Collide, Ignite

Saturday morning, Reilly woke up to a view of the back of Owen's head. He was usually an early riser like her but he was, understandably, completely exhausted with the hours he'd been putting in at work, and Reilly was content to let him sleep. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, carefully, so she didn't wake him, and padded silently out of the room.

It was a little weird waking up at Owen's while Maisie was visiting, but the little girl had insisted on staying with Liam's parents for the night. It only made sense for Reilly to spend the free time with Owen, even if all they did was sleep. Still, Reilly felt like she was skipping an important step of her morning routine by not being able to poke her head into Maisie's room to check on her.

She headed for the kitchen, pulling up the sleeves of her shirt on the way. Owen kept his house on the toasty side, perhaps even a little too warm for Reilly's liking at times. But it wasn't unbearable, so she didn't complain. She did, however, adjust the temperature on the thermostat by a couple degrees on her way to the kitchen.

By the time Owen woke up two hours later, she had eaten breakfast, cleaned the kitchen from the mess she'd made cooking dinner (which she'd eaten alone since he worked so late) the night before, and was waiting for the second of the two loads of laundry she'd done to finish. She was stretching and practicing for the dance classes she was taking with Maisie when Owen entered the living room.

"What are you doing?" he asked, walking toward her.

"This class Maisie and I are taking is letting me know just how out of shape I am," she said, standing straight and turning to him when she spoke.

"You look in fine shape to me," he said as he reached her, leaning down for a kiss.

She leaned away quickly. "Morning breath," she protested.

He chuckled and kissed her cheek instead. "Are you going to do that to me for the rest of my life?" he asked her, heading out of the living room toward the kitchen.

She nodded, even though he couldn't see her, as she followed him. "Yes," she said. "Did you want me to make you some breakfast?" she asked. He stopped abruptly and spun around. His hand gently grabbed her waist and his lips caught hers. "Owen," she whined, pushing him away from her. He was laughing. "If you're not bothered by my morning breath, that's really great. But I'm not a fan. Brush your teeth before you kiss me."

He rolled his eyes playfully at her. "Yes, your highness," he teased. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped. Owen didn't get playful often, but she really enjoyed it when he did. He smiled widely at her, looking much more rested than he had the night before, and also the night before that at her birthday dinner. "You cooked last night. I can make my own breakfast, Love. You just go and relax," he told her.

Sitting and relaxing had never been something Reilly was good at. She liked to be busy, whether is was her hands or her mind. Relaxing for her tended to include cleaning the house or reading an entire book in one afternoon. But sitting and waiting for someone to do something or come to her was anything but calming. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

So instead of following Owen's instructions, she began to stretch again. She could feel his eyes on her while he made his breakfast, but she didn't let it stop her. After stretching she moved onto some of the things they'd gone over in class the day before, things she hadn't realized she'd forgotten in the years she hadn't been dancing. Learning the basics all over again was more challenging than she'd expected but she was loving every second of it.

"You weren't going to keep going to those dance classes once Maisie goes back home, were you?" he asked her.

Reilly kept her body moving but trained her eyes on him. "I hadn't thought that far ahead," she told him honestly. She had Maisie for another week and a half, just short of a month in total, and had barely even considered how things would change again once the little girl was no longer with her. "I might keep going, though," she said. "It's been a lot of fun. I didn't realize how much I missed dancing."

Owen looked at her for a long moment, then back to his breakfast cooking in the pan in front of him and muttered something that sounded an awful lot like waste of time in Italian. Reilly immediately stopped what she doing and stared hard at him, but he didn't look up.

"You do know that I speak Italian, also, don't you?" she inquired, though she knew he did. Owen didn't speak any languages she didn't. She, however, knew two he did not.

He sighed and turned off the stove. "I didn't mean it like that," he said, sensing her irritation with him. "I don't think you spending time and bonding with your sister is a waste of time in any way. I wonder if it's really worth it to keep taking the classes when she leaves if you're not doing anything with them. You're going to be so much busier once you start your new position. I don't want you to wear yourself out trying to do everything. I know how stubborn you can be," he explained, sending a wink in her direction.

She couldn't help but crack a smile. "There's Irish and Italian blood coursing through my veins," she said proudly. "Comes with the territory," she told him. "Besides, maybe I will do something with it someday. I haven't danced properly in over six years and I forgot how much I love it."

