Since We Were 18 ⭐Nouis⭐

Chapter 23

Niall's POV:

The night of Christmas eve we all stood around a pine tree in the living room and hung lights on it followed by ornaments and an angel on top. We plugged it in and watched as the younger kids' faces showed a mixture of shock and amazement.

We all walked to the kitchen and pulled out a plate and cup. I poured milk into the cup as everyone else put one cookie on the plate for Santa.

"Alright everyone its time for bed or it'll be too late and Santa won't be able to stop!" Harry yelled and all the younger kids grabbed their parents hands and began pulling them down the hallway.

"Hurry daddy! I don't want Santa to skip us!" Melia yelled while her and Audrea dragged me to their room. I chuckled at them and lifted Melia into the bed while Audrea crawled up in. We had already gave all the kids baths and put them in their pajamas so that we could decorate the tree.

"Goodnight girls." I kissed both of their foreheads as they laid down and rolled themselves in the blankets. I turned around and saw Harry tucking in Darcy. We smiled at each other as we walked out. I continued walking down the hallway until I got to the boys room. Tate, Brady, Troye, Connor, Andrew and Andy all shared the one room now since Andrew and Andy wanted others to talk to as well. I knocked on the door and heard a few 'come ins' I opened up the door and peeked my head in. They were all sitting on their beds playing on their phones.

"Goodnight guys!"

"Night dad!

"Night."

"Goodnight"

"Night Ni." I smiled and waved at Andrew since he didn't talk still. He returned the gesture.

I walked out and decided to just check in on the girls. I knocked on their door and heard a bunch of giggles before someone called for me to come in. They were all sitting on the bed with Stacy braiding Clara's hair and Clara doing Karalyn's hair.

"Hey Niall! What's up?" Karalyn asked.

"Just checking up on you girls. You alright?" They all nodded.

"I know this might sound weird but would you like to do my hair?" Stacy asked since hers was the only one not getting done. I nodded and walked in, closing the door behind me. I sat on the bed behind her.

"How would you like it done?" She shrugged.

"Whatever you feel like doing I'm not picky." I nodded even though she couldn't see me. I parted it down the middle and began to braid one side. In the end I had given her pigtail braids. Throughout the time of me doing her hair the other two girls fell asleep.

"So what did you do this morning?" She shrugged and turned to face me.

"I just went for a walk." I nodded.

"Where did you go?"

"Well, I just went out to think for a bit. I really just went to a small coffee shop down the road." I nodded and gave her a weird look.

"Did you go alone?" Her face turned red.

"Yea why?"

"It sounds like you wanted to get away from something. What's going on?" She nodded and looked down.

"I just like this one person but he obviously doesn't like me back." I shrugged.

"You never know you just have to tell him how you feel." She sighed.

"No its he has a boyfriend. He is gay and I'm a girl so..." I nodded sadly.

"You know what? He could be bi. I mean I am and have had a husband before but if I were to find a nice girl then I'd end up with a wife." She nodded and yawned.

"Tired?" She nodded again and crawled around me into her bed. I smiled at her and stood up.

"Goodnight."

"Night." She dozed off as I shut the light of and left. I walked back out to the living room and saw everyone shoving their kids' presents under the tree. I went outside and grabbed a bag from the vehicle that I kept in there for a long time so that they didn't see the presents when we came here. I carried it inside and started unpacking it as well.

Liam had brought over the plate of cookies that the kids had left for Santa. I picked one off the plate and bit into it.

"Would you like any kind of drink?" I nodded.

"Yea could I just have milk please?"

"Sure." He walked out of the room and into the kitchen as Perrie and Kennedy walked out and sat by me.

"You are bi right? So you like boys and girls?" I turned to face them and slowly nodded.

"Yea why?" They glanced to each other and smirked.

"We have this one friend we think you should meet. Her name is Maya and she would perfect for you."

"What does she look like?"

"She has long brown hair. It is naturally curly but she usually straightens it " Perrie said and Kennedy took over.

"She had braces when she was younger so her teeth are like super straight." Dani walked in through the door and gasped.

"You started without me?" She stumbled through the room because of her now five month pregnant belly.

"Maya is loud too so she would be great with the kids." I nodded and went back to eating the cookie.

"Okay. I guess I could talk to her then." They all nodded.

"Good because we invited her over for Christmas tomorrow." My eyes widened at the three of them.

"What?!" I jumped up and gasped at them as little bites of cookie feel out of my mouth.

"Okay first, ew. Also because we always have that couple game and since you and Louis aren't together you needed someone else to be able to participate with." They all looked at me sadly as I sighed.

"Alright whatever." I looked down at the presents around the lit up tree. It was beautiful to look at. I pulled out my phone and took a quick picture.

"Well I'm off to bed." I looked around at everyone else.

"Yea me too." Perrie stood up and Zayn followed.

"Yea its getting late."

"You ready for bed?" Harry lightly pushed Kennedy's arm.

"Yea let's go.

"Liam I think I'm going to bed too." Liam nodded at Dani and stood up.

"What did I start?" They turned to me and laughed.

"Okay. Goodnight Niall." I smiled at all my friends.

"Night." We all went around telling each other goodnight before heading off to bed.

I laid down in my bed and sighed. I missed Louis so much but maybe it is time for me to move on. I mean he moved on in the middle of our relationship. I sighed quietly and muttered a happy birthday to him before rolling over in bed and closing my eyes hoping I would fall asleep quickly.

Word Count: 1174