Through The Dark (Niall Horan Fanfic)

Chapter 31

Niall's POV

I found her over by the big window, as expected. She was watching the flakes fall, painting the trees and the city below in an angel white icing.
She was in a long-sleeved dark blue dress with dark tights, something I didn't see often. God, she was so beautiful.
She had a beer in her hand, probably her second or third. I didn't want her to get too drunk, knowing she'd have a massive headache in the morning.
I made my way through the herd of people in our apartment, placing a hand on her shoulder. She turned around, "Hi."
"Hey, I thought I lost you."
She giggled, shaking her head. "There's so many people here."
I looked around... I didn't even think that Aubree and I knew half of these people that had shown up. "Yeah... should I make them leave?"
"No! It's New Year's Eve. It's fine."
I smiled at her. I was surprised that she had been the one to suggest throwing a big party to celebrate. Especially after just getting back from Ireland the day before. She invited about five of her closest friends, and they had invited more people. I invited my bandmates and some guys I had become friends with over the past two years. Harry and Liam showed up, Liam with his girlfriend and somehow about twenty more people than I had invited had found their way over here, too.
We both enjoyed the night, dancing, singing, talking, and watching the special on TV.
And seconds before midnight, with people counting down from ten, I swept myself across our living room, zig-zagging between people, my hands falling on her waist as I turned her around to kiss her smoothly as December 2013 changed into January 2014 and the New Year began.
She smiled against my lips and then dug her head into my chest, hugging me.
"Happy New Year," I kissed the top of her head.
Most people went home around one in the morning, and as Aubree began picking up the empty red cups littering our hardwood floor in the living room, I politely kicked the stragglers out.
Aubree was still in her gorgeous dress, picking up balled up napkins and holding a large black trash bag.
I waddled over to her after closing the door on our last guest and wrapped a tight arm around her thin waist, bringing her into my body.
She giggled, protesting, "Stop, I need to cleaaaaan...."
But the smile on her face as she leaned back into my shoulder told me not to.
I tilted her chin up to me to kiss her again, and I took the plastic bag out of her hand, tossing it to the floor.
She kept her lips on mine, pushing her hands on my chest as she walked, backing me up against the wall by the kitchen. My hands immediately raced up her back, finding the zipper of her dress, and dragging it as well as I could all the way down her back. She retreated, moving her little hands into mine and smirking at me, walking us to the bedroom.

Aubree's POV

On my first day back to work after the holidays, I found it harder than ever to get out of bed. But I tried to be quiet, not wanting to wake up Niall as he had been heavily partying and drinking with his friends the past few nights. He was even funnier when he was drunk.
I finally kicked back my side of the covers after cuddling up to a sleeping Niall and procrastinating getting ready. A hand slipped onto my hip, though, his fingers digging into my bare skin sleepily and pulling me back with surprising strength for him in the morning with a probable hangover.
"Come back." He scooted his body closer to me and then rolled himself onto me so I couldn't leave the bed.
"Niall!" I laughed, almost suffocating with his lazy and sleepy weight on me, "I have to go!"
"No, you have an hour," he whined.
He shifted his weight off of me, propping himself up on his elbows and knees, his lips suddenly awake and lively against my neck.
"Babe," I grumbled. "I need to get-"
His kissing got harder against my skin, using his teeth, too.
"Niall...."
"Aubree," he whispered with his raspy morning voice in my ear, kissing the skin below it.
I managed to turn my body around at the sound and touch of him, leaning up to kiss him.
He easily slipped my t-shirt off and I ended up going to work with messy hair and half-assed make up.
I got through the day, actually not being as bad as I expected. I enjoyed work. I didn't enjoy getting out of bed and leaving Niall and spending seven hours of my day there, but I enjoyed helping people find books and telling people about other books and talking about my favorite things in general.
Marlene and I had gotten closer again, and she was picking me up at three to go to the shops to get all of the after-Christmas sales she always talked about.
"Opinion?" Mar whipped away from the mirror and stood in front of me instead.
I looked at the bulging brown and tan and black fur on the scarf and replied flatly, "You look like you're wearing a rat around your neck."
Marlene winced, grappling it off of her neck and flinging it back on the display table, ushering ourselves away from it as if it really was a rodent.
She tried on a blue one, thinner than the last one and furless, and I smiled, "Brilliant."
I picked out a black sweater and a t-shirt that screamed 'Niall' to me, and then Marlene dropped me off at my mum's for dinner.

Niall's POV

"Hey!" I greeted Aubree's mum, coming into their house for dinner. She had invited us both over since she hadn't seen us since Christmas. (Aubree argued that it wasn't that long to go without seeing each other, and begged me not to make her go).
Aubree, Alyssa, her mum, her dad and I all sat around their big wooden dining table, digging into the noodles her mum had made for us.
Her parents still talked, but it wasn't so often that they just casually ate dinner together. Either they were getting back together, I thought, looking around the table at them, or there was a big lecture for Aubree to come.
I could sense it, and I could sense that Aubree could sense it, too. She grabbed onto my hand beneath the table as she dug into her dinner, acting as normal as her parents were.
"So how was Ireland, you two?" Her mum chirped.
"It was beautiful," Aubree said at the same time I said, "We had a great time."
The small talk was killing me internally and it just kept continuing and continuing. Soon, I was the one squeezing Aubree's hand nervously. I loosened up, thinking that maybe I was worrying over nothing. They just all wanted to get together and see us.
But then it came.
"Aubree, are you ready for college?" Alyssa practically jumped out of her seat. "About eight months until you're in college! Isn't that exciting?"
Aubree slightly frowned, then returned her face to neutrality, "Yeah, it is."
I noticed that whenever she just stared down at her plate at dinner she absolutely hated the current conversation.
I squeezed her hand.
I noticed her dad give Alyssa a hard look, as if Alyssa wasn't supposed to be the one saying something about that topic, like they had it all planned out.
But her sister continued, "It's going to be-"
"Alyssa," her mum stopped her, and gave her a look as well.
Aubree continued looking at her food, scraping her fork against her plate, making patterns in the pile of noodles still on her plate.
I squeezed her hand.
"Do you think you two will still be, um, together by that time?" Her dad questioned.
"Dad," Aubree almost fell off her chair. I was also surprised by the sudden, very specific and demanding question. "Stop."
"Well, I'm just throwing that out there, because I wanted to know about your living situation and everything-"
"Dad, it's seven months away. Why is this even being brought up?"
"Aubree," her mum warned her, "don't get upset."
"I'm not upset," she basically yelled back, squeezing my hand with anger as she spoke. "I just don't know why we're talking about this."
"But are you two getting serious?" He interrogated us again.
I spoke up for Aubree who was turning red in the face. "Well, yes, sir. I think we're pretty serious."
"Do you plan on-"
"Dad!" Aubree burst, standing up, sending her chair flying behind her.
"I'll go get dessert," her mum peeped.
"I won't be needing any."
She looked at me gently, "I'll be in the car."
She walked out of the dining room, out of the house.
I picked up her small purse from where she had forgotten it on the floor and thanked them for dinner as politely as I could manage in the moment, and left as well.
I headed out the door to see Aubree in the car holding back tears.
Everything had been so perfect.