#tessa likes mostly neutral colors so i went with that

[cafesulsul]

decadent bakery, owned by pasty chef tessa fontes

[niallismymuse]

Chapter 6

When Leah arrived to move in her things, Tessa stayed out of her way until Leah decided it was going to take her forever by herself and asked for help. Then she gladly gave it, and even helped cart up an IKEA box that would one day serve as a bookshelf, once Leah got around to putting it together (that was how she put it, anyway).

Once she was moved in fully, which only took the one day, they put down some ground rules for each other: clean up after yourself in all areas of the apartment, do your share of cooking and cleaning, try not to be too crazy with the whole YouTuber thing (that was directed at Tessa, obviously) and if a significant other is coming over, alert the other person and try not to have sex too loud.

The last part had Tessa blushing, mostly because the only person she could currently imagine that scenario with was Niall, and, well, they weren’t even in a relationship. Not that she was against casual sex; she just wanted more with Niall.

So, Leah was moved in, but Tessa didn’t really see her for pretty much the entire next day because she had work. She did text and say it was a lot more of a convenient distance to drive to work now than from where she had previously lived.

Finally, the day of Hamilton came around, and Tessa had been so excited the night before that she had hardly slept. She kept picturing how Niall would dress, and how good he would look, and wondering if this was maybea date. Thinking about pretty much everything except the actual musical they would be attending kept her up until two in the morning. When she eventually fell asleep, she woke up the next day around eleven.

Tessa groaned when she checked the time and covered her face with her hands. The play didn’t start until eight; she was going to pick Niall up at seven, and then drive to the theater. There was so much time left in the day!

She started out slow to burn the minutes, and cooked chocolate chip pancakes and bacon. Leah had already left for work, so it was just her in the apartment. After eating, she cleaned up the dishes and glanced at the clock, only to see that it was only quarter to noon.

Tessa rolled her eyes at the clock and padded into her bathroom to shower. She decided it was going to be one of those long showers where she got everything shaved, exfoliated, and moisturized. Usually she only did this when she wanted to go out and have sex, but she had enough time, and who knows? Maybe this potential date would go a little further.

It’s not even a date, she chided herself as she scrubbed her entire body down. But her heart kept whispering that maybe Niall thought it was, and she was terrible at ignoring that foolish thing.

The showering process lasted close to two hours, which was good enough for Tessa. She toweled off and stood naked in her bathroom, blow drying her hair. Once it was dry, she curled it slightly, giving it a nice little wave rather than full on ringlets. She was awful with hair, so it took forever, and by the time it was done in a satisfactory way, it was three thirty.

That left plenty of time for her makeup, so Tessa made a quick sandwich to munch on before she started. They weren’t going to get dinner before the play, so she would have to eat something before she left, too. Luckily there was dinner leftover from last night.

Tessa started her makeup after brushing the crumbs off of her face. She decided on going for a more natural look; she wanted Niall to think about how beautiful she was, and this would only serve to remind him of that. She went full out product-wise though: primer, foundation, concealer, all the works. Her eyeshadow was a neutral shade, her eyeliner winged just slightly. Okay, it wasn’t that natural looking, but it wasn’t anything crazy either.

When that was all done and all she had left to do was her lips, she checked the time: nearly six, and she had to leave at six thirty. She made a quick trip to the fridge and ate her leftovers, and then hustled back to the counter. Tessa chose a nude colored lipstick, and once that was perfectly applied, all she had left to do was get dressed.

Her dress was a silverish-gray and knee-length. There was one shoulder strap, and the other side was left bare. The strap was detailed with some flowers, but besides that her dress was plain. It fit in snugly right beneath her bust, and then trailed outwards. It was beautiful. She had been waiting for just the right opportunity to wear it, and finally, the time had come.

Tessa slipped it on as carefully as she could and fumbled with the zipper for a few minutes before managing to tug it completely up. She stepped into some nude heels, and then took a look at herself in the mirror.

She smiled at her reflection. “Go get him, girl,” she told herself before sashaying out into the living room. A quick glance at the clock told her she was right on time, and she grabbed her wallet and keys before leaving the apartment behind.

Tessa clacked her way across the asphalt to her car and then climbed inside in a slightly awkward way, folding herself up to get in. Her car felt too short and she felt too tall to correctly maneuver, but she managed just fine. After buckling herself up, she plugged Niall’s address into her phone and set off for his home.