He picked up the plate he'd put his food on and motioned for her to follow him. "Just promise if you start to feel like you're doing too much, you'll slow down a bit, alright?" he said, sitting down the at the head of the table.

Reilly nodded and took a seat to his left, reaching over to tangle her fingers loosely with his. They weren't the most affectionate couple, but she liked the casual contact. She was in such a good mood finally getting a few hours with him fully rested where they could just be together that she didn't even acknowledge the lack of tingling where their skin touched. Her mind wasn't wandering. She felt content for the first time since he'd left before the holidays.

"You're coming to the party tonight, aren't you?" she asked, moving her fingers from his to dance them across his palm.

He smiled affectionately at her. "I might have to go into the office for a bit this afternoon, but I will absolutely make an appearance tonight," he said.

***

It was ten minutes after Louis and Cara were supposed to pick her up, and for once Reilly was glad that Louis was late. She had been running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to get herself ready for her's and Zayn's joint birthday party. It wasn't like her to make a big fuss about how she looked, but for some reason she was. She'd spent entirely too long on trying to get her hair into one of those complicated braids before she finally gave up and settled for leaving it down. Then she got it in her head to pull out the curling iron to give her limp looking hair a little bit of life. It worked but it was time consuming.

She practically flew down the stairs when she heard the bell ringing several times. No doubt Louis was being impatient as always. Cara was likely telling him to knock it off, and he was probably staring at her with a mischievous smile as he repeatedly pressed on the door bell. She flung the door open and was greeted by her friends' smiling faces. Louis rang the bell one more time, and then stepped forward, pressing a kiss to her cheek as he hugged her.

"You look absolutely gorgeous, my love," he said to her, stepping aside so Cara could hug her.

She'd changed several times before deciding on a long, slim fitting purple v-neck sweater and a pair of black leggings. The comfortable combination seemed to be her go-to when she couldn't decide what to wear somewhere. She had a skinny tan belt around her waist and tan ankle boots on her feet.

"That necklace is so cute!" Cara exclaimed as she pulled out of the hug. Reilly's hand immediately went to the chain around her neck. She didn't remember which necklace she'd put on, or even putting any necklace on, for that matter. But the second she felt the charm, she knew.

Her fingers played with the little fairy door for a moment before she let her hand fall. "Thank you," she said. She hadn't shown anyone the gift Niall had given her for Christmas, so she didn't want to say anything about it now.

Without much more chatting, Reilly grabbed her purse and threesome were on their way. Harry and Louis had taken over the planning of the party, and had been very secretive about the details. At least with Reilly they had been. This was one surprise she actually didn't mind, though. Had it been left up to her, or to Zayn, it was likely that neither would have even had a party, let alone a joint one with their families and friends.

She had no idea where they were when the car stopped. It looked like a storefront, but it was dark and Reilly hadn't been paying attention to the turns Louis had been taking. Wordlessly, she fell in step next to Cara, who slipped her arm through Reilly's as they walked through the door and down a short hallway into what appeared to be a studio of some sort.

It had been completely transformed, however, into a very festive party hall. There was a bar set up along one wall with a buffet table on the wall adjacent to it. In the corner furthest from the door was a small DJ booth. The music coming from the speakers that had been set up all around the large room was loud enough to be enjoyed, but not so loud that talking to someone would be difficult.

Reilly barely had any time to take it all in before Maisie came bounding over to her, dragging Zayn by the hand with her. "Happy birthday!" the little girl squealed as she let go of Zayn's hand and launched herself at her older sister.

"Thank you, Little One," she said, squeezing the child so tightly around the middle she groaned. Reilly giggled and loosened her hold. "Nan and Poppy have had you for too long," she said. "I missed you too much today." She squeezed her again but only for a moment.

Maisie grunted anyway and pushed on Reilly's shoulders to give herself a little more breathing room. "We did lots of fun stuff today. You should have come with us," she said.

Reilly raised her eyebrows playfully. "You did? But I wasn't invited!" she exclaimed.

The little girl giggled. "But all you had to do was ask," she told Reilly. "Nan and Poppy would let you come, silly."

"Ohh," Reilly said, stretching out the short word. "Is that all?" she asked, and Maisie nodded vigorously. "Well, I'll remember that for next time."

She put the little girl down and greeted Zayn. Having birthdays only a day apart, the joint party made sense, though this was the first year they'd done it. It was also the first birthday she's had since she'd been in London on which she and Niall were on speaking terms. It wasn't hard to conclude that would be a major factor in them sharing a party.

