corporate affairs [Niall Horan AU]

F O U R T E E N

 F O U R T E E N

I set my plate down beside Niall, smiling as he reaches his arm out to rub my back as I sit down. "That's all your eating?" He asks, chuckling at the difference between our two plates. 

"This is what normal people eat, doofus." I reply, flicking his nose before I pick up my chopsticks. 

"Yeah, whatever. Oh, we've got a meeting in the morning..." He adds in a soft voice. The other men are chatting softly about the soccer match we'd interrupted. 

"With Anna?" I ask after swallowing a pork dumpling. Something has changed between Niall and I. His hand rests easily on my knee. His voice has lost the hard formality it used to have whenever we would speak. I'm leaning towards him, just barely, but enough to suggest that I'm used to being close to him. As I notice this I scoot away, separating us by a half-inch. 

"Yeah, to talk about the Met Gala." He scoops a large mouthful of sweet and sour chicken into his mouth, making me laugh. He's gotten sweet and sour sauce on his chin, making him look just a tad bit adorable. 

"You've got sauce on your chin, idiot." I remark, taking my napkin and wiping it off gently. It's not until I'm almost done wiping his chin that I notice the intimacy of this act. His eyes bore into mine, a half-smile playing on his lips. I blush beet red and finish quickly, taking a large bite of an egg roll to divert my gaze from his eyes. 

"That's no way to talk to your boss." Niall chastises, pretending to frown. 

"Oops, sorry Mr. Horan. Are you going to fire me?" I ask jokingly, pretending to be upset. 

"I would, but that might make things awkward at our wedding." 

"Maybe a tad, better hold off." I joke, laughing. Joking with him this way is so easy and normal, I can't help but feel a little glad that we're "engaged". We continue with our easy banter through dinner, making each other laugh. It's really the first time I've experienced this side of Niall, and it scares me to find that Niall isn't just my scary, selfish boss like I thought. 

"So, Elouise, do you two have a date for the wedding?" Uncle Des asks, grinning happily. As long as Zayn, Harry, and I are happy, Uncle Des is happy. 

My eyes dart to Niall. These kind of questions throw me off guard and make me tense up. I've never been a good liar, especially to those I love. "Well, I--we--we haven't--" I stutter, my tongue unable to work properly. 

Niall seems perfectly at ease. He throws his arm over my shoulder and pulls me close, a perfect mask of happiness and peace on his face. "We haven't decided the date yet. We've barely talked about it because we've been so busy at the office." I nod from my place against Niall's chest, watching Harry through my lashes. He narrows his eyes at Niall's response.

"Since when have you not known the date for something, Elouise? I thought you wanted to get married on your mother's birthday." Harry says, looking directly at me. 

I glare at him, blushing beet red. "Things change. Niall and I would have to wait a year if we went for my mom's birthday." I cough, feeling the uncomfortable words in my throat. "I don't know if I can wait that long." I add, sneaking a look at Niall's face. He surprises me by smiling wider and pressing his smooth lips to my temple. 

"You're the bride," he tells me with an amused smirk. 

I roll my eyes. "Is that what your response to everything is going to be? Cause I have a feeling it is."

"Well of course," he teases, "you're the bride." 

"Maybe I'll leave you," I threaten, raising my eyebrows in an attempt to look menacing.