Convalescence

XV.

"Every time your heart is broken, a doorway cracks open to a world full of new beginnings, new opportunities." - Patti Roberts

A single sliver of warm sunlight tickled Lili's skin delicately as her eyes fluttered open. She blinked rapidly as they adjusted to the light, rubbing away the sleep with the back of her palm. 

Her throat was dry, and her attempt to swallow was unsuccessful - she needed water ASAP. She attempted to wet her lips with her tongue, to no avail.

There was a dull throbbing just above her eyebrow that most likely came from all the wine she'd consumed the night before. It was more of a nuisance than anything, but Lili just wanted it to go away. 

She stretched her arms above her head and let out a soft groan, but slapped her hand over her mouth immediately as the sound quietly echoed across the room, hoping she didn't wake Niall.

For all she knew, it wasn't even 8:00am yet. It felt way too early to be awake, that was for sure. 

They'd gone to sleep quite late because they stayed up for hours talking and laughing, tangled up in the sheets. Their bodies had been tired from the sex, but the adrenaline was more than enough to keep their minds awake for a long time. 

The day as a whole was so sweet, but that might have been her favourite part. It really drew the two of them even closer because of how intimate it was. There was something quite symbolic about having deep conversations with someone while completely naked.

Mentally and physically vulnerable. There aren't many things that compare to the feeling. 

Lili sniffed and turned her head towards Niall's side of the...bed?

It was empty.

The sheets were ruffled, so he was definitely there at one point, but it looked as if he'd attempted to smooth them out.

The wrinkles in the pillowcase very heavily suggested someone had slept on that pillow within the last few hours. 

The light was off in the bathroom, and the bedroom door was shut all the way. What the hell?

Panic immediately began to settle in the middle of her chest, and her heart started racing so fast it made her vision blur.

Where was he, and why wasn't he next to her? He was there when she'd fallen asleep the night before - she was sure of that. 

Honestly, the only reason she'd even fallen asleep as quickly as she did was because of the way he had been gently scratching her back. She didn't imagine that. 

Oh, God...what if this was her worst fear coming true? Her most terrifying nightmare becoming reality?

She knew it. There was no way he actually wanted to be with her. Who was she kidding? She wasn't worth it.

It was quite laughable, actually, how quickly and easily she'd gotten her hopes up. And they were wonderful hopes, too. 

He probably did everything he could to get her to trust him just enough so that she would have sex with him, and then he would leave. 

And he was damn good at it, too. Maybe manipulation wasn't so hard. Anyone could probably do it if they tried hard enough.

This was probably his plan from the very beginning. It was all he'd wanted from her, and she should have known that from the start. She should have seen this shit coming from a mile away. 

A man like Niall could never seriously be interested in someone like her. What did she have that he couldn't get from any other woman out there? There was nothing special about her.