Still : A Niall Horan Fanfiction

t w e n t y - s e v e n

I ended up changing into my pyjamas because I was tired. My massive navy crew neck jumper that I wore to bed came down to my thighs and covered the bottom of my shorts but I didn't really care. I mean, it was only Niall. It's not like I was trying to impress anyone. I slid my fluffy slipper boots on as well because I knew my feet would get cold otherwise and pulled my hair up into a bun because it was greasy I it could probably fry a packet of chips on it and I couldn't be bothered to sort it out because it was far to much effort to try and tame the curls.

Niall had already finished a packet of crisps when I walked back into the living room. He looked at me with the eyes he always did. The ones that said let me kiss you. I blushed and looked at the floor as I walked over to the sofa. I sat down close but not to close to him and tried to think of something to say but I didn't have to because he spoke before I could.

"Crisp?" he asked and held the salt and vinegar packet out to me. I smiled and took some, a lot.

"Hey! Not that many!" he complained as I put them all in my mouth at the same time. I giggled and reached my hand out to take more crisps but he pulled the packet away fast, "Nice try."

"Please," I said with puppy dog eyes that I knew he would find near impossible to turn down.

"Don't make that face," he said firmly trying to look away but I crawled closer so he couldn't escape it.

"What face? I'm not making any face."

"You know you are and you know it's my weak spot so stop!" he tried to say firmly but a smile was breaking through.

"Make me," I giggled. Niall smiled and put the crisp packet on the floor before reaching his hands up and tickling me all over, making me scream and squeal and shout STOP all at once.

What's happening? Lily stop it, your flirting with him. This is exactly what he wants to happen.

My mind yelled at me but my body wouldn't listen. It was far to busy trying to avoid Niall's hands from tickling me. I tried my hardest not to think about the fact that Niall was touching me and how close our faces were to the other's.

"You guys! I'm tryna sleep in here!" Liv's voice came from her room. Niall stopped immediately and took his hands off me quickly but I knew Liv saw and she looked at me to say I'm surprised but I'm not upset. She shut her door soon after I stopped screaming with a load bang.

"I'm gonna head to bed I think," I told Niall when we'd returned to our original positions on the sofa, "There's blankets in the cupboard next to the bathroom so feel free to take one if you get cold in the night."

"Thanks," he smiled. With that, I got up off the sofa and went into my room, leaving my door open just a crack because I've never been able to sleep in complete darkness.

I lay in bed for at least an hour and a half but I just couldn't sleep. