t w e n t y - s i x

"Lily?" I heard Liv's voice say.

I was confused, mostly. Liv had told me that it was true. She had been telling Niall everything I'd been telling her about me and Jack. They'd been texting since the day I knocked into Niall at the pub, when he'd dropped his kitkat. Every little thing I'd told Liv about Jack, every secret I'd wanted her to keep, Niall knew. He knew how I always felt so awkward when Jack said I love you. He knew how there'd been a moment where I was going to break up with him but I didn't. He knew everything. He even knew that I'd only had sex with Jack to make him stop talking about it.

"Lily?" Liv said again and snapped me out of my thoughts, "Lil please don't be mad."

"I... I'm not mad," I said quietly to my hands.

"What?" Niall and Liv both said at the same time. Clearly, they thought I'd be mad. I wanted to be mad, but I wasn't.

"I'm confused, not mad," I looked up and they were both staring right at me, "Why would you tell Niall everything I've told you? What's it got to do with him?"

"Your not happy with Jack. I can see that you aren't. You act like you have a blast with him and to be fare, you probably do. But unless your drunk or excited or doing anything that isn't 'up beat' your miserable," Liv said sympathetically.

"I am not!" I protested, "We have fun when we aren't drunk."

"Really? Give me one example," Liv pushed.

"We weren't drunk when we had sex. And that was pretty fun," I said in an overconfident voice. Niall fidgeted in his seat when I mentioned Jack and I having sex and I tried my hardest to hide the smile that came when I noticed how uncomfortable he was getting.

"Babe what I'm saying is, Jack isn't doing you any good. If I'm being honest, his personality just doesn't fit with yours at all and quite frankly, he's a shit person," Liv moved along the sofa so she could hold my hands in hers, "I love you and I want the best for you. And dating Jack is not a good start."

"Ok I get that but what does he," I signaled to Niall who was now on his phone, "Have to do with this?"

"He," Liv copied my signal and spoke in a hushed voice so only I could hear, "Is the man you actually love."

"Excuse me!"

"Oh don't act dumb, just about everyone on earth knows your still head over heals in love with him," Liv smirked.

"I am not!" I scowled but blushed so Liv knew I was lying.

"Look, all I'm saying is give him a chance to make things right between you to, properly right and not just half right like last time," she looked over at him to make sure he still wasn't listening and then turned back to me, "He really does love you Lily. He tells me everyday that all he wants to do is hold you in his arms and kiss you and make lo-"

"Olivia Grace Arnold don't you dare finish that sentence!" I yelled and smacked her shoulder.

She laughed, "Ok maybe it's not quite like that but I do know he loves you."

I sighed and peeked through my hair to see Niall running his hands through his own hair. His nerves were clearly getting to him.

"Liv you know what he's put me through. You really want me to forgive him that easily?" I said to her quietly and prayed Niall wouldn't hear

"No, of course not but I promised him I'd try to make you consider being friends," I opened my mouth to ask a question but she was already answering it, "He asked me because I'm the only one your stubborn ass will listen to."

I scowled but I knew it was true. I was stubborn and Liv was often the only person who could convince me to do anything that I didn't originally want to.

"Just think about it yeah?" Liv said in her normal voice and stood up off the sofa.

"Where are you going?" I asked her.

"To bed, I'm tired," she said as she walked into her bedroom, leaving me and Niall alone in silence in the living room that suddenly felt really cold.

"Do you want a drink or something to eat?" I asked Niall when I climbed off the sofa and walked to the kitchen area.

"I'm fine, thanks," he said awkwardly.

"What about your nightly crisps?" I said without thinking and I felt kind of embarrassed that after a year I still remembered such a tiny thing.

Niall smiled and got off the chair to walk over to me. He rested his elbows on the counter and watched me as I filled up a glass with water from the tap.

"My nightly crisps huh? I haven't heard that in a while," he said when I put my glass down and jumped up onto the counter near his arms but he didn't move them out the way. It was then when I remembered I was the one who started calling Niall's packet of crisps he used to have every night his nightly packet of crisps. He'd gotten up from cuddling me just to go downstairs and get a bag of skips and when he returned back to the bedroom I'd said, "Nothing gets between you and your nightly packet of crisps" and the name stuck.

"Shut up," I said and took a large drink of water because my throat was dry.

"Come to think of it though, I do need my nightly packet of crisps," he said and walked round the counter so he could get to the cupboards. I watched as he went through nearly every cupboard apart from the crisp one.

"Oh for god's sake Niall," I hopped off the counter and went over to the crisp cupboard and opened it, "Take your pick."

Niall being Niall took two packets, one ready salted and one salt and vinegar. Liv and I never ate ready salted crisps so there were plenty of packets in the cupboard. When Niall had taken his crisps, I shut the cupboard and made my way to my bedroom but I was stopped on the way.

"Aw c'mon, at least sit with me while I eat my crisps," Niall begged as he sat down on the sofa. I got the impression he wasn't leaving anytime soon. To be honest, Liv probably said he was allowed to stay as long as he wanted because despite what he did to me she was still a huge fan girl of him.

"Fine, I'll sit with you. Just let me get changed first," I said to Niall because I was still wearing my waitress uniform. I saw Niall nodd just before I walked into my room and shut the door to get changed.