#it’s a long shot but PLEASE let four-day weeks become the norm within my (working) lifetime

[zippityzap]

I have the day off work on Friday and it’s amazing how much less intimidating the week feels with one less day

[nialledfromfics]

- five -

“I’ll let you drag me to hell if it means you’ll hold my hand.”

It was a bit chilly at that time of night, the midnight air brisk and tinged with a frigid mist of rain. Skies eerily black and the billowy clouds lighting up a slight gray as they rolled past the bright glow of the moon. I hated walking at night, especially in an area I wasn’t familiar with, but after Niall had told me to leave, I really had no choice. I tightened my arms around my middle, hugging my thick coat to my body as I continued to trudge down the quiet city walk, praying the tram was still up and running.

I tried to shake off the disappointing thoughts that kept creeping into my head as I finally made it home and climbed up the stairs of my flat complex. Again, he had kicked me out. Again, I was left alone, confused and trying to figure out what the hell had happened. Why did I have to leave so sudden? Who was the guy? I could feel a nagging ache starting to set in my head.

previous chapters

Stepping into my flat did not make me feel any better. The place was a complete disaster. It looked as if Tessa and Naomi had thrown a party while I was gone. A million broken balloons, streamers and confetti were scattered everywhere. Chip crumbs and empty drink cans spread out all over the floor. What the hell had happened in the couple hours that I was gone? I tossed my foot forward, kicking at a few tangled streamers as I closed the door behind me.

Peering around the corner as I stomped over the mess to my bedroom door, I could see that their own bedroom door was closed and their lights out. So they had gone to bed and just left the place looking like this? I let out a sigh as I stepped into my room, shutting the door quietly and slinging off my coat. I hope they didn’t expect me to clean it up.

After changing into my pajamas and tip toeing my way to and from the bathroom to brush my teeth, I climbed into my bed in a huff, absolutely whipped and totally done from the day. I let out a sigh as I curled my knees to my chest and snuggled on my side, my body gradually being overtaken with warmth as thoughts of Niall began to slowly seep into my mind. My eyes pressed closed, my breath quickening in my chest as I pictured him above me, that dark hungry gleam in his eyes and wicked smirk tugging at his mouth as he watched himself disappear down my throat. The sweat dripping, the thick shallow grunts slipping past his lips as his hips rocked into my face. How he so tenderly kissed me after, almost like it meant something.

I bit at my lip, letting out a garbled whimper into my pillow as my mind floated to the feeling of his rough hand on my skin. So close. He was so close. With the flutters going wild in my lower belly, it was almost like I could still feel him on me, still feel his heat and his breath. I was so fucking close and all I wanted was for him to touch me, I needed to feel him touch me.

Drawing in a settling breath, I opened my eyes, straining to focus in the dark room. Reaching over, I grabbed at my phone to check the time.

2:43 am.

Oh, and four missed calls from Jason. Perfect.

Groaning out, I threw my phone back down and pushed my face back into my pillow, hugging the blankets up at my chest. Why can’t things just ever be fucking simple.

My Monday class was pretty early, a freakish 9 am and I was not very happy about it. With my blonde hair thrown up into a frayed half knot, makeup free with some nice little bags under my eyes, I was pretty sure I looked like hell. Actually, I knew I did. My unwashed jeans and hometown college football sweatshirt probably didn’t add much spice to my already glamorous look either. I was just not into it that morning.

Sunday had been a bust for me. I woke up that afternoon to the mess from the night before, Naomi and Tessa nowhere in sight. They were nice girls, really very sweet, but my god, were they highly insensitive. After a pitiful bout of huffing and puffing coming from me, I got to work cleaning up the place, washing all the dishes and even dusting a bit before I had to shower and go straight to work. I felt like I was someone’s mom here.

Not even a thanks from them upon returning home after my shift, I just quietly went to my bedroom, more interested in snuggling in my bed and falling asleep then having to interact with anyone. Besides, Niall had yet to contact me and as that was seemingly becoming the norm for us, I just wasn’t in the mood.

And so began my Monday.

Clutching my book in my hand, I opened the door to the class, the room practically empty even though I was almost five minutes late. The professor still wasn’t there (which was surprising) so I flicked my eyes around, settling for a second on each of the eleven other people that were in the room. Narrowing my eyes when I caught sight of her long deep red hair, I gulped back a small breath. It was the girl. The one from the party that was all over Niall. I watched as she ran her fingers through her hair before slightly leaning over her desk, her arm moving as she began jotting something down in a small notebook. Rolling my lips into my mouth, I shifted my eyes slightly before sucking up my courage and quietly walking over towards her. I knew she probably wouldn’t know who I was or even remember me, but what was the harm in just sitting next to her? Maybe having a little chat? I mean at this point, we obviously had Niall in common.

Snaking my way through a few haphazardly placed chairs, I carefully slid myself down into the seat next to her, my eyes catching hers as she glanced over at me. I smiled shyly, eliciting a friendly grin from her before she looked back down at her notebook.

