It had only been two days since Mae had spoken to Niall, and in those two days he hadn’t texted her, called her, or came to her house to try and see her. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing that she was happy that he hadn’t tried to come in contact with her because she definitely needed her space from him. She had a lot on her mind since she found out about everything, and she wanted to give herself some time.

“So,” Doniya sighed as she flipped through a Cosmo magazine. She glanced over at Mae and popped a cookie into her mouth.

Mae shrugged, not bothering to look at her friend as she read an article in the magazine she was reading, which also happened to be Cosmo. “So?”

“You haven’t talked to Niall,” she stated. “Have your feelings…changed?”

Mae knew that none of the other guys, besides Louis, knew about the situation between her and Niall, and Doniya had no idea until Mae explained everything to her. Mae needed a girl to discuss everything with, even if Louis was great to confide in. Mae figured that Doniya wouldn’t try and stand up for Niall after telling her what had happened, and that was one of the reasons why Mae wanted to tell her. Louis had told her not to just automatically hate him, which she didn’t, but she also didn’t want Louis making her feel like he thought it wasn’t Niall’s fault.

“No. My feelings haven’t changed,” Mae muttered, deciding to look into her friend’s eyes. “I just need my space; I’m not sure what to do.”

“Well, since I haven’t told Niall that I know, I’m not sure what to tell you,” Doniya stated. “I think Niall’s a really great guy, and I don’t think he would’ve done this with the intention of hurting you. But I also don’t want to stand up for him and tell him that he’ll put a stop to all of this, because I’m not sure if he will.”

“I’m not looking for an answer from you,” Mae responded. “I just think a little bit of time away from him is needed.”

“I agree,” Doniya said as she raised her glass of milk in the air. “To more girl time.”

“To more girl time,” Mae said, letting out a laugh as she held up her cup of milk and clinked it with Doniya’s.

+

Niall sat in the family room with the guys and watched as they played video games; it wasn’t technically watching, since all Niall did was stare blankly at the screen, only pretending to pay attention to what was going on. For two days all he could think about was Mae, and it was getting impossible to think of anything else. He wanted to know how she was, if she totally forgot about him, or if she missed him too. Not that she had a reason to miss him for how much of an ass he was, but a tiny part of him hoped that she still wanted to be with him, whether or not there was only three weeks left of summer.

“Wanna play next, Niall?” Liam asked his friend, his thumbs flying across the video game controller as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

“Nah, I’m okay,” Niall responded. He stood up from the couch. “I’m gonna go upstairs for a bit, anyway.”

Liam shrugged and before he could respond, Niall weaved his way through the guys and headed up the stairs towards his room. Once he got into his room, he shut the door behind him and went over to his bed. He sighed to himself as he lied back on the mattress, his thoughts still on Mae.

He wondered if she wanted him to chase after her. He wasn’t sure if she wanted him to try to get in contact with her to show that he really wanted to be with her, but Niall thought that it was best for the both of them if they gave each other some space. If Mae randomly showed up on his doorstep he would take her back in a heartbeat, but he wasn’t sure if she felt the same way.

“Niall,” the familiar voice of Louis traveled through the bedroom door. “Can I come in?”

“Sure,” Niall said, before he heard the bedroom door open. Louis walked over to Harry’s bed and sat down, his eyes on Niall. Things between Niall and Louis had calmed down completely and there were no more hard feelings. Niall wasn’t upset with him that he ran off and told Mae about what he was doing, because in the long run he knew that Louis did the right thing, especially because Niall wasn’t going to. Louis had been there to comfort his friend ever since Mae left him on the beach, and Niall appreciated that more than anything.

“How are you feeling?” Louis asked, concern filling his voice.

“Eh,” Niall replied, before heaving a sigh. “I miss her. Definitely.”

“It’ll be okay,” he assured him. “She just needs some space.”

Niall just nodded.

“Have you…talked to Steph?” Louis wondered.

“I talked to her last night,” Niall said, sitting up so he could lean his back against the wall. “I told her to stop calling me and that I was done with her.”

Louis’s eyes lit up. “Really?

Niall nodded again. “Really,” he looked over at his friend. “But now what?”

“I don’t know, Niall,” Louis shrugged. “You just have to give the girl some time.”

+

It had been a week since Niall had seen Mae, and he wasn’t sure he could take another hour. He wanted to see her; he needed to see her. He wanted to tell her how sorry he was and to let her know that she was the only girl in his life and that he told Stephanie to buzz off. He wanted to get her back and he wanted her to trust him again, even though that might take a while.

After flipping off the bathroom light, Niall walked out of his room and down the stairs. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the air, and he looked into the kitchen to see Zayn’s mom preparing breakfast. She turned to look at Niall.

“You’re up early,” she commented. “Going somewhere?”

“I’m going to run to Mae’s really quick,” Niall replied.

“Do you want me to set out a plate for you, or will you not be back until tonight?” she questioned.

“I’ll be back,” Niall informed her, before opening the front door and walking out. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and he sighed to himself. His stomach was tying itself into knots and he was definitely nervous. He wasn’t sure if Mae would want to talk to him, or if she would slam the door in his face. He wanted her to know that she had nothing to worry about anymore and that he was going to be completely honest with her. Over the past week he realized what he really had before Steph ruined everything, and he wanted all of that back.

“Okay, Niall,” he sighed to himself as he stood on Mae’s front porch. He slowly raised his right hand and knocked on the door four times. He stepped back and stared intently at the door, and seconds later Mae answered. She was still in her pajamas and her hair was in a messy bun, and Niall wasn’t sure if she had ever looked more beautiful.

“Oh,” she said, her gaze shifting towards the ground. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Niall said, hoping his tone of voice didn’t make the whole situation awkward. “Can we talk?”

“Uhm, yeah,” she answered, before she put a hand on her head as if trying to hide her messy hair. “I should shower first…and brush my hair.”

“You don’t have to,” Niall said, a smile forming on his lips. “I think you look great.”

Unable to control her smile, Mae’s cheeks instantly became hot. All she could do was nod as she stepped outside. She would never tell Niall, but she was hoping that he would come by soon so they could talk, because she missed him more than she had ever missed anyone. She hadn’t even gotten a glimpse of him passing on the street since the last time they spoke, and she was more than excited to be speaking to him right now.

She sat down next to him on the porch, and as if it was a habit, Mae slipped her arm around Niall’s and laced her fingers with his. And that of all things, made Niall feel like the luckiest guy in the world.