“So, who’s going to talk first?” Mae asked. She and Niall had been sitting on the porch stair for almost a minute and neither of them had said a word.

Niall, happy just to be in Mae’s presence and to have her hand in his, looked over at her. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Well, then get to apologizing,” Mae said, and Niall saw the ghost of a smile on her pink lips.

Niall smile before heaving a small sigh, not knowing where he should begin. “I’m really sorry about everything. I didn’t think speaking to her and trying to be her friend would lead to me gaining feelings for her and causing you so much hurt.”

“So you do have feelings for her still?” Mae asked softly. She tried to slowly pull her hand out of Niall’s but he refused to let her. He squeezed her hand tightly and didn’t want to let it go.

“Let me finish,” he said, before Mae fell silent.

“If I knew what I was doing would have upset you so much then I would never have done it,” he continued. “After sitting back and thinking about it, I feel like she was only talking to me because she wanted to cause complications between you and I…which it did, and I shouldn’t have let that happen.”

Mae looked down at the ground, waiting for Niall to just give her a straight answer. The knots in her stomach were nearly making her nauseous and she didn’t want Niall to tell her that he didn’t want to be with her anymore. They only had two more weeks together and she was wondering if he even thought there was a point in still being together.

“I talked to you the other day and I told her that she needed to stop calling me,” Niall stated. “And I told her that I was done with what I was doing. I didn’t realize you meant so much to me until you were gone, and I just want you to know that I would never choose her over you,” he looked over at Mae. “These last couple months I’ve had with you have seriously been the best, and I wouldn’t have changed them because meeting you has definitely changed my life.”

“You never answered my question,” Mae mumbled as she glanced up to meet Niall’s eyes.

Niall smiled to himself, before he placed a kiss on Mae’s cheek. “No, I don’t have feelings for her. I took her number out of my phone, and I only have feelings for you and I don’t want you to have to worry. I don’t care if we only have two weeks left; I want to be together with you right now. And I want you to know that I truly am sorry, and I hope we can move past this.”

Mae nodded her head and smiled at Niall. “I definitely think we should.”

“Good,” he grinned, before placing a soft kiss on Mae’s lips. “Do you want to go out for dinner tonight and then just sit by the water?”

“That sounds perfect,” Mae said happily, before wrapping her arms around Niall’s neck and giving him a tight squeeze. Maybe she did give in a little too easily, but being away from him for a week was one of the hardest things she’s had to do. She wanted to be with him right now and she didn’t care if she looked like a softie for going back to him. All that mattered was that she was his and he was hers, and that was it.

+

That night Mae ran up to her room to get ready for her date with Niall. It felt like it had been years since they last went out together and things weren’t odd, and no one would ever know how excited she was.

After taking a ten minute shower, she wrapped a towel around herself and walked into her room to choose her outfit for the night. She stared at her selection for well over five minutes, debating on whether to be dressy or casual, before pulling out her white and pink striped tank top, a pair of light gray shorts, and her light pink flip flops. She quickly dressed herself, and then made her way back into the bathroom so she could fix her hair. She combed out the wet, stubborn knots and after brushing it out and setting her usual part on the left side, she decided to let it air dry and go out with a more natural look tonight. She applied her eyeliner and mascara, before leaving her bathroom and walking down the stairs to see her parents in the family room.

Mae’s father glanced over at his daughter. “Well, you look nice for your date tonight.”

“My hair isn’t even dry yet,” Mae commented. She walked over to the kitchen table and grabbed her light pink purse that would match her outfit. She stashed some extra money in her wallet and turned towards her parents. “I hope you weren’t doing anything special for dinner.”

“We were actually thinking about going out,” her mom responded. “So, it’s nothing special. Don’t worry about us; enjoy the rest of your summer.”

Mae nodded and smiled to herself, knowing that the rest of her summer would be full of seeing Niall and spending as much time as she could with him.

Seconds later, there was a knock on the door. Knowing exactly who it was, Mae’s smile didn’t fade as she turned on her heel and walked towards the door. She opened it to reveal Niall in a gray polo and a pair of black jeans and his white shoes.

