Dear Patience

Twenty.

Forty minutes pass, Aspen following Niall out to the awaiting car. They both slide in and he turns to her. "So you had fun, huh?"

"I tried not to" she plays with him with a small laugh. "So proud of you."

"I saw you, it's always nerve wracking having someone you know there watching you" he admits as he smooths out his shorts on his leg.

"I get it. I'm the same way when my friends or family come to a match. Like oh shit, hope they didn't see that" he laughs as he nods.

"That's exactly it." He says, the car stopping. He gets out of the car and helps her by extending a hand. She hops out and walks up to the ice cream food truck in a parking lot.

They order their ice cream and get back in the car, Aspen stealing a bite of his. She licks her lips, making a face full of thought.

"It's good, but it's too much cookie dough" she smiles as he shakes his head.

"Absolutely not. No such thing as too much" he shakes his head. "What'd you get?"

"Strawberry cheesecake" she smiles, offering him a bite off of her spoon. He takes it and hums softly. "That's actually really good. I hate the artificial strawberry flavor, but that's done really well" he smiles.

The car stops once more and Niall climbs out, this time going to the back to get a blanket from the back. She gives him a look, not realizing he had planned this until that very moment. She follows him onto the beach, the Golden Gate Bridge in the near distance.

There are a few people taking pictures at the small beach, but no one paying any attention to the two of them.

He hands her his ice cream and spreads the blanket on the sand, taking a seat when he's done. She sits next to him and sets her ice cream next to her. She takes her booties off and sets them aside, Niall doing the same with his shoes.

She shivers slightly at the soft breeze and the chill from the ice cream she's finished. "You cold?" He asks as he pulls her between his stretched out legs, trying to block as much of the breeze as possible.

She lays her head on his chest and looks at the twinkling lights illuminated on the top of the bridge

He sighs heavily as he wraps his arms around her, his arms resting on his upright knees. He looks down at her closed eyes, Aspen taking in the close proximity and mentally finding a safe place for the moment in her mind.

"Flicker is such a beautiful song" she says after a few moments, her eyes opening as she looks out at the soft waves.

"Yeah, it was super emotional for me when I first started performing it, but I've gotten used to it" he says barely above a whisper, his voice a bit deeper.

"Very emotional. I cried" she laughs softly. "I usually don't get that way with songs, but you just make it so real. Like you're sitting in your living room and pouring your heart out"

He thinks back to the first time he sang it in front of someone. Her.

"That whole process of writing it was grueling, but after I played it to her, it just solidified a lot of things for me. Helped me heal, that's for sure" he surprises himself with how open he's being with her, not really talking about it to a lot of people.

"What did she say?" She asks softly, a lot of things playing in her mind.

"Umm... she came over to give me some things she had of mine and I played her the song. She broke down after and we cried together." He says softly. She leans her head into his neck and tries to get as close as possible to him, making him wrap his arms around her even more thinking she's cold.

"She just didn't feel like it was ever going to work. I wasn't someone she wanted to be with anymore. I didn't really see it when I was in a relationship with her, but looking back now she wasn't everything I wanted." He admits as she looks up at him, his gaze now on the cars traveling across the bridge.

"I've been in one of those types of relationships too. He just didn't understand my commitment to my career or how when I'm in the middle of a season, it's hard to think about anything other than soccer."
He doesn't correct her use of the word soccer like he usually does, but listens intently to her. "It gets lonely at times. Even surrounded by a whole team of friends"

"I understand. I get that way too when I'm on tour." He commiserates, looking down at her. Her brown eyes draw him in, the way she's wrapped up in him makes it nearly impossible for him to fight it much longer.

He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, his mind contemplating what his next move will be. His eyes flicker between her eyes and her lips, moving in closer. He stops before he reaches her lips, his heart nearly beating out of his chest. She flutters her eyes closed, anticipating the contact. His lips find hers with a soft kiss, Aspen blocking out everything else. Goosebumps cover her body, as Niall trails his fingers up and down her arm.

She pulls away as the tension builds, terrified she's put herself in an impossible situation but not willing to fight it now. He goes in for more and she accepts, his lips brush against hers Aspen's chilled body warming immediately.

The two keep it simple, Niall's hand moving to her neck as he kisses her for a third time, tasting the strawberry flavor on her lips. Aspen pulls away hesitantly.

He rests his head on hers, and decides to just throw his thoughts out there. "Mmmm. Better than that funnel cake earlier" he whispers, Aspen fighting back a smile and losing.

"Definitely" she says as she looks back out to the bridge, taking in the scenery one last time before they leave.

"Come on, let's get out of here. I'm getting cold" he smiles as he helps her up and collects their things. They walk back to the car and enjoy the ride back to the hotel in each others arms.

Once they arrive at the hotel, Niall and Aspen walk side by side to the elevator and up to their floor. He walks her to the door and smiles. "I'll see you in the morning"

He hands her the room keys and leans down, kissing her ever so gently on her soft lips. She smiles back at him, noticing he didn't push himself on her or expect anything more to happen after their kiss, winning her over even more.

"Goodnight, Ni" she smiles, unlocking her door and going in, Niall doing the same next door.