Clarity « Niam

Chapter 19

"His father is who?!" Louis shouted in shock and complete disbelief, nearly making his eyes bulge out of his head.

Niall had decided against meeting up with his ex-boyfriend, and felt he needed someone to talk about this whole situation because bottling everything inside wasn't an option anymore.

It's only led to him pushing Liam further and further away, and not giving him a chance to explain things. Not to mention, his patients with Aybrum's probing questions was running thin and he didn't want to snap at the rightfully curious toddler.

So he came to the conclusion that he needed to get some things off his chest and Louis seemed trustworthy enough - meaning he wouldn't run straight to the media with the things Niall was telling him.

"Liam Payne." Niall murmured in a hushed tone, slightly embarrassed for some unknown reason and turned red in the cheeks.

Louis closed his mouth that had been hanging agape since he heard the news, and tried to process that fact that little Aybrum's biological father was an internationally famous boy band member. "I - how? You're from Ireland? Right, you have an Irish accent."

He smiled, "Yeah, but when I was little my mum moved me to Wolverhampton. I grew up there and once it came time for uni, my mum went back to Ireland and I went to London. But I met Liam in secondary school, before the whole X Factor and One Direction thing happened."

"Well, I'll be damned." Louis mumbled to himself, looking out the glass sliding door that led to the back garden where the two toddlers were playing on the small swing set.

Niall bit his bottom lip, hating himself for what he was about to ask but he needed to make sure. "You won't tell anyone, right? I really don't want Aybrum's face splashed across every social media site and newsstand, nor do I want those vicious photographers anywhere near him."

"No, that's your business. I'm not saying a word to anyone. I'm still just trying to wrap my head around the fact that you slept with Liam Payne, I mean he's bloody gorgeous." He laughed some, shaking his head in disbelief that he'd even just said that aloud. "Do you know the other two then? Zayn Malik and Harry Styles."

Niall groaned inwardly, "Yes, but that's where this gets complicated."

"What do you mean, complicated. They're all just bandmates, yeah? No funny business amongst them." He furrowed his brow, leaning forward onto the table because now he was incredibly interested in what was being said.

Niall shook his head, shrugging some. "Harry, yes. But Liam and Zayn are sleeping together - I, Liam actually cheated on me with Zayn for the last year of our relationship. I was going to school full-time and I could just take time off to go with him on tour, he got lonely and - you know, they sort of just happened in my absence."

"So what you're saying is that the real Liam Payne is a cheating bastard then, yeah." Louis had a slightly defensive tone.

He nodded, unable to think of anything else because talking about it was still a sore subject to him.

"And to think I have tickets for Laci and I to see them tomorrow night at Wembley. She's been obsessed with them since she learned to talk, now they're all she babbles about. That and when she's going to see Aybrum again." He huffed, annoyed he's been manipulated into believing the way media portrays Liam as a wholesome, bring him home to your parents type of lad.

An idea popped in Niall's mind as Louis sat brooding, "Louis could you do me a massive, massive favour?"

He looked up at him, "If it's anything to do with us going to that concert and having me pretend to be your boyfriend to make Liam jealous, then I'd be happy to."