Collide, Ignite

The drive to Liam's house was a blur. When she finally got there, Reilly was so out of it that she didn't bother to look for Owen's car, or anyone else's for that matter. Instead, she let herself into the house and wandered down the hallway, stopping dead in her tracks when she heard people talking.

"So, you've met him, then?" the unmistakable sound of Louis' voice drifted down the hall.

"Yeah, nice guy," the Irish accent answered back. She couldn't see him, but she imagined there was a shrug to accompany the dismissive statement. It was so very Niall.

"But you didn't notice anything?" Liam asked.

Reilly shifted her weight from one foot to the other and crossed her arms over her chest. Something about Liam participating in a discussion she assumed to be about Owen really irritated her. She expected it from Louis and even from Niall, given their history. But not Liam.

"Notice what?" Niall asked, confusion evident in his tone. In her head, she could picture one of his eyebrows raising slightly and his nose flaring the tiniest bit with his lips set in a thin line, the face he always made when he was a little perplexed.

Louis let out a chuckle. "He looks just like you, Mate," he said. Reilly drew in a sharp breath and could feel her cheeks getting hot with anger. She wanted to storm right into the living room and slap Louis' face as hard as she could. "It's a bit," he paused, "weird."

The room fell silent momentarily. "You're all mental," Niall said finally. "And anyway, it doesn't matter. If she loves him and he treats her right is what matters. I'm not so delusional that I thought I would be able to just come back into her life five years later and pick up where we left off before everything blew up. She deserves to be happy," he finished.

Reilly's stomach dropped at the hint of defeat in his voice. Like there had been a glimmer of hope that there could have been a chance for them. She could imagine the look he was trying to hide even though she didn't want to. Despite everything that had happened between them, she never wanted to hurt him.

"That's the thing, Niall," Louis replied. "I don't think she is. She deflects whenever one of us makes a comment about her happiness. It's always 'I'm good' or 'I'm fine' but never once has she agreed and said she's happy, with Owen or otherwise." He was quiet for a moment before going on. "But I've noticed a difference in her since the two of you have been talking again, and it's for the better," he said. Liam hummed in agreement.

Silence settled again and Reilly could only assume they were all staring at Niall, waiting for him to say something. Her heart was pounding in her chest, due to the anger toward Louis and her irritation with Liam bubbling up inside of her, but also because of how Niall might respond. She wasn't entirely sure she was ready to hear what might come next. But as she took a step forward to enter the room, the silence broke.

"Don't know what you want me to say," he said. "It's been a lot of the same as it was before. She's, like, stuck inside this little world she created, and she knows there's things she wants, but she won't let herself have them because they're outside of that world. She's closed off some of the best parts of herself that she shows in little flashes through windows but I don't know if she knows how to open the doors. And don't get me wrong, she seems like she's come a long way in the last five years. Definitely more open than she was before. And maybe Owen is a big part of that, you know? I don't know. But," he sighed, "I don't want to put myself in a position where I hinder any further progress she could make."

Reilly felt something on her face, near her cheekbone, and she reached up to brush away what she assumed to be a stray strand of hair. Her fingers swiped across a short trail of moisture, a tear she didn't realize she'd let slip. Her chest was aching. She drew in a breath and released it slowly as she wiped at her eyes again, removing any evidence that she'd been crying.

"She's always going to be important to me, and I want to be her friend," Niall was saying. "Just don't want to come between her and Owen."

Just as he finished, Reilly felt someone come up behind her. She'd been so focused on what the boys were talking about that she hadn't heard the front door. A hand slid across her back and she turned to see Owen. She smiled up at him as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.

"You alright?" he asked her, taking note of the look on her face. She nodded quickly and leaned up to kiss him again, and then slid her hand down his arm, linking her fingers with his when it reached his hand. They walked into the living room hand in hand. All three of the boys turned to stare at them as they entered. The room was suddenly quiet, like they thought maybe they'd been caught.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Reilly said, breaking through the silence. "I wasn't expecting to see the two of you tonight," she said, looking back and forth between Louis and Niall.

