her well-being, because he always did small things like that to remind her that he cared a lot.

"I’ll do anything for you, my angel," Niall said, giving her a cheeky little wink.

"Do you feel okay?" she asked, running her thumb over the crease in his forehead. She pushed his hair up a bit so it no longer fell right in his eyes. "You drank more than I did. I can get you something, too."

He shook his head again, opening his eyes all the way now. "I'm okay, thank you. Just thirsty, but that's fine."

Lili remembered the glass on her nightstand and smiled. "Here, finish my water. It's too much for me."

She sat up and reached for it, wrapping her fingers tightly around the glass so it didn't fall and soak the sheets. Niall took it from her and gulped the remaining water down, following it with a dramatic aspiration as he swallowed.

"Refreshing," he said with a smile.

She placed the glass back on the table before cuddling into his chest again. Could they stay like this all day? It was so perfect. Niall’s skin was so warm and inviting, it was impossible to move even an inch from him. They were laying in comfortable silence for a few moments before he cleared his throat.

"Last night was fun, huh?" He began, reaching up to rub his eye. "You were the most beautiful girl in the room, hands down."

Lili clicked her tongue. "I'm sorry, did you see the bride at all?" There was no way he thought she looked better than Maria last night. She appreciated the sentiment, but he was straight up lying to her. Maria looked like an actual princess.

Niall furrowed his brow like he was confused by her question. "Of course I saw her," he said. "She looked lovely, but nowhere near as good as you."

"Alright, whatever you say," Lili said, rolling her eyes dramatically. It did feel nice that he truly believed she was that beautiful. He was crazy, but it was nice. She propped her head up on the pillow using her elbow, analyzing every inch of Niall's face carefully. There were slight dark circles under his eyes, but other than that, he had no imperfections. "So," she said, pushing her tongue into her cheek to hide her smile. "You love me, huh?"

His cheeks flushed at the mention, but his smile was luxurious. It was almost like he'd been waiting for her to bring it up because he was dying to talk about it. Their eyes met again, and the room melted away.

"Yeah, I do," he said with a sigh. "I can't tell you what a relief it was to not only say it, but to hear you say it back."

He was insane if he thought she wouldn’t say it back to him. Could he not tell that she’d been head over heels since the moment they met? She reached over to play with his hair again, running her fingers through the dark locks. "Honestly, if you'd waited any longer, I would have had to say it first."

That was probably only 80% true because her fear of rejection would have prevented her from doing it at all costs, but she had been thinking it was coming for a while. It was just a matter of when. Niall laughed and hid his face in the pillow. Nothing was more adorable than when he got shy and bashful like this, and it was crazy to think that she was the reason for it.

"How long have you been waiting to say it?" Lili asked quietly. Getting to know all the details about his true feelings for her was exciting, albeit slightly nerve wracking. It made it all so much more real.

Without lifting his head from the pillow, he blinked up at her, his expression turning slightly more serious. "A long time, love," he said, and her stomach lurched. There was relief in his voice knowing he was finally able to admit that. “I mean, I’ve basically been telling you since the beginning without ever saying a word. Why do you think I always squeeze your hand three times or give you three little kisses in a row?”

Lili had definitely noticed that, but didn’t think it meant what she thought it did. She thought he was just being cute and affectionate but now, looking back, he really had been saying I love you for weeks, if not months.

"I fell in love with you right away, Lili. I know it sounds absolutely insane to say, but I knew I loved you after our first date." As he spoke, he seemed to avoid her gaze, chewing on the inside of his cheek nervously every time he paused. "The first time I really wanted to say it was the day you came to my house for the first time."

The implication of his words hung between them. Lili's cheeks flushed at the memory, as they always did whenever her subconscious was reminded about their sex life. Niall glanced down at her lips, then back up to her eyes.

"I didn't say anything then because it was definitely too early. I mean, I couldn’t tell you I loved you before we were even in a relationship. I’m honestly surprised ‘I love you’ didn’t come out instead of ‘will you be my girlfriend’. I was certain I was going to fuck it up." He paused, smiling. Golden light seemed to pour out of his eyes, bathing the room in its lavish warmth. "And then when I met your parents, I thought it might have been a good time, but I psyched myself out." He swallowed and shook his head, like he was disagreeing with an imaginary voice. “I’m notorious for moving too quickly when I’m in love. I was afraid if I said it then that it would scare you away.”

He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her abdomen again; his fingers danced across her hips and goosebumps erupted along her skin. Lili chuckled quietly. "It might have."

Niall grinned, scrunching his nose in the most adorable way. "We spend so much time together, it's been so hard to not say it every day. Every time I look at you I want to scream it. But with the emotions of last night...I couldn't hold it anymore."

Her heart was racing a mile a minute hearing these words. Once again, nothing he said made her doubt his intentions. Everything was genuine and honest. It was surreal. With every passing moment, her love and appreciation for Niall seemed to grow.

She swallowed, trying to ignore how nervous this conversation made her considering it was positive. "The other night when you came to see me at work and we...looked at the stars together." Her face was hot and more than likely fire-engine red. She shook the embarrassment away as Niall chuckled but said nothing. "When we were on the phone that night, you sounded weird. Were you going to say it then?" Her heart was in her throat. What if she'd completely misinterpreted that moment and exposed her stupidity by asking?

His eyes searched hers as a soft smile crossed his lips, like he wasn’t able to hold it back any longer. "Yeah, I was," he said softly, and Lili breathed a sigh of relief. Niall shook his head. "Fuck, I wanted to say it so badly." His words were strained, like he wanted to express just how strongly he felt that way but just couldn't find the way. "But I wanted to see your face and look into your eyes when I said it, so I forced myself to wait."

God, he was so happy to tell her that. His words caused a wave of emotions to crash over Lili, and she chewed the corner of her lip as tears pricked her eyes. Could she not just be normal for once? Why did everything have to end in tears nowadays?

Niall noticed immediately and raised his hand to her cheek, caressing the skin with his thumb to comfort her – it only made her more emotional. "Why are you crying, darling?" he asked. His voice was so, so soft, and completely lacking in judgement. She sniffled, smiling through the tears.

"Because I love you so much and I'm so happy," she said, and couldn't stop the pathetic chuckle that followed her words. An almost sympathetic smile crossed his face and his brows softened. It was clear he'd been worried he said something wrong. Lili wiped her eyes and took a breath before continuing. "It was the same for me, too. I knew I loved you early on, even if I was too afraid to admit it to myself. It’s why I wanted you to meet my parents."

Her heart hammered in her chest. "Seeing the way you all got along so well and how easily you fit in with my family made those feelings even clearer. That was when I knew for sure." Over the last few weeks, Lili did anything she could to avoid admitting to herself that she was in love with Niall. If she said it, it became real. And if it was real, it was something that could ultimately hurt her. Keeping those feelings her own little dreams was safe, and denial had become her safety net.

But now, safety was with Niall and his love. There was no reason to be afraid with him. Lili wished she had allowed herself to find that solace sooner, but knew there was no use dwelling on decisions she couldn’t change. It was important that they focused on the here and now, and the future they were heading towards. The good, beautiful future full of love.

"These tears are because I never, ever expected to hear someone say they loved me, and it’s overwhelming. Knowing that you truly mean it is a whole different ball game, too." She smiled through the tears, which were now rolling down her cheeks in big drops. She reached up and brushed them away before he had the chance, trying to keep at least some of her dignity. "But this is also just so crazy for me to experience because I had such a ridiculous crush on you in the very beginning, and I didn't think you could ever fall for me the way I did you."

Admitting that to him worried her - would it upset him? Even though it was truly how she felt? Right now, she couldn't imagine him being angry, but there was no guarantee he would react how she thought he would. When he looked at her incredulously, as if he couldn't believe what she was saying, she was glad to see that her gut was right.

"Baby, why on earth would you think that?"

Lili opened her mouth to talk, but no sound came out. How could she put this into words that didn’t make her sound pathetic? All she could do was shrug, before closing her eyes to collect her thoughts.

"I didn't think it was possible for someone to love me," she finally said, her voice wavering.

This was going to be tough for her to get through. Niall always supported her and listened while she expressed her feelings with 100% attention, but it didn't make it any easier. Talking about insecurities and traumas was always deeply uncomfortable.

"After everything I've been through, I'd gotten it in my head somehow that I was unlovable. I thought I would be by myself forever." Lili let out a dull little chuckle. "And then you came around and fucked everything up for me, so it's still hard to wrap my head around."

She was afraid to look at him. Sounding insufferable like this made her cringe, but it was important. Being able to speak honestly with each other was one of the strongest pillars of their relationship. And yeah, maybe she was getting tired of this whole 'woe is me' thing she had going on. The good thing was that it really did feel like she was moving past it all, and was actively putting in the work each day to find true happiness within herself. When she finally met his eyes again, they were unexpectedly swimming with tears. Her heart sank.

"Oh, baby, no!" She pouted, devastated. The last thing she wanted was to upset him with the things she said. He laughed and wiped the tears away with his thumb, but his face quickly changed, and he was serious once again.

"I don't think you'll ever understand the things I would give or do to make you see yourself the way I do." He lifted himself up on his elbow so he was looking down at her. "Do you know why I love you so much?" he asked.

She shook her head, keeping her lips shut.

He grinned, and his eyes sparkled. "I love you, Lili, because you have the biggest fucking heart in the world. You care so much for every single person you meet, no matter what. You're selfless, kind, and compassionate." Blood was rushing loudly in her ears. Why was he so sweet all the time? Niall let his hand drift up the curve of her body until it reached her face, and he gently swiped the skin of her cheek. “You’ve got the most amazing laugh in the whole world, and I think a little piece of my soul is brought back to life every time you smile. You’re so beautiful, every part of you.”

“Babe…” she whispered, unable to handle the words he was saying. Niall leaned forward and kissed her forehead, and somehow she knew he wasn’t done talking.

"I love you for the way you love me. The way you support anything and everything I do. Having you by my side is the best thing that's ever happened to me. You're my dream come true." His voice broke on the last syllable, and it was enough to shatter Lili's heart. She turned her head up towards the ceiling; tears were now sliding down her jaw and soaking into the pillow.

Her brain needed time to process his words, and there was just no way that would be happening right now. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, laughing in disbelief. Nothing was funny, yet she couldn’t contain it.

Niall was still watching her carefully, and when she met his gaze once again, he looked sad and worried. There were still tears in his eyes. She took a moment to breathe while pulling herself up to a sitting position, crossing her legs and facing Niall. She took the hand that had been resting on her face and lifted it to her lips, kissing it repeatedly before lacing their fingers together.

"You know," she started, stuffy nose distorting her voice. The corners of her mouth pulled up into a grin. "A few months ago, if someone had said something like that to me, I would have been out the door before the sentence was even finished." Niall laughed lightly but remained quiet. She inhaled a shaky breath. "But you've taught me so much about loving myself and other people, and I think I'm finally at the point in my life where I can believe I deserve to hear stuff like that."

Being this honest was painful, and slightly embarrassing. Lili didn't know how to accept love. Sure, she had no problem hearing her parents or Jordyn say it, and it wasn't a problem at all to say it back. But from a partner? No, that was too hard to accept. It was the hardest thing for her to do, actually. It was just unfathomable that someone was choosing to love her, even after seeing the parts of her that she would prefer to keep hidden.

Niall hadn't moved from his position. He was still keeping his head propped up with his arm. Slowly, he looked her up and down, before closing his eyes. He stayed that way for a brief moment, then opened them once again.

"Why wouldn't you have believed it?" he asked. She waited for a laugh or a smirk to follow the question, because she figured she just missed the joke. He was obviously making fun of her, right? Why else would he have asked that? But nothing came. No snickers, no big smile. No 'aha, gotcha!'. Just wide eyes full of concern and curiosity.

Lili shrugged. "I didn't think I deserved it." She blinked rapidly to prevent more tears from falling. "Even right now, I thought that question might have been a joke." She shook her head stupidly. "I've been through so much in my life that I thought I wasn't worthy of the kind of love you give me. People had proven to me time and time again that I didn't deserve it, and I spent so much time hearing it that I started to believe it myself."

Just like every other time she felt nervous or scared, Lili picked at the cuticles around her thumb, scratching hard enough to draw blood. The sting brought her comfort.

"For a long time, I just accepted that I was going to live that way forever. Which is why I sometimes get scared and revert back to my old ways with you because I don't know how to accept it."

Getting this off her chest felt...good? Like a 50 pound weight had been lifted from it. Lili would never have guessed this was what had been weighing her down the most. She felt like she could breathe again.

“Even before I’d ever gotten my heart broken, I struggled with my confidence. I’ve always had a very low sense of self-worth. Before you, I really was convinced that love didn’t exist outside of friendships.” Despite herself, she smiled. “I see how much my parents love each other even after all these years, and how in love Jordyn and Isaiah are, but I really just believed it came down to being extremely lucky.”

Lili sighed, feeling kind of like an idiot for saying these things. These were the thoughts she kept hidden from view. It wasn’t fun exposing herself like this, but there was no one in the whole world she wanted to know her inside and out more than Niall.

“There are people in this world who are so fortunate to experience unconditional love, and I let myself believe I would never have it so I started convincing myself it wasn’t even real. But with everything you and I have now, it breaks my heart to know I ever thought that way.”

Niall was silent for a long time. So long, in fact, that Lili thought he'd dissociated and hadn't heard a word she said. For all she knew, he didn’t actually care to hear this and was just waiting for the moment she finished talking so he could change the subject. Though, knowing that he loved her made that extremely hard to believe. Her heart was pounding waiting for a reaction from him.

Finally, he swallowed, and his eyes softened. "I'm so sorry you had to experience that," he whispered. He shifted on the mattress, like he was equally as uncomfortable with the subject matter as she was. "And I don't want to take this moment away from you or make it about me, but I do somewhat know how that feels."

His cheeks were pink, his breathing shallow. It was endearing knowing this conversation had an effect on him. He felt what she felt.

"I thought no one could ever love me or care for me as purely as you do. There would always have to be some kind of malicious intent behind it. I’ve been protecting myself from falling in love because I never wanted to get my hopes up just for it to be ripped away from me once again.”

His eyes were sparkling with the remnants of tears. “I think it's quite beautiful the way we've grown together in that sense." God, how fucking sweet was he? Lili smiled at him, and when he returned it, it was like the sun had appeared in full force. Her heart skipped.

"You're actually the first person I've ever said it to," she admitted in a small voice, grimacing with shame. "And the first person who's ever said it to me."

The urge to cover her face with her hands was overwhelming. This would be the perfect moment to run and hide. But instead, she rubbed her eyes and avoided looking at Niall. There was an odd sense of shame surrounding this revelation. The realistic part of her brain knew it wasn’t as big of a deal as she was making it out to be. The emotional part, however, was laughing in her face and pointing, calling her a loser. Based on how hot her face felt, there was no way it wasn't bright red. She was positively burning up.

Niall giggled and reached up, pulling her hands away from her face with the utmost care. So much for not hiding. "Why are you embarrassed, my love?" he asked; his voice was soft, yet still playful, and it somehow comforted Lili. It made her unafraid to be honest with him.

"Niall, did you hear what I just said?" she asked, unintentionally sounding annoyed. "Out of all the almost-25 year olds in the world, I can guarantee you the number of people who have never exchanged an ‘I love you’ with someone is less than 1%." Her face grew hotter.

Instantly, Niall stopped laughing, and tried to get her to look at him. "That's nothing to be embarrassed about, darling. There isn't a time frame on how soon you should do or say certain things. Who cares when it happens?"

"I do, because it makes me feel like I've missed out on so many things that other people got to have."

Young love, teenage relationships, dates to school dances. Lili missed all of it. Not a day went by where she didn't think of how she'll never get to experience the sweet, innocent love that most teenagers experience in high school. Love before scars. What did that feel like?

Niall sighed. He dropped his hand to her exposed knee, drawing mindless patterns in the skin with his fingertips. He carved out a heart before returning to the swirls. "I don't think it's embarrassing at all. It's cute. Besides, I kind of really like that I get to be your first 'I love you'." He paused his movements, furrowing his brows. "Actually, you shouldn't have told me that, because now my head feels about a thousand sizes bigger."

Lili laughed and her shoulders relaxed. She adored how he always knew what to say and when. His relieved smile made her heart soar.

They were quiet for a moment, before a shadow crossed over her heart and her throat grew tight. Lili didn't know if she should bring up what was on her mind. Not just because she didn't want to hear his answer, but because she didn't want to potentially trigger something for Niall. But there was no way she could ignore this and move on without saying anything. She tried swallowing so she could talk.

"Did you tell Riona you loved her?"

She didn't recognize her voice. There was something cold and aloof in the way she spoke. It was horrible of her, but she’d been thinking about this since last night, even though she had done her best to keep those thoughts at bay. It wasn’t her fault. She knew he had a much longer history than she did, and it was natural to wonder. Her stomach turned to knots when his face changed and he looked down, avoiding her eye. Whatever he was going to say, it was clear he didn't want to. His fingers froze in their tracks on her leg.

"I did," he said quietly. It felt like it pained him to say. It was painful to hear. The knots that formed in her stomach twisted even tighter. Lili forced herself to remain neutral, to not give away her true feelings with a grimace or a frown; but when he looked up into her eyes, he knew.

"Come here," he said quietly. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, tangling his fingers in her hair as he pulled her face down towards his and pressed their lips together. There was something sad and vulnerable in the kiss. Lili poured herself into it, getting lost in the way he felt against her.

Stretching her legs out in front of her, she lay back down on the pillow and pulled his body slightly on top of hers, never breaking the contact of their lips. He sighed into the kiss as he deepened it, tilting his head to the side. There was nothing sexual about it, but it was beautiful. Slow and passionate. His chest rose and fell against hers as his breathing picked up, and the hand that was in her hair came around to press lightly against the side of her face, thumb rubbing delicately against her cheek.

