Blue (Niam AU) (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 30

~Niall~

"...but when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell; you don't know-oh-oh, you don't know you're beautiful! Oh-oh-oh, that's what makes you beautiful!"

The four of us danced around the store singing to a song that Harry wrote called What Makes You Beautiful, and it was my favorite song. It was upbeat and fun to sing and dance to, giving you the ability to be yourself. Liam grabbed my hand and spun me around, laughing up a storm. I saw Louis and Harry doing a fast waltz and tripping over their feet with every step. I chucked and leaned my head against Liam's chest. I felt his lips press against the top of my head, making me smile.

"Hey," he told me as I pressed into him more. I chuckled a little and looked up at him. I usually hated being so short, but I didn't care when I looked at Liam. It were those moments where I wasn't sad and alone, but welcomed into Liam's open arms.

"Hi," I said shyly, almost going weak in my knees. He always made me blush, yet sometimes I could hold myself up. I regained my balance and smiled at him.

"How come you have had no customers?" Liam asked Louis, Harry, and I, "The sign says 'open'."

Louis shrugged and said, "No clue. I guess we got kinda lucky so we could hang out for one last time." I saw Liam smile.

"I guess you're right," he said, looking around, "I'm really gonna miss this place. I feel like I've gotten so close to you guys that I don't even want to let you go." I smiled and pressed onto my toes, pecking his cheek.

Louis ran over to a radio on the counter and turned it on. 5 Seconds of Summer's She Looks So Perfect filled the air. The four of us looked at each other and began to dance around like crazy people.

"Hey!" I heard tell over the song about halfway through. I turned to see Anne standing at the counter holding a stack of boxes. Louis sighed and turned the radio off.

"I get that today is Liam's last day," Anne said matter-of-factually, "but we just got our gigantic monthly shipment in and we need to restock." I saw Harry roll his eyes and take a box.

"You are always a buzzkill mum," he said and went to the CD area. I chuckled and took a box of ukuleles and went to the area packed with instruments, Liam following.

"Well, that was fun while it lasted," Liam said with a small smile. I nodded and began to put the small guitars on stands, making them presentable.

"Are you gonna miss it here when you move?" Liam asked me. I sighed and nodded, looking around.

"Definitely," I answered, "This place is where I got whatever happiness I could get for the past 3 years. I met Louis and Harry here. I got money to support myself here. And now I'm moving on from here," I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, "It's for the best, I guess. I'm going to live out life as I was supposed to. Happy and with you." I opened my eyes to see Liam smiling.

"I can't wait to spend my life with you, too," he said to me. I kneeled down and put the box on the floor. I stood back up and looked into Liam's eyes.

"I love you," I couldn't help but say. Liam smiled more.

"Ditto." I smiled and pressed on my toes to press a soft kiss onto Liam's lips. It was sweet and not too passionate. No deepening. Just a nice kiss to reassure our love.

"Niall!" Louis called, causing me to break the kiss, "Some guy is here to see you!" I sighed stepped away from Liam.

"I'll be right back," I told him, "Don't miss me too much." Liam smirked and leaned against the wall.