craving - n.j.h

thirty three

It's January. Snow is falling from the sky. Everyting has been great so far, and I've been feeling better. I've moved into an apartment - that mum reluctantly agreed to help paying for - about twenty minutes away from the frat with a car. My new place isn't big, in fact it merely has three rooms; a small bathroom, a minimalistic bedroom, and a kitchen with a living area puckered up in the corner of the room. I've decided to take a break from studying because of what happened with Jason earlier. I'm still damaged and I think about it sometimes, so I just need to breathe and settle in before starting something new.
I sit by the window in the living area, my legs pulled in with my gaze following a car on the steet, seven floors down. Within a minute there is a nock on the door. I get up and run to the blue door that leads out to my fellow neighbours, and there he is. He has flowers in his hands and snow in his hair.

"Flowers?" I ask him with a smirk pulling at my lips. "That's certainly not very characteristic, Niall."

"That is exactly why I bought them." He says and steps inside, kicks his shoes off, shimmies off his jacket. "You see, they're not for you, baby. They're for the apartment."

I look at the yellow tulips in his hands. I chuckle. "Oh, I see."

Niall walks inside and opens one of the cupboards in the kitchen, places a glass on the counter after filling it with water.

"That's not going to work." I tell him and laugh at him as he places the tulips in the way too small glass. Three of them fall to the counter. "Congratulations, genius."

"Hey!" He shouts and looks at me, dead in the eye. "Don't joke about my tulips, they're lovely."

"Sure." Another falls to the counter. I try to stiffle a laugh.

A couple of hours later, I sit in the bedroom, on the bed. It's dark outside, and there is a siren blaring in the distance, the lights of the city peaking through the curtain.

"Fucking hell, the water is so cold!" Niall shouts from the bathroom. I laugh. I hear something hitting the floor. "Shit!" He yells. I roll my eyes at him even though he can't see me.

Niall walks out of the bathroom, the door slamming into the wall. "You'll have to pay for warm water; I'm going to freeze to death next time I shower here." He lets out a deep groan and shivers. He looks pretty annoyed.

A towel is wrapped loosely around his hips, and I try not to stare at him. I haven't seen him in that little clothing in a very long time and I struggle to keep my eyes on an acceptable level. His hair is dripping wet, hanging over his eyes. Niall walks out of the room as he pushes back his soaked fringe, to probably, get his things. He comes back and drops his bag on the floor, like I thought. He then quickly grabs a pair of sweatpants and marches into the bathroom.

"Well, I literally moved here a week ago. The warm water should be running." I tell him and lay back on the bed, my eyes locked on the ceiling. "Are you sure you're not struggling with figuring out how it works?"

"Ella, baby, trust me. I'm a pro with showers!" I can hear him smirking.

"It sounds like you molest showers. I'm uncomfortable." I laugh. Then I decide to get up and show him, just in case. The warm water is warm and it's definiately working; I showered this morning, with warm water.

I walk into the bathroom to see Niall leaning into the shower, examining the different knobs. "I don't molest showers; I meant to say that I'm pretty good in the shower." He turns to me with a big fat smirk on his face.

"Oh shut up." I tell him and punch him on his back.

"I can show you, if you'd like?"

"Another time, maybe." I laugh.