He pulled back, breathing heavily, and looked into her eyes. "What I felt back then was nothing compared to what I feel now." He swallowed and rolled slightly to the side of Lili's body, taking some of his weight off her, but kept his hand firmly against her face. "I know what true love is now because I met you. I didn't know a fucking thing before." He was still breathing hard, so she placed a hand on the middle of his chest, as if to tell him to calm down. It was okay – she was here for him.

He shook his head. "I was blinded by my...honestly, by my obsession with her. After so many years of pining after her, I thought I loved her because she gave me the time of day for the first time ever and back then I thought attention equaled love." He searched her eyes for an answer. "I told her I loved her because I thought it was just what I had to do, but it never felt real. It was always performative."

He brought his hand up and rubbed his forehead, giving himself a moment to breathe. Lili knew when the right moment to respond would be, and this wasn't it. He sighed. "You taught me how to love," he continued. "How to understand the difference between real and fake love. You are the reason I have a heartbeat. Unconditional love became achievable the moment I met you."

It was like the two pieces of her heart came together in that moment. It was exactly the way she'd felt about him. She didn't know a goddamn thing about life and love before she met him. It amazed her the way they had been able to teach each other so much in such a short period of time. Because of him, she had the opportunity to grow in ways she never thought possible. Lili tilted her chin up and kissed him again, feeling him smile against her lips.

"That was a good answer," she said breathlessly, as he trailed his kisses down to her neck. For now, she didn't need to hear anything else. Knowing how genuine those few words were was more than enough to hold her over until next time. There would be time to have these conversations in the future, where they could get deeper into their stories and past lives. In this moment, Lili just wanted to enjoy the feeling of being in love with Niall and knowing he was in love with her. They needed to be together and feel their collective joy.

Just as he began pressing soft kisses to her collarbone and sliding his hand underneath her shirt, her stomach growled. Lili opened her eyes wide and stared at the ceiling, embarrassed. Niall's lips paused against her skin, and she could feel his shoulders shaking with laughter. He turned to look up at her, eyes twinkling with amusement.

"I reckon we should get some breakfast, don't you think?"

* * *

"Thanks, mate. Have a good day." Niall nodded curtly as he shut the front door, a large white plastic bag in his hand.

Neither one of them was really hung over, but a greasy plate of bacon, eggs, and sausages was calling Lili's name, and her stomach growled even louder as she watched Niall cross the room towards the couch. Honestly, they were more drunk from their love for each other today than they’d been from the alcohol last night. Oh god, was that not the grossest, tackiest thing she’d ever said? Hard not to care, to be honest…

Her mouth was watering as Niall set the bag down on the coffee table in front of her; the smell emanating from it was enough to drive her mad. Lili slid off the couch and sat on the ground in front of the table, reaching over and tearing the bag open. There was another, slightly smaller bag inside that was used to separate the two orders. The container inside the large bag had a stack of pancakes, three fried eggs, bacon strips and orange slices. She lifted it out of the plastic and handed it to Niall.

"That one's yours, baby." With a smile, Niall took it from her, but not before he grabbed her chin and kissed her lips affectionately, nibbling her bottom lip before he pulled away. She blushed and opened the second bag, removing her own container, which had fried eggs, bacon, sausage links, and home fries. She popped the plastic lid off and her eyes practically rolled back with pleasure.

As she lifted herself back onto the soft couch cushion, she grabbed a packet of ketchup and used her teeth to tear it open, squeezing every last drop of it into the corner of the container. Niall was laughing, clutching his stomach for support.

"What?" Lili asked, eyes wide. The hand holding her fork had paused mid-air. Niall shook his head, grinning wide.

"Can't even wait for your coffee, can you?" he asked playfully, standing up and wiping his hands on his shorts. He was still shirtless, only having pulled on a pair of basketball shorts when they got out of bed. He was definitely going to be her dessert later on.

She rolled her eyes and laid the container gently on the table again. "Fine," she mumbled impatiently. “Not my fault I’m hungry.”

Giggling once again, Niall disappeared into the kitchen, humming a happy tune as he walked. Lili leaned back against the couch, waiting and listening to the rumbling of her dreadfully empty stomach.

Quickly, she pulled her hair into a loose ponytail just to get it away from her face. She sat forward and picked up one of the fries, popping it in her mouth and chewing.

A few minutes later, Niall started making his way back over to the couch, dragging his feet in his slides like he always did. He handed her a mug of steaming coffee made just the way she liked it and kissed her sweetly. She took a sip and smiled. Perfect.

"Thank you, baby," she said, setting the mug down and picking up her food again, finally digging in. It was fucking amazing. Nothing cured a hangover like the perfect plate of brunch.

Niall chuckled and reached for the remote, turning the TV on at a low volume and immediately switching to the news channel. He had to watch the news every single day - it was so cute. Sometimes he would even read the newspaper like a 40-something year old man. However he chose to consume his daily media, it was adorable. The reporter on-screen was presenting a story on the rising gas prices in the state of California, and Niall was watching intently as he shovelled his food in his mouth, not even noticing the little crumbs that fell to the floor in the aftermath.

It took several minutes for him to realize the mess he was making, and Lili threw her head back with laughter as he cleaned up what he could, blushing.

"Sorry," he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I don't normally eat like a maniac, you know that."

Lili just shook her head and laughed again. "It's fine, Niall. You’re too cute to do anything wrong, anyway." She caught her breath and sat up straight, going back to her food, which was now half gone.

They sat eating in silence for the next few minutes with just the low TV making the only sounds in the room. When Niall finished the last sip of his coffee, he finally spoke.

"So, I've been planning on going to Ireland for a visit after PGA," he said, scratching his beard. Most of that tired look in his eyes had disappeared, and he looked refreshed.

Lili smiled. "That would be nice. When was the last time you went back?"

"Um, four years ago? I think." He shifted his position on the couch so that he was facing her and draped one arm across the top of the couch. His muscles bulged. "I was thinking that maybe you could come with me."

Lili's mouth opened slightly, and her eyebrows raised. Was he being serious? "Really?" she asked, feeling hesitant about his response. A sweet little half-smile stretched across his face.

"Yeah. I want you to meet my family, love. I can’t stop thinking about it. Plus, I've been dying to show you where I'm from. Ireland is such a big part of my identity and getting to show you my life there would be amazing."

Her heart skipped in her chest as she looked up at him.

"I mean, I would love to." She pushed herself off the floor and onto the couch, scooting closer to him. "When are you planning on going? I would need to make sure my work knows in advance. I don't think it'll be a problem, but I'd rather tell them sooner than later."

She was rambling; hearing the words ‘I want you to meet my family’ was somehow sending her into a spiral. That was overwhelming to hear. In the way only he knew to calm her down, Niall reached over and grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together and running his thumb back and forth along her skin.

"I was thinking right after my birthday. The 14^th, maybe?" He looked at her hopefully, his eyes clear and full of adoration. Was she going to be able to take time off? September wasn't necessarily a busy time at the club, but it wasn't like she could disappear for two weeks. Although she did have vacation days she had to use before the year was up...

She smiled at Niall, her heart jumping to her throat. "Okay. Let's do it." Maybe it wasn't wise to give him an answer before she even knew if it was feasible, but how could she say no to him?

He bit his lip as he smiled back, nodding his head in approval. "Okay," he repeated. "Let's go to Ireland, princess."

She leaned forward to kiss him, practically pouncing on him in the process. He wrapped his arms around her back to hold her against him as he lay flat on his back on the couch. Their kisses were constantly being interrupted by smiles or giggles.

"I love you so much, you know that?" Lili whispered, tilting her head slightly to the side.

His chest rumbled as he laughed quietly. "I do, yes. But I love you more."

“Not possible,” Lili replied, sticking her nose in the air definitively. Niall laughed loudly and placed his hand at the back of her head to pull her in for more kisses. This life was being so good to her. She'd never get over how she was the one living through this. How did she get so god damn lucky?

"Oh, hey," she said, after a long silence. She was tracing the skin of his tummy lightly with her fingertips. She turned her head so she could see him, resting her chin on his chest. "I'm going to look at some cars tomorrow. I think it’s time to bite the bullet and get a new one. Come with me?"

It would be nice to have him there for moral support. She just loved doing things with him and was always finding reasons to bring him to different places.

He smiled down at her, and the world stopped turning. "I'd love to." 

Chapter Text

The idea of being in love had never sounded so sweet. The execution was even better.

After spending the post-wedding morning together, Lili and Niall had no choice but to separate. It wasn’t fair that they couldn’t spend every waking minute together. When she was alone, Lili took the opportunity to really think about what had happened the night before and let Niall’s revelation finally sink in. He loved her. More than anything in the world. His eyes had sparkled when he said it to her, and it was the most beautiful sight in the world.

Of all the times she’d imagined them sharing the phrase ‘I love you’, she never imagined that it would look or sound as good as it did. Niall couldn’t have picked a more romantic or more perfect moment to tell her his true feelings. 

Hearing the words made her feel 99% happy and 1% scared. It was all so new and different. Admitting they loved each other made things real, and as wonderful as that was, it was also terrifying. Whenever they reached a new milestone in their relationship, Lili felt just as scared as she did excited. It wasn’t like she was rooting for things to go wrong, but there was always that tiny, tiny voice in the back of her mind reminding her of the possibility. But every time that voice started to speak, Lili willfully drowned it out with the much louder sound of Niall’s voice, and it reminded her that everything was going to be okay.

* * *

The car horn sounded loudly from outside her house, and Lili rushed to tie her shoes so she didn't keep Niall waiting too long. Excitement was bubbling rapidly in her stomach; adrenaline made her hands shake so much she could barely hold onto the laces.

This was the moment Lili had been waiting for and dreaming about for the last few years – it was exactly what she'd been working her ass off to accomplish. She and Niall were heading to a dealership where she would hopefully sign off on a brand new car - one that was completely and entirely hers. This time around, her parents wouldn’t be co-signing for it. The only name and signature on the contract would be Lili’s.

She whipped the front door open, letting it slam it shut behind her as she ran down the driveway to Niall's car. Hopefully someone would lock it behind her. She already missed her boyfriend, and it had literally only been a day.

Niall was leaning back against the passenger door of his truck in a casual slouch, one ankle crossed over the other. He kept his arms crossed over his chest, making his muscles bulge. He wasn't wearing anything extravagant – just faded teal cotton shorts and a white t-shirt – but damn he looked good. A pair of sunglasses were sitting atop his dark hair, putting his perfect blue eyes on display. Lili wasn't sure if it was hot outside or if it was just him, but she was beginning to sweat. And yes, she was being incredibly cliché.

He smiled as he watched Lili flail down the driveway towards him, immediately opening his arms and pulling her into a warm hug. His touch was perfect, and exactly what she needed right now. The faintest sigh of what sounded like relief echoed in her ears. Knowing he missed her as much as she missed him made her feel a little less bad about her very obvious co-dependency issue.

She tilted her head back and kissed him, pressing her lips against his multiple times, before giving him one last long kiss. He chuckled as he tangled his fingers through the ends of her hair. "You seem excited," he said with a cheeky look in his eye.

She smiled and shrugged. "It's an exciting day."

"I guess we should get going, then."

Niall stepped to the side and pulled the car door open, waiting until Lili was comfortably in her seat before shutting it loudly. It was so sweet that he always did this for her. He strolled around the front of the car and pulled his own door open, sliding into the leather seat and slamming the door behind him. The scent of his aftershave filled the car and made her delightfully dizzy. Every part of him was intoxicating.

He turned to her as he pressed the start button on the ignition, and the engine roared to life underneath them. "Where to first, love?" 

Lili smiled to herself as she unlocked her phone to pull up the map she’d looked at earlier. "Glendale. That's where I got my current car. I have the address here for you." She held up her phone to show him, but put it down when Niall scrunched his nose up.

"Are you sure you want another Mazda?" He shrugged casually. "I mean, you have the money. Want not try for an upgrade?"

Lili blinked at him slowly, keeping her mouth closed. The thought had never even crossed her mind.

Almost immediately, he retracted his sentence, widening his eyes with embarrassment. "Fuck, I'm sorry. That sounded quite stuck up. I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"No, it's fine," Lili said, shaking her head. "I mean, I've just never thought about getting a fancier car. I don't even think I really want to..."

She wasn't exactly sure how true that statement was. Maybe the thought had crossed her mind once. Or twice. Lili had only ever bought things for herself that were sensible. She didn’t need bells and whistles to be happy, especially when money was tight. Even with additional wiggle room, she liked being frugal.

She sighed. "I just think something nicer will be too much for a monthly payment. I don't want to blow all my money right away after I worked so hard to save up." Obviously, she knew that, realistically, she wouldn't actually blow all her money right away, because that wasn't how monthly payments worked. Something was seriously wrong if she lost all her money in one go. But a higher value car drained your bank account a whole hell of a lot faster, especially if she made bi-weekly payments. She swallowed, and tilted her head, grimacing to herself. "Besides, they know me really well there, so I can probably get a good discount."

Niall was silent as he switched the gear into reverse and began backing out of the driveway. His hand came up to rest on her thigh and he squeezed gently. "Personally, I think it wouldn't hurt to check," he said gently. "But I understand. This is a huge investment, and you have to be smart about it." He smiled as he made a right turn at the end of her street. "I don't want you to think I'm trying to direct you a certain way. We'll start where you're comfortable." He glanced at her as they cruised through her neighbourhood. "Ready?"

She nodded emphatically. The excitement was already surfacing again after it had sizzled momentarily. It was a relatively short drive to the dealership, even with traffic. The closer they got, the faster her leg bounced up and down. The adrenaline was exhilarating.

Niall patted her knee gently, squeezing it three times. "Please try and calm down a bit, love. You'll give yourself a heart attack." The car was practically shaking. Lili scowled and stopped moving, pressing her thighs together tightly to prevent them from bouncing.

"Sorry. I'm trying," she said with a chuckle, picking at her cuticle. She took a deep breath and chewed the inside of her lip as Niall turned into the parking lot, finding an empty space near the door and easing his truck in. The anxiety she was feeling was so odd. She knew this was exciting, and nothing to be nervous about, and yet, her palms were sweating, her stomach was queasy, and her mouth was dry. It was like she was afraid to do this. It made no sense, but the more she thought about it, the worse it felt. All Lili could do was take slow, deep breaths, and continuously tell herself that this was a good thing.

"Alright," Niall said, putting the car in park. "Let's go."

He was eager to go in, but wouldn't move until she did. Clearly, he wanted Lili to understand that they were in this together. That she had his support the whole way. She looked around at all the shiny models parked around them. Cars, trucks, and SUV's of every colour available glinted in the afternoon sunlight. Everything looked gorgeous and brand new. She hated that she was nervous about buying a new car, but this one decision would probably set her on a path of huge life decisions she would inevitably start having to make, and she figured the prospect of that was what was making her the most anxious. Life would become a hell of a lot more serious from this moment on, as ridiculous as that may sound. 

She picked her purse off the car floor, inhaling sharply, and swung the strap over her shoulder as she pushed her door open. Niall did the same, hurrying to shut his door and run around the car so he could be there to help Lili down. Before she could even begin walking towards the building, Niall squeezed her hand and pulled her in close. He kissed her gently, one hand pressing against the small of her back, the other caressing her cheek softly. 

“It’s going to be fine, love,” he said, smiling sweetly. “I promise.”

“I know,” she responded, grateful that he loved her enough to support her anxiety even if it was over something stupid.

Lips still buzzing from his soft kisses, Lili grinned as he turned them around to walk towards the front door. He kept his hand wound tightly with hers, and twirled her around once before they began the journey across the parking lot. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face as they crossed the lot towards the front door. They always got so giddy around each other, kind of like school kids. It made her feel young and innocent again. Niall was healing her inner child, and her gratitude towards him just seemed to increase tenfold.

They swung their connected arms back and forth as they walked, and Lili laughed at how ridiculous they probably looked. But it was fun, so did she really actually care that much? No, probably not.

She forced him to stop swinging when they approached the door, cementing a look of intense calm on her face. They couldn’t walk in there acting like a couple of clowns if she wanted to be taken seriously. Niall’s smile disappeared and was replaced instantly by tight, frowning lips, and Lili nearly busted out laughing. He looked like a school principal ready to reprimand students for using their phones in class. She shook her head with a smile and pulled the glass door to the dealership open.

The showroom was nearly empty except for a man and woman standing next to one of the larger cars on the far end of the room, talking to a salesman. The three were engaged in deep conversation. The salesman walked around the car as he spoke, showing off all the features it came with, opening all the doors and letting them look inside. The rest of the sales team sat at desks that spanned the length of the room, scrolling through their computers or reading big files that seemed to be ripping apart at the seams. A woman at the second to last desk was talking on the phone, holding the receiver in place between her ear and her shoulder as she typed rapidly on her computer with bright red fingernails.

A granite countertop along the back wall housed a little kitchenette, where a coffee maker was brewing a fresh pot, filling the room with the most amazing scent imaginable. Lili took a deep breath - the coffee mingled intoxicatingly with the smell of car wax and rubber tires, and it was extraordinary.

There was another section of the building off to their left that led to the mechanics' garage, separated by a large door with several glass windows.

The man sitting at the first desk looked up at them and smiled when he recognized Lili. Adam was the salesman who had sold her the Mazda she was currently driving six years ago when she first bought it. He still had the same mousy brown hair that fell over his eyes. Adam stood and smoothed his shirt with his hands, tucking in his chair and walking over to them.

"Lili, hey, good to see you!" he said, reaching out a hand. His blue eyes were dull, nowhere near as beautiful or full of life as Niall's. She shook his hand happily and smiled back at him. Over the years, they'd developed a nice, friendly rapport. He was always the person she dealt with when she came in. Any time she had a problem and needed to book a service appointment, or came in to update personal information, he was her first point of contact. 

