In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Sixty-Eight

Niall’s POV

The water swirled down the drain of the sink.  I squirted the toothpaste along the bristles of her brush and handed it to her, resuming brushing my own teeth, watching myself in the mirror.  Well, watching myself watch her in the mirror. She shoved the brush into her mouth and cracked a sleepy smile, her eyelids heavy and her hair mussed, the print of her panties around her ankles a stark contrast to the white tiles on the floor and the white t shirt covering her upper half.

“No, leave it.” She mumbled as I turned the handle on the faucet, cutting off the cold stream. “I’m trying to pee.” I did as she asked, wanting to point out that she should probably be comfortable enough with peeing in front of me by now, since she insists on doing it so often. But, I just scrubbed my teeth, smiling to myself at how funny the whole scene was. “Coffee.” She said, the foam reaching a dangerous level in her cheeks, threatening to spill past her lips and to the floor below. 

Just two young lovebirds. One in his boxers, morning stiffy having finally subsided, and one wearing his shirt as she shimmied back into her panties and pushed the lever on the toilet. Both pretty hungover. Both a little sore.

I shoved over to give her room to rinse, toweling the remaining drops of water from my own face. “Coffee.” She repeated.

“Patience.” I said into her lips, having delayed a decent morning kiss far too long. She let out an exaggerated groan. “It’s brewing.” The tiny coffee pot on the small desk in the corner sputtered and steamed, the single serve packet of grounds probably less-than fresh.  I can’t remember the last time, or any time really, that I’ve even used the coffee maker in the hundreds of hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. Roxy didn’t seem to care about the quality of her cuppa, but just that she could have it quickly. Eventually I’m sure we’d end up getting something decent, but for now she perched on her elbows watching the black liquid fill the carafe, her bum poking out from beneath that shirt.

The ache had begun to creep into my biceps, and I knew that by tonight I’d really be feeling it. The memory of the night prior’s booze-filled fun was still fresh on my mind. The mental image of her face pressed into the pillow, gripping at the loose corner of the bed sheet, her head whipping around to watch me as I finished her off.

“What are you smiling about?” she said, having caught me in my daydream.  She lifted the carafe from the base, a few drops of coffee hitting the hot plate and sizzling. I shrugged, hoping she wouldn’t question me further, since I knew if she forced the words from my lips I would be tempted just to show her what was on my mind.

And I like I said, I was a bit hungover and sore.

She poured half the carafe into a paper cup, and cast her breath across the surface through pursed lips, desperate to cool it enough to drink.  “Want some?” she said. I shook my head and cracked the seal on a bottle of water, gulping it down in one breath and falling back to the mattress. She clambered in beside me, legs tucked beneath her, careful not to spill her drink as she settled back in against the pillows.

Ordinarily, we were both the type to not want to waste time laying around on holiday, since we could do that just as well at home.  Roxy was always looking for ways to experience local culture; once we hit the town she’d be on her usual mission to find the perfect little trinket to take home as souvenir. I preferred to experience a new place through my tastebuds, so I was already a little satisfied given the awesome meal we had last night. For some reason, despite the virtually unknown city just beyond the walls of this hotel, it just felt right to spend the day relaxing, and doing whatever struck our fancy at the time.

Your whole life is one big itinerary; a nasty thought crept into my brain. It’s not myentire life really, but my professional life, most certainly. Having her around made those boundaries more defined, and I can honestly say I’ve lived the last year of my life more and better than I had lived any before that.