#dancerlittle

“Not a soul.” He grinned. “You would think a heads up would be a great thing. However, with the Horans, they'd be blowing up me damn phone wanting to know every single thing about you and I'd rather they get to know you from the expert, rather than me.”

Emmy shook her head. “So, you didn't want to brag about me and let your family know I was coming so they'd be surprised when you show up with me?”

“I mean,” he grinned, hoping he could get out of it.

Tapping the golfer’s cap on his head, she dipped her head to place her lips on his. “You're lucky you're cute, James.”

She turned back to her book, getting swept up in the love life of the main characters.

She got a few pages in before noticing his hand on her thigh. A few minutes later, his hand was on her forearm. His feathery-light touch on her arm distracted her from Kate and her detective work.

Raising an eyebrow in his direction, “Can I help you?”

“Pay attention to me, Ems,” he whined, giving her a puppy dog look.

Placing her bookmarker in the book and closing with a quiet thump, she placed it in her bag before turning her full attention towards him. “You have my undivided attention.”

He had to laugh at her monotone, leaning over and capturing her lips in a kiss. “We only have twenty minutes until we land.”

“So what’s the plan when we land?”

Lacing his fingers with hers, he squeezed them, growing quiet. “We’ll hop on the train then it’s an hour ride to ma’s house. From there, god knows what that woman has planned. As she only knows I’m coming, she’s going to go crazy seein’ you.”

“Geez thanks.” The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them. “At least this has to be better than how you met my parents.”

Squeezing her hand again, he knew she was still hurt by how her mother had treated her that day. “Have you heard from them at all?”

“No. And I honestly don’t expect to. I’ve been exiled from the family and I’m sure mom didn’t shy away from telling every single person she knew about what went down.” She sighed. “I’ve got my family in you, my siblings and friends. I’ll be fine.”

He hated that she thought she had to put on a brave face with him. “If ya wanna be pissed, be pissed love. Don’t hide it from me.”

“I’m just sad that she didn’t hear how I felt - she just saw the dollar signs that he could bring to the family. She didn’t care about my happiness or my quality of life.” Giving him a slight smile, she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m still dealing with it and it’ll be her loss.”

Kissing her forehead, he sighed. “I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be the greatest fan of your life.”

He crooned one of her favorite songs, never getting enough of his voice. Since she learned of his singing abilities, he would sing random songs and tunes around her apartment and out and about.

Landing was a quiet affair. They gathered their belongings, heading towards the adjacent train station. He bought tickets, much to her dismay, and a hot cocoa, while waiting for the 9:05 train. He stood behind her, hand on her lip, kissing her the side of her head, watching the trains chug in and out of the station.

“Wanna know something?” She cranked her head, looking back at him. She didn't wait for a reply, “I wanted to be a conductor when I was little. I was fascinated by trains and have always loved traveling on them and watching them chug through the town. I was that girl who never was annoyed getting stopped by a passing train; I've always loved them.”

He hugged her closer to his body. “I thought I saw your eyes glow brighter when I mentioned we'd take the train. A conductor, huh? Well I know what to get you for Christmas.”

“What's that?” His excitement was contagious.

Kissing her cheek, he chuckled. “A conductor’s hat.”

A blush swept her cheeks, eyes falling towards the ground. “I've got one already. My brother and sister threw me a big train themed party last year. Train cake, conductor’s hat, and a full train and track for my apartment. In fact, last year, it ran around my Christmas tree.”

“Well I guess I’ll need to be more creative.” Their train has arrived. Watching the passengers disembark, he tilted his head in her direction. “Where’s the ultimate place to sit on a train?”

Emmy giggled, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know - as long as I’m on the train, I’ll be happy.”

Niall tugged her hand, leading her to the middle of the train. With their suitcases stored, he picked two seats before collapsing in one with a sigh. He quickly typed something out on his phone, storing it in his pocket with a grin. “Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”

Grabbing her book out of her bag, she relaxed against the window, getting lost in the book. She read the majority of the trip, only lifting her head to look out the window when she felt the train brake. Barely registering that Niall was beside her, she was happy feeling the motion of the train and getting caught up in the story she read.

Three chapters passed before Niall nudged her. “We're getting close, love. Get ready to be hugged and kissed many time.”

Before that, the nerves were pretty tame. She was excited to meet his family, yet there were some butterflies that fluttered. “I'm a little nervous.”

He met her eyes at the confession. “Awe babe, you've got nothing to be nervous about. Ma and Chris will love you as will da. Those are the only ones that absolutely have to love you and they will I have no doubt.”

“You sure?”

Niall chuckled. “Josie, one day I'll get you to see how incredible you are. The only ones you've got to worry about is Greg and Denise but I'm not sure if we'll even see ‘em.”

The conversation was dropped when the train pulled into the station. She took a few seconds to ensure she had gathered everything in preparation of disembarking. “Ma said she'd met us in the car park.”

Linking hands with him, Emmy followed Niall off the train. The clicks of her boots on the pavement was the only thing she focused on until she saw Niall’s face lit up setting his eyes on his mum. She dropped his hand, allowing him to drop his bag, giving her a hug.

“Oh my boy, it's so good to see ya.” She squeezed him tight before stepping back and taking him in. “It's been too long Niall James.”

Emmy snickered, hearing his mum full name him, drawing Niall and his mum’s attention to her. “Quit your laughing, Bennett.” Niall teased, pulling her closer to him. “Mum, this is Emmaline, or Emmy. Em, this is my mum Maura.”

Maura stepped forward, opening her arms for a hug. Emmy stepped in, feeling the warmth of a mother’s hug. “It’s so nice to meet you. This bugger won't shut up about you when I do get him on the phone.”

“It's nice to meet you too; however, I feel as if I don't know much about you or your family.” Motioning to Niall, she smiled. “This one doesn't open up much.”

Maura locked her arms with Emmy’s, winked at her son, before leading her towards the car. “We'll just have to change that these next few days.”

Three Days Later

The previous three days had been filled with family activities. Emmy had met the rest of Niall’s family, getting along wonderfully with his cousin, Aoife, who spilled many stories of the younger days of Niall and his other cousins. They had also gone searching through a Christmas tree farm searching for the “perfect” tree, according to Maura Horan. She was pulled into a snowball fight by no other than her boyfriend. She could still hear his boisterous laughter when he nailed her square in the chest. She had retaliated, running full steam into him, pushing them both into the snow. They had both ended up in stitches, causing Maura and Chris to shake their heads and join in the laughter.

