dissolve. nh

Chapter 24

Halfway through the night I was woken up by a rather loud crack of lightning, jumping and blinking lazily. It was pitch black in the bedroom, the storm raging on outside and not showing any signs of letting up. It was a few moments before I realized exactly where I was, and a warm feeling blossomed in my belly, spreading through my whole body. I shifted a little, only to find that Niall and I had switched positions sometime in the night, and now his blonde head was rested on my shoulder, arms tight around my waist as he held me to him, pillows long forgotten. His mouth was slightly agape, soft snores falling from his lips. His eyes twitched in his sleep, and as a loud crack of thunder sounded, he jerked my body closer to his. I gasped slightly, not wanting to wake him up, and just took in the sight of him. 

He was so beautiful, and I found that looking at him like this…nothing really compared to the sight. I wanted to wake up to his face, to his touch and they way his eyes clouded over whenever he looked at me, that damn smirk that drove me mad but I could never get enough of, and how I wanted to hear his real laugh, the one that actually meant something. I was lost in looking at him, almost to sleep. His even breathing lulled me back into a stupor, surrounding my world in blackness. 

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The next time I woke up, Niall was still asleep, snoring louder and holding me loosely in his arms. I smiled, laughing a bit at how…careless he was. It was nice to not see that look of defense on his face. I wanted to get up, already drenched in sweat from how hot it was under just the one sheet with our bodies that close. I draped his arm that had previously been over my waist on his own chest, untangling our legs. I slid from the bed, glancing over my shoulder to marvel at the sight of him, all wild blonde hair, tan skin, and surrounded by white sheets and pillows. He looked like a Greek god come to earth. 

I padded out of the room, rubbing my eyes and I walked down the hallway. I tried running my hands through my hair, getting a few of the tangles out, but not much. I entered the kitchen, making a beeline for his coffee pot that sat in the corner. I looked at the clock over the stove, blinking at the time; 8:17. I was never up this early, and as I slumped against the counter and recounted things from last night, I realized why. 

I was zoned out, my heartbeat drowning out everything else and I only focused on one thing. The memories. Ultimately, that was the worst part of the whole entire thing, the damn memories. My heart wrenched in pain, but then I thought of how Niall had held me, and how he had stayed-something that I had never thought anyone besides Nicole would do. Now I felt as if I had everything in the open, but it would be a long time before I entrusted myself like that to someone. To anyone. 

I must have been standing there for a while, because by the time I snapped out of it, the coffee had finished brewing. I grabbed two cups, one for me and one for Niall, only pouring one and adding sugar. I sipped it, not wanting to burn my tongue, but I desperately wanted to gulp it down. Coffee just tasted so good to me. Especially on rainy days like these. I stared out the window, wondering just how Niall got this house, with such a good view of, well, Ireland. Really, it was all rolling hills and bright colors out of his back window. It was truly amazing. 

After I’d finished drinking and rummaged around in his cabinet looking for food and finding just some frosted flakes, I finished eating and glanced at the clock. It was a little after nine, and I decided now was the time to wake Niall up. So I tiptoed into the bedroom, smiling triumphantly-even though anything had yet to happen-that he was still completely asleep and snoring. I walked around to his side of the bed, trying not to make too much noise or any sudden movements as I crawled in the bed, swinging my leg over his waist to straddle him. He grunted, shifting slightly, but still asleep. I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing out loud.