Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You

"I am so sorry—I'll clean this right up!" I fought back frustrated tears as I got up from my hands and knees, rushing back to the kitchen.

"Josie! Whoa, hold on!" One of the girls I work with stopped me, grabbing me by the shoulders. "What's wrong?"

I bit my quivering lip as I stared up at her with, I'm sure, eyes as big as saucers. "I dropped the damn plate and all the drinks and I felt so bad and they looked so angry!" I spouted out to her before clenching my fist, digging my nails into my palm to try and gain composure.

Her face fell empathetically and gave me a crooked grin. "It happens to the best of us." She gave me a brief hug before looking back at me.

"Thanks, Lucy." I muttered absently before feeling the anxiety rise up again as I remembered there was still a dish of lobster and two broken wine glasses on the floor in the dining area.

I scrambled for rags and a small trash can before practically running back out to the mess. As I was on my hands and knees, the couple who had ordered the now ruined food did not look too pleased. Even if I was embarrassed out of my wits and felt my cheeks burning, I thought to myself "Well, there goes my tip." It made me smile slightly and soon I began to feel a little better.

Hours later after the restaurant had closed, Lucy and I sat outside on the pier overlooking the water.

"It's what we get for working at such a fancy pantsy place," Lucy nudged me, referring to my incident earlier. I grinned wildly at her, feeling completely at ease now that work was over for the night and soon I could mosey on home to my cozy hole in the wall and crawl in bed.

"Oh, Lucy," I sighed as I rubbed the palm of my hands over my eyelids.

"I know, girl, I know."

I smiled at the fact that she just 'knew' what I happened to be talking about, even though it was nothing in particular. Just general tiredness of a long night at work and a long night wearing almost-too-tight black slacks and a white button down with a lame little red bow under the collar.

I said a quick goodbye to Lucy before walking under the street lamps to my car. As I was unlocking my door, my phone starting buzzing in my pocket. With minimal effort, I whipped it out of my pocket and glared down at the screen--the brightness an unsettling shock from the pale moonlight above. It was an unknown number and I was hesitant about answering. The longer I stared at it, the more foreign it became and I just sighed and let it ring until it caught voice mail.

When I reached my apartment building, I began picking up my pace because I was so beyond excited to crawl into bed. It was getting late. As I climbed and conquered the last flight of stairs, I almost collided with someone walking the opposite direction as I rounded the corner.

"Oh! Gosh, I'm sorry!" I instantly apologized for what felt like the seventeenth time today.

"No, it was my fault!" My stomach dropped when I heard his accent.

"Uh, hi, Niall," I said sheepishly under my breath, suddenly feeling like a five year old girl staring up at her crush.

His worrisome face melted away as his blue eyes warmed up to me. "Oh... Josie, uh," He stumbled unsure of himself, although a faint smile was still on his lips.

I cocked my head to the side slightly out of habit as I furrowed my eyebrows in hopes that he would understand I was asking him why he was acting so aloof.

"It's just that," he jerked his thumb back in the direction of my door, but kept his eyes on me and continued, "I called you, and--" He looked down briefly before looking back up at me. I felt a wave of guilt wash over me as I bit my lip, knowing I should have answered the phone call from earlier. "I even left a voice mail." His voice grew smaller with each word he said.

I laughed playfully, in an effort to reassure him. "Oh, Niall! I'm sorry!" Apology number 18, noted. "I didn't recognize your number and I haven't looked at my phone since, and--" I stopped and gave him my best smile, hoping that would fix things.

Luckily, he breathed a sigh of relief and I smiled once more.

"Well," I started, ushering him to follow me back to my door. "Can I help you with anything?" I asked, placing my hands on the doorknob and twisting to face him until my back was leaning against the door.

My stomach flipped as I watched him bite his lip and he nodded. "I called you because I had some free time and all the lads are boring tonight and," he shrugged. "Yeah." He concluded thoughtfully.

I smile at him and return to opening the door. While my back is turned away from him, I take advantage of the few small moments of the brief privacy to smile wider than acceptable and let my cheeks turn a little more pink. Niall is a cutie.

"Would you like anything to drink?" I ask him as we walk into the kitchen.

"Your manners are charming," he says just before I turn around to give him a playful glare that immediately turns into goofy smile.

"Some wine, then?" I stood on my tiptoes to reach for the wine glasses in the top cabinet. My fingers stretched as far as they would go as I leaned further onto the counter, until Niall swept between me and the cabinet, grabbing the glasses with ease.

"Sounds great," he murmured as he winked at me. His face was so close to mine and I became overly aware that we were breathing the same pocket of air. Before my head could become too dizzy, he stepped away from me with a heavy sigh. I brushed the brief incident off and began pouring our drinks.

"That bow looks cute on you." I eyed him as he spoke with a playful glint in his eyes.

I took a sip of my drink, staring at him over the rim, before responding. "Yeah, well, you know: Rules." I answered intelligently before sliding the back door open and stepping onto the fire escape; Niall behind me all the while.