Maisie didn't stick around long. She attached herself to the hand of someone else she knew and scampered off with them. Reilly watched her for awhile, amazed by the fact that such a young child was so happy to be around adults all the time, before heading over to the bar. She wanted to start the evening with some water, feeling it was necessary to be alert and fully functional on the chance that Maisie could need something.

She had just started making her rounds and greeting people when suddenly Owen was at her side. She hadn't even realized he'd come in and nearly jumped out of her skin when his hand slid across her lower back to rest on her hip. He raised his eyebrows as she turned to look at him, and she breathed a noticeable sigh of relief as she leaned up to kiss him.

"Sorry," she mumbled against his lips.

He kissed her again and straightened to his full height. "You alright, Love?" he inquired, and she nodded without hesitation. "This place looks great. Having a good time?"

"Louis was late picking me up, as usual, so I just got here a few minutes ago," she explained. "But I've seen Maisie and Zayn, and I was just getting ready to say hi to some other people I know, if you'd like to join me," she said.

He grinned as leaned down to kiss her again. It was unlike Owen to be so affectionate, especially in a public setting, but Reilly couldn't deny that she was enjoying the attention he was showing her. "I would be delighted to, Love. Let me grab a drink. Can I get you anything?" he asked and she held up her water. "I will be right back," he said, kissing her once more before turning to head towards the bar.

He had been gone for mere seconds when Maisie came charging at her again, crashing into Reilly's legs and nearly knocking her over. If she had been wearing heels, the two probably would have been in a pile on the floor. Thankfully, the boots she'd chosen were relatively flat and allowed her to keep her balance much more effectively. She was reaching down to rub the little girl's back when she noticed a familiar face approaching.

"Hey Stranger!" she exclaimed when he was within earshot. She opened her arms for a hug despite the fact that her sister was still wrapped around her legs.

Olly's arms encircled Reilly warmly and he gave her a small squeeze. It had been quite awhile since they'd last seen each other. In the midst of the hug, his legs must have bumped Maisie because he jumped back suddenly and looked down. "Who's this?" he inquired. The smile on his face didn't fade in the least as she reached down to pick up Maisie. His eyebrows flew up almost immediately upon seeing the little girl's face. "Your," he paused as a look of uncertainty flashed across his face. "Daughter?"

Reilly grinned and shook her head slowly. "Sister," she corrected. Olly let out a breath, relieved to see she wasn't offended by his assumption. "Maisie," she said, tickling the girl's stomach. "Mais, this is my friend Olly," she said.

An excited smile drew across Maisie's face and she waved enthusiastically. "Hi," she sang, dragging the word out, and then leaned forward, reaching her arms out to him. He grabbed onto her and pulled her to his side. Her arms went around his neck and she leaned her head against the side of his face.

"Well, Miss Maisie, you are the sweetest thing I've ever met," he told her. "Even sweeter than your sister here," he commented. Reilly gasped, her jaw dropping in mock surprise. Maisie let out a giggle at her sister's reaction.

Olly grabbed onto Reilly's hand twirled her around, keeping a firm hold on Maisie with the other. "You know, young lady," he said to the little girl in his arms. "The very first time I met this one she danced with me. She's quite good, and I'm rubbish," he explained. "You think we can get her to dance with me again?" he asked.

Maisie nodded and Olly tugged on Reilly's hand, pulling her out into the middle of the room. No one was dancing yet, but it didn't matter to the three of them. He twirled her again and she spun toward him, her feet moving in time with the music. A smile immediately took over her entire face, reaching all the way to her eyes, which lit up brighter than they had in months.

It was short lived, however, because only moments later Owen was tapping on her shoulder. Reilly looked over and stopped moving when she saw him but nothing could wipe the smile from her face.

"Owen!" she exclaimed. He smiled at her, but there was a question in his eyes. "This is my friend Olly," she offered, and then glanced over at Olly as she let go of his hand and moved it Owen's back. "Olly, this is my fiance, Owen," she said.

Olly's eyebrows raised high, higher than when he'd seen a nearly exact replica of Reilly's face on the little girl he still held in his arms. "Fiance?" he inquired. "That's, wow, great," he searched, "congratulations!" he finally managed and held his hand out to Owen. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Owen moved his wine glass from his right hand to his left and reached out to grasp Olly's hand. He gave it a firm shake and offered something that resembled an unsure smile. "Likewise," he said simply. "How do you know each other?" he asked.

