For the First Time | n.h.

Chapter Sixteen

MEGAN’S POV:

As I lay there in bed, half-asleep, half-awake, the line “I could feel his stare” was running through my head. I’m not entirely sure where I had read it; probably in about fifty different books. It didn’t really matter. Even with my eyes closed I could feel Niall watching me.

                “What are you looking at?” I mumbled.

                “You,” he replied softly. I could hear the smile in his voice.

                The corners of my mouth tugged up into a smile of my own. Niall always managed to make the simplest of words more complex and cute in meaning. My eyes still remained closed, however, because I knew if I opened them I’d have to face something I’d really rather not. I relished in the brief happiness before I remembered what that something was.

                My head throbbed when last night’s event came back to me. Ben...the hotel...the parking lot...

                A hard lump formed in the back of my throat that I tried to choke down. My eyes became teary so I squeezed them shut even tighter. Don’t cry I told myself, once you start you’ll never stop.

                At last I opened my eyes, hoping the light of day might make me feel a bit better. It wasn’t the light that did that though; it was the blue-eyed boy smiling at me.

                “Merry Christmas Megan,” Niall whispered.

                Wow, it was Christmas, wasn’t it? I humoured him with a grin. “Merry Christmas.”

                I had to look at him for a minute to notice what was off. His hair was damp and all he was wearing was a pair of boxers. “Did you take a shower?”

                He seemed a little surprised by my question. “Oh, yeah I did. I’m amazed I didn’t wake you up in the process. I had to climb over you just to get off this bed.”

                “Hmm,” I mumbled, still waking up.

                “Ay, and look what I found,” he said, reaching for something at the end of the bed. I was surprised when it was my guitar; the one Niall and his family gave me for Christmas. “Remember when we used to play together?”

                I nodded, “It wasn’t that long ago.”

                Niall shrugged before looking down at the instrument.

                “Play me something?” I asked.

                He seemed surprised and quickly began to think of something. When it came to him he began to play. I laughed when I recognized the tune. It was some old Christmas song he used to sing to me when we were little. His voice sounded even lovelier than I remembered. I’m not sure if he had gotten better or if my memories just weren’t doing him justice.

                I gave him an honest smile. His voice made me smile; he made me smile.

                As he strummed the last chord he said “Merry Christmas baby.”

                Something inside of me twitched at his casual use of the word baby. Usually I was unaffected by it...but this time it sounded extra sweet.

                “You’re amazing Niall, really,” I told him quietly.

                He stared at me before smiling, “What do you mean?”