Pink *Niall Horan Fan Fiction*

Chapter 34

Niall

Not fifteen minutes later, Chris walks through the door.  He nearly stops head in his tracks when he sees me.  "Niall!  You're home!"  He exclaims, and I nod from my seat with Heather. 

"Heather, this is my step-dad, Chris.  Chris, this is my beautiful girlfriend, Heather."  I introduce the two of them after I finally decide to get up and give him a hug before he gives Heather a hug too.  Honestly, Mom couldn't have picked a better guy to marry.  He taught me how to play football (soccer), and he's just been an amazing step-dad. 

"It's so great to meet you, Heather!  Niall has said so much about you, I feel like I know you!"  He exclaims, squeezing her so tight I think her eyes are going to pop out of her head. 

"It's nice to meet you, too, Mr. Gallagher."  She chokes out before he lets go of her. 

"Please, call me Chris.  Everyone else in this family sure does."  He playfully glares at Greg, and me and we hold our hands up in surrender. 

"Well then, Chris it is!"  She smiles, and rejoins me on the loveseat, while Mom gets up and heads to the kitchen. 

"We're having spaghetti for supper, so I hope you lot are hungry."  Mom announces, and Greg and I high-five each other.  Mom's spaghetti is the best.  I've never had anything near as good as it, and every time I come home she makes it because she knows it's my favorite. 

"You're going to love it.  If you like my cooking, Mom's is 100x better than it."  I assure Heather when she looks up at me.  She smiles, and reaches down to pick up Theo, who has half walked, half crawled over to us.  She plops him down right between us, and I can see how great of a mother she is going to be someday.  I hope those kids are my kids someday, too. 

I glance at Greg, who is grinning at me like a little boy as I watch my beautiful girlfriend with my favorite (only) nephew.  I really need to talk to him later.  After Theo settles down between us, and leans his head on my arm and falls asleep, Heather and Denise start a conversation about girl things that she doesn't get to talk about with me. 

"I need to talk to you later."  I whisper to Greg as he comes over and picks his son up from between Heather and me.  He nods, and I think he knows what is coming.  I glance adoringly over at Heather, and Mom comes back into the room to tell us that the spaghetti is ready. 

"Come on, you don't want to be the last to get some food in this family."  I chuckle and push her into the kitchen before the rest of the family.  Our assembly line of food around the kitchen counter is ready to go, and everyone allows Heather to go first.  She picks up a plate, and silverware, and starts putting the pasta on her plate. 

"You have to get more than that."  I tell her, taking the scoop from her and dipping out a nice helping for her. 

"I can't eat all this, Niall."  She complains. 

"I'll finish what you don't.  I promise."  I tell her, and push her on down the line while I get my own helping of spaghetti.  The meat sauce and Parmesan cheese are next in line, and then the garlic bread that is homemade.  Heather takes a seat at the dining room table that is set with wine glasses around the table, and a bottle of wine in the middle of the table fore everyone to share. 

I put my plate beside Heathers, and wait for the rest of the family to sit with their plates, and we all join hands and pray.  Greg says Grace.  After we've all echoed Greg's, "Amen," Mom opens the bottle of wine and pours everyone a glass. 

"I'd like to propose a toast."  She declares. 

"To Niall, and his beautiful girlfriend, Heather.  I'm so glad you've come into my son's life, and made him so happy."  She raises her glass, and everyone clanks glasses around the table. 

"To Heather."  They agree, and we all drink to her.  She blushes a deep red, almost an Irish red.  I squeeze her knee under the table.  We all are finally able to dig into our food, and even Heater agrees that this is the best spaghetti she's ever tasted. 

"And I actually do like yours, too."  She marvels as she puts another forkful of noodles into her mouth and takes a bite of the bread. 

"And this bread is perfect, Maura."  She half-moans.  When we're done eating, Mom decides to volunteer Greg and I to clean up the kitchen.  Heather leaves the room with Denise and Chris and Mom, and leaves Greg and I with the kitchen mess. 

"You said you wanted to talk?"  Greg asks, quietly, because he knows it's something I don't want others knowing about. 

"I need some advice."  I mumble, putting one of the pots into the dishwasher. 

"I'll see what I can do."  He promises. 

"How did you ask Denise to marry you?"  I ask, glancing up at my unfazed brother. 

"I took her to the park we met in, and asked her as we were feeding the geese."  He answers. 

"Well, I don't exactly think I could take Heather back to that club we met at.  It wouldn't exactly be very romantic."  I chuckle, filling up the top part of the dishwasher quickly. 

"Dude, you're a singer.  Write her a song and sing it for her."  Greg exclaims, clapping me on the shoulder. 

"I never even thought about that.  I knew there was a reason why I kept you as a brother."  I smile, and give him a hug.  That night after Heather falls asleep beside me, I grab the notebook I've always kept beside my bed and let the lyrics flow. 

Am I asleep; am I awake, or somewhere in-between? I can't believe that you are here and lying next to me. Or did I dream that we were perfectly entwined?  Like branches on a tree or twigs caught on a vine?  Like all those days and weeks and months I tried to steal a kiss, and all those sleepless nights and daydreams where I pictured this.  I'm just the underdog who finally got the girl, and I'm not ashamed to tell it to the world.  Truly, madly, deeply, I am foolishly, completely falling, and somehow you kicked all my walls in.  So baby, say you'll always keep my.  Truly, madly, deeply in love with you.  In love with you. 

The first part of the song comes perfectly to me as I watch Heather's breaths. 

Should I put coffee and granola on a tray in bed?  And wake you up with all the words I still haven't said?  And tender touches just to show you how I fell?  Or should I act so cool like it was no big deal?  Wish I could freeze this moment in a frame and stay like this.  I'll put this day back on replay and keep reliving it.  Cause here's the tragic truth if you don't feel the same, my heart would fall apart if someone even said your name.  And truly, madly, deeply I am foolishly completely falling, and somehow you caved all my walls in So baby say you'll always keep me truly, madly, deeply in love with you. 

The second part comes almost as easily as the first, and Heather rolls onto her side and snuggles into me in her sleep.  She's so perfect; I can't even deal with it. 

I hope I'm not a casualty.  I hope you won't get up and leave.  Might not mean that much to you, but to me it's everything.  Truly, madly, deeply, I am foolishly completely falling, and somehow you caved all my walls in, so baby say you'll always keep me truly, madly deeply in love with you.  In love with you, in love with you. 

I brush a lock of her hair out of her face, and put my notebook back on the table beside me and turn out the lamp before wrapping my arms around her waist, and allowing myself to fall asleep.