"Oh, well we just came over to discuss some business with Liam," Louis explained easily. He was sitting on the floor near the couch where Liam was sitting. Niall was at the other end of the sofa, looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights. "The three of us have a thing we're working on," he said.

"Another thing? On top of all the other things?" she asked, only half believing him and Louis nodded. "Don't you guys ever get sick of each other?" she joked, trying to keep the tension from settling in the room though she was still furious with Louis.

The thing she'd learned about being friends with Louis was that he was going to infuriate her. He did and said what he wanted, and though it was never without regard for other people's feelings, he did occasionally overstep. This happened to be one of those times.

Liam snorted. "I've been sick of Louis since the moment I met him, but he just kind of forces himself on people, you know?" he said. In spite of herself, Reilly giggled and gave a slight nod.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on now," Louis protested. Reilly and Liam both gave him a look that dared him to argue. He chuckled quietly after a moment and shrugged. "Okay, okay, fine," he conceded. "Sometimes it's hard to believe that the two of you aren't actually related."

Reilly giggled and stole a quick glance over at Niall. He had been completely silent since she'd come into the room. He had one elbow propped up on the arm of the couch and his eyes were cast downward, as if the hardwood floors underneath his feet were the most fascinating thing he'd ever seen. There was a slight pang of guilt in her stomach as she pulled Owen toward the love seat, dropping her hold on his hand as they sat down.

"So, tell me about this new thing," she said.

Without missing a beat, Louis launched into an explanation of his latest brainchild. Though he tended to be hard on himself due to his lack of education, he had an incredible business sense along with a great desire to make the world a more whimsical place. He talked animatedly, very clearly excited about the new venture. Liam weighed in on a few things, and eventually Niall spoke as well.

When the front door opened, Reilly excused herself to go greet Aimee, leaving Owen with the boys. She gave Liam and Louis a pointed look on her way out, telling them to play nice. They always did, but she felt the need to remind them anyway.

It didn't take long for the girls to end up in the kitchen, Aimee with a glass of wine and Reilly with a beer. She didn't mention anything to Aimee about what the boys had been discussing when she came in because if Aimee felt the same way, Reilly didn't want to know about it. Plus, she didn't know if she could reiterate what Niall had said without breaking down in tears because he was right. There were parts of herself that she had locked away. And while she may have opened up to Niall about them, it didn't make them any less scary, and it certainly didn't make them any easier for her face.

They were just starting to discuss dinner when Louis came into the kitchen. "Oh, didn't know we were moving the party in here," he said upon seeing the drinks in the girls' hands. He gave Aimee a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before moving toward Reilly to do the same since he hadn't properly greeted her, but she ducked away from his touch.

"It's probably best if you don't touch me or talk to me right now," she said, shooting him an icy glare.

He held his hands up defensively. "Oh, whoa, what did I do to deserve that?" he inquired, turning to the refrigerator and retrieving a beer for himself, and another for Reilly. Aimee shrugged when he glanced over at her, so he turned his attention back to Reilly only to still be on the receiving end of her cold stare. And suddenly it seemed to click. "Oh," he said, dragging out the short word. "How much of it did you hear, then?" he asked.

She continued to stare at him for a minute before responding. "More than enough," she said. "You had no right. Who I choose to date, and who I choose to marry is just that, my choice. It is not your place to comment on my relationship with Owen because you don't have a say in the matter. And to dump it all on Niall like that is really, really unfair to him. You put him in a really shitty position by saying what you did to him." Her tone was harsh, but her voice was hushed so the others wouldn't hear. Aimee just stared at the two of them with her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, you mean like the shit position you put him in every time you're around him?" Louis retorted.

Reilly glared harder at him, rage now coursing through her. "How dare you," she seethed.

"You think he didn't already know everything I said? Everyone can see it, Reilly. Everyone. And you're right, it's not my place to comment on your relationship, but you clearly weren't listening to what I was saying because if you were, you would have heard that I said that I don't think you're happy regardless of Owen," he said and paused. When she didn't respond immediately, he went on. "Niall brings something out in you. He always has. I can't explain it to you but even if I could I doubt you would believe me. But it's good. It's really good. And I don't understand why you're so afraid of it."