“Hiya.” I heard her thick Northern Irish accent mumble as her eyes stayed down.

I peered over at her as I pulled my things from my bag, my eyes falling to watch as her hand moved over the paper. “Hi.”

Her hand stopped and she looked over at me, her eyes narrowing a bit. She was very pretty, quite delicate looking. Soft round eyes with long dark eyelashes, she had prominent cheekbones that sat a bit higher than normal. Her nose peaked up at the end slightly and she had these very light freckles that dotted across the slope of it and down over her cheeks. Her mouth sat in a natural pink pout and I could totally see what Niall saw in her. I looked like a sloppy beastly mess compared to her.

“You were at Niall’s party, weren’t ya?” she spoke up, pointing the end of her pen at me. My eyes widened a bit at her question, surprised that she even recognized me.

Biting at my lip, I switched my stare down to my books for a moment. “Oh, um...yeah I was,” I replied softly, looking back over at her.

“Reckoned so,” she continued, flicking her eyes up to the ceiling and squinting them. “Remember watchin’ Niall goin’ over to chat ya up on his sofa.” I let out a breathy chuckle, pressing my lips in a line. “He’s so dreamy, isn’t he?” she asked, catching my stare. Her eyes were gorgeous, a deep chocolate brown with a hint of a red tinge to them, almost the same shade as her hair.

“Yeah,” I mumbled, scraping my teeth on my bottom lip, “he’s...pretty cute.”

“Pretty cute?!” she screeched out, making me giggle as her voice echoed through the classroom. “He’s fit as hell. Jesus, that mouth on him…and those hands. Fuck.”

I watched her eyes roll back slightly as she licked at her lips, thoughts of their little makeout session obviously flashing through her head. I stayed quiet watching as she tapped her pen rhythmically against the wooden desktop. She let out a sigh and turned her stare back to me. “He was all over me at the party, don’t know if ya saw. Practically had to fight the lad off me!” I watched her mouth turn up in a giggle, the look on her face telling me that she was pleased as punch with herself.

Swallowing hard, I let my fingers flit through my book trying to distract myself. “Did you, um...did you do anything with him?” I finally said back to her.

“Hook up?” She shot back, shaking her head, “No. He was...bein’ weird, to be honest. Leadin’ me on and shit, then wouldn’t even proper shift me. Can ya believe it? He must’ve been too pissed.” She let out another giggle, leaning her head down to jot something in her notebook.

“Yeah, probably,” I replied.

“Probably couldn't even get a stiffy if he tried.”

We both burst out in laughter, her for different reasons than my own. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I’ll just try again. It’s my goal to fuck him,” she added, catching my stare, “does that sound bad?”

I shook my head, partially because I knew exactly what she meant. “No...I guess not.”

She reached up to tuck some red hair behind her ear, before rolling her eyes. “Whatever. Just...ya know ‘bout him. Fuckin’ amazin’ shag. Heard he fucks ya til ya cry.”

I knitted my brows. “Is that...a good thing?” I asked her, genuinely unsure.

Her head tipped back in a laugh, my eyes swarming over her face just as she tilted it back down to look at me, a small settling sigh leaving her mouth. “You’re funny,” she quipped, bringing the end of her pen up to rest at her pink lips. “Yeah, ya know, like he fucks ya so good ya literally can’t do anythin’ but cry. He’s just a dirty boy. God, I want that so bad.”

I gave her a small laugh, my face dropping as the thoughts of him coming on my tongue shot through my head. “Sounds nice, I guess.”

“Nice?” she grumbled, shaking her head. “Sounds fuckin’ amazin’.”

Shooting my eyes over to her, I began to feel this overwhelming sense of jealousy and I honestly didn’t even know where it was coming from. She obviously didn’t kiss him, she tried, but the fact that she was so earnestly ready to try again with him, that’s what got to me. I didn’t have claim to him, but for some fucked up reason, I felt like I did. “Well, good luck then,” I spit out, half regretting talking to her in the first place.

She gave me a quick smile, our attention flicking to the side door just as the professor walked in. “Thanks.”

I got one text from Niall within the next two weeks, and it came that same Monday I had talked to the redhead in class, late at night after got home from the pub. A simple and short: “How ya doin?” to which I replied: “Tired but good, you?”. Not surprisingly, I never got anything back.

I will admit, it had made me feel a smidge better knowing that he didn’t lie to me when he said he didn’t kiss her. He really hadn’t kissed her at all, didn’t even try. But at this point and with zero interaction between him and I, I was really beginning to think that our last little fling at his house was it for us. I mean, maybe that’s all he wanted from me, maybe he got what he wanted and now he was done.

The thought honestly made my stomach turn and as much as I found myself really liking Niall, as much as I found my mind drifting off and daydreaming about what we did together and the way he touched me, I forced myself to push it all back and try not to think of him. It was clear it was over. Besides, I was here for school. I was here to start fresh, to get away from my old life, not here to get fucked up by some guy I barely knew.  