"I guess that was your hint that I should change?" I asked coyly.

He shook his head immediately, his eyes slightly wider than usual. "No ma'am," he said with his accent becoming a little thicker. I smiled before he continued. "You look," he paused to give me the once over, "Good."

I smirked in all attempts to play it cool but there was no denying the redness that was begging to appear on my cheeks. "You cheeky sonofabitch." I shoved his shoulder lightly.

He just smiled back before asking casually, "How was your day?"

I had forgotten all about my long day as soon as I saw Niall round the hallway corner a few hours ago. Now at the mention of it, everything was flooding back. I kept picturing myself tripping and spilling the food all over again.

"Fine," I answered plainly.

"Just fine?" He frowned a little.

"Yeah, working at a restaurant can be a little lame." I tried to laugh but I was feeling embarrassed all over again by my previous incident.

He sighed before blinking slowly and looking back at me. He looked sort of sad. "How come there's mascara stains on your shirt then?"

I immediately looked down, and he was right: there just under my collar and to the left were faint mascara stains. I swallowed hard, finding it hard to say anything.

He took my silence as his turn to speak up again. "I wasn't going to say anything, but," he looked out across the street. "I thought you would tell me why when I asked how your day was."

I watched him for a brief moment before answered. My eyes ran across his smooth skin, his faintly red cheeks, and messy hair. Even though I felt like I had been caught red handed, I still couldn't help but think of how good-looking he really was. Even if he looked disappointed while he stared through the railing of the fire escape. He looked just like a still from a movie.

He turned his head to look back at me and instantly his eyes felt like the only thing in the world. I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "I dropped someone's food along with their very, too expensive wine and they looked so pissed and I felt so loser-ish and I got a little frustrated and it goes without saying they didn't tip." I blubbered all in one breath. I didn't look at him because I felt like looking at him in the eyes would be too much. "I felt so bad. It was only an accident." I mumbled and finally looked to see him staring at me like he had never seen anything else in his life. I felt oddly bare and wrapped my arms around myself instinctively.

Suddenly, he smiled at my sympathetically, set his wine glass down, and brought me into his side in a warm hug. It all seemed to flow so smoothly, I felt a little strange. But I soon forgot any strange feelings because being wrapped in him made me realize how much I had needed a hug all day. Or how much I had needed a hug this whole past year, really.

He smelled ridiculously good and I felt my eyes fluttering asleep before he spoke up, my head pressed against his chest allowing my to feel the vibrations. "I should get going."

I internally groaned at the thought of him leaving, but didn't want to seem too desperate. I unwrapped myself from him and nodded in understanding. He helped me from the floor, grabbing my hand into his. I walked him to the door in an admired haze.

Just as I was sure he was about to walk out the door without a hug, he turned around quickly on his heel and leaned into me. Caught off guard, I flinched slightly and shut my eyes. I felt his lips brush awkwardly against my chin and when I opened my eyes again, I saw Niall scrunching his closed while biting his lip.

He had tried to kiss me.

And I moved away.

He began stammering before he even opened his eyes. "I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have done that... I am really sorry. So sorry, Josie. I don't know what I was—"

"Please don't apologize for trying to kiss me, Niall." I muttered under my breath. "It doesn't really make me feel too good about myself." I giggled slightly, trying to break the ice as I looked up at him.

His face immediately flushed with laughter—laughing a little louder than he should have and he nodded. "Okay, miss Josie."

I smiled back at him and we stood there in the dark hallway for what seemed like thirty seconds until he finally sighed and turned toward the door to leave.

Before I had time to think, I blurted out: "So you're not gonna try for it again?"

He spun back around looking at me as if I had just thumped him in the back of his head. "What?"

"Kissing me. You're just going to leave it at that?" I felt like I was being desperate, but it was past midnight and Niall had come over to see me after all and he had held me on the fire escape and sometimes he looked at me with googly eyes and I thought that all those things added up made it okay for me to ask about the kiss I was missing that he obviously tried to give.

"Did you want," he took a step closer to me and my breathing became quicker. "Me to try again?"

"Is it not written all over my face?" The words quickly flew off my mouth before his hands were gripping my waist and he pulled me into him. His lips moved across mine quickly. His kisses landed on every inch of my lips—making sure he hadn't missed any part. I felt my stomach doing constant flip after flip and I was sure he would be able to feel it too with how close we were. Eventually, he pulled his lips away from me. He stared down at me while I stared up at him, my fingers absently knotting the hair on the back of his head.

"Thanks for giving me a second try at that," he breathed.

I nodded, feeling at a loss for words and we just stood there smiling goofily until his lips pressed firmly against my forehead and he said goodnight as he stood just outside my door in the hallway.

His hands were stuffed in his pockets and he had a crooked grin on his face that made my heart flutter.

"Goodnight, Niall," I said just before placing my hands on the threshold of the door and poking out my head for one more kiss.

He laughed warmly at me and leaned his body forward, bringing his lips to my overly puckered ones. I felt him smile against me and I couldn't help but return the action.