Emmy had spent some time baking in the kitchen with Maura. As she poured the chocolate chips into the batter, Maura confessed how happy Niall had found her. During that time, she called Emmy the daughter she never had and Emmy had never felt more love from a mother.

And last night, Emmy had finally met the man Niall had called Da, Bobby Horan.  He pulled Emmy into a tight hug, and with a Guinness in hand, welcomed her into the family. She had gotten some more stories out of Bobby, all while he hugged her close to his side and didn’t let her out of his sight the entire night.

Hugging a mug of coffee (much to Niall’s disbelief, she wasn’t a tea drinker), she stared out of the window at the snow covered garden and sighed in contentment. Her book was disregarded on the desk while she was curled up in the overstuff chair thinking about the last few days.

Seeing Niall with his family was bittersweet. She loved seeing him interact with his cousins, especially the younger ones, all while not knowing when she would see her mom, dad, aunts, and uncles again. She had gossiped with his cousins and wished her own siblings were there to join in the activities.

“Hey.” Emmy was knocked out of her thoughts by Niall standing in the doorway, looking at her with a curious look. “You ok?”

“Just enjoying the quiet and watching the snow fall.” She smiled. “You startled me. Where have you been?”

Taking a seat in the chair next to her, he grinned. “Spending some time with ma and Chris. They were filling me on things I had missed around the town. Why are you down here all by yourself? Something bothering you?”

Emmy turned back to the window, efficiently ignoring his question. “Emmy, talk to me. I know something has been off since we landed but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.”

She heard him sigh, scooting closer to the edge of the chair. “Darling, it’s just me. Talk to me.”

Taking another sip of her coffee, she shifted in the chair to look at him. She took his hand in hers, looking towards the ground. “I’ve been watching you with your family and it’s hit a little close to home.”

It was hard for him to hear her whisper, though the words had barely gotten to his ears. “Awww babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”

He was quiet, not really knowing what comfort her could bring to her. Grabbing her hand, he gave it a squeeze, and a gentle smile. “What can I do? I’m sorry you’ve been feeling left out.”

“But that’s the thing, I haven’t been left out,” she sighed, looking at him. “If anything it makes me feel bad that my family are the one that will be missing out. Mom’s the one that has done this to herself and that she won’t see me or my siblings until she apologizes. She’s the one I’ve been sorry for.”

Emmy laughed with bitterness. “Your mother has been more like a mother to me in these last few days than my mother ever was. She has hugged me more times than my mom did in the last two years.”

Before she knew it, there were tears flowing down her face. Emmy didn’t know why she was crying, just that there were tears. Niall pulled her from the chair, brought her into a hug, before rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back. “Please don’t cry. She’s not worth your tears.”

“You don’t understand.” She sniffled against his shoulder with a short laugh. “You’ve got the perfect family yet you don’t understand why I’m crying.”

He chuckled. “Do you know why you’re crying?”

“No!” She pulled back, wiping the tears away. “But I’m sure it has to do with the fact that I’m sure I’ve got to rebuild my family and being in yours makes me belong to something.”

Niall leaned in, kissed her cheek before grinning. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to create our own family. Willie and Deo will soon become the brothers you wish you had but never wanted. Aoife and Katie will become the gossiping cousins you wish would go away. My ma, Chris, and da will become your surrogate parents. You have your brother and sister who will round out the merry ‘ole gang. You’ve got a family, you just have to rediscover them for yourself.”

“What do I do about these feelings I have? How do I get past them, old wise one?” Emmy sniffled, then grinned in Niall’s direction.

“Hakuna Matata, Ain't no passing craze It means no worries, For the rest of your days, It's our problem-free philosophy.” A giggled passed her lips hearing one of her favorite songs sung by one of her favorite guys.

Shaking her head, she threw her head back laughing. “Your advice is to have no worries. Real convincing there, Horan.”

“Sorry that was the first song to pop into my head.” He cleared his throat. “Let me see if I can do something better.”

Niall gave her a silly look before singing the next song. “If I could, Baby I'd give you my world, Open up, Everything's waiting for you, You can go your own way.”

“Should’ve known you’d throw in Fleetwood Mac.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you for giving me some sage advice.”

Niall shrugged his shoulders. “You want more? There’s a few songs I know that might help.”

“Sure. What do you have in your arsenal of song lyrics?”

The next one he sang surprised her. “And now I'm glad I didn't know, The way it all would end, the way it all would go, Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, But I'd have had to miss the dance.”

“I’m impressed Horan. Didn’t know you had Garth Brooks’ country in you.” She wiped the stray tears away as he retorted by sticking his tongue out at her. “And I’m dating a two year old.”

Niall laughed. “Hey I’m at least three years old on a good day. Get your facts straight woman.”

“My apologies mister.” She kissed his cheek while he huffed in annoyance. “Any more songs?”

He held up a finger to which she leaned forward to kiss. “One more.”

“Just know you’re not alone, 'Cause I’m going to make this place your home.”

His singing did the opposite as it had been doing; the tears were back, though this time, happier tears than before. “Niall James . . .”

“Uh oh . . . is this one of those times I’m in trouble because you just double named me?” Fear crossed his face followed by the pouty face he wore when he was sorry something had happened.

She giggled, wiping the tears away, letting her eyes rest on him. “This is one of those moments where you’re the sweetest boyfriend in the world.”

He visibly relaxed, a goofy smile stretching across his lips. “Love you, Em.”

“Love you too.” Their lips met in a kiss, that was too soon interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell.

They heard Maura answer the door, speaking to whomever was on the other side. Emmy took a glance at Niall, who’s face had turned sour by the voice at the door. “Niall?”

“Stay here Emmy. Promise me, you’ll stay here.” She quickly nodded, watching him walk down the hall towards the door.

Emmy heard the voices grow louder, while she gripped the mug tighter in her hands. She heard Niall, who rarely raised his voice, growing louder with every passing word. Several minutes passed, the voices continued to grow, Emmy finally growing tired of the argument, placed the mug on the desk before walking down the hallway, her soft footfalls barely heard over the screaming.