“Jules!” Aoife yelled to me as I stood in the small kitchen of the pub. I gave her a huff and looked over at her just as I grabbed a few plates of food out from under the heat lamps. “He’s here.”

My face scrunched up in confusion as I held the warm plates out in front of me, stumbling towards her. “What?”

“Niall,” she whispered as I passed by her to walk into the main pub area. I flicked my eyes to hers, watching as her brows raised up and a smirk tugged at her lips. She pushed past me, walking into the kitchen to grab her own orders.

Gulping in a breath, I froze in place, slowly shifting my stare across the open span of the room. I caught sight of him standing up at the bar. Alone. Pair of dark skinny jeans, t-shirt and bomber jacket, my eyes scanned down his lean frame and dirty little thoughts filled my head before I remembered the plates in my hand. He hadn’t seen me yet so I quickly glanced away and began hurrying the hot food to the customers at a nearby table.

Swiping off my sweaty palms, I cleared my throat and slowly turned, shuffling across the pub floor to slip back behind the bar. Pulling a small napkin out of my barmaid apron, I sucked in a breath and set it down in front of him.

“What can I get you?” I spit out, not looking up.

“Hey baby,” he said back to me. “How are ya?”

My eyes fluttered slightly at the rumble of his voice and I licked at my lips, trying to steady myself before shifting my eyes to look up at him. I felt my heart skip a beat and I swear, it took everything I had in me to not throw myself over the span of the bar and wrap my arms around him to press my mouth to his. He looked more incredible than I had remembered. His elbows resting on the edge of the bar top, shoulders slightly hunched to his ears as he cocked his head to the side to look at me. He had a half smirk playing on his face and I could feel the warmth already sparking in my tummy.

But I couldn’t let the fact that he had been ignoring me the last two weeks go unnoticed. I couldn’t let him just charm his way right back to where he wanted just because he looked so damn good. “Do I know you?” I snapped back with my arms crossing over my chest, quite pleased with myself at the comeback.

He let out a low grumbled laugh, hanging his head down for a moment. “ ‘kay, I deserved that, I guess,” he replied, looking back up at me. I hastily reached out for an empty pint glass, my eyes stuck on the hauntingly crisp blue of his as I began filling it with beer.

“Here,” I said, setting the glass down in front of him.

He peered down at it, his head shaking faintly before looking back at me through his lashes, the small wrinkles spreading across his forehead. “Not why I‘m here,” he told me, his voice low.

“You sure? Because I know you can’t be here for me.”

He gave me a smirk, his tongue jutting out to lick at his lips. “Actually I am. Was gonna see if ya wanted to go out with me tonight after work.”

I narrowed my eyes, the heat rising to my cheeks as my fingers curled into the skin of my palms. “Seriously? I haven’t even heard from you in two fucking weeks, Niall. And then y-you just come in here and...and wanna take me out? Like nothing happened?”

"Jesus, you're in a right mood, aren't ya?" he muttered, furrowing his brows. I glared at him, pressing my lips in a line.

Letting out a disgruntled huff, he raised up a hand, his elbow still firmly planted on the bar and dipped his head down, running his fingers through his hair. “I’m-...look, I’m sorry, okay? I had  some...business to tend to.”

I gave him a snort. “Business?”

“Yeah, business,” he shot back, “I did text ya, ya know.”

“Yeah, Niall, I know,” I quipped, placing my palms flat to the lower bar and leaning in slightly towards him. “Once. And I texted you back and then nothing. You can’t just-”

“Just what?” he asked, cutting me off.

Furrowing my brow at him, I shook my head, pulling in a deep steadying breath. “Is this normal for you? Is this something you do? Like, fucking around with girls and then just not talking to them until you want something from them again?”

“What?” he said, his voice going a bit high. “C’mon, Jules, that’s not fair.”

My eyes shot wide. “That’s not fair? I even tried to call you, Niall, and nothing.”

“I couldn’t talk, Jules, I-...fuck, listen,” he leaned closer, darting eyes with me as his voice dropped to almost a whisper. “I had to go away, okay, for work. I was in Northern Ireland. I couldn’t...I couldn’t just ring ya. I swear. I’m sorry.”

I rolled my tongue in my mouth, my eyes flicking away from him, not entirely sure I was buying his story. “So what...I’m just supposed to-…” I shook my head as my voice drifted off. “You couldn’t have told me you were going?”

“I’m sorry,” he repeated.

Catching his stare again, I narrowed my eyes. “And like where was Cash in all this?” I asked him, my concern valid as it seemed so odd that he would just leave like that. “What, do you just take him with you or leave him to fend for himself?”

“Hey!” he snipped, glancing around before locking his eyes back on mine, a heavy scowl on his face “Quiet yourself, yeah?”

I swallowed hard, my lips parting as he leaned even further over the bar, his stare boring into me. “I got me shit taken care of, okay, me son comes first. But I don’t like discussin’ him out here like this, ya got it?”

