Lost in London

"Louis," Reilly whined as she started to throw all the clothes she'd just taken out of her bag back into her bag.

It was Saturday evening. She, Louis, and Niall had spent the day sight seeing around Mullingar, and now they were getting ready for a night out with some of Niall's friends. But Reilly had run into a small problem.

Louis' head poked in from the hallway. "What's the matter, Love?" he questioned.

"I don't have anything to wear."

He laughed and came into the room they were sharing, and walked over to where his own bag was tucked into a corner. "Cara warned me that you wouldn't pack properly, because you wouldn't think that we'd have a night out. She told me to pack something of her's I thought you might like," he said as he brought his bag over to the bed. He set it next to Reilly's and opened it. "Go on." He motioned to the bag as he wandered back out of the room.

She breathed a sigh of relief and began to sort through the clothes in Louis' bag. Within minutes she had put together an outfit that consisted of a simple purple shirtdress and black leggings. She buckled a brown braided belt around her waist and slipped her feet into a pair of black flats she was thankful she'd thought to bring.

Just as she was on her way out of the room, Louis rounded the corner and the two nearly collided. Once they'd both collected themselves, he looked her up and down and nodded his approval.

"Remind me to kiss your girlfriend the next time I see her," Reilly said, before he could say anything.

He laughed. "I absolutely will," he said. "I had a feeling you'd like that. But just," he motioned at the buttons at the neckline of the dress, "close two more buttons, Love."

She looked down, and then up at Louis and rolled her eyes. "Yes, Mom," she said as she walked past him, leaving him to get dressed. She only buttoned one more on her way out.

The door to Niall's room was closed when she walked by, so she just continued on her way to the living room. Niall's dad was on the couch with the TV on. Reilly took a seat in the arm chair across the room and focused her attention on the soccer game he was watching.

"Niall says you play," he said. Reilly looked over at him and he motioned toward the TV.

"Oh," she said with a nod. "I used to. I haven't played since I moved to London," she told him.

"Why's that?" he asked.

She lifted her shoulders and held them for a long moment before dropping them again. "My school doesn't have team. And I don't have any friends there other than Niall, Louis, and the other boys."

"That's a shame. Niall says you're quite good," he said. Reilly looked over at him again but didn't say anything. "My son speaks highly of you, and often. He was extremely excited that you chose to come with him. And now that you're here, I don't think I've seen him this happy since," he paused, thinking for a moment, "well, since he was put into the group on the X-Factor," he finished.

This admission took Reilly by surprise more than it should have. Niall hadn't exactly been hiding his adoration of her recently. She continued to try to convince herself it was just friendship, but each day it was getting more and more difficult.

She didn't know how to respond to Niall's father. And luckily, a few short moments later, Niall entered the room. Her heart fluttered before she even saw him, before she even consciously realized anyone other than her and Niall's dad were there.

He took one look at Reilly and a smile immediately crossed his face. "Lou will be ready in a minute. You ready to go?" he asked. She nodded and stood up and his smile grew bigger. "You look beautiful."

Blush immediately colored her cheeks as she mumbled a thank you. The next thing she knew Louis was at Niall's side, nodding in agreement. "You really do. But," he trailed off as he walked over to her and began to fasten more of the buttons at the neck of the dress. Reilly tried to push his hands away as she argued that it was fine the way it was, but he was having none of it. "There. That's better," he said, satisfied with less of her being exposed.

And with that, they were on their way. It wasn't long at all before they were walking into a small nightclub. Niall led the way through the main room into a smaller room where his friends were. Introductions were made, and they all chatted for a few minutes before Niall turned to Reilly.

"Want a drink?" he asked and she nodded. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her over to the bar.

They ordered their drinks, along with a round for the rest of their group, and chatted while they waited for the bartender to get everything together. When she came back, Niall handed over his credit card.

"She's with me," he said, motioning to Reilly. "Make sure whatever she wants tonight, she gets." The bartender raised her eyebrows at Reilly and then nodded at Niall and turned away to run the card.

"You don't have to do that, you know. I can buy my own drinks," Reilly told him and he just shrugged. "You haven't let me pay for anything all weekend," she pointed out.

He chuckled quietly. "You're my guest. What kind of host would I be if I invited you to my great country and then made you pay for the places I wanted to show you?" he asked.

"But," she argued, "you're not paying for Louis."

Niall grinned and leaned closer so he could talk into her ear. "Louis invited himself along, Darlin', remember?" he said.

A shiver ran down her spine and butterflies erupted in her stomach. Between the closeness and the way he spoke softly into her ear, she suddenly felt she was no longer in control of any of her feelings. Niall stood straight again and looked at her. A smile crossed his face and his eyes shined bright, saying more than his voice ever could.

The bartender returned and within seconds Louis was at their sides. He slung an arm across Reilly's shoulders. "Having fun, Love?" he asked. She glanced up at Niall quickly, and then looked over to Louis and nodded.