Adam's eyes darted over to Niall, and there was a hint of recognition in his eyes. "Sorry, are you Niall Horan?" he asked, as if he wasn't entirely sure. There was an excitement in his voice that he was trying very hard to keep hidden. Niall nodded curtly.

"I am. Nice to meet you, Adam," he said. Adam's mouth fell open in shock.

"How did you...?" he began, but then his face immediately turned bright red. "Right. Name tag." He glanced down at his shoes and muttered something under his breath before looking back up.
Niall chuckled politely and held his hand out. Adam shook Niall's hands and over at Lili, looking absolutely dumbfounded. "Sorry, but how the hell do you know Niall Horan?" he asked, mouth agape.

This was a question Lili had definitely been getting more often recently, and it was funny every time. She and Niall both laughed. "He's my boyfriend," she said proudly. Adam didn't say anything, but the way he raised his eyebrows made it seem as if he was impressed by the revelation, if not a little disappointed.  He swallowed and rolled his shoulders back, finding his professionalism again.

"Well, it's great to meet you, Niall. I'm a big fan." He cleared his throat. "So, what can I do for you today, Lili?" His demeanor towards Lili changed, turning a few percent colder than normal. She thought it was odd but was never surprised that people didn’t know how to act around someone like Niall.

She glanced around the showroom, looking at all the models in their pristine condition. There were so many to choose from, and even more outside in the parking lot. "I'm finally upgrading my car," she began. "Sad, I know."

"Ah. That time already, huh?" Adam said casually. "Have you thought at all about what you're looking for?" He gestured over to his desk and they followed him over; he sat in his big wheely chair as Lili and Niall took their spots on the chairs across from him. Adam grabbed his mouse and moved it back and forth quickly to wake his computer screen. Lili cleared her throat.

"Right now, I think I'm looking towards the newest version of what I have currently."

Adam nodded slowly as his eyes darted back and forth across the screen. He looked over at Lili again for a brief moment. "And you have the...3, right?" he asked, as he pulled up her file in the system.

Lili nodded. "Yes, a 2014. Honestly, it's been fine. I haven't had any problems with it, especially considering the fact that I bought it already used."

"Well, aside from the fact that it died on the highway a couple months ago," Niall interjected, looking at Lili pointedly.

She sneered sarcastically at him. "It was just the battery again. But aside from that, it's been almost perfect."

Adam chuckled. He turned away from the computer and placed his elbows delicately on the desk, lacing his fingers together. A birthmark in the shape of a shooting star peaked out from his sleeve. "I mean, the fact that in seven years, it's only died twice, I'd say that's a steal." Adam shrugged casually at his words. "But are you sure you want a new one?"

"I do," Lili said. Nervously, she began to pick at the cuticle of her thumb, but stopped herself. "When I started at the club, I set a goal that I finally reached, so I'm ready to treat myself. It’s time."

At that moment, Niall started playing with her foot under the desk, and she tried hard not to grin, ignoring the distraction. Adam nodded, noticing nothing.

"Alright, that doesn't sound like a problem. The only issue might be the increased monthly payments and interest, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there." He looked between the two of them, letting his eyes linger on Niall for a moment longer. Adam seemed slightly upset at Niall's presence, which was odd. He hadn't done anything worth being upset over. If Niall noticed, he never let it show. As always, he was cool as a cucumber. "Shall we start looking?"

Lili smiled and stood up, gesturing for Niall to do the same. He and Adam stood at the same time. "Let's do it," she said excitedly, gripping the strap of her purse tightly. It was like the nerves she'd felt earlier had completely disappeared, only to be replaced by extreme excitement. Now she couldn't wait to find something.

The first thing Adam did was show her the newest model of her current car, which was what she'd originally planned on getting. It was the same silver, albeit shinier. It was gorgeous. The inside was a slightly more refined version of what she already had. There were leather seats, which was always a plus. Cleaning material seats was a nightmare. The center console was wider, giving both the driver and the passenger a bit more elbow room. All the gages behind the steering wheel were digital in this car, as opposed to the analog ones in her car. It felt very fancy to look at.

The steering wheel had a heated function, which was unnecessary for Los Angeles, but a nice addition she'd never thought of having. The display screen was about an inch larger, though it wasn't anything spectacular in comparison to what she had now. The Bluetooth was the exact same as well. It was a nice car - that wasn't the issue. But if she was being honest, she felt...underwhelmed?

It didn't seem like there was much of a difference between what she was looking at and what she already had.

"Is this new or used?" Lili asked, looking at the backseat - the carpet needed vacuuming. A used car wasn't off the table for her by any means, but not if it was in bad condition. Adam opened his mouth, closed it, and smiled a tight-lipped smile.

"It is used, but it's only got about 3000 miles on it."

Lili shared a look with Niall, who was carefully hiding how unimpressed he was. His arms were stiffly crossed over his chest. She turned away from him and gave Adam her attention again. "What would I be looking at monthly? Just payments, no insurance or anything."

Adam swallowed and pulled out his phone. He scrolled through it momentarily; Niall drifted closer to Lili as they waited, and she could feel the heat from his body against her back. It was really nice to have him there.

"I can give you a loyalty discount on top of this, but you're looking at about $480 a month. Just the payments alone, anyway." Adam cleared his throat. "If you keep the same insurance plan you're on now, it'll bump you to well over $700." Lili nodded slowly, trying not to let her shock and disappointment show. Not ideal. Damn, Mazdas had really gotten expensive since the last purchase she'd made.

Looking around the room, she drifted over to another model. It looked a lot like the 3, but slightly bigger. It was a white SUV. That wasn't something she'd been particularly interested in, but it was nice to look at.

"That's the CX-3." Adam's voice sounded from behind her; she turned to see him and Niall walking over to where she'd wandered off to. Niall still had his arms crossed over his chest, lips pulled into a thin line. He hadn't spoken in at least ten minutes, but he was watching everything carefully.

"How's this one compared to the 3?" she asked. Adam smiled, but his shoulders were tense.

"This one's a better buy. It's bigger, but you get way more miles to the gallon. More features in the system, and it's completely Bluetooth." He sniffled. "Plus, you'd be looking at about the same prices monthly for this one because we've got it as a featured deal right now."

"Do you think you'd want a bigger car, though, love?" Niall asked, slipping around Lili to inspect the car. Hearing his voice after such a long silence was a bit of a shock. He leaned down to glance inside the windshield, grimacing oddly. Lili shrugged.

"I wasn't necessarily looking for one, but it's nice. You don't like it?" she asked, noting the look on his face.

His brows raised slightly as he looked at her. He seemed guilty. "No, I do. I'm just asking if it's what you want."

"Maybe what I want is different than what I originally thought. Would that really be so bad?"

He shook his head. "Not at all, but be honest. Do you really see yourself driving something like this? You tell me all the time that you'd hate to drive my truck, and it's not much bigger than this." He was starting to get on her nerves. Why was he being so frustrating? She took a deep breath.

"I'm going to do what's best for me, financially and otherwise. It's not that big of a deal." Niall was looking at her with a serious expression, as if waiting for her to continue defying him. Adam glanced between the two of them, looking for a moment to insert himself into the conversation.

"You know what, why don't we go back to my desk and have some coffee? We can break down the prices for both models and just go from there?" Lili nodded, exhaling sharply. That seemed like a good enough plan. Adam turned swiftly on his heel to head back to his desk.

Niall appeared by Lili's side, and his fingers brushing against hers sent chills down her spine. "I'm so sorry, my love, that was extremely rude," he said, leaning down slightly so she could hear his whispers. He tangled his fingers with hers. "It wasn’t my intention to come off that way at all. I didn't realize that I had such an attitude, and I'm sorry if I've embarrassed you."

She tilted her head up to see his face, and he looked genuinely sorry. There was no cocky smirk or anything of the sort. Sometimes, she forgot she was dating a man and not a boy. To have him know when to say sorry and change what he was doing when it was wrong or inappropriate was so...refreshing? Jesus, her standards were basically non-existent at this point.

"Thank you, Niall," she said sweetly, smiling at him. "I appreciate that. But I'm not upset, I know you just want to help."

"I do, honestly. That’s why I’m here -to support you. I'll be nicer, I promise." He smiled curtly down at her as they approached the desk, and Lili's heart fluttered. What a simple gesture that meant so much to her. If they weren’t standing a foot away from Adam, she would grab Niall’s face and kiss him until her lips were numb. 

At Adam’s desk, Niall stood behind Lili's chair and waited for her to take a seat before he took his own beside her, leaning back slightly and laying his arms flat on the armrests. His legs were spread a bit, and when he rolled his head back, exposing his neck, Lili had to look away before she jumped his bones, trying not to make her staring obvious.

Adam picked up three paper cups and a bowl of mini milks, creamers, and sugars from the kitchenette, before returning to his desk. He placed those down in front of Lili and Niall, turning to retrieve the coffee pot. His hair was wild around his face, and there was a slight sheen of sweat across his nose and forehead.

Lili, Niall, and Adam spent the next hour and a half going through every single possible detail of both cars, weighing the options carefully. It wasn't a process that should take that long, but Lili wanted to be thorough. She needed to make sure all bases had been covered before even beginning to make a decision. Eventually, they'd worked out pricing for both cars that was somewhat attainable, even though it was surprisingly more expensive than she'd anticipated.

For the newer version of her current car, she'd be looking at paying roughly $690 monthly with insurance; the midsize truck would come out to $710 a month, but based on what was included in the car, the gas mileage, and everything else, it seemed to be the all-around better buy.

By the time they'd gone through everything, Lili's eyes were burning, and she was sweating. Her brain was overwhelmed by all the numbers and math formulas. She leaned back in her chair and took a deep, agitated breath, closing her eyes and tilting her head back until it was pressed against the wall of the cubicle behind her.

"What's going through your mind?" Niall asked in a soft voice. Lili opened one eye and turned her head slightly; his body was angled towards her chair, right ankle crossed over his left knee, and his eyes were trained on her face. She opened both eyes and sat up straight.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted, exasperated. "I mean, obviously cars are way more expensive now than they were six years ago, but..." She looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. Adam had disappeared upstairs to the file room, thankfully. She looked back at Niall and lowered her voice. "I just don't think these cars are worth the price." That wasn't to say they weren't nice or reliable cars. Her Mazda was great and had always gotten her from A to B with no problems. But for $700 a month? How could she justify that?

Niall smirked, and a pit of guilt settled in her stomach.

"What do I do?"

He sighed and reached for her hand, setting his feet flat on the floor so he could lean closer to her. "Do you really think loyalty is worth paying for a car you wouldn't be happy with?" He squeezed her hand gently. "You deserve to treat yourself a bit, and if the reward isn't worth it in the end, what good did the treat even do for you?"

Lili laughed. "Alright, Dr. Seuss."

He smiled a crooked smile that sent her heart into a frenzy. He looked at her meaningfully. "What if we went somewhere else? You can just take a look at something different, see the prices." He grimaced. "You also don't have to decide today, I hope you know that."

"I do know," she groaned, "but I really want to. I don't want to come back another day."

After all the waiting she’d done to get to this point, Lili didn’t want to drag out the buying process any longer than necessary. Honestly, she thought she’d get it done in an hour. She looked around the showroom once again. It had gotten busier since they'd first arrived; almost all the sales reps were now working with customers. Adam was slowly making his way down the spiral staircase that connected the offices upstairs to the showroom, holding a folder tightly under his arm.

Lili glanced at Niall and stood, slinging her purse over her shoulder. He followed her lead without saying a word, placing a comforting hand on her lower back. "Hey, Adam," Lili called out, waving her hand carefully over her head. One of the other salesmen glanced up briefly and she flushed, embarrassed. Adam looked up and smiled awkwardly, reaching the bottom of the staircase and strolling back over to his desk. His blue dress shirt had sweat marks along the chest.

"Made a decision?" he asked, pulling out his chair, but not sitting. Clearly, he thought he'd be making a decent commission today.

Lili swallowed and plastered what felt like her own awkward smile on her face. "Um, I've definitely got a lot to think about. I'm going to sleep on it, if that's alright."

Adam held his hands up dismissively, as if to say that it wasn't a problem. "I understand," he said calmly. "These are tough decisions, but hopefully I'll hear from you soon." He smiled awkwardly at Lili again and blushed, before reaching towards Niall with an extended hand. It shook slightly. "It was great to meet you as well. Good luck at the PGA tournament, by the way."

Niall smiled, surprised. "Yeah, thanks a lot, mate! It was great meeting you as well." His eyes were bright. Lili smiled softly at him before she turned back to Adam, who still looked shellshocked over speaking to Niall. She chuckled to herself. Those days were fond memories now.

"Anyway, Niall, we should get going." She placed her hand gently on his arm. They weren't in any kind of rush, but now she felt so awkward about searching for a car somewhere else that she wanted to just get the fuck out of there and not look back. Niall glanced down at her and matched the soft smile she'd given him, and her stomach erupted with butterflies. He was so beautiful. When she turned back to Adam, his eyes were trained on Lili's hand wrapping around Niall's arm, though they quickly shot up to her face when she cleared her throat.

"Thank you so much for your help, Adam. I'll let you know what I decide soon."

He nodded appreciatively. "You have my number. Call me anytime." Smiling, he stepped to the side and allowed them to pass, blushing all the way to his ears. Lili waved one last time before she and Niall made their way to the door.

He chuckled quietly to himself as he pushed against the glass, opening the door and stepping into the sunshine.

"What is it?" Lili asked in a suspicious, monotone voice. They had said anything remotely funny in hours. Niall shook his head and looked at the ground.

"That dude is in love with you," he responded, still laughing.

"What?” Lili said with a scoff. “We've been friends for years. There's no way." Sure, he was always kind of sweaty when she was around, and seemed to stutter a lot when he spoke to her, but it was probably because he was an anxious person. Sales jobs were no joke, he deserved the credit.

Niall laughed so loud it sounded like a screech. "Are you kidding? You put your hand on my arm and he looked like he wanted to set the place on fire."

Lili blushed and ran her tongue across her top teeth, trying hard not to smile. How could she have not seen it before? "Are you jealous?" she asked as she hopped down from the curb, watching him walking ahead of her. He turned so he was walking backwards and shrugged, shoving his hands into his pocket. God, he was so gorgeous, she wanted to just melt into the asphalt.

"Do I have reason to be?" There was that cocky smirk again. He made arrogance look so sexy.

She matched the smirk with a raised eyebrow. "Not in a million years," she countered. 

He pushed his tongue against the inside of his bottom lip. "Good. Then I'm not." She loved the way they joked around like that. The words were filled with so much tension, but it was all completely harmless.

After opening the door for her, Niall jogged around the hood of his car, settling into the seat but making no move to turn the car on or buckle his seatbelt. He looked over at her. "What do you want to do now?"

Her smile faltered slightly. If she was being honest, she was kind of disappointed with how that had gone. Her loyalty to Mazda was holding her back from making an actual good purchase. It was hard to let go, but maybe sticking with the old wasn't the right decision. New was always better, right?

She gazed out the windshield as she devised a plan in her head, looking to her surroundings for inspiration. Across the street, there were two dealerships: Mercedes and BMW. Even the buildings themselves looked extravagant, with their tinted floor to ceiling windows and employees who probably wore three piece suits. She stared at BMW for a long second, wondering what it would be like to just walk into a place like that. They undoubtedly had flat screen TVs and massage chairs for the customers.

Niall must have been following her gaze, because he cleared his throat gently. "Look, how about this. Let's go look over there, just for fun. See if there's anything you like."
It wasn't a horrible idea...

She turned to look at him again. He was studying her expression carefully, brows furrowed slightly. She blinked a few times as thoughts swirled around her brain. "Okay," she finally said, exhaling. "Let's just see what's there."

Niall's eyes brightened. "Are you sure, love?" He was just too cute to say no to.

"Yes." Why the hell not?

Niall half nodded and started the ignition. He carefully pulled out of the parking spot and zoomed towards the road, passing through the intersection just before the stoplight turned yellow. He made a sharp left into the BMW parking lot, found an empty space near the door, and cruised to a stop. Even with how massive his truck was, he pulled it into a rather tight spot with ease, narrowly avoiding hitting the cars next to him. Honestly, the way he drove was incredibly sexy. Either that, or Lili was just so crazy about him that she found driving attractive.

Her heart rate was starting to pick up, and she wasn't sure if it was from nerves, excitement, or a combination of both. But she pushed open the car door and jumped down, feeling the sting in her heels from her feet hitting the concrete. She pulled her purse over her shoulder as she shut the door behind her. Niall met her on her side of the car and took her hand.

"Ready?" he asked, bringing her hand up to his lips and pressing soft kisses to her skin. She smiled through the butterflies and took a step forward, pulling him along with her. She contemplated as they walked through the hot afternoon.

"You know, I don't think I've ever even stepped foot in a place like this before," she said, gazing up at the slightly menacing building. Luxury was not a friend of Lili’s. It wasn’t even a part-time acquaintance. 

Niall chuckled softly. "You're moving up in life, then," he teased, squeezing her hand. She rolled her eyes and reached for the door. The walk from the car to the entrance was a lot shorter than it seemed, because they'd arrived in no time. She didn't even have time to panic about this decision.

She tugged on the door and knew instantly that this was out of both her comfort and price zone by about a thousand miles. Every inch of the dealership was clean, sleek, and modern. The floors were scrubbed stainless to the point that Lili could see her reflection perfectly in the tiles. A brand new Apple computer sat atop every single desk in the room.

The sales associates all wore black dress pants, black button up shirts, and black dress shoes; some wore ties if they dealt with more important matters upstairs. Every person looked professional and sophisticated. Even the air conditioning in the room felt crisper than normal.