I silently nodded my head, knowing I had over stepped my boundaries. “Sorry,” I whispered to him under my breath, nervously dropping my stare. “I was just-...um…”

“I shoulda rang ya. You’re right,” he spoke up, his voice a bit louder this time. I flicked my eyes back up to his, his face softening a bit. “That was my bad and I swear it won’t happen again. I didn’t mean to make ya feel...ya know, sad or whatever.”

“I wasn’t sad,” I corrected him, “I was just...confused, I guess. I thought you...liked me...” I stuttered out, my voice going weak.

He stood up straight, his head tilting back with his jaw cocked to the side. “I do like ya, Jules,” he replied, raising his brow. “I told ya that. It‘s why I wanna take ya out.”

“And where do you plan on taking me?”

His lips rolled in slightly, the very tip of his pink tongue dipping out to lap at them before the corner of his mouth tugged up. “To a club.”

I breathed out a sarcastic smile. “I thought you didn’t go to clubs, Niall?”

“I don’t. Not much, anyway. Thought it’d be fun.”

Biting at my lip, I glanced around the room, my mind going a mile a minute as I tried to figure out if publicly going out somewhere with him was even a good idea. I mean, in my defense, our times together never seemed to end well at all. “C’mon, Jules,” he urged, leaning his chest against the edge of the bar, “promise ya a good time.”

I rolled my eyes at his comment and heard the rumble of a chuckle push from his throat. “Fine, whatever. I get off at 10.”

Slapping his palms to the bar, he startled me slightly and gave me a smile with a quirk his brow. “Sick! I’ll come round yours at half past to pick ya up.”

“My house?”

He let out a snort, his brows knitting. “Yeah. It’s what a gentleman does.”

My stare dropped as I fought off a smile. “Right, okay. I’ll be ready then.” Looking back up at him, he threw me a wink and pushed himself away from the bar with the flat of his hands. I watched as he turned and began to walk away, my eyes glancing down at the still full pint glass. “Niall! Your beer!” I called out to him, reaching over to grab at the glass.

Not even stopping, he quickly flicked his stare over his shoulder to me as he continued to walk towards the door. “Told ya I wasn’t here for a pint!” he called out, reaching for the handle of the pub door. “See ya later, Jules.”

And with that he was gone. I shook my head, the pint glass still clutched in my hand. I looked down at the brown foamy liquid, bringing it up to my nose to take a whiff. Scrunching up my face at the sick feeling that immediately swirled in my stomach, I set it down and let out a huff as I looked back up at the door. I honestly had zero will power around that boy and, holy fuck if that thought didn’t scare the living shit out of me.

“He’ll be here any second!” I yelled out to Tessa, scrambling to get out of my dirty work clothes. I tripped over the ends of my jeans as I yanked them off my legs while shuffling over to my closet, attempting to quickly pick out something at least somewhat decent to wear.

“He’s coming here? To pick you up?” Naomi shouted back at me from the living room.

I rolled my eyes, yanking an off the shoulder cotton slip dress off a hanger. “Yes!” Pulling it on over my head, I wiggled my hips as I tugged it down over my bum and scooped my hair out from the neck line. Stepping over in front of my mirror, I grabbed my hair brush from my dresser and began running it through my mess of hair. A few strands flicked in my face and I recoiled at the strong smell of smoke and alcohol that wafted from it. Ugh, I didn’t even have enough time to shower. Tossing my brush down, I whipped my head towards my open bedroom door when I heard a loud knock.

“Him?” I saw Tessa pop her head around and mouth to me.

I nodded my head, grabbing my perfume bottle and spritzing a bit on me. Scrunching my hair with my hands, I shrugged my shoulders at myself in the mirror before letting out a sigh and walking out of my bedroom, grabbing a pair of heels on my way. Leaning on my one hand that was gripped at my door frame, I bent over slightly to slip on my shoes just as Naomi opened the door for him, both girls’ eyes going wide as they stared at him. I chewed at my lip as I struggled to get the back strap of my shoe on and let out a giggle as Niall smiled at the girls, giving them a hello before stepping inside. He was just so full of charm, this one.

Catching his stare as I finally got the strap of my heel on, I watched a huge smile spread across his face, his brow raising as his eyes slowly trailed down the length of my body. “Look at you...” he commented, emphasising each word as he walked towards me.

Standing up straight, I nervously tucked some hair behind my ear, looking down at my toes right as he came up to me. “I look like shit,” I mumbled back to him, “and I smell. Didn’t even have time to take a shower...” Oh God, Jules, shut up, what are you doing? I tightened my lips to stop the word vomit.  

He let out a breathy chuckle, my eyes shakily dragging up his body to meet his stare. “You look fuckin’ incredible,” he whispered, my heart pounding loud in my chest. He slowly reached out to lightly brush some of my blonde hair off my shoulder with the backs of his fingers, his hand sliding to cup around my upper arm. My mouth parted slightly as he leaned in towards me, his other hand coming to rest at the small of my waist. Reaching out, I placed my open palm on his stomach, right above his belly button, my fingers curling slightly into the material of his shirt. I sucked in a breath as I felt his grip tighten slightly around my waist to hold me still and the tip of his nose brush right at the curve of my neck, his chest swelling against mine as he drew in a deep breath. My eyes fluttered lightly before I caught Tessa and Naomi watching us intently over his shoulder. I felt my cheeks begin to turn hot as both their mouths hung open. My eyes went wide at the soft press of his lips on my skin, letting them fall closed as he pushed his nose into my neck and dragged his hot mouth to the dip below my ear.

