Lightweight

Chapter Nine

Annie got back from her morning run with Liam and she ditched him at his room. Even in the small window of time that Liam's bedroom door was open as she said a quick goodbye she could see Niall's sleeping form in his bed, peaceful and snoring like a lawn mower. Annie rolled her eyes and chuckled at the sight before jogging down the hallway to her room, still pumped from her run. After missing both her run and training session with Natasha the day before, Annie's body was itching to get back into her old training mode.

Annie didn't know what it was but for some reason she had a quick in her step. She felt so much better compared to yesterday and she wanted to run to California. Taking one look out of the window, Annie changed her plans of taking a shower and threw on a bathing suit instead. The sun was brighter than she had seen it ever before and the pool was calling her name. It was only seven in the morning, meaning the pool would be all hers. She threw on a pair of shorts, not even bothering to throw on a shirt and raced down the stairs two at a time, in too much of a hurry to wait for the elevator.

Quickly jogging through the lobby with its high vaulted ceiling, overly large chandeliers and smiling staff, Annie waved to a couple that she knew by name as she passed. The clear double doors that lead out to the pool called her name and when the fact that she saw that not a single person was in sight when she got to the pool made her even happier. Unwilling to delay her body the immense joy it was craving from the water, she didn't hesitate to take her shorts off and dive in.

The cool water rushed over Annie's body and reinvigorated her while washing off the sweat from her morning jog. The Olympic sized pool seemed to speak to her as her arms and legs systematically pumped through the water, carrying her to the other side with ease. Thinking about nothing other than the cool feeling of the chlorinated water rushing over her with each stroke of her arm, she made a couple laps. Finally, Annie came up for air at the far end of the pool, breathless and panting from the amount of exercise she had just done. She felt amazing.

Annie's long wet hair fell down her back and stuck to her skin until it hit the water once again and swirled around in a brown cascade of swirls as she rested her elbows on the edge of the pool and relaxed, enjoying the quiet. It was then that Annie realized that she was happy. Her new life that she had stepped into recently was one that she could have never even dreamed of it was so amazing. Never did she think that something like this would happen to her. Having Niall in her life was unplanned and beautiful. She didn't want it to end. But it would, Niall and the boys would leave the hotel eventually and Annie would be left with nothing, back to her old life. The thought of that sent shooting waves of depression throughout Annie's body and she quickly shoved the thoughts away with a vengeance. Maybe if she didn't think about it, it wouldn't happen.

"There you are," Niall's voice called from across the pool. Annie's head snapped around, looking for the source of the beautiful sound and she hid her overly excited smile as Niall approached where she was relaxing in the pool.

"Hey there," Annie smiled when he finally reached her. She couldn't help but notice how cute his dimples were when he smiled from the angle she was at as he stood over her.

"I've been looking for you. When you didn't answer your door I thought you went to breakfast but you weren't there either," he told her.

"Were you worried?" Annie teased and he rolled his eyes at her.

"I was worried you were going to get to breakfast and eat all of the food before I got there," Niall joked and Annie gave a harsh laugh, like that would ever happen.

"Well, that's what happens when you sleep in," Annie teased.

"It's barely eight thirty," Niall informed her, "I definitely did not sleep in."