lovefool // niall horan spy au

vii. i want you so bad (i can't breathe)

Sameera stares at her reflection in the mirror when she's done with all of her makeup.

She hopes she doesn't look as terrible as she feels.

Niall appears behind her, smiling at her through the mirror, zipping up the back of her dress which she'd left undone. "Ready?" he asks, hands on her waist. She nods at him, trying to muster up the energy to send him a smile of her own. His eyes soften at her and she nearly wants to groan; it's like he can always see right through her. "You sure you're okay?"

During their workout today, she could barely get through the pushups, an excruciating pain ripped through her right side that sent her tumbling face first to the ground. Niall had thought she was being dramatic again, as she tends to be when they work out together, but as soon as she curled her knees upwards, gasping to catch her breath, he was onto her, hands quickly grabbing her shoulders to turn her over.

"Petal, shit," he had breathed out, concern etched in his face. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

She had rolled over, bringing her knees up to her chest as she pressed her forehead to the ground, trying to catch her bearing as she clenched her eyes shut and fought the oncoming tears. It honestly just felt like a really bad wave of cramps, and she knew she was due for her period soon, so she just waved him off, telling him as much.

He was clearly still very concerned though, because he made her rest for the remainder of the day, even going as far as to bring up tea and biscuits for her later on.

Now, she just feels nauseous. There's still a dull pain on her right side but it's nothing too crazy. She nods at his reflection in the mirror, turning around to give him a more convincing smile. "I'm fine," she says after it's clear that he's still skeptical. "C'mon. We have a mission to finish."

With that, they're off. Hodges managed to ensure that their—fake—names would be on the banquet's guest list. When they arrive about half an hour later, they're able to get in with no problems. As soon as they enter the banquet hall, though, Sameera has to excuse herself to the ladies' room.

It takes her a while to find it, but when she does, she has to lean against the sink inside, heaving a bit to try and tamp down the urge to vomit. When she looks up at herself in the mirror, her eyes are rimmed with tears and her face is pale, despite the fact that she'd tried to conceal that with makeup. She takes a deep breath, pulling herself together. Tonight is important. She's not going to let a bit of PMS stop her.

When she returns to the hall, she can't find Niall. She walks around for a few moments, grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the servers and taking a sip, hoping the bubbles will help calm her stomach down. She spots him at the bar. He's chatting with some guy with blond hair, and when he sees her, he smiles, gesturing her over.

"This is my wife, Samantha," he says when she gets to him, his hand resting on her lower back. Sameera smiles at the man, looking over at Niall for some clarification on his identity. "This is Gerard McDonnell. He's the organizer for tonight's event."

The man, Gerard, beams at her, extending his hand for her to shake, which she does. "Yes, yes, very nice to meet you. A beautiful wife you have, mate." Niall smiles at him. Sameera is still unclear as to why they're talking to this man. "I was just telling your husband that this event wouldn't have been possible without our most generous donor, Mr. O'Connor." At that, Sameera perks up. She's unsure as to why O'Connor wouldn't use a pseudonym to organize a charity banquet, nor is she sure of his motive. Perhaps he's too confident in his criminal connections to even humor the idea that he may get caught.

"Would you excuse us, Gerard," Niall tells the man before leading Sameera away from the bar and to a table on the other side of the room. "Have you spotted O'Connor yet?" Niall's voice is low as they take a seat.