#lit rally uncharted territory

[commanderserwin]

BEEEEE do you remember me 🥺 I hope you are doing alright. A friendly reminder again that L love you -✨Joy anon

OF COURSE I REMEMBER U MY JOY ANON !!! YOURE A FAVORITE GUEST HERE ALREADY !!!! NOTHING BUT LOVE HERE 4 UUUUUUUU

[nialledfromfics]

just one more night

a niall oneshot

wc: 6343

pov: niall + 1st p. reader

warnings: contains smut. 

It felt like it had been forever since I had stood at his front door. Four weeks, five days and seventeen hours to be exact, but it certainly felt like a lifetime ago. I was juggling a cardboard box in my hands, one that was generously filled with a few of his things–some clothes, his grey paddy cap, a dark blue bomber jacket, a few records and a toothbrush–that had been left at my apartment as I tried my best to work up the courage to walk through that door. He was expecting me; we had briefly texted back and forth the previous night about finally exchanging our things, and he had told me to stop by after work the next day. And even though I had prepared myself for the exact moment as best I could, tossing and turning in my bed and going over a thousand scenarios in my head all night long, as I stood there, I became vastly aware that maybe I wasn’t so sure that I was ready to see him again. Maybe I wasn’t so sure that I would ever be ready to see him again. 

We had dated for nearly three years, going steady and strong and making it through situations that a normal couple wouldn’t even be able to fathom. The publicity of a successful debut album, endless promo, appearances and award shows, and an eight month long tour that had him traveling the world, day and night. So I was more than positive that if we could get through all of that, we could get through anything. I had never loved a man the way that I loved Niall, I had never before experienced the kind of love, passion and connection that we shared and it was never a question to me that we would end up spending the rest of our lives together. But just being together wasn’t enough for me, I wanted all of him. I wanted that commitment. We were both in our mid-twenties with good stable jobs and a love that I had thought was unbreakable, and all I wanted was to cement that bond that I knew we had. I wanted to settle in together, get married and start a family. Niall had told me that he wanted those things too, eventually, and that he would love to have kids, someday, but he just wasn’t ready for that yet. He told me that there were so many things he wanted to do first, dreams he wanted to accomplish and while I was happy to give him the time to do that, he wouldn’t give me a promise that he would be able make any of my dreams come true. And really that was all that I had wanted from him, just a promise that one day it would happen and that in the end, that was what we were working towards. 

So the decision to take some time apart was one met with a million tears and undeniable heartbreak, but it was amicable and understandable from both of us. He said that he loved me and he wanted me to have everything my heart desired and that I shouldn’t have to wait on him for it. I told him that I loved him and I wanted the best for him, even if that didn’t include marriage and kids, or me. Walking away from him was the hardest thing I had ever done. Up until the moment I was standing at his front door with a cardboard box of his things in my hands.  

My teeth clamped down onto my bottom lip and the sweat had started to pool on my palms, making my skin feel irritatingly clammy. Nerves shouldn’t have been something that I was riddled by, I knew this man, probably better than anyone else in the world, but maybe that was why I was so nervous. I knew him inside and out. I knew the way his voice went softer every time he said my name, I knew how his eyes lit up every time an Eagles song came on the radio. I knew the smell of his freshly washed skin and the scent of his favorite shampoo and how he loved to just cuddle up on the couch and watch TV after a long day in the studio. I knew the difference in his laughs when he thought something was truly funny or when he was just trying to be nice to someone he’d just met. I knew the way he held my hand just a fraction tighter when we walked out in public, or how he liked to steal kisses after I had taken the first few sips of my morning coffee. I knew how it felt to have him. To have his naked body hovered over mine, his heavy breaths panting in my ear and his fingers tangled in my hair. I knew how it felt to have his heart. I knew him better than I knew myself, yet I was more nervous than I had ever been. 

I swallowed hard at my realizations, struggling to balance the box on my forearm as I reached into the front pocket of my jeans and pulled out a little silver key. Peeking down at the cold metal in my hand, my eyes fluttered as I remembered the very night that he had given it to me, almost two years prior. A bittersweet memory. One that had sparked that bit of hope in my heart.

