under my skin || n.h. au

eight: carry me home tonight

Niall's entire face is glowing when he steps out of the lift and into the office. One would think he's just won a lottery because he can't seem to stop smiling as he says hi to everyone he comes across. And much to her dismay, Brooklyn can't help but to look at him as he makes his way to his desk.

She also can't help but to notice the effort he puts to look extremely good today – a thought that she immediately pushes away when he reaches his desk and pulls his chair out to take a seat.

But somehow, Brooklyn finds herself opening her mouth to say, "You look good."

He kinks an eyebrow at her, shocked that she'd compliment him – that doesn't happen often. Which is why he's quick to plaster a smug smile across his face. "Thanks, Cooper."

"The date went well?" She asks, desperate to change the direction of the conversation. She doesn't need him pestering her for what she said accidentally.

"Yeah," he answers calmly before his face splits into a grin as he confirms her suspicion. "Going on a second date tonight."

"That's great!" Brooklyn replies a bit too loudly. Others might perceive it as her being fake happy for him, but that's not it. She really is happy for him because she can't remember the last time he went on a date. Niall's a workaholic, which is one of the few things that they have in common.

"I know," he agrees.

"I feel bad for the girl, though," Brooklyn adds, to which he raises an eyebrow at her. "Going out with you must not be easy."

"Hey, I'll let you know that I'm a gentleman." He counters as he points a finger at her. He looks mildly offended and Brooklyn chuckles to herself. "You'll know that when you lose the bet and you'll have to go on a date with me, which by the way is getting closer."

Brooklyn shakes her head, scrunching her nose in disgust. The idea alone is enough to make her shiver, which gives her the push she needs to work harder on her upcoming articles. She needs to win this bet because she doesn't know what she'll do if she loses.

"How're you and Louis?" Niall asks out of the blue.

Looking up from the screen of her computer, Brooklyn's mouth hangs open as she doesn't know how to answer that question. Are they okay? She doesn't know. Probably not after the way he heartlessly told her that he couldn't go out for dinner with her and after the way she bitterly sent the text message she composed within ten seconds.

But Niall doesn't need to know about that. "We're okay," she replies along with a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

Niall gives her a suspicious look and before he can interrogate her about it, she quickly gets up from her desk and makes her way to the break room. She pours coffee into her cup and takes a few sips of it before she closes her eyes and massages her temple.

"Cooper." Niall's voice startles Brooklyn, who loses grip on her cup and spills coffee down her blouse. She winces in pain as the hot drink causes her clothes to stick to her skin and Niall starts to panic as he looks around the room for tissues. "Jesus, Bee, I'm so sorry."

Brooklyn runs to the sink and puts down the cup before she accepts tissues from Niall and dabs her chest with it. It's no use because her blouse has absorbed the spilled coffee and now she smells like a cup of her favourite drink.

Niall watches her, mouth agape. He runs his fingers through his hair and apologises once more, to which Brooklyn brushes it off with a wave of her hand. "Do you have a spare shirt or something?"

"No," she shakes her head. She doesn't think it's necessary to bring one considering that this has never happened before.

"Well, I've got one in my bag," he tells her and she cocks an eyebrow at him, wondering why he has an extra shirt with him. So, he explains, "I usually head to the gym before I go home."