Tuesday, December 3 2012
New York, NY

Niall sat backstage anxiously at Madison Square Garden. He kept glancing at his phone, but there was still no message from Brittany indicating where she was, or when she was going to arrive.

He tapped his foot on the floor as he sat there. It was a nerve-wracking and exciting day for him. For one, they were going to be playing a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden. That in itself was definitely an accomplishment.

Today would also be the first time he and Brittany would actually see each other since the summer tour had ended. He had been so busy doing promotions, recording the next album and touring. Brittany’s fame had only gotten bigger, and she too had her own tour to do, her own promotions, and her own career to focus on. There simply hadn’t been time for the two of them to cross paths.

Nearly every day Niall thought about their tearful goodbye at the airport. He remembered the scent of her vanilla shampoo as he held her close. He remembered the softness of his sweater she’d been wearing, and how it swam on her because she was so tiny. He remembered kissing her and how he never wanted to stop. Sometimes he swore that the salty taste of her tears still lingered on his lips.

Needless to say, his heart sped up in anticipation when he thought about seeing her.

“Niall!” Louis called, bouncing backstage. “What’re you doing back here, mate? We’re out there taking a few pictures, come join us.”

Niall nodded and slipped his hands in his pockets as he followed Louis out to the main stage area. “Are you nervous?” he asked suddenly.

“Terrified,” Louis admitted with a laugh. “But you know, we’ll be fine. I think we’ll be fine. Don’t you?”

Niall nodded. “Yeah, I think we’ll be fine.”

The group posed for some pictures on the stage before anyone was let into the arena. They goofed around and let off a little steam. Still, Niall kept looking up at the door. Where was Brittany? He ran a hand through his hair and checked his phone again. He even clicked onto Brittany’s twitter timeline to see if she’d updated.

Still nothing.

“Updating twitter with our every move again?” Harry laughed, walking over to Niall, and peeking over his shoulder.

“Uh, no,” Niall said, switching the screen of his phone off.

It was too late, Harry had already seen. But he just smiled and patted Niall on the back. “I guess you’re pretty excited to see her, then?”

Niall shrugged. After all this time, he still found it awkward to talk about Brittany when Harry was around. Though the two of them had long since made their peace about the situation, he still remembered the times when things weren’t so great between them. Everything had worked out for the best, but it had been a rough road getting there.

“Yeah,” Niall finally said. He tried to play it off, but he couldn’t contain his smile. “I really am.”

Harry just grinned. “I’m not really,” he laughed, and then glanced around behind the stage. “But there she is.”

Niall spun around to where Harry was looking, and sure enough, there was Brittany walking towards the two of them. She looked the picture of Christmas with her white leggings and shimmery read knit sweater. Her hair had grown out since Niall had last seen her. Of course he’d known this through Skype conversations and seeing her on TV, but it was much different to see her in person.

She calmly walked over to the two of them. “Hey guys,” she said with a smile.

“Hey,” Niall said, leaning in closer to her, but hesitating a little because Harry was standing right there.

“Well,” Harry said awkwardly, glancing down at Brittany. “I guess I’ll go see what the others are doing then… good luck with the show tonight, Brittany,” he nodded to her.

“Thanks… you too…” she said before he walked off.

And once he was out of their sight, Brittany and Niall looked at each other. The two of them laughed a little at the awkwardness of the situation.

“So…” Niall said, inching in closer to her. “How was your flight?”

Brittany didn’t answer his question right away. Instead she lightly tugged at the collar of his shirt, pulled him down towards her and kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Niall wrapped his around her waist. They kissed and kissed, and by the end of it, when they had to come up for air, Brittany had tears stinging her eyes.

She was quite certain she had never loved anyone quite like this before.

Niall took a moment to catch his breath as he leaned his forehead against her. “I missed you so much,” he murmured.

“I missed you too…” she whispered, hugging him tightly, never wanting to let him go. “And my flight was good. Long, but good.”

Niall laughed and pulled away from her. He used his thumb to wipe the tears from her eyes. His heart pounded in his chest. If he had known six months ago that he would fall this hard for this girl, he would have asked her out the moment she had set foot on his bus.