He lived in a wealthier area of LA, which made sense, considering his status. Tessa hit a bit of traffic on her drive, which stressed her out to the point where she was tapping tightly on the steering wheel, squeezing it beneath her fingers.

But she arrived on time, pulling to a stop outside of a gated home. She could see the top of the house set a little further back, and because she saw no other option, she shrugged to herself and drove closer, noticing a button on a little panel besides the gate. She pressed it, and for a few seconds nothing happened. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the gate silently swung inward. Tessa stared for a moment and then pulled inside – Niall probably had cameras set up around the perimeter, so he had most likely seen her approach.

She parked in the driveway and waited, looking around and taking it all in. The home was a bit of a modern-contemporary style, and huge – it was so much bigger than her apartment or even her childhood home that she honestly felt a little intimidated. Niall was fucking loaded.

Still, he didn’t come outside, and Tessa hesitated for a little longer in her car before shutting it off and clambering out of it. The front door was set up on a deck, so there were some stairs that led up to it. Everything was painted a beautiful white color, and she couldn’t help but stare in awe at it all in front of her.

Tessa shook her head quickly, trying to push the intimidated feeling out of her brain. This was Niall. Niall, who she had danced with at the cabin and nearly kissed. Niall, who drove her home when she was heartbroken from Jess’ words. Who she laughed with, who she liked so much. This was just Niall.

Taking a deep breath, she rang the doorbell and took a nervous step back. She fidgeted with the edge of her dress, listening for any movement inside. After a moment, she heard muffled footsteps on the other side of the door, and then it swung open, and she was face to face with Niall.

Her breath caught in her throat, and her heart fluttered hard in her chest.

Niall was dressed in a navy, checkered suit, with a white collared shirt beneath it. The suit fit snugly to his body, looking a little tight across his shoulders, emphasizing how broad they were. His jaw and chin were peppered with stubble. His hair was styled and pushed back, and Godhe looked good. Tessa could hardly believe that this gorgeous man was about to go see a musical with her.

Niall seemed equally dazed. Tessa held her breath as his eyes slowly trailed over every inch of her body, lighting her skin on fire. His lips parted, and he nervously cleared his throat before reaching back to scratch at his neck. He was fidgeting, just like her.

“You…ya look really good, Tess,” he finally murmured a tad shyly, and his words sent a deep flush to her cheeks and chest. “Beautiful, in fact.”

“T-thank you,” she stammered back. “You look really handsome.”

Niall grinned bashfully. “Oh, I just threw this together last minute, you know.” He teased, laughing quietly. “Oh! Why don’t ya come in for a second? I got somethin’ for ya.” He gestured for her to step inside, and so she did. Niall closed the door behind her, leaving them together in this small foyer.

He stepped around her and started walking down the hallway. Tessa, unsure about what exactly was going on, followed him, looking at anything and everything she could. The walls inside were also white, but there were picture frames on the walls and even some award plaques he had received, but no other decoration.

Realizing she had paused to read over a particular award, she scurried down to the end of the hallway, where Niall was waiting with a bemused smile on his face. “Hope I don’t intimidate you with all of my talent.”

Tessa rolled her eyes playfully. “Please. I will only remember you as the Irishman who forgot how to deal with his hangover.”

He placed a hand to his chest, feigning injury. “You’re a cruel woman, to remind me of that.” Niall chuckled and then spun on his heel, reaching for something she couldn’t quite see. When he turned back to face her, she gasped. He was clasping a bouquet of flowers – yellow roses, white lilies, and some other flowers she couldn’t name but that added splashes of blue and purple to the overall look. It was beautiful.

“I got you some flowers, Tess,” he said very seriously, albeit unnecessarily.

“I can see that.” She laughed quietly and stepped closer, uncertainty reaching to take them from him. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the fresh scent they provided. “They’re beautiful…thank you so much, Niall. Really, I should have been the one bringing you flowers, I think.”

They both laughed, and Tessa’s heart thumped harder in her chest. It’s a date, it’s a date, it’sadate, it’sadate. Why else would he have gotten her flowers?

Then she realized that she was driving them both to the theater, and that this whole thing didn’t quite make sense. “Wait, do you mind if I leave them here? I don’t want them to desiccate in the car or anything like that.”

Niall looked a bit puzzled and then laughed sheepishly when he realized. “Oh yeah, I guess I did this in a weird way, didn’t I? I didn’t even think about that.” He carefully took the bouquet back from her and then set them back in the vase he had taken them from. Some water had dribbled on the floor, but he didn’t seem to mind.