The night moved along, and Reilly kept finding herself in between Niall and his friends. They were sitting on cushioned bench against the wall. Reilly had one knee crossed over the other. Niall, on her left, was leaning in front of her, his arm slung over her knees with his hand resting against her calf, talking to his friends on her right while she nursed her beer.

She was quite content where she was, listening to their conversation, and occasionally joining in when the topic allowed, when Louis, who had been doing a disappearing act all night came over and grabbed her hand. "Let's go dance," he said, pulling her up and away from Niall.

She went without argument. She had been wanting to dance all night. Louis' grip on her hand was firm, and she quickly glanced back at Niall to throw a look of apology in his direction. He caught it and gave a nod in return.

Once they were on the dance floor, Reilly's body immediately started moving to music. The action was almost involuntary. Louis was moving as well, but not nearly as fluidly. She watched him for a few moments and couldn't help the giggle that escaped her. He gave a questioning look and she shook her head.

"You're a terrible dancer," she told him.

He tried to feign a look of hurt, but a smile cracked through. "Shut up," he said, reaching out and giving her shoulder a gentle shove.

Reilly laughed. "Oh, come on. It's easy," she said and proceeded to give him a quick lesson.

It seemed almost too soon after that they were returning to Niall's house. Reilly had no idea what time it was, but between the club and the house, she had grown tired. She said goodnight to Niall and headed to the room she and Louis were sharing, with Louis close on her heels. Once in her pajamas, she collapsed on the bed and closed her eyes.

A mere hour later she woke up to Louis invading her space. She tried to nudge him away, but he was out cold. After nearly twenty minutes of trying, unsuccessfully, to fall back asleep, she groaned and rolled out of the bed.

She crept quietly down the dark hall to Niall's room, hoping he might still be awake, and knocked softly on his door. When he didn't answer, she reached for the knob anyway and let herself into the room, closing the door behind her. She crawled into bed next to Niall and laid on her side, facing him in the dark.

He must have felt the bed shift because he stirred, but didn't open his eyes. "Lou?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse from sleep.

Reilly giggled softly. "Try again, sleepy head," she said quietly.

Niall's eyes fluttered open and he stared at her for a brief moment before blinking rapidly a few times. Once his eyes adjusted to the dark, he smiled at her. But it was fleeting, and it was replaced by a look of worry.

"Everything alright, Darlin'?" he asked. The blanket fell from his shoulders as he reached up to rub his eyes, revealing his shirtless upper body.

Reilly nodded. "Louis is the worst," she told him. "He's hogging the entire bed, and I can't sleep like that."

A chuckle escaped Niall. "You're not a cuddler, huh?" he asked and Reilly just shrugged. As he continued to stare at her, a smile slowly crept across his face. "You're really beautiful, Reilly" he commented. They stared silently at each other for a few moments. "I really want to kiss you," he told her finally.

A smile slid across her own face. "You're drunk," she said. She reached out and brushed her fingers against his warm cheek.

"I didn't even drink that much. It's just my Irish red cheeks," he replied, reaching up and catching her hand in his own. He laced their fingers together and dropped their hands to the space on the bed between them. "I know I've been saying a lot of things lately and then doing kind of the opposite, and it must be confusing to you. I just want you to know where I stand," he said.

A soft sigh escaped Reilly before she even had the chance to try to stop it. "Niall, I can't," she began, but he cut her off.

"I know," he said. "I didn't say I was going to. I said I want to. But I know you're not looking for anything. And I understand that. I respect that. I respect you. And I'm not going to kiss you until you tell me it's okay," he explained.

Her heart nearly exploded inside her chest at his sincere honesty he was laying out. She squeezed his hand gently and scooted a little closer to him. She reached up with her other hand and pushed his floppy hair away from his eyes. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead, and then softly to her nose, her cheek.

She ran her fingers through his hair as he dipped his head lower and kissed just below her ear. A shiver ran down her spine and she gripped his hair as his lips trailed down her neck. He let go of her hand and brushed his fingers against her hip, just above the top of her pajama pants, and just below where the hem of her shirt had ridden up. She let out a long breath as her skin began to tingle where he touched her.

"Just tell me to stop, and I will," he said. His lips brushed against her neck as he spoke.

She shivered again when his breath hit her neck. If she said she wanted him to stop it would be a lie. Every fiber of her being wanted him close to her, wanted his skin on hers, making her feel like her entire body had ignited in the best way possible.

He took the silence that followed as a green light and trailed kisses down her collarbone. She rolled onto her back to give him easier access. All the feelings she had told herself didn't exist had come rushing to the surface. Her breath caught in her throat as both Niall's hands grazed her sides, pushing her shirt up her body, and then finally pulling it over her head. She reached out and touched his skin as he placed gentle kisses on her stomach, trying to pull his body closer to hers.

This was really happening.