Take Me as I Am

I double checked the message Jade had sent me with Niall’s apartment number on it to make sure it matched up with the number on the door before taking a deep breath and knocking.

I waited a moment before there was shuffling inside and what sounded suspiciously like a baby’s soft cries. Confused I double-checked the number again before the door was swung open to someone that wasn’t Niall.

I almost began apologizing and made a move to run away when I realised that the man was familiar.

“Aria.” I blinked in surprise as Greg, Nialls brother recognised me so easily. He practically beamed and reached out to pull me into the apartment. “Good to see you. Niall didn’t tell me that you would stop by?” He asked. I stared at him bewildered not sure where to take the conversation. “Was there something that you needed from here? There doesn’t seem to be any of your stuff lying around, just a lot of Niall’s mess before he packed late last night.”

“Packed?” I asked confused. Greg shot me a confused look in return.

“Yeah, for when he left this morning, for Australia.” I paused before nodding quickly at Greg and putting on a smile, he expected me to know this.

“Right, yeah, Australia.” I nodded and looked around the apartment. It was huge and I wondered why Niall would ever want to stay in mine when it was so small compared to his.

“So was there something you left here? I’ve sort of cleaned up but I have seen anything that is you know female or anything.” Greg paused on his walk towards what looked like the living room. “Do you have anything here?” He asked suddenly, turning around to me like this was a cause for stopping. I didn’t know how to tell him that I had never been here. It didn’t seem like a possibility to him.

“Uh Niall sleeps at mine a lot.” I told him before blushing darkly, realising what I had implied. “Uh not that you know - it’s not a lot…” I trailed off as Greg started laughing, loud and energetic like Niall.

“It’s okay Aria. I think I know that my kid brother has sex.” I flushed even darker as Greg laughed louder before he sobered up and smile at me small, sympathetically. “It’s okay if you just came here to be around Niall’s stuff. Mum does that a lot when he’s away. Just comes down here to stay in his flat.” He told me, reaching out to rub my shoulder soothingly before turning and leading the way back into the living room. There was a crib in the corner where small snuffles and occasional cries were coming from.

“I’ve tried to tidy up the place as much as possible but you know how messy Niall is.” He gestured around and picked up a few baby toys off the ground to throw in the corner where a few bags were.

“Are you staying here long?” I asked just for something to stay.

“Just a few days. My wife has a few things to do down here and Niall offered his place to us while he was gone.” Greg explained with a smile before he moved towards the crib where the cries were getting louder. “You haven’t met Niall’s nephew yet have you?” I shook my head as Greg reached down into the crib and pulled up a beautiful baby boy. He turned him so I could see the bright blue eyes and wild dark brown hair properly. He was all chubby and warm looking.

“This is Theo.” Greg moved forward holding the baby out to me. I quickly dropped my bag ready to take the sniffling child. Greg smiled wider as Theo slipped easily into my arms and his head rested on my neck.

“You’re a natural.” He exclaimed delighted because that was what people normally say when you hold their child. I shook my head and wearily stared down at the sleepy infant.

“More likely he just hasn’t realised who’s holding him.” Greg laughed and conceded to what I said. Theo shifted slightly in my arms and his small chubby fingers wormed their way tightly into my shirt, his snotty nose rubbed against my neck leaving wetness in it’s wake. I found that I didn’t mind.

A camera shutter noise sounded through the apartment and I glanced to Greg, confused. He grinned sheepishly and put his phone down.

“Niall would love seeing you two.” Greg voiced. I widened my eyes and shook my head, trying not to make any sudden movements.

“No please, you can’t send it to him.” I pleaded to Greg who frowned at me. “He would probably not like it or you know want me here.” I sighed out, frowning down at Theo.

“Why not?” Greg voiced. I decided not to reply. “Did you both have a fight?” I glanced up at Greg in surprise. “It would explain why Niall came home angry yesterday.” I sighed and sunk down on the couch next to Greg, repositioning Theo on my lap so his back lay against my stomach and he could easily see his father. I didn’t know how to explain mine and Niall’s relationship with Greg when he seemed to think we were something serious to each other.

“It was something stupid that blew up big.” I decided to reply with, meeting Greg’s eyes. He smiled and held out a toy to Theo who grabbed onto the small green dinosaur with glee.