The woman at the front desk was also in all black, but had traded in the dress pants for a pencil skirt, and the shoes for pumps. Her hair was tied in a perfect bun at the back of her head. Lili couldn't even bear to look at the showroom displays just yet, so she approached the front desk with caution and smiled at the receptionist.

"Hi," she said, her voice an octave higher than normal. "I was just wondering if there was anybody who could show me around?" She twisted her hands nervously in front of her, trying desperately not to pick at her cuticles. She stuck out like a sore fucking thumb.

The receptionist looked up through tired eyes and smiled. "First time here?" she asked in a nasally voice, with a very faint accent that Lili couldn't place. Lili nodded awkwardly. Was her demeanor not a dead giveaway? The receptionist reached out to press a button on the phone in front of her. She picked up the receiver and held it between her shoulder and her ear.

"Hey, can you send Kian down? We've got a new buyer at the front." The person on the other end of the phone said a few quick words, before she hung up and looked at Lili again. "Kian will be down shortly," she said, plastering a strained smile on her face.

Her eyes drifted over to Niall, and the moment she saw him, she rolled her shoulders back so her posture improved. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and the smile grew on her red lips. Lili watched as her gaze trailed down to his lips and neck, before searching his face. With anger boiling in Lili's stomach, she mumbled out a dry 'thanks' and pulled Niall over to the waiting area.

"I don't like the way she was looking at you," Lili said, visibly seething. She was never the jealous type, but based on the speed at which her chest was heaving up and down, maybe she needed to re-evaluate. He probably hadn't even looked back at her, anyway, but the look in the girl's eyes was enough to turn Lili murderous.

Niall just laughed and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close enough to kiss her forehead. The fingers of his free hand wrapped around the middle of her back and tangled in the ends of her hair. "You know I'm yours," he whispered. "Always." Music to her ears.

Lili knew she never had to worry about Niall giving other girls that kind of attention, but it was always nice to get the reminder that he did, in fact, love her and want to be with her. And only her. She carefully pulled out of Niall's grasp and smiled at him, heart bursting.

After a few moments, quick, muted footsteps sounded from across the room, growing louder at the person neared them. An incredibly tall, middle-aged man with warm brown skin and brown eyes approached them, a calm smile etched across his face. "Welcome," he said in a deep voice. "I'm Kian, and I'll be servicing you today. Nice to meet you."

He held out his thick hand, and both Lili and Niall shook it quickly. His grip was firm. He gestured behind him at the showroom, and Lili really looked at it for the first time since walking in. The most beautiful array of luxury cars stood before her in pristine condition, looking almost too perfect to touch. A small part of her brain was convinced they were projections.

"Are you looking for anything specific today?"

Lili tore her eyes away from the showroom and looked over to Kian, who was watching her patiently. Though his height was intimidating, his eyes were anything but. Lili cleared her throat. "Well, I drive a Mazda right now, but I'm trying to upgrade. I actually have no idea what I'm doing here. I thought I'd take a look around."

Sensing her nerves, Niall's hand appeared at the small of her back, and the warmth of it calmed her instantly.

Kian smiled and nodded, before turning slightly and starting to walk over to the first car on display. "Do you have a specific price range you'd like to stay under?"

Lili scratched the back of her neck as her cheeks burned. Why the fuck was she so embarrassed? "Not really. Um, no, I mean, I do." Oh god, she sounded like a fucking fool. "I just don't know what it is. Right now, I'm paying $530 a month including insurance, but I have a bit more room in my budget, so..." She swallowed. The room was suddenly ten times hotter.

Niall's hand slid down until he laced his fingers with hers, giving her a soft squeeze. Realizing that he was there to support her through whatever strange anxiety this was made her feel instantly better.

Kian nodded slowly again, as if he were mentally calculating something. He inclined his head towards the array of cars to begin what became an extensive tour of the room. He took the time to show the two of them every single car and SUV they had, explaining average pricing, special features, and more. He did a really great job of explaining everything in a way that was clear enough for Lili to understand exactly what he was saying without being condescending. There was no advanced vocabulary or trick sentences when it came to Kian. Everything was concise and to the point.

One of Lili's biggest fears when it came to buying a car was that the men who worked there would find ways to take advantage of her. They would assume she knew nothing about anything and would manipulate her into paying way more than she should. But Kian made sure to be up front and respectful. She really admired that. Whether Niall’s presence made a difference or not didn’t matter at this point. Car talk was usually pretty overwhelming for her, but the atmosphere Kian had created made it easy to stay calm and level-headed throughout the process.

Her attention was indeed captured, not just by Kian's amazing lecture skills, but by the sheer beauty of everything around her. After he'd shown them every model in the showroom, Kian stepped aside to give her a chance to look around for herself without the pressure of a sale hanging over her head. Niall nudged her arm gently with his as they walked.

"What are you thinking, my darling?" His voice was so soft. "Have you been swayed at all?"

She smiled. Her feet were frozen in place, but as her eyes drifted around the room, they landed on one model that had been floating in the back of her mind since she first saw it. This specific car, the 8 series Gran Coupe, had immediately drawn her attention during Kian's tour. It was sleek, sexy, and full of features that Lili had never even heard of before. The white paint was bright and perfect, and even though she'd originally been leaning towards staying with a silver car, something about this one was calling her name.

She looked over Niall's shoulder to find Kian, and waved politely to get his attention. He speed-walked over to her.

"Could I sit in this one and take a closer look inside?" she asked nervously. He gestured forward with a nod, as if to say 'of course', and Lili's eyes were wide with anticipation as she pulled the door open and slid onto the smooth leather.

The seat immediately molded around her body like a memory foam mattress. Everything about how soft the leather felt under her thighs and against her back was majestic. She raised her arms and ran her fingertips across the edge of the steering wheel as she admired the dashboard. Niall had gone around to sit on the passenger side of the car, and was watching her expectantly from his seat next to her. She ran her finger carefully along the stitching of the wheel, over to the buttons on the dashboard, and down the gear shift beside her thigh. Oh, this car was beautiful.

She looked over at Niall, one eyebrow raised slightly. "This might be the one," she whispered, studying his expression carefully. Her heart was racing.

He licked his lips as a smile spread across his cheeks. "We should talk to Kian about it first, love. Make sure it's even possible for you."

She swallowed, hesitating as she looked back at the speedometer in front of her. Something was drawing her to this car that she couldn't explain. If it was doable, she might just have to go for it. Not every decision needed to be a safe one. Maybe, just once, she could take a risk that would pay off. The last time she took a risk, she ended up in a relationship with the greatest man in the world. That was as good a sign as any. 

But the price tag...

"It probably won't work out," she whispered, more to herself than Niall. She was beginning to feel slightly dejected. This was exactly why she didn't want to come to a place like this. She knew she would fall in love with a car she couldn't have. It probably wasn't anywhere near feasible for her.

Niall reached over and placed his palm on her thigh, grazing his thumb back and forth. She looked up into his eyes. "You don't know that. We have to talk to him first." He was being so patient with her. It really helped keep her grounded.

She closed her eyes for a few seconds to find a sense of calm again. Finally, she nodded and stepped out of the car, trying as hard as she could to shut the door gently behind her. Kian was still waiting for them, hands clasped behind his back in an easygoing stance. His eyes met hers as she walked up to him, and he smiled.

"Come take a seat at my desk, and we'll have a little chat," he said, before turning and striding over to his completely mess-free desk. Lili glanced at Niall and her brows shot quickly up as she rubbed her lips together. He winked at her and inclined his head forwards, telling her to walk. With a deep breath, she took a step.

* * *

Signing off on a brand new car was a feeling like no other. It was indescribable pride, joy, and excitement. Kian was an amazing salesman. He'd broken down every single aspect of the pricing for them very clearly. Monthly payments, interest, adding or taking away certain features, oil changes, everything.

The lowest possible interest rate he could give her was 6.5%, but since she was a new customer, he would deduct $100 from the monthly payments for the first three years. Final calculations, with all the discounts and everything, had her payments coming out to $540 a month, minus insurance. It was honestly a steal for a luxury vehicle like that, and if she didn't say yes now, there might not be another opportunity like this for a long time. She would regret it immensely if she said no.

After taking a second to think it over, with Niall's support, she smiled at Kian and confidently told him to draw up a contract. Her stomach was bursting with excitement as she handed over her license and signed the papers, making the purchase official. A little voice deep down inside told her this was the right decision. It was a quick one that some people may see as rash, but her gut told her she should do it.

Lili deserved this. Truly. She'd been working so fucking hard to reach a goal she'd created for herself years ago, and now it was finally coming to fruition in the best way possible. This was the day she'd been waiting so long for. And even though it wasn't exactly what she had been planning originally, the final outcome was way better than expected. Not everything has to go exactly according to plan all the time, because sometimes, the best moments can be missed if they do.

There weren't many times in her life where Lili could honestly say that she was proud of herself, but this was definitely one of them. She felt so accomplished. This was everything she had been working for, and to see her dreams become reality was so incredibly validating.

Niall's smile as they walked out of the dealership and back to his truck was electric. It was the kind of smile that could guide you through the darkest, cloudiest day.
He was absolutely breathtaking. The first thing he did when they sat down in the car was put both his hands on the side of her face and pull her towards him, kissing every inch of her skin while she laughed heartily.

"I am so fucking proud of you," he said between kisses, smiling against her skin. Lili's heart skipped with every flutter of his lips against her. His excitement was so adorable. He planted multiple long kisses on her lips before finally pulling back enough to breathe. "You are so incredible, I hope you know that. Fuck, I know how hard you've been working towards this and I'm just so proud of you. This is insane!"

His volume increased with every sentence he uttered until he was practically screaming at the roof. Lili threw her head back with laughter; her cheeks burned and her heart ached with love. If she wasn't mistaken, he was happier about this than she was.

"Thank you for coming with me today," she said, tilting her head to the side. His palm was still laying gently against her cheek, so she pressed her face even further into its warmth. The look on his face and the adoration in his eyes were enough to bring her to tears. He leaned down and kissed her softly again.

"Thank you for asking me." When he pulled back, the smile on his lips faltered slightly. "But I hope I didn't influence your decision in any way," he said nervously. "I understand that you had an idea in mind, and I know I was pushing you to look at the more expensive stuff, so I-"

"No, you didn't at all," she said, cutting him off quickly. "I'll admit, this wasn't exactly what I had been planning, but I deserve something over the top for once in my life, and I'm glad I did it. I don't think I would have been as happy with anything else, honestly."

"You're sure?" he said quietly, looking deep into her eyes. The guilt rolled off him like waves, and she hated that he felt that way.

She nodded. "Completely sure. You may have helped steer me in that direction, but the decision was mine."

He smiled and exhaled with relief. "Okay, good. I'm glad I could help."

She turned her head and kissed the inside of his palm three times. "I love you, you know that?"

His smile stretched even wider, and her heart exploded. "I do."

* * *

Five days later, the big moment had finally arrived. Waiting for the call to come pick up the new car from the dealership was a lot harder than Lili had anticipated it being. She was excited, nervous, and a whole bunch of other things she couldn't quite put into words. After six days, her new BMW was ready to take home. The experience was a lot more emotional than expected.

The first thing she'd done after signing the papers for her new car was list the old one online. She figured she'd get a decent amount of money for it, considering it was only a few years old and still in near perfect condition. The mileage wasn’t low but not alarming, and aside from the few times that she needed to take it in for repairs, next to no work had been done on it. It took about twenty four hours, but Lili eventually received a message from a man who lived not far from her who was willing to pay $18,000 cash up front for the car.

Since she'd listed it at $19,500, Lili made sure to run the deal by her dad beforehand. He had sold one of their old cars online a few years earlier, meaning he knew how to handle this situation.
William took the opportunity to call the bidder himself and speak to him about it. He was obviously pleased, because a deal had been made that same phone call.

The day of the sale, Lili found herself close to tears as she and Niall cleared out everything from the Mazda, making sure nothing was left behind.

"Hey, you okay?" Niall asked, appearing by her side with a box full of the random belongings she'd kept in her glove compartment. He held it carefully against his hip.

She sniffled and looked up at him, holding a hand above her eyes to shield them from the sun. "I'm fine. I just didn't think this would make me so sad." She patted the hood of the car gently. "I've made so many good memories in this car, and it's kind of hard to let her go."

Obviously, its replacement was going to be a dramatic improvement, but Lili's emotional attachment to her Mazda was a lot stronger than she imagined. In a way, it had been her sanctuary. When strong emotions threatened to take over that she didn’t want her family to see, Lili hopped in the car and went for a drive, screaming or singing or crying to relieve her feelings. She and Jordyn had spent countless nights devouring In-N-Out and gossiping over animal fries, or going to drive-in movie theatres in this little Mazda. There were so many memories that were hard to give up.

The corner of Niall's lips pulled up in a sympathetic smile; he didn't say anything, choosing instead to give her a minute to collect herself. She sniffled again, feeling tears prick at the corners of her eyes. Her phone rang in her hand before she could say another word. It was the buyer, telling her he was on his way to the location they'd agreed upon for the pickup, and would be there in less than twenty minutes. Lili thanked him and hung up. "Well, we should go," she said, gazing over at the car sadly.

When William spoke to the buyer, his first condition for agreeing to the deal was that they would meet in a public parking lot for the exchange because he wasn't willing to give out his home address. The buyer agreed without a problem.

Niall hurried over to his car and placed the box he was holding in the backseat, slamming the door behind him before moving back over to Lili. He wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her into a hug, and she inhaled his scent deeply as she nuzzled into his chest. "This is a good thing, remember?" He spoke softly into her ear. "Out with the old, in with the new."

She pulled back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and smiled at him. "You're right. And we really should get going now, I don't want to be late."

The exchange was quick and smooth. Niall was there beside her, not only because he had to drive her to the dealership, but because she wanted him with her just in case the guy tried anything. Being a young woman, she couldn't be too careful. But the buyer seemed like a very nice gentleman, and handed the exact cash over with no trouble at all.

"It seems to still be in great condition," he said, as he did a quick inspection of the car to make sure everything was in order. His pasty arms remained clasped behind his back the entire time, and he never bothered to push away his messy red curls whenever they fell over his glasses. "What made you sell?" He looked at Lili as he stood up straight. She smiled politely.

"It was time for an upgrade. And like you said, it is in really good shape, but there are about 75,000 miles on it."

The man shrugged one shoulder. "That's not an issue. I work from home, so I don't drive much anyway." He stepped back around the car and approached them, holding out an arm. "I'll get out of your hair now. Thanks so much for everything."

Lili took his extended hand and shook it, feeling her chest tighten. Giving him the keys was extremely painful, but she handed them over without a second thought.

The guy also reached out and shook Niall's hand kindly. After climbing into the front seat and sending them off with a happy honk, the man seemed to be in great spirits as he drove her car away from her for good. Lili and Niall watched in silence as he sped down the road and turned out of sight at the nearest intersection. It felt like the end of an era in her lifetime.

The memory of getting that car was still so clear in her mind that it felt like yesterday. When she'd first started working at the club, Lili depended heavily on her parents to drive her back and forth because she didn't have her own car. They would sometimes have to be late to their own jobs or other obligations because of it. It was either that, or take the bus, which ended up costing an arm and a leg, and took nearly triple the amount of travel time. It was frustrating because Lili hated having to depend on them every single day, but it was worse having to leave the house two hours before her shift just to catch the bus on time.

So, after a long discussion with her parents, they agreed to buy her a car under the condition that she would eventually take over the payments herself. They paid for the first year and a half, just until she'd worked long enough to save up a decent amount of money.

She really did love that car. Right after they brought it home from the dealership, Lili drove to pick up Jordyn, telling her that this would be the first of many rides to make up for the thousand that her best friend had already given her. Lili had so many great memories because of that car, and it was hard to let it all go.

But the closer they got to her new, pretty purchase, the faster that sadness evolved into excitement. This was real. It was actually happening.

They pulled into the parking lot and found an empty space; Niall let Lili take a moment or two to collect herself before they stepped onto the pavement.

It took nearly an hour to sign all the paperwork, and Lili's hand was cramping from all the writing she had to do. After so many years, she forgot how much went into buying a car. Her fingers shook as the keys to her brand new car were placed in her palm for the first time. It would definitely take her a while to get used to driving this car. There was just no way this vehicle, this absolutely luxurious thing, belonged to her.

The ignition burst to life with a low, deep roar, causing chills to erupt along her spine and down her arms. She felt the smooth vibration of the engine rumbling under her thighs and was ecstatic.
It was the most amazing drive home Lili had ever experienced. The tires were so damn smooth on the road that Lili wasn't sure if they were even touching the ground at all. For all she knew, the car was actually floating above the pavement like a spaceship. It certainly felt that way.

She slowly pulled into the driveway and parked behind her brothers' truck, killing the ignition but not moving. She couldn't help but admire this new beauty. Now that she was sitting here, in front of her house, it was starting to feel real. This was all so dramatic.

Niall knocked softly against the window as she was admiring the dust-free dashboard and she jumped. He was smiling softly through the tinted glass. Sighing, she pulled her purse over her shoulder, before she mustered the strength to push the door open and step out of the car. It was so beautiful, she could live in there.

"So?" Niall asked, excitement clear in his tone. "How was the drive, love?"

She grinned as she reached up and wrapped her arms lazily around his neck. "Flawless," she answered, without giving herself a moment to think. She raised her eyebrows playfully. "I think you'd look pretty sexy driving it. And in the back seat."

He laughed loudly as he squeezed her hips. "I guess we'll just have to test that theory someday soon." He grinned down at her, and his eyes were shining with admiration. "I love that I got to do this with you." Niall reached up and curled her hair behind her ear, before pressing his warm palm to her cheek.

