Call Me a Thief

"Cassie? We're home!" I heard Maureen call out from the small hallway.

Turning off the shower, I wondered why she or Mackenzie hadn't asked about Niall who was still waiting around out there. "Okay!" I called out in reply, quickly drying off and pulling on clean clothes. I wrapped my hair in a towel and stepped out into the living room, looking around for any sign of him.

He'd left. Maureen was in the kitchen picking at leftovers from a few nights ago and looking at her phone. Mackenzie was sprawled out on the couch, her long legs stretching out over the side of it.

"No way, look at this!" Maureen exclaimed, breaking the silence and rushing over to me. She held out her phone and pointed to a post on twitter.

It was a picture of Niall and I leaving his hotel just an hour ago with the caption "that's not Amy!" I groaned put my head in my hands. Now I would rot in infamy as some skeezy woman who, by the looks of it, had it off with Niall while everyone still thought he was with Amy. How the hell did pictures like that even spread so quickly?

"Dang girl, you're like a wanted criminal," Maureen said as she kept looking at her phone. "I was wondering why you didn't come home last night. Didn't you get my calls?"

"Wait, is this about how Cassie is getting eaten alive by teenage girls online?" Mackenzie asked with a laugh, getting off the couch and walking to Maureen and I. She had the same image open on her phone. "Did you get my calls last night either?"

"Probably, but I was obviously out with Niall. God help me," I sighed as I walked back to the bathroom to dry my hair.

The girls followed and leaned against the doorway.

"You guys didn't like, have sex, did you?" Mackenzie asked bluntly, looking at me suspiciously.

"God, no!" I said, blush rising to my cheeks, "I just had fallen asleep in the car and he didn't know where I lived so he got me a room. My own room."

As I dried my hair, I began wondering where he had gone off to and why he wasn't in the apartment anymore. My best interest was to not let it bother me, so I focused more on my audition and less on Niall. I finished my hair and began putting on light make-up.

"So, do you like him?" Maureen asked, her eyebrows wrinkled in concern. The last she heard was an angry tirade about how I should never have talked to him in the first place.

I put my mascara down and frowned. "Unfortunately?"

Just then there was a knock at the door. Maureen left the bathroom and answered it. I peeked around the corner and saw Niall in the doorway, in a fresh outfit and with a small bouquet of roses in his hand. My heart jumped to my throat when I saw him and Maureen looked back with a huge grin. I stepped over to Niall blushed as he handed me the flowers, Maureen closing the door behind him.

"I know you'll kick ass at your audition today," he told me with a large smile. 

Holding the flowers, I thanked him before introducing him to Maureen, and then to Mackenzie. While I went to go put the flowers in water, I heard Mackenzie jokingly ask Niall to introduce her to Louis Tomlinson. He laughed and said the next time they toured America, he definitely would. I grabbed my purse and looked at the time, noting that I had to meet my voice instructor and agent in just a couple of minutes.

"Break a leg!" Maureen and Mackenzie called out to me and as I was walking down the hall with Niall by my side. I heard Collin call out the same, his freckled face peeking out his door... whilst adding "liar" to the end of that sentence, of course.

Niall calmed my nerves by telling me about his X-factor audition and joking about how terrible it was now that he looks back at it. I reminded myself to look it up sometime for a good laugh. We made it down a few blocks to the agency in no time and I walked in, Niall following behind me.

Reece, my agent, greeted me with a large grin on his face and shook Niall's hand. We all walked to a rehearsal room where I did warm-ups for half and hour and sang through my audition song multiple times. Kyla, my voice instructor gave me notes and tips to help me improve.

The entire routine was a second nature to me, but this time I had a new reason to be nervous, and his name was Niall Horan.

Niall sat on the other side of the room watching me, and it took all my effort to avoid his stare. I knew it'd only distract me.

"I think this is it for you, Cassidy," Reece said excitedly, grabbing my shoulders. "I've been talking with the director and they're excited to hear you."

"Thank you for not giving up on me, Reece," I said with a grin, hugging the man who has gotten me endless auditions even after I failed them miserably.

Looking at the time, I knew I needed to get on the road and go to the audition. Niall rushed forward and wrapped his arms around me in an embrace for the first time, completely catching me off guard. I closed my eyes and welcomed the feeling of his arms holding me. I wrapped my hands around his waist and rested my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat and inhaling his scent.

