Niall laughs. “I’m gonna go cleanup. Try not to spew all over my blanket.”
The last thing I remember is seeing Niall’s bare ass as it leaves the bedroom.
26
The sun coming through the window wakes me up abruptly. I have to shield my eyes while I adjust to the room.
It’s then I realize two things. One is that I didn’t have a nightmare last night. The other is that I’m not in my apartment.
OH SHIT. I’m in Niall’s bed.
Oh no, no, no. The night starts coming back in spurts. The angry looks across the dance floor. The argument in front of his apartment, after chasing after him from the club.
Me grabbing his face and kissing him. Angrily. No, not exactly angrily, but like it was pent up. Coming back here.
Did he want this? And where the hell is he?
It’s time to make the executive decision to get the fuck out of here if there’s a chance to sneak off. Him and I can address this at a later time and place.
I quietly slip out of bed, doing a quick scan of the floor for my clothes. All I see are my boxer briefs. We were already half undressed by the time we were through the door, so the living room seems the likeliest of locations.
I open the bedroom slowly, peeking my head out into the hallway. The apartment seems quiet, outside the normal background noise of Temple Bar. I can see the pile of clothes sitting, folded neatly, on the side table by the door. Good, a quick escape. I move towards the door.
“Hello.”
I jump, turning quickly towards the kitchen. A child sits at the table, eating what appears to be a bowl of Corn Pops.
“Umm…hi.”
The boy points at me with his spoon. “You’re not wearing pants.”
I instinctively cover the front of my underwear, feeling my face flush. I continue my journey to my clothes, quickly redressing before turning back to the table. A second bowl has appeared, matching his.
I slide into the chair opposite him, taking in what I can only sense is an overwhelming air of judgement. “So, I don’t believe there was a child in the apartment when I got here.”
“No,” he says, through a mouthful of cereal. “I just got here like ten minutes ago.”
“Okay.” I take a bite of Corn Pops and try to think about the last time I had them. I also think about how underrated of a cereal it is.
“This is normally the time you would ask me my name.”
I swallow the sizable mouthful of cereal after almost spitting it out. Whoever this kid is, he’s bold. “Sorry—”
“It’s Hughie. Or Hugh if you prefer. It’s tough for grownups to figure out what to call me.”
“Well, I’m Daniel. But for some reason Niall likes to call me Danny.”
Hughie nods, reaching for the box and tops off his bowl. “Then I’ll call you Danny. Are you Uncle Niall’s boyfriend?”
This time I do actually spit out my cereal, luckily most of it landing back in the bowl. “I, umm…”
“You can be his friend, that’s fine. Or boyfriend. You’re the one visiting from the States, right?”
“How old are you?” I ask Hughie, trying to both keep my attention on Niall’s nephew but also frantically looking for acoffee pot on the counter. Which, I then remember, that Niall only keeps instant on hand.
“Ten. How old are you?”
“You aren’t supposed to ask adults that.”
