RILEY’S P.O.V.
I got to the airport an hour early because I couldn’t just wait around any longer. I got Starbucks and paced the ground by the terminal exit. Every time a plane landed and a crowd of people flood through, I scanned the faces, even though I knew he wouldn’t land for another half hour. I made myself take a deep breath and sat on a bench close by. I took a sip of my drink and glanced at the cheesy sign I made, unable to hide my grin.


Flashback to the night they met:

I walked into the suite and instantly Liam was next to me. His smile melted my heart and I felt giddy and probably looked ridiculous. I turned around and Piper was at the doorway, being blocked by Harry. Liam waved me into the dining area before stopping and standing right in front of me, reaching for my hand casually.

“I’m glad you came.”

I was nervous. I knew if I spoke, I would say something wrong, but I couldn’t just stay silent all night. He looked at me, waiting for me to reply.

“Yeah, me too. What should we do?”

My words were shaky and I wished I had just kept my mouth shut. He intertwined his fingers in mine and pulled me closer. His other arm snaked around my waist and I fall into his chest. I reluctantly looked up at him and he was grinning, but I noticed something that close up. He was nervous too! I told myself to stop worrying so much. Why would he have been anxious to see me if he didn’t like me? I knew I had to do something; we had been staring at each other for far too long. I worked against my better judgment and reached my hands up to cup his face. I stood up on my toes and pressed my lips to his, slowly moving my lips against his. After he recovered from shock, he tightened his grip around me, pulling his now empty hand around my waist like the other. The moment seemed to last a lifetime and when he pulled away I couldn’t help but frown at the lack of contact. He noticed and chuckled lightly. We heard footsteps and he pulled me silently toward the door behind him. We entered the dark room and as soon as I heard the door shut, I felt his body press me against the wall. I rested my arms around his neck and pulled his lips back to mine, warmth instantly filling my body at his touch. Just as I melted back into his body, he unfortunately pulled away again.

“Riley, right?”

“Yes.”

I pulled him back to me, not enjoying the lack of embrace, and he placed his hands on my hips as we both stumbled at his guidance toward the bed. I hadn’t even seen the room, but I didn’t care. I toppled onto the bed and when I felt his presence again, it was his skin, not his shirt, that I felt with my hands. My fingertips grazed his back and he pressed his body against mine and I met my hips with his. When he brought his lips down to meet mine, his tongue found its way between my parted lips and his hand traveled between my legs.

“Wait, stop.”

The words escaped my mouth before I could stop them. He pulled away and sat next to me on the bed. I leaned against my elbows on the mattress and pushed a piece of hair out of my face.

“I’m sorry, I just...”

I didn’t know what to say, but I knew I couldn’t let myself go through with it. I couldn’t have sex with him right then and there.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t do this. I-I’m a virgin.”

He stood up and walked over to the door and I felt tears well in my eyes. Was he going to make me leave? Suddenly, the light flickered on and my eyes took a minute to adjust. Once they did, his bare torso almost made me re-think my decision. He sat down on the edge of the bed and I noticed the softness in his expression.

“I’m sorry, Liam. I should want to do this with you, I feel like an idiot.”

“Don’t apologize.” He grinned brightly and I felt comfortable once again. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’d rather we just hang out and get to know each other than do something that will make you not want to talk to me ever again. Besides, I would never want you to sleep with me just because of who I am.”

He wanted to get to know me? I didn’t know what I expected when we were going to their suite, but it wasn’t that. He was so much more grounded than I could have imagined.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course! Come on, let’s watch a movie.”

I smiled kindly and couldn’t believe his understanding attitude. He stood up and grabbed the remote to the TV. I kicked my shoes off and scooted to the top of the bed, leaning against a pile of pillows. He walked over to the other side and pulled at the covers, yanking on them until I moved enough for him to pull them down. I slipped my legs under the sheets and he sat down next to me as he turned on the television. He pulled the blankets over us and we started to scroll through the movies that were available through the hotel.

“What kind of movie do you want to watch?”

I couldn’t decide if I should share an opinion and settled on letting him choose.

“You pick. It doesn’t matter to me.”

“Texas Chainsaw Massacre?”

“You just want to watch a horror film so I’ll be afraid and cuddle with you.”

He pretended to look offended by my observation and just laughed.

“Yeah, you’re probably right. Do you have a problem with that?”

I grinned and tried to not look completely enamored.

“Fine. But, next time, I get to choose.”

He clicked the button so that the movie would begin to play and he scooted toward me on the bed.

“And what would you choose?”

“Hmm. Probably a Disney movie. Peter Pan?”

He pulled me close to him and my body contoured with his perfectly.

“Alright, Wendy. I promise: Next time, we’re watching Peter Pan.”

I giggled at his corny reference and laid down on his shoulder as he kissed my forehead sweetly.

Back to present day at the airport:
I couldn’t wipe the uncontrollable smile off of my face as I thought back to the first night we spent together. I remembered when they all came over and we actually watched Peter Pan. The background on my phone was still the picture of us kissing in front of the ride. I checked the time and my smile grew when I saw the picture. I glanced up just in time to see him walk out of the joining hallway, looking around frantically with a guard on his heels. I held up my sign to get his attention, slightly worried of what he would say. I knew I shouldn’t expect him to be at the same place after everything I did and the look on his face when he saw the sign made my heart sink. I could tell he didn’t like it. He was going to feel uncomfortable.
Before we could meet each other in the middle, he dropped his backpack and hurried to me, scooping me in his arms.
“Peter Pan, eh?”
I held on tightly to his shoulders, feeling so happy to be holding him. He put me down and rested his hands on my hips lightly.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, I guess it’s too soon. I shouldn’t have-“
He kept grinning at me and leaned down, softly kissing my neck.
“Don’t apologize, Wendy. It’s perfect.”
I felt a tear stream down my face as he pulled away. When he noticed my emotion, he pouted jokingly and I let out a chuckle between sobs. I held his face in my hands and stood on my toes, reaching his lips with mine as he wrapped his arms around my waist tightly. He kissed me passionately, obviously missing my touch as much as I missed his. He pulled my body into his, deepening the kiss, and the officer cleared his throat, reminding us that we were in a public place.
“Come on, let’s go home!”

I forced his arms off of me and held onto his hand firmly as the guard handed Liam his dropped bag. We walked to the garage in pure bliss and I couldn’t wait to get back and spend much needed quality time with Liam.

Notes

Hello! I know you were expecting this chapter to pick up in London! But, I'm gonna keep you guys waiting on that (only until tomorrow, most likely) haha! So, don't kill me <3

PLEASE COMMENT!! I've been absolutely LOVING all of your comments, so don't stop!

What did you think about Liam and Riley's encounter?! What will happen next? With them, but also with Harry, Piper and Andy!

Thank you guys so much for encouraging me to keep writing. xx