Shaking myself out of my silly daydream, I inserted the key into the lock and pushed the handle, letting his large front door swing open. I had barely poked my head in when the soothing sound of a piano being played from his living room gently wafted over my ears. A warmth coursed through me as I paused for a second to listen and not being able to see him from the front entrance, I carefully closed the door behind me and slipped the key back into my pocket. My heart was pounding in my chest as I took each step, as if it were fighting to drown out the sinfully melodic notes that were echoing out from the other room. His house had felt like my own house for years with the amount of time I had spent over there; helping to host parties, cozy date nights and lazy weekends in, the countless nights I had shared his bed, but as I walked through the open foyer, past the large alley kitchen towards his living room, I felt as if I didn’t know the place at all. As if it was all uncharted territory. 

I slowly crept around the corner, stopping right at the entrance of the expansive dimly lit room and my eyes danced along the decorated walls until they had fallen on exactly what I had been searching for. Niall. He was sitting at his grand piano, a pencil pinched between his lips and his brows wrinkled as he tapped away on the black and white keys before pausing to make notes on the papers propped up in front of him. He hadn’t noticed me, not for what seemed like hours as my stare drifted from the hunch of his broad shoulders under his white t-shirt down to the movement of his socked foot on the tiny brass pedal. I felt like I was floating on air as I quietly watched him, my nerves practically washing away with each note he played like the gentle tide of the morning’s sunrise. 

It wasn’t until he had stopped to take a long, and much needed, sip of his bottled water that I cleared my throat and spoke up. “Niall?” 

His clear blue eyes shot over to where I was leaning against the doorframe to the living room and he just stared at me for a moment, almost as if he was surprised to see me, before a tiny smile emerged over his lips. “Hiya, darlin’,” he softly remarked. 

A sigh escaped me at his tender greeting and I slowly walked over to him, setting the box down on the top of the piano. Keeping my gaze settled on the array of contents in front of me, I chewed the corner of my mouth and geared myself up for the awkwardness that would surely ensue. But it seemed like Niall was determined to rally against it. He had begun to play the notes on the piano again and I glanced over at him, noticing the deep concentration that was on his face as a few words started to flow past his lips and for that split second...it was like nothing had changed. It was as if we were back at the beginning, Niall working on new music and me intently listening to every note and lyric he had written while being his objectively, unbiased test audience. It felt good, familiar and, dare I think, perfect. At least for that single moment anyway.

“That’s beautiful,” I said as he stopped playing, “did you write that?” 

Niall nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, his eyes flicking down to the piano keys as he randomly ran his fingers across them, “kinda just came to me in a dream last night. Been workin’ on it all day.”

“I like it.” 

He looked back up at me. “Thanks. So, how’ve you been?” 

It was a question that I knew he would ask, yet one that I wasn’t sure how I would answer. Do I tell him that I laid awake almost every night thinking about him, missing him? That I sometimes wondered if I had made a mistake by leaving? Or do I pretend that everything was fine? I pulled in a deep breath and slid my gaze in front of me, staring out of the large curtained window that faced his back yard. I couldn’t pretend, not with him. “I mean, I’d say okay but…” my words softly drifted off as I peered back over at him. 

“But you’d be lyin’?” 

He knew me just as well as I knew him. Tucking my lips into my mouth, I quirked my brow in response. “Yeah.” 

Niall sighed lightly, tipping his head down to run his fingers through his messy brown hair. “I was nervous coming over here,” I went on, Niall meeting my gaze as I spoke, “bringing you your stuff, seeing you and everything.” 

“And now?” 

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully with a slight lift of my shoulder. “I feel like I’m questioning everything all over again. Which...is probably why I was nervous about coming over here in the first place.” 

His eyes, still that breathtaking ocean blue that drew me in that very first night we met, lingered over mine. “C’mere,” he said with a cock of his head, “I wanna show ya somethin’.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I raised my brows at him and he gave me a sweet little chuckle. “I ain’t gonna try nothin’, just...c’mere.” 

