Love Don't Live Here Anymore

Sam was nervously playing with the napkin while Niall watched her amused. She had met all of One Direction like it was no big deal but meeting his family was causing her to have a major meltdown. He was enjoying this side of her she was always so sure of herself.

"Are you nervous?"

She looked at him her face twisting into one of annoyance. "No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure."

"Good they're walking over now."

Sam was so shocked by his words that her hand hit the table hard enough to send her fork to the ground. "Shite."

"Hello." Maura Gallagher's first impression of Sam was only positive.

"Hi." Sam could feel her cheeks turning a deep red. "I'm Sam it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Maura and this is my husband Chris."

Niall stood to hug his mother and stepdad before taking his spot next to Sam. She was still nervously folding her napkin.

"Where's Olly? We were hoping to meet them."

"I told you." Niall teased smiling fondly at Sam. "He's with her flatmate."

Maura had come to the dinner with an open mind wanting nothing more then to like Sam. Niall brought a girl to meet her in a long time so she knew there had to be something special about her. Maura wasn't in a place to tell her son who he should spend his spare time with. As long as he was happy she was there to support him.

"I really do hope to meet Olly sometime."

"We can make that happen before you leave." Sam liked Maura and knew it wouldn't hurt to have Olly meet her. She was accepting of that part of Sam's life.

She was used to being looked down on for being so young with a son but Maura didn't make her feel that way. Like Niall she was welcoming of both Sam and Olly.

The rest of their dinner went well. Sam was able to relax a little even enjoying herself as they all talked. There were promises made to meet for lunch the next day with Olly this time. Maura and Chris left in a taxi going back to their hotel for the night. Niall took Sam's hand as they walked to his car.

"Thank you for coming tonight."

"I had fun." Sam smiled at him scrunching her nose slightly to get a laugh out of him. "Your mum is sweet."

"Yeah she is."

"Do you think she'll like Olly?" Sam was worried that Maura didn't mind the idea of Olly, but actually meeting him and seeing him with Niall and Sam could change her mind.

"Of course she will. He's a charming kid, anyone would love him." Niall grinned. "Besides she'll probably bring him a toy and you know how is when someone gives him a new toy."

He was right Olly always warmed up to people faster when they brought him gifts. "He is big on presents."

Niall had bought Olly a tiger stuffed animal on their first meeting; not that Olly needed much convincing to like Niall. He had grabbed his hand instead of Sam's when they entered the zoo that day. He cared more about having Niall's attention over everyone else. It was love at first sight for both them like they were missing a price of themselves before they found each other. Olly gained a father and Niall had a best friend and partner in crime in the toddler.



I was packing a bag for Olly for a surprise trip to Brighton to see my parents when Niall called. It had been awhile since we had had time to see them and Jase hadn't been back in months. Olly loved the beach as much as he loved the Zoo. It didn't hurt that my mum let him have any sweets he wanted while he was there.

"Hey."

"Hi." His words were low and slow a contrast from his usual a million words per minute way of talking. There was background noise around him that I had grown used to the constant chatter of the group that was always with him. "I'm drunk."

"You sound it." I laughed which cause him to laugh. "What time is it there?"

"Dunno." Niall then decided to yell without moving the phone away from his mouth. "Oi! What time is it?"

There was a moment of silence as someone answered his question. "Half three."

"In the morning?"

"Yeah." He laughed again. "You should see what I look like right now."

I had actually seen him and if he wasn't so drunk he would have remembered the picture he had sent me. They were having a Halloween party a few days late and Niall dressed up like a member from Kiss, chest hair out for the world to see. Nonetheless I played along. "Oh? What do you look like?"

"A proper rock star. I reckon you'd love me even more."

"Not possible."

He sighed then. "What're you up to?"

"Packing for Brighton."

"How long are you going to be gone for?"

"Just the weekend." Olly had nursery Monday making our trip short. "And you'll be home Monday, yeah?"

"That's what they tell me."

He had already been gone a week and Olly had been doing alright without him. With only one night of trouble when he couldn't sleep wanting Niall to sing to him. When we started dating I never thought of how often he would be gone or how that would effect Olly, but Olly did alright with just phone calls and skype dates.

"I miss you." He didn't sound drunk now just tired. "I miss how things used to be."

"How things used to be?"

"Ya know, before the tour. When you still loved me."

"I love you now Niall." Niall had never been one of those reveal all of his secrets types when he drank. He could handle his liquor to an extent as long as he didn't severely over do it I never worried about him.

"Everything is just so weird between us." He continued sounding sadder the longer he spoke. "You don't even like having sex with me anymore."

I wasn't sure this was a conversation to have when I knew there were people around to hear it. "Niall, we can talk about this when you get home."

"I just wish I could've stopped her, ya know. Then she would still be here and you and I would be just fine."

"I don't want to talk about this." Niall was oblivious to my feelings when it came to Lena. We had started out as friends, Lena and I, but as time went on I saw what their relationship had developed into.

"You won't even live with me! Wouldn't that make things easier? We could buy a bigger place so that Jase had a room and everything." He didn't get to continue with his plans for if we lived together. The line was filled with a loud rustling before another voice came through. "He's really drunk."

"I know Harry, but that doesn't change how he feels."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." I sighed. "He's the one that's in love with her."

"That's not true."

"I have stuff to do. Tell Niall goodbye for me, yeah?" I wasn't in the mood to talk about any of this. I was never in the mood honestly. "Bye Harry."