Her eyes went wide taking in the sight in the entryway. Niall and Maura were facing a man and a woman, Niall’s stance was anything but friendly. Looking between Niall and the man, she guess that was his brother. Emmy knew there was some tension between the two but she hadn’t prodded him to find out more.

Leaning against the wall, she took everything in, not comprehending the words that were being thrown between the two men. Anger spewed from Niall’s mouth, his hands moving a mile a minute, and his stance protecting his dear mother from anything that his brother would do.

“Oh look, you brought a girl home.” The words flew from his brother’s mouth, causing the four occupants to turn their attention towards her.

Niall’s eyes went wide, seeing her standing there and in that moment, she should’ve actually listened to him and stayed in the living room. “She has nothing to do with this Greg. Leave her out of it.”

“You mean you don’t want her to know that you actually have a brother who has a family? What are you protecting her from?” His brother spat, taking his eyes off Emmy for a moment and redirecting them towards Niall. “You’re not usually the one to keep secrets, Niall.”

Emmy pushed herself off the wall, making her way to Niall’s side. “Actually I know more about you than you think I do. Niall has been very forthcoming regarding you and has told me the history. And frankly, I had no desire to meet you.”

Her hand found Niall’s, squeezing it, glaring at the man. “At the moment, I know you came in here hootin’ and hollerin’ and disturbing our afternoon. Now I believe Maura and Niall asked you to leave several minutes ago, so I’m not exactly sure why you’re still standing here thinking you’re welcomed. To be honest, no one wants you here.”

Niall smirked, listening to Emmy speak, with little respect, towards his brother, who had always been jealous and green with envy at the success Niall had obtained. Greg always blamed Niall for every little thing that had happened to him, his wife, and child. “You heard her Greg, no one wants you here. Now please leave so we can get along with our afternoon. I wish to see you at better circumstances but we’re through here.”

“Come along, dear, I can see we’re no longer welcome here.” Taking his wife’s hand in his, he gave Niall a look. “I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you but I don’t want to waste my breathe.”

Emmy squeezed Niall’s hand watching Greg stomp through the front door. Niall slammed the door behind him, looking between Emmy and his mum. “I’m sorry ma.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Emmy, that you had to witness that.”

She gave Maura a shaky smile. “Please don’t apologize. He’s gone and we can get on with our afternoon.”

“I’m going to go finish getting ready and we can leave soon.” Maura hugged Niall first followed by Emmy before escaping upstairs.

Emmy’s eyes watched her leave, before turning her attention to Niall. “You ok?”

He didn’t speak for several seconds, simply squeezed her hand. “I hate him sometimes.”

“We all hate our siblings at times.” She smiled sadly. “There are several moments I can think of that I hate mine.”

Niall shook his head. “This is bigger than that. He’s been jealous of me since I joined the band and instead of just dealing with it, he lashes out and causes a big ruckus.”

“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone I was coming with you?” Emmy connected the dots pretty quickly, giving Niall a look. “Because if so, then it all makes sense.”

Pulling her into his arms, he kissed the side of her head, sighing loudly. “I guess we all have to have the black sheep in the family and Greg is ours. He’s exhausting and always want everything without the work. He’s green with envy that his little brother has it all without doing seemingly none of the work.”

“You work your arse off and deserve everything that you have currently. You don’t sit back and everything comes to you. Everything that you have, is rightly deserved due to the hard work and dedication you put into work.” Emmy stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. “I’m so incredibly proud of you.”

He kissed her, not knowing what to say. He pulled her into his arms and just held her. Sighing, he pulled away. “Thank you for just knowing what to say.”

“I love you.”

“Love you too Em.”

She started humming, pulling him into her arms, swaying slowly, their bodies moving to the tune.  “What are you humming?”

“It’s stuck in my head.” Emmy murmured, surprised at him spinning her. “I don’t know what song it is.”

She continued to hum, watching his face to see if he recognized the song. His eyes lit up in recognition.

“Pay attention, I hope that you listen cause I let my guard down, Right now I'm completely defenseless, For your eyes only, I show you my heart, For when you're lonely and forget who you are”  His crooner voice sang only to her, causing goosebumps to form up her arm.

He continues to hum, twirling her around the foyer. Niall dipped her, causing her to squeal in surprised, making him pause in his humming, to crack up laughing. “I hate you Niall Horan.”

He sidestepped her swat in his direction. He was still laughing, seeing his mum come down the stairs. “What’s all this racket?”

“Your son is an arse.” Emmy shook her head, her hand finally making connection with his arm.

Niall frowned, both from her statement and the slap. “Hey now, as someone who just sang to you, I’m an arse? I see how it is. Maybe I’ll stop singing to you?”

Emmy’s eyes went wide. “Ok I take it back. Please don’t stop singing to me. You’re not an arse.”

The day continued, the family putting the disturbance from that morning out of their minds. They visited a pub followed by a tour of the town by the most famous resident. Emmy laughed at the ridiculous stories Niall told her about the residents.

And as he told her the stories, Emmy could start to imagine a future with him, him telling those stories to their children as he put them to bed. The thought was comforting and made her happy.

So family drama, huh? Have to love when families aren’t always perfect.

As soon as they returned from Spain, the couple had packed her apartment up, officially moving her into his place. The past two months had been difficult for the two, with each having their own quirks. Louis learned very quickly not to talk to Gia until she had her first sip of coffee. He would often bring her a cup in bed and sneak some snuggling before their day officially began.

Gia learned that Louis was still a bachelor at heart. She found clothes, shoes, and additional items strewn throughout the apartment. He was a slob and proud of it, which drove Gia up the wall.

Gia smile. "Matt's an old buddy from school. He's coming into town next week and would like to get together for drinks. He wants to meet the guy who's captured my heart." She paused. "But the better question is why were you going through my phone, Tomlinson?"

"Your phone was going off and I saw who was texting you." Louis' eyes narrowed. "Why is he telling you he loves you? Did you date him Giovanna?"

Gia's eyes widened. "So we're pulling out the full names huh? For your information, no I didn't date him. I'm not sure why he's telling me he loves me. He had a crush on me ages ago. I just ignored it. You sure got a lot out of that one text message you saw."

