Amp It Up (X Factor, Niall Horan, One Direction Love Story)

“Mama... I just don't get it. You and Dad were never on the best of terms, but I thought you would work it out, I really did.” I said into the computer screen. Mom sighed, setting primly in her office chair.

“Hunny, we haven't been happy for a while. I was surprised he didn't ask for the divorce before now, honestly,” She replied. She hesitated a moment, then added, “He has a girlfriend.”

I screwed my face up and turned away from her so she couldn't see me. Everything she told me made it worse. I pressed my fist to my mouth for a moment, wiped my red eyes, then turned back to face my mother.

“Are you okay?” I asked shakily. “Do you need me to come home?”

I knew before I got the words out that she'd say no. She didn't need me, she never did. She shook her head.

“No, I'm okay, I've known for a while now, I just waited to tell you about the divorce because you were so busy and your grandmother said it would be best to wait and tell you sooner rather than later."

I nodded slowly. “That makes sense, but Mom couldn't you have waited a little longer to have told me? I mean,” I added, seeing her face, “I just have a lot going on right now and I- I don't know, this is just a lot to worry about at the moment!”

Mom sighed. “It's not like it's going to change anything. I get the house and dogs, and he's moving in with his girlfriend. And you're staying with your grandmother, and on that TV show.”

I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around myself, snuggling into the warmth.

“Yeah, what do you think of that, anyway?” I giggled. “Me, famous I mean.”

Mom smiled tiredly at me, the bags under her eyes more prominent in the lighting of the office she was in. “I'm very proud of you dear, since your grandmother told me I haven't missed an episode.”

A warm bubble of happiness blossomed in me, and I grinned at her. “I'll wave at the cameras Wednesday night and you'll know it's for you,” I promised. “Give Mooch a kiss for me.”

Mom's nose crinkled. “The smelly neighbors dog?” She inquired. I nodded. “I miss her!”

Mom rolled her eyes, and we talked for a little bit more before she hung up, promising to call me sometime.

It wasn't much, but it was a start to a better relationship.

Suddenly craving food and a distraction, I pulled a navy blue long sweater on with skinny jeans and converse on and headed out the door without looking at my hair, then backtracked into the bathroom and pulled the tangled mass into a ponytail. I then grabbed my wallet out of the purse I was currently using, then ran out the room before returning and grabbing my car keys.

Suddenly feeling the urge to get out of this place, I broke into a jog down the hall, passing some of the remaining fourteen contestants with a nod to the ones I didn't know and a greeting to the ones I did know.

I stopped jogging in front of the room I knew Niall and Liam were currently sharing, then knocked.

“Niall! Open up dork!”

A moment later and the locks on the door rattled and Niall opened it, looking sleepy.

“Wasa' m'er?” He mumbled. I kissed his cheek quickly, then dragged him out by the hand.

“I'm going to get food,” I announced, “And I don't know any good food places so I'm bringing you with me.”

Niall, instantly more awake at the prospect of food, simply nodded and let me drag him with me. It wasn't long before we made it to my car and I shoved him in the drivers seat before getting into the passenger, as he cranked my car.

“Let's go to Nando's!” Niall cheered. I just stared at him. “What is this? A bad fan fiction? Uh uh, we're NOT going there. Maybe some other time.”

Niall burst out laughing and shook his head as he steered the car out of the lot and got on the busy London road.

“Alrigh', alrigh', I'll take ya somewhere else.” He grumbled. I simply grinned at him, pleased, then turned the radio up.

Niall and I said along loudly and out of tune to the songs playing, until he almost missed the turn he wanted to take and jerked the car so quickly a Mountain Dew I had left in the car went flying all over my shoes.

Niall burst out laughing at my facial expression and shoved a bunch of napkins at me that he found as we pulled up at a small bar and grill.

I couldn't see the name of the place anywhere, but I loved it. The light colored brick with the red awnings, the black metal benches and tables and the large glass windows were where you could see into the grill, or outside if you sat inside.

While I was wiping my shoes, Niall came around and opened the door for me, reaching out his hand for me to take.

“I'm NOT taking your hand.” I told him. A flash of hurt crossed his face and I instantly regretted being so harsh. “Um, until I wash my hands, I have drink all over it.” I amended, and he relaxed and nodded.

I threw the napkins away at a trash can and went to the ladies room while Niall got a table for two. I washed my hands quickly and dried them with paper towels that I quickly disposed of.

When I emerged, Niall took my hand with a smile and led me over to a table in the corner, where we had a view of everyone else but they couldn't see us. The waitress gave us our menus then left to get the drinks we requested.

A slightly awkward silence followed, in which Niall and I had a staring contest that I soon won by wiggling my eyebrows in a weird way. Niall laughed and then it wasn't awkward anymore.

