So Long
thirty-two.
The flickering light from the television washes over Niall’s face, muted colours painting his skin different shades as he sleeps on. Claire huffs out a laugh and doubles back to make sure the front door is locked, security alarm set. She hadn’t expected him stay awake until she got home, but she also couldn’t have anticipated him having fallen asleep on the couch.
“Babe? C’mon, it’s almost three. Let’s go to bed.”
“Don’ wanna move,” he mumbles, face scrunching up, and Claire stifles a giggle.
“Okay, fine. If you wanna stay here and make me sleep in that big bed all by myself, that’s your choice.” She ducks down to press a kiss to the curve of his brow, smiles when his eyes peel open slowly. “I’m just saying. You could stay here on the sofa, or be much more comfortable in our bed with me.”
Her words act as a catalyst - he grumbles further, but he pushes himself to his feet and stumble after her toward the stairs. She links their fingers together as they go; it’s been a long day, but coming home to this… it definitely makes up for everything.
Niall flops down onto the bed the instant he’s able, and Claire has no doubts that he’ll be back asleep before she gets out of the shower. She almost considers going straight to bed, but she’s been having some weird dreams lately, all revolving around baked goods. So it’s wise to clean up before falling asleep.
Showered and no longer smelling like pastries, Claire runs a brush through her hair and scrubs her teeth before making her way back to Niall’s room. He doesn’t stir when she crawls beneath the blankets, and she stares at him for a moment.
He looks so peaceful, calm and relaxed in ways she’s not seen in a while. Her heart beats steadily beneath her ribs, sings of her love. She stretches just enough to press a kiss to his forehead then settles in next to him, closing her eyes and exhaling the stresses of the day.
Claire hefts the tote bag further onto her shoulder, loops a finger through the straps of her flip-flops, and takes careful steps across the hot sand until she reaches the large umbrella that her family sits under. Tim sees her approaching, tosses the tube of sunblock her direction, and Claire sticks her tongue out at him when it bounces off her fingertips to land on the ground.
“Can we not be a jerk for once?” she grumbles as she drops to the ground, though a smile plays at the edges of her lips. “I mean, I could have spent time at home with my boyfriend, but no! I show up to hang out with you lot, and I get sunscreen thrown at me.”
“Shut up, Belle. You coulda said no.”
“Nah, I’ve missed hanging out with you, terrible brother of mine. It’s been a while since we’ve done this.”
Tim laughs and shoves playfully at her shoulder. Claire finishes smearing the sunblock on her skin then reaches for Paul; he lunges toward her, and she buries her face into his soft hair. Her brother passes over a popsicle with a wide smile.
Claire gets exactly one lick of it before her nephew is tugging it from her hands. He waddles away with it clutched tightly in his fist. She stares after him, jaw dropped, before catching Tim’s eye.
“What the actual fuck are you teaching your child, Timothy?”
“Methinks you should watch your language around the children.”
Claire twitches in surprise then glares up at her sister-in-law. Deirdre settles onto the towel beside her, grinning unabashedly. Claire shakes her head and watches Paul stomping in the sand.
His hand is already stained red from the frozen treat, sticky sugar tinting his lips. Minnie growls when her brother gets too close to the sandcastle she’s building, but he doesn’t seem to notice - or care. He finally plops down at the edge of Minnie’s work area, his fingers squishing sand and letting it loose.
“Speaking of boyfriends,” Tim says, and Claire turns her head to catch his eye, “how’s all that going?”
“It’s been... really great. Better than I could have hoped for, especially so early in it, y’know?”
Tim shrugs and unwraps another popsicle. “I mean, you two were dancing around each other for months, right?”
“I mean, I was. I’m not sure about him, but yeah, I was head over heels long ago.”
“Done the dirty yet?” Dee asks, cackling as Claire’s face heats up in a way unrelated to the sunshine or temperature.
Minnie cocks her head to the side, her hands still in the process of scooping away sand for a moat. Her bright eyes are narrowed as she asks so innocently, “What’s the dirty?”
Deirdre’s jaw drops open as she stares at her daughter, and Claire loses it. She laughs until she can’t breathe, then laughs some more when Dee stammers out a suggestion that Minnie never, ever repeat that sentence.
Claire clambers awkwardly to her feet, stumbles away from the shade of the umbrella. Her stomach and chest ache, and her eyes start watering as she struggles to catch her breath.
“Get back here, Belle, I’m not done asking questions!”
Claire ignores Dee’s order, wading out into the expanse of water until it reaches her waist, and waggles her fingers in her family’s direction. She inhales as best as she is able then disappears beneath the surface.
Being buffeted by the water as it encroaches upon the shore is familiar; she relaxes her body until she can float with the push and pull of the waves. Her hair brushes against her cheeks, thick and heavy on her skin, but she focuses on the easy peace that fills her bones.
She doesn’t care how far from shore she gets, as long as she never loses this freeing helplessness.
“You’re kidding.”
