So Long
twenty-six.
Claire leans heavily into Niall’s side as they make their way back to the car. Her legs ache from the hike; she is accustomed to walking - being a personal assistant has meant copious amounts of walking, but at least then she was allowed to sit and take breaks every so often. She and Niall had been far too engrossed in talking and silence, just enjoying each other’s presence, that it was easy to ignore the growing fatigue in her muscles. Now, though, her entire body screams its desire to collapse and never move again.
Niall helps her into the car, wincing in sympathy when she groans at the way her legs cramp. She waves off his concern and lets him close the door. As soon as he’s in the driver’s seat, she turns her head to stare at him. She knows he can tell that he’s under scrutiny, the quirk of his lips tells her that much, but he doesn’t mention it as he focuses on the road ahead of them. He does, however, reach out to link their hands together once the car has merged with the rest of LA’s traffic. Claire raises their hands, presses a kiss to the back of his knuckles, then leans forward to turn on the radio. She snorts inelegantly when she hears I guess I got kinda used to being someone you loved.
“What’s so funny?”
Claire shrugs and turns the volume down just a little. “Nothing. I just… I want to just, like, hug him super-hard and tell him everything is going to be okay every time I hear this song.”
Niall glances at her from the corner of his eyes though he stays quiet. She doesn’t doubt that he understands what she means - as a musician, he probably understands better than most.
She surprisingly hasn’t met Lewis in person, though she’s overheard some of Niall’s FaceTime calls with the other singer a few times; he seems like a total sweetheart, and his sense of humour is utterly hilarious. And for him to make music that is so completely heartbreaking… He’s certainly talented, and Claire is excited to see where his career takes him, just as much as she’s excited to see the same for Niall’s.
The rest of the drive passes rather quickly, even with the traffic. Claire wants to talk about - well, whatever comes to mind, but she rather enjoys the easy quiet between them. So she just holds his hands, sings along to the radio, and wonders what the rest of the day has in store for the two of them. There is nothing on the schedule; that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other plans he wants to attend to. She mentally shrugs it off and waits until he’s pulled up in front of the fence to unbuckle her seatbelt. He helps her out of the car and into the house; it isn’t necessary, since the drive has helped ease some of the aching in her muscles, but Claire isn’t going to reject any chance to have his hands on her.
Claire leans over the back of the couch to press a loud kiss to Niall’s cheek, passing over a water bottle before flopping onto the cushion next to him. “So, uh, after our wonderful jaunt, during which I’m sure many people got photographs of us, I figure I should probably tell my family about us before they find out through the media.” She pauses, chewing on her lower lip for a moment, before drawing in a deep breath. “Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. I’d rather they know than you keep our relationship a secret, especially from those you love.”
<< Tim-Tam… pleeeeeease don’t hate me…
Tim’s response takes a few minutes, but when it does, all it contains is a string of question marks. Niall tugs her around until she’s leaning against him, his arm around her shoulders and crossing over her collarbone, and she smiles up at him before focusing on texting her brother.
<< I lost my job.
<< But it’s okay!
<< I obtained a boyfriend in its place!!!!
>> UR DATING UR BOSS???????!!
<< Not my boss any more. But yes. I am indeed dating him.
>> About damn time belle! Can I tell Dee?
<< Let me tell Mom and Dad first, because you know Dee is gonna blow my damn phone up with texts and calls once she finds out
>> U have 1 hr
Claire shakes her head, shifts until her head is on her boyfriend’s lap. His fingers come up to play with her hair, and she lets out a soft sigh at the sensation. She has always loved having her hair played with. He stays quiet as she finds her mother’s name in her Contacts list, tapping on it. She puts the call on speakerphone and waits; her heart is racing in her chest. She doesn’t understand why. This certainly isn’t the first time she’s ever told her parents about a boyfriend. Niall might be the first one, though, for whom her parents’ approval means everything.
“And there’s my favourite daughter.”
Claire pauses. “Mom? I’m your only daughter.”
“No, I have Dee, too.”
“I’m totally telling her you said I’m your favourite!”
“Claire Annabelle, you dare do that, and you’ll be grounded for months.”
“I… am not even going to touch that. So, uh, you got a minute?”
“Of course I do, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
Claire brings up Instagram in hopes of distracting herself from how nervous she is, scrolling mindlessly through the feed. “So, I kinda lost my job last night.”
“Oh, no! Are you serious? What the Hell for? Baby, do you need me to beat up your dumb boss for you? Just give me his address and I will, I swear it.”
“No, no, Mom! It’s okay, I promise,” Claire rushes to assure her mother, giggles wildly at the fear and shock on Niall’s face. “It’s not necessary to kick his ass. It was a, um, mutual termination of employment, if you will. I mean, it’s awkward enough dating someone without them being your boss.”
“Claire, I think you better back up and explain from the beginning, because I know you aren’t telling me you’re dating your boss,” her mom says slowly after a pregnant pause.
“I’m absolutely not dating my boss. He fired me before our relationship started.”
Another long silence, then: “I suppose this means I should tell Elsie that Ben should look elsewhere for a girlfriend?”
