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When the Leaves Begin to Fall

06. The Road to Happiness

My first day there was awkward, especially around Greg. His brother stole my virginity. I stole his brother’s. His brother possibly fathered the child I was carrying, and I couldn’t say anything.
I just had to smile at him and pretend that I had no connections to him other than through Aunt Denise.

She was overly loving, though I guess it wasn’t overly. She just wanted to make sure that I knew she was always here for me, here if I needed anything, and then, I got to hold little Theo.

Honestly, just holding probably the cutest baby in the world made things a little better. He looked a lot like Niall, but in his own right, he was adorable. He slept, mostly, but that’s what newborn babies do. So, I spent hours just holding him, being his bed, because this innocent little creature was just like something I could hold in eight months.

I would have an innocent baby of my own, a baby that the cruel world would taint and destroy.

The second day was a bit better. I woke up with the thought that I would get to see Theo, so I took a few pictures with him. He was a daredevil baby, and he loved to play. Eventually, though, he got tired, and I got to learn how to change diapers. It wasn’t hard, at all, but it was terribly stinky. Nonetheless, day two was a success as well.

Between day two and three was a bit of a nightmare. Theo was up all night crying, though no one really knew why. They fed him, changed him, changed his clothes, changed the temperature, played with him . . . yet nothing worked.

Eventually, I let Greg and Denise go back to sleep, and I tried myself. Nothing really worked at first, but I took him in the living room and sat down in the chair with him tucked in my arms. He was watching the TV with those adorable wide, blue eyes, but his cries stopped, and he was out like a light.

Then again, so was I.

It was day three that things changed. I was woken up with no Theo in my arms, which stirred me into a bit of a panic, and someone I was hoping to avoid during my trip down here came through the door.

Yep. That’s who.

Niall looked just as surprised when he walked in and saw me standing there in my pajamas as I was when he walked through the door. Greg was happy to see him, as was Denise, and in the back of my mind, I could hear them introducing us and reminding us that we met at their wedding.

Without a single word, Niall turned and walked right back out the door. It was hard to read his face as he did, but he looked like he was hurting.

He wasn’t the only one.

Denise chased after him. I wasn’t entirely sure why he was leaving, but I didn’t stick around in the room with Greg to get an awkward speech about how strange that was, or how he didn’t know what was up with him.

Instead, I hurried into the guest room and changed into a pair of charcoal cargo shorts, a slightly big black Paramore t-shirt, and some knee high black socks with orange polka dots.

Theo was giggling in excitement when he saw his mom and uncle walk through the door. I tried not to look so awkward, but I don’t think I succeeded.

The look on Niall’s face scared me, but whatever Denise said to him must’ve scared him as well.

I’m sure it brought up a lot of questions, like why was I here? What happened to me?

Denise took a deep breath and began rubbing Greg’s arm. “Well, I’m gonna run to the store. Greg’s gotta go to work. Can you two watch him for a bit? I promise it’ll only be an hour, tops. I’ve just gotta pick up a few things.”

Niall smiled at her. “Of course, D. Go on. Take your time. We’ll be fine, and don’t worry. Nothing’s gonna happen to him.”

She kissed his cheek softly before giving Greg a kiss goodbye and walking right out the door.
Greg gave Niall a hug, gave me a hug, kissed Theo multiple times all over his face—trust me, that baby let out the cutest laugh ever—and left as well.

Niall didn’t say anything, didn’t even look at me. His eyes were on little Theo, who was laying under his little dangly toy with wide eyes.

I cleared my throat and began shuffling my way into the kitchen. “How’s everyone doing?”

To my surprise, he actually let out a quiet laugh. “I figured you’d know. Harry can’t stop talking about Kayti. Liam thought about killing him once.”

I made a face. “She would be quite sad. They’re taken with each other.”

“That they are.”

I hated this, talking about how happy our friends were, who hooked up the same night we did, and we were so miserable.

At least I was.

“So, don’t you have school, or something?” he asked when I made my way back into the living room beside him.

I shrugged and quirked my lips to the side. “Took a vacation.”

He laughed a bit. “They call that summer.”

“I needed an extra one,” I said, and when my eyes wouldn’t meet his, he sensed something was up.