The fact that I felt so whole and safe in his arms hit me straight in the heart and I knew that I truly cared about him much more than anyone should.

"Your voice is absolutely amazing," he whispered in my ear. "It's perfect."

I squeezed him tighter before letting go, saying goodbye to Reece and Kyra. Niall and I walked hand in hand the next few blocks, past the swarms of people and to the building where auditions were held. A group of men flashing their cameras called out Niall's name and followed us the entire walk, but Niall kept his head down and pulled me closer to him. A few times I heard the voices of young girls calling Niall's name, but mostly the fans were avoided. If things worked out between us, I don't think I'd ever get used to it. 

We entered the building hurriedly, and I got a number and filled out a form. It was about an hour wait until my name was called, and Niall kept me calm the entire time. He was becoming this comfortable part of me... A part that I wanted desperately to remain with me always, even though I still had millions of parts of him to explore.

A light squeeze was cast from his hand to mine and I was off, walking confidently into the audition room and introducing myself with a smile.

This was it.

•••••••••••••••

"I did awful!" I cried with a heaving sob, throwing myself down on the loveseat in my apartment. 

Instantly I felt a hand on my back, rubbing small circles into my shoulders and Niall's calm voice telling me that everything would be okay. I didn't believe him. My voice had a small crack on my highest note and that's the biggest deal breaker. You had one shot to sing your song and if it wasn't perfect, then you can kiss any chance of a callback goodbye. Yet another audition was given to me and I bombed it like usual.

"I heard you through the door; you sounded lovely," Niall assured me, crouching next to the loveseat and forcing me to look at him. 

I stared into his beautiful eyes and saw that he was being sincere. However, he wasn't a Broadway director. This wasn't The X-Factor, this was a completely different playing ground. With a sigh, I wiped my remaining tears away and sat up, pulling on Niall's arm so he could sit next to me.

Instinctively he put his arms around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him as we sat in silence. Other than a few sniffles, the only other sound was the ruckus of the city outside the window. I looked outside with a frown, wondering when my next chance would be and how much longer I had to wait tables. All I wanted was to perform and sing my heart out on stage, but I doubted that I would ever get there.

"When will they call you if you got a callback?" Niall asked quietly, his hand squeezing my shoulder.

I shrugged lightly and looked at my knees. "I'm not too sure. They said this evening, or tomorrow morning at the latest since this was the last day for auditions."

Niall nodded slowly, taking in a deep breath before smiling widely. "Well I hope it's okay that I keep you company until that call comes."

"Of course," I replied, looking up at the man who had managed to become one of my closest friends in such a short amount of time. It scared me how much I trusted him. "But the call might not come at all."

Niall chuckled, "I don't think they'd pass you up."

"Tomorrow's your last day here," I said lightly, changing the subject from sad to sadder. Spending time with Niall had almost become habit. The fact that I had a new reality after going about the same routine for years wasn't something I wanted to let go of. Life now was better than it had been, and saying goodbye to it was going to kill me.

"It is," sighed Niall, looking at the blank television screen in front of us. "But it doesn't have to be... I can pull off staying for another week, I'd only have to call management and--"

"No, Niall," I interrupted, shaking my head. "It's okay. You have such a busy life, you can't just put it all on pause. You have to focus on your career."

With a scoff, Niall stood and walked across the small room, folding his hands behind his head. He inhaled deeply and turned to face me, clapping his hands together and staring at me.

"There's more to my life than my band," he said, his tone completely serious. He licked his lips and shook his head a bit. "There's more to the world than money and interviews and photo shoots and tours. I want to know what's it's like to pause that all and get to know people. I like getting to know you..."

Niall trailed off and held my gaze for a few moments before looking away. "But you're right. I hate it, but you're right. I have to go back. I have to do my part for my band and I can't put it off, not even for another day. Things are constantly moving. Tours, interviews, charity events, photoshoots. I love what I do, but sometimes... sometimes I just want to breathe, you know?"

I knew. Maybe my life wasn't as busy as Niall's, not as luxurious, but I knew the feeling of being suffocated more than anything. Forced to continue an exhausting routine, never being able to have a break without serious consequences. It was the painful part about living that no one could stop.

However, with Niall, things had. They'd stopped. I got to go out and taste five hundred dollar champagne and I got to wake up in the best hotel in New York City. I got to be chauffeured in something that wasn't a dingy cab and I got to see my face being the topic of discussion in a large fanbase. I got to meet the sweetest, gentlest man and spend entire days with him.