Claire snorts with laughter, slapping a hand over her face. The nervousness has faded away; a giddy kind of happiness takes its place. “Yes, Mom, that’s exactly what this means. Wait, Ben is still single? It’s been, like, ages.”
“I’m not entirely sure, actually. Elsie and I aren’t really on speaking terms at the moment. She insulted my African violets. Anyway. I’m happy for you, Belle. So when ya bringing him around so we can meet him?”
“I’ll have him check his schedule so we can plan something.”
“I think Sunday is open,” Niall whispers, and Claire stifles a groan - of course he’d unwittingly choose that particular day. He frowns down at her. “Is something wrong?”
“Nah, everything’s cool. We’ll be there Sunday, Mom.”
“Good. Tim, Dee, and the kids will be here, too, so he should fit right in!”
“I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you think it is, Mom, but okay, I gotta go. Dee’s gonna be blowing up my phone in a minute. See you this weekend, I love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”
Claire sighs in relief once she hangs up. Niall runs a hand through her hair, and she closes her eyes. She told her mother the truth - her sister-in-law will be sending a barrage of texts any minute now, and having a phone call interrupted by a never-ending series of beeps isn’t conducive to any sort of conversation. Sighing heavily, she unlocks her phone and sends a text to her brother that says nothing but “Release the Kraken.” Not even two minutes later, her phone starts vibrating and doesn’t stop, and each incoming message makes Claire laugh harder than the previous.
>> ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
>> YOU’RE DATING HIM NOW?
>> Tell me Tim isn’t lying to me
>> Because if he is, I’m totally divorcing him for fucking with my emotions like this!!!!!
>> OMG BELLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEE.
>> Tell me EVERYTHING. Right now.
>> Please tell me you’re planning on getting some
>> You’ll have to tell me what it’s like.
>> I bet
>> OH! Show your boo this. P L E A S E.
>> Oh my god Belle I’m so happy for you!
Claire can’t help it - the phone falls from her hand, and she falls off the couch with the force of her laughter. Niall yelps which only causes her to laugh even harder. He leans over, his face scrunched up in concern.
“Are you okay?”
In response, she fumbles for her phone, passes it over. He lets out a strangled noise when he reads the texts, and Claire takes pleasure from how rapidly his cheeks flush a brilliant red. He hands the phone back to her then helps her back onto the couch; she curls into his side once more, still giggling, and wipes at her eyes. Niall kisses her forehead and shakes his head.
“Your sister is a, er, very interesting person.”
“Just think - you’ll be meeting her in person on Sunday!”
The look Niall gives her, one full of nervousness and tinged with fear, sends her into another fit of giggling.
Niall helps her into the car, wincing in sympathy when she groans at the way her legs cramp. She waves off his concern and lets him close the door. As soon as he’s in the driver’s seat, she turns her head to stare at him. She knows he can tell that he’s under scrutiny, the quirk of his lips tells her that much, but he doesn’t mention it as he focuses on the road ahead of them. He does, however, reach out to link their hands together once the car has merged with the rest of LA’s traffic. Claire raises their hands, presses a kiss to the back of his knuckles, then leans forward to turn on the radio. She snorts inelegantly when she hears I guess I got kinda used to being someone you loved.
“What’s so funny?”
Claire shrugs and turns the volume down just a little. “Nothing. I just… I want to just, like, hug him super-hard and tell him everything is going to be okay every time I hear this song.”
Niall glances at her from the corner of his eyes though he stays quiet. She doesn’t doubt that he understands what she means - as a musician, he probably understands better than most.
She surprisingly hasn’t met Lewis in person, though she’s overheard some of Niall’s FaceTime calls with the other singer a few times; he seems like a total sweetheart, and his sense of humour is utterly hilarious. And for him to make music that is so completely heartbreaking… He’s certainly talented, and Claire is excited to see where his career takes him, just as much as she’s excited to see the same for Niall’s.
The rest of the drive passes rather quickly, even with the traffic. Claire wants to talk about - well, whatever comes to mind, but she rather enjoys the easy quiet between them. So she just holds his hands, sings along to the radio, and wonders what the rest of the day has in store for the two of them. There is nothing on the schedule; that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have other plans he wants to attend to. She mentally shrugs it off and waits until he’s pulled up in front of the fence to unbuckle her seatbelt. He helps her out of the car and into the house; it isn’t necessary, since the drive has helped ease some of the aching in her muscles, but Claire isn’t going to reject any chance to have his hands on her.
Claire leans over the back of the couch to press a loud kiss to Niall’s cheek, passing over a water bottle before flopping onto the cushion next to him. “So, uh, after our wonderful jaunt, during which I’m sure many people got photographs of us, I figure I should probably tell my family about us before they find out through the media.” She pauses, chewing on her lower lip for a moment, before drawing in a deep breath. “Are you okay with that?”
“Of course. I’d rather they know than you keep our relationship a secret, especially from those you love.”