“Smell fuckin’ incredible too,” he breathed out, lifting his face to mine. Peering up at him, I gave him a shy smile, my skin breaking out in small goosebumps as the rough pad of his thumb ghosted along the exposed skin of my shoulder. “Ya ready to go?”

Staying quiet, I gingerly nodded my head, the butterflies going rampant in my lower tummy as he slid his hand down my arm to grab at my hand. I watched him bite at his bottom lip, his mouth turning down slightly as he gave me nod. Flicking my eyes to the girls, he turned and began walking towards my front door, pulling me behind him. They both held back their tiny giggles as he gave them a smirk. “Nice meetin’ ya girls,” he said to them as Naomi held the door open for us to leave, “Promise she’s in good hands.”

“I don’t fucking doubt it,” Tessa muttered under her breath, making me shoot her a glare over my shoulder. I shook my head at them as they both burst out in laughter at my reaction. Niall let out his own chuckle and I waved to the girls as they closed the door behind me. I was sure this was bound to be a fun night.

I had actually never been to a club before. It wasn’t really a thing where I was from and even so, I wasn’t technically old enough. Dublin was different. Way different. The bouncer must’ve known Niall, or maybe he paid his way in, I don’t know, either way we were let right inside, passing all the other people lined up outside waiting.

Almost pitch dark with strobes of colored lights and heavy with the smell of smoke and sweat, the loud music thumped up through the soles of my feet to my ears as Niall wasted no time, tossing down his lit cigarette and immediately sweeping me out to the middle of the dancefloor. I let out a tiny giggle as his big greedy hands wrapped around the small of my waist, his fingers brushing at my backside as he pulled my body into his. Smiling sweetly at him, the warmth pulsed through me as I raised my arms to sling over his shoulders.

We swayed heavily to the rapturous beat of the music, my blue eyes locking with his. I could barely make out the look on his face and I tipped my head to the side, letting the back of my fingers brush along his stubbled jaw. I just wanted to feel him. Biting at my lip, my heart began to race as his hips rocked slightly against mine, harder and harder as the beat of the music got deeper, the entire room pounding around us. I could feel his fingers curl into the soft material of my dress at the top of my bum as he leaned down, eagerly pushing his mouth to mine. His tongue slid into my mouth, my hands roughly raking up through the back of his hair as I let him suck wild at my tongue, our lips moving passionately together. I gasped in a breath as he broke the kiss, my eyes peeling open to catch his stare.

Resting his forehead to mine, the sweat was already binding our flushed skin as his sticky breath panted hot against my mouth. His large hands slipped up the plane of my back, gripping into my hair and I felt him roughly rut up against me, the thick of his bulge rubbing right at my pubic bone. I licked at my puffy lips, my eyes fluttering as I rolled my hips back into him, desperate to feel as much of him as I could. The heat sweltered thick between us, the sound of the music drowning out everything but the rapid beat of our hearts and the heavy pants of our breath. As if we were the only two people in the room. I could feel his chest pounding wild against mine, feel that intense commanding rush that vibrated between us. That delicious raw need for each other that pumped fervent through our veins.

Leaning back slightly, he untangled his fingers from my hair and reached behind his head, grabbing at my hands. Even in the almost pitch black of the club, I could see the smirk tug at his lips, his heavy lidded eyes darting across my face as he raised a brow. “Niall...” I spoke out, my voice a bit broken from the linger of the smoke in the air. Not saying a word, he twisted my hands in his, spinning me around so my backside was pressed right up against his front. My mouth dropped, a shallow whimper falling from my lips as I felt him thrust himself against my bum, the very definitive outline of his length rubbing so perfectly at me. I let my body relax into him, moving with him to the music, his strong arms wrapping around my front, big hands splayed wide at my lower stomach.

My head tipped back to his shoulder, my hands slowly gliding up the length of his forearms before lifting my arms up behind my head to grab around the back of his neck. I clawed at his clammy skin, combing my fingers through the sweaty hairs at the nape of his neck as his face dropped down to the side of my throat. My eyes squeezed shut and I bit at my lip, suppressing any moans that begged to escape as he began sucking wild at my tender flesh, his perfect teeth scraping along the curve before sinking slightly into the heated skin. “Fuck,” I breathed out, my chest rising high as his calloused fingers coiled into the fabric at the front of my dress, tugging at it and causing it to slip up my thighs a bit.

I was once more at this boy’s mercy. He could have undressed me, fucked me right here in the middle of the dance floor and I wouldn’t have cared one bit. The way he made me feel, the way he made my body react, it was like nothing I had ever experienced. And I never wanted it to end.