I got to live for a while. I got to breathe.

Answering Niall's question, I merely nodded, but I felt like my face expressed my every thought because Niall practically dove into me with open arms. The force caused me to fall back onto the couch, Niall's strong form beside me, wrapping me in a tight embrace. We stayed like that for a few moments, lying on the couch in each other's arms, until Niall began chuckling lightly.

"What's so funny?" I asked, but before the question came fully out of my mouth, Niall began laughing heavily, his eyes closing and his face growing red.

Not being able to stop myself, I joined in and we both laughed until our abdomens ached in protest. Loud, obnoxious giggles filled the room as each minute passed, growing lighter with every breath we inhaled. Soon it died down, and Niall let out a deep breath, wiping tears from his eyes and looking at me.

"I'm going to miss you," he stated softly, resting his forehead against mine gently, as if I might break at the contact. 

"I'm going to miss you too," I answered, closing my eyes and smiling lightly, enjoying the feeling of laying next to Niall and hearing his light voice.

A part of me craved for his lips, but I ignored it, not wanting to ruin the innocence of the moment. Having his arms around me was enough and having him in my life was it. That was all I needed to feel content. He was all I needed at this point in my life. 

Both of us lost in thought, we drifted off to sleep even though the day was still young.

••••••••••

"God, make it stop!" Niall groaned, causing me to stir from my nap. 

Carefully, I opened my eyes to see that sunlight was no longer coming in through the window, only lights from the city. Yawning and coming to my senses, I finally realized what Niall was complaining about. My phone was buzzing away on the coffee table, loudly blaring a generic ringtone.

With a moan I sat up, hitting Niall's side a few times to get him out of the way. When he stubbornly remained, I stretched and reached over him, taking the phone off the table and looking at the number. It wasn't saved in my contacts, so just a set of digits displayed itself across the bright screen.

"Hello?" I answered groggily, another yawn pulling through my system.

"Hi, am I speaking with Cassidy Brookes?" A kind voice asked, and I quickly recognized it as the director I just auditioned for.

Holy shit.

I crawled over Niall and fell onto the floor clumsily, but quickly shot back up to my feet, running into the kitchen. "Yes! This is her!" I practically shouted, rummaging anxiously through the junk drawer for a pen. 

"This is Barbara from the Les Misérables directing team," she replied coolly. "I'm just calling to let you know that we'd be interested in having you come back to sing for the role of Éponine, and a few of the ensemble parts."

Finally in my angst I came across a pen. Niall had come to his senses and rushed over to the kitchen, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Is this it?" He mouthed, placing a hand on my back.

I nodded excitedly before answering Barbara, "Thank you so much for the opportunity, I would be more than happy to come back."

I scribbled down the date and time on my arm as Barbara told me the information, and grinned at Niall. He pumped a fist into the air and smiled back widely. I hung up the phone and screamed loudly, jumping into Niall and wrapping my arms around his neck. He picked me up and spun me, his laughter and my screams loud enough to make my ears ring.

When he put me on the ground, I continued jumping around the apartment, tears coming to my eyes due to the ecstasy of the moment.

"I knew you could do it!" Niall shouted over my screams, his happiness enough to make my heart skip a few beats.

I rushed back to my phone and looked at Niall with wide eyes, "I have to call my mom! Shit, I have to call Maureen! My dad! Collin! My sister! Mackenzie! Reece--"

"Whoa now, no calling anyone until you've taken a few breaths," Niall said with a deep chortle, grabbing my arms and pulling me close to him. "Now breathe."

I inhaled deeply and exhaled, my smile still largely resting on my face. There was a sudden knock on the door, interrupting Niall's therapy session and I ran over, hoping it wasn't any neighbors here to complain about the noise. When I opened the door, Collin came flying in with a butter knife, waving it widely in the air.

"I heard screams! And evil laughter!" He yelled before looking at me and then at Niall. He lowered his fist and butter knife and grimaced, a look of confusion spreading across his face, "What happened?"

"I got a callback!" I began screaming again, this time both Niall and Collin joining in as Collin grabbed me and hugged me.

"You too, bud!" Collin yelled, yanking Niall into a group hug.

We remained like that, laughing and hugging, for what felt like an eternity. Eventually we broke apart and Collin told me how proud he was with a large grin on his face.