I faintly rolled my eyes and shuffled closer to him, standing next to where he sat on the piano bench. “This,” he started, waving his finger at the music paper in front of him, “is about you.”

“I hope it’s nothing shitty,” I scoffed under my breath.

A laugh burst past his lips. It had been so long since I had heard that sound. “The content’s not shitty, not so sure ‘bout the execution just yet.” 

“What is it about exactly?” I asked, curiosity taking hold as I looked over at him. 

His head tilted back slightly to gaze up at me and I watched as his chest swelled with a deep, readying breath. “It’s about how much I miss you,” he said, “and about how at times we make choices that we think are right, and maybe they are at the moment but...they just don’t feel right later on.” 

Turning myself around to face him with my bottom towards the piano keys, Niall dropped his chin and peered down at his lap, but I didn’t dare move my stare as I carefully listened. “Every time I hear your voice or see a picture of you on me phone or...even just think about you, I just...I can’t take it. I get really angry with meself.” 

“Why?” 

“ ‘Cause I let you go,” he said, glancing up at me. 

My head tipped to the side in a light sigh as I let my arms fall to my sides. “Niall, we both made that decision, it wasn’t just you.” 

“It was me, love,” he counteracted, “ ‘cause all I had to do was give you what you wanted.” 

“Yeah, at the expense of yourself!” I said with a furrowed brow. “Ni, I’m not gonna force you to do something you’re not ready for, just like you wouldn’t ever force me to do anything I wasn’t ready for. Besides, that’s not a reason to get married and have kids anyway. You have to want those things as much as me, and it’s okay that you don’t right now. I just want you to be happy.” 

“I was my happiest when I was with you.” 

My eyes ease closed as his words floated over my ears and I turned my head to the side, instinctually biting at my lower lip as I tried to settle all the emotions I could feel creeping up inside me. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. “I’m sorry,” he whispered and I slowly drifted my stare back to his. His chin was trembling slightly, his blue eyes heavy and glassy as they darted over mine. I faintly nodded. “I love you, I hope you know that,” he went on, lowering his head again. I glanced down to see him fiddling with his fingers in his lap. “I wish we could go back, I wish it was all different. I just want...I just want one more night with ya, love. If I could have one more night–”

My lips were on his in that second, kissing away the remnants of his lost sentence. I had no idea what had come over me, it was like a wildfire inside me that spark after spark had finally ignited and was nearly burning unstoppable. I had to kiss him, I needed to kiss him. With my small hands cradling around his bearded jaw, I bent over and pressed my lips to his, our mouths moving in conversant harmony as if we had never stopped kissing in the first place. He was warm, excruciatingly warm, and his sweet taste filled my mouth as my tongue greedily swept over his. 

Pulling back slightly, I softly brushed my lips along his. “I love you, too,” I breathed out, “and I miss you, Ni, every second I miss you.” 

My mouth was back on his, kissing him, before he could utter another sound, my fingers curling around the sides of his face as I held him right where I wanted him. His heart was racing as my lips kissed over his chin to his neck, his pulse thrashing against my palm as I slid my hand down the front of his chest. I sucked along his throat, nipping the sweet sticky skin and Niall slowly tipped his head back. 

“Babe…” I heard him whisper, his fingers twisting into the back of my hair, “babe…” I giggled slightly, licking over his jaw and he lowered his chin so our lips could meet once more.

“Baby…”

“Shut up,” I gently scolded between kisses.

Niall huffed out an amused chuckle. “What?”

Inching back, I darted my eyes with his. “Just shut up and kiss me.” 

With a half grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, Niall narrowed his stare slightly before pushing himself up from the piano bench. My eyes followed his; the black of our pupils drowning in each other, holding captive and quiet as Niall wrapped his big hands around my waist and yanked my body towards him. My bottom slid across the piano keys, a roughened crescendo ringing out into the stark silence of the large room and he leaned in to kiss me again, but was stopped by the press of my fingertip to his lips. 