"I'm not afraid of Niall," she argued. "And trust me, I know he's between a rock and a hard place, okay? I am, too. Believe it or not, I do care about him. He's my friend, and I hate the look on his face that he tries to hide when Owen and I are together. It nearly kills me. There's a part of me that feels like I betrayed him big time. But the fact of the matter is, I didn't. I stopped something before it happened and then I moved on, just like I wanted him to do." She could feel the tears welling up behind her eyes, and the guilt settling in her stomach once again, but she refused to let it get the better of her.

Louis raised his eyebrows at her. He could see her eyes getting glossy. "But did you really?" he asked softly.

She blinked and a tear slipped out. She reached up quickly to wipe it away. "Don't," she pleaded.

He nodded in understanding and moved toward her, wrapping his arms tightly around her small frame. "I only ever want what's best for you, Love," he told her quietly and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I want you to be happy, and to enjoy the life you're living. You deserve it, maybe more than anyone else I've known," he said. She nodded and pulled out of his embrace.

Aimee was staring at them with wide eyes. "What the bloody hell did I just witness?" she asked.

A laugh escaped Reilly before she could even think about stopping it. "That would be one of our infamous fights. They tend to really weird people out," she said. "And by the way, I'm going to let your husband have it later, because he was in on the conversation. If he has something he wants to say, he needs to say it to my face or keep his damn mouth shut," she asserted.

Aimee just nodded. "By all means," she said and then shooed the Reilly and Louis out of the kitchen. Though Reilly had planned on helping with dinner, she left the kitchen without argument.

She and Louis entered the living room in the middle of what was apparently quite a serious discussion. Louis squished himself between Niall and the arm of the couch, forcing Niall to move closer to Liam, until the were practically shoulder to shoulder. "But you're just singing and jumping around a stage. It's not like you're changing the world or saving lives," Owen was saying, looking directly at Niall as Reilly reclaimed her seat next to him. Niall's eyebrows raised quickly and fell again as the corners of his mouth did the same thing. He was taking slight offense to what Owen had said but remained quiet anyway.

"I beg to differ," Liam objected, but Reilly didn't let him go on.

"I do, too," she interjected, looking from Liam, to Niall, to Owen. "Niall started an incredible foundation a few years ago with Louis and Zayn that gives access to music, sports, and art lessons for children and young adults here in London and in Ireland. I think they're looking to expand it over to the States and other countries soon, also. They're very involved in it, especially in the last year and a half since they've been touring less." She looked over at the boys in time to see Niall give a small shrug of his shoulder and look down with a smirk playing at his lips, nearly blushing.

Owen turned his body toward her as she turned her head back to look at him. "But, Babe," he said, "what I'm saying is that it's not anything groundbreaking." Reilly opened her mouth to respond but didn't get the chance.

"But teaching people to overthink everything and datin' your students is?" Niall quipped.

Reilly's head snapped toward Niall, her eyes wide. The only people she would have ever expected a comment like that come from were Lexie and Louis, the former of whom was trying to hide his chuckling and failing miserably. Liam looked just as stunned as Reilly felt. But Owen remained calm.

"I get the feeling you don't actually understand what it is that I lecture on. And if you're referring to Reilly," he said, resting his hand on her knee, "she was never one of my students. I did lecture in one of her classes, though."

"Semantics," Niall said simply.

Owen raised an eyebrow and leaned forward over Reilly, his hand sliding from her knee down to the side of her leg. "Beg pardon?" he said.

Niall leaned forward also. "You're arguing semantics. You may not have been her literal teacher, but you were an educator at a university she was attending as a student, which put you in a position of power, and by datin' her, an ethical line was crossed," he said.

By now, Reilly's face was bring red, both from embarrassment and anger. She wanted to scream at both of them to shut up, but her brain couldn't convince her mouth to form the words. She did, however, manage to push Owen's hand off her leg, though it didn't seem to phase him.

"She sought me out, Mate. You're getting angry with the wrong person here," Owen countered, remaining surprisingly calm.