Tessa giggled quietly and shook her head. “I don’t mind. It was really sweet of you, Ni.” They smiled at each other for a beat too long, so she gestured back towards the front door. “Are you ready to go?”

“Absolutely! Let’s get this show on the road.” Niall cheered enthusiastically, and then folded her arm through the crook of his elbow and directed them both out of the house. It was all achingly adorable and sweet, so much so that Tessa felt like she could get a toothache from it. He even opened her car door for her, and she smiled at him before she sat down inside, scooting in so he could shut it.

Tessa turned the car on as Niall walked around to the passenger’s side, and then glanced over at him as he got inside. “You can choose the music.” She informed him, and he smiled and nodded his head as he pulled his phone out to choose a playlist.

They sang (read: Niall sang and she hummed) and talked as she drove to the theater. She laughed more times than she could count, especially when he began to sing in a fake falsetto. That nearly brought tears to her eyes.

See, there was nothing to be intimidated about, she scolded herself. She couldn’t even focus on that though – instead, she thought almost entirely about how he had bought her flowers. Guys only did that for dates, right? So, was this a date? She felt strongly that it was now, but Niall hadn’t said anything, so neither would she. More analysis would come later.

Tessa parked as close to the theater as she could manage. Maybe she should have contacted the venue and warned them that a popstar would be coming to watch the show; then, maybe, they could have had a private parking space and help getting inside. But Niall didn’t seem anxious as he unbuckled, and when she (gracefully) climbed out of her car, she saw that the area around them was empty, not a soul to be seen.

As quickly as they could, they made their way to the theater and inside. Tessa held on to the tickets, showing them to the usher once they were scanned. He gave them directions and she led the way to their seats, Niall trailing behind her.

Their seats were twelve rows back from the stage, and on a slight incline, so they could actually see the stage instead of looking up at it. Niall let her go into the row first, and then he followed so he sat on her right side.

“These are nice seats, Tess. You did good.” He sounded impressed, and she grinned to herself.

“Thanks! I’ve always been meaning to see this show.”

Jess loves it, she added silently to herself.

“Me too. Thank you again for bringing me.”

Tessa’s smile softened. “There’s no one else I would rather have with me,” she told him honestly.

Niall bit his lip, eyes darting with hers. “Me neither.”

She half-expected someone nearby to shout, ‘get a room!’ but no one did. The intensity in his eyes…wow, it had her feeling everything she had never felt before. She had never felt this strongly for anyone before, not any her past exes or crushes. This man…he would be the death of her.

It didn’t help that though there was plenty of room in their seats, their legs were touching lightly together. Tessa thought about shifting away, but she didn’t, finding it comfortable to have this contact instead. Her right leg brushed slightly against his left leg, and she could have sworn he smiled to himself because of it.

When the musical started, her mind split in two. One half was focused on the play, which she had spent quite a bit of money on, and the other half was focused on Niall. He was entranced by the lyrics, and she could see him calculating every beat and every rhyme, a wide grin tugging his lips up. She was enjoying it too, but she was almost enjoying watching Niall more.

When George III came on stage and sang his ridiculous song, Niall’s laughter pealed out amongst everyone else’s, including her own. She had always loved his laugh – it was such a nice sound, and she couldn’t help but laugh herself whenever she heard it. It was a deep, rich sound, and even the breathy cackles were delightful.

During the intermission, Tessa turned in her seat to face him, a wide smile on her face. “What are your thoughts?”

“This is fucking incredible.” Niall responded sincerely, slapping his hand down on his thigh. “I love it. The music and the lyrics…everything about it is genius. Lin-Manuel Miranda did incredible work with it.”

“And you’re learning some history, albeit some of it probably isn’t entirely factual,” Tessa pointed out, and Niall chuckled.

“That is a good thing. I’ve never known too much about early American history, but I do find it interesting. Especially when presented in musical form.”

He shifted slightly in his seat, which made his leg press more firmly against Tessa’s. She bit her lip, but the real issue was that when he set his hand down, most of his palm was on his leg and his fingers wound up on her lower thigh.

She could feel them tapping out a quiet rhythm, and when she focused on what it was more than the fact that his hand was partially on her thigh, she found herself giggling. “George’s song?”

Niall tipped back his head and cackled softly, before launching into quietly mocking it. “Da da da dat da, datda da da da ya da…” He danced as he sang it, even throwing his hands up into the air at one part.