Lili smiled, warmth blooming in her chest. "Me too." She tilted her head a bit, still gazing into his eyes. "We should celebrate."

"How so, love?"

She shrugged. "How long will it take you to go home and put on something nice?"

"Not long," Niall said with a chuckle. He raised an eyebrow playfully. "Are you planning on taking me somewhere fancy?"

"Not black tie or anything, but we deserve a bit of a nice dinner." She glanced at the front door of her house briefly, before looking back at Niall. "Meet me back here in an hour?"

* * *

"Alright, I've got the chicken parm here, and the shrimp linguine here." The waitress carefully set down steaming plates in front of both Lili and Niall, grimacing as the hot porcelain brushed against her exposed skin. "Can you I get you two anything else?"

Lili picked up her napkin and draped it across her lap, flashing a smile. "I think we're all good for now. Thank you so much."

"Enjoy," the waitress said with a nod, before turning and crossing the room to the bar.

Lili smiled at Niall, looking beautiful in his white dress shirt, the first two buttons open. She picked up her wine glass, gesturing with her chin for him to do the same.

"Okay, tell me what we're celebrating," he said, gazing into her eyes. “You know I would never miss any of our milestones.”

Lili licked her lips and laughed. "I just bought a car, babe," she said, trying to add a playful condescending tone to her voice. "I think it's good to celebrate the little things because I deserve it." She glanced down at Niall's pink lips for a second. "And we needed a nice date night. It's been too long."

Niall chuckled softly, his eyes glowing in the dim lighting. "Every night is date night with you, princess, but how could I say no to a fancy dinner?"

"Oh, I'm not paying," Lili retorted, furrowing her eyebrows. "I just bought a BMW, I don't have any money." Niall raised an eyebrow but said nothing, waiting until she cracked a smile to relax his face. "I'm kidding," she said. "I'm happy to treat you. You deserve it."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Niall's smile was brilliant. He lifted his glass towards the middle of the table and clinked it gently with hers. "Congratulations, my love. I'm so proud of you."

Chapter Text

In the days following her car purchase, Lili didn't see much of Niall. PGA was now 11 days away. The entire summer passed in a blur and the tournament had somehow crept right up on them; Niall was suddenly busier than ever.

With a new, heightened concentration on his physical fitness, he'd begun working out six days a week, implementing workout regimens that focused on a different body part or muscle each day.

Since she saw him less and less as time went on, Lili noticed something different about his appearance when she did finally see him. Even though he was already in good shape, he'd slimmed down a bit over the last couple weeks, bulking up his muscle mass significantly. His back and shoulders were now even more toned than ever before.

For all his other training, including mental strength, Niall was at the club from open to close, spending the entire day at the driving range. He and Evan would alternate between working on his swing (the physical) and talking about where his head was at (the mental). It gave Niall the freedom to express every single thought he was harnessing, good or bad, and work through them. Although he refused to admit it, Niall’s confidence had been a little bit shaky since his last tournament. He didn’t lose faith in himself completely, but there were times were it was obvious he didn’t believe in his talent the way he once did. It was heartbreaking to see, and even though Lili knew he’d get back to himself eventually, Lili wanted nothing more than to help him.

She knew all this extra work was necessary for Niall to perfect every aspect of his game before the tournament, and this was technically what she'd signed up for when she got involved with a professional athlete. But it didn't make her miss him any less. Selfish as it was, she wished he would take a step back. She was lucky if she saw him for even a minute in passing at work, which was just enough time to hand him some water, a snack, and give him a kiss. Though she longed for the normalcy they'd enjoyed up to that point, it was still nice to have a second to be with him.

He still called every single night before bed, which Lili couldn't really complain about. Even if it was just a 30-second call to say goodnight, it was nice to hear his voice before she went to sleep. Most nights Niall would already be half asleep by the time she picked up, and would mumble out a quick 'I love you' before he clocked out. It was cute, because it reminded her how important she still was to him, no matter what. It really was fine because Lili understood how much it meant to Niall and his career to do well at this tournament and to redeem himself from his last time on the professional stage. If this was what he needed to do to ensure his success, then she would absolutely support him until the world stopped turning. That’s what it means to love someone unconditionally. 

Even if she was constantly worrying about him overexerting himself. If he kept up this horrible pace, with barely any rest, he wouldn't even have the energy to stand when the time came. What if he was burning himself out to the point where he couldn't compete anymore? What if, after all this training, he wasn’t even physically capable to compete when the time came? There wasn't a doubt in Lili's mind that Niall knew his limits. After all, he'd been doing this for most of his life. But it was also in her nature to worry about the people she loved the most.

All she could hope for was that he would take at least the day before the tournament off to completely relax so he could reset both his mind and his body. Especially since the stress was really starting to get to him. He was constantly on edge and would get snappy with people in conversation, even if it was just friendly. If it was any other day, a conversation leading to playful disagreement would ignite the adorable mischief that Lili loved so much. But lately, a slight disagreement led to a bit of a blow-up from Niall. Nothing he said or did was inherently disrespectful, but it was very out of character for him and made things tense and uncomfortable. He'd done it a couple of times with Lili. The moment he realized his attitude had gone past the point of light-hearted, he would instantly apologize for his behaviour.

It was hard seeing him in such sour moods all the time because it wasn't the man Lili had come to know and love over the last few months. Niall was turning into this crazy, anxiety-riddled person that she barely recognized. The moment PGA was over, regardless of whether or not it ended in a win, Lili was certain she'd get her boyfriend back. But until then, she would help him in any way he needed.

* * *

Lili squinted in the sunlight as she turned into Niall's driveway, lowering the volume of her music as she parked next to his truck with a smile full of relief. Since she had the day off, she thought she’d come over to surprise him, hoping her presence would act as a little pick-me-up. They'd only spoken briefly when she woke up, and he said his plans at the moment were still up in the air. For all she knew, he could have left right after that phone call, with no plans to be home until after dark. But he was home, and that was enough for her.

She killed the engine and took off her sunglasses, throwing them on the seat beside her and replacing them in her hand with her purse. What would be the best way to surprise him? Scaring him was definitely not the way to go. Maybe he'd be so upset that she showed up and screwed up his routine that he didn't want to talk to her again. That would be a nightmare. Or, maybe the complete opposite would happen, and he'd be so glad to see her that he'd just throw her on the bed and rip all her clothes off and...

Lord.

Okay, maybe it had been a while...That wasn't what she was here for, anyway. Her head was so far down the gutter she was now neck deep in sewer water.

Finding the spare key that Niall had given her on her keychain, she quietly unlocked the front door and slithered into the house, making sure she pressed the door closed soundlessly. It was still surreal that he'd given her that key – that he trusted her with full access to his home. She hadn't been expecting it, and was more than surprised when he just handed it to her one day out of the blue. It meant the world to her and more.

She turned towards the living room, pressing her hand flat against the wall to steady herself as she kicked off her shoes and placed her purse on top of them, keys fumbling into the pocket. As per usual, there was some kind of noise in the house, because Niall hated the silence. This time, it was music, coming from his bedroom.

She smiled as she slid across the floor in her socks, reaching out to grab the railing before she wiped out. Her heart was racing as she hopped up the stairs, careful to avoid the creaky spot on the fourth step in an attempt to not give herself away.

The music was getting louder as she approached Niall's room - he was listening to Elvis, singing along quietly with that beautiful voice of his.

Lili's fingers tingled with excitement as she crept down the hallway. Making the decision at the last second, she jumped dramatically into the doorway of his bedroom, expecting Niall to be standing right there. Frowning, she looked around at the empty room. The curtains were open but the blinds were shut, letting in just enough sunlight to brighten the space without overwhelming your eyes. The TV was set to a random playlist of songs from the 60s, 70s, and 80s – Niall's favourite musical decades. He normally kept the volume pretty loud if he was alone, but it was abnormally low today.

A large black suitcase sat open on the edge of the bed with a few items of clothing tucked messily into the bottom left corner. Clothes and shoes were strewn about the entire room, covering most of the floor. The bed was also hidden by polo shirts of every colour, and the lounge chair had disappeared beneath the pile of khakis folded over it. It looked like a Walmart fitting room at the end of a long day. This was the most chaotic Lili had ever seen Niall's personal space before.

She leaned against the doorframe, crossing her ankles and knocking loudly on the wood. The sound echoed like a gunshot. Niall's head popped out from the closet a second later, eyes wide with fear. When he realized who had knocked, his face twisted into the most gorgeous smile she'd seen in a long time, and it warmed Lili’s heart. The skin under his eyes was a bit darker than usual, but his eyes themselves were bright and happy. 

It had been a while since he'd gotten a haircut, but the length looked pretty damn good on him. His hair was messy and unkempt, like he'd been wearing a hat all day and had only just taken it off. He was wearing black fleece shorts and a grey long-sleeve shirt, and Lili had to brace herself against the wall so she didn't faint.

"Hi, my love! What are you doing here?" he asked excitedly. He paused the song that was currently playing and dropped the remote on his bed, crossing over to her. He moved like an enthusiastic puppy, practically skipping across the room. Lili wrapped her arms around his neck as he approached, twisting her fingers into that messy, sexy hair. She breathed in his scent, having missed the way it usually filled her lungs. This was what she’d been missing the last few weeks. It felt like she was home again.

"I wanted to surprise you," she said with a shrug. "We've hardly seen each other the last couple of days, and I needed to check in on you." It wasn't her intention to make him feel guilty, because she understood where his priorities were right now. And she really hoped he wouldn't take it that way at all.

Based on the way he smiled and leaned down to kiss her, stealing the oxygen from her lungs in one fell swoop, it was clear he knew where she was coming from. He sighed with relief and turned until he was pushing her up against the wall beside the door, smiling against her lips. His kisses were warm and had to have been sent directly from heaven. It was the only explanation as to why they felt so good. He gripped her hips gently, pinning her down so she couldn't move. His lips travelled from hers, to her cheeks, her forehead, and her nose, before finding her lips again. Her heart thrummed delightfully against the base of her throat.

A laugh bubbled out of her lungs at the way his lips tickled her skin. He pulled back, panting, and smiled down at her.

"I am thoroughly surprised, then," he said, chuckling. The corners of his lips were turned up in a devilishly innocent smile.

She looked up at him and ran her hands down the side of his neck until they were resting on his shoulders. The heat of his body against her, mixed with the scent of his aftershave, was intoxicating. "I didn't mean to scare you, though. Sorry about that," she whispered, squeezing his shoulders gently. They were so disgustingly muscular, it was making her head spin.

He laughed quietly. "I was only scared for a second, but I'm a big boy. I can handle it." He raised an eyebrow. "Besides, if someone was breaking into my house, do you really think they'd have knocked politely before attacking me?"

Well, he wasn't wrong. "Fine," she said, sneering playfully. "You got me. The sentiment still stands, though."

He grinned, kissing her softly again. "I appreciate that, baby." He pressed his hips firmly against hers as his lips continuously brushed across her mouth, and the friction made her weak in the knees. Would it really be so bad if she begged him to take her right here, right now, pressed up against the wall like this? Probably. 

"God, it feels like it's been months since I've seen you," he murmured, pulling away from her and reaching to take her hand. She huffed in agreement, trying to calm her racing heart.

"I know, but I understand that you're busy right now. This is a really important time for you, and I can't expect you to drop everything just for me."

Niall nodded and looked away, but was aggressively chewing on the corner of his mouth, a telltale sign that he was feeling anxious. Add that to the way he was avoiding her gaze, and it was obvious something was wrong. Brows furrowed, Lili ducked her head under his chin to force him to look at her again. Their eyes met, and his had a tremendous storm brewing behind them.

"Hey, what is it?" she asked softly. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Niall stared into her eyes as he continued to chew his lip, before finally dropping his gaze again. He shook his head and released her hand, moving over to his bed and plopping down on the corner. He exhaled sharply and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, making the skin on his face bright red. Lili stayed where she was, careful not to crowd him until he welcomed her presence. He dropped his arms and placed his hands on his thighs, staring down at his lap. In an attempt to comfort himself, he ran his knuckles all the way down to his knee and back up.

"I'm so fucking nervous for this tournament, Lili," he finally said, and his voice was hoarse. Using her name instead of a nickname meant he was really down. He was focusing hard on a spot on the hardwood that looked a lot like a coffee stain, doing all that he could to avoid looking at her. It seemed like he was ashamed to admit his feelings. That shouldn't be the case at all, and his embarrassment was breaking her heart.

Lili exhaled silently, sitting next to him on the bed. The mattress dipped between them. She took his hand, lacing their fingers together and cupping both her hands around it. "What part is making you the most nervous?" she asked. She tried to keep her voice as soft and even as possible, because if he felt even an ounce of judgement from her, he might not be completely honest.

Niall never usually had trouble being vulnerable and sharing his thoughts, but that didn't mean he absolutely had to tell her what he was feeling if he wasn't comfortable.

He shrugged, brows knitting together in thought. He squeezed her hand absentmindedly. "I don't really know. It's not like my confidence has been shaken or anything. I still feel good about everything I do on the course."

"So are you saying that just because of the last time you competed?"

He nodded. "It was terrible. Like, really fucking bad. But I still have a lot of confidence in myself. That hasn't changed, and I don't see it changing anytime soon. I know what I'm capable of, you know?" A heavy sighed tumbled out of his mouth. "But this time around, it feels like there's so much more pressure on me to win, and I think it's affecting my mental health more than I’ve realized." With his free hand, he reached up and tousled his messy hair, scratching his scalp carefully. "I don't know why I feel this way."

Lili frowned and squeezed his hand back, hoping he couldn’t hear how loudly her heart cracked. All she wanted was to help him, but was worried that anything she said could be wrong. "Do you think that pressure is coming from the people at the tournament, your coaches, or yourself?"

Surprisingly, her words made him chuckle, and the sound eased most of the tension in the room. "Probably all three, and then some." He turned his head and looked at her, and the sadness in his eyes had cleared somewhat. "I have a lot to prove this time out, and there are a lot of people counting on me. Not just to do well, but to win."

Lili nodded slowly, reaching up with one hand to touch his cheek softly, running her thumb gently along the roundest part. His skin was warm. "I understand what you mean. It's a lot of pressure, and I know it's hard to deal with." She swallowed. "But you can't make yourself sick over this, baby. You haven't been yourself these last few days, and I'm sorry you're feeling this way. It's not fair."

He smiled softly and tilted his head so it fell further into her hand; his eyes fluttered shut at her touch.

"You've been holding this in for a while, haven't you?"

After a second or two, he opened his eyes and gazed at her, nodding infinitesimally. "I didn't want to bother anyone with it. I'm strong enough to handle it on my own."

Lili clicked her tongue in disapproval and shifted closer to Niall, wrapping her arms around him. He leaned his head against her shoulder and allowed her to caress his hair gently. "Niall, this is too much to carry on your own. Everything you feel right now is valid, but you shouldn't keep it to yourself. That's why you have me and Evan and everyone around you. So you can talk to us when you're struggling."

There was a dull ache in her chest as she spoke to him. It hurt to know he was going through this, and even though she didn't want to pressure him into talking, she wished he wouldn't hold it so tightly to himself. There were so many people that wanted to help him. And she hated that he was being so dismissive about his feelings. After everything he did on a daily basis to help her stop doing that exact thing, here he was trying to make his problems seem small so that they weren't too big for anyone else.

"I want you to tell me these kinds of things," she said softly, kissing the top of his head. "You could never be a burden to me."

Niall wiggled around so he was facing her, still wrapped in her arms. "I know," he said, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. "I'm trying to get better at that. I promise I'll work on it."

"You don't have to promise me anything," Lili said, sliding one of her arms down and resting her hand on his thigh. "I just want you to remember that I'm here for you." She would always be there for him. Until the day she died and beyond.

Niall nodded and licked his lips. "I love you so much, do you know that?" he said, as his eyes darted back and forth between hers. They were sparkling again.

She smiled and leaned forward, placing a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. Her heart skipped. She would never get used to hearing that. "I love you more," she said.

He chuckled adorably. "That's absolutely not possible." He placed his right hand on her neck and kept it there as he continued to kiss her, letting each one get deeper and stronger. He carefully pushed her back until she was laying on the mattress, feet dangling over the edge. The weight of his body on hers was everything she'd been missing these last couple weeks.
"We don't have time for this right now, do we?" Niall whined, trailing his kisses down to her chin and then her neck. Lili's stomach was turning with butterflies, and she was finding it hard to breathe.

"You're asking the wrong girl," she said with a laugh. "I always have time for this." Even if she had to leave in the next 30 seconds, she would absolutely make time for this.

His lips lingered on her neck for another second, before he pulled away with a groan. "I need to get this done first. Fuck, I'm sorry." He rolled off the mattress and stood up, reaching for Lili's hand to help her up. His cheeks were bright red.
S

he stood next to him and kissed his jaw, shaking her head. "It’s fine, babe." She smirked and bit the inside of her bottom lip. "But if you need some help relaxing, you know where to find me."

Niall laughed lightly and furrowed his brow, like her words were slightly painful to hear. "When this is all said and done, I owe you the most amazing night ever." He closed his eyes and tilted his face toward the ceiling. "You're too good to me." He sighed and brought his head back down. "If you help me out, we could get the packing done way faster." He brushed past her and walked back over to the closet. Lili followed close behind.

That one little moment of kissing was more than they'd had in a week and a half and it was making Lili dizzy. The craving she had for him was more intense than ever, and she felt like she would go crazy the longer she had to wait to satiate her urges. Obviously, she could live without sex for a little while longer. But damn, if he didn't make it difficult...

"Other than everything we just talked about, how are things?" she asked, hoping the subject change would do them both good. At this point, she'd do anything to cool herself off. "You've been working yourself to the bone lately."