Tim rolls his eyes, closing the car door. “Look, you took your boyfriend, so why can’t I take my wife and children?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. And besides, in my defence, he wanted lunch, and I didn’t want to take him somewhere he’d get swarmed.” She sighs, reaches out for her brother to hug him tightly. “I think it’s great that you wanna take them. I’ll meet you guys there.”
Claire somehow manages to reach Ma’s before her brother does, so she sits behind the steering wheel and composes a new message to Niall, quickly attaching the photo she took of herself and Minnie on the beach. He’s busy, though, and she doesn’t expect an answer - she just hopes their bright smiles can make his day a little bit better.
The phone tumbles from her hands when she jumps, shrieking, at the unexpected tapping on her window. She glares at her older brother even as she shuts off the engine, pushes open the door.
“I thought we agreed not to be jerks? You totally could’ve just texted me that you were here.”
“And miss seeing you nearly piss yourself? Where would the fun be in that?”
Claire grabs her phone from off the floorboard and shoves her brother out of her way - or tries to, anyway. He’s larger than she is, so she isn’t very successful. She scoops Minnie up in to her arms and spins in a circle, heart singing with the child’s screech of delight.
Deirdre warns that Minnie doesn’t have a change of clothes if she pukes everywhere, and Claire pouts but stops twirling around. Hefting her niece more securely against her side, Claire follows the others into the diner.
Edna’s eyes scan over the group, and Claire’s brows furrow when the other woman’s face falls. She realises after a moment that Edna was most likely looking for Niall to be among them. Claire shrugs apologetically, trailing after Tim as he leads them to the booth.
Once Minnie is sat on the bench next to her, Claire checks her phone for any missed notifications. There aren’t any. She makes sure her family is fully engrossed in talking with Edna before typing out a quick I just wanted to let you know I love you. Claire sends it off then sets her phone face-down on the tabletop, joins the conversation.
Lunch passes by far too quickly for her liking; even with Edna trying to force food onto the family, Claire finishes her meal within the half-hour. She checks the time and sighs. Dee catches her eye, cocking her head to the side.
“I better go. Told Rhi I’d come in this afternoon if she needs me.”
“Aw, I was gonna see if you wanted to come hang out at the house for the evening since your boyfriend is working.”
“If my presence isn’t required, I will be there with bells on.” Claire presses a kiss to Minnie’s forehead, stretches across the table to kiss Paul on the cheek, and hugs Tim. “Call me later, yeah? Love you.”
As soon as she’s back in the driver’s seat of her car, she brings up the group chat with Rhiannon and Sam.
<< Need help?
>> Not really, no
<<
>>
<<
>> Wow. You went there.
>> Come in if you want. I’d appreciate it. Then I can focus on catching up on the baking. Too many families want pastries today
<<
“Babe? C’mon, it’s almost three. Let’s go to bed.”
“Don’ wanna move,” he mumbles, face scrunching up, and Claire stifles a giggle.
“Okay, fine. If you wanna stay here and make me sleep in that big bed all by myself, that’s your choice.” She ducks down to press a kiss to the curve of his brow, smiles when his eyes peel open slowly. “I’m just saying. You could stay here on the sofa, or be much more comfortable in our bed with me.”
Her words act as a catalyst - he grumbles further, but he pushes himself to his feet and stumble after her toward the stairs. She links their fingers together as they go; it’s been a long day, but coming home to this… it definitely makes up for everything.
Niall flops down onto the bed the instant he’s able, and Claire has no doubts that he’ll be back asleep before she gets out of the shower. She almost considers going straight to bed, but she’s been having some weird dreams lately, all revolving around baked goods. So it’s wise to clean up before falling asleep.
Showered and no longer smelling like pastries, Claire runs a brush through her hair and scrubs her teeth before making her way back to Niall’s room. He doesn’t stir when she crawls beneath the blankets, and she stares at him for a moment.
He looks so peaceful, calm and relaxed in ways she’s not seen in a while. Her heart beats steadily beneath her ribs, sings of her love. She stretches just enough to press a kiss to his forehead then settles in next to him, closing her eyes and exhaling the stresses of the day.
[-_-_-_-]
Claire hefts the tote bag further onto her shoulder, loops a finger through the straps of her flip-flops, and takes careful steps across the hot sand until she reaches the large umbrella that her family sits under. Tim sees her approaching, tosses the tube of sunblock her direction, and Claire sticks her tongue out at him when it bounces off her fingertips to land on the ground.
“Can we not be a jerk for once?” she grumbles as she drops to the ground, though a smile plays at the edges of her lips. “I mean, I could have spent time at home with my boyfriend, but no! I show up to hang out with you lot, and I get sunscreen thrown at me.”
“Shut up, Belle. You coulda said no.”
“Nah, I’ve missed hanging out with you, terrible brother of mine. It’s been a while since we’ve done this.”
Tim laughs and shoves playfully at her shoulder. Claire finishes smearing the sunblock on her skin then reaches for Paul; he lunges toward her, and she buries her face into his soft hair. Her brother passes over a popsicle with a wide smile.
