Forbidden Desires {Ziall AU}

Chapter 31: it's golden

chapter title from Daylight by Taylor Swift.

Hello lovely people!

Just a heads up, I'm not sure if there will be a chapter out next week as I'm going to my Louis show!! I'm so fucking excited I can't wait for it.
This chapter is probably one of the shortest chapters in the book, but it's all building to something bigger in the end I promise!
Enjoy!!

As I rouse awake the dark room fills in around me. It's being illuminated by a single sliver of light between the closed curtains. The beam extends over the top of Niall's head where he's cuddled into my chest. His face is relaxed, eyes closed. I listen to the steady ­in, out, in, out of his breathing for a while. When I slip my way out of bed, I watch him cuddle into the sheets like he's gripping after the warmth I left behind. I place a small kiss on his head, watching the small smile bloom on his face.

I make my way into the kitchen only to be greeted by Harry leaning against the counter holding a cup of tea to his chest. He smiles when he notices me, mumbling out a small "hey."

"Hi," I reply, grabbing myself a glass of water and sitting down at the table, taking a long sip.

Harry settles across from me, staring into his mug like it'll tell him the key to the universe. The silence grows around us, morphing into something overwhelmingly awkward. "I'm sorry," Harry huffs, pushing his mug away, "for what happened when you got here." He takes a breath, looking out the large windows, "I'd...heard things about you, y'know, when I was still there. I shouldn't have assumed anything, and I'm sorry I did."

My eyes widen, taken aback. I don't think I ever expected an apology from him. He had every right to react how he did, given what he'd heard about me before. Yet, his assumptions wouldn't have been wrong a little while ago. "uh, it's okay," I stumble, "if I was you I would've done the same thing." I shrug a shoulder, sucking myself back into my thoughts.

Harry assesses me a moment, taking me in for the first time. He smiles, a genuine smile, one I've seen directed at anyone but me, "you really love him, don't you?"

I duck my head, staring into the bottom of my glass. A blush creeps its way up my neck as I nod. I think back to the way that he looked snuggled into the sheets this morning. All the times that he looked at me with the utmost devotion in his eyes. When we made gingerbread while sipping eggnog, stumbling around the kitchen together.

He eyes me, seeming to see every thought running through my head. "I've only ever wanted Niall to be happy, and he's happy around you," he drawls, "thank you."

I nod, giving him a soft smile, "He's happy around you too y'know? I've never seen him smile so much, you're important to him."

His face lights up, "thank you."

Although he only speaks two words, I can hear the multitude of meanings in his voice. The 'thank you for telling me that' hidden behind his eyes. Finally, we seem to have reached a moment of comfort in each other as a consequence of someone we both care about. Now, we're equals, people who can coexist without the fear of being chewed out by the other.

When the silence stretches on a little too long that we're both shifting in our seats I change the topic. "So, how did you meet Louis?"

Harry laughs, a glowing smile on his face, "he used to work at the café near my house, I was there all the time. I was always the last person there before they closed." He fiddles with a ring on his middle finger, one I've never seen him take off. "He always had the closing shift when I'd be sitting in there contemplating my sad little life."

Louis walks into the kitchen, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard. "I'd stay after my shift so you could sit there a little longer, and drag out the clean-up." He slips his hands onto Harry's shoulders, placing a kiss on his cheek. "So that I could see my quiet mysterious boy a little longer," He nuzzles his face into his neck, making Harry giggle in response.

Niall comes down after we've settled onto the couch, greeting me with a smile. He cuddles up to me instantly, pressing our bodies as close as possible. The four of us spend the day settled into the couch watching movie after movie, some good, some bad. We order takeout, scattering the coffee table with plastic containers until we're sated. Niall and I head up to our room after the moon rises high in the sky, bunching up under the fluffy duvet. He sends me a smile with grateful eyes, as if saying thank you for today. I capture his lips in mine, slipping my hands down his sides. When we part, he rests his head on my chest before drifting off to sleep.