Lightning in a Bottle

“Perrie, my love!” I sang when she opened the door.

She hugged me before letting me in, “How are you? How’s your head?” she asked looking over at the side of my head. It’s only been 3 days since the accident, and I’ve long since taken the wrap bandage off and parted my hair more to the side to cover the stitches and bald spot.

“I’m fine. Niall’s driving me mental, but other than that I’m good.” I followed her into the living room where we sat on her couch, “Where’s Zayn?”

“Asleep,” she shrugged, “As always. So why is your fiancé driving you mental?”

“He’s just been hovering around me all the time,” I shrugged. “Like if I’m out of the room for more than 5 minutes he comes looking for me.”

“Aw,” she cooed giving me a pitiful smile, “He’s just anxious about the accident, you can’t blame him.”

“I know, and I don’t. I just needed a break from him for an afternoon.”

“Well, you’re always welcome here babe.”

“Thanks,” I settled back into the couch more, “So how are you?”

She shrugged, “I’m good. Getting ready to put out our new album. I’m so excited for it!” she said in that perky Perrie way. Even at 22 she was still this little childlike cupcake. I loved that about her.

“I can’t wait to hear it! When you played me that demo of one of your songs a few months ago, I fangirled so hard!”

She snorted a laugh, “I remember. You’re my favorite Little Mix fan. Behind Zayn of course.”

I scoffed, “No one is a bigger fan of you than Zayn!”

“Well, you can get my face tattooed on you and you can fight for the number one spot.”

I laughed, “As much as I love you, I think I’ll pass on getting your face on me. Lyrics yes, face no.”

“You already have lyrics bitch. You all flatter me so.” It’s true, I did have her bands lyrics on me. About a year ago I got ‘Change your life’ in her handwriting on my wrist. It was one of my favorite songs and I loved the message, so I got it.

I ran my thumb over the ink on my skin, “I regret nothing.”

“You’re a peach. So how are things being Niall Horan’s soon to be wife? Have you decided how long of an engagement you’re gonna have?”

Like Blue, Perrie was very laid back about the wedding plans. She understood that I had no idea what I wanted or when and she was always ready to listen and give her advice. I shrugged, “I don’t know. We still haven’t talked about it.”

“It’s been a month. You two seriously lag on some things.”

“I know,” I agreed. “It’s just all so… overwhelming? I guess? Like I know I want to be with him forever, I do. But I know that this wedding will have to be big. He knows a lot of people and I’m sure management will want it to be a thing.”

She rolled her eyes, “If you don’t want a big wedding you don’t have to have a big wedding.”

“But it’s expected,” I insisted. “You know that. Look at every celebrity that’s ever been married! Look how massive El and Louis’ was.”

She nodded, “True, but that still doesn’t mean you have to have a big one. You can just keep it under like, 100 people.”

“Maybe. Niall has a big family, so I’m sure his mom will insist on inviting everyone.”

“Hey,” she said putting a hand on my thigh, “This is your and Niall’s day, no one else’s. If you don’t want to do something, you don’t have too. And I will gladly tell someone off for you if they don’t listen.”

“Thanks,” I laughed.

“Any time. Oh my gosh, I almost forgot!” she said excitedly. She turned on the couch so she was facing me and crossed her legs, “Guess what!”

“What?”

“So I had tea with Eleanor yesterday afternoon. You’ll never guess what she told me!”

“She’s pregnant?” I joked.

Here eye’s got wide, “Not quite. But she said that since the band is on a break for a good year or so, she and Lou are gonna try to get pregnant.”

“Shut up!”

“Serious Ayden! We’re gonna have more little ones running around in the near future!”

I was speechless, “Whoa. Wow, I wasn’t expecting that!”

“Me either. But, they’ve been married for a while now, and this break is a good a time as any to have a baby yeah?”

I shrugged, “Yeah I guess. Just, wow. I can’t picture having a kid right now, but I know El and Lou are totally ready for that.”

“Really? You’re not ready for kids? I think if I wasn’t busy with the band, I’d be ready to pop one out.”

I nodded thinking about my life, “Honestly, I don’t even know when I’ll be ready for a kid.”

She eyed me, “Ever?”

“Well, I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I mean, I’ve got Finn, and Theo too. I just… I don’t know if I want my own.”

“Does Niall know you might not want kids?”

“We haven’t really talked about having our own kids. The last time we even got close was when I had that pregnancy scare years ago.”

She was giving me a flat look, “So, you two are engaged, but haven’t talked about anything? You two are the most unprepared people I’ve ever met. And that’s saying something coming from me!”

“Bite me.”

“Niall wants kids,” she said matter-of-factly. “You know that.”