Turning my face towards him, I blew a heavy breath past my lips and nudged my nose at the side of his face, sweat smearing on the tip of it as he sloppily slid his hot tongue up over my jaw, his swollen pink lips finding mine. I gripped tight to the back of his unruly blond hair, straining to kiss him harder as we continued to move, grinding against each other. I could feel myself begin to get light headed, the blistering heat of the space around us, the intense proximity of other people, the smothering of his extremely hot body against my own was beginning to be too much. I felt the slight drag of one of his fingers dip down between my legs over my dress, the sensation causing me to gasp loud against his tongue, my knees buckling.

His arms tightened around me, holding me up as I turned my face from the heat of his. My chest heaved as I gulped in breaths, his mouth back to work at my neck. Whining lightly, I could feel myself soaking through the thin material of my panties and I dropped my hands from around his neck, quickly wrapping my fingers around his wrists and pulling his hands off my body.

I stepped away from him, his lips leaving my neck with a smack. “You all right?” he shouted out over the blare of the music, reaching out to gently touch at the back of my arm. I rested my face in my hands, taking steady breaths to calm myself before turning around to face him.

His brows were furrowed, his pink lips all shiny and puffy and parted slightly as he stared at me. “Yeah...yeah, I’m fine,” I spit out, running a hand through the front of my hair. “I, um...I just need to get a drink. Some water.”

He nodded his head, licking at his lips. “Okay, I’ll go ge–”

“No!” I said, reaching out to stop him as he began to step past me, “No...you got breakfast the other day, I can get the drinks.”

He let out a chuckle, the corner of his mouth turning down in a smirk. As I turned to walk away, I felt the grip of his fingers press around my elbow, my eyes shooting down at the touch before looking back at him as he playfully yanked me back towards him. My feet stumbled as the front of my body hit his in a thump, a short giggle puffing out past my lips as his big hands came up to cup around the sides of my face. I stared up at him, my heart swelling full in my chest as his thumbs ran across the round of my cheeks. His mouth smashed to mine, his lungs pulling my breath straight from my own as his tongue swept between my parted lips. I grabbed greedily at his sides, holding onto him as his nose pushed into my cheek, his shoulders raising as he kissed me even deeper.

Drawing in a shaken needy breath as he slipped his lips from mine, his hands stayed clasped to my face, his thumbs swiping away the beads of sweat that had formed by my hairline. Looking into his eyes, he cocked his jaw to the side before letting his hands drop. He grabbed at one of my hands that was resting at the side of his waist and I glanced down, watching as he pushed my palm down across the front of his body.

Shooting my eyes back to his, I swallowed hard as he used his thick fingers to cup my small hand around his bulge on the outside of his pants. He was hard as rock. “See what ya do to me, little one?” he whispered, breath beating hot against me as his face was mere inches from mine. Darting my eyes, my breath quickened in my chest as I felt the graze of his fingers of his other hand slip up under the bottom hem of my dress, slowly dragging up the front of my inner thigh. My eyes fluttered as he brushed the back of his knuckles across my covered heat, my body shivering slightly as I let out a shallow gasp. “You like that, don’t ya?” he breathed out, raspy voice rattling right through me. “Niall turn ya on? Makin’ ya nice and wet?”

I jut my tongue out across my parted lips, swallowing hard as I shakily nodded my head at him.

“Good,” he mumbled, removing his hand from under my dress. I stayed quiet, fixated solely on what I could see of his rugged face as I felt him move my hand from over the front of his pants, my fingers instinctively curling around the wad of money he had cleverly shoved in my open palm. “Better come right back to me then. I need ya.”

I watched the corner of his mouth turn up into a smug smirk, his head cocking back slightly as those insanely blue half lidded eyes focused on me. “I-...I will,” I squeaked out to him, my heart feeling as though it was going to burst through my chest at any second.

His bottom lip tucked in between his teeth and I blew a jumbled breath past my rounded lips as I turned on my heels to walk away. My head whipped back around to look at him as I felt the slight sting of a smack on my back side, my hair swinging into my face as my glare was met with a cocky wink. Shaking my head, I looked down at my feet, huge smile spreading on my face as I slipped through the crowds of people, stumbling slightly as I made my way over to the bar.

I ached, literally ached for him. My legs so wobbly under my own body weight, I wasn’t even sure I would make it back over to him with our drinks. This was insane. I didn’t know much about a lot of things, but fuck if I knew right then that I was completely and utterly done for. Gone for him. Entirely. I was screwed.

My hands reached out to steady myself as I finally stepped up to the black granite bar ledge, my head turning to peer down to catch the attention of a bartender. “Two waters please!” I called out to him with a smile, crumpling the money that Niall had given me in my clenched fist. My body jolted slightly as I felt the heavy press of two hands slide around my waist from behind, my eyes falling closed for a moment as I started to let my body fall into him.

