Never Enough // NH au

1.3 in which they waste time

Warnings: swearing

Julianna gathered her most prized possessions into her bag. A journal, her favorite pen, the book she was reading, a sketch book, and a baggie of cookies. Homemade.

She stood a foot away from the door, clad in a pair of jeans, ripped at the knee and a jacket that did its best to keep her warm. She knocked on Niall's door, baggie in hand. Gordy was beside her, nose pressed to the crack of the door.

The door opened, Niall was bleary eyed, hair disheveled in only a pair of sweatpants. Julianna let her eyes slide down his chest. Maybe she looked a bit too hard at the happy trail that left a lot to the imagination, disappearing down the waistband of his sweatpants. Maybe she wanted to trail her fingers down it just to see where it'd lead.

"Julianna," Niall chuckled, rubbing his forehead. "What's up."

"I came to see if you wanted to play," Julianna responded, finally meeting his eyes. She held a bag of cookies up. "They're homemade."

"Is that a bribe?" Niall asked, reaching down to pet Gordy who was excited to see Niall, tail wagging.

"It might be," Julianna smiled.

"Alright," Niall sighed, straightening up. "I need to brush my teeth. And coffee."

"Okay," she nodded. "Gordy and I will be somewhere between land and sea. I'm sure you won't miss us."

"I'm sure," Niall chuckled, running his fingers through his hair. "And I thought I'd mention that I noticed you staring."

"Well I wasn't trying to hide it," Julianna laughed, a sly smile on her lips. "Feelin the slow burn yet?"

"Not quite," Niall chuckled. "But I bet if you take your shirt off I'll feel it then."

Julianna laughed, shaking her head. "In your dreams."

Niall laughed, watching as they walked back down the steps. His dreams were between him and god and that's how they'd stay. Or at least until Julianna cracked first.

Julianna and Gordy found a spot not far from the shore. She pulled her coat tight around her. Gordy was pacing around her, nose to the ground. Julianna pulled out her journal, objectively not writing about the way Niall just looked. She wasn't. And if she was that was between her and god.

Only when Niall collapsed in the sand beside her, did Julianna close her journal. She looked up at the water, not quite sure if she was ready to look at him.

"What were you uh writing there?" Niall asked, fingertips brushing over the spine of her journal.

"Don't worry about it," Julianna smiled, finally looking over at him. He wrapped his hands around his coffee mug, shaking his head. He had on a pair of jeans cuffed at the ankle, and a grey sweater to match his tired eyes. Julianna couldn't help but notice how much of a boyfriend he looked.

"It was about me," Niall responded, surly, eyes drifting to the coast. "Go on. Keep checking me out. If it'll help you write and speed us along ogle away."

"I could wait forever," Julianna shrugged, stuffing her journal into her bag. "In fact most crush's last months. My longest one was 5 years and even then I didn't even get the chance to kiss him. Nothing's certain."

"Right," Niall murmured, looking over at her. His eyes trailed down her body. He hooked his finger in the ripped knee of her jeans. The brush of his fingertip against her knee sent a goosebumps down her legs. "How do these even keep you warm?"

"I have other ways to keep warm," Julianna told him, eyes flicking up to meet his. "That you just need not worry about."

Niall laughed, nodding his head. He took a sip of his coffee. Gordy meandered toward them, sitting down between the two them. He'd fit his bum where it didn't belong, wedged between them.