I Give You My All {n.h.}

Chapter Thirty Seven

Niall Horan

I softly knock on Brooke's door, listening for a response, but there is none. I wait a couple of seconds then open the door, being as quiet as I can.

The door closes behind me and my eyes quickly find Brooke. She's pacing, clearly deep in thought. She looks ridiculously stressed, completely shattering my hard work from earlier. Her shoulders are risen and the tightness is clearly visible.

I approach her from behind and gently capture her wrist, catching her in the midst of her step. She stops and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Brooke," I slowly turn her body to face me. Her eyes remain glued to the floor and my heart clenches at the thought of her sadness and anger.

My fingers hook beneath her chin, pulling it up, attempting to direct her attention to me. My eyes find hers. They reveal an odd mixture of sadness, hurt, and disappointment.

She holds my gaze and takes her bottom lip between her teeth. There's a crease between her brows and I lean forward, covering it with a kiss. She sighs and melts into my touch.

"Did I do the right thing?" She surprises me by asking me of my opinion. I pull her body close and rest my chin on top of her head. My arms fix themselves protectively around her shoulders and she squeezes my sides.

"I think you did what anyone would've done in that situation. Enough is enough and you were right to call her out on her lack of respect for you. You did good, love."  She lets out a quiet laugh, squeezing her arms around my lower back and burying her face into my chest.

"Thank you. If you weren't behind me on this, I think guilt would be eating me alive." I feel her lips press to my chest, allowing a smile to pull at my lips.

"There is nothing you should feel guilty about, my love. She had it coming." I pause, pressing my lips to her head and allow them to linger.

"She is my best friend though. I know she deserved it, but I didn't want things to come down to--"

"I know she's your best friend. I also know you didn't want it to come down to such a heated argument. She needs to know how you feel though. She's got to understand that you are a person that has feelings: feelings that she's been walking all over.

"You handled that perfectly. Maybe she'll finally learn that you're not playing around. She needed to hear and, more importantly, feel that. You've got nothing to feel guilty about." I feel her sigh against me and her lips press to my chest once more. She then leans her forehead against me and tightens her arms around my waist. She murmurs a quiet thank you and I hum in response.

My lips press to her cheek, gently kissing her once, then twice, then another time, and another. I continue kissing down her jaw until she starts to laugh. She snuggles closer to me and I chuckle.

My fingers slowly move against her side, making her jump back, but I pull her right back against my chest, holding her body to mine.

"Oh, I forgot just how ticklish you were." I softly tease, continuing to press my fingers up and down her sides.

"Niall," A beautiful giggle falls from her lips, making me chuckle again. Her giggle turns into a laugh which urges me to continue.

I continue tickling her sides and she squirms in my grasp, begging me to stop.

Brooke tries to push away from me, but I pull her back everytime, running my fingers over her sides relentlessly. Her laughter grows heavier and so does mine.

I back her up against the wall and pin her there. She's a giggling mess.

"Hmm, what ever do we have here?" A lopsided grin tugs at my lips as my hand drops down her side. Her head shakes back and forth, more laughter coursing through the room, as she fails to hide it.