Deception

Chapter 17

64 days before

ANNA'S POV

I pushed myself up from the bed, only to be tugged down again.

"Stay." Niall's voice mumbled against my neck. I wanted to slap myself. Having Niall sleep with me for the second time wasn't what was called going slow at all.

"I'm hungry." I pried his hands from around my waist, finger by finger. I groggily padded to the door, only to be stopped by his laughter. "What?" I turned around to see him swinging my underwear and skirt from last night on his hand.

"Forgetting something?" He tossed them at me, but not before pulling his eyes down my body. A smile formed on his face as he rolled over to the other side of the bed. "You were great last night, by the way." I shook the memory out of my head as I pulled them on and stumbled out the door, the soreness finally getting to me.

Liam caught me before I could make it to the stairs.

"How was yesterday?"

"Which part of yesterday?" Knowing Liam, he probably knew everything that happened even if he wasn't there.

"How many parts were there to yesterday?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind. I didn't go to the party anyway." I shrugged, trying to focus on one of the three Liams in my vision. I remembered seeing 5:32 a.m. in bright green numbers in the darkness as Niall hovered over me. Then again I remembered seeing 6:17 too.

"Oh, so IHOP?" he offered.

"I can't leave Niall here alone." I held on to Liam's arm to steady myself, a dizzy, tired feeling overpowering me. He narrowed his eyes at me, putting two and two together in his mind before a smirk pulled at his features.

"So that's the other part of yesterday." He guided me down the stairs, making jokes about how he knew he heard something last night.

"I just want a poptart." I sighed, putting my hands on my hips. I pulled the cabinet open, frowning at the absence of strawberry poptarts.

"Did Rebecca miss me?" Liam leaned against the counter next to me. I shrugged and continued my search for food.

"Was she happy with my present?"

I shrugged again.

"Did he ask to touch you this time?" My eyes widened at his question as I turned to look at him.

"What?"

"You weren't answering me." He smiled, pulling a box of poptarts down from the cabinet above him.

"A bit intrusive, don't you think?" I bit into the pastry before toasting it, too hungry to wait five more minutes. I hear someone clear his throat across the room. I turned my head to see Niall, only clothed by the thin pair of boxers resting low on his hips.

"How many parts were there to last night, exactly?" Liam looked between Niall and me before pouring three cups of coffee for us. I blushed, not too sure myself. Niall pressed a kiss to my neck before picking up his cup. He jumped at the sight of Liam beside us, obviously just as tired as me. I offered a shrug to Liam. I was honestly worried that something had happened that I couldn't remember. I concentrated on the sore feeling that had spread throughout my body as I studied the red lines streaking Niall's back.

"What happened after midnight?" I turned to him, ignoring the curiosity dancing in Liam's eyes. I could only remember ending up on the floor somewhere close to midnight but the rest came in pieces that were mostly too dark or too confusing.