He bent to pick up a shirt from the floor and popped back up, grinning. The closet was just as messy as his bedroom. "Everything's as perfect as can be, princess. Honestly, I feel really good."

He approached her and kissed her cheek sweetly before brushing past her in the doorway back to the bedroom. It was nice to hear him say that. Even if he was just putting on a brave face to cover his struggles, seeing him smile meant everything to her.

Lili almost tripped over a shoe laying on the floor as she followed him, before sitting down on her side of the bed and crossing her legs underneath her. "Can I ask why you're packing now?" she said, after watching him fold his shirts for a few moments. "You're not leaving for another week."

Niall shrugged and picked up a black shirt, brushing some flecks of what looked to be dust off it. "Today is probably the only free day I'll have before then, so I figured I'd get it out of the way now." His smile faltered slightly and his lips twitched. "Don't get me wrong, I'm excited. No matter how nervous I get, it's always such an amazing experience to just be at PGA."

"But?" Lili drawled, trying to encourage him. He sighed.

"I'm exhausted," he admitted. "I can't tell you the last time I had a good night's sleep. My body hurts all the time now but I'm not getting enough rest to make up for it." He lay the shirt on top of all the others in his suitcase and rubbed his nose, taking a deep breath. "I haven't trained this hard since my last Masters. I'm looking forward to the tournament being over just as much as I am to competing."

Lili felt her heart crack a bit more. This was exactly what she'd been worrying about for the last few days. She frowned and glanced up at his clearly tired face.
"Then why don't you take a step back?" she asked, shifting so she was sitting up on her knees. "I'm not saying you need to stop training completely for the next week, but give yourself a break."
"How?"
"Maybe start with trying not to work 18 hours a day." That made his smile grow a tiny bit. "Go to the driving range for a couple hours in the morning and then come home and watch a movie."

"What about if I take you out for breakfast and then go play for an hour?" he said, grinning widely. Lili shook her head slowly, trying to playfully dismiss him.

"Forget about me right now. You have to start taking care of yourself or you're going to break down right before the tournament and this will all be for nothing."
For a moment, Lili worried that her words were too harsh. She didn't mean to come across as rude. Her heart jumped to her throat with fear.

Niall licked his lips and smiled, leaning forward to kiss her nose. "Like I said before, you're too good to me." He brushed his lips against hers in a kiss that left most to the imagination. "Alright, if you give me ten minutes to finish up here, we can relax together for the rest of the night."

That was a perfect compromise for Lili. She smiled and slid off the bed, walking over to the chair in the corner and sitting down, bringing her feet up to rest on the matching ottoman. From here, she had the perfect view of Niall, and it was lovely. The sunlight pouring in from behind the blinds was deliciously warm against her skin, and she welcomed it fully. Niall always kept the air conditioning on so fucking high in the house that she was constantly shivering. Not just shivering, but full body shaking to the point that her bones were rattling. It always felt like winter in this damn house.

She gazed at her surroundings as she rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms in an attempt to warm them up. The room was still a mess – clothes discarded all over the floor, piles of boxers and half folded socks on top of the dresser, and hats on the windowsill. Niall was one of the neatest people she'd ever met, so if this was how he was handling stress on the outside, she couldn't imagine what it looked like inside his head. It must be an absolute fucking disaster in there. But she couldn't worry about that.

She shook her head and stood up, unable to take the disaster any longer. He clearly needed some help, and since she wasn't doing anything, why wouldn't she clean up what she could?

While Niall stood at the foot of his bed, neatly folding the rest of his clothes into the case, Lili began picking up some of the loose items. She grabbed all the pants and shorts from the floor, folding them over her arm as she headed over to the closet. Knowing Niall was very anal about the way his clothes were hung, she made sure to match every single pair to what was already hung up. He could fix it if he didn't like it, anyway. She just needed to clear the room a bit so they could breathe.

She stood in the doorway of the closet, hands on her hips, as she looked for her next project. But it was hard not to continuously get distracted by her gorgeous boyfriend. No one in the history of the world had ever looked so perfect while folding clothes. She was sure of it.

With a soft smile, she turned back to the room in search of her next target. The slightly too-large pile of socks and underwear on top of the dresser would have to do. She crossed the room, first stopping to give Niall a few kisses, before approaching the mess. After organizing everything into their own individual piles, she pulled open the first drawer on the right, which was his sock drawer, and deposited the bundles of socks. 

Moving over to the top left drawer to put his boxers away, she stopped when she caught a glimpse of a manila folder sitting right on top of the clothes. On the front, there was a printed sticker that said 'tickets' in big bold letters. She pulled it out, placing it on the top of the dresser and replacing it with the correct items. She closed the drawer with her elbow and, grabbing the folder, turned towards Niall. "Hey, babe, I found these. Don't forget them."

She walked over to him and tried to hand him the folder, but he wouldn't take it. He just grinned like he was in on a secret that she knew nothing about. "You should look at them," he said casually, zipping the suitcase closed. She furrowed her brow, looking up at him hesitantly. What was he playing at? He laughed at her expression. "Oh, just look!" he exclaimed.

She rubbed her lips together and opened the folder, holding the bottom against her stomach so nothing would fall out. There were two first-class plane tickets held together with a paperclip, and underneath was a single sheet that looked like a daily itinerary for the tournament. She turned her attention back to Niall, who was staring at her expectantly. Almost as if he was waiting for her to say something.

"I'm not understanding," she said slowly, feeling stupid. Was there something she was missing? Was he trying to play a little joke on her?

His eyes were practically glowing with excitement, so there was obviously some hidden message that she just wasn't seeing. He exhaled. "Do you notice anything about the tickets?" he said in a slow voice, as if trying to hint at something. Once again, his brows were raised in anticipation.

She looked down again; there were two tickets, and nothing looked out of the ordinary or weird. Maybe first-class tickets had a different kind of stamp that he wanted her to see? "Are these not tickets for you and Evan for next week?" she asked, feeling dumber by the second. This was getting embarrassing.

Niall looked like he wanted to laugh. "Evan has his own ticket, my darling. Here, look at the second one." He reached over and took the tickets from her hand, pulling the clip off and separating the papers. He handed her the one that had been on the bottom. She scanned it carefully, and her eyes widened with shock. In the little box that showed the passenger's name, there was a tiny "HUGHES, Lilian Elizabeth" written in block letters.

She looked up at him with her mouth hanging open. "Why is my...?" she began, feeling her heart racing. "What does this mean?" She couldn't form words right now.

He gazed adoringly into her eyes, still smiling. Niall took the folder from her hands, clipped everything back up carefully, and placed it on top of his suitcase. His hands then found her hips, and he pulled her body close to his. Her hands glided up to his neck, resting just along the curve of his shoulders. He couldn't stop grinning.

"I meant to mention this to you sooner, but I've been so preoccupied with everything else that it slipped my mind.” His grin turned bashful. “And I know it was a bit presumptuous putting your name on the ticket when we aren't entirely sure if you can even go, but I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"What are you saying?" Lili asked breathlessly. Obviously, she knew what this meant, but now she couldn't tell if she was dreaming or not.

He smiled wider. "Come with me. To the tournament. I really want you there, princess. You have been so supportive of me since the moment we met, and I want to have that support by my side when I'm playing." He swallowed, trying to calm himself down. "Having you there would just make everything better. My performance, my nerves. Everything." Niall took a brief pause to study her reaction carefully. His eyes widened a bit when she hadn't spoken. "Look, I understand if you don't want to go. I'm sorry I sprung this on you."

He looked nervous, but once he realized she was smiling up at him, he visibly relaxed. Excitement was bubbling in her stomach, and she was buzzing from head to toe.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Of course I want to go!" she exclaimed, reaching up on the tips of her toes to kiss him excitedly. He was smiling so wide that she was practically kissing his teeth, but she didn't care. She pulled him into a big, tight hug as she jumped excitedly, wrapping her arms around his neck. All he could do was laugh as he held her tight, and the sound made her stomach flip and jump and skip. There was so much love for this man in her heart that she didn't know how to handle it.

"How long will we be there for?" she asked, as her thoughts began to race.

He pulled slightly out of the hug so he could see her, and he was grinning. "Well, I only need to be there for about four days for the tournament, but I sort of booked an extra week at the hotel. I figured if you came with me, we could have a little vacation together afterward."

Her heart leapt to her throat, and she stopped jumping. "Really? Are you sure?" she asked quietly. Of course it would be nice to have a little private vacation with him, but it couldn't have been cheap...She hated it when he spent so much money on her.

He smiled brightly. "Are you kidding? I've been dying to take you away somewhere since our first date. This couldn't have been a more perfect opportunity."

Well, he wasn't wrong...She couldn't help but smile as she pulled him down by the neck for a kiss.

“Thank you, baby,” she said, feathering her fingers through his hair. “Of course I want to support you that weekend, but thank you for the rest of it.”

Not many things would feel as good as getting to be by his side supporting him. It meant the world to her. She was so happy knowing she was being given a wonderful opportunity to show her partner encouragement at such an important event. His career was so, so important to him, which meant it was important to her by extension. She needed him to understand how much she would support him, no matter what. Being able to watch him compete at a high-level tournament was the stuff of dreams. And then, to have the chance to just lay on the beach, drink, and be merry with him afterwards was beyond exciting. Actual, real time spent truly alone with him would definitely do them some good.

But then she suddenly remembered her job, and that little bubble of excitement dissipated. "Fuck, I need to request the time off. It's only a week away. I don't think that's enough notice."

She chewed the inside of her cheek nervously. Requesting vacation time at the club was one of the hardest things the employees had to do, and more often than not, requests were denied. Thinking back, Lili couldn't remember the last time she asked for even more than one day in a row off. Granted, the club had been severely understaffed for quite some time, but the principle still stood. She looked up at Niall as she considered what to do, hoping he might be able to give her some advice, when she noticed his cheeks slowly turning pink. He averted her gaze.

"Oh god, what did you do?" she asked carefully. He blushed harder.

"I, um, actually spoke to your supervisor about that already." A hush fell over the two of them at his admission. Lili's eyes widened, mostly in shock. He swallowed and started rambling, still not looking at her. "I'm so sorry. It was incredibly disrespectful of me to go over your head like that. I wasn't thinking straight, and I knew how badly I wanted you there, so I figured I could talk to her and see if I could at least plant the seed in her head about it before you actually asked her."

His voice was so innocent, it was hard not to be endeared by him. Lili tilted her head back and laughed, because this was absolutely ludicrous. "So basically, you used your charm behind my back to get me some time off?" she asked, trying and failing to sound stern.

He closed his eyes shamefully; his cheeks were bright red now. "I did. I'm so sorry, love. It was selfish of me to do that, and I wasn't thinking about how that could have been a risk to your job. The last thing I wanted out of this relationship was for people to think you and I were getting special treatment. But I just thought, maybe..."

Lili laughed again. She was so in love with this man, it was impossible to describe.

"Oh, Niall, you're such an idiot," she teased, grazing her fingers delicately up and down the back of his neck. It was impossible to stop smiling now - her cheeks were hurting.

He finally looked at her with those breathtaking eyes. "Are you upset?"

She paused for a long moment and looked at him, trying to playfully torture him with her silence. It was fun when she had all the power.

"No, I'm not upset," she finally said, and he exhaled sharply. Like he'd been holding onto that breath for days.

A relieved smile stretched across his face, and he dropped his forehead to her shoulder as he laughed breathlessly. "Thank god," he whispered.

She grinned and brought her fingers up, knotting them in his soft hair. He kissed her shoulder before lifting his head back up so he could see her.

"Keeping that secret has been killing me for days." He chuckled again, tilting his head back and exhaling sharply towards the ceiling, as if for dramatic effect. "I've been mulling over it like crazy." 

Lili giggled. "Thank you for apologizing. I get where you were coming from, but I still appreciate it. Although, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t do it again. Just in case."

He nodded and leaned forward to kiss the tip of her nose. "So you'll come? If you can get the time off?"

"Of course, I'll come! This is like a dream come true for me." She bit her lip and tried to calm her racing heart. "I love supporting you. And it means so much to me to know that being there would make things better for you." She shrugged, giving her head a little shake of disbelief. "Honestly, I thought I would be more of a distraction than anything."

Niall chuckled shortly. "Oh, you'll definitely be a major distraction, but there are ways to compensate for that when we're alone." His voice dropped to practically a whisper, and the intensity of his eyes made her stomach flip with anticipation. She tilted her head up and kissed him, legs turning to jelly the moment his lips wrapped perfectly around hers. He sighed into the kiss and wrapped his arms tighter around her back. The way his tongue swept across hers had her eyes rolling back in her skull. It was amazing how sinfully innocent he could be without even trying.

He pulled away to breathe, wearing a goofy smile on his face.

"You know," she said, trying to catch her breath again. "You'll have to teach me all about proper spectator etiquette. Embarrassing myself is one thing, but I absolutely cannot embarrass you in a situation like that."

Just the idea made her nauseous. Absolutely nothing would be worse than her acting like a complete fool in front of thousands of people, especially if everyone there knew she was with him.

"I'll teach you everything you want to know, my love. Don't worry."

Lili gazed at Niall's packed suitcase on the bed. It had been a long time since she'd had to pack something larger than a duffel bag for anything. Hopefully her dad could even find her suitcase under the basement stairs - that closet was a fucking mess. At the thought, her eyes shot open in horror. "Oh, shit. I have to ask my parents."

She laughed nervously. That would be some kind of conversation. 'Hey Mom, hey Dad, I'm going on a last-minute trip across the country with my new boyfriend who I've never even so much as left the city with before. See ya!' Just the idea made her laugh to herself.

Obviously her parents loved Niall and trusted him completely. They had no reason not to. Since the moment they first met, he'd been nothing but a gentleman. And it was obvious that he treated Lili with love and respect. In the grand scheme of things, going on a trip with him like this wasn't really that big of a deal. But to just spring this on them would be kind of...strange?

Well, if they said no, realistically, would it stop her? She was 24, soon to be 25. There wasn't much they could do...But she obviously needed to tell them regardless. It would be plain disrespectful of her to just run off without so much as a text message.

Niall was watching her with a soft smile, probably able to tell that her mind was running at a mile a minute. "You should go talk to them now," he said, reaching up to curl a strand of hair behind her ear. The contact made her shiver. 

Lili pouted. "But I want to stay here with you for a bit longer," she whined. 

Niall scrunched his nose up adorably. "You can come back after, and we'll spend the whole night together." He grazed his thumb along her cheek softly. "But you should tell them now. We leave in a week, so it's better late than never."

She clicked her tongue and sighed, still pouting. She knew he was right, but was it so bad for her to want to just stay with him all night like this? Probably. He had so much to do.

"Alright, fine. Walk me to the door?"

He smiled and nodded, pulling his arms from around her back. The warmth of his hug was so perfect that she shivered without it. They were silent as Lili put her shoes on.

"Will you call me after you talk to them?" Niall asked, pushing his bottom lip out in the slightest sulk. He was so cute, she wanted to scream. She smiled and stepped into him again, wrapping her arms around his waist. His hands found her face and cupped it gently.

"Of course I will," she whispered, giving him a sweet, reassuring smile. He blinked slowly and nodded, leaning down to kiss her. His hands stayed on her face, thumbs tracing careful lines along her cheeks as he gently devoured her. Each kiss was sweeter than the last. Every swipe of his tongue against hers, every gentle suck of her lip, made it that much harder to pull away from him. Her stomach lurched with need, and she knew she had to break away from him before they ended up naked and sweating on the couch. It wouldn't be good for her health to keep dreaming about that.

She forced herself to step back, and a quiet whine erupted from Niall's throat. The sound was almost enough to make her feral.

"I'll call you soon, okay?"

He nodded and leaned down to kiss her once again, this time just barely pressing his lips to hers. "Drive safe, my darling," he said, as he pulled the front door open for her. The alarm system chimed loudly.

She nodded at him and walked out into the sunshine; before she sat in the car, she turned and blew him a kiss, which he returned with a wink and a smile. Her beautiful man.

She spent the entire drive home thinking of what to say to her parents, and the perfect way to say it. She figured she would bring it up as soon as she got home and tell them everything she had just been told. It probably wouldn't be that big of a deal, anyway, but she was still nervous over it. What if it upset them? How would she react to that? The last thing she wanted was to fight with them.

Her stomach was turning with nerves. This conversation would be so much easier if it wasn't face to face, but she would look like such a coward if she did this over the phone.

Lili turned into the driveway and killed the engine, hands shaking as she walked across the driveway and unlocked the front door. For a moment, it seemed as if no one was home. The Jeep was gone, so at least one of her brothers had gone out. The house was strangely quiet. There wasn't even the sound of a television playing somewhere in the background, which was abnormal for the Hughes house.

Lili walked into the kitchen and could see her parents sitting on the sofa in the backyard, enjoying a glass of wine together in the evening sun. They were side by side, and Lili's mom was resting her head carefully on her husband's broad shoulder. Their love was very sweet, and it constantly reminded Lili that she was so lucky to have grown up with this beautiful ideal of what love should be.

Smiling, Lili opened the door and slid outside, shutting the screen behind her.

"Oh, hey, sweetie. When did you get home?" Josephine asked, turning her attention to the door. She leaned forward and placed her glass on the coffee table, wiping her palm dry on her pants.

"Just now. I went to see Niall for a bit."

"Oh, really? How's he doing?" William perked up in his seat so quickly that the wine almost sloshed out of his glass and into his lap. Sometimes, he got more excited at the mention of Niall's name than Lili did. "Haven't heard from him in a while."

Lili nodded as she sat on the chair beside them, bringing her legs up underneath her body. She smiled. "He's good. Really busy right now, though. I've hardly spoken to him this past week."
William nodded like he understood the battle Niall was currently dealing with. He took a sip of his wine.