“Wait…” I said, swallowing hard, “who’s here?” 

Niall shook his head. “No one,” he replied with a boyish smirk, “just us.” Nibbling at my bottom lip, my stare swam over his face for a moment before I grabbed around the back of his neck and roughly pushed my mouth to his. His large hands squeezed around my middle, the pads of his fingers digging deep into my waist before his touch traveled up my sides, pausing to cradled around my face. He kissed me harder, deliciously sweeping his tongue over mine as my eyes pinched shut and low eager hums pulsed from my throat. My chest felt tight as I struggled to catch my breath, my heart racing like a prized horse coming up on his last lap and I tipped my head back as his hot mouth dropped to my neck. 

He was ravenous, his lips curling around my tender skin and sucking across every inch that he could reach. A few groans emerged from his parted mouth, his heated breaths panting over my dampened flesh and before I knew it, I was yanking at the sides of his t-shirt, pulling it right over his head. My eyes flew open, fluttering as they tried to focus on him. His brown hair was a mess, disheveled and soft, and my stare slowly slid downwards to watch the heavy rise of his bare chest as he flung his t-shirt to the floor. His skin was flushed pink, and I licked across my lips as my trembling hands just barely ghosted down the front of his body. 

I swallowed hard as I glanced back up to his face, noticing the cheeky smirk that was once again pulling on the corner of his mouth. It made an unmistakable heat start to waver between my legs; one that I had felt so many times, one that I had missed so badly. Niall slowly reached out and hooked his fingertips under the hem of my top and without saying a word, yanked the thin material over my head. His mouth was back on mine, sucking at my tongue and nipping at my lips as my bra was clumsily removed and thrown across the room. We both started to fumble with pulling off each other’s pants, his cotton shorts falling to a heap around his ankles as I wiggled out of my jeans and kicked them onto the floor. A shaky giggle spilled out of me against his lips as Niall grabbed at my panties and expertly slid them down my legs.

He cupped his big palms around my jaw and kissed me even harder, my hands dragging over the soft sides of his waist. Tucking my thumbs into the waistband of his boxers, I began to shimmy them down his thighs and Niall pulled back slightly. “You sure?” he asked. 

My brows furrowed a bit, only because I was already full naked and it was only then that he had stopped me to ask if this was something I wanted, but I just smiled. “I want you inside me,” I whispered with a nod of my head. 

“God, I fuckin’ missed you.” 

His lips pressed to mine and he gripped tight around my waist, lifting me up to set my bottom down on the keys of the piano. I chuckled lightly, amused by his eagerness as he quickly pushed his boxers all the way off, but was stunned quiet by the sight of him. He was so swollen for me, so swollen that the skin was a fiery bright red and his tip throbbing, and all I could do was choke back a breath and ready myself for what was about to happen. I slowly met his gaze again and he brought two of his fingers up to his mouth, licking across the pads before he slipped his hand down between my legs. My lips fell to a part as he gently rubbed over my entrance, spreading my wetness across my aching center. 

An audible moan slid past my lips and Niall smiled at my candor and lightly twisted his fist into the ends of my hair. Taking the time to line his tip at my opening, he captured my waiting mouth with his and slowly pushed himself all the way inside me. My eyes rolled back as he filled me, the heated skin of his hips burning my inner thighs as my swollen walls pulsated around his thickness. I missed feeling him inside me. I missed feeling the weight of him, feeling his warmth against me, his touch on my skin and I moved my hands to cup around his neck, holding his sweaty body flush to mine. I kissed him harder, his slim hips rocking as he thrust into me and he slid a hand down, hooking his fingers under my knee to lift my leg up higher against the side of his body.

Slipping his mouth from mine, my arms wrapped fully over his broad shoulders as he buried his face down into my neck. His hips rocked even faster, Niall working me with everything he had and I pinched my eyes shut, whimpering at the intense feeling. 

