Convalescence

XXIII.

~ chapter vibes!!!

Over an hour later, Lili floated back through the doorway of her house as if she were being carried along the road by a fluffy, white cloud. Her legs seemed to guide her without thought.

The warmth of the house enveloped her in a welcoming hug, and she shivered as Niall closed the door behind them, shutting out the cool night air. She hadn't realized how much the temperature had dipped after sunset.

She brought her arms up and crossed them over her chest, rubbing her palms between her shoulders and elbows to warm herself up. 

Turning to look at Niall, her soaring heart sank ever so slightly. Why was leaving him for the night always so hard? Couldn't he stay longer?

"I'm sorry, my angel. I wish I could stay all night," he said quietly, reading her mind. "But I should head home. I don't want to overstay my welcome." He leaned down and kissed the tip of her nose, sending butterflies running rampant through her abdomen.

She smiled at him. "It's okay. You can come back another day."

"Yeah, I can." His eyes still seemed to be glowing with the happiness that had been alight in them all night long.

He gestured towards the kitchen with his chin. "I need to say goodbye before I head out," he whispered.

Lili sighed and took his hand, turning and leading him back through the house.

Her brothers were nowhere to be found, probably hiding away in their bedrooms or the basement.

Her parents were laying on the couch in the den, the dim glow of the TV lighting up their content faces. The volume was low, eery music pouring through the speakers.

As per usual, her father was laying in the corner of the couch between the back and the armrest, one arm draped over her mother's shoulder as she cuddled into his side.

Even after all these years together, they still enjoyed each other's company, finding intimacy in the sweetest of ways. Lili had never seen them shy away from affection once in her entire life. That was the exact relationship she wanted.

Lili called out for her brothers to come and say goodbye, before turning back to her parents.

"Niall's going to head out now," she said, pointing at him with her thumb, as if they didn't know who Niall was.

Excitedly, Josephine took the opportunity to say goodbye first, jumping off the couch and striding over to Niall, not even bothering to put her slippers on.

She reached out and pulled him into a friendly hug, calmly stroking his back as she embraced him, something she always did when she hugged her family. It was such a comforting and inviting gesture.

The sight caused little tears to form in Lili's eyes, and she blinked them away without drawing any attention to herself. It meant the world to see her mom hugging him that way. 

Niall hugged back tightly, his squished face smiling above her shoulder.

"Oh, tonight was so lovely," Josephine said, once she had pulled out of the hug. She kept her hands wrapped firmly around his biceps. 

"Please don't hesitate to come around whenever you like. You're always welcome here, honey. It was such a pleasure having you."

Niall smiled wider, his cheeks turning a deep pink.