BURNS » Niam ✔

2 - "I'm Sorry"

Niall took off his apron and hung it on one of the hooks.

"Leaving already?" Sammie, a fellow coworker of his asked. She also happened to be his best friend.

"Yes. It's time for me to get off."

"Aw, I was hoping you stuck around until I got off. We could have shared a Cinnabon today."

Niall chuckled. "I would, but I have school, Sam."

She folded her arms. "No excuses. You have a laptop and you can always bring it here. Caroline doesn't mind you sitting at one of the tables. The customers do it all the time."

Niall shook his head. "No way. It would have to be put somewhere safe while we're working and I don't really trust my things here. You are literally the only one I would trust and you have to work like me. So no. But there's only two months left. When I'm done, I promise we'll share all the Cinnabons you want to eat."

She unfolded her arms and picked up a rag, then started to wipe an area on the counter. "You never stay here with me. But I do stay with you sometimes."

"Unfortunately I don't live at the coffee shop."

She raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure you don't want to? Because the way you drink coffee, it shouldn't be a problem."

He laughed at her joke but rolled his eyes. "Ugh, now you sound like Liam."

She looked as if she'd been entertained by the comparison. "By the way, how is he?"

Niall thought for a moment, remembering what happened last night. "He's fine."

But she raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because you hesitated."

"Yeah, he's fine. It's just been weird around the house lately."

"Weird?"

"Yeah."

She put her hand on her hip. "Weird as in you're scared Liam is cheating, weird?"

"No, no. Not that at all. I know Liam isn't cheating. He wouldn't do that to me. It's just-"

"Excuse me ma'am?"

It was a customer. "How can I help you?" Sammie asked.

"I'd like two powdered donuts please."

She sat the rag down and came over to the register. "Sure." After typing his order into the computer, she told him his total.

He handed her a bill and after she opened the register and gave him his change, he moved to another part of the counter to wait on his donuts.

"Now what were you saying?" She asked, turning her attention to Niall again. "Something about how Liam isn't cheating."

He nodded. "Yeah. He isn't cheating. In fact... it's much worse and not as simple as that."

She tilted her head sideways. "That sounds backwards. What could be worse than your boyfriend cheating on you?"

He sighed. "We still haven't slept together. But Liam really wants to."

Her jaw dropped and she looked around. No new customers were coming in, so she dragged him around the corner and out of sight. "What?!" She whisper hollered.

"Calm down."

"How can I calm down when you said you'd been with him almost two months ago?"

"No. I said we came close. We didn't... actually do anything."

She softened her face, then reached out and gently put her hand on his shoulder. "So he still doesn't know?"

Niall stopped looking at her and didn't say anything. But not saying anything gave her the answer she needed. "Ni, you have got to tell him."

He looked up quickly and there was panic his face. "I can't tell him, Sam. I can't do that. I don't want to and I certainly don't have the courage."

"But if you trust him the way you say you do, you won't need a lot of courage. He won't judge you. I've gone out with you two so many times and I know what he's like. He looks at what's inside. That's it."

"I know, but still. I... I just can't." Tears started to well up in his eyes. "I can't do that."

She rubbed the side of his arm and sighed. "You and I need to talk. Because you need some kind of encouragement. Or else if you don't tell him, he will start cheating. And I'm not saying that to scare you. It's the truth. If he doesn't get to satisfy his needs with you, he'll go elsewhere. You know how men are..."

Niall shook his head. He was too worried to even scold her for the shot she took at men. "I'm sorry, Sam. But not right now. Maybe some other time."

"Some other time might be too late!" She tried to reason once more. But he had left from behind the counter and quickly scrambled out of the coffee shop, not wanting to hear the rest of what she had to say.

* * *

Later that night, Liam came trudging in the door before dinner. Niall was in the kitchen, leaning over the counter and on his laptop. He jumped when he heard him.

"School?" His boyfriend questioned.

Niall shook his head and hurriedly switched the webpage over to a different one, which had already been preloaded earlier. "No. A recipe."

Liam went around the counter and tossed his keys in the tray as he normally did. "For what? Disaster?"

Niall placed his hands on his hips. "What? That's very offensive. I'd say I can cook pretty well."

Liam laughed. "I'm only kidding. You're a great cook. I just wanted to lighten the mood. That was such a terrible attempt at it."

Niall was hesitant. "L- Lighten the mood for what?" He asked quietly and he watched Liam come over to him.

"After what happened last night... I wasn't sure how you were feeling."

He shrugged in slow motion. "How did you think I was feeling?"

"I don't know. You asked me if I was mad at you, last night. I thought maybe you were thinking I didn't care about you anymore."

He shook his head. "No. I know better than that. I know you care about me. That question had nothing to do with you whatsoever. It was mostly for me because I was afraid I had made you upset by what I said."

Liam scoffed. "Doesn't matter. I had no right to be upset."

"I still feel horrible though. Because you wanted it and you were ready and you have been for while, but I... I-"

"-Wasn't ready. And I have to respect that."

Niall was quiet when he said those words and Liam put his hands to the sides of his face to make him look at him. "I have to respect that you weren't ready. I know something like that is a big step and just because I'm ready for it, that doesn't mean you have to be too. I had no right to try to go into it without asking you first. So I'm sorry."

Niall's eyes watered. Now his boyfriend was apologizing, thinking it was his fault. Gosh, this was worst than he thought. But he was too afraid to correct it. "It's okay." He mumbled out.

Liam smiled big, then leaned forward, kissing him with his hands still on the sides of his face. He kissed back. When the kiss was over, he dropped his hands from his face cautiously. "I need to go shower. Are you going to be okay?"

Niall nodded. "I'll be fine. Go shower and when you're out, I should be done making this. Then we can eat together."

He smiled. "Sounds good. I'll be back. Don't go anywhere." He teased.

"Just go."

He left the kitchen and went down the hallway and Niall faced his laptop again. He returned to the previous webpage and the second he heard the water for the shower cut on, he leaned over the countertop and cried into his hands. He couldn't believe he was going as far as deceiving his own boyfriend just because he was being a coward. He knew he was better than that.

Maybe Sammie was right. Maybe he should at least talk to her and see what she had to say. Hopefully she could figure out a way to boost his confidence about telling Liam the truth. And hopefully that could all happen before it was too late.