“Look, I'm sorry-”

“Just forget it, Niall.” After we had repeated this conversation for what seemed the umpteenth time, I pushed myself up off the counter from where I'd been leaning and moved to wrap my arms around her from the back.

“So are you ready to talk about 'us' yet?” I felt her shiver and I smiled to myself. She may have put me through so much but it was like once I saw her all was forgiven. There was no rational reason for me to behave like this. I should have driven away once I even suspected that there was the tiniest chance that there could be an us. But here I am, instigating the relationship.

She nods yes and I find myself turning her around to face me.

“I-I missed you so much.” She whispers as she presses her face to my chest and fists her hands into my shirt. “I missed you too, baby.” She instantly responds to my words, straightening up and moving to hesitantly touch her lips to mine. I respond and we kiss slowly, sweetly.

“Yes.” I whisper against her lips, shattering the silent bubble we had created.

“Yes what?” She asks, her forehead scrunching up in the way it does when she's confused.

“Yes, I'm ready to try again.”


“You what?” El screeches through the phone.

“We're back together.”

“You're back together who A) neglected to tell you you had a child until he was eighteen months old and B) dumped him off with some lie that she had to go to Australia but really she was in the same town as you?”

“Well, it sounds pretty bad when you put it like that. But yeah, I am.”

Silence greets me from the other line. Then a sigh. “Just come back here, Niall. It's my last night here before I have to go back to Uni so we're having a movie night.”

“Can I bring her?”

“I suggest not having her around me unless you want your girlfriend to have a few more bruises and a few less teeth.”

“Alright then. Love you, El.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She grumbles back for hanging up.

“I've got to go, love.” I announce, shoving my phone back into my pocket.

“Oh. Okay.” I wrap her in my embrace again and a press a kiss to the top of her head before saying, “You can come live with me and Carter. You know that right?” She nods shyly.

“I'll think about it.”


“Shh, it's okay baby.” Lou whispers to Eleanor as she cries over Bambi's mom dying in whatever movie we were watching.

She had picked out the movie and had glared at us when we had groaned at her choice of film.

“It's my night and I'll watch what I want to.” She had said. Now all of the lads and I had started discreetly playing on our phones.

“Okay, I can't handle this.” She announces, turning off the television with the remote that had sat beside her.

“Thank God.” I hear Harry mumble from across the room. I laugh when she throws a pillow at him.

“Alright, well I'm going to take Carter home.” I announce as I gather all of his stuff that had been strayed across the room when El had left the boys with Carter while we had a chat about my girlfriend. Just thinking the words, 'my girlfriend' had me grinning like a fool.

“Let's go.” I say to Carter and he runs over and grabs on to El's leg.


“No go!” He shouts at me, electing chuckles from through out the room.

“Come on, buddy.” He shakes his head no and I walk over to him and begin to tickle his sides, grinning victoriously when he releases his death grip on her leg.

“Give me a hug.” I demand of El and she obliges, hugging me tight even though Carter's small, wiggling body is between us.

“I'll miss you best friend!” I say in an American accent. Harry jokingly calls out, “I'm from the valley!” And we all laugh, remembering the time he had said those words on Jimmy Kemmel. Back when things were the way they used to be. But looking down at my smiling son in my arms I realize:

I wouldn't go back for anything in the world.

Notes

Annnndddd dissatisfying ending. Oops. Thanks for reading!