Lessons Learned

Part 12

"And everyone owns a jet pack. We use them to get around instead of cars. It's so much easier and they are a lot more fuel efficient." After a week in Niall's limbo, I felt comfortable enough to tease him a bit.

"No way!" Niall's clear blue eyes were wide with excitement. "That's awesome."

I laughed and threw a pretzel at his cute face. "I'm just joking. We still use cars. They are all electric now though."

"Not nice," Niall's dancing eyes contradicted the pout settling on his features. "You got me all excited for nothing."

I smiled at him across the table as he dug his hand into the bowl of snacks. He had asked me to tell him all about life on earth and I had done so, throwing in a few fibs to make things seem more interesting.

"Sorry Nialler," I grabbed a pretzel and broke it into three pieces. I laid it out in front of me and studied the salty snack, wondering if it would be worth putting in my mouth.

"Any weight you gain here will just be lost when you wake up alive," Niall blurted as he shoved another handful of useless calories into his mouth. "If that's what you're worried about."

"How do you know I'm going to wake up alive?" I cautiously placed a tiny piece of pretzel on my tongue and chewed it thoughtfully. "What makes you so sure?"

Niall shrugged, "I just know you will. I can just feel it. You have so much more to offer the world."

"No I don't," I pushed the rest of the pretzel pieces away. One was more than enough.

"Sure you do. Starting with that jet pack idea," Niall teased, a playful smile dancing across his face. "I think it's a good one."

I giggled, stopping when I met Niall's blue eyes from underneath my thick lashes. My cheeks flamed up as we held eye contact and I felt the urge to lean in a drop a quick peck on his perfect mouth. I wonder what it would feel like to kiss him.

Niall broke the spell by coughing awkwardly. "Want to watch a movie?"

"Sure," I pushed back my chair and followed him into the living room. I got settled on the couch as he shifted through the pile of DVDs. He spent five minutes weighing his options, before finally deciding and shoving one into the DVD player. After returning to the dining room to retrieve his snacks he joined me on the couch.

"What are we watching?" I tucked my feet up under my body and wrapped myself up in the blanket that had been adorning the back of the couch.

"Taken," Niall shoved a handful of pretzels into his mouth. "My favorite movie."

"Isn't this movie kind of scary?" I hated scary movies.

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Maybe a little bit if you've never seen it before."

I didn't feel like spending the night awake, shaking in my bed with the covers drawn up to my chin and the lights on. "I think I'm just gonna go upstairs and not watch if that's all right with you."

"Why not?" Niall grabbed my hand as I tried to leave and pulled me back down. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like scary things," I admitted. "I'm way too easily freaked out."

"I'll keep you safe," he grinned and draped a protective arm around my shoulder. "I promise."

I really didn't want to watch, but I also didn't want to give up the opportunity to snuggle with Niall. I knew I had only been here for a week, but I had fallen for him quickly. I had a major crush and I was afraid it was starting to show. "Fine."

"Yay," Niall reached over me and grabbed the blanket that I had abandoned seconds ago. He rested it across our laps before pulling me closer to his side. I dropped my head to the sweet smelling crock of his neck and wrapped my arms around his waist. He gave me a slight squeeze as he focused his attention on the movie. I spent the next few hours studying him, watching his reactions to everything that went on in the movie. Judging by his facial expressions, I was able to determine the right times to hide my face in his chest without ever having to watch. Each time I did that he hugged me closer and by the time the movie was nearing its end I was curled up in his lap, both his arms tight around me with my head tucked into the space on his shoulder where it seemed to fit so well. I could hear the slow thumb of his heart beat through his shirt and I felt it take off as I shifted in his arms. The closer I snuggled to the heat emitting of his body, the faster his heart began to race. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought my touch actually did something to him. But I knew nothing was ever that simple, so I ignored the sharp intake of his breath when I accidently nuzzled his neck. The shiver of delight that racked his whole body when I did it again was also not to be taken too seriously.

Niall pushed me off his lap abruptly and jumped up, his eyes wild as he backed quickly out of the room.

"Niall are you okay?" I sat up as I rubbed my sleepy eyes, trying to make out his shape in the dark living room.

"Yeah I'm fine," his voice came out breathless and uneven. I could practically see the flaming red of his cheeks in the dimly lit room. "Just thirsty."

I heard him fumbling around in the kitchen and eventually the connecting room flooded with light. I watched for the sofa as Niall grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it with water. I noticed his hand was shaking as he held the glass under the faucet. A few drops of water sloshed over the edge and I saw the tips of his ears turn pink with embarrassment. Still facing away from me, he lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip of water. After drowning the whole glass in a few gulps he seemed relatively calm. He shut off the light and rejoined me for the final few minutes of the movie. Except this time he didn't put an arm around me. In fact he sat as far away from me as he could, curled into himself as the credits rolled across the screen.

I didn't know what I had done, but I hoped it wouldn't ruin the friendship we had been building. Niall was the only person who I had ever felt truly cared for me and I didn't want to lose that any time soon.

We had only known each other for a week and no, he wasn't real, but he still meant the world to me.

It would kill me all over again if I lost him.