Tessa was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, and her eyes were watering up from the force of it. “God, when you said you couldn’t dance, you really meant it.” She couldn’t help but tease him, and he belted out another laugh.

“I put on a song and dance for you, and you make fun of me for it. Jesus, woman. Most people alive would be thrilled.”

They were being totally ridiculous and obnoxious, but because most of the people surrounding them had gone to use the restroom during the intermission, no one seemed to mind.

The lights darkened and the show began again, but Niall once more set his hand down partially on her thigh. She smiled to herself in the dark, content with the warmth of his hand bleeding through her dress and the hope that it ballooned inside of her.

When the musical ended and the cast came out to bow, Tessa stood up with tears in her eyes and clapped so hard that the skin of her hands stung. She cheered with the rest of the thunderous crowd, Niall whooping along beside her. She cast her eyes toward him, only to see this huge, stupid smile on his face as he faced the cast. It made her stomach flutter and her toes curl up inside her heels – she was giddy, just from the sight of him looking so happy.

Once a few minutes of applause had passed, the cast went backstage, which meant she and Niall were free to leave. Loitering about while waiting for the theater to clear a little, she turned to face Niall. “What did you think?”

“It was so good. I get it now, what all the hype was about.” He grinned cheekily at her and tapped at the corner of his eye. “I see that your eyes are all watered up, Tess. Did ya cry?”

“No.” Tessa insisted stubbornly and tapped at the corner of her eyes, attempting to prevent her makeup from smudging. “He cheated on his wife, and I don’t cry for cheaters.”

Niall snickered quietly and affectionately drew her closer, slinging his arm around her waist. He leaned down, almost like he was going to press a kiss to her head – but then he didn’t, seemingly remembering himself and who and where they were. His grip on her slackened a little, but he didn’t let go, and a punch of disappointment struck her right in the gut.

Here was the hot-and-cold, then.

Eventually they were able to make their way up the aisle, and Niall released her and stepped back, following once more. Tessa ignored the bitter taste in her mouth and the feeling that something had significantly changed between them in so fast a time; she charged on, as she always did, and led the way back to her car.

Tessa situated herself in her car and prepared herself for the traffic she was about to get into. Niall, in the passenger seat, babbled on and on, back to his chatty self. She had a niggling feeling it was because they were in the safety of the car, and not in the public eye, but she felt hope again regarding them,nonetheless.

After all, he had bought her flowers, and put his hand deliberately on her leg. He wouldn’t do that if he didn’t like her…right?

Once again, she did her best to shake those thoughts out of her mind and tried to focus on what Niall was saying instead. He was listing his favorite songs the best he could considering he didn’t know the titles and barely the words. “Oh, I liked that one that came right after King George sang! Something about being a right-hand man or whatever.”

Tessa smiled to herself, eyes cast entirely on the road. “Why don’t you just admit that you like all of them?”

He huffed beside her. “Well, fine, I do. I think I’ll start listening to the soundtrack.”

She peered at him out of the corner of her eye. “You can put it on right now, if you wanted. Just grab my phone from my purse and find it on YouTube.”

“God, you’re brilliant.” Niall chuckled, leaning down in his seat to rummage about in her purse. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

Tessa didn’t answer, but she continued glancing over at him after giving him the passcode to her phone, watching as he typed for a little bit. That was a bit of a private thing she had just done – you don’t give your phone password to just anyone.

She switched her radio over to Bluetooth, and then the songs they had just heard played through her tinny car speakers. Niall immediately got into the groove, moving a bit in his seat: shimmying his shoulders, bouncing his knees, just moving to the music.

And he was a quick study, too. He could pick up the beats to the songs within seconds of listening to them, and he even was able to memorize a few of the choruses.

While an ad played before the next song started, Tessa cleared her throat. “You’re incredible.” She murmured over the sound of the Geico gecko, fingers dancing along the steering wheel.

The ad ended, but the song didn’t start. Confused, she glanced over at Niall for a second, just to see that he was already watching her. There was an odd intensity in his eyes, something that made her straighten up in her seat.

“So are you,” he replied quietly, the words filled with so much meaning that she didn’t know what to make of them at all.

Fittingly, Tessa pulled to a stop right outside of the gate to his home at that exact moment. Swallowing, she turned to face him, shifting in her seat. The seat belt pressed tightly to the skin of her neck, and with some frustration, she unclicked it and let it slide free. Niall chuckled, one corner of his lips pulling up at the edge. “That’s not safe, darlin’. Still got a bit of road to get down.”