<< Tim-Tam… pleeeeeease don’t hate me…
Tim’s response takes a few minutes, but when it does, all it contains is a string of question marks. Niall tugs her around until she’s leaning against him, his arm around her shoulders and crossing over her collarbone, and she smiles up at him before focusing on texting her brother.
<< I lost my job.
<< But it’s okay!
<< I obtained a boyfriend in its place!!!!
>> UR DATING UR BOSS???????!!
<< Not my boss any more. But yes. I am indeed dating him.
>> About damn time belle! Can I tell Dee?
<< Let me tell Mom and Dad first, because you know Dee is gonna blow my damn phone up with texts and calls once she finds out
>> U have 1 hr
Claire shakes her head, shifts until her head is on her boyfriend’s lap. His fingers come up to play with her hair, and she lets out a soft sigh at the sensation. She has always loved having her hair played with. He stays quiet as she finds her mother’s name in her Contacts list, tapping on it. She puts the call on speakerphone and waits; her heart is racing in her chest. She doesn’t understand why. This certainly isn’t the first time she’s ever told her parents about a boyfriend. Niall might be the first one, though, for whom her parents’ approval means everything.
“And there’s my favourite daughter.”
Claire pauses. “Mom? I’m your only daughter.”
“No, I have Dee, too.”
“I’m totally telling her you said I’m your favourite!”
“Claire Annabelle, you dare do that, and you’ll be grounded for months.”
“I… am not even going to touch that. So, uh, you got a minute?”
“Of course I do, sweetheart. What’s going on?”
Claire brings up Instagram in hopes of distracting herself from how nervous she is, scrolling mindlessly through the feed. “So, I kinda lost my job last night.”
“Oh, no! Are you serious? What the Hell for? Baby, do you need me to beat up your dumb boss for you? Just give me his address and I will, I swear it.”
“No, no, Mom! It’s okay, I promise,” Claire rushes to assure her mother, giggles wildly at the fear and shock on Niall’s face. “It’s not necessary to kick his ass. It was a, um, mutual termination of employment, if you will. I mean, it’s awkward enough dating someone without them being your boss.”
“Claire, I think you better back up and explain from the beginning, because I know you aren’t telling me you’re dating your boss,” her mom says slowly after a pregnant pause.
“I’m absolutely not dating my boss. He fired me before our relationship started.”
Another long silence, then: “I suppose this means I should tell Elsie that Ben should look elsewhere for a girlfriend?”
Claire snorts with laughter, slapping a hand over her face. The nervousness has faded away; a giddy kind of happiness takes its place. “Yes, Mom, that’s exactly what this means. Wait, Ben is still single? It’s been, like, ages.”
“I’m not entirely sure, actually. Elsie and I aren’t really on speaking terms at the moment. She insulted my African violets. Anyway. I’m happy for you, Belle. So when ya bringing him around so we can meet him?”
“I’ll have him check his schedule so we can plan something.”
“I think Sunday is open,” Niall whispers, and Claire stifles a groan - of course he’d unwittingly choose that particular day. He frowns down at her. “Is something wrong?”
“Nah, everything’s cool. We’ll be there Sunday, Mom.”
“Good. Tim, Dee, and the kids will be here, too, so he should fit right in!”
“I don’t think that’s as reassuring as you think it is, Mom, but okay, I gotta go. Dee’s gonna be blowing up my phone in a minute. See you this weekend, I love you.”
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”
Claire sighs in relief once she hangs up. Niall runs a hand through her hair, and she closes her eyes. She told her mother the truth - her sister-in-law will be sending a barrage of texts any minute now, and having a phone call interrupted by a never-ending series of beeps isn’t conducive to any sort of conversation. Sighing heavily, she unlocks her phone and sends a text to her brother that says nothing but “Release the Kraken.” Not even two minutes later, her phone starts vibrating and doesn’t stop, and each incoming message makes Claire laugh harder than the previous.
>> ARE YOU SERIOUS?!
>> YOU’RE DATING HIM NOW?
>> Tell me Tim isn’t lying to me
>> Because if he is, I’m totally divorcing him for fucking with my emotions like this!!!!!
>> OMG BELLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEE.
>> Tell me EVERYTHING. Right now.
>> Please tell me you’re planning on getting some
>> You’ll have to tell me what it’s like.
>> I bet
>> OH! Show your boo this. P L E A S E.
>> Oh my god Belle I’m so happy for you!
Claire can’t help it - the phone falls from her hand, and she falls off the couch with the force of her laughter. Niall yelps which only causes her to laugh even harder. He leans over, his face scrunched up in concern.
“Are you okay?”
In response, she fumbles for her phone, passes it over. He lets out a strangled noise when he reads the texts, and Claire takes pleasure from how rapidly his cheeks flush a brilliant red. He hands the phone back to her then helps her back onto the couch; she curls into his side once more, still giggling, and wipes at her eyes. Niall kisses her forehead and shakes his head.
“Your sister is a, er, very interesting person.”
“Just think - you’ll be meeting her in person on Sunday!”
The look Niall gives her, one full of nervousness and tinged with fear, sends her into another fit of giggling.