"It's coming up soon, isn't it? The tournament? He's got to be nervous about that." It was sweet that he was keeping so up-to-date with all of Niall's happenings. Up until recently, Lili just assumed that her dad knew little things about Niall's schedule because they were common knowledge in the golf world. Most people who followed the sport of golf knew (roughly) when all the tournaments were taking place, big or small.

But a few days ago, she was doing some housecleaning, and when she entered her dad's study to do some dusting, she happened to glance at his personal calendar. He'd written down every single event Niall was scheduled to attend – tournaments, fundraisers, awards ceremonies. All of them. Every event was marked with a little 'NH' written in calligraphy. At first, Lili thought it was strange. Maybe he was a little too obsessed with her boyfriend. That was the last thing she or Niall needed.

But when she asked her dad about it, he told her how Niall had actually shared his personal calendar with him, wanting Lili's dad to be in the know about everything. It was just so sweet. They really did have such an amazing relationship, and Lili couldn't be more thankful. Niall trusted her father enough to share this information, and William loved Niall so much that he took to it without question.

Maybe some people thought that was weird, or crossing some boundaries of some kind, but Lili loved it. It made her relationship that much more real, and that much more perfect.

She exhaled calmly. "He definitely is. He hasn't been himself, but he's handling everything really well, all things considered, and I'm so proud of him. He's leaving in a week, so it's really coming soon." She paused, picking at the skin of her thumb. It was now or never. "That's actually what I came to talk to you guys about." Her heart was pounding, and if this moment wasn't so nerve wracking, she might actually find it funny.

Josephine's head tilted and her brows furrowed. "Talk about what?" she asked kindly. Lili looked from her mom to her dad.

"Well, Niall's asked me to go with him to the tournament, and if I can get the time off work, I'm going. He said it would be good for me to be there and support him in person, and I want to do that more than anything." She paused to swallow as her mouth had suddenly run dry. "I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you guys before I gave him a definitive answer."

Obviously, that was a complete lie, but they didn't need to know that. Josephine gazed at her with a still slightly furrowed brow and an inquisitive look. "If you're leaving in a week, why didn't you tell us sooner? What about work? You know they hate last minute bookings there."

Lili smiled. That was a super positive answer. "I actually didn't even know about it until today. Niall kind of sprung it on me. And don't worry about the club, everything's apparently been settled already."

"Settled?" William asked skeptically. Lili grimaced and scratched her eyebrow nervously.

"Yeah. I just need to go in and finalize some things, sign the forms, all of that. Don't worry about it." What they didn't know couldn't hurt them. "So, would it be alright if I went?"

If they said no, what would Niall do with the ticket in her name? Someone else couldn't use it. Well, maybe the airline could change the name on the ticket. Did they do refunds? He would be so disappointed if she had to stay behind. The thought made Lili's heart break.

Her parents shared a look that Lili couldn't really decipher, and it made her anxiety skyrocket. The knots in her stomach grew tighter with each passing second that they didn't speak. They were silently communicating with each other for what felt like half an hour. If her feet had been on the ground, Lili's knee would be bouncing so much that it would probably trigger an earthquake.

Finally, they looked back at her, and her dad cleared his throat. "Well, as long as you guys are safe wherever you go, I don't think it should be a problem. You're old enough to take care of yourself. Just make sure you make smart decisions."

He seemed way too happy about this, but Lili couldn't care less. She was just happy they were okay with it. Although, the connotation behind the 'smart decisions' comment was one Lili really did not need to hear from her father.

"This is exciting for you guys. Take lots of pictures for me if you can, alright?"

Lili laughed and nodded. It took a lot of physical restraint not to scream her joys out into the air for everyone to hear. Instead, she calmly got up and kissed them both on the cheek, thanking them for allowing her to go. She exhaled in relief as she practically skipped around the side of the house to the driveway. The first thing she did was call Niall from the car to share the good news with him. She could just hear the huge grin on his face as he spoke, and it made her heart explode. How did she get so lucky?

They shared the excitement together for the drive until she was pulling into the club parking lot. "Okay, baby, I'm at the club, so I have to go. I'll call you when I'm done, alright?"

"Sounds good, love. Good luck."

Still smiling, Lili hung up the phone and turned off her car. She couldn't tell if she was nervous about this conversation or not. Maybe it was the excitement at how open her parents were to letting her go on this trip that was preventing her from freaking out. Whatever it was, she felt cool as a cucumber.

It took her a while to find Geena, but was eventually directed to her office on the second floor of the club, where she was finishing up some paperwork for the day. The stack was about a foot and a half high, which didn't look great. Her brown ringlet curls were clipped into a messy pile at the back of her head, though most of them were still falling around her face in perfect corkscrews.

Lili knocked lightly on the door. Geena looked up from her papers and her face broke into a gorgeous crooked smile.

"Hey, Hughes! Come sit down," Geena said, standing and gesturing to the empty chair in front of her desk. The white dress she was wearing was somehow completely wrinkle-free, and looked stunning against her deep brown skin. Lili took a seat and pulled her purse off her shoulder, laying it gently on the chair next to her. The large glass desk in front of her was quite menacing.

Even though she’d been working here for years, Lili had only ever been in Geena’s office a handful of times. It felt like she was entering another universe when she was in here.
The furniture was all white, and the walls were a warm cream. It should feel cold and uninviting, but the sunlight streaming through the massive wall of windows behind the desk made for a rather welcoming feel.

"I have a feeling I know why you're here," Geena said, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow. Lili blushed and looked down at her lap. It felt a lot like she was about to get reprimanded.

"I'm so sorry about Niall. He wasn't trying to get special treatment or anything like that. He was just genuinely excited at the idea of me going with him to PGA and he knows how difficult it can be for us to get time off. I think he got caught up in all of it and wasn't thinking straight. Which, I know, is not an excuse. He knows that it looks bad on both of us and we both apologize for the unprofessionalism."

She was rambling, unsurprisingly, but needed Geena to believe her. Lili absolutely could not make it seem like she condoned, or had even been in on, Niall’s actions. When she finally mustered up the courage to look up again, Geena was smiling, as if amused by the whole situation.

"Look, I'm not upset. Obviously, it's not every day you get an employee's boyfriend coming in and asking for time off on behalf of that employee." Lili blushed again and rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. No, it really wasn't every day. It wasn't even once a year. Geena took a deep breath. "But that boy really does care for you, and I can see how much it meant to him to have you go with him."

Lili's ears perked up. Was this really happening, or was she just hearing what she wanted to hear? "I can go?"

Geena grinned and pretended to study the desk calendar laying in front of her. "It shouldn't be a problem. We've got enough new hires to cover the shifts." She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms loosely over her chest. "Besides, you deserve the time off. Nobody works as hard as you do around here."

A sigh of relief rushed out of Lili's lungs, probably much louder than she'd wanted it to. "Thank you so much. Seriously, this means so much to me. Well, to both me and Niall."

Lili was so appreciative of her amazing supervisor now more than ever. Her level of understanding was unexpected. Plus, the comment about deserving a break definitely did not go unnoticed. Lili didn't work hard to get praise by any means, but it was nice that it was appreciated. It may not seem like it to someone outside the club, but Lili always put her whole heart and then some into her job. She just cared too much. Every single time she stepped onto the grounds, whether she was extremely happy or depressed out of her mind, she put every ounce of effort into her job that she could.

She loved being here and doing this job, so for that hard work to get noticed by someone other than herself, Niall, and Jordyn made Lili feel really, really good.  Like it was finally worth the long days and little sleep.

They spent the next few minutes finalizing the days Lili would be off and who would cover for her. Geena sent Lili off with a big hug, telling her to give Niall all her love and to wish him good luck for the tournament. Lili thanked her profusely before leaving the office, practically floating from all the positivity of the day.

In the span of three hours, Lili received a first-class plane ticket, approval from her parents, and praise from her boss. This was not what she'd anticipated happening when she woke up this morning, but could she really complain?

Instead of calling Niall on the drive home, she wanted to wait until she was in her room to FaceTime him so she could see his face after she'd shared her good news. There was nothing better in the entire world than watching a big, beautiful smile grow on his face when he was happy. 

When she returned home, a large black suitcase was already waiting at the top of the basement stairs. Her dad must have gone down and retrieved it for her when she left. With a huge smile on her face and butterflies in her stomach, Lili pulled the suitcase up the stairs and tossed it on her bed with a huff. She pulled out her phone and immediately opened the chat with Niall.

She figured it would be funny to make him think she was unsuccessful, so she plastered a frown on her face as the call connected. He answered with a smile, but it fell immediately when he saw her expression.

"Oh no, princess, what happened?" he asked sadly. He had been walking when he answered the call, but upon seeing her face, stopped moving. He sat down slowly on the couch. "Did she say no?"
She pouted even further and slumped down on her pillows.

"I'm sorry, baby, I tried," she said, sighing dramatically. "But I just don't think I have nice enough clothes for a golf tournament. I'll need to do some shopping."

It took a second for her words to register in Niall's brain, but when they did, his face lit up like a Christmas tree. "She said yes?" he exclaimed, standing up again. "You're not playing around with me, are you? You're coming with me?"

He'd cracked her resolve. She sat up and smiled widely, leaning down across her suitcase so she could show him, rather than tell him with her words. He shouted excitedly. "Oh, my love, you scared me." Those big blue eyes were full of joy and it was making Lili so happy.

"I'm sorry," she said, feeling the least bit sorrowful. "I wanted to see if I could trick you. Actually, I'm surprised I even held it together when you answered."

Niall snickered loudly. "You know you can’t lie to me. I'll get you for that, believe me. But I can't worry about that now. Fuck, I'm so happy, darling. Holy shit, this is real!"

It both surprised and scared her how thrilled he seemed to be over this whole situation. His smile was magnificent, and it made her fall in love with him all over again. Every time he did something that reiterated how much he loved Lili, it scared her. But it wasn't the type of scared that she felt the need to run away from it. It was more like she wanted to run towards it. Forever.

"I'm happy, too," she said, laughing as she watched him bounce off the walls. "It's going to be amazing."

Her heart skipped against her ribcage as Niall continued to explain to her just how happy and excited he was. It made the anticipation for the trip grow that much more. They talked for over an hour, before hanging up so he could have dinner. Besides, they'd planned to spend the rest of the night together, anyway. She would see him soon enough.

In the meantime, Lili turned to her closet, opening the doors and peering inside.

How exactly did one dress for a golf tournament in the middle of summer in South Carolina?

Chapter Text

Having to wait out the week before their trip was excruciating. Lili didn’t think she could even feel this kind of anticipation. Each day seemed to drag on for longer than 24 hours. Honestly, Lili was convinced time wasn’t real after a certain point. She worked five out of the seven days, which helped pass the time somewhat, but each shift felt longer and more painful than the last. Days dragged on.

It also didn’t help that Niall was sending her a countdown every single morning. He would text her ‘6 more days, love!’ or ‘5 more days!’ as soon as he woke up. It was beyond adorable, but it just made Lili too excited. All it did was remind her that she had something amazing to look forward to but had to live through long, gruelling shifts at her job to get there.

The last shift before her break began was agonizing. Time seemed to be frozen; she would look at her watch and it would say 6:17pm. Half an hour later she would check it again, only for it to say 6:21pm.

Waiting was pure torture. The trip hanging over her head was a major distraction, making it hard to focus on her regular tasks. Almost every night, Lili went to bed close to tears because she just wanted a vacation so badly. Work felt like it was never going to end.

But somehow, finally, the day had come around.

The morning of the flight to South Carolina, Lili could no longer function. Eating and drinking were challenges she wasn’t really looking forward to facing. Of course she was excited - this trip was obviously the only thing she could think about. Being away in a hotel, completely alone with Niall was the first positive.

Second, she would finally get to watch him do what he does best and be there if he won the whole tournament, which was beyond exhilarating. The opportunity to connect with her boyfriend in such an intimate way so early in their relationship was exciting. They were very happy together - that was undeniable. There were no issues directly pertaining to their relationship that they had to ‘work through’.

But to finally have the chance to get away from all the noise of their everyday lives and be together without interruptions could really work wonders and make their relationship progress even further. They already had a great connection. They worked well together, understood each other, and truly loved each other unconditionally.

Lili could only imagine the kind of improvements they would make when they were forced to spend all day, every day with each other - sleeping together every night, sharing a room. It was all very vulnerable and could really strengthen their already steely bond.

But she might have forgotten to mention to Niall beforehand that she was deathly afraid of flying. It was her biggest fear, hands down. Yes, it probably should have come up when he’d asked her to join him on the trip. But she’d been so caught up in the excitement of it all that it…slipped her mind. And then she figured she could get through it on her own and not have to worry about saying anything at all.

Once she missed the window of opportunity that first day to tell him, Lili just assumed it was too late to say anything. But with each passing day, the dread settled further into the pit of her stomach, and now she knew she couldn’t possibly get away with keeping it from him. One look at the pure fear in her eyes, and she would be exposed. Niall just knew her way too well. He’d see through the mask she was trying to wear in a heartbeat.

But honestly, she could worry about that later. Niall’s feelings were significantly more important than hers. She knew he was probably going to be extremely nervous and wanted to be there for him in any way she could, even if it meant having to put her own irrational fears aside to comfort him. The last thing she needed was to freak him out by freaking out. It would just turn into an endless circle of unease.

When Niall called to say he was on his way to her house, William carried Lili’s suitcase down from her bedroom, propping it up against the wall beside the front door. All she was taking in her small carry-on was a book, her phone charger, her wallet, and a sweater in case it got cold on the plane. Her purse was also stuffed in there so that she didn’t have to carry two bags at once. Her feet were practically numb with fear, and she had to grip the railing tightly as she made her way down the stairs so she wouldn’t fall and slide on her ass all the way down.

Her parents were waiting patiently by the door.

“Do you have everything you need? Driver’s license, money, all that?” Josephine asked nervously, holding her hands behind her back so Lili couldn’t see the way she was wringing them together. Knowing how much her daughter feared flying, Josephine was more worried about her well-being than anything. Lili nodded and took a deep breath.

“Everything’s here. I’m going to be fine, Mom. I promise.”

“I know,” Josephine said, widening her eyes a smidge. “But you’ve never been away by yourself before. I just want you to be safe, alright?”

William chuckled. “Of course she’ll be safe, honey, she’ll be with Niall. It’s not like she’s going by herself.”

Lili pointed at her father proudly. “Exactly. He’ll protect me, you know that.”

As she spoke, a streak of black moving in the driveway caught her eye through the front window. She turned excitedly to check it out. A car was pulling in, parking at the very end behind the Jeep. It wasn’t Niall’s Range Rover like she had been expecting to see. Niall stepped out of the backseat, slamming the door behind him and practically skipping to the front door. He looked deliciously cuddly in a white t-shirt and grey cotton shorts.

He was a menace.

Lili’s heart leapt to her throat and she smiled, running to the front door and throwing it open before he had even reached the landing. With a laugh, he approached with light, enthusiastic steps and pulled her into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around her back. Because he knew she still felt weird about being affectionate in front of her parents, he kept the interaction relaxed and simple.

“Were you watching me through the window, love?” he asked playfully, removing one of his arms from around her back as he questioned her. She shrugged and stepped aside so he could enter the house.

“Maybe,” she teased. “I couldn’t help myself.” He chuckled as he walked in, going over to shake William’s hand and kiss Josephine’s cheek.

It was so cute how he always greeted them in the same way every single time he entered the house. Maybe it was just a normal thing that Lili had never imagined would happen, but it really showed how much respect Niall had for her family. It was always so kind of him to go out of his way to greet them in that way every time instead of just saying hi. He was a gentleman through and through.

William clapped him on the shoulder affectionately. “Big few days ahead of you, son.” He was smiling from ear to ear. “I just wanted to say good luck. We’ll be watching as much of the tournament as we can.”

“You’re going to be great.” Josephine smiled sweetly at Niall as she placed both of her hands on his cheeks, squeezing them carefully in an affectionate manner. “But no matter what happens, the family is so proud of you. Don’t you ever forget that.”

He smiled at both of them as a slight blush crept up his neck and into his cheeks.

“Thank you.” Niall glanced down at his shoes for a second, before back up at her parents. “It means so much to me that I have your support. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

William nodded once as if to say ‘of course’. It always warmed Lili’s heart to see the way he interacted with her family. It was just so easy. And she didn’t doubt that they really would be sitting around the TV together, watching as much of the tournament as they possibly could. Her father might even keep a scorecard.

Niall gazed over his shoulder at Lili. “We should probably get going, love. The freeway’s a disaster right now.”

Lili nodded in agreement, trying to ignore the nerves bubbling in her stomach. She just had to keep taking slow, deep breaths and she would be fine.

“Alright, let’s do this,” she said with a smile, picking her bag up from the floor and draping it over her shoulder.

The words left her mouth but didn’t reach the rest of her body. Her feet were stuck to the spot she was standing on like she’d been nailed down to the ceramic. There was a weight on her chest that was making it hard to breathe.

This is for Niall, she had to tell herself, slowly finding the ability to move. Do this for him.

Hugs were shared, tears were shed (mostly by Josephine), and lots of luck was wished, before Lili and Niall headed out the door together.

Niall insisted on carrying her suitcase for her, which she hated. It took a decent amount of bickering before she finally gave in and let him take it. But if he thought he’d do this in the airport too, he had a big storm coming.

Lili recognized the driver as the person from the night of the wedding, and it was nice to see a familiar face. He must be Niall’s personal chauffeur. She smiled politely as he opened the door for her, and she settled in while she waited for Niall to dump her suitcase in the trunk with his. Loud rattling sounds indicated that Niall’s precious clubs were placed in the trunk as well.