"And you didn't think to tell me about this guy? Why did you hide this away from me?" Louis' voice rose in frustration.

Over the past few weeks, Gia's phone had been going off at weird hours of the night. He would wake up due to her text tone but a comforting hand would rub his back and hush him back to sleep. He asked in the morning about the text and she said it was a friend or her mom but she would shift her eyes away from him.

Taking a deep breath, Gia willed herself to calm down for both their sakes. "Why would I tell you about him? You don't spend your time telling me about the millions of girls who would be willing to jump your bones, do you?"

"Those girls don't mean anything, Gia. But apparently this boy means a hell of a lot more than you've let on. Especially since this is the first time I've heard about him," Louis said.

Gia sighed. "Just like those girls, Matt means nothing. I've got my eyes on only one guy and currently he's sitting in front of me."

"Then why did Ava text you about him and you meeting for dinner tonight?" Louis asked hearing nothing from his girlfriend. "Judging by your reaction, you must be keeping more from me than you've let on. What else haven't you told me Gia? What other secrets am I being kept in the dark about?"

"Louis." Gia started. "I was going to tell you. But I didn't know how to tell you."

He chuckled. "How about there's a childhood friend of mine that I want you to meet? We're having dinner and then give me the details. How do I know you're not lying to me? This Matt character goes from someone you went to school with but now is someone who has wanted to date you in the past."

She was quiet. Hell she might have just thrown the best thing she's ever had in her life away.

Louis sighed. "Thought I trusted you but how do I know you're not playing me behind my back. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to spend time with you."

"Louis, look at me." She waited until she had his complete attention. "Matt is just a friend, nothing more or less. Dinner was just us catching up that's it."

He wanted to believe her but something was holding him back. All those late night text messages and her giggling throughout the night weighed heavy on his mind. "Gia I want to believe you but your story keeps changing."

"Where does this leave us?" Gia whispered playing with the ring on her finger. The one Louis gave her on their six month anniversary as a promise to one day make her his wife. The ring symbolized his love and devotion to her, even if it didn’t seem that way right now.

"I have to be able to trust you and at this point I'm not sure I do." He spoke quickly, not meeting her eyes. He stood, grabbing his coat, keys heading towards the door.

Gia's eyes widened. "So you're just going to up and leave? Walk away and not talk to me about this."

"At this moment, yes. Our tempers are high and I don't want to say something I'll regret later." Louis opened the door.

Gia clutched a glass, aiming it at towards the door. "If you walk out that door, don't expect me to be here waiting for you."

Closing the door behind him, he paused. He heard the glass shatter against the door before the gut wrenching sobs. Shaking his head, he headed toward the lobby to his car.

Throwing the glass shocked Gia. She had never been violent but there was something about what Louis did that pissed her off and completely changed her personality. How could she let him have that much power over her? How could she get so upset with him to start throwing things around in anger?

Slipping into the driver's side, Louis let his head fall to the steering wheel, as he tried to calm down. He thought about where he could go, what he he needed to buy, anything to keep his mind off what had just occurred.

Picking up the phone, he dialed the one person he knew would know what to say.

"Hi boo. To what do I owe this lovely surprise?" His mum's voice rang clear over the line.

He sighed, turning the engine on and started driving around aimlessly. "Gia and I had a fight."

"Did you steal her biscuit again or did you hog the covers?" Johannah chuckled teasing her son.

Louis shook his head, if only their argument was that simple. "No mum. She's talking to this guy who has feelings for her."

"Since when is that a crime? I'm sure you talking to Hannah or Eleanor looks the same." Jay sighed wishing she could slap her son over the head. "What's the real issue?"

He sighed turning down a street. "I don't know."

"Yes you do. You wouldn't have started a fight with Gia if there wasn't any motivation behind it. You aren't one just to start a fight just to fight, Louis William." Jay sighed. "What's the real issue here?"

"She kept changing the story with this guy. First they went to school then he's liked her for ages then they're meeting for dinner. She's keeping secrets mum. How am I supposed to trust her when she's talking to this guy behind my back without mentioning him to me." Louis rushed out only to hear his mum's chuckles.

Jay shook her head. "Oh boo. You don't want another guy, much less one who's had a crush on your girlfriend, to hang out with her."

"So what do I do?" Louis asked pulling to the curb in front of Harry's house.

Jay thought for a moment. "You need to give this a few days and don't act irrational. You need to calm yourself down, give her some space and then the two of you need to talk this out face to face."

"She told me not to expect her to be there at the flat waiting." Louis felt the tears pricking at her eyes.

Jay's heart broke at her son's words. "I would give her time to cool off. Gia's a great girl for you Louis. Do not let her walk away."

Pulling onto a familiar street, he was surprised to see Harry and Scarlett's flat staring back at him. He needed his friends at the moment.

Saying goodbye to his mum, he walked up to the house, ringing the doorbell. "You look like hell mate."

"Thanks." Louis said dryly following Harry into the kitchen where Scarlett, Niall, and Tricia stood.

The conversation stopped when he entered the room, as if they sensed something had gone wrong. "Hey Louis." Scarlett smiled. "What's up?"

"Nothing. Don't want to talk about it!" Louis took the beer Harry offered him.

The couples traded glances. "Sharing is caring, Lou. What happened?"

"Don't want to talk. Can we drop it?"

There was a commotion in the hallway followed by a squeal. "Uncle Lewie! You didn't say hello to me when you got here!"

"Hi princess. I'm terribly sorry for not saying hello. How are you?" Louis picked her up.

"Good. Where's aunt Gia?" Mollie's innocence killed him. Her question tore his heart out.

Louis smiled sadly. "She's at home. She's not feeling good and didn't want everyone to get sick."

"Will you tell her I hope she feels better?" Mollie asked with a bright smile.

He nodded. "Sure will, pretty girl."

Mollie pushed herself away from Louis, running back down the hallway.

Watching the girl run away, Louis took another sip.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Geez you lot are worse than a two year old!" He exclaimed shaking his head at the girls. "Fine. I stormed out after calling Gia out on something."

Tricia glared his way, brow cocked. "What did you do?"

"Me? Why do you automatically assume it was me?" Louis' eyes widened in defense.