“I got you a Christmas present,” he said, taking her hand. “It’s in the back.”

So they walked hand in hand to the backstage area, and Brittany waved at all the familiar faces along the way. After the summer, One Direction had begun to feel like her second family. Though she was happy to have a career of her own, she sometimes wished she could just continue touring with them forever.

Niall broke away from Brittany only for a moment to rummage through his bag and find his gift for her. When he turned back to her, he was holding a blue box that could only be recognized as Tiffany’s.

Brittany’s breath caught in her throat as he went to open it and hand it to her. Oh God, she thought, he’s not going to…

But he wasn’t. Instead, the box housed a small, white gold bracelet littered with diamonds. There was a flat piece that was engraved with lyrics. Lyrics that Brittany would forever connect with the moment their whole relationship began. The moment that Niall was telling her he loved her, without saying those words at all.

Is there anybody going to listen to my story? All about the girl who came to stay…

Brittany breathed a sigh of relief as he fastened the bracelet around her wrist. She loved him dearly, but if he had proposed to her, she didn’t know what she would have done.

Sure enough, Niall knew exactly what she was thinking. “What?” he asked with a small laugh. “Did you think I was going to propose to you?”

“No,” she lied, blushing a little.

But Niall saw right through her. Of course he wasn’t going to propose to her. The thought terrified him. Maybe in five or ten years, but certainly not now. He didn’t say anything, instead he just leaned in and kissed her softly.

“Thank you, Nialler,” Brittany whispered once he pulled away. “It’s beautiful.”

“Is this the part where I’m supposed to say it’s not as beautiful as you?” he asked with a laugh.

Brittany rolled her eyes, but still giggled. “Yes,” she said, digging through her purse. “I got you a present too,” she said, handing him an envelope.

Niall wasted no time in ripping it open. Inside, there was a plane ticket for Houston to London. Niall gave Brittany an odd look. “I don’t get it,” he said.

Brittany gave him a sly grin. “I’m coming to London,” she said simply.

But Niall just shook his head and looked back down at the ticket. “I’m going home to Mullingar for two weeks the day after this,” he said.

The smile was still plastered on Brittany’s face. “I know… I’m going with you.”

Niall’s eyes grew wide and he nearly dropped the envelope and the ticket on the ground as he pulled Brittany in for a hug. “Are you serious?” he asked incredulously. “Are you actually coming with me for Christmas?”

She laughed at his excitement. “Yes… and before you worry about anything, I’ve already talked to your mum about it. I wouldn’t impose on your family time without asking her first,” she said, remembering how awkward that had been. She’d never met his mum before, and had to utilize Liam’s help in giving her a call and explaining the situation.

Now it was Niall’s turn for tears to form in his eyes. “I can’t believe this…” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “I love you so much, Britt Britt… but wouldn’t you rather spend Christmas at home?”

Brittany shook her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve been in the states all year, I’ve hardly been able to see you. Besides, I’ve never been to the UK before.”

“Well, now you will be,” he grinned. He didn’t think he’d ever felt happier in his life than he did in that moment. He was in love with a beautiful, wonderful girl who loved him just as much. They were both about to go out on stage in front of a sold out crowd at the most famous arena in the world.

Yes, he was certain life didn’t get any better than this.

“Nialler,” Liam called out, coming backstage. “Sorry to break up your little reunion, but we’re about to go out and do a soundcheck.”

Niall looked back at Liam and nodded. “I’ll be there in a second.” He turned his attention back to Brittany. “Duty calls,” he said with a laugh.

“I’ll come watch,” she said, taking his hand and walking out towards the stage. “Oh and Niall?”

“Yeah?”

“I love you.”

He smiled and kissed her forehead before they had split off so he could work. “I love you too.”

***

“You really went all out,” Brittany said as she walked over to the large hotel room window and peered out at the New York City skyline.

Niall just watched her as he sat on the bed. He was quite comfortable, wearing one of the plush white hotel robes. “You’ve been saying that all evening,” he laughed.

“That’s not true,” Brittany replied, stuffing her hands in the pockets of the robe she was wearing. “I think there was a half hour window where I forgot about the room,” she said with a cheeky smirk.

