Convalescence

XXIV.

~chapter vibe ;)))

Grasping the railing firmly in her hands to remain steady, Lili jogged up the creaking staircase, feeling every grain and line of the wood press against the inside of her palm.

The very tips of her fingers were numb with anticipation.

Atop the landing, she turned to her right and quietly raced down the hallway until she was standing outside Niall's bedroom, where the door was slightly ajar - half inviting her in, half telling her to keep out.

She brought her hand up to the doorknob and, after taking a short breath, pushed the door open all the way to let herself in.

The room was so comfortingly familiar now. She'd been spending quite a bit of time in here as of late, but did not mind at all. This room - along with the rest of Niall's house - felt like home to her.

Blood was rushing in her ears, echoing so loudly in the silent room that she honestly believed Niall could hear it from all the way downstairs.

Sunlight was beaming through the large windows; she let it warm her skin as she quietly shut the door behind her and moved to the other side of the room, setting her purse down on the chair in the corner.

It was beautiful, but way too hot and much too bright. She needed to set the mood.

Reaching over, Lili gently yanked on the string of the blind shade, lowering it until it brushed the floor.

There was still enough light coming through to make the whole room visible, but it did darken it quite a bit, increasing the level of privacy to maximum.

Lili nodded, chewing the corner of her mouth nervously. This was ideal.

She teetered energetically on her toes as she unzipped her backpack, extracting the lingerie bag from underneath her wallet. It crinkled between her fingers. The excitement of the new purchase made her heart leap to her throat. 

She smiled at the plastic in her hands and practically skipped over to the bathroom, flipping the light on and turning the bag upside down. She dumped the contents onto Niall's crisp white counter.

The red silk stood out like blood on freshly fallen snow.

Lili was just itching to get herself into this set that she so desperately hoped Niall would love. Lingerie wasn't a topic they really covered when discussing what they liked or didn't like during sex, so she had no idea how he would react.

Would he think it was crazy of her to buy something like this? Would he love it? So many thoughts clouded her brain, most of which scared her. 

But that would be a problem for five minutes from now, so why bother worrying? 

After changing out of her clothes, Lili took a clean washcloth and some soap from the cabinet, using them to freshen up all of the nooks and crannies in her body that would soon be exposed to Niall's eyes. 

She also gargled on some extremely strong mint mouthwash he seemed to love for some reason.

Her hands shook as she reached for the lingerie, the moment of truth finally arriving.

It was a bright, flaming red set that would clash deliciously with her green eyes.

The bra was a double push up, and it pressed her breasts together with such force that her cleavage was nearly touching her neck.