Niall slammed the trunk shut and, before he had even sat down, the dividing barrier was already rolling upwards to shut them into their own private space. She smiled as he slid in next to her. The intoxicating smell of his cologne filled the car. He knocked twice on the divider, and the engine almost immediately came to life. The car backed out into the street and took off at a brisk pace.

“Hey, I have something for you,” Niall said a few moments later, squeezing her thigh gently to grab her attention. He leaned forward and unzipped the black backpack he was using as his carry-on.

“What is it?” she asked calmly, raising her eyebrows in anticipation. The fact that he’d gotten her a gift during one of the most important weeks of his life was adorable but also completely unnecessary.

Niall stuck his hand in the bag and pulled out the white Nike baseball cap that he had been wearing the day he messaged her for the first time. She recognized it because of the faded spots of dirt along the brim. That was the day they had almost, almost, kissed for the first time. The tension had been magical.

He placed the hat in her lap with a sweet little smile. “This is my favourite hat, as you know. I’ve worn it at every tournament I’ve ever played in, but I was hoping that you would wear it this time around. At the tournament.”

The gleam in his eye was angelic. Lili glanced at the hat and picked it up carefully, running her fingers back and forth along the brim.

“But…this is your lucky hat, baby.” She looked back up at him with furrowed brows. “You should be the one to wear it.”

His eyes flashed down towards her lips for half a second before finding her gaze again. “I’ve got you, princess. You’re the best lucky charm I could have.” He reached over and touched her cheek gently, brushing his thumb across her bottom lip. The action gave her butterflies of all kinds. “Will you wear it?”

Something about the way he asked the question made her believe there was more to it than just wanting to see her in his hat. Maybe it was his way of moving on from unsupportive partners in the past. Now that he had someone by his side that wanted him to succeed, a hat wouldn’t change the outcome of anything. Lili nodded and tilted her head to the side. “If you want me to, then of course I will.”

Niall’s face lit up and he leaned down to kiss her, smiling against her lips. If doing something like this made him this happy, Lili would do it a million times. He kissed her two, three, four times in a row, making her giggle quietly.

“Keep it in your bag for now,” she said, handing it back to him when she’d pulled away. “I don’t want to lose it.”

He took the hat and laid it back inside the bag, zipping it shut. Slowly, he leaned back against his seat and draped an arm across her shoulders to pull her in close. Lili inhaled as she cuddled into him.

“So,” he said, bringing his free hand across his body. “How are you feeling?” Gently, he dragged his fingertips up and down the inside of her forearm, and she shivered. “Are you excited about this trip?”

He finally laced his fingers with hers, bringing her hand up to his lips and kissing every inch of the skin. She smiled, but felt it falter.

“I am excited for the trip. Very excited. And to watch you play, of course. But…” Why did she sound like she’d never spoken English before this conversation?

Niall’s brow furrowed as he looked at her, squeezing her hand gently. “What? Is something wrong?” He sounded way more worried than he probably should.

She shook her head and looked down at their hands resting in her lap.

“Niall, I’m fucking terrified to fly,” she finally admitted. “I sort of have an aversion to airplanes.”

Lili cringed and waiting for his reaction. She half expected him to laugh or crack a little joke, but he didn’t. She looked over at him; he was studying her face carefully.

“What’s the scariest part for you?” he asked softly. “Take off, landing…?”

The genuine concern and curiosity in his voice made her heart just ache with love for him. She shook her head again.

“All of it. The first and only time I ever went on a plane, the turbulence was terrible. I swear to god, at one point, the plane literally fell, like, twenty feet. It was the worst experience of my life, and since then, I’ve been really scared to fly again.”

She exhaled slowly. Even just thinking about that experience made her palms sweat. It was hands down one of the scariest moments of her life.

Most people knew that she was afraid of flying, but no one except Jordyn understood how bad the fear was. It wasn’t something she was necessarily embarrassed about, but never really felt like talking about it if she didn’t have to.

“I’m sorry that you’re going through this,” Niall said after a moment of silence. “How come you never told me?”

“I don’t know.” Lili played with the hem of her shirt nervously. “It just never came up, I guess.”

She tilted her head to look at Niall again and her heart skipped. He squeezed her hand gently. “Everything is going to be fine, my love. I promise. I’ll be right beside you the whole time.” There was such a sweet look in his eyes that was so damn endearing. “I know it’s not easy having a fear like this, but we’ll be okay.” We. Always a packaged deal to him, even in her personal fear of something. This was exactly why she loved him so much.

Lili nodded in agreement. “But if I start freaking out, you’re the one who’s going to have to deal with it.”

“I’d do anything for you, princess.”

She rolled her eyes as she snuggled into his side.

Lili never could have imagined being with someone who listened to her fears and feelings without any judgement. In the past, if she’d shared something like this with Daniel, he laughed in her face and found unique ways to make her feel bad or shame her for having this feeling. But now, all Niall wanted to do was listen to what she had to say, understand where she was coming from, and show her that she had support.

She was so, so grateful for him.

“What about you?” she asked carefully. Her eyes drifted along his sharp jawline and across his pink lips. “How are you feeling? You don’t seem as nervous.”

She watched his throat bob as he swallowed; his eyes darted to the side to glance out the window quickly. “Honestly, I feel okay. I’m still nervous, but I think I’ve managed to keep it cool.” He glimpsed down at her with a grin. “Why, do I still seem off?”

She shook her head, watching the way the tip of his tongue darted out to coat his lips. “I was just curious.” She placed her hand on the top of his thigh and squeezed. “You’re going to be amazing. You’ve been working so hard. But win or lose, I hope you never forget that I’m so proud of you.”

Honestly, he was probably tired of hearing that by now since both Lili and her mom had said it multiple times today alone. But the way he exhaled seemed like he felt relief, so maybe he needed to hear it as often as possible. Self-doubt had been his biggest enemy after the last tournament, and Lili would do whatever she could to make sure he didn’t fall into the hands of that monster again this time around.

He placed his hand on her cheek and learned in towards her. That first touch of his lips against hers was electrifying. Her eyes fluttered shut as he planted the softest kisses imaginable against her lips, nuzzling his bottom lip between both of hers.

“Thank you,” he whispered, looking deep into her eyes as his fingers stroked her cheek adoringly. Her chest was aching with love as they ogled each other, enjoying the silence and privacy the backseat of this car was offering them. A love like this was one in a million.

Niall wasn’t lying at her house - the traffic on the freeway was completely backed up, and they were sitting bumper to bumper for over half an hour before finally merging off the highway and onto the main road leading to the terminal.

The lineup to drop passengers off at the door was at least ten cars long, so Niall and Lili decided to hop out where they were, grab their luggage from the trunk, and walk the extra few feet to the door. Slinging his clubs over his shoulder, Niall exhaled sharply as he looked up at the airport from where he was standing.

“Hey,” Lili said, touching his forearm gently. “Are you okay?” The nerves were very clearly written on his face. It almost seemed like he didn’t want to go in. He looked down at Lili standing next to him and smiled.

“I’m fine, love.” He took one last deep breath. “Okay. I’m ready.” He reached out a hand for Lili to take, which she did eagerly. “Let’s go.”

They walked confidently into the busy airport, lugging their heavy suitcases behind them. Thank god Lili had chosen to wear shorts and a t-shirt today instead of leggings or sweats. The middle of August in Los Angeles was practically too hot to function in - she could only imagine what it would be like in South Carolina. She was sweating just thinking about it.

Between the door and the check-in line alone, multiple people stopped Niall to say hi, say they were a fan, or wish him luck. A few people asked for pictures, which he took graciously. Lili didn’t think she’d ever get used to the idea of complete strangers going up to her boyfriend and just asking to take a photo. She could only imagine how much more hectic it would be at the tournament. Between fans and media, Niall would probably talk to a thousand people a day.

But it was sweet that he was willing to accept the pictures and give each fan a minute or two of his time, even when he was nervous or in a hurry. He appreciated the support way too much to deny them.

After waiting in line for over twenty minutes, they finally reached a check-in desk. If they didn’t have suitcases with them, they would have checked in online the night before and just walked straight to TSA. Lili took her wallet out of her bag, reaching for her ID.

“Good afternoon,” said the woman behind the counter. The bags under her eyes were dark but her smile was warm and beautiful. “Where are you headed today?”

“South Carolina,” Lili responded, placing her driver’s license on the counter. The best part about flying within the US was that she didn’t need her passport. One less thing to worry about this week.

The clerk took it to type the information into her computer, nails clicking loudly on the keys. “Put your suitcase on the belt, please,” she said, handing Lili back her card. “Don’t lean on it.”

Niall waved Lili’s hand away, as expected, and heaved her suitcase onto the conveyor belt for her. He followed with his own suitcase and ID moments later.

It took just a few minutes to get them all settled. Again, a couple of people in passing said hi to Niall. Even the guard who monitored the metal detectors at security asked for a selfie, which he couldn’t turn down. It really wasn’t super often that Niall had people coming up to him and asking for pictures or a handshake.

Around the club, it was one thing, considering golf was their most prominent business there - it would make sense that everyone who came across him there knew who he was. But in other more public places, like the mall or a restaurant, the attention was normally more subdued. There had been maybe once or twice since the start of their relationship that she’d seen it firsthand.

Once through TSA, Lili took a deep, shaky breath as they made their way through the slightly crowded airport until they found their gate. Just looking out at the planes on the tarmac made her lightheaded.

“Are you hungry, love?” Niall asked, squeezing her hand. She turned to look at him, and her stomach growled before her lips could even form the word ‘yes’. 

He laughed and nodded. “Alright, let’s get to the lounge.”

“Lounge?” Lili asked, letting Niall drag her away from the seats at the gate. He was heading towards frosted glass double doors that led to a room she couldn’t quite see.

“Yeah,” he said casually, as if this were common knowledge. “All first-class passengers get to hang out in the premium lounge before the flight.”

Clearly, he was shocked that she was confused. She just looked back at him, bewildered.

“Babe, what makes you think I would know these things exist?” she asked, laughing slightly, as Niall pushed one of the doors open. “When do you think the last time I sat in first class was?”

He chuckled. “Alright, no need for the attitude. Unless you want me to fix it for you right here.”

One eyebrow slightly raised, he glared at her, and suddenly her legs were threatening to crumble. Defeated, she stared back at him silently. He licked his lips and grinned. “Good girl. Anyway, there’s a first time for everything,” he continued on casually. He leaned down and kissed her softly. She bit the corner of her lip and smiled as she looked up at him, and those eyes were enough to send her into a frenzy. His pupils had grown to an alarming size.

She couldn’t wait until they were alone…Yeah, this was getting out of control. She shook the thoughts from her head and focused on reality again.

Niall was gesturing with an open arm to the room, and as she walked in, Lili took in her surroundings.

The walls facing the tarmac were made entirely of windows so the people in the lounge could see it end to end. In front of the windows was a seating area with couches and lounge chairs facing a large flat screen TV mounted against the wall.

All along the back wall was a bar with a gorgeous granite countertop and black leather stools lined up in front of the counter. There was beer on tap, and fridges full of wine, cocktails, and other non-alcoholic drinks. Two bartenders wearing all black stood behind the counter, organizing glasses or wiping down the stainless steel sink.

On the right-hand side of the room was a long, tall table with multiple chairs seated around it. Outlets had been installed along the surface of the table for charging phones or laptops, minimizing the hassle of trying to find a plug along the wall.

Lili gaped at the sight. Did she look out of place here? One look at her old sneakers or faded t-shirt and it was obvious she’d never stepped foot in a place like this.

“Here, let’s order something to eat, Niall said sweetly, inclining his head towards the bar. “We’re still going to be waiting a while.” A door on the right hand side of the bar must have led to a kitchen, because there was nowhere else in the room to make or even grab food.

“This is insane,” Lili said emphatically, spinning around in a slow circle so she could admire the entire room at once.

The table to her immediate right was empty, but the couches were fully occupied by middle-aged businessmen reading emails on their phones or tablets. The TV was turned on to the weather channel but it seemed like no one was watching.

Niall chuckled at Lili’s excitement. “Honestly, you get used to it after a while. It’s just a more comfortable version of sitting at the gate. With free drinks.” He seemed to shrug off her words, and she couldn’t blame him. This was just a regular Tuesday for him. Once you become a ‘celebrity’, you get perks so often that they lose their shine.

“Yeah, I don’t think I could ever get used to something like this,” she retorted.

Niall grinned again. “Well, you should. You’ll only ever fly first-class with me.” He turned fully so that he was facing her, and his eyes were shining with adoration. “I’ll only give you the best.”

The idea was rather enticing. She wondered how often they would get to travel together over their lifetime – or if the opportunity would even come up again. But if it was anything as good as the start of this trip already was, she had to be the luckiest girl in the entire world. Nothing could beat this.

Her stomach growled a bit louder this time, pulling her away from her daydream.

“Food definitely sounds great right now,” she said, so she followed Niall over to the bar and pulled out one of the tall stools, hopping up on the footrest running along the edge of the bar to help herself up.

Niall held the chair steady so she didn’t fall, and kissed the back of her exposed neck gently while she made herself comfortable. The way his lips burned along her skin made her stomach flip more than the nerves had. He pulled up the chair beside her, and she smiled up at him as the butterflies ran rampant in her abdomen. He returned the smile, nearly knocking her off the chair. They were sitting so close together that their knees were touching.

“You know, I’m really excited that you’re going to be with me this week,” Niall said in a voice low enough for just Lili to hear. It was barely above a whisper. He lifted his hand up to her leg, drawing mindless patterns into her thigh with his fingertips. He looked up at her through his lashes. “It’ll be nice to finally have some real alone time again.” His warm fingers slipped even higher, dipping just underneath the hem of her shorts. Her breath hitched.

“I know what you’re doing,” she whispered, but made no move to stop his fingers from continuing their path. She captured his gaze firmly as she looked up, and lightning seemed to strike down on her at the eye contact. He grinned, and his left eyebrow twitched gently. What a tease.

“Hey there, what can I get you guys today?”

They both jumped, and Lili’s cheeks burned with the shame of being caught. Niall’s hand stayed on her thigh as he turned his attention over.

One of the bartenders had appeared in front of them, a crisp white tea towel laying over his left shoulder. Niall smiled politely at him as if nothing had happened and ordered a chicken sandwich and a beer. Lili awkwardly asked for the same, but with a glass of white wine on the side instead. Her cheeks weren't just burning, they were practically on fire. The bartender nodded curtly and disappeared into the kitchen, giving Lili the opportunity to exhale.

Her life was just a never ending volcano of embarrassment, wasn’t it? Niall was snickering quietly, trying to cover it up with his hands.

“Shut up,” she said, fighting the smile trying to spread across her face. How rude of him to enjoy a moment like this. He continued to giggle to himself as he leaned over and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him and kissing the side of her head.

“I’m just playing around,” he said, kissing her forehead. “You’re so cute when you’re flustered.”

He poked her in the side and she yelped, smacking her hand against her mouth. She looked around, hoping no one heard her scream. Thankfully, none of the men in the room batted an eye. Niall laughed again as her cheeks flushed even more. He was such a child sometimes. Good thing he was cute.

The bartender returned shortly after he’d left, placing two plates of chicken sandwiches down in front of them with a smile.

They spent the next hour and a half or so in the lounge, eating and watching Netflix. The sandwich was pretty damn good, and the wine helped subdue her nerves a little. Honestly, she was surprised she was even able - her anxiety usually came with a lack of appetite and an upset stomach.

It was also to relax with Niall for a bit, watching a mindless cartoon he loved as he twirled her dark hair with his fingers. There was something so wonderful about feeling so calm and safe with a person when she was surrounded by anxiety.

But when the announcement that first class would begin to board shortly played through the speakers, Lili’s stomach basically dropped out of her ass. The safety was gone. All of the distractions had been working so well thus far, but the sickness and nerves came rushing back in full force as Niall cleared their things. He picked up their carry-on bags and his golf clubs, handing Lili her backpack.

Without a second glance, he turned towards the exit to make his way to the plane, but Lili just couldn’t follow him. She was dizzy with fear.

“Hold on,” she said breathlessly, reaching out to grip Niall’s arm. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. Tears pricked her eyes and her chest was rising and falling rapidly. The moment Niall saw the fear written across her face, he dropped everything he had been holding and reached for her. They were standing so close together that his chest pressed against hers. The warmth of his hand appeared against her cheek. He pressed his forehead to hers.

“You’re going to be fine, my love. I promise,” he whispered, cupping her face gently with both hands. “It’ll be over before you know it. I’ll hold your hand the whole time if it’ll help.”

“The whole time?” Lili asked; her voice wavered as she tried not to cry. He laughed softly.

“The whole time.” His thumbs moved softly across the apples of her cheeks. “I’m not going anywhere.”

In an attempt to slow her heart rate down, she tried to match her breathing to his. Niall’s naturally slow, calm heartbeat was a perfect guide for her to follow.

“Take a minute to catch your breath, and then we’ll go.”

She closed her eyes and swallowed. In her mind, she tried to visualize touching down after a smooth flight. Nothing bad was going to happen to them. They were going to take off, fly, and land at their destination in one piece. She nodded and stepped back. Everything was going to be fine. After a moment, she looked up into his eyes.

“Okay. Let’s go.” Even if she wasn’t ready, they had no choice but to go. Lili just had to keep reminding herself that this was for Niall. Everything she was doing this week, including facing her biggest fear, was for him. And that was enough to propel her forward, even when she felt like it wasn’t possibly.

Niall smiled sympathetically and took her hand, picking up his bag and clubs again to lead her out of the lounge.

A short line had already formed at the desk in front of the gate, so they hurried over and took their spots at the end.

Niall kissed her hand and wrist with light, soft kisses in an attempt to distract her from the nerves. It was so sweet and unbelievably kind of him to put all his energy into showering her with love in an effort to make her feel better.

Lili would spend the rest of her life trying to make it up to him.