Convalescence

XXXI.

Having to wait out the week before their trip was excruciating. Lili didn't think she could even feel this kind of anticipation.

Each day seemed to drag on for longer than 24 hours. Honestly, Lili was convinced time wasn't real after a certain point.

She worked five out of the seven days, which helped pass the time somewhat, but each shift felt longer and more painful than the last. Days dragged on.

It also didn't help that Niall was sending her a countdown every single morning. He would text her '6 more days, love!' or '5 more days!' as soon as he woke up.

It was beyond adorable, but it just made Lili too excited. All it did was remind her that she had something amazing to look forward to but had to live through long, gruelling shifts at her job to get there.

The last shift before her break began was agonizing.

Time seemed to be frozen; she would look at her watch and it would say 6:17pm. Half an hour later she would check it again, only for it to say 6:21pm.

Waiting was pure torture. The trip hanging over her head was a major distraction, making it hard to focus on her regular tasks.

Almost every night, Lili went to bed close to tears because she just wanted a vacation so badly. Work felt like it was never going to end.

But somehow, finally, the day had come around.

The morning of the flight to South Carolina, Lili could no longer function. Eating and drinking were challenges she wasn't really looking forward to facing.

Of course she was excited - this trip was obviously the only thing she could think about.

Being away in a hotel, completely alone with Niall was the first positive.

Second, she would finally get to watch him do what he does best and be there if he won the whole tournament, which was beyond exhilarating.

The opportunity to connect with her boyfriend in such an intimate way so early in their relationship was exciting.

They were very happy together - that was undeniable. There were no issues directly pertaining to their relationship that they had to 'work through'.

But to finally have the chance to get away from all the noise of their everyday lives and be together without interruptions could really work wonders and make their relationship progress even further.

They already had a great connection. They worked well together, understood each other, and truly loved each other unconditionally.

Lili could only imagine the kind of improvements they would make when they were forced to spend all day, every day with each other - sleeping together every night, sharing a room.

It was all very vulnerable and could really strengthen their already steely bond.

But she might have forgotten to mention to Niall beforehand that she was deathly afraid of flying.

It was her biggest fear, hands down.

Yes, it probably should have come up when he'd asked her to join him on the trip. But she'd been so caught up in the excitement of it all that it...slipped her mind. 

And then she figured she could get through it on her own and not have to worry about saying anything at all.

Once she missed the window of opportunity that first day to tell him, Lili just assumed it was too late to say anything.

But with each passing day, the dread settled further into the pit of her stomach, and now she knew she couldn't possibly get away with keeping it from him.