“I know it’s probably not any of my business but you know Niall’s told Mum and Dad about you. Even before his birthday we knew who you were.” I looked at Greg shocked. “He talks about you a lot. Even told Mum and Dad that he was hoping you might come up to Ireland with him soon.”

“He never said anything like that to me.” I told Greg shocked, telling your parents and wanting holidays with the girl you just fucked wasn’t a normal occurrence.

“Well it’s my job as his older brother to embarrass the shit out of him. He literally talks about you all the time. Every time he talks on the phone to our parents he always worms you into the conversation.” I could barely believe Greg’s words but he seemed so honest and sincere and I couldn’t understand what he would have to gain by lying about this. “You really didn’t know that he thought so much about you?”

I shook my head to Greg’s disbelief before turning my attention to small Theo, bouncing him on my legs so he would begin to giggle.

“Then I think my brother really needs to communicate better if you don’t even realise how much he loves you.” I looked up at Greg sharply, his eyes softened when they met mine. “It’s probably not my place to say but Niall’s my brother and although we’re not as close as we used to be, I know when my brother’s in love with someone. And I can see and hear it when he talks about you. And yesterday when he came home, upset from your fight, he was distraught. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Niall so upset over a girl before. He’s too laid back, normally doesn’t want to put a fight into a relationship. But I get the feeling that the only reason he hasn’t been fighting for your relationship is because of you.”

I looked away and let my hair fall in my eyes not knowing what Greg wanted me to say to everything he was admitting. Despite him being Niall’s brother it just still wasn’t Niall saying all this stuff and what if Greg was wrong and Niall wasn’t in love with me.

“I’m not really the type of person who has relationships. Serious, labeled ones.” I admitted to Greg expecting judgment but instead he rested a reassuring hand on my shoulder.

“Niall would be pretty willing to help you try it out.” Greg shrugged and leant over to take a squirming Theo from my arms. I let him go, numbly, and watched as Greg babbled to him softly before standing to put him on a changing table. I wondered if all the baby toys and furniture here had been brought with Greg or had Niall bought them in hopes that he would have his nephew staying over a lot.

It was a weird but nice feeling to see Niall’s place to get this picture of him that I didn’t have before. The place wasn’t too decorated but it was messy enough to show that someone lived here. Someone who only had family pictures on the wall, someone who seemed to own ten of the same pair of shoes and left their clothes out in the living room like it was their closet. Niall wasn’t perfect but all these little things that I didn’t know about him before were making me like him even more now.

“I’m going to go.” I stood up and smiled at Greg trying to convey the thanks I couldn’t yet say to him. He smiled anyway and walked me to the door.

“Give him a ring, put him out of his misery.” Greg winked at me, standing in the doorway. “He’s probably had a horrible plane ride to Australia and I’m positive that talking to you would make it better.”

I’m smiled but didn’t promise anything before heading out the apartment complex and getting straight into a cab. I pulled out my phone and checked the time. Niall would still be on the plane, if he only left this morning he wouldn’t be landing in Australia for a long time. I could leave a voice mail on his phone or text me but I didn’t know if could stand the wait to see if he even wanted to reply to me at all.

I wasn’t even surprised when I got home to find Jade at my place, spread across the couch flicking through the TV. She looked over at me as I walked in the door and smiled tentatively.

“He wasn’t there.” I told her. She frowned and glanced at the clock.

“You’ve been waiting at his place that long?” She asked, confused, not like I had ever be known for that level of patience.

“He went to Australia this morning.” I further explained falling down to sit where Jades feet had been seconds ago. She frowned harder and reached for her phone.

“Liam never mentioned anything about him going.” She began scrolling through her phone. I watched her, dazed while still going over mine and Greg’s conversation.

“He told his family about me.” I blurted to Jade, she looked at me raising an eyebrow in question. “His brother Greg was there and he told me, told me that Niall told his family about me. Apparently he talks about me all the time.”

“That’s a good thing… Right?” Jade said slowly, unsure.

“No one has ever told their parents about me Jade. The amount of people I’ve dated and I’ve barely even met anyone’s parents unless it was a mistake. I’m not ‘bring home to Mum’ material. I’m not the girl next door type like you are Jade.” I explained to her, wide eyed and a little confused on what I did differently with Niall to make him think I was. “But he told his family about me, all of them. Greg thinks he’s in love with me.”