“I know. And I’ve always just figured I’d… we’d eventually have one. But now I’m 23, and that’s like mid 20’s already and there’s still so much I want to do! Even when I’m 30, like I want to travel and do so much. Plus Niall’s in a band that travels and is gone all the time.”

“They won’t be together forever, eventually they’ll retire. Or take a long enough break, look at The Backstreet Boys!”

“I know, I just… I don’t know.”

“I feel like I should make you a list of things to discuss with Niall before you even think about getting married.”

I groaned, “Now you’ve got me all stressed out!”

“Well I’m sorry, these are important topics! Zayn and I covered this crap in our first year together.”

“Yeah but you two are the perfect couple. You can’t compare you guys to me and Niall.”

“True, we are perfect,” she sassed, “But still. You need to talk about all this with him.”

I nodded, “Yeah, yeah. Let’s go back to a lighter topic please?”

“Fine, fine.” We sat in silence for maybe 30 seconds before she hopped up, “Let’s take picture in the photo booth!”

I laughed as I followed her down the fall to the graffiti room where the photo booth was, “I’m still jealous you have one of these in your house.”

“What? The photo booth or the ugly graffiti room?”

I barked out a laugh, “I’m so telling Zayn you called is favorite room ugly.”

“Well it is!”

*****

I spent the whole day with Perrie. We took way too many stupid photos in her booth, and did Zayn’s makeup while he was sleeping. That lad could literally sleep through anything, I swear. Even after he woke up, it took him a half hour to realize he had makeup on.

I got a few text from Niall asking if I was alright. My heart still fluttered whenever he texted or called me, but I was slightly frustrated at his overbearing nature as of late. But I did understand why he was acting like that, if the situation was reversed, I’d probably refuse to let him even get in a car let alone drive. Which, he did battle me on before I drove to Perrie and Zayn’s, but obviously I won that one.

When I got home I found Niall on the couch watching footie as he stuffed his face with Chinese food. “I got take away babe,” he said as I walked in.

“I can see that,” I smiled. I sat next to him on the couch and his hand immediately found its way to my thigh, rubbing slow circles. His eyes never left the screen and a take away carton hung in the air by his other hand. Some things never change.

“Are you hungry?”

I shook my head as I pulled my legs up and curled into him and rested my head on shoulder, “No, I ate at Zerrie’s.”

He laughed, “I love that you call them that.”

“Everyone does, why can’t I?”

I sat there with him as he watched the game. I had no idea what was going on, never did except for the goal part. But I was completely content to just sit next to him with my head on his shoulder as he ate.

Once the game ended, and after many shouts of protest and cheers, I helped him put away what was left of the take away (not much). After that we curled back on the couch and it was my turn to pick what we watched, so obviously I chose a music channel that was playing videos. Again, some things never change.

They were playing an old Katy Perry video, ‘Hot and Cold’ and it got me thinking about wedding plans again. “When do you think we should get married?” I asked him softly.

“Whenever you want,” he said as I curled back into him. He started to play with a strand of my hair. It was no longer bright red anymore, it was back to my natural light brown. “I’d marry you tomorrow if that was what you wanted.”

“Well I mean, we have to have a somewhat big wedding don’t we? I mean your family is huge.”

He shrugged, “I’m sure my mom would love that, but we can just keep it small. Close friends and family. I don’t need second cousins and great aunts and uncles I haven’t seen in years there.”

“Are you sure? Because if you want we could-”

“Ayden,” he stopped me, “Don’t stress babe. We can have a moderate sized wedding. Like 100 people. Our family and our friends and a few of my management, and we’re good. We don’t have to make it a big spectacle.”

I angled my head up to look at him, “Are you sure?”

He smiled before he kissed my lips softly, “Love, if I had my way we would have gotten married after the first time I drunkenly proposed. We can have any kind of wedding you want. I don’t care as long as you say ‘I do.’”

My heart fluttered at his words. He always seemed to know what to say, no matter how cheesy it may be. I loved it though. I knew I should probably bring up the topic of children, but I didn’t want to ruin the moment. We could figure that out another day, right now, I just wanted to revel in the fact that this lad I loved so much didn’t care about his celebrity status and was willing to give me anything I wanted just to be with me.

I moved so I was sitting on his lap with my legs on either side of him, careful not to put much weight on his braced knee. I rested my head on his forehead and ran my fingers through his two toned hair, “I love you, you know that popstar?”

He smirked, “I love you two. I also love that you still call me that.”

“I don’t’ know when I want to walk down the aisle but I do know that I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”

“There’s no rush,” he said, his breath fanning against my face. He leaned up and captured my lips with his. His deep kiss always, to this day, turned me to putty. I couldn’t explain it, I never have been, but the way he was able to let his feelings flow through a kiss to let me know just how much he felt always blew me away.