t w e n t y - n i n e

"What are you playing at Lily?" my dad shouted at me when I arrived at his and Carol's at 1 o'clock with Niall. Somehow Liv had managed to convince me to invite him and I instantly regretted it when my dad opened the front door. 

"What?" I shouted back at him. Niall stood in silence next to me

"He's not coming in!" my dad said like Niall wasn't even there.

"Yes he is dad. We are friends, ok?" 

We are? 

"Lily Isabelle Spinland this is MY house and he is not coming in and ruining your party!" my dad said.

"I'll leave," Niall said awkwardly and turned to leave.

"No no," I said to him fast before turning back to my dad, "It's MY birthday and MY party so I will invite who ever I want."

I grabbed Niall's hand before he could escape and dragged him inside the house, making my dad scowl.

"Lily this is a bad idea I-" Niall tried to say.

"No it's not, ok? We are friends and I want you at my party," I cut him off.

Niall didn't reply apart from a nod and he followed me like a lost puppy into the kitchen where Tyler was stood looking at his phone. He looked up though as soon as we walked in and I saw his body tense up.

"Hey," I said trying my best to not make it awkward between Niall and him.

"What do you think you doing here?" Tyler said to Niall in an angry voice. In the months Niall and I had been apart, Tyler and I had gotten surprisingly close. Our arguments sort of just stopped and suddenly we began being nice to each other. It had been weird for the first few weeks but we'd gotten used to it quickly. It was nice not having to think of insults constantly and actually being able to have a conversation with him without getting pissed at everything he said.

"Ty!" I hissed at him but he just ignored me and carried on talking to Niall, his voice rasing with every word.

"So what you just think you can waltz in here and be the golden boy that my sister is in love with like you did months and months ago, huh? Well news flash dude, she's moved on with her life. She isn't still in love with you and she doesn't still want to make out with you on our sofa or spend Christmas with you so you can tell her you don't give a damn about her," I stood in awe at how much he was defending me infront of Niall, "Yeah that's right, she told me. And she told her dad, and my mum and her grandma. So guess what dude, we all hate you."

I opened my mouth to yell at him but Niall spoke first, "I know she's moved on and I know she doesn't love me any more and I know you all hate me. All I'm trying to do though is make it up to her by being nice to her on her birthday. So guess what dude, I'm aware."

Tyler didn't say anything, he just blinked in amazement that Nialls comeback to him in the same tone of voice as he'd spoken to him.

"Ok, Niall shall we-" I turned around to pull Niall away only to see that he'd already disappeared.

"Thanks a lot dickhead," I snapped at Tyler before running out the kitchen shouting, "Niall! Niall?"

"Hey birthday girl," Jack's voice suddenly said from behind me. I looked around and saw him stood with a smirk of his face and his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"Hey, listen I just have to go to the toilet real quick but I'll see you in a sec. I'll find you in the living room," I said to him in a rushed voice because if Niall was leaving I wanted to catch him before he left.

"Ok baby," he gave me a quick kiss on the check but his lips barely touched me because I was already walked away fast. Jack wasn't meant to be here. I'd asked my dad specifically not to invite him because he hadn't meant my grandma yet and I knew for a fact that she wouldn't like him so I'd been putting off introducing them to one another.

"Niall?!" I shouted when I opened the front door. There was no sign of anyone leaving the house so I shut the door quickly and ran upstairs.

I headed straight for my room. When my dad moved house he'd moved all my things I'd left behind, which was mostly everything, in my old room to a new room in his new house. I'd told him not to bother but he said just incase I'd ever want to move back in with him then there would be a room ready for me. In reality, I think he just wasn't ready to accept that I was actually moving out and going to live in my own house. It wouldn't take Niall long to locate my room because he was bound to recognise all my stuff.

When I burst into my room that I'd never used, sure enough, Niall was perched on the edge of the bed with Evie in his lap. She jumped off him and ran to me though as soon as I stepped in the door.

"Why did you even invite me?" Niall asked when I sat down next to him with Evie now in my lap.

"Because I-" I thought of lying but I figured it would probably end up backfiring so I took a deep breath and told him the truth, "I miss you."

"What?"

"I miss spending time with you and a few weeks back when I saw you at the pub and yelled in your face," Niall and I both chuckled at this, "It made me realise how much I miss you. And not even as my boyfriend, just generally. I miss your jokes and your obsession to Nandos and... and your smile."

"So what are we gonna become besties now?" Niall joked.

"I'm serious Niall. I want to be friends with you, I really really do. But I can't if you won't tell me," I said quietly, focusing on stroking Evie so I didn't have to look at him.

"Tell you what?" he asked even though he knew what.

"You know what."

"And you know I can't tell you!" he said, suddenly sounded pissed off.

"Fine," I stood up and Evie let out a small growl when I forced her off me, "You can stay up here until the party has ended because I don't want any more trouble with my family. Maybe you'll have the chance to properly think about how telling me would benefit you. For all you know I might still love you."

"I know that's not true," he said but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice and I knew he was now debating with himself whether to believe me or not.

"Well there's always a chance you wrong," I said finally before walking out my room and shutting the door. Now I had to face the party alone and I knew it was going to be awful.