"Because things were going so good and you can't stand for things to go good for once in your life." Tricia glared. "So I'm going to ask you once more, what did you do to Giovanna?"

Louis gulped, looking at two of his best mates for help.

"You better answer or she'll get violent." As soon as the words left Niall's mouth, Tricia let her hand slap his head. "Ow!"

"There's more where that came from, pretty boy. What did you do to Gia?"

Since their first meeting, Tricia was protective of Gia. Even though Tricia was younger, she felt as if Gia was more of a sister than a close friend. The two had bonded over many lunches and girl nights while their boyfriends were off frockling the world.

"Jeez woman. I called Gia out for talking to a guy behind my back." Louis finally admitted, covering his head from any potential future slaps.

Scarlett and Tricia traded glances. "What?"

"Does the name Matt mean anything to you?." Louis took a swig of his beer to get the bitter taste of the man's name out of his mouth.

Scarlett's eyes grew in size. "How did you find out about him?"

"Saw the text message on her phone." Louis shrugged. "He said he loved her and they were meeting for dinner."

Tricia shook her head. "Number one, you shouldn't have looked at her phone. After her purse, her cell phone is the most sacred thing she owns."

"I thought that was her underwear drawer." Harry piped up.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "That's the no fly zone for all guys, you nincompoop."

"What's number two?" Louis shook his head at the couple.

Tricia smiled. "You should have talked about Matt with Gia. I'm sure you blindsiding her didn't help your case at all."

Looking at the people surrounding him, he sighed. "What do I do?"

"For what?" Harry asked.

"Gia?"

"You're going to have to grovel and let her know you do trust her and want her in your life. A little romance doesn't hurt either," Tricia advised.

That started the wheels in his mind. "Like get her flowers and shit like that?"

"Well shit like that isn't going to win her back. I know you can be romantic Louis William." Tricia slapped him. "Gia has gushed about your romantic arse. Now would be a good time to pull that romantic shit out."

He was lost. "I don't know."

"Listen, here's some ideas ..." And for the next hour, he listened to Scarlett and Tricia plot ways to woo his girl back.

One Week Later - August 19, 2018

She hadn't spoken to him in a week. Seven days, 168 hours, 10,080 minutes, and 604,800 seconds. In the past 8 months they had been together, they had never gone this long without talking, text messages, or voicemails.

She had escaped to her parents' house for the week hoping they would keep the questions to a minimum. After a teary explanation, her mother told Gia to stay as long as she needed.

Though that morning an envelope and a beautiful bouquet of colorful flowers were sitting on the front porch as she swung open the door. She picked it up twirling it in her hands. She was nervous what would be written on the contents.

Taking a seat on the counter, she took a deep breath opening the envelope. A yellow piece of paper fell out. Unfolding it, she saw his scrawl across the paper.

Hello sunshine,

We haven't spoken in seven days .... A record for us. I'm sorry for everything. I should have been rational and talked to you like a normal human being but I let jealousy get in the way. Plain and simple I was jealous of the thought of any other guy wanting to be with you.

I'm an idiot and was an absolute arse to you. I don't know if I could ever properly make up for the words and accusations I threw at you.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

Louis

P.S. - I am at the deli we visited last time we were in town after I met your parents. If you want, I'd love to see you but the ball is in your court. I completely understand if you don't want to come but I want to talk to you, in person, not through a note.

Folding the letter back up, she tucked it back into the envelope. Sighing, she knew what her heart wanted but her head was coming up with every excuse in the book.

Pulling out her phone, her finger hovered over their text message conversation. She had the mind to cuss him out and lay it all on the line. However, Gia's parents always taught her to deal with her problems face to face, looking at the other person in the eyes.

I'm scared. Pressing send, she held her breath watching the two words send to the receiver. Gia's heart sped up watching the bubble bounce up and down, signaling Louis was texting her back.

I am as well. Releasing the breath she held, her finger hesitated over the keyboard.

Are we going to be ok? She paused before sending not knowing it was the right question to ask him.

In the year since they met, the two have gone through so much. Separation, both with his job and hers, the kidnapping, him worrying he'd never see her again. The hours they had spent on the phone, the number of text messages and of course all the nicknames had left an impact on both of them. The walks in the parks, date nights, cooking in the kitchen - the number of hours they spent laughing. How devastating it would it be just to throw that all away just because of this stupid fight.

She hated watching the stupid bounce up and down before disappearing. The bubble appeared twice before his message appeared. I want us to be . . . I want us to go back to how we were when we first started dating.

Grabbing the keys to her car, she slipped on her sneakers before heading out of the house. Her mind was filled with various thoughts while she drove the familiar route to the place she spent most of her previous days. The butterflies were in full effect within her stomach and her heart was in a flutter.

They had survived it.

The meeting of her family had gone as smoothly as they could've hoped. Before leaving town, Louis had suggested coffee to celebrate the day. Gia guided him to her favorite coffee shop while showing him the town where she grew up.

Pointing out the building where she took piano lessons, she almost forgot to tell him to turn at the light. He mocked glared in her direction, smoothly turning onto the adjacent street. Pulling to a stop, Louis got out of the car, pulling open the door allowing her to take his hand. "Come along m'lady."

Walking up the pathway, his eyes took in the uniqueness of the hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. Pulling open the door, he allowed her to enter before him. "This is nice."

"I've been coming here since I was born. Mom and dad know the owners and have become good friends with them." She smiled at the barista. "I don't have a single memory that doesn't include this shop."

They placed their order, quickly finding a spot next to the roaring fire. They spoke quietly, only being interrupted by the delivering of their drinks. "We'll look what the cat dragged in!"

Gia perked up at the voice turning around with a bright smile on her face. "Luke. It's good to see you!"

"You as well little one." Luke was an older man, mid to late 60s, salt and pepper hair. Louis smiled at the man as Gia gasped. "Luke this is Louis; Louis this is Luke, the owner."

Louis shook his head smiling. "It's nice to meet you. I was just telling Gia I love this place."

"It's built on a lot of love and many years of friendship." Luke smiled.

The couple smiled, inviting Luke to join them. The older man filled Louis in on the mischief and shenanigans Gia had gotten up to during her childhood. Many laughs were shared that afternoon.

