Someone Lost, Something Gained

Niall fits perfectly in the comfortable routine with Hattie and Veda. He obeys the orders given, smiling the entire time. Hattie asks questions about himself, about David Barkie, about Ireland and his family and everything he left behind when he immigrated. Veda listens to his answers and jolts when he slips past her, pinching her ass on the way. Thankfully, Hattie doesn’t see.

Once dinner is made, the trio heads to the living room. Hattie sits in the armchair, Veda and Niall on the couch with scarcely an inch between them. She’s oddly grateful that he’s left-handed. There is no bumping of their arms as they eat. Her cousin grabs the remote and brings up Netflix, scrolling through the ‘Continue Watching’ list until she finds One Day at a Time.

“We’ll have to restart the series,” Veda manages to say through a mouthful of mashed potatoes, and Hattie rolls her eyes.

“No duh, dumbass.”

Niall is enthralled from the beginning. Veda ignores the show in favour of watching his reactions, the way his laughter lights up his eyes. His nose scrunches up when he laughs. It’s utterly adorable, and she wants to kiss the smile from his lips. Unfortunately, her cousin is right there. Kissing is off the table.

Veda pouts to herself at the thought. She can’t be angry at Hattie, though.

“Lydia is my favourite.”

Veda shakes her head. “Wrong choice, buddy. Penelope is the best.”

“Lydia is feckin’ hilarious, and you know it.”

“You two need to stop being cute. I’m about to puke up my dinner.”

“Love you, Hatchling.” Veda grins as her cousin gathers up the dirty dishes. “Leave ‘em in the sink. I’ll wash up later.”

“Again, no duh. I did the most work while cooking.”

They spend the rest of the evening watching the show, and Veda finds herself shifting closer, leaning heavily into Niall’s side. The slide of his arm around her shoulders tells her he doesn’t mind. In fact, his fingers run along her arm. He knows what he’s doing, that his touch is driving her wild. He can’t stop smirking as she squirms uncomfortably beside him.

“I’m going to bed,” announces Hattie, and Veda looks at the clock - it’s just gone nine.

“Oh, you start your new job tomorrow!”

“Yep. Night, Niall. It was nice to meet you for more than five seconds, especially when those five seconds aren’t right before you practically fuck my cousin against the wall.”

Veda’s cheeks burn, and she buries her face against Niall. Hattie is a menace, laughing as she heads upstairs. Her bedroom door closes; Veda wonders if the slam was intentional. But then she turns toward Niall, her fingers curling in his hair. He huffs out a laugh when she drags him closer.

The kiss is just as amazing as any other they’ve shared. His left hand slides to rest on her hip, and all thoughts fly out of Veda’s brain. If they don’t revolve around him or his very enthusiastic participation, she doesn’t give a damn.

He pulls her further into his chest. Her hands come up to push against his chest, and his breath comes out on a hiss when she throws a leg over him. She swallows his moan, a high-pitched hum escaping her lips when his fingers press into the curve of her ass.

“Fuck, but I missed you,” she giggles breathlessly, pushing her body down. She relishes the way he reacts instantly, the way his hips jerk up against her. He’s hard already, and she wants him more than she’s wanted any man in her life.

“Missed you, too, love.”

“God, don’t stop,” she pleads against his lips, and her heart races in her chest.

Stomach clenching, she pulls away to move her face to his neck. He exhales sharply when she nips at his throat, when she tightens her grip in his hair. She can’t breathe with how much she needs him. His heart pounds in his chest, she can feel it against her.

This isn’t enough - she wants the heat and solid line of his body above her, pinning her to the mattress as he takes what she will give.

She’d give him everything if only to feel his touch on her.

“Wait, Ve-Veda, wait. Hang on.”

His words crash over her, and she stills on his lap, panting shakily at how quickly Niall has destroyed the buzzing in her veins. He grimaces in apology, groans when she pulls back. He whispers for her to just stop fecking moving, damn it, but his hips rise into the pressure of her body on his. Even though he’s made her stop, he still wants her just as badly as she needs him.

“What’s wrong?” she murmurs, her hands sliding along his chest.

“I need to tell you something.” He pauses. Her face falls, she knows it does - this is it. This is when he tells her he’s changed his mind about them. But then he’s pulling her back in for another kiss, speaking against her lips: “I’m going back for my Master’s.”

She jerks backwards, nearly toppling off his lap. When she’s steady once more, she stares at him. It isn’t what she expected to hear. She imagined a breakup, no matter how close they came to having sex right here on the couch. Not him telling her he’s going back to school. Her gaze tracks over his face, the pupils blown wide and his kiss-swollen lips. The flush in his cheeks. She did that to him.

“What?”

“I start in a couple weeks.”

“Holy shit, Niall, that’s amazing! Congratulations, babe.”

“This means I won’t have a lot of time outside of school and work,” he warns, wincing at the admission.

“I can handle that,” she promises. And she can. They’ve already proved they can go days without seeing each other; what’s a few weeks, in the grand scheme of things? “Wait, unless… Does this mean you want to break up?”

“God, no. No, I do not. I really do not. I just, I thought you would. I mean, we hardly get time together as it is, and now we’ll see each other less.”

Veda kisses his worries away then rests her forehead against his. “Absolutely not. No breaking up. You’re too amazing to give up, and what can I say. I’m fucking selfish. I’m also so damn proud of you, sweetheart. This is a huge thing you’re doing. The sacrifice of not seeing your gorgeous face or being pinned to the wall as you drive me crazy is worth it if it means you’re doing what you love.”

“I’d rather do you,” he mutters, pouting.

“You’re so crass,” she giggles, but her smile is too sappy for the moment. She knows it. She doesn’t care. “All in due time, Ni. All in due time.”

Niall laughs and captures her mouth with his. The moan is on her tongue, begging for release, even as he holds her with a strength that’s just this side of painful. Too much. She never wants this moment to end.

Unfortunately, he has other plans: He tells her ten minutes later that he should leave. She frowns, cards her fingers through his hair, and asks if he really has to go. He lets out a soft chuckle and kisses the tip of her nose.

“If I stay any longer, I’m gonna end up taking you upstairs. Then I’ll never leave.”

“I don’t have a problem with that,” she replies immediately, but he doesn’t change his mind.

Veda clambers off his lap and adjusts her top. It bunched up sometime between the first round of kissing and the second. He follows her to the door, slips on his shoes. She pouts as he steps out onto the stoop. He presses his lips to her cheek then walks down the steps. At the bottom, he turns to grin brightly at her. She wants to rid him of that smirk, replace it with a blissed-out smile and a body very well-satisfied.

To her surprise, he bounds back up the stairs and cups her cheeks with hands too warm, too tender, for the searing kiss he imprints on her lips. Her head spins, and she grips onto his wrists to keep herself steady. The invitation, the plea for him to stay the night, falls from her before she can stop it. Niall laughs quietly before pulling away.

“I only put out after the third date, love.” He winks, the joke easing the sensation of rejection residing in Veda’s gut. He brushes his thumb along her lower lip and promises they will see each other again soon. “After all, how could I resist you?”

He’s gone before she can formulate a response. You ass, she thinks as she stares after him. Her grin breaks free even at the twinge of dissatisfaction. She’d wanted more than she got, but it’ll have to be enough. For now.

She hopes he’ll put out long before the third date.