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Strictly you.

Not your fairy tale ending.

“I’m going to the market, want anything babe?” Penny asked as she threw her wallet into a large pink tote. It was spring now – Almost 3 months since her father had passed. Penny was still grieving, but she was on the road to normal. She and Harry had spent almost all of their time together, the boys were planning on doing a reunion tour that summer and Penny knew she and Pip would be along for the ride. They tried to do as many normal things as humanly possible; shopping, dining, picnics, holidays, the things families who weren’t famous did. Of course there was always the pap here or there, but it had been less frequent than before.
“Yes, love, get me some bananas please?” Harry called as he sat hunched over the dining room table – completing a puzzle with his daughter.
“You got it.” Penny called as she walked out the door, it was a nice airy day, and the scent of freshly bloomed flowers beckoned her senses. She loved spring; it was a great in between time. Not too warm, not entirely too cold, and the colors were bright and plenty. She enjoyed the spring time rains too, always calming her when she felt restless.
Penny had gotten to the market, made her way inside, and picked up a basket to load fruit and vegetable into. She had almost filled it up, when as luck would have it, she bumped into that forbidden fruit she’d been avoiding.
“Penny, what’re you doin’ here?” Niall asked, his eyes looking her over, clearly noticing her appearance had improved since their last meet.
“Shopping, obviously.” She joked, holding her basket up. “What about you? I thought you were in New York?” Why did she know that? Why did she mention that?
“Yeah, I was. I came home early for me mum, she wanted to take a trip to see the country so here we are. She’s not with me o’course, she’s at the cottage.” He was rambling, that would normally alarm a person, but Penny found it comforting that he was obviously as uncomfortable as she was.
“Right, well that’s lovely. Great seeing you.” Penny said quickly before sliding around him and walking promptly to the checkout stand. She didn’t even look back, she didn’t want to know he was looking.
She’d purchased her items and they were bagged in her reusable burlap totes she’d picked up a few years ago and had been a trusty shopping companion.
She’d almost forgotten about her run in with Niall, of course until she got her car, a car that was propping up Niall Horan as he waited with his legs crossed at the ankles, leisurely standing there waiting on her.
“Oh.” Penny said with a frown, she opened her trunk, not knowing what to say, and loaded the groceries.
“Really Penny? Just like that? You’re going to act like the kiss didn’t happen?” Niall asked, walking back to the trunk to look at her.
She shook her head, “You said it, you said to never speak of it. So this is me, never speaking of it.” She replied, closing the trunk and walking toward the driver seat. Niall reached out, grasping her dainty wrist in his hand and tugging her back. His face was entirely too close to her own and she felt that familiar spike in her heartbeat.
“I know you can’t stop thinking about it either…” He breathed, a husky tone she hadn’t heard from him in a while.
“Niall, we can’t…” She pleaded, her eyes closing as she secretly relished in the moment.
“We can.” He said before pressing his lips to hers, with a harsh connection they were leaning against her car, their tongues tangling with one another and hands groping at each other like rabid animals.
“Not here.” Penny breathed her thoughts completely on how to get away with it, as opposed to her previous thoughts of how to avoid it.
“My cottage.” Niall said.
“Your mom?” Penny questioned.
“I lied.” Niall affirmed.
“You asshole...let’s go.”