The Fatal Flaw | LT

II

"This is me." I turned to Niall with a small wave as we reached my apartment building. He had walked me home, just like he had done countless times over the past two weeks. Ever since we met, we'd spent most of our days together, wandering around town, learning each other's quirks, sharing stories over coffee, and laughing at things no one else would find amusing. School started tomorrow, and though the thought of it should've made me anxious, knowing I had Niall made everything easier.

"Do you have a roommate, lass?" he asked as I unlocked my door.

I shook my head, stepping aside to let him in. "Nope."

"You lucky bitch."

I laughed at the word. If it had come from anyone else, I probably would have shoved them back out the door and banished them from my life. But this was Niall. And Niall was just like that.

"I know," I admitted, flopping onto the couch. "Honestly, I was afraid of getting a roommate. What if I hated them? Then I'd be stuck living with them for a whole year, or worse, until they decided to move out."

He chuckled as he wandered over to my wall of pictures. His gaze landed on one in particular. "Your brother is a giant."

I followed his stare to the picture of Harry and me from just a few months ago, both of us sporting our UL sweatshirts.

"You're so pale, and he's got a bit of color to him," Niall mused, still observing the image.

"He spends more time in the sun than I do. Plus, he plays football."

Niall nodded approvingly. "You two look alike, though. Same smile, same eyes. But your hair's lighter."

"Yeah, he was actually blonde when we were kids." I smiled at the memory, and for a moment, I felt that familiar ache of missing him.

"Come on, you promised you'd come to football practice with me," Niall groaned, grabbing my hand and practically dragging me to his car.

"If I had known you'd be chauffeuring me everywhere, I wouldn't have let my mom buy me a car," I grumbled as I slid into the passenger seat.

"You're telling me. You've barely used it."

I rolled my eyes, adjusting the hem of my jeans. "Well, at least I wore jeans and Converse today."

"Good call. The guys will be gawking at you as it is, but if you'd shown up in shorts? Game over."

I shot him a glare. "Wow, Niall. That really makes me want to go even more."

He smirked. "What can I say? I've flipped off more guys in the past two weeks than I ever have in my entire life because of you. I'm not ready to share my best friend yet."

The drive to the field was quick, and before I knew it, we were walking toward the stadium.

"You'll probably just sit in the bleachers with your phone, won't you?" Niall teased.

I scoffed. "Right, because watching a bunch of sweaty, non-attractive guys run back and forth is such a thrill."

Niall gasped dramatically. "Excuse you? Have you seen this?" He gestured to himself with both hands. "You might have to rethink that statement when you see us play."

"Good thing I'm not a cheerleader, then." I smirked as he flipped me off before disappearing into the locker room.

As predicted, I climbed the bleachers, found a decent seat, and pulled out my phone. I wasn't alone—there were a few scattered players, a handful of cheerleaders in ridiculously short skirts, and a couple of spectators. But my focus was elsewhere. Niall's practice started, and while I watched for a little while, my book was far more interesting.

I was so engrossed in my story that I didn't realize practice had ended until I heard my name being called.

"Vee!"

I looked up just in time to see Niall waving me over. With a groan, I stretched and made my way down.

"Can we get pizza now? I want to crash. My classes start at eight in the morning," I whined.

He rolled his eyes but didn't argue. "Hold on, I need to grab my stuff."

As I waited outside the locker room, I mindlessly kicked at a few loose stones—until I miscalculated and lost my balance. Expecting to hit the ground, I braced myself for impact... but it never came.

Instead, strong hands caught me just before I fell. For a moment, I was frozen, my breath hitching as I looked up into a pair of piercing blue-green eyes. My heart stuttered in my chest. He was tall—about my height—with messy brown hair, a sharp jawline, and tattoos decorating his arms. He was in a football uniform, which meant... he was on Niall's team? How had I not noticed him earlier?

"You alright, love?" His voice was smooth, edged with amusement.

"I—um—I'm sorry," I stammered, quickly regaining my footing. "And... thank you."

He smirked. "Take a picture, love. It'll last longer."

Before I could react, he threw an arm around the waist of a cheerleader—who shot me a look that could kill—and walked off.

I blinked after them, my mind scrambling to catch up.

"What're you looking at?" Niall's voice jolted me out of my daze. I turned to see him beside me, eyeing me curiously.

I shook my head. "Nothing."

At the pizza place, Niall ordered while I absentmindedly picked at the edge of my napkin.

"I was right—you didn't watch practice."

I shrugged. "I'm not a sporty person. Besides, you had cheerleaders drooling over you."

"Eh, they only care about the players who actually get game time." He pouted.

"Gee, I wonder why."

"Rude."

"I'm just saying, you told me yourself that football isn't your priority."

"True," he admitted. "The others are there on scholarships. I'm just there because I enjoy it. Still, it'd be nice to play at least once."

"I'm sure you will."

We ate, and Niall, as always, filled the silence with endless stories. His laughter was infectious, his energy a constant light in my life. As I listened, my thoughts drifted to Harry. The way Niall talked about his brother reminded me of my own, and I felt a wave of gratitude that I had him here, filling the space Harry left behind.

The door to the pizza place jingled. Instinctively, I glanced up—and immediately wished I hadn't.

Blue-green eyes met mine across the room, sharp and unreadable.

I barely heard Niall call my name as I stared, trapped in the intensity of his gaze. The same cheerleader clung to his side, whispering something to him, but he wasn't paying attention. He was still looking at me.

Niall followed my gaze and stiffened.

"Shit," he muttered. "Venus, listen to me. Stay away from him."

I tore my eyes away, my heart still hammering. "Why?"

"He's trouble."

I risked another glance, and sure enough, Louis Tomlinson was still watching me.

Trouble.

The word echoed in my mind.

How cliché.

Edited 10/16/24