Niall frowned. “It was closer to an hour.”

But Brittany just laughed and joined him on the bed. Niall was always so sensitive, and it was one of the many things she loved about him. “I lost track of time, I guess,” she sighed, cuddling up next to him.

Niall draped her arm around her and pulled her in close to him. “If we were in the UK we’d be drinking champagne right now,” he pointed out.

“Hmmm,” Brittany murmured as she laid her head on his chest. “Tell me what we’ll do when we’re there.”

“Well, you’ll be in London for the day, so I’ll take you to Milkshake City. They have a One Direction shake, you know,” he nodded.

Brittany looked up at him oddly. “What would they even put in that?”

Niall laughed at her expression. “I don’t really know, actually.” He sighed a little as she laid back down on him. “I guess you’ll spend the night at my place in London, and you’ll get to see the complex that me and the lads live in. Then we’ll take the plane over to Dublin and drive to Mullingar.”

“Is it a long drive?”

Niall shook his head. “It’s not a long drive. Maybe an hour, depending on the traffic and weather. My mum will probably pick us up since she’s been dying to meet you.”

Brittany smiled and leaned upwards to kiss him. “I can’t wait,” she said softly.

“Me neither,” he replied, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I still can’t believe you’re coming with me.”

“I know,” she said. “We’ll have two whole weeks of just us being normal.”

“We’re being normal right now,” he pointed out.

“We’re in a huge hotel room that has a hot tub in it for God’s sake, laying on a king sized bed in plush robes,” Brittany deadpanned.

Niall gave her a look. “That’s not normal for you?” he joked.

She rolled her eyes at his attempt at being cocky. “No.”

She laid back down on his and closed her eyes. The two of them enjoyed the silence of just being with each other for a little while. Niall played with the nubby fabric of Brittany’s robe while she slipped her hand inside his and rested it on the smooth skin of his chest.

“Niall?” she asked softly after a couple of minutes.

“Hm?”

“If this does become normal for us and we become these rich and famous celebrities, promise me we won’t let it affect us,” she said quietly, not moving from her position.

“What?”

Brittany sighed. “I just don’t want us to decide to break up because our careers are making it too hard for us to see each other or whatever. Because this, right now, is making all those months of not seeing each other worth it.”

“Brittany,” Niall said seriously, looking down at her. “That’s never going to happen.”

She rolled her eyes a little. “You don’t know that.”

But he didn’t back down. He hadn’t seen her for six months, and every time he talked to her or thought about her, he found himself thinking that nothing could be this perfect. That he was building her up to be something she wasn’t, and that when he saw her again he’d be disappointed.

But he had been wrong. She was everything he’d remembered her to be and more. “I do know that. I love you too much for anything to happen to us just because of what happens in our careers or if we don’t see each other for a while. There’s no one else in the world that I want – or will ever want, as much as I want you.”

Brittany searched his eyes as he stared at her. He hadn’t spoken softly, his voice was firm and full of confidence. He truly believed in their relationship, and that they could withstand anything. She felt a little guilty for ever doubting him – because when she thought about it, she realized he was right. There wasn’t anyone else in the world that she wanted or could imagine loving as much as she loved him.

“Make love to me,” she whispered, kissing him softly.

He smiled a little. “I already did.”

“Again,” she whispered, slipping her hand inside his robe and caressing his skin as she kissed his neck.

He sighed happily. “Well, if you insist.” He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in closer to him.

His lips connected with hers and Niall closed his eyes. If there was one thing he loved in the world, it was kissing her. He hadn’t realized how much he had missed her physical touch until she was right there in front of him.

It had been difficult going six months without seeing her, but Brittany had been right. All the time that they’d spent apart was worth it now. Niall was almost glad for that in a way, it had given their relationship a chance to grow and focus on the two of them getting to know each other. It had served to make their bond stronger.

As he kissed her and moved against her the only thought running through his mind was how sure he was that nothing was ever going to come between them. Just as he had six months prior, he swore to himself he’d do everything in his power to keep that from happening.

When they eventually drifted off to sleep in each others arms, they both felt happy and at peace. It had been an all too perfect evening, and they were quite sure that from then on, things would only continue to improve. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered.