Niall stood in the bathroom for a minute to try to calm his pounding head. Everything came rushing back to him and certain images would not leave him alone. He felt he had slept well. Probably the best he had slept in months. He had been slowly waking up when he felt her move closer to him and touch his back. He tried to continue breathing normally but when he felt her lips on his back, he had to turn around. He had wanted to pull her in closer to him but she moved away and pretended to be asleep. He actually thought it was kind of cute, now that he thought about it. He shook his head and ran his hand through his hair before walking back into her bedroom.
He saw she had climbed back into bed and was sitting up looking at her phone. He was unsure of whether or not he should get back into bed with her.
"C'mon in, Niall. I think I'm done biting." She looked up at him with a smirk, "For now."
He let out a tiny laugh and climbed back in. "Soooo...about last night. We--"
She interrupted him, blurting out, "I did it because I wanted to feel pretty again; to feel attractive again; to feel wanted again."
Niall looked at her as she said this, although she didn't look at him. "You are pretty. I've told you that."
"I know. I guess, I just thought you were being nice. I don't know, I just realized that I wanted someone to touch me--"
This time he interrupted her, "Yeah, I get it. I don't need the details."
She nodded. They sat there, quietly for a few moments. "Niall?" Edie whispered.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you," she turned to look at him.
"For what?"
"For putting up with my bullshit and forcing my stupidity down my throat until I realized it. But, most of all, for still being here. For staying."
"Yeah, well, I'm clearly not easy to get rid of. I have bullet holes to prove it," he said, trying to get a smile or a laugh out of her. "Ah, c'mon, a little joke."
She smiled, "A bad joke."
"Yeah, well, you still smiled." They were once again engulfed in silence. "Well, since we slept for all of eternity, my stomach is seriously rumbling. How about some breakfast, or lunch, or whatever?"
"Okay."
"Great."
They both took turns putting real clothing back on. Niall noticed that Edie had put on an oversize long-sleeved shirt, reminding him of the marks on her arm, making him cringe. And the jeans she had put on seemed to just hang on her hips. She had clearly lost some weight.
She grabbed her keys and they stepped out into the sun.
"Oh, damn, it's bright!" They simultaneously said. Edie slammed the door shut and they both laughed.
"I guess we need some sunglasses," she said, grabbing hers.
"Yeah, mine are in my car."
"Okay, well, I supposed I can lead a blind man down the stairs without killing him...or me." She had a hint of a glint in her eye.
He looked at her and smiled. He liked this side of her. One bad joke at a time.
YOU ARE READING
Mirrors |NH|
Fanfic"You know that Alessia Cara song "Scars to Your Beautiful"?" "Mmhmm." "I used to think she was saying 'we're scars and we're beautiful' instead of 'we're stars and we're beautiful'. I kind of wish that was what she was saying, ya know. I mean, we'...
