It had been more then two hours since I had invited Niall in after he'd kindly given me and Amber a lift home. After he'd helped me put the shopping away, I'd fixed us a cup of coffee each, we used the time while Amber slept, sit and chat.

He had told me about how he had moved from Mullingar, Ireland to London around two years ago after being offered a job with a small magazine editing company and that he visited home as much as he could, because he missed it so much. He'd also told me about his two friends, Liam and Louis, whom he had met the first day he'd arrived and they'd been firm friends ever since.

I couldn't draw my eyes away from him when he spoke. His whole face lit up and his eyes glimmered with every memory he recalled. He was so calming and relaxing. But it didn't last for long. Our chat was interrupted when the baby monitor on the side crackled to life and Amber's cries echoed through it.

Niall turned to the contraption and then back to me with a small, sympathetic smile. I rolled my eyes.

"I guess my quite five minutes is over." I laughed, pushing my heavy body up from the seat and stretching out my legs. I had been sitting for so long, my lower half had to remember how to work again. "I'll be right back." I told him, limping out of the kitchen, trying to shake the pins and needles from my calves.

I run up the stairs and to Amber's room, pushing the door open quickly. She sat in the same way she did this morning, sobbing her little heart out.

"Aw, it's alright, Sweetheart." I cooed, reaching into her crib and scooping her up. "I got you. I guess you're hungry now." I said to her, watching her sobs subside when she realised she was in the safety of my arms.

I turned and left the room with her in my arms, humming to her as I went then returned back downstairs to where Niall still sat, patiently. Upon seeing us, he beamed at my daughter, standing up quickly. There he went, lighting up again. It made me nervous because I kind of liked the way he smiled, I liked it more then a probably should.

"Heeeey!" He whispered, dipping down to Amber's level in my arms and touching her small right hand with his large one. "Well, hello there sleepyhead." He spoke to her slowly. I could feel his breath on my forearm as he spoke and it set off goosebumps under my skin.

I cleared my throat and unhooked her other hand from the chains around my neck, the ones she loved to hold onto so much. I held her up and turned back to the blonde in front of me. "Do you wanna hold her?"

Niall looked up at me, a little taken back and I wondered if I'd said the right thing. My worries were soon put to rest, though as he nodded quickly, a huge smile spreading across his face.

I grinned back whilst I handed my daughter over to a complete stranger. I think it took Zayn two weeks after she was born for me to finally let him hold her. To say I was protective was an understatement. Just look at me now. There was something about him that I trusted, something I could rely on.

Niall wrapped his pale arm around Amber whilst he bounced her gently. She stared directly into his blue orbs, watching his face as he smacked his lips together and pulled funny faces at her. But it wasn't until he pulled the tongue face, that Amber began to smile.

"She likes you." I told him, turning back to the table and clearing away the mugs of coffee that we had been drinking.

"She's adorable." He replied, not taking his eyes off her for a second. He held onto her hand with his and danced around on the spot, bobbing and ducking with my laughing daughter. I smiled, putting the mugs into the sink and turning back to watch them.

"Is it just you two?" He asked, calmly. However the words hit me like a brick wall.

I nodded, swallowing dryly. "It's just us. She-I mean, Amber's mother- left us a few weeks ago." It still killed me inside. Whenever I would think I was healing, it would rip me wide open again whenever I thought about how the way things were now and how they should have been.

Niall watched me carefully. I could see that he was wondering whether he should have asked or not, but I didn't mind. It was a pretty standard question and one he didn't know that could hurt me so much.

"That can't have been easy." He said lowly, his blue eyes searching my own. I felt like he could see all of me, even the wall I had built up around myself.

I just shook my head. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I couldn't. It was still too raw. "She's my world." I told him. "I can't imagine my life without her, really."

As if today hadn't been strange enough, I was opening up to Niall like I'd known him all my life. I couldn't even think about these things normally, let alone speak about them with someone I'd only met a few hours ago. But he didn't judge me, I could see it in his face that he didn't. Most people would have wondered what had happened, and was it my fault. But Niall just listened and it was new to have someone just open up and hear what you have to say. I was so grateful.

"I can see. You're great with her, I can tell." He flashed me a quick smirk, before turning back to look at Amber who was know happily grasping at the sun-kissed locks of hair on Niall's head.

"T-Thanks." I stuttered, feeling an incredible blush creep up my neck and onto my cheeks.

Niall didn't notice and I was glad. Why was I acting like this? He's just a guy. A genuine, kind, thoughtful guy who I'd happen to meet and we had made friends. That was it.

I shook the thoughts from my head quickly, as Amber began to wriggle and whimper in Niall's arms. I stepped toward him and retrieved my daughter when he began to panic.

"What did I do?" He chuckled nervously.

I smiled back at him, cradling her. "You didn't do anything. She's just grumpy 'cause she's hungry." I told him.

"Oh." He grinned, "Well, I'd better be going anyway. I do have shopping to put away after all." He laughed.