Reilly opened her mouth to answer but Olly started before she could. "Oh it was years ago at this point. Niall brought her to my concert and on impulse I pulled her out onto the stage to dance with me. I had no idea she was such a brilliant dancer, really quite embarrassed myself that night with my grandad moves. But she's a great sport. Never once mentioned how truly rubbish I am," he explained.

Blush tinted Reilly's cheeks. "You're not rubbish!" she argued. "You have the enthusiasm. With a few lessons you could be the next Justin Timberlake," she told him.

"You flatter me," he said and then looked over at Owen. "But that's all it is. Just smoke up my arse, you know? But I imagine you can probably cut a rug yourself, yeah?" he asked.

Reilly didn't give Owen the chance to respond and immediately shook her head. "Oh no. No no no. I can't even get him to dance in the kitchen with me while we're making dinner. Just flat out refuses," she told him. "But that's alright," she conceded. "We connect on other levels." Olly nodded in understanding. "It's great to see you again, but I've got to go make my rounds. We'll catch up more later," she said to him, and then looked at Maisie. "Do you want to hang out with Olly for a bit?" she asked. "Assuming he doesn't mind, of course."

"I would be delighted," he said, giving Maisie's tummy a little tickle. She giggled and nodded enthusiastically, stating that she wanted to dance some more.

"Alright," Reilly agreed. "Be really good," she said to the little girl. Then to Olly she said, "If you get sick of her, come find me. Or you can pawn her off on one of the boys. Any of them. Zayn's her favorite, though."

Maisie was quick to correct her older sister. "He's my favorite uncle," she stressed. "But Niall is my best friend," she informed Olly.

Next to her, Owen tensed at the little girl's words. Not wanting to stick around for for any more awkwardness, Reilly leaned up and quickly kissed Maisie's cheek and then grabbed on to Owen's hand and pulled him away. They made their way around the room, greeting and chatting with the people Reilly knew.

Something was nagging at her the whole time, though. She felt like at some point, something was going to have to give. With everything in her she hoped that Owen and Niall could come to some kind of mutual understanding soon, because trying to ignore the way her fiance's entire demeanor changed when Niall was merely mentioned was nearly impossible. She couldn't fathom trying to choose between the two, either.

Her heart rate sped up just as they got to Liam and Aimee. Next to her, Owen was checking his phone. She quickly swept her eyes around the room but more people had come in and it was hard to see who was there and who wasn't. So she turned her attention back to the people in front of her just in time to see Harry and Lexie joining them.

A hand slid across her back and Owen leaned in to speak in her ear. "I'm so sorry, Love. I have to run," he said so only she could hear.

She turned to look at him, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. "You just got here," she objected, not being as quiet as he was.

"I know," he said. "Something's come up. I'm sorry." He leaned in a pressed a quick kiss to her lips and then started to turn away but she caught him by the arm.

"Owen," she practically whined at him. "Seriously? You're leaving?" she asked.

He sighed and took a step back toward her, very aware of the eyes of her friends on him. "Reilly, Love, I'm really sorry. I wanted to be here tonight with you, but I have to go back to the office. I'll try to make it back, but I can't make any promises," he explained softly.

She shook her head at him. "Work. You're blowing off my party for work?" she asked indignantly. It was the second time in only a few days that she felt like he was blowing her off for work. But it wasn't just recently. She'd lost count of how many times he'd done it in the last month, and over the course of their relationship.

Again, he sighed. "I'm not blowing anything off," he argued. "I went to that dinner the other night with Liam's parents. We've already celebrated your birthday."

A fire ignited inside Reilly at how dismissive Owen was being. "You were late to dinner with my parents, if you recall," she seethed. "And now you're ducking out of here early and acting like it's nothing. You're always doing this to me," she told him. She knew it wasn't the time or the place for this fight, but she couldn't stop herself.

Owen drew in a breath and let it out slowly. "I said I'm sorry, and I am. But this needs my attention," he said, still attempting to keep his voice low.

"I need your attention," she asserted.

"Reilly, please," he sighed. "Let me go take care of this and I'll come back before the night's over," he said, but he wasn't very convincing.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know what, Owen?" she said, her shoulders drooping as the fight suddenly left her. "Don't bother."

He let out another sigh, much heavier this time. "Don't.." he paused. "What do you want from me?" he asked.

"Nothing, at the moment," she said, turning away from him to her friends. Harry looked like he was feeling every ounce of disappointment just as she was. Liam looked almost angry. Lexie and Aimee where both looking very sympathetic. "Just go."

