The Nanny

New Game

It had been a week since I started taking care of Darcy and by this point I was used to Harry's friends coming and going at all hours of the day. I got along with all of them, mostly Niall, but it had been difficult to adjust to ridiculously attractive men popping up every time you turned around. I had found myself putting more thought into what I wore these days, something I hadn't done since before Jamie had been born.

Things with Harry had been... interesting.

Our truce held... sort of.

We still argued, I don't think that was ever going to change, but it was never a big blow out and never in front of the children. As far as Darcy was aware Harry and I got along fine.

No, now it seemed Harry and I had started a little game with each other in which the goal was to see who could annoy the hell out of the other first.

We were pros at it and right now it seemed I had walked into our first match up of the day judging by the way Harry was looking at me.

Harry smirked at me as he laid sprawled out on the sofa, hands behind his head and ankles crossed. He was insanely tall and because of it he took up the whole sofa. Niall sat to the side, looking adorable as always, on one of the plush chairs with eyes wide expecting one of our bickering matches to begin. Both kids were down for naps so all bets were off.

"Aria, just the person I was looking for. Do you think you could get Nialler and I some food."

I rolled my eyes and began to pick up Darcy's toys that had been scattered around the room where she had been playing before her nap. "No."

He tutted at me and pressed his lips together. "I do believe I am your boss."

"I do believe I'm NOT your maid."

"Shame, I think you would look sexy in a little French maid outfit."

I tossed the toy in my hand a little too forcefully into the bin where the others were before standing up straight and glaring at Harry. He looked much too smug. I knew he thought he had won.

"Oh... Do you think I could borrow yours or are you and Louis using it tonight? By the way who's the maid because personally I think your skinny ass couldn't pull it off."

His face instantly fell. I felt kind of bad from dragging Louis into this but... this was war and as the saying goes, all's far. Besides Louis wouldn't mind if he could see the look on Harry's face just now.

There was an intense moment where Harry just glared at me and I stared right back with a grin.

For a second I thought he was going to explode, it wasn't until Niall's laughter sounded that I realized it was probably a good idea to leave on that not. Quit while I'm ahead.

"See you boys later." I said waving a hand over my shoulder as I skipped out of the room.

I had made it to the kitchen, to start lunch for Darcy, when I heard someone step in behind me. I tensed fully expecting Harry to try again but was pleasantly surprised to hear Niall's happy voice.

"I think you've really pissed him off that time."

"Good." I said with a wide smile at him. "He deserved it. Sandwich?" I asked as I began to pull out the ingredients.

It was a silly question because I knew Niall well enough to know he wasn't going to say no to food.

"Yes please." He answered sounding like a little kid as he sat in the stool on the opposite side of the island from me.

I quietly worked while he watched for a few moments before I heard him clear his throat. My eyes snapped up to look at the blushing Irishman in front of me.

"So, um... I was wondering," He stuttered out nervously.

I raised my eye brow expectantly as I leaned over and placed his sandwich in front of him.

"There's this event we have to go to this weekend and I don't really have a date and normally that wouldn't be a problem but... erm... all the others have... dates, and I was wondering if you might-"

"So you'll make Niall a sandwich and not me?" Harry's booming voice interrupted Niall.

I could see on Niall's face that he really didn't want Harry to hear what he was saying and was trying to gauge weather the curly headed boy had heard anything.

Harry seemed much too focused on my sandwich making to even be concerned with Niall at all. I smiled reassuringly at Niall hoping he understood that I was trying to tell him he was in the clear.

"Well that's because I like him." I said and gave him a saccharin sweet smile and choosing to ignore the fact that Niall's cheeks became a deeper shade of red before adding. "I don't like you."

Harry scoffed. "The feeling is mutual."

Niall looked at me with an apologetic smile. Apparently he wasn't quite used to Harry talking to me like I was beneath him but wasn't quite sure if he should get in the middle of our verbal wars, he looked like he wanted to though. Poor naive Niall didn't understand that I could take care of myself.

"So since we got that out of the way now, how about you let me finish making the people I like food and scurry along to find something to occupy that tiny little mind of yours."

Harry just looked at me, a really dumb look on his face. "Sometimes I wonder what NOT having a truce would be like."

"Much worse. Now go away Harry. Darcy will be up soon and I want to have her lunch ready."

He narrowed his eyes at me but got up from where he had sat next to Niall mumbling about having something better to do anyway. I eyed him the whole way out of the kitchen before turning back to Niall with a sweet smile on my face.

"You were saying before Lucifer interrupted?"

Niall looked startled at my comment for a second before a slow smile slid across his face which turned into a chuckle. "You two are insane."

I shrugged but kept looking at him in anticipation.

"Oh... erm... well I was saying that there was an event and I didn't have a date and... um... maybe you would like to, maybe, be mine, maybe."

I raised both of my eyebrows at him and widened my eyes. "You realize you said 'maybe' like three times in that sentence right?"

"I'm aware." Niall said looking down at his hands shyly.

"I would love to, but um... I don't know if Harry would be too keen on it."

The look of disappointment on Niall's face broke my heart. As I felt it tug at my heart strings I remembered that I didn't give a damn what Harry thought and honestly this wasn't going against our truce anyway. Besides, I worked for Harry, he didn't own me.

"I'll go. I'll just tell Harry I need the night off." I relented and then amended. "But I think it would be best not to tell Harry why. I wouldn't want him to pull a Cinderella on me and find a million and one things I need to do other then go to the ball with you." I joked.

Niall's sad face transformed into a brilliant beaming smile and I was sure that Harry's irritation was worth it. Niall was a good guy and I liked him. What harm could being his date do? We were friends, sort of.

"Thank you Ari. I promise I'll show you a good time." He winked which made me giggle uncontrollable making me wonder if I really was used to the attractive boy just yet. Damn him and his use of his beauty. "I'll even take you out to dinner beforehand."

"I think you were just looking for a reason to go out to dinner beforehand?" I bantered back.

"Maybe." He emphasized todays over used word with a chuckle. "You'll never know though."

And with that he stood up from his chair, rounded the island and pulled me into a quick side hug, placing a kiss to my temple before walking out of the kitchen throwing a 'thank you' over his shoulder as he went.

I couldn't help but chuckle at Niall and his silliness. I was sure that these boys would be the death of me.