"Bye Sammy."

When Niall had asked me to move in I was ready to say yes. I wanted nothing more then to be a real family with him. I knew it would be easier on Olly if we were all in one place, but I couldn't do it. Instead of saying yes I said no.

Putting the last piece of clothing into the duffle I zipped it up. It was a strain on the old zipper but it still closed tight. I picked it up hoisting it out of my room to the front door where Olly and Jase had set their bags. Of course Olly had two; one small one with clothes and another bigger one filled with toys he couldn't possibly leave behind for two days. Jase had let him pack of course which was why there was such a contrast between bags. Normally it was just the opposite his small spider man bag would be the you bag while the actual suitcase had clothes.

"You boys ready?" I turned to look them lounging on the couch. Olly looked tired after a long day at nursery.

"C'mon kiddo." Jase ruffled the hair on top of Olly's head.

Olly walked to me his arms instantly rising up. "Me tired."

I sighed deciding not to get into it about using proper sentences. "I thought you were too big to be held."

"No." Olly shook his head quickly.

I picked him up even though he was starting to be too heavy.

"I'll get the bags." Jase was quick to open the door for me before taking our bags.



My mum's house was in its usual chaotic mess. She could hardly be bothered to clean up regularly only choosing to do so when it was unlivable. "You should have called. I don't like being dropped in on like this."

"Hello, mum. How are you?" Olly ran past me instantly going for the few toys my mum had here for him. "Our drive was just fine thanks for asking."

"Hello Jase." My mum was good at ignoring me. "You can take those to Samantha's room."

Jase obediently took mine and Olly's things to my room. "Wanted to surprise you."

"Well I'm surprised so you've got your wish."

Jase left shortly after he still had to go to see his family. I hadn't put much thought into having to be alone with my mum for a whole weekend it had been some time since we had to live under the same roof.

"Have you talked to George?" My mum took a long sip from her drink while she waited for me to answer. She spent a good amount of time drinking during the day. We had luckily come in before she was too drunk.

"No, not recently." My older brother George and his wife had moved to Chicago the year Olly was born and we hadn't seen him again since. He called pretty often not wanting to completely leave us behind.

"They will be here for Christmas." Mum looked at me for a moment. "I expect you to be here. They're bringing the twins."

"Where else would I be?"

"Running around God knows where with that boy."

My mum had some strong feelings about Niall. Most days I just ignored her. "I'll be here."

"How are things going with that?" She refused to call it a relationship, even refused to use Niall's name. "I assume you're still with him."

"Yeah I am." I shrugged. Giving my mum less information was for the best. "We're fine."

Olly was entertaining himself with a couple of action figures. While my mum thought up her next response I watched him. Sitting next to him was his stuffed tiger it had become a part of him in the last year.

"Is Olly still hanging on to him?"

"Yes. They're pretty inseparable."

My mum made a noise as if she thought the very idea of Olly and Niall being that close was impossible to her. "Do you think that's good for Olly?"

"I do." After a year it felt pointless to take Olly away from Niall. "Niall loves him a lot."

"What happens when he leaves?"

"They don't all leave."

My mum had a theory that men could only stay in a relationship for so long before they left. There isn't a set number of days but weather it's three months, three years, or thirty they will eventually leave. This theory could also be to blame for her lack of a love life.

"He'll leave." My mum was certain of this. She had been telling me since I had first told her I was seeing someone that it would end with him leaving. She had warned me not let Olly get attached but it was inevitable that he would. "He's not the type to settle down this young."

"You don't know him."

"I don't need to know him, Samantha, I know what it's like."

"You left dad. He would have tried to make things work."

"I don't see him tryin' now." My mum laughed without any humor in her voice. "He calls when it's convenient for him. Hasn't met his grandson which complete shit. He's garbage."

I wasn't going to disagree with her. My dad hasn't been the best but when he is around he's alright. "Niall isn't like him. He's scared I'll take Olly away from him."

"That's a problem."

Olly left his action figures by the bin they were in he walked to me fingers rubbing at his eyes. "Mummy I'm tired."

"We've had a long day. We can go to be now." I let him climb into my lap his arms going around my neck.

"Can we call daddy?"

My mum opened her mouth but I was quick to cut her off. "He's sleeping. Remember he's in a different time zone."

"Oh." Olly yawned his face scrunching up as he did. "Will he call in the morning?"

"As soon as he wakes up." I kissed his head before moving to stand up. "Goodnight, mum."



The next day I had hoped to spend with my mum and Olly but she was passed out on the couch. I knew waking her up would just result in a bad day for me. So instead I took Olly to the beach with Jase and his family. It was too cold to go in the water but Olly didn't mind sitting in the sand.

Jase's mum Linda brought a picnic basket full of food for us. It was nice being around his family it was so different from mine and they treated me like their daughter. It probably had to do with my mum being a lunatic but I didn't care for the reason I just liked having them around. Linda didn't change her mind about me when I got pregnant and for that I was eternally grateful for. Some many people in this town had judged me, I was a fuck up with a kid at seventeen. When Jase asked me to move to London with him I didn't hesitate in saying yes. Olly would have more opportunities there as he grew up.

I wanted to bottle the moment up and take it out whenever I wanted to feel happy. Sitting on the beach with Olly was the best feeling. He was my innocent little Olly who had no idea what was going on with his parents. It was easy for him to accept Niall as his father hardly knowing any different. For Olly's sake I was going to try to rekindle what Niall and I had.