She could feel him staring at her for a few moments before he turned to leave. She glanced out of the corner of her eye as he walked away. He said he was sorry, but he didn't seem like he was. It was just words coming from his mouth. She let out a sigh and took a drink of her water, wishing it was something a little stronger.

"Wanker," Liam said, the first to speak. Reilly looked at him and cracked a sad smile. Liam reached out and gently pulled her into a hug. "Don't be sad, okay? We'll have fun without him," he assured her.

Reilly nodded as she pulled away. Her heart was still racing and just as she went to take another drink of her water, she heard Maisie squeal Niall's name loudly. She turned in time to see her little sister racing across the room to Niall, who was holding his arms open for her to leap into. Next to him was a girl Reilly had never seen before. Her stomach fell and her heart practically stopped when Niall rose to his full height with Maisie clinging tightly to him and the girl moved closer to him and slid her hand across his back.

Slowly, she turned back to her friends, hoping her face didn't give away what she was feeling, and took another drink of her water. She tried to pretend it was a beer, but no amount of pretending was going to fix what was going on inside of her.

By nine o'clock all the family members had left, leaving only friends and friends of friends. After seeing Maisie off safely with the Paynes, Reilly headed straight for the bar and asked for a Guinness. It was her first of the night, and as she took the first drink of the dark liquid, she knew it wouldn't be her last.

She was on her second when Niall finally made it over to her. She'd been doing her best to avoid him since she first saw him. Logically, she knew she had no right to be upset that Niall had brought someone to the party, even if that someone was a very pretty girl who couldn't keep her hands off him. But it didn't matter what she knew logically. The pangs in her stomach were winning out.

Thankfully, he was alone when he approached her. He walked right up to her and grabbed the beer she was holding and took a drink from it. "I can always tell when you're dodgin' me," he said, giving her beer back to her. She took a drink and raised an eyebrow at him. "And you've been dodgin' me all night," he told her.

She shook her head, trying to play it cool. "I don't know what you're talking about. I've just been running all over the place trying to make sure I don't miss anyone before they go," she said.

He studied her face carefully. "So, you didn't know I was here, then?" he asked her.

She tried to hide the sigh that she could feel building up inside her chest by finishing off her beer. She'd known since before she saw him that he'd arrived. But she wasn't about to tell him that. "I heard Maisie scream your name, if that's what you mean," she told him instead. "Look, I'm sorry if I've offended you somehow. I didn't intend to take all night to get over to say hello to you. It just kind of happened that way." She was trying not to sound like she was on the defensive, but it wasn't working.

Niall chuckled and motioned for her to follow him back to the bar. "Not offended, Darlin'," he said and then asked the bartender for two Guinnesses. "Saw Owen on the way in but haven't seen him since." he commented as he handed one of the beers to her. Their fingertips barely brushed and a shock shot through Reilly's hand and up her arm, almost causing her to drop the beer. "Nice necklace, by the way."

Blush tinted her cheeks at his mention of her choice of jewelry. "He had to go," she said, taking a long drink. The words tasted bitter on her tongue as they came out of her mouth, but she hoped she didn't sound that way. "Some pressing matter or something," she said, bouncing her eyes anywhere that wasn't his eyes.

He huffed. "More pressing than you?" he inquired. His eyes were trying everything to catch hers but had been unsuccessful until that moment, but they finally stopped moving and settled on his.

The purple sweater she wore made her eyes pop, bringing out a brightness that usually got lost in how dark they were. Her face softened and once again her stomach fell. He was there with another girl, but he was still concerned with her feelings. "It's not a big deal," she lied, taking another drink of her beer.

Niall looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't. "Wanna dance?" he asked instead.

Reilly raised an eyebrow with him. "Aren't you here with someone?" she asked before she realized the words that were falling from her mouth. She wanted to kick herself for that.

He chuckled though. "It's your birthday. She won't mind," he said with a shrug. He held his hand out to her. After a moment of hesitation, she tentatively reached out and placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her out to the dance floor.

They weren't out there very long before Olly appeared next to them. Louis and Cara joined shortly after, followed by Aimee and Liam. The longer Reilly danced, the less anything else mattered. She was surrounded by her best friends and they were celebrating her. It was weird for her to think about. For so long no one had cared. Her birthday was hardly acknowledged after her mother died. But now people were going far above and beyond to show her how much they loved her, and were making her start to feel like maybe she did deserve it just a little bit.