“So, what's good to eat here?” I asked easily. Niall grinned and moved to sit beside me, instead of across from me. He started pointing out different BB Q's and smoked chicken, and it was a hard decision but I finally made my choice, going with the BBQ'ed ribs and mashed potatoes.

Niall got a steak, and once we had ordered we started talking about the food differences between America and England. And then about my hatred for McDonald's, which he couldn't seem to grasp. I hated that place more than I hate most people.

We stopped talking when the food came, as both of us had our mouths so full we couldn't speak anyway.

I didn't realize I had BBQ sauce all around my mouth until Niall pointed it out, laughing at my horrified expression. He stopped laughing when I flicked mashed potatoes at him though.

We stumbled out of the bar and grill stuffed and happy, Niall flinging his arm around me and tugging me close to him.

We were on the way back to the X Factor studios when he made the spontaneous decision to go get ice cream, which meant we had to go find a ice cream shop. Once we found it, I didn't want to eat it in my car so we found a park and started strolling through it, holding hands and eating ice cream.

“I am SO glad we did this.” I informed Niall as he swung our hands around. He nodded, his cheeks flushed and his blue eyes brighter than normal.

“I'm glad you came and got me.” He replied. I kissed his cheek and sneakily took a lick of his ice cream cone. Mine was all gone.

When I was going in for another lick, Niall suddenly shoved the ice cream over my mouth and smeared it. I stood stock still while he did it, my mouth slightly parted in surprise as he finished smearing it with a dab on the end of my nose.

“You are SO DEAD HORAN!” I shrieked. I wiped the ice cream off of my nose with my sleeve and around my mouth, glaring at a now hysterical Niall.

I attacked him, tickling in any place I could reach as he laughed. My hands moved over his sides and chest as I tickled him. Niall giggled and trapped my hands against his chest, inadvertently pulling me to him. He backed me up to a tree and proceeded to tickle me relentlessly.

I shrieked and laughed until I almost cried, and he dug his chin into my neck and wiggled his jaw which only made me laugh harder.

“Niall!” I gasped. “Stop!”

Niall slowly stopped tickling me, his face still buried in my neck in my arms around his shoulders. My breathing slowly evened out and I buried my face into his neck, breathing in his scent.

We must have looked a pair, standing there in a park at dusk wrapped in each others arms. I had just realized that when I started to move out of Niall's arms, but he kept me there.

“Niall, we need to go.” I muttered. He shook his head, keeping it where my shoulder met my neck. I tried again.

“Niall-”

His lips pressed against the side of my neck, slowly and shakily. I stopped talking, and tightened my arms around him.

An electric feeling spread from where his lips met my skin and my breathing picked up. His lips slowly drew a line up my neck to just under my ear, where he planted a wet kiss before sucking slightly.

I gasped and pressed against him, and Niall groaned softly back in his throat. He traveled to just under my jaw where he kissed again, and then slowly across my cheek.

His lips hovered just over mine, and I realized he was waiting for me to make the next move.

Very. very carefully, I touched my lips lightly to his.

He sucked in a breath through his nose, then suddenly grabbed me around the waist, pushed me against the tree, and slanted his mouth over mine in a feverish, long overdue kiss that took my breath away.

My hands caught hold of his hair and tugged it roughly as I kissed him back with all I had. Our lips moving together was better than I'd ever imagined it to be. Somehow he knew just how to move and when, a soft caress that I couldn't get enough of. I gasped when his tongue touched my lower lip, and opened to him. His soft tongue probed along my mouth and tangled with mine, until he withdrew from my mouth and trailed his lips down my neck.

I pulled him in closer by his jacket lapels, and my calf rubbed against the back of his leg as he sucked under my ear again. I whimpered as Niall hoisted me up against the tree with my legs around his waist as he continued his assault on my neck. My fingers ran through his hair as he continually bit and sucked and I groaned when he bucked his hips, then stopped a moment.

He just stopped, and didn't say anything. He continued to hold me up against the tree, just being still.

I tilted my head and caught his lips with mine again, and he startled. I slipped down the tree slightly, the bark catching my hair slightly, but I couldn't care less. What I did care about, was the fact that there was a very prominent bulge under me and there was no way that it was a tree branch.

I froze. Niall stopped too, burying his face in my neck and I realized why he'd stopped a moment before. I started giggling as he slowly let me down.

“Did I do that?” I asked him, gesturing at his crotch. Niall was already bright red, but he flushed even darker with my words.

“I'm so- so sorry-” He stuttered, but I couldn't say anything, as I was laughing too hard. Niall was starting to get mad now, as I was just standing against him and the tree laughing. At the prospect of him being mad at me, I stopped laughing.

“Was that okay?” Niall asked. “I mean I won't do it again if-”

“Niall, if you don't do it again I will hurt you.”

“That's all I needed to hear.” He whispered, before he kissed me again.