Turning Pages (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Forty-Six

Niall’s POV:

I untangled the mass of sheets around my feet and slipped out from under the covers. I glanced over at Danielle and found that she was out cold.

My stomach grumbled and my brain reminded me of the room service I promised myself. I glanced at the menu again as I sat on my side of the mattress and tried my best to keep my voice low. “Yeah, that’ll be it. Oh, both coffee and tea. Half hour? Alright. Thank you. Bye.” I hung up and sauntered over to the hotel bathroom. I was halfway through washing my hair when I realized my shampoo and conditioner were out in the small living space and tucked away in my suitcase. I had been scrubbing my whole self with a bar of soap.

I just shrugged my shoulders even though no one was there to witness it but the tiles on the shower wall. I finished up my quick shower and walked out to see if Danielle was awake yet.

She was still in her usual position but instead she was on my side of the bed. I put on a pair of clean underpants and knelt down next to her. I put my face close to hers and kissed her nose. I watched as a drop of water dripped from my wet hair onto her hand. She groaned and mumbled nonsense. I scrapped my scruffy chin on her upper arm and then rubbed it on her face. She giggled and put her hands out to make me stop.

“Get up.” I whispered to her. “Breakfast is comin’. You’ve got t’ get ready. You’ve got a busy day today.” I waited a few seconds to see if she would mumble something back. Instead, she acted like she didn’t hear me. “Don’t make me use my chin on your belly.” I countered.

She moaned and began to sit up. Her hair was a mess of sorts but I really didn’t mind. She moved around a lot in her sleep and I know that was what my hair would look like if I moved around as much as she did.

She squinted at the light that shown through the shear curtains and closed her eyes. A frown formed on her soft face. I knew she would be hungover.

She took a particularly long shower and sat in front of a mountain of food with me while her hair was still dripping. It made the thin shirt she was wearing stick to her bra. I couldn’t help but smirk.

This gem was all mine. She wanted me and I wanted her. I was happy with her. I wasn’t just happy being with her, she just made me happy. It wasn’t anything in particular that she did which made me feel that way; it was everything that she did. It was the fact that she didn’t pretend to be something that she wasn’t while she was around me. She wore her heart out on her sleeve and she didn’t succeed in hiding what she was feeling even when she tried.

Sure, she pissed me off sometimes, but nothing about a person is perfect. Only the idea that we’ve built up of someone in our minds are. I was so glad I finally figured that out. I was so glad.

Danielle’s POV:

I clung to the heavy bags in my hands and waved at the cameras across the way. The photographers took their shot and nodded in my direction; a gesture meant as a thank you. I smiled politely back to them and tuned back into Denise’s conversation with Maura.

“… However, stripes and plaid don’t go together!” Denise announced.

“I dressed both Greg and Niall in both of those when they were younger.” Maura argued. They both laughed and hooked arms. Denise hooked her arm with my own and grinned as we stopped in another store.

I browsed the racks but didn’t really see anything I liked. I was talking to the cashier and eying the jewelry I didn’t need which sat in a glass case near the register while Maura and Denise were off somewhere in the store.

“Like whatcha see?” The cashier, a woman about my age asked.

“They’re gorgeous.” I awed over rings and necklaces.

“Would you like t’ see any?” Her nametag read April. She already had the back of the case open. I pointed my finger to one in particular. She took it out and set it down for me. I slipped it on my finger and smiled. My small hand looked so pretty with the precious stone.

I took it off and set it back into the small box. I had no money for it.

“Are ya getting somethin’? Let me see!” Maura pleaded genuinely.

“She already put it back.” I started “Plus, I don’t have the money. This is Niall’s card and I already bought two pairs of expensive shoes today.” I said thank you to the worker and she walked over to the register so she could ring another customer up.

“Which one was it, dear?” I felt her small hand on my arm. I pointed to it. “It’s beautiful. Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“I want it; I just have no purpose for it right now. It’s fine. There will be other rings.” I was fine.

“Well, alright then. Are you hungry?”

“Of course!” I laughed.