It wasn't until the music slowed that she realized she'd lost track of Niall. Harry slid in front of her and grabbed onto her hand, resting the other at her waist. She smiled up at him and looked around at how the rest of the group had paired up. Lexie was dancing with Zayn, Cara with Olly, Louis with Aimee, and Liam with Jasmin. She quickly looked around for the one missing, but regretted the choice when her eyes landed on him holding the mystery girl close. She watched as they swayed slowly to the music. The girl leaned up and said something in his ear and he laughed.

Reilly couldn't take it. She slipped her hand out of Harry's and dropped the other from his shoulder, and slid them both around his waist, burying her face against his soft chest. Harry let out a big sigh as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held onto her tightly. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to be mad that Owen wasn't there like he should be, but all she could feel was the sting of Niall holding close a girl that wasn't her.

Eventually the song ended and Reilly headed back toward the bar. It probably wasn't a good idea, but when she got there she ordered a shot of Jameson along with a Guinness. She downed the shot immediately and walked off with her beer to go find someone to talk to get her mind off the feelings that were drowning her.

The rest of the night went by surprisingly quickly. Once everyone had gone, she climbed into the back of Harry's car and leaned her head against the cold window. Her entire body was warm from the alcohol she'd consumed and it showed on her pink cheeks. She was just past buzzed but not totally drunk, thanks in part to sweating it out on the dance floor.

She grabbed a water from the refrigerator when they got home and downed it immediately, figuring it would help ward off a hangover. Then she grabbed another and headed upstairs. Lexie and Harry followed her, apparently thinking she was more drunk than she actually was. Once they were both satisfied that she was alright, they each kissed her on the cheek and headed off to Lexie's room.

Still warm from the alcohol, she changed into a pair of boxers and an oversized shirt. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her phone from her purse and fell onto her bed as she scrolled through her contacts, stopping when she got to Owen's name. She knew she should call him, but she didn't particularly feel like talking to him. He was the one blowing her off, and therefore he should be the one to call her and apologize.

She sighed again, backing up out of her contacts and going into her messages. The conversation with Niall from the week before was still there. She hadn't been able to bring herself to delete it yet. But now she wanted to. She pressed down on his name and held it until the menu popped up. View contact. Delete. Her thumb hovered over delete but she stopped before she pressed it and backed out of the menu. She opened the conversation and stared at it. I miss us. stared back at her harder than any of the other messages she'd sent.

Suddenly, everything hurt. From deep inside her chest down to the tips of her toes. Seeing him with that girl stirred up a feeling she didn't like. Jealousy, maybe. She didn't have any right to feel that. Niall was free to be with whomever he wanted. He wasn't hers. Owen was hers.

You left without saying goodbye. she typed out and pressed send. She didn't know where he was or if he was still with that girl, but she wasn't even thinking about what she was doing. All she was thinking about was how much she wanted to talk to him. She wanted some kind of reassurance.

His response came almost immediately. Sorry about that. was all it said.

She frowned. Can I call you? She pressed send.

Are you drunk? was his reply.

She felt a pang in her chest, but given what she'd done just a week prior, she couldn't entirely blame him for the question. A little.

Barely a second after it sent his reply came through. No. Plain and simple.

Please. she typed. I want to talk to you.

Again his reply was quick. Go to sleep. Call me in the morning if you want to talk.

She sighed heavily and stared at the text message. It was fair. It was more than fair. But her chest was still aching. Tears were gathering behind her eyes. She didn't like feeling as alone as she did right then, and all she wanted was for him to let her know that she wasn't truly alone. It wasn't his responsibility though. If it was anyone's other than her own, it would be Owen.

I didn't like seeing you with that girl tonight. she typed. She stared at it for a long time, her thumb poised over the send button. Her eyes flicked back up to his previous message and she sighed again. Her eyes shut tightly but tears still managed to slip passed her closed lids. Nothing felt right, and she knew she couldn't send that message no matter how true it was.

Niall was right. If she still wanted to talk to him when the alcohol was no longer in her system, she could call him in the morning. But would she? What if the only time she would ever have the courage to say the things that weighed on her so heavily when she was intoxicated was when she was intoxicated? It didn't seem fair. But then again, nothing really seemed fair.

She opened her eyes and deleted the message, and set her phone on the nightstand next to her bed. Maybe what she needed more than anything was a good night's sleep.