I felt like I would wake up at any moment. From the time Collin left to the time Maureen got home and I shared the news with her. It all felt like some sort of dream. The status on Facebook, the overwhelming texts from family, the fact that Niall stood proudly by my side the entire time... none of it felt real.

I was living in a fantasy land and there had to be some sort of wake-up call coming for me.

Maureen, Niall, and I sat around the small dining table in our kitchen and picked at the remaining slices of pizza we had for dinner. Only a few hours had passed since I received the callback, the night still being fairly young. A huge part of me yearned for the moment to stretch on until the end of time, this happiness was enough to make me feel comfortable forever. 

"I think you should wear orange. Something that will stand out," Maureen suggested, going over what outfit I should wear to callbacks.

Niall sat on his phone, scrolling through something that was keeping him occupied. I thought over Maureen's idea and nodded approvingly.

"Not sure I have very much orange in my wardrobe, but I could find something."

Niall shook his head, "But why not brown? You should wear brown."

"Brown?" I questioned, looking at Niall with a puzzled expression. While I suppose it was a nice color, it was by no means memorable.

Niall turned his phone screen towards me, various photos of Éponine open on a google search. "She always has on brown for her costume. It would help the directors see you as the part more."

"A lot of girls will probably have brown on though..." Maureen trailed off, looking at the pictures. "She won't really stick out."

"Her talent is what'll make her stick out. And brown is what she needs to look the part." Niall stated firmly, stubborn in his suggestion.

Maureen mused to herself for a moment before nodding, "You know, I guess so. But make it a nice brown shirt or something. Most people will probably try to wear something loose and raggy looking. Can we say booooring?"

Niall and I laughed at Maureen's faux disgust. After a shared silence, the redhead stood up and stretched her long arms. She grabbed the leftover pizza and walked to the fridge, looking back at Niall with a light smile.

"Thanks for agreeing to a sauceless pizza. My allergies are so obnoxious," she rolled her eyes and put the box in the fridge, directing her attention to me now. "I'm going to head to bed because I have a double shift tomorrow. Gag me."

"Goodnight, Mo," I responded with a smile and watched as she waved lightly before making her way down the small hallway. 

I glanced at the clock and noted Mackenzie would be getting off work soon. Standing up, I went to the junk drawer and pulled out a sticky note and a pen, scribbling her a quick note about leftover pizza and stuck it to the fridge. If tonight was my last night with Niall, we weren't going to spend it stopped up in the cramped apartment.

Turning around, I made eye contact with the gorgeous man, who was smirking at me lightly with his cheek resting upon his fist. It was practically impossible to gauge how lucky I was to have gotten so comfortable around him. Someone so gentle, so kind, so funny, thoughtful, and sweet. He made my pathetic life actually seem exciting.

"What do you say we get out of here for a bit?" I asked, taking a few steps closer to his sitting form.

Niall nodded and stood, "That sounds great, actually. You know, we still have the movie portion of our date to finish."

With a chortle, I rolled my eyes and grabbed my jacket, pulling it on before grabbing my purse. "What type of flick are you feeling?"

"Let's just go into the nearest theatre and see whatever's playing next," Niall suggested, walking to the front door and holding it open. "After you, ma'am."

"Dork," I scoffed and walked past him and into the hallway. 

Niall looked at with an amused expression and shook his head, "Dork? You're supposed to be twenty, not ten."

"I don't think there's an adult insult that's equivalent to dork," I said with a laugh, reaching for his hand as we walked toward the elevator. 

He intertwined his fingers with mine and looked at me from the corner of his eye, his trademark smirk resting upon his face. "You win this round."

"Do I get a trophy?" I wondered aloud as we walked out of the building and into the streets. 

"Psh," Niall looked at me and dramatically acted wounded. "Being with me isn't enough of a prize?"

The nearest theatre was only two blocks away, but Niall still looked a bit weary to be on the streets. With his freehand he pulled a pair of sunglasses out of the pocket of his jacket and put them on, even though it was dark outside.

"Is it in the celebrity handbook to wear sunglasses at night?" I asked, picking up my walking pace so we could get inside the safety of a building quicker.

Niall frowned a bit, looking at me sorrily, "Anything to keep people from recognizing you."

"Okay, Clark Kent," I joked, my grip on Niall's hand growing tighter.

Turning to me, he smiled warmly, the returned squeeze from his hand to mine reassuring me that everything would be all right.