Convalescence

XXI.

~ vibe for this chapter <3

They lay facing each other in the center of the mattress, noses mere inches apart. The satisfied, pleased smiles plastered lazily on their faces hadn't faltered one bit.

One of Niall's legs was laying between Lili's, and she had her thigh draped comfortably across his hip.

They were tucked under the comforter, cuddling in the warmth of the freshly-washed satin sheets. The smell of detergent was very calming. 

Niall's warm fingers were gently tracing mindless patterns into the skin along the back of her shoulder, causing goosebumps to appear across her arms. It was very endearing how he always had to be touching her, even if it was in soft, sweet ways. 

He was wearing his boxers, and Lili had thrown on one of his t-shirts and her underwear. The usual post-sex skin-to-skin contact was nice, but Lili preferred having some clothes on since she always got cold quite quickly afterwards.

They hadn't moved from this position for at least twenty minutes now, settling under the covers after they'd gotten up to use the washroom and clean off. Why would they move, when lying together making googly eyes at each other was the best possible use of their time?

They had nowhere to be and no one else to be with. This was their idea of a perfect night. 

Lili's body was spent, exhausted from the whirlwind of events the night had brought to them, but sleep was the last thing on her mind. The adrenaline made her body crash, but her mind was wide awake.

How could she possibly fall asleep when the most gorgeous man in the world was lying right next to her, smiling like he had just won the lottery? It would be foolish of her to let even a second of admiring his perfection go to waste. 

"You know, princess, that sex was fucking unreal," Niall said, still smiling. "I'm sorry that I keep saying it, but it's true."

Lili laughed, rolling forward and kissing the front of his shoulder to hide the blush creeping up her face and neck. It was funny how she was so comfortable in the physical heat of the moment, but just hearing it put into words was what made her blush. 

She snuggled into his side, mimicking the patterns he was drawing on her shoulder on his chest using her own fingertips. "I agree. Tonight was fun," she said quietly, tilting her head back enough to see his face. "Not just the ending, but all of it."

"Yeah?" Niall asked happily. He questioned her in a way that made her think he'd been expecting a more neutral, even negative review. Lili gazed into his beautiful eyes and nodded.

"Yeah. Liam and Grace are so great, I'm glad I finally got to meet them." She smiled thoughtfully. "You're lucky to have a friend like Liam in your life, baby. It's obvious he cares so much about you."

Niall nodded in agreement. "He really does. If there's one person who has been by my side through everything, it's Liam. I owe him so much." 

He paused for a moment, and she felt his fingertips against the small of her back, now tracing new patterns in the skin.

"I've always wanted what they had," he said shyly, avoiding her eyes. "Their relationship is the kind you dream about. It's the fairytale everyone wants. And I always told myself that one day, I'd have one just like theirs."

There was something so innocently sweet about him dreaming of the perfect relationship and setting an attainable standard for himself. Lili didn't think it was something a lot of men spent their time thinking about, but to know he valued something like that so much was really adorable.