Convalescence

XXXVII.

They slept through the entire first day of vacation.

When Lili first woke the morning after Niall's celebratory banquet, she had a splitting headache, and the sun pouring into the room through the very thin curtains caused her physical pain when she tried to open her eyes.

Thankfully she didn't throw up, but the nausea made lying in bed extremely uncomfortable. Sitting up might have helped, but that sounded like a nearly impossible task to accomplish in her deathly hungover state.

Niall's boiling hot arm draped over her, trapping her against the mattress, didn't help either.

He was in such a deep, alcohol-induced sleep that at one point, she woke up in the middle of the night and thought he wasn't breathing.

Her head swimming with fear, she pushed and pushed him until he finally woke up, and the moment of terror passed as she listened to his very clear breathing once again.

They'd only gotten out of bed that day to use the bathroom or pick up the bits and pieces of food they'd ordered through room service.

At some point in the afternoon, they had tried to watch a movie, but were both too sick to pay attention, so they ended up falling asleep slumped on top of the blankets.

It was the worst Lili had ever felt. Since she wasn't much of a drinker, there had been very few hangovers in her life.

Actually, the morning after Zayn's wedding was the first time she'd been hungover in at least five years. And that day was a walk in the fucking park compared to this.

But the second morning of their vacation, they both woke up feeling significantly better - of course, that was all thanks to the multiple tablets of ibuprofen and countless liters of water they downed throughout the course of the hangover.

Lili awoke on the second morning of their trip facing the ceiling, sweaty back pressed into the mattress and messy hair sprawled around her head like a black halo.

As per usual, Niall was draped across her body, nuzzling his head into her neck. They were cuddled together in a big ball in the middle of the bed.

Even if they fell asleep on opposite sides of the mattress, every single time, without fail, they would wake completely tangled up with each other. It always amazed Lili how they found each other so easily, even if they were dead asleep.

Niall's hot chest rose and fell against her arm to the rhythm of his slow breathing. His long, blond lashes fanned beautifully along his cheeks.

She smiled and brought her free arm up to his head, softly ruffling his hair with her fingers. It was damp from sweat, as was his skin.

She lowered her thumb and gently brushed it back and forth on his forehead, smoothing out the faint lines in his skin. She could watch him forever. His eyelids fluttered a bit before they opened.

"I really love it when you do that." Niall's achingly sexy morning voice startled the peace in the room. "It's so soothing."

Lili laughed through her nose and kept her hand in his hair while she leaned down and kissed the top of his head. He hummed happily and shifted his position so he could see her face better.

"Good morning, my love."

"Good morning," she responded, taken aback by the sea of blue looking at her. It was impossible to describe how beautiful his eyes were.

Niall turned away and yawned, scrunching his tired face up like a child. Her heart lurched. Every now and then, he did things that were so cute, it physically pained her, and she just couldn't take it.