“Ready?” Niall asked, before looking at her hair and smiling. “I like the wet hair look; it really suits you.”

“It just hasn’t dried yet,” she said as she rolled her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips. She said goodbye to her parents, and after shutting the door she walked towards the car with Niall’s hand in hers.

+

“Thank you for dinner,” Mae said, hours later as she sat on the beach with Niall next to her. She leaned on him as he put his arm around her and pulled her closer. “Thank you for taking me out in general.”

“You’re welcome, love,” Niall replied before kissing her hair. “It was much needed. I forgot what it was like taking you out.”

Mae nodded in agreement, before she let out a sigh and shut her eyes, something she seemed to do every time she was lying against Niall by the beach. There was something about that that always completely relaxed her, and she wasn’t sure if it was Niall or the beach or both. This date with Niall had been one of the best ones yet, and she was sure that he agreed.

They went out to dinner and had one of the longest and most pointless conversations anyone could ever think of, and she was sure that the waiter was wondering when they were going to leave. After they had their dinner, they walked around the streets for about an hour just taking in the scene around them; something about being downtown with Niall made everything so romantic and she wasn’t sure why. And now they were on the empty beach; no one was there to bother them, and it was just them in each other’s arms as they watched the tide roll out.

“We need to spend every day together until the summer is over,” Niall said, breaking Mae out of her thoughts. “I don’t want to regret not spending as much time as I could have; I’ve already done that.”

“You need time with the guys, too,” Mae commented, even though she wanted to agree with im.

“I can see the guys when I’m home whenever I want,” Niall responded. “They understand that I want to see you all the time. I don’t want you to be mad that I didn’t see you all the time when I could have, and I don’t want to go home knowing that I didn’t spend enough time with you,” he looked down at Mae. “Not spending enough time with you is a regret of mine already.”

Mae smiled and looked down at her hands. “Really?”

“Yes, Mae,” he answered, his voice quiet, gentle, and sweet. He ran his hand through Mae’s hair and down her back, before placing a kiss on her temple. “I mean, this may sound stupid cause I’ve only known you for a few months, but I have definitely fallen for you.”

Mae gasped quietly as she looked back at Niall, and she couldn’t help her grin. No guy had ever said that to her, and as she watched so many chick flicks over the years, a man saying that to her was one of her dreams. She never thought it would actually happen, especially after only knowing a guy for a few months, but she felt that Niall really meant it.

“I know you probably think I’m just saying this because I haven’t seen you and spent time with you for a week, but that’s not why,” Niall continued, not entirely sure if Mae was going to say anything. “You let me be myself, you can make me laugh, you treat me like you actually care about me, and you’re the most genuine person I’ve ever met,” he smiled as he looked at Mae. “And I don’t care if I’m going to be home in two weeks, I’m going to love you no matter where I am, who I’m with, or whether I talk to you or not. You’ll always have a spot in my heart that no one can replace; even the woman I marry can’t take that place.”

As she stared at Niall with a wide grin on her face, she had absolutely no idea what to say. She was still processing everything he had just told her, and she couldn’t believe that this was even happening. No guy had ever told her that he cared that deeply about her, or even loved her, and Mae wasn’t even sure if she would ever experience. She knew Niall would always be that one to have a special place in her heart as well, even before he told her that he felt the same way about her. This wasn’t something that happened to her every day, and she didn’t want to let that fuzzy, warm feeling go.

“I love you, too, Niall,” she smiled, before grabbing Niall’s face and pressing her lips against hers.

Without disconnecting their lips, Niall turned towards her and put one of his hands on the side of her face and one on her waist to pull her closer. She put her hand on the back of his neck to deepen the kiss and to try and let him know how much love and passion she felt for him, even if it would only be for two more weeks. She knew this romance between them and the kiss that was being shared would never be topped by any of her others, and she was sure of that.

Notes

only two more chapters!! :( then i start posting my Zayn story. :)