Pulling into the parking lot, stopping the car before emitting a loud sigh. Running her hand through her hair, she fluffed it a bit before checking her makeup in the mirror, Gia gave herself a semi pep talk before getting out of the car.

Muttering under her breath, Gia sighed. "You can do this Giovanna. Just walk in and talk to him. You've missed him this week and you've been miserable. Just walk in and talk to him. Clear this whole mess up."

Walking up the front, her eyes immediately zoned in on Louis. He was sitting at a table in the corner with a mug of tea. His eyes were glue to something outside the big bay window to his right. For seeing him for the first time in seven days, he looked good. She had missed him but she wasn't going to let him get away with that fight easily.

Opening the door, Gia slipped in before walking across the deli to where her boyfriend sat. Hell, she didn't even know where they stood.

Without saying a word, she took the spot across from him with a small smile. He saw movement out of the corner of his eye, before jumping slightly with the chair scraping along the ground.  "Sorry."

"You kinda have nothing to be sorry for." He took a swig of the tea. "Actually I have so much to be sorry for. And I'm sorry, Gia. I'm sorry for everything."

She smiled letting her eyes trail over him for the first time in a week. "How have you been?"

"Not good." He paused. "I stayed held up at the flat. I got my head slapped too many times by Scarlett and Tricia. How about you?"

Gia thought back to her week of hell. "Not good. Mom was hovering the entire week. I got pity looks from the boys and Ava. I was miserable to tell you the truth."

"I heard from your brothers. They paid a nice little visit to London the day after you showed up to your parents'."

Her eyes went wide. "What did they do?"

"Nothing that I didn't deserve." Louis thought back on the harsh and very frank conversation Leo, Alex, and Ryan had with him. "They just handed me my ass and told me to make it right with you."

Gia swore under her breath. "I'm gonna kill them, slow and painfully."

"Go easy on them. Can't say I wouldn't have done the same if it was one of my sisters."

She shook her head. "Alright enough about my brothers. Do you want to know something?

"What?"

She reached for his hand. "You were never far from my thoughts. I would often stop and wonder what you were doing; who you were talking to, what you were thinking. I wanted to pick up the phone and call you but always chickened out."

"I'm sorry Giovanna. I will be saying that to you for the rest of my days." Louis squeezed her hand. "What do you need from me?"

Taking a deep breath, she thought back on the last few days. She squeezed his hand back, smiling slightly. "First, I need you to trust me. I trust you 100% and with your job it isn't the easiest thing in the world. I know I should've told you about Matt but the truth of the matter is that I didn't know how. Whenever you and I are together, it's light hearted and fun; no drama. I didn't want that to change. You and I work so incredibly well together that I didn't want to rough the waters up. Second, we both need to know when it's time to leave the situation. I'll always let you leave providing you come back and talk it out with me. I was upset you left but looking back I understand completely. I'm glad you had the guts to walk out before we could say anything really bad."

She took a deep breath. "I also need to apologize for throwing the glass as soon as you walked out. I let my anger get the best of me and I have no idea what possessed me to do that. I'm sorry."

"I think I can do those." He smiled. "And I don't want you to take this the wrong way ..... But what do you think about taking a night to ourselves once or twice a month just to regroup and reconnect. That can be a night that we bring focus back on our relationship and ourselves. I was scared that I lost you forever and I will never forget what that feeling feels like. I'm sorry, Gia for ever doubting you and calling you out for something that was untrue."

He paused. "I stood outside the door and heard the glass shatter. I walked away after hearing your sobs."

Gia nodded. "I'd like that. There are times it feels like you and I are going in 100 different directions - a night or two to ourselves would only be beneficial to our relationship.  Apology accepted. No more I'm sorry’s. You made a mistake, hopefully learned from that mistake and now we move on."

"I'm forgiven that easy?" His voice was full of shock.

Gia laughed. "Nope. You will have to wine and dine me, darling. I'm thinking trips to the theater, shopping excursions, all the girly things men absolutely hate. Think of it as payback."

"As long as I'm spending time with you, consider it done." Louis laughed as Gia smile.

Slapping the table, Gia got to her feet offering her hand to Louis. "Come on."

"Where are we going?" Louis accepted her hand, letting her guide him out of the coffees shop.

Gia smiled before leading him down the street. She pointed out various places she spent during her childhood as they walked to her favorite place in the city. "Here."

Her declaration caused him to give her a puzzled look. "Here what?"

"Here was where I told my mom that I thought I was in love."

Louis laughed. "Right in front of the laundry mat?"

"Yes. I was home for a weekend right before we shared our first 'I Love Yous' and you were texting me goofy things from an interview you just had. Mom called me out on the bright smile I had on my face." She stopped, looking at his eyes. He squeezed her hand pulling Gia closer to him. "She asked what had me so happy. I told her I had been seeing this guy. You could tell she wanted to asked questions but she held back. She did ask one question."

He grinned. "What question was that?"

"She asked if I loved this boy. Because if my smile was anything to go by, then I must love this boy more than I knew."  

Louis cleared his throat, snaking his arm around her waist pulling her flush with him. "I love you Giovanna."

"I love you too Pooks."

Louis groaned, leaning down kissing her. They had a nice little make out session in front of the laundry mat. Pulling back, Louis narrowed his eyes. "One other thing we need to work on."

"What's that?" Gia's eyes rose in suspense.

His smile brightened, a chuckle escaping his mouth. "We need to work on nicknames for each other. Pooks has to go!"

"Come on!" Gia argued. "That's my favorite one. If that one goes so does Damsel."

Louis shook his head. "That was your first nickname bubs! You're stuck with that one."

Wounds were still fresh. Things were forgiven but it would take some time for them to be officially forgotten. The two moved forward, really paying attention to their relationship and working on trusting one another.

Louis whine; Gia merely laughed. "It's a great surprise and you're going to love it."

"Does it require me moving from this bed?"

Pulling the covers away from his face, Gia giggled. "Yes, you do. I've put a lot of effort into this surprise for you. Come on."

Groaning, he managed to push himself up to a sitting position giving her a pitiful look. "Am I going to like this surprise?"

"You're going to love it Pooks! Get ready. I've got breakfast almost ready."

