PERIPHERY | NH |

SEVEN

HUNTER

I blow out a long breath and my hands fall into my lap, shaking my head side to side. "No, that's not what I'm saying, did you hear him?"

Niall's eyes go wide as he sits across the room from me as Will tries to back up his argument. "I'm just saying that I think it's a good idea!"

We'd been going back and forth for over an hour over what we think Niall should put out as a single when the time comes. Will is adamant on one song, whereas Niall has said multiple times that he wants to release something else first, saying that it paints the perfect picture for the direction he wants this entire project to go.

Our argument is all friendly fire, thankfully, considering how I've been in the middle of some arguments that were not so kind in the end.

"Okay, but yeah that song is catchy but that's not what Niall said he wants." I catch his eye from across the room and have to remind myself to take a deep breath, something I've had to do a lot more recently. "I just think that he's right — it fits the direction we are going and we should stick with it."

"I just think people should get a vibe for it, you know?" Standing up, Niall makes his way in my direction to press play on the soundboard and let the song he wants play through the space. "Plus, I love this song."

I watch as Will shrugs, turning his attention back to his computer for a second before packing it in his bag. "I was just throwing out my opinion! You two go back to whatever world you wanna live in, I'm heading out."

My eyes are wide as I focus on the board in front of me, not even daring to meet Niall's gaze.

It's not like I had forgotten the way Niall's body felt against mine when he asked me if I had plans the night we worked alone, the way his eyes looked as I thought about how soft his lips might feel against mine.

The more time we had been spending together working, the more I found myself thinking about Niall when I wasn't around him.

He was funny.

Something that seemed to stick with me the most.

Niall had the ability to make me forget that I wanted to be invisible. Making me feel like when he talked to me that was the only thing he wanted to do, making sure I had all of his attention.

Quiet and shy didn't exist when it was just Niall.

Ever since Niall beat me to the studio a few weeks ago, he's done it every single day since.

Usually, it meant that we had about thirty to forty minutes worth of time where it was just the two of us, giving us what I've come to look forward to more than any other part of my day — just getting to be with the guy that made me laugh.

Not to mention ever since that day when he got my phone number, he's texted me every night asking if I made it home okay. My response back to him usually comes in the form of a picture of whatever book I'm reading that night along with my beverage of choice — whether it be wine or a mug of hot tea.

Every night around eight, the same message would roll through and even though it's been the same for three weeks, it still makes me smile like a fucking idiot.

Whenever I had signed any kind of NDA in the past, nothing could have ever deterred me from the rules that were clearly mapped out for me. It was easy for me to just show up, exist, work, and go home.

So why was this so different?

Why was I willing to let the rules slide through my fingers and ignore them so easily?