A Twist of Fate [niall horan]

Chapter 21

Niall's P.O.V.

"What ar' ya goin on about?" I asked as I silently cursed Liam for even taking notice. Plus, when Aubrey had said goodbye to me, it never really struck me her kiss would leave a mark, or at least one that was noticeable. Liam was always one of the first to notice whenever anything with me was off or suspicious. If I wanted to be convincing, I had to make sure I didn't give anything away about being with Aubrey. I definitely was not in the mood for another lecture from him.

"There's a clear, and fresh, even, lipstick stain on your cheek," Liam stubbornly said as he turned my head to look at the side of my face. With the other three lads, I was pretty good at coming up with lies to leave me alone about mostly anything. Liam, on the other hand, was a tough one to convince regarding anything, especially when it came to me. It wasn't that I minded his concern for me, but sometimes I just needed my own space.

"It's spaghetti sauce, had it fer lunch," I nonchalantly stated as I pulled one of Liam's bar stools to take a seat. This convincing was definitely going to take a while. He didn't seem convinced, obviously, as he raised an eyebrow at me before taking a seat right across from me.

"Yeah, and I've been renounced as the Queen," he snorted. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep myself from laughing, as well as giving away the fact that I was indeed lying to him. "Niall, stop roaming around the bush, it's okay if you were on a date. Amazing, actually." He said before flashing me one his famous, sincere smiles.

Rolling my eyes at him, I shake my head at him before replying. "Li, I wasn't on a date. Jus' went out wit' a friend," I shrugged. Hopefully playing it casual around him wouldn't make him any more suspicious. God damn lipstick stain, but it was definitely worth it. Every time Aubrey's face or name came across my mind, I couldn't but help let a small grin appear on my face. She was doing wonders to me, and it seemed crazy to see how much she's affected me in a matter of only a few days.

"Out with a girlfriend..." Liam trailed off as a giant smirk overtook his facial expression. Instantly, I shot up my left hand and gave him the bird. I wasn't even pretending now because the truth was Aubrey and I were nothing official, yet. We both knew it was going to take a while for everything to be normal and comfortable between us to reach that point. And it made me unbelievably happy that Aubrey was willing to take everything step by step with me. It allowed me to admire her even more than I already had.

"Come on Niall, I'm just messing with you," Liam laughed. "I know you were with Aubrey, it doesn't take a genius to figure that out," he added, making my blood flow completely freeze. How the hell did he know?

"Ar' ya stalkin' me now 'r sum shit?" I asked, clearly irritated with him.

"Actually I'm not nor did I know you were with Aubrey, but that gave me my answer," he smirked. Motherfucker. Well, obviously he had planned this out perfectly. There was no getting out of this now, which meant another lecture from Liam about how much an asshole I am.

"Listen Liam-" I was cut off by him putting his finger up in the air, signaling me to stop talking. "Look Niall, I don't know if you truly like this girl or not, but whatever you decide please don't do anything selfish. Aubrey is a very fragile girl and the smallest of mistakes will break that poor girl. She's been through a lot, and I don't need you to add any more burdens into her life than she already has," he breathed out.

In all my years, I had only seen Liam this serious about once or twice. He was only ever this head strong and serious when it came to something/someone he truly cared about. The glint in his eyes was the same one he had when he defended one of the lads, family members, or Sophia.

"We're nothing but friends, Liam. Ya have nuthin' t' worry 'bout," I replied. Technically speaking, I wasn't lying. All we did was kiss, hug, and hold hands. Friends do that all the time, right? No harm done.