PERIPHERY | NH |

TWENTY FIVE

Niall

I'd always been a morning person.

Something about getting out of bed and starting on my day early always made me feel accomplished.

So often I felt like there weren't enough hours in the day for me to get everything done, almost as if it was impossible to actually be ahead of anything. All of that led me to start my mornings early and it wasn't long before I could tell how much it helped at the end of the day.

Whether it be spending an extra hour returning emails or spending an extra hour fine tuning something related to music — there was always something to be done.

Only recently had I come to realize that maybe sometimes staying in bed longer was more than worth it.

Mornings with Hunter.

Her dark auburn hair spread across my sheets, the scent of her pear shampoo saturated into every part of me, her warm skin against my own.

Pulling away from her would be impossible when everything that she is makes me want to pull her as close to me as possible, makes me want to love her.

Leaning forward, I can't help myself from letting my lips place the softest kiss against her forehead and making her let out a soft grumble before pressing her body into mine even further.

A low chuckle leaves my lips at her disgruntled attitude towards waking up. "Good morning, sleepy."

I don't make a move to get out of bed, actually quite the opposite as I draw her into me even tighter, closing my eyes as her own hand slides over my hip and rests against my back. "Morning."

Her breath tickles against my skin as we lay in the silence, another morning at my place. "How'd you sleep, bookworm?" Keeping my voice low, my hand abandons her hip so that I can feel her soft hair glide through my fingertips.

Letting out a long sigh, I can feel her lips brush against my neck as she speaks. "Good. Love sleeping with you."

The organ in my chest lurches at her words, knowing I've got to keep my own feelings inside and telling myself that she's just tired. Besides, loving sleeping next to me and loving me are two different things.

"Oh, yeah?" I let my eyes close as I feel her lips press against my neck. "Didn't hear you snore so it must have been pretty good."

Hunter's laugh warms me all the way to the tips of my toes as she leaves a trail of kisses from my neck to the edge of my jaw. "I don't snore."

"I beg to differ. Sounds like an orchestra of chainsaws if you ask me." I laugh as she gasps before pushing my shoulder and rolling me onto my back before leaning on her elbow to look down at me.

"Shut up! I do not!" Wrapping my arms around her, our laughter mixes together as one of her legs slips between mine and she rests her head upon my chest.

Kissing the top of her head, I peer down and meet her hazel gaze. "It's cute though, you are cute. Even when you snore."

There's magic and electricity in the way she looks back at me, a spark that echoes through every part of me — a light in the dark.

"Fuck off." I laugh when she pulls herself from my hold and gives me the middle finger, to which I happily return. "What time is it?"

Squinting to read the blue light on the clock that sits on my side of the bed, I look back at her. "A little after ten."

"You said you wanted to get some time in today, right?" As she stands up, I watch the hem of my tan Eagles sweater rise over the curve of her hips. "We could maybe get breakfast at the deli and go?"