He nuzzled his nose below my ear, his stubble tickling me and the heat from his breath dampening my skin. “Fuck, love,” he panted, his big palm tracing down my spine, “you feel so good…” 

I lightly gasped at his words and my arms squeezed tighter around him, desperate to keep him close, to keep that feeling of being with him, of him being inside me, for as long as I could. I didn’t want it to end, I didn’t want to lose it again. I didn’t want to lose him again. 

Tucking my face down against the crook his shoulder, I inhaled deeply. His familiar scent swarmed my senses just as he slowed his hips to bury his length as far into me as he could. My head tossed back in an echoing moan of his name at the body-numbing sensation, as Niall caught the front of my exposed neck between his lips. “Need t’ fuckin’ taste ya,” he mumbled as his hot tongue slinked over my throat, “missed your sweet little cunt...” 

“Oh God, yes,” I spit out, splashes of how fucking good that man was with his mouth ran rampant over my naked body and I shivered in his arms as he slowly withdrew from between my legs. 

Niall carefully helped me off of the piano, our hearts beating a thousand times a second as he tangled his fingers in mine and lead us towards the other side of his living room. Yanking me forward to stand in front of him, he raked his fingers through my messy hair and kissed me again, slowly lowering me onto the massive couch. I let a faint giggle escape when my naked body hit the soft cushions, and it stifled just past my parted lips before my eyes squeezed shut and my back involuntarily arched from the slight burn of his bearded jaw rubbing down my inner thighs. He wasted no time burying his face between my spread legs, his mouth, hot and eager, lapping and sucking at my folds. 

I choked on my breath and reached down with both hands to tangle my fingers into the soft strands of his dark hair as low, satisfying moans gushed from my bared throat. Tipping my head back further into the couch, I could barely wrap my mind around everything that was happening, all that he was making he feel, all that it meant, as Niall continued to ravaged me; sucking over my sensitive clit and flicking his tongue along my dripping center. His big palms pressed hard into the tops of my thighs, holding me as still as he could and I knew his darkened eyes were glued up at my face. I could feel the heat of his stare blistering into my flesh but I couldn’t do anything but pinch my eyes tighter and try to stave off my already impending orgasm. 

Tiny, rapacious whines were coming from Niall as his tongue explored, the kind I remembered every time he had his mouth on me. The kind that let me know just how much he loved tasting me, how ravenous he was for me, how much he wanted it. The kind that set my insides ablaze and made me want to explode with each pass of his skilled wet tongue. By then my trembling body had taken over; rocking against his mouth as he sucked, my thighs shaking around the warm sides of his face and my toes curling into the material of the cushions. But Niall didn’t let up. His insatiable mouth went harder, moving up and down my quivering center and his tongue playing greedy at my entrance. With a frenzied spark shooting in my lower tummy at the feeling, I had barely let out another long winded moan before I felt his mouth slip from my heat and his body slowly start to slide up the length of mine. 

Niall pressed tender kisses all the way up my bare frame, pausing to show special attention to a few of his favorite spots and my eyes finally shot open just as his face came flush to my own. He nestled his thick body back between my legs and within a second his lips were pressed to mine and his cock was once again buried inside me. I cried out into his mouth, his slim hips lazily rolling against mine as he began to fuck into me once more. Wrapping my hands around his sticky neck, I kissed him harder as he worked above me, our sweat-coated bodies melding together as we nearly drowned in each other’s ragged breaths. My warm center pulsed around him as he very slowly pushed himself in and out, our lips barely losing contact as Niall gently rested his forehead to mine. I felt his hands cradle around my head, and my eyelids eased open, catching his stare. 

With my breaths stumbling in my lungs, my eyes drifted over his, and I twisted my fingers up into his dark hair as his trembling body came to a lull on top of me. A shiver flowed down my drenched frame as the stark quiet of the room, apart from our frantic gasps of air, pierced over my ears and all I could do was dreamily gaze up at him and try not to get lost all over again. 

His racing heart was knocking against my chest, so much so that it scared me, and my eyes fluttered as Niall softly brushed his thumb along my temple. “I love you,” he whispered, the tip of his nose drifting along the side of mine, “I love you so fuckin’ much.” 