That smirk nearly undid her; heat flashed through her entire body, shooting straight down to her core. If Niall hadn’t pressed a button his phone that caused the gate to swing open, she would have leapt across the seat and kissed him so hard, they both would have seen stars.

Instead, she faced forward again and drove into the driveway, parking close to the house. Niall unbuckled himself and glanced over at her. “Are you comin’ in?”

Tessa stuck her tongue out at him, ignoring the fact that she was blushing to hell. “You got me flowers, remember?”

Now Niall was the one blushing. “Oh, yeah. I guess you’ve gotta come inside to get those.”

She shook her head and giggled, before neatly stepping out of the car. Niall followed suit and together they walked up to the front door. It was almost comical seeing Niall do something as mundane as unlock his own front door with his key. Tessa told him as much, and he merely shrugged with a chuckle. “Locks are a guy’s best friend.”

She followed him inside, smiling to herself. Niall reached back and took her hand, leading her down the hallway they had been in only a few hours before. He reached into the fridge in his kitchen and grabbed the flower vase, setting it down on the counter. They were just as beautiful as ever, and she couldn’t help but smile so wide that her cheeks hurt when he handed them to her after drying the stalks off.

He bit down on his lip, eyes darting with hers. “I had a great time with you, Tess.”

Her smile grew even bigger. “Me too. I’m so glad you could come.”

Niall nodded bashfully. “It’s one of the best decisions I’ve made in recent time.”

They smiled at each other, and then Niall glanced away, his lips parting. When he looked back at her, he looked surer of something, more determined. “Tess, I’ve been thinkin’ a lot lately…and…I just…want you to know that I really like you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to say something, anything, but she was so shocked that nothing would come out.

“You’re passionate, you’re funny, and god you’re beautiful. I don’t know what I would do without you in my life.”

Tessa was literally about to die. She was going to spontaneously combust, and the last words she would ever hear were from Niall, her longtime crush, admitting that he liked her. Was she dreaming? Was this real life?

Dazed, she blinked a few times, noting how intently he was watching her every reaction. “Niall, I…I like you too. A lot. I never even hoped you would like me back.”

He gave her a knowing look. “Are ya sure?”

Tessa burst out laughing. “Well, no. There were a couple times I suspected, but I was never sure. You kept getting hot-and-cold with me.”

Niall flushed, reaching back to scratch at his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry…”

Tessa waved her hand quickly. “Don’t be. This fixes it.”

Niall smirked down at her, reaching up to cup her cheek. She leaned her face into his callused fingers, her heart beating faster and faster. This was happening.

“This will fix it for sure.”

He leaned down towards her, eyes closing. Tessa almost fainted, but she lifted her chin up slightly, ready to meet his lips with her own. She was going to knock his socks off with such an awesome kiss that he would never recover.

But the kiss never came.

Tessa opened her eyes slowly, confused as to what was going on. Niall’s hand slipped off of her cheek, and she blinked rapidly, trying to figure out what had happened.

Niall’s expression had changed. His eyes had clouded over, hiding the bright intensity that had been there only moments before. He stepped away from her, turning his face away from her. “Tessa…I can’t.”

Her heart shattered in her chest, the pieces falling somewhere around her stomach. “W-what?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, staring down at the wooden floor. “I can’t do this. I can’t…be with you. It’s just…not possible.”

Tessa’s hands tightened on the flowers, her nails cutting into the skin of the stems, cracking many of them. “Not possible? What the fuck, Niall?”

Finally, he looked directly at her. His expression was firm; his eyes were narrowed, and his lips were pressed tightly together. His mind was made up. “We aren’t possible.”

She could have cried right then and there, if not for her pride. Instead, Tessa did what she did best: she pushed all of her feelings aside and straightened up, pushing her chin out slightly, defiantly. “Well, thank you so much for leading me on, Niall.” Her voice was like ice – but it was barely holding back the churning emotions that were making it hard to breathe. “You can have these back.”

She dropped the bouquet on the floor, spun on her heels, and marched out of his house. Leaving Niall alone in the kitchen, with nothing but damaged flowers spread across his floor. Nothing but damage surrounding him.

Tessa didn’t start crying until she was almost home. It wasn’t a violent sobbing either, just tears streaking down her cheeks. When she parked her car in her space, she couldn’t find it within herself to get out quite yet. Instead, she leaned down and pressed her forehead to the steering wheel, closing her eyes and letting the tears continue to fall.

How had it all gone so wrong?

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