Red was creeping up Niall's neck and to his face. He looked like he was about to burst with rage. "Regardless of who sought out who, you still crossed a line," Niall said. "And I'm not your mate, you arrogant, condescending piece of sh-"

"Enough, both of you," Reilly shouted, finally finding her voice in time to cut Niall off. "Just stop it, for the love of all that is holy. Could you act any more like children?" she ranted, reaching up to rub her temples.

Niall rolled his eyes upward and shook his head. "I'm out of here," he said as he stood up and left the room without another word. Louis stood also, declaring that he had to go also, since he'd come over with Niall.

After the front door shut, Reilly turned to Liam. "Could you give us a minute?" she asked him. He nodded as he stood and left the room. She turned to Owen. "Was that really necessary? Any of it?" she asked.

His eyebrows shot up. "You're upset with me? I was just trying to have a civilized conversation," he said.

"You verbally attacked him, all of them. Even the two that aren't here," she exclaimed.

"And you were awfully quick to jump to his defense, weren't you?" he questioned.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "Those boys are my family, and what you said was not only unnecessary, it was also completely unacceptable. They work really hard. You have no idea how much of themselves they've given to people who don't even know them, the burdens they've carried for others. And they've given up a lot--privacy, normalcy. None of them deserved what you said," she said firmly. "They deserve respect."

Owen shook his head and stood. "They're not the only ones," he said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room. Moments later, the door closed, indicating that Owen had left.

With a sigh, Reilly went to the kitchen. Liam and Aimee both looked at her with concerned expressions. "I don't know what his problem is tonight," she said. "I'm sorry. I feel really terrible about this."

Aimee waved her hand in the air. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he just had a lousy day and took it out on the boys," she said. Liam nodded in agreement.

Reilly nodded, though she felt like there was something more to it than that. "Listen, I'm going to-" she started, but Liam cut her off.

"Go," he said with a nod before leaning over and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "We'll work out another time for the four us to get together," he told her.

She gave them a sad smile before turning to leave. A heavy sigh escaped her as she settled into her car. She didn't want to go home, and she didn't want to go to Owen's right then, so she just drove instead, with no particular destination. But the longer she drove, the worse she felt. Her stomach felt full and empty at the same time, her chest was aching, and all she could think about was the look on Niall's face as he was leaving.

She pulled the car over and rummaged through her purse for her phone and dialed Louis' number. When he answered she questioned where Niall would be. Louis hesitated, and it took a bit of urging before he finally gave her the name and address of a pub Niall liked because it tended to be quieter than most others.

It turned out she was close. Her heart started pounding when she pulled into a parking space outside the bar, but she drew in a deep breath and turned off the car. Inside was relatively void of people so finding Niall was easy. He didn't even look over as she slid onto the bar stool next to him, like he knew she was there before she approached. Niall gestured at the bartender, who popped open a beer and slid it to Reilly. She gave a small smile and a nod and took a sip. Neither said anything for several minutes.

Finally, Reilly broke the silence. "I'm really sorry," she said quietly.

"Shouldn't I be the one apologizin'?" he asked. He sounded exhausted.

Reilly shrugged and shook her head, even though he wasn't looking at her. She knew he could her out of the corner of his eye. "No. Owen was out of line. Way out of line. I can't really blame you for getting upset. I mean, maybe you could have found a way to not bring me into it. But you also weren't totally wrong in what you said," she told him.

He let out a dry laugh. "He doesn't have to like me. I don't really care either way. But what I do care about is that he's good to you. I don't want to get in the way of what the two of you have," he said and Reilly nodded. "You should be with him right now, not me. Doesn't really look good, you know?"

Reilly nodded again, though her heart was starting to ache, and she slid her beer over to him. "Yeah," she said quietly, feeling the tears pool behind her eyes. She climbed down off the bar stool and headed toward the door.

"See you Friday," he called after her, not bothering to turn around. A smile pulled at the corner of her lips as his words reached her ears. She didn't say anything and she didn't turn around either, but just continued on her way to her car.

It was dark when she got to Owen's house, but being January it was still early. She had a key to his house but didn't use it, opting to ring the door bell instead and waited patiently for him to answer the door. He looked surprised to see her.

"You're right. You deserve respect as well. I know that," she said. "I'm sorry."