Slipping away and moving to stand next to me, I tipped my head to the side, my eyes fluttering open to look over at him. “Jason?!” I screeched out, my stomach twisting into a tight knot with the mere mention of his name. My eyes darted fast over him, my mouth parted as I could feel my chest contracting, my lungs desperate for air as my skin began to grow hot. “What...what are you–”

“You wouldn’t fucking talk to me, Jul, so I thought I’d come for a visit.” I shook my head at him in disbelief, my eyes glued to his stern looking face. No, he cannot be here. This isn’t happening. This is some stupid nightmare, right? I flicked my eyes over to where I had left Niall, surprised to see him no longer standing there.

“I-I didn’t ask you to visit, Jason,” I snapped back at him, my attention trying to focus on him. I could barely keep my eyes on him, not because I couldn’t but because I didn’t want to. He made me sick, physically sick to my stomach. He was everything in my life that I was trying to get away from, everything that I didn’t want.

He slapped his one open hand to the bar, brows furrowing at me. “So? I needed to see you.”

I held my hands out to him, face pulled in as I shook my head. “How did you even find me?”

“Your parents told me where you lived and I went by your apartment, but you weren’t there. Your roommates said you were here,” he quipped, taking a quick look around. “What the fuck kind of place is this anyways? This isn’t you, Jules.”

I dropped my face into my hand, sucking in a breath. “Of course they told you,” I muttered under my breath to myself. Peering back up at him, I swallowed hard and reached out to push lightly at his arm. “You don’t know anything about me anymore, Jason. Y-you really gotta go, okay? You gotta go home.”

His face pulled back at my demands, a snarl curling on his lip. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he bellowed out, his voice booming. I let out a nervous sigh, gulping back the rising sick that I could feel churning in my stomach as I flicked my eyes around before peering down at the floor.

“Jason,” I said to him, my voice shaking in my throat, “we talked about this, okay? Before I left.  It’s just...just not going to work between us. I told you. I don’t want it anymore. I don’t want-...I’m moving on. I need...I need a different life.”

He let out a scoff, rolling his eyes. “Different life? Bullshit, Jul. What the fuck was wrong with your old one?”

I lifted my face to look up at him, my mouth parting slightly as I knitted my brows. “My old one wasn’t mine. It wasn’t the life that I wanted. It wasn’t what I chose for myself. It was yours and my parents.”

He let out an obnoxious chuckle, his hand reaching up to rub through the back of his dark hair. “That’s fucking stupid, Jules. Are you fucking high or something?”

“Knock it off, Jason.”

I watched his head tip back in a heavy sigh, his hands running frustratedly through his hair before he dropped them down to his sides. “Fucking hell, Jules. This is stupid. I fucking flew halfway across the world for you. Doesn’t that count for something?”

“I didn’t ask you to!” I shrieked out to him, my eyes going big.

Letting out a sigh, he reached out and bumped his hand at my upper arm. “Come on, let’s just get out of here.”

I narrowed my eyes at his total disregard for everything I had just said and shook my head. “No.”

“No?” he shot back, raising his brows.

“I’m staying here,” I declared, lifting my chin slightly.

“No,” he stated, voice going deep, “you’re coming with me.”

“No.”

My eyes shot down as I felt his hand roughly grab at my upper arm, fingers pressing deep into my skin. “Get your hands off me!” I screamed, my body leaning back and wriggling as I tried to fight off the strong pull of him. His fingers dug deeper into my skin the harder I fought him off, “You’re hurting me!”

He yanked me hard, my body stumbling up against him and I shakily raised my eyes to his, that old feeling of dread slowly creeping back and filling my entire body. He lowered his face to mine, and I winced as his breath pelted against my face. “Shut the fuck up,” he growled out to me, his grip getting stronger.

“Jason! Jason...stop!” I pleaded, my feet sliding against the slippery floor as he began to pull me after him, my other hand trying to peel his fingers from my arm.

“Ya better let her go, mate.”

My head whipped around as I heard the deep rumble of his voice ring out from behind me, octaves louder than the blare of the music. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as Jason and I froze, Niall’s blue eyes shooting to mine before locking back on Jason.

Jason’s grip on me loosened and I yanked my arm out from his grasp, rubbing generously at my sore skin. “And who the fuck are you, mate?” he mocked, standing up straight and crossing his massive arms over his chest. Niall dipped his head down in a chuckle, shaking his head lightly as he stepped up in between Jason and I, placing his hand at the front my hip and gently pushing me back behind him. I kept my eyes on both of them, my breath hitched high in my chest as I felt the sweat begin to form on my palms. Jason had a good six inches of height on Niall and probably thirty pounds, his body noticeably thicker and more built. But that didn’t seem faze Niall at all. “I’m Niall. Who the fuck are you?” he stated, ticking up his chin.

Jason let out a snort. “I’m her boyfriend,” he said back to him, nodding his head towards me. I flicked my eyes to Niall as he turned to look at me over his shoulder.

“He’s not my boyfriend,” I whispered to Niall before looking back over at Jason. “You’re not my boyfriend!”

Niall flicked his narrowed eyes over mine for a moment before turning back to look at Jason, his hands planted at his hips. “I suggest ya get the fuck outta here,” he told Jason, cocking his head towards the club’s entrance.