I swallowed hard, the well of tears begging to fill the brims of my eyes as his words tumbled around in my head. My watery stare darted silently over his, yearning to make that moment last forever before a soft smile adorned my lips. “I love you, too,” I breathed out, pulling him down to meet my mouth in a kiss, “so much.” 

Our gaze met yet again as he leaned up on his elbows, his body starting to move a bit more fervently against mine. “Sit up,” I abruptly spit out, reaching up to softly comb away a wisp of fallen hair from his forehead, “please...I wanna fuck you.” 

Niall paused his thrusts, his eyes darting over mine for a moment before he hung his head down in an amused chuckle. But he knew I meant business when he felt me reach down with both hands to grope at his fleshy little backside. A smirk edged over his mouth and I pushed my hips up into his as hard as I could, just to coax him a bit more. I knew what I wanted and Niall was in no position to argue and as he caught my stare, he licked at his lips and slipped an arm under the arch of my lower back. Twisting us both over with ease, Niall sat up and plopped his bare bottom on the cushion with his feet planted flat on the floor as I straddled him. Pushing his hardened length back inside me as he had accidentally slipped out, he let his head fall to rest on the back of the couch in a low groan as I began to grind against him. 

With my hands planted on his chest, my fingers roughly curled into the damp dark hairs that splattered across as he gripped tight around my waist, helping to guide my body along his. I bit my bottom lip as I rode him, watching with avid satisfaction as his eyes rolled back and his pink flushed face scrunched up from the feeling, my hips rocking faster and letting him bury as far into me as he would go. He was throbbing inside me, the overly-swollen tip of his cock pushing right against my special little spot with every tiny trust he was providing as our bodies worked beautifully together. Harder, faster. Deeper. Our frantic gasps and heavy moans edged past our slackend lips as we moved, fucking our way to that mind-numbingly intense high that only we knew together, that we had both missed so much. I was shaking, quivering, aching to come; my toes vehemently curling aside his legs and a fevered flush spreading wickedly over my exposed body and I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around Niall as I tucked my face down into his neck. 

My eyes fluttered closed in a breathless whimper as I felt myself start to give way to him, his warm touch traveling up the span of my rounded back and holding me against him as he took complete control and fucked up into me. I could tell by his breaths, by the way his body jerked, and how his fingertips bled into my flesh that he was close and I wanted nothing more than to come with him. Attaching my lips to the side of his throat, I sucked ever so gently, but enough to entice that perfect little whine from him that I loved so much before I felt Niall tuck his face right against mine. He held me tight, so tight that I almost couldn’t breathe. 

“Come for me, love,” he choked out, my body nearly on the verge of collapse as I struggled to keep fucking him as deep as I could, “...baby…please...” 

A cry belted out from my lips and plastered to the sticky mottled skin of his neck and I tangled my fingers into his hair, the heat of my release swarming from my core as it started to recklessly consume my entire body. His name slipped sweetly off my tongue as I finally let go, trembling uncontrollably within the hold of his strong arms. My thighs clamped around his hips, and it was in that moment that I felt Niall go rigid inside me, pushing up into me only a few more times before the tightening pulse of my swollen center quickly brought him over that needed edge. 

I had never heard him come so loud before. Guttural, deep breathy moans, ones that stick heavy in the back of your throat and leave a sweet taste on your tongue, slid deliciously over my ear as he filled me and nuzzled the side of his face into my hair. His hips slowed to a stop, and we just stayed frozen in our blissful intoxication of each other for what seemed like forever. I didn’t want to move, for fear of what would happen, that it would all be over, almost forgotten, if I did. But Niall held me as tight as he had before, his fidgety fingers twirling in the ends of my hair as his mouth kissed sweetly along my jaw. 

Finally forcing myself to pull away from him, a long sigh slipped past my parted lips as I tossed myself over onto my back next to him, my legs still dangling over his thighs. Niall laughed under his breath and wiped away the sweat of his brow with the back of his hand as I eased my eyes closed in a more than contented smile. Not a word was exchanged–just quiet acknowledgment over what had just happened–as we both took the time to catch our breaths and sort our thoughts. At some point, Niall had turned his head to look over at me, his gorgeous baby blues swimming over the slopes and valleys of my glistening naked body, but I was none the wiser to this fact. 

I shakily reached up to brush through the front of my hair, wiping the strands from my sweaty face when I felt the delicate touch of Niall’s fingertip swirl around my belly button. It tickled and I giggled lightly under my breath as he continued to play, tracing a line up my stomach to my chest. Pressing his hand flat against my flushed skin, he slowly pushed his palm between the slopes of my breasts. It was the soft warmth of his mouth around my nipple that made me gasp and peel my eyes open, catching Niall just as he had leaned down to tenderly kiss over the peak of my breast. 

He had a dopey, pleased grin on his face as he picked his head back up, my eyes locked in on his. “You’re beautiful, ya know that? And I’m not just sayin’ that just ‘cause you’re layin’ here naked on the couch with me,” he chuckled, “you’re just...beautiful.” 

I gave him a sheepish smile. “And you’re beyond sweet to me,” I mumbled, reaching over to gently run the back of my finger down his still flushed cheek. 

“I wasn’t lyin’ ‘bout what I said to you,” he admitted, grabbing my hand in his as my touch left the dip of his chin. He peeked down to watch as he started to play with my fingertips. “I meant it. Every word. I love you...I never stopped lovin’ you. We never should’ve been apart.” 

My heart was nearly bursting in my chest and it felt in that moment as if we had never been apart at all. It felt like it was all supposed to feel. But it also felt different, as if something had changed. Something for the better. “I never stopped loving you either, Ni. Not one second did I stop loving you. And through everything we’ve gone through...I know you’re the only person I’m ever gonna love.” 

A stillness filled the space between us and Niall leaned himself down to cuddle into me, planting his cheek against my chest. I lightly ran my hand through the side of his thick brown hair, wrapping the ends around my fingertips and his heavy lidded eyes fluttered softly with my touch. It was definitely times like those that I had missed so much. 

“Stay the night with me.”

My brows furrowed. “You...still want me to stay?” 

Niall lifted his head to look at me. “ ‘course, darlin’, but...only if ya want to.” 

I bit off the smile that pulled at my lips before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Happy with that response from me, Niall pushed himself up from the couch, taking the time to ease my legs back down on the cushions. He grabbed a nearby chenille blanket that was folded up on the other side of the sofa and tossed it over my exposed frame, and sauntered back towards the piano. My stare was glued to him as I slumped down into the couch and quietly chewed at the edge of my fingernail, diligently following every movement his naked body made. I had only dreamed that I would ever see him like that again, and it made a warmth knot up in my stomach. He stopped just by the piano bench to snatch his shorts from the floor, tugging them back on and earning a low whine of displeasure from me as the material flipped over to cover the round of his gorgeous ass. 

Niall chuckled upon hearing my grumble of annoyance and he turned to glance over at me, running his hand up through his slightly dampened hair. Just as he went to look up, his bright blue eyes caught the glint of something on his hardwood floor and my brows wrinkled in curiosity as he bent over to pick it up. It was his house key. The one that I had stuffed back in my jeans pocket. 

Flicking his brow, he held it up to me. My bottom lip tucked into my mouth and I hugged the blanket closer to my chest. “I was gonna give it back to you...” I tried to explain. 

“Well, don’t,” he said, chucking the key over to me. I watched it bounce across my thigh before peeking back up at him. “I want ya to keep it.” 

My expression softened at his words and I giggled, picking up the tiny piece of metal to twirl between my fingers. “So...just one more night, huh, Niall?” 

Rolling his head to the side in a snort, Niall walked over to me and leaned down, both his big hands planted on either side of my upper body. He was so close, I could still smell the sex on him. It made me ache for him all over again. “It’s never just one more night with you and me, baby,” he confidently said, planting a small kiss on my lips. “It’s forever. And we’re gonna make it work this time, I promise.”