Request:
Niall and Barbara break up, Liam offers to help Niall forget about her
The soft click of a door behind me tells me that someone had entered my room. I quickly wipe away the few tears that slid down my cheeks and try to even out my breathing. A weight falls down on the bed next to me and without even looking I know who it is. I spend so much time with Liam that by now we knew each other inside out, to the point where it’s almost like we can read each other’s mind. That’s why I know it would be pointless to try and pretend I’m not upset, instead letting him put an arm around me and pull me tight against his side.
“What’s wrong?” He asks softly.
In response I dig into the pocket of my jeans and find my phone. First I show the picture, the one of Barbara sitting with some photographer in a restaurant, feeding each other and laughing. Then I bring up the text.
We’re over.
And that was it. The first relationship I’ve had in so long, finished with just two words.
Liam pulls me even closer, burying my face into his chest and cradling me, lips pressed to my forehead. It’s comfortable and soothing, yet I can’t stop the tears from coming again.
“Oh Niall,” He murmurs into my hair, “Niall, Niall, Niall, it’s okay baby.”
He holds me tightly like this for who knows how long, rubbing my back and whispering comforting words until I’ve calmed down enough to wriggle away a bit. He looks at me with worried eyes.
“You alright now?”
I manage a half smile and smooth back my hair a bit.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s stupid; I didn’t even like her that much.”
“Then why were you crying?”
He lets me go completely and I pull my legs up onto the bed so I’m sitting cross-legged and facing him.
“I don’t know. I guess it was just nice to be cared about, to be loved for once, and then I find out that she’s fucking some other guy behind my back and I just feel like I should’ve just seen it coming…”
I shrug unimpressively. Liam looks like he was going to hug me again, but because of the awkwardness of our positions settled with a hand on my knee.
“You are so cared about Niall. I care about you. I love you.”
“Yeah, but it’s a different kind of love with you.”
He licks his lips slightly and for the first time his eyes are showing an emotion I can’t place, one that isn’t familiar sitting on his face.
“Does it have to be?”
And suddenly I can place the expression. Lust. It has no place being tangled in his features, at least not now, not while looking at me and licking his lips once again. My eyes have no place watching the movement, transfixed on an unconscious action. His lips have no place pressed against mine, and yet there they are, before I even have chance to say anything.
I know it’s wrong and there are alarm bells ringing in my head but his lips are so soft and sweet and my hands are tangling themselves in his hair without my permission and my lips are responding in turn, urging him on.
He breaks it gently, pulling back to look into my eyes. He’s on his hands and knees in front of me, arms either side of my legs and I’m all too aware of how close our faces still are. The alarm bells have reached a cacophony and yet I don’t pull away.
“Let me help you forget all about Barbara” He breathes.
This snaps me back to reality a bit and I scoot backwards.
“L-Liam; I’m straight. You’re straight! What about Sophia?”
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I’m just helping out a friend.”
He creeps even closer, closing the small gap I’d created between us. All words, all protests are caught in my throat and I’m speechless. He fills the silence with more whispered words.
“I also happen to have it on good authority that she’s also having an affair. So let me help you Niall; let me make you feel better. You need some…release.”
At this last word he moves the tiny distance so that our noses are touching. I can feel his warm breath on my face and my mind is frozen, the warning bells dimmed and all notions of dissent frozen. All I can do is tangle my hands in his hair again and lean in to re-attach our lips.