Walking out of the room, she headed back to the kitchen. The past two months since their fight had renewed the couple. They were back to their old selves but had a new focus on their relationship. Their friends had noticed a difference and whole-heartily approved.

Scooping the eggs and toast onto the plates, Gia dug into hers while hearing shuffling in the bedroom. Another thing they had started was equally planning their outings and dates. Louis was always up for adventures and that's exactly what was on the agenda for today.

"I'm up and ready! Are you happy?" Louis grumbled sitting at the bar.

Gia grinned in his direction. "Ecstatic. Now eat up. We have places to go and people to see."

"What are we doing exactly?"

Finishing her food, Gia placed her plate in the dishwasher, turning her attention to Louis. "You're going to have to wait and see. No hints! But you might want to bring a jacket; it may get cold where we are going."

"How are we getting there?" Finishing his tea, Louis looked at his girlfriend grinning.

Double checking her bag, Gia shook her head. "We are taking the train."

"You are having too much fun with this Italia!"

Nodding, she couldn't disagree with him. "Yup! You usually have me in the dark; now the tables are turned so now you get to see how I always feel."  

"I'm done. When are we leaving?"

Seeing the clock hit 7:15, she smiled. "Ten minutes?"

"Sounds good." He murmured, sauntering over to her, pressing his lips to hers. "I didn't get my good morning kiss."

Sighing into the kiss, Gia wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'm sorry. I was just excited for today. Get ready and we'll go."

"Love you too turkey." Louis muttered walking out of the kitchen.

Gia giggled, walking her boyfriend walk away. He was so easy to tease and on most days she had fun with it. She knew he would be difficult today; he did not like being in the dark when it came to their dates. He loved having his hands in every piece of his life and for him to be in the dark, well he didn't take to kindly to that.

Grabbing her purse, keys to the flat, she did one more sweep of the kitchen before heading towards the door. "Come on pretty boy. Your hair looks fine."

"Hold your horses babe. It takes time for me to look this good." He grinned meeting her in the living room.

Louis linked hands with Gia before guiding her out of the flat. The two walked through the lobby heading towards the closest tube station. "Which stop are we getting off at?"

"Kings Cross Station."

Growling under his breath, he mocked glare. "You're killing me Gia. Throw me some kind of bone. Where are we going once we reach Kings Cross? Are we going to the countryside or to another major city? Are we going shopping or getting our nails done or going to a movie? Give me a break."

"Are you quite done?" Heading to the underground, Gia linked their hands in fears of losing sight of Louis. "I'm taking you to a place that's really special to me. You have been here before but only saw a piece of it. I want to show you the important parts. Now once we are on the train, I'll give you three yes or no questions you can ask."

His eyes widened grinning. "Why not five or ten?"

"Don't push it. I don't want you to figure it out before we get there." Stepping onto the train, Louis guided her to a seat near the back of the cabin. "Now what's your first question."

Louis chuckled. "Did we have a date here?"

"Yes."

Nodding, that narrowed the places they've been down to a mere 200 places. "Is this place important to our relationship?"

"Yes; this is your last one Popstar. Make it count." Gia teased.

He had two places in his mind. "Did I surprise you big time at this place?"

"Yes, yes you did." She laughed. "Any guesses?"

He leaned over, placing a kiss on her lips. "You're taking me to the base."

"How? What? Why?" She stammered causing him to laugh. "How did you figure it out?"

He rose his eyes in elation. "A gentleman never tells."

She snorted in laughter at his excuse. "Tell me how you figured it out."

"The only place I've really truly surprised you is when I came to the base." The train came to a stop, the two stepped off heading to buy their tickets for their next train. "So why are we going to the base?"

Gia smiled. "I've seen your job up close and personal but you haven't really seen mine. I figured I'd let you see what I do on a daily basis."

"I know you work on the bombers." He started watching her shake her head.

Quickly purchasing their tickets, Gia thanked the attendant before following Louis to their new platform. "Everyone knows I work on the bombers but I want you to see what else I do. If you don't want to do it, we can do something else. I thought you'd like to see my job at a local level instead of being in the dark."

"No. I love that you want to show me your job. I've always wanted but didn't think you could actually talk about it." He paused. "After you got kidnapped, I got more curious about your job. What could you do that would put you in that much danger?"

Gia smiled. "The job itself isn't dangerous. It's just where the job takes me is dangerous."  

"I'm excited to see the aspects of your job." Pulling her into his embrace, he kissed her slowly. "I love that you planned this and went through the trouble."

She kissed him back. "I want to give you a piece of mind with my job and if this is going to do it then I'm more than happy to do it."

The two boarded the train, getting settled before talking quietly about everything and anything under the sun. He was thrilled to hear her giggles ring out as he told her about a pressing interviewer they had encountered the week prior. That was a sound he wasn't sure he would ever get tired of.

An hour later

"So this is my home away from home." Pushing open the door to her little room, Gia grinned at Louis.

He stepped into the room and nodded. "Looks quaint. Lots of photos of you and me. Scouring the internet again for photos of us?"

"You know it." She grinned. "Your fan girls are only too happy to post photos of us together."

Louis took one more look around the room, offering his hand to Gia. "You're funny. You often have your camera out while we are on dates."

"You caught me. Ready to go to the next part?" She asked taking his hand, pulling him from the room. Locking the door, the two headed downstairs before heading out to the sunny day.

Louis looked around the surroundings, taking in everything. "So it's 8:30am. Where would you be on a normal day?"

"Typically I'd already be in the bomber facility. Since it's a Monday, I'd be in an early morning meeting with all the leads." Gia sighed. "Since I've been forced to half my time on base, Drew has been taking on those meetings."

Due to cutbacks with budgets, Gia's position had been reduced to 30 hours a week. She would typically work three 10 hour days thus her time on base limited. She shook her head thinking about her job's situation.

Pulling her closer to him, Louis kissed her forehead. "I know it hurts baby but you love this job and isn't some aspect of the job better than none of it?"

"Yea but ...." Gia shook her head.

He grinned. "No buts. You love this job and some aspect of it is better than anything else. Besides, at any point you're unhappy, you can walk away, Damsel."

"I know." He saw her roll her eyes at him. "You're right."

Louis smirked. "Can you repeat that?"

"Shut up." She smacked him shaking her head. "Come on."