I nodded, the small slipping off my lips quicker then I would have liked, I just hoped he didn't notice. "Sure. Yeah."

"Well, it was really good to meet you, Harry." He said softly, before touching Amber's hand again. "And you too, Amber." She watched him again for a second before going back to gurgling and kicking her little legs into my abdomen.

"I'll let myself out." He said to me finally, before turning on his heel and walking towards the front door. I watched his back as he left and that all too familiar sense of loneliness began to sink back in.

I was just about to open my mouth to speak to him, to say anything before he left, but he beat me to it, turning around swiftly. "Hey, um-" He began to walk back towards me. "-I know this is probably going to sound really strange, because we've only just met but-" He adjusted the t-shirt he wore, nervously. "-maybe we could go for a pint sometime? I mean, that is if you could get someone to watch Amber and if you wanted to." He mumbled.

I smiled broadly. "That'd be great. It'd be nice to have a break." I nodded.

Niall smiled up at me. "Cool!" He shrugged, gently. "Are you free tomorrow?"

I thought about it. Of course I was. I was always free, but it was whether I could get my mum to watch Amber. "Well, I'll have to arrange something for Amber, but I can call you if you like, to let you know?" I offered.

"Yeah, sure. Do you have a pen?" He asked, looking around the kitchen.

I turned to the drawer behind me and opened it, pulling out a sparkly, pink glitter pen and handed it to Niall with a scrap of paper I found, also.

He laughed, admiring the object in his hands before scribbling down his number. He handed the paper back to me. "Just give me a shout when you can." He smiled. He stepped back towards the door and chuckled. "Well, goodbye. Again."

"Bye, Niall. Say, bye-bye, Amber." I turned my daughter to face the blonde man and held up her hand, waving it for her. Niall returned the wave and gave me one last, long, look before practically disappearing out of the door.

I made a mental note to call my mother as soon as I had given Amber her lunch. I was pretty sure I'd forgotten what excitement was, until it began to bubble up in my stomach. I was already looking forward to seeing him again and I couldn't for the life of me understand why I was thinking this way.

Amber had been fed, bathed and put to bed finally, when I sat down on the sofa. I suppressed a yawn as I dialled my mother's number and he'll the device to my ear.

Two rings, and she answered.

"Hello?" She rang on the end of the line. I smiled.

"Hi, Mum." I replied.

"Oh, Harry! Are you okay? How's my beautiful Grand-daughter?"

"I'm fine, Mum. Amber's good. She's in bed. Look, I have a favour to ask.."

"What is it, love?"

"Are you free to look after Amber tomorrow night?"

There was silence on the end of the line for longer then it was necessary. "Mum?"

"Yes, Darling. I'm here. Are you going somewhere?"

"A drink with a friend." I told her, furrowing my brow at the worry in her voice.

"A girl?"

I sighed. "No, Mum."

"Oh. Well, I would love to. But I have a birthday party tomorrow night." She sighed. I knew how much she missed Amber and the first opportunity in a while for her to spend time with her, she's busy.

I bit at my lip. "Okay. It's okay. I'll bring Amber round soon, and we can make a day of it." I told her, smiling lightly.

"Oh, that would be lovely!" She cooed on the end of the line.

"Okay, Mum. Well, thanks anyway. Have fun tomorrow night. I'll see you soon."

"I will. See you soon, Darling. Give Amber a kiss from me. I love you."

"Love you, too. Bye."

"Bye."

I ended the call and tossed my phone onto the sofa besides me. Looks like I wasn't going for a drink with Niall after all. I was just about to retrieve his number from the fridge where I had pinned it, when my phone buzzed with a text. Zayn.

'Hi mate. Just checking in. U cool? x"

Zayn. I tapped my phone on my lips for a moment and thought. Zayn was always pestering me about helping out with Amber and maybe this was the perfect time. I really wanted to meet up with Niall again, so I decided to ask. I pressed the call button over his name and held my phone to my ear, bringing my fingers up to my lips. Please say yes. Please say yes.

"Yo?"

"Zayn."

"Harry. What's up?" He asked, worry dripping from his voice, also. I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing, I was just calling to ask you for a favour.."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if you could watch Amber for me tomorrow night?

"What, really?"

I laughed. "Yes really. A friend has asked me for a drink so-"

"Of course!" He cut me off. "Of course I will!"

"Thanks, man. You're a lifesaver."

"Who are you going for a drink with anyway? I thought I was your only friend." He chuckled on the end of the line.

"Just someone I met earlier. I'll text you with the details, okay?" I said quickly, hoping to avoid the third degree.

"Okay, sure. See ya."

"Bye."

After ending the call to Zayn, I opened up a blank message as I got up from the sofa and left for the kitchen. I spied the piece of paper that held Niall's number, scrawled on with bright pink pen and punched it into my phone, then I composed the text message.

'hi niall. its harry. just texting to let you know that im free for that drink tomorrow. :) x' and then pressed send.

Tomorrow couldn't come quick enough