Claire gets exactly one lick of it before her nephew is tugging it from her hands. He waddles away with it clutched tightly in his fist. She stares after him, jaw dropped, before catching Tim’s eye.
“What the actual fuck are you teaching your child, Timothy?”
“Methinks you should watch your language around the children.”
Claire twitches in surprise then glares up at her sister-in-law. Deirdre settles onto the towel beside her, grinning unabashedly. Claire shakes her head and watches Paul stomping in the sand.
His hand is already stained red from the frozen treat, sticky sugar tinting his lips. Minnie growls when her brother gets too close to the sandcastle she’s building, but he doesn’t seem to notice - or care. He finally plops down at the edge of Minnie’s work area, his fingers squishing sand and letting it loose.
“Speaking of boyfriends,” Tim says, and Claire turns her head to catch his eye, “how’s all that going?”
“It’s been... really great. Better than I could have hoped for, especially so early in it, y’know?”
Tim shrugs and unwraps another popsicle. “I mean, you two were dancing around each other for months, right?”
“I mean, I was. I’m not sure about him, but yeah, I was head over heels long ago.”
“Done the dirty yet?” Dee asks, cackling as Claire’s face heats up in a way unrelated to the sunshine or temperature.
Minnie cocks her head to the side, her hands still in the process of scooping away sand for a moat. Her bright eyes are narrowed as she asks so innocently, “What’s the dirty?”
Deirdre’s jaw drops open as she stares at her daughter, and Claire loses it. She laughs until she can’t breathe, then laughs some more when Dee stammers out a suggestion that Minnie never, ever repeat that sentence.
Claire clambers awkwardly to her feet, stumbles away from the shade of the umbrella. Her stomach and chest ache, and her eyes start watering as she struggles to catch her breath.
“Get back here, Belle, I’m not done asking questions!”
Claire ignores Dee’s order, wading out into the expanse of water until it reaches her waist, and waggles her fingers in her family’s direction. She inhales as best as she is able then disappears beneath the surface.
Being buffeted by the water as it encroaches upon the shore is familiar; she relaxes her body until she can float with the push and pull of the waves. Her hair brushes against her cheeks, thick and heavy on her skin, but she focuses on the easy peace that fills her bones.
She doesn’t care how far from shore she gets, as long as she never loses this freeing helplessness.
“You’re kidding.”
Tim rolls his eyes, closing the car door. “Look, you took your boyfriend, so why can’t I take my wife and children?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. And besides, in my defence, he wanted lunch, and I didn’t want to take him somewhere he’d get swarmed.” She sighs, reaches out for her brother to hug him tightly. “I think it’s great that you wanna take them. I’ll meet you guys there.”
Claire somehow manages to reach Ma’s before her brother does, so she sits behind the steering wheel and composes a new message to Niall, quickly attaching the photo she took of herself and Minnie on the beach. He’s busy, though, and she doesn’t expect an answer - she just hopes their bright smiles can make his day a little bit better.
The phone tumbles from her hands when she jumps, shrieking, at the unexpected tapping on her window. She glares at her older brother even as she shuts off the engine, pushes open the door.
“I thought we agreed not to be jerks? You totally could’ve just texted me that you were here.”
“And miss seeing you nearly piss yourself? Where would the fun be in that?”
Claire grabs her phone from off the floorboard and shoves her brother out of her way - or tries to, anyway. He’s larger than she is, so she isn’t very successful. She scoops Minnie up in to her arms and spins in a circle, heart singing with the child’s screech of delight.
Deirdre warns that Minnie doesn’t have a change of clothes if she pukes everywhere, and Claire pouts but stops twirling around. Hefting her niece more securely against her side, Claire follows the others into the diner.
Edna’s eyes scan over the group, and Claire’s brows furrow when the other woman’s face falls. She realises after a moment that Edna was most likely looking for Niall to be among them. Claire shrugs apologetically, trailing after Tim as he leads them to the booth.
Once Minnie is sat on the bench next to her, Claire checks her phone for any missed notifications. There aren’t any. She makes sure her family is fully engrossed in talking with Edna before typing out a quick I just wanted to let you know I love you. Claire sends it off then sets her phone face-down on the tabletop, joins the conversation.
Lunch passes by far too quickly for her liking; even with Edna trying to force food onto the family, Claire finishes her meal within the half-hour. She checks the time and sighs. Dee catches her eye, cocking her head to the side.
“I better go. Told Rhi I’d come in this afternoon if she needs me.”
“Aw, I was gonna see if you wanted to come hang out at the house for the evening since your boyfriend is working.”
“If my presence isn’t required, I will be there with bells on.” Claire presses a kiss to Minnie’s forehead, stretches across the table to kiss Paul on the cheek, and hugs Tim. “Call me later, yeah? Love you.”
As soon as she’s back in the driver’s seat of her car, she brings up the group chat with Rhiannon and Sam.
<< Need help?
>> Not really, no
<<
>>
<<
>> Wow. You went there.
>> Come in if you want. I’d appreciate it. Then I can focus on catching up on the baking. Too many families want pastries today
<<