Walking across the campus, Gia pointed out various landmarks and told him stories of what famous and not so famous things had happened there. He was laughing as they entered the bomber facility.

"Well look what the cat dragged in." Drew smirked, standing on a ladder looking at the bomber in front of him. "What are you doing here baby girl?"

Walking closer to the bomber, Gia ran her hand over the side of the airplane. "Brought the boy here to see the base and show him what I do on a daily basis. Louis, this is Drew; Drew, this is Louis."

"Nice to meet you man." Drew hopped down the ladder, holding his hand out for Louis to grab. "Feels like I already know you from the way this one talks about you."

Louis smirked. "Same. Your name is often brought up at the flat."

"So what are you showing him exactly?" Drew smirked.

Patting the side of the bomber, Gia smirked in Louis' direction. "Louis wants to know exactly about our job so I'm showing him."

"What do you mean exactly?" Louis' voice wavered a bit causing Gia and Drew to chuckle.

Walking to stand in front of her boyfriend, Gia grinned. "How would you like to go up in a bomber today?"

"What?"

Drew laughed causing Gia's smirk to widen. "How about I take you for the ride of your life, Popstar? Come on."

"Gia! Seriously?"

Taking his hand, she smiled. "I got it cleared. Well you just have to meet the corporal's daughters but other than that, you got clearance. You gonna chicken out on me?"

"Never." The grin was hard to wipe off Louis' face. "You're really gonna fly me around?"

She nodded, grasping his hand. "Come on Pooks. We've got an open sky to go visit. You coming Drew?"

The trio walked out to the airfield, prepping both the bomber and Louis for the flight. They quickly got Louis suited up as Gia pulled her personalized suit on. "You cannot freak out on me, Popstar. I know what I'm doing and you've got to trust me. Think you can do that?"

"Of course, always." Louis smirked. Gia double checked every square inch of the suit that currently encased Louis' body. "How are you feeling Soldier?"

Loving the way the old nickname rolled off his tongue, Gia leaned over and kissed him. "Good. Excited for you to get up in the skies with me."

Pointing up the ladder, Gia nodded in her boyfriend's direction. "I'll help you buckle up once you're settled. You don't have any controls so you just get to sit back and enjoy the view. Leave all the piloting to me."

Walking up the ladder, Louis got settled looking up at at his girlfriend smirking. "You are enjoying this way too much!"

"I am Popstar." She grinned. "Is that belt too tight?"

"No but you didn't need an excuse to touch the goods." He whispered watching her cheeks grow rosy red.

Smacking him, Gia shook her head. "That's enough from the peanut gallery."

"You ready for this Italia?" Lou smirked holding tight to the bar in front of him.

She laughed getting into her own seat. "As ready as I'll ever be. Are you ready to go loop de loop?"

"Loop de loop?" He gulped, his eyes widening.

Snapping her belt into place, Gia smirked. "I was watching an old interview of yours and you told someone that the plane is going to go loop de loop when it took off. So now you have that glorious opportunity now."

"Gia no!"

Hearing the fear in his voice, Gia shook his head. "No loop de loop? How about a barrel roll? Or a nose dive?"

"You're evil!"

She simply laughed, pushing buttons to start the plane. "Hold onto your hat Popstar!"

Rolling out to the runway, Gia was in her mode. Louis, however, was holding onto his hat scared of what his girlfriend had in store.

Five hours later

"So any loop de loops?"

The boys along with their better halves were sitting around the couple's kitchen table. Cups of tea were distributed and anxious breaths were held waiting to hear of Louis and Gia's travels to the base.

"Yes there were loop de loops, barrels rolls and nose dives." Gia had managed to shave ten years off his life by scaring him.

Gia smirked over her tea cup. "You should have heard him scream!"

"Giovanna you promised!" He whined causing the guys to howl with laughter.

Niall chuckled. "How was it being up there with her? Nothing but open skies?"

"It was amazing. The views were incredible. Overall it was a cool experience except when Gia made me think I was going to die!" Louis shook his head, glaring in his girlfriend's direction.

Holding her hands up innocently, Gia smiled. "You weren't going to die Popstar. Stop being so overly dramatic! You were in very capable hands the entire time we were in flight."

"Did you just go over base or did you fly elsewhere?" Tricia asked watching Mollie play with Socks, the little girl’s laughter filling the room.

Louis' eyes lit up. "She flew over London. It was pretty cool to see the buildings from high up instead of the ground."

"Uhhhh the view was all right." Gia shrugged, hearing everyone laugh.

Scarlett shook her head laughing at her friend. "The view was just all right? I think the view would be pretty spectacular."

"I think I was more excited to see Louis' reaction to everything than really taking in the view." Gia shook her head. "I think he overused the word 'Oh My Goodness'."

Everyone laughed causing Mollie to leave Socks and climb up in Louis' lap. "Uncle Lewie?"

"Yes my fairy princess?"

Mollie's face lit up at the mentioning of being a princess. "Is auntie Gia leaving us?"

Silence fell over the group. They all had the same question and after May none of them wanted to see her go anywhere. "No baby I'm not going anywhere anytime soon. Actually, I have news about that."

"What kind of news? Good news?" Liam looked hopeful as Louis smirked.

Gia nodded smoothing Mollie's hair back. "I talked to my supervisors and starting the beginning of December I'm done traveling. I'm staying at the base as the consultant; no longer the the lead engineer. Drew is taking over for me."

"So what does that mean?" Tricia asked pulling Mollie onto her lap.

Looking over at Louis, who grinned brightly, Gia smiled. "That means I'm on base three days and home four days. No more international travel. Basically it's a desk job with some face time with the bombers. This is the first step in me essentially retiring from the navy."

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Danielle bounced in her chair looking at Louis with a bright smile.

Louis shook his head. "No no no.  She would have my head if I ask her that. Not yet but soon."

"I would have your head if you ask me what?" Gia asked eyes raised in curiosity.

Glaring at the three women that surrounded him, Louis turned to Gia with a smile. "Nothing you need to worry about turkey."

"Uh huh sure." Taking a sip of her tea, Gia locked eyes with her boyfriend. "I'm assuming I'll find out at some point?"

Louis merely smirked and nodded. "But not yet." He added.