Perfectly Fake ~ Niall Horan Story

forty six

L I L L I A N N A

"Do you think the baby will look like Lilli or Niall?" Liam asks excitedly as we all sit at the kitchen table eating Chinese food - Niall's choice.

"Hopefully neither," Louis teases gaining a playful punch from Niall who is sitting beside me with his spare hand rested on my thigh.

He has been so clingy and protective ever since I told him about the baby.
Almost too protective.

"I wonder what hair colour the baby will have," Harry ponders with a smile.

"Harry, you do know that both of their hair colours are fake right?" Louis teases again making everyone in the room laugh.

"What do you mean, I'm all natural?" I ask innocently, twirling my hair with my fingers as everyone continues to laugh.

"Have you told management yet?" Zayn asks with a mouthful of Chinese food and I immediately see Niall's mood change at the question.

"No and we don't plan to anytime soon. They will just exploit the situation," I explain with a small smile and the boys nod in understanding as they continue to eat.

I hear my phone start to ring from the other room but as I get up to go and get it Niall shakes his head at me and also stands up.

"You stay seated, I'll go and get it," Niall says but I shake my head and begin to walk out of the kitchen.

"No it's fine, it's probably Elio he said he would call to-"

"Lilli, just let me get it," Niall snaps and the atmosphere in the room changes as Niall marches past me.

I'm a little taken aback by his tone and when he
re-enters the kitchen carrying my phone I barely make eye contact with him and roughly grab my phone from his hands.

I see his eyebrows slightly raise at me as I sit back in my chair, clearly huffing but he doesn't say anything and allows the other boys to awkwardly change the conversation.

"I'm going to take this," I state coldly before leaving the kitchen with my phone in hand and although I can feel Niall's eyes following me I ignore him.

N I A L L

"I shouldn't have spoken to her like that," I admit with a sigh, running my hands through my hair as I replay my words repeatedly in my head.

"Yeah, you're right," Louis agrees and I put my head in my hands.
Louis is such a good friend because he always tells me when I fuck up.
And this is one of those times.

"I'm just so overwhelmed right now, I mean all I want to do is protect her," I explain and I see Louis's expression soften as the boys surround me.

"I know Ni, this is bound to be stressful but you can't start to push her away," Zayn explains softly and I let his words sink in.

"Yeah, I know. Let me do the dishes," I say softly as I begin to collect the plates on the table and walk towards the sink.

•••

I hear her laughing in the living room and the sound makes my heart skip a beat.
At least she's a bit happier now but that's probably because I'm not in the room.