Lights, Camera, Action [N.H]

Epilogue

my last extra treat <3

Unpacking boxes was a thing I hadn't done since college. It was an unusual feeling, and it happened not long after the celebrations stopped after Niall's final show on tour. Everyone partied for what felt like the entire weekend, and once everything had concluded, both celebration-ally and otherwise, we retreated back to my home. My physical home, that was.

After confirming a million times that I actually wanted Niall to move in with me, we travelled together back to my apartment. It was such an interesting moment, to bring a man back to my house, but it was everything and anything I could have ever imagined.

He was jokingly and weirdly interested in every single piece of furniture I owned.

"I can't bring any furniture in here, Daphne." He flatly stated, his hands on his hips once he'd completed a full run-down of my apartment.

"And what makes you say that?" I hugged his side, looking up at him with curiosity, "I know it doesn't fit much, but we can get rid of some of my stuff, it kinda needs to be replaced anyway."

"Absolutely not."

"Well obviously not all of it. Just like... the couch." I joked.

"Maybe."

We settled in over the next few weeks as more and more pieces of his furniture and his closet trickled in through the mail. Once enough of it had been transferred into my apartment to officially call it our apartment, we hosted a housewarming. My friends thought it was funny considering I'd lived there for years, but Niall wanted to introduce his own friends to our new home. I thought it was a beautiful sentiment, an introduction to a brand new chapter of our lives. Together.

He kept making jokes that the next step was a dog. Or a cat — that in his words, 'either would work' for us. I had to tame him, stating that we had just moved in together.

His music took a back seat for a while, and although he continued writing and strumming, it took him several months to finally get back into the studio. I kept reminding him that his talent was like a flame, to make sure it stayed lit. And with that phrase, he kept repeating the same sentiment back to me;

"As long as I have you, the flame of my motivation will never go out, babe."

He said it a bit condescendingly, but then followed it up lovingly by stating that with me as his muse, he would always be fine.

I started at the company I interviewed for the day of Niall's last show. It was a fabulous environment, and every day I went to work was a day I felt fulfilled. I didn't work 5 days a week, only because Niall insisted it would block my creative flow if I spent all my time drilling for it at work. I settled for a measly 3 days of creative work, and one day editing other people's work as team leader; an official title I was given, as well as all the recognition it came with.

It was beautifully fulfilling to know I was being recognised and appreciated for my work. It wasn't long before my boss was reassuring me that "good quality work like mine will be rewarded generously" which just makes you want to shit your pants with excitement.

Every single piece of my life was falling together like perfectly shaped puzzle pieces.

After I had settled into my new job, I decided to brush off my grudge with Ashlee and asked if she wanted to catch up for lunch. She accepted so quickly I felt horrible for ever abandoning out friendship.

I practically cried 'sorry's' at her the entire bottomless brunch, leaving slightly too tipsy and back to being best friends. I wished that Niall didn't have to push me to see her, but I wasn't really fussed on how we ended up there when I realised I was just happy to have us back.