“What happened?” he whispered, and the genuine concern, fear, and pain in his voice actually shocked me. I was so shocked that I couldn’t do anything but swallow and stare at him for a second.

Once I was able, I decided to just get it over with. “I should’ve gone to lunch with you guys . . . but I didn’t. Mikey followed me home and raped me.”

It made sense then, what Kayti was telling me. Niall wasn’t lying to me, not once. Everything he said was true, and he genuinely cared for me. I could tell that by the way he began to cry the moment the words left my lips.

He immediately stood to his feet and started shaking his head. “N-N-No. No. That . . . oh God.”

The tears only came down faster now, but he wasn’t alone. Seeing him cry like this brought me to very fast and intense tears.

Everyone cried when they heard, hugged me and squeezed me until I thought I would pop, but this . . . this was harder than it was for most people. Seeing the way it destroyed my parents and sisters was one thing, but seeing the way it destroyed Niall was something else entirely.

I could barely stand it. My heart ached so bad that I was surprised it didn’t just stop working.
After everything it had been through, it just kept on beating, working as it should, but man did it hurt as I watched Niall fall apart.

His fingers locked in his hair as he started hyperventilating. “I-I-I’m s-so . . . .” He couldn’t get the words out, though, because he just broke down into sobs. Where he was standing up, he was then on his knees with his hands over his face.

“Niall, I don’t want sympathy,” I said, my voice barely strong enough to get the words out. “It’s over, done with. Sympathy is, honestly, the last thing I need right now.”

Niall shook his head and put his hands by his side, those cyan eyes so bright and bloodshot that I think I could feel my heart breaking off into little tiny pieces. His entire face was inflamed from the tears, and I could barely stand seeing him like this.

“I’m not . . . giving you sympathy,” he choked. “I . . . I’m trying to tell you . . . that I am so sorry. I promise, Oli . . . you will never have to feel this pain again.”

Out of what seemed like nowhere, he just stood up left. I didn’t know where he was going, but I also didn’t follow him to find out.

Someone had to watch Theo, after all.


By the time Aunt Denise got back, he still wasn’t back. She asked me where he went, and I told her I didn’t know. Because I didn’t.

She was watching me play with Theo while she fixed herself a cup of coffee. “So what’s the deal with you two?”

The question shocked me. I guess it wasn’t exactly a secret, but I didn’t think she would notice something big enough to actually ask about it.

I shrugged. “What do you mean?”

“You’re so awkward around each other,” she murmured. “Like . . . ex awkward, or one night stands running into each other awkward.”

I let out a soft laugh and shook my head. “None of that, Aunt Denise. When he was in LA, we ran into each other, and things almost got awkward.”

Her eyebrows furrowed. “Why? You’re totally attracted to him. Let’s face it. He’s hot.”

My eyes widened a little bit. “I mean, you married his brother. You’re my aunt.”

“So?” she asked, her lips curling into a frown. “That doesn’t make you related. Seriously. I had a best friend who married a twin, and her twin sister married his twin. It’s not weird to marry in-laws. That just creates fewer family get togethers.”

I laughed a bit at her logic and shook my head. “I get that. Really, I do.”

She made a face. “I’m guessing he doesn’t?”

“I think he does,” I disagreed. “He just has to worry about what everyone else thinks, too, and others might freak out about it, ya know?”

She pressed her lips together and began eating a breakfast bar from the counter. “I guess that makes sense. Let me ask you something. Do you like him?”

The question surprised me, especially coming from his sister-in-law. Yeah, she was my aunt, but she also knew him way better than I did.

I knew my cheeks were probably scarlet red. “I-I mean, I don’t really know him.”

“But I saw the way you two were getting on at the wedding,” she said, smirking when my eyes widened a bit. “You connected. You don’t connect like that with just anyone, you know.”

“So I do.” I scowled over at her for a brief second before turning back to precious little Theo. “So what? It doesn’t matter if he doesn’t match feelings.”

“You didn’t see the way he looked at me when I asked him if he was leaving because of you,” she said, and from the smirk in her eyes, I could tell she loved how curious she was making me. “He looked absolutely devastated that he was walking away from you. Poor boy’s crazy about you.”

“I doubt that very seriously.”

“He’s crazy about you,” she said again, and her eyebrows rose when I started to protest. “Don’t believe me? Spend these next couple of weeks with him. If by the end of those two weeks, you aren’t dating, I’ll eat my words and admit you’re right. If you are, you’ll eat your words and let me name your child.”

I gaped at her. “Oh no! I’m naming this little angel.”

She began laughing madly while shaking her head. “Deal?”

“No!” I exclaimed, and my laughter made Theo laugh excitedly. It was so adorable, and even when I got a picture of him, he still just carried on.

Niall came back right about then, completely ignoring Denise, and knelt down on the ground in front of me. I didn’t really understand what he was doing as he took my hands in his and locked his eyes in mine, but it was hard to think much at all with those beautiful cyan orbs gazing into the depths of my heart.

“Promise me you’ll come to lunch next time?”

His question surprised me, but it didn’t surprise me so much that I missed Denise squeaking and rushing out of the room. I wanted to roll my eyes but instead kept them locked in Niall’s.

I nodded and let out a sigh. “I doubt there’ll be a next time.”

He quirked his lips to the side. “I know, but if there is . . . .”

“Why does it matter?” I asked, and I could tell my question hurt his feelings. “You’re just going to forget all about me when we both leave here anyways.”

That, despite the fact that it made him a bit sad, made him smile. “I didn’t forget about you after the wedding, and I certainly haven’t forgotten about you since we left LA. Honestly, I kinda can’t stop thinking about you . . . .”

The way he said it implied that he was thinking about me . . . and about sex with me.

It made my heart flutter a bit as my cheeks heated up. “Oh.”

He actually laughed, and in an instant, I forgot that things were weird between us. I really just enjoyed being around him, and hearing him laugh that way made me feel like maybe things would be okay. They weren’t right now, and to be honest, I didn’t know what to do with everything, but eventually, everything would be okay again.

There was just one problem. How on earth would I tell him? I mean, I think he would get the hint that I had no idea who the dad was if he ever found out that I was pregnant, but what would he do? What would he say? How would he react?

That was why even when he smiled at me, even when he laughed, I still felt scared inside.

“So, what do you say we turn on some goofy kids’ cartoon and let Theo try and sit his head up?” he asked, giving me a timid smile as he reached down and happily picked up his little nephew. “I’m sure this little devil won’t mind.”

With a smile, I watched as he and Theo bounced around. Theo was laughing in his arms, and when Niall held him and began spinning in circles, his laughs only got louder. He didn’t spin long because that might hurt him, but he was spinning, nonetheless, and he was laughing even as Niall fell back onto the couch with him, letting out a breath of exhaustion while Theo continued to just laugh.

Denise came in here with a bright smile. “I heard you in there, little man. Is Uncle Niall playing with you?”

Theo began trying to play with his feet while his blue eyes were wide and looking right at his mom. It was probably the cutest thing he had done yet, and we were all just laughing.

That’s what babies did. They created nothing but joy in a person’s life. Maybe the road to the joy was a long and pretty hard road, but it was pure bliss at the end, nonetheless.

I was ready for my eight months to be over, but it seemed that they had only begun.

Notes

The lyrics are from Pieces by Icon For Hire. :)

Seriously, guys, the bit with Niall? I just added that in as I was editing it to post it, and my goodness, it broke my heart. </3 I was in tears, so I hope it has the same effect on you. Not that I want you to be sad, but I want you to feel the things I'm trying to express in my writing.

Anyways . . . let me know what you think! I . . . might post another chapter, but if I do, it'll be later today.

Comments

TO THE READERS!
I thought I would inform you as the sister of the author that this story will be on hold for a long time as she just gave birth to a little baby boy a little over 2 months ago and is busy being a full-time mom. Sorry and I hope everyone can understand!

xXFluffy_GruXx xXFluffy_GruXx
6/22/16

It's not nice to not update for two months!

xXFluffy_GruXx xXFluffy_GruXx
11/17/14

love it please update more!

@BritineylovesHarry
I actually decided to keep them both. :) I'm gonna see how it goes, but I will definitely be leaving this one up. :)

CaptainHawkeye CaptainHawkeye
7/31/14

Omg keep this one not his princess I just love this one and it's now my number four favorite fan fic under One Directions Property and The Voice and The Tour