euphoric (n.s. AU)

t w e n t y f i v e

Harry's POV

Niall sits before me, eyes wide, like a dear caught in headlights. His mouth is slightly agape, and his cheeks are flushed red. My heart is pounding in my chest, loud enough that I'm sure Niall could hear. Besides our staggered breathing, there's only silence; and every passing second feels like hours. My hands are trembling from the nerves, and I have no choice but to break the silence myself.

"Niall?" I say, my voice wavering. Niall blinks a few times, closes his mouth and puts his hands in his lap. He takes a few deep breaths before responding.

"Harry, I know that I'm good at sex, but that doesn't mean you're in love with me." He says jokingly, letting out a small giggle. I can't help but chuckle myself; leave it to Niall to make light of a serious situation. I place my hands on top of his, making his eyes lock with mine again.

"I'm serious." I tell him, and he shakes his head in disapproval before removing his hands from mine.

"No, you're not. You don't know what you're talking about." His voice trails off, breaking eye contact to look at his fidgeting hands. I close the space between us by scooting closer to him, forcing him to return his gaze to me. Niall's blue eyes look all over my face, desperately looking for a hint of dishonesty in my words, only to be met back with a look of complete seriousness. I let out a shaky breath before replying.

"Niall, there are a lot of things in my life that I've been unsure of. I've been unsure of what to have for dinner, unsure of what to wear, unsure of my relationships, unsure of myself. How I feel for you is the only thing I'm sure of. I can honestly say that I've felt this way since the first day you walked into my office. I love you, Niall. I know I do."

"I need a minute." He replies, standing up from his spot on the bed and walking towards the bathroom, shutting the door and locking it behind him. I run a shaky hand through my hair in an attempt to calm myself, before standing up as well. I think that went better than I was expecting, at least. I grab my sweats from the floor, that were thrown off of me so carelessly just moments earlier, and slide them on. My mind is racing, a million thoughts tormenting me at once. Niall has to return my feelings, right? Or is that just wishful thinking? Did I misinterpret how Niall treated me, or am I just stupid? No, that can't be right. The way Niall speaks to me, the way he touches me, the way he looks at me; it can't all be in my head, right?

Right?

I take a deep breath before returning to my spot on the bed and grabbing my phone off of the nightstand. I contemplate texting Marissa, just to make sure she's okay and safe, but decide against it. Marissa needs space, and when she's ready, I'll hear from her. That's how she's always been. Right now, I need to focus on the task at hand, which is Niall. I scroll on my phone for a few more minutes, before Niall reappears. His eyes are bloodshot, and his face is tear-stained. A sight I've seen many times before, but my heart still lurches regardless. He's still naked, and to help him feel more comfortable, I quickly jump up from the bed to retrieve a shirt of mine from the closet to let him wear. It's just a plain black T-shirt, one that I would usually wear under a blazer. I turn towards Niall with the shirt in hand, and he blushes before taking it into his own hands and slipping it on. He lets out a quiet "thank you" before returning to his spot on the bed, and I sit next to him.

"I'm sorry." I say, and he turns to look at me with a puzzled expression.

"For what?"

"For springing that on you. It was selfish. You're going through a lot as it is without your boss proclaiming his love for you. I should've thought about how it would make you feel, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for telling me how you feel, Harry. I just - I'm confused, that's all."

"What are you confused about, love?"