“I suggest you mind your damn business and get the fuck out of my way,” he roared back, stepping closer to Niall. I gasped in a low breath, instinctively reaching out to place my hand at Niall’s lower back. I could feel the muscles tense as he slipped his hand around to where mine was, grasping at my small fingers and giving them a tiny reassuring squeeze before letting go.

“Don’t want trouble, mate,” Niall said, not backing down, “But if ya fuckin’ put your hands on her again, ya might be walkin’ away with less teeth than ya already got.”

Jason pulled his face in. “Oh yeah, that right?”

I watched Niall’s jaw clench and cock to the side, his brows raising in response to him. My stomach began to twist as I watched Jason take another step closer to Niall, the front of their bodies practically touching as he leaned his face down towards him. “And what the fuck are you gonna do about it, you piece’a shit?”

Niall didn’t budge, his tongue swiping across his dry lips as he kept his stare on Jason. “C’mon, bro. Just fuckin' walk away, yeah?” he said, voice unchanged as he calmly tried to defuse the situation.

Jason shook his head, knitting his brows. “Fuck you, man. I’m staying right here." I shot my eyes up to Jason’s face, watching as he looked past Niall at me. “Fucking bitch. Always causing fucking trouble wherever you go,” he sneered out at me.

“Watch your fuckin’ mouth, mate,” Niall growled out to him, accent rough. I watched Jason turn his stare back at Niall.

“Listen, bro, I ain’t going no where without Jules. She's my girl, so you can just back the fuck off and leave us alone.”

Dipping his head down, I watched as Niall reached up to rub across his mouth with the back of his fingers. I could feel the tension between them growing by the second, my eyes flicking around us to the people stopping to gather and watch the altercation. I stepped up flush behind Niall, my hands resting at the sides of his back as I tucked my nose down to the back curve of his shoulder. “Let’s just go Niall, okay?” I whispered against his shirt. I felt him reach back around to me again, his big hand gripping around my waist to lightly push me back away from him.

My hands slipped from his body as I stepped back, my mouth hanging open as he looked back up at Jason. “She's not your girl. You’re not havin’ her and I’m not fuckin’ movin’,” he snarled.

Jason let out a low chuckle, his chest rising as he flexed his biceps that laid across his chest. “We’ll see about that. Ain’t no fucking small pricked Irish bastard gonna stop me.”

I gasped in a breath, the room seemingly spinning in slow motion as I saw Niall’s back raise in a deep scoff, the muscles shifting just as he raised a fist and threw a wicked right hook, his knuckles busting Jason square in the nose and upper lip. The whole room burst into gasps and cheers, a small scream slipping past my lips as the blood immediately began spurting from Jason’s nose, his large body hunched over and stumbling backwards as he reached up to dab his fingertips at the trail of blood that trickled down over his lips. I clumsily tried to step back as Jason threw his arm back and attempted to swing at Niall before I felt Niall’s hand reach back at me again, heftily pushing me safely out of the way just as he ducked Jason punch. Niall let out a deep grunt, leaning down and wrapping his arms around Jason’s middle, pushing him back with his full body weight making Jason’s back slam up against the edge of the bar.

I threw my hands to sides of my face, the tears already forming in my eyes as I watched them struggle and fight, heavy punches being thrown left and right. I gripped tight to my stomach, covering my mouth with my other hand to hold back the whimpers as I heard the crack of Jason’s fist hit Niall’s face. “Jason’s stop! Please!” I called out over and over, both of them paying me no mind as they fell to the floor, rolling around in a heap of punches and kicks and grunts. I shot my eyes around the room, people cheering and yelling.

Oh my God, what have I done? I couldn’t catch my breath, my chest heaving and my mind going wild as I squeezed my eyes shut, not being able to watch as Jason threw another punch at Niall. Please, please stop. I begged silently to myself, the room suddenly growing quiet except for the continued scuffle of the boys as I heard the shouts of two police officers, who just happened to be outside, push through the crowd.

My eyes shot open as I watched them struggle to pull the two boys apart, slowly stepping around and letting my watery eyes barely glimpse at the sight of Niall’s bloody cut up face. I screamed out, pushing my way closer to him, throwing my hands to my mouth in shock. He shook his shoulders, attempting to release himself of the police officer's grip as his darkened stare caught mine for just a moment. I could feel the hot tears seeping from my eyes as I watched him tussle with the officer, my name shouting out loud past his lips as he shoved his hand down into the front pocket of his jeans.

Knitting my brows as I watched him, he yanked out his car keys, the officers finally being able to detain him as his hands flew up in surrender just after tossing the keys in my direction. They hit the floor with a clang, sliding right up to my feet and I quickly bent down to pick them up, my chin trembling as I looked back up and watched Niall’s head hang down, the police officers quickly handcuffing both of them and escorting them outside through the crowds of people.

I peered down at the keys in my hand, my heart thumping loud in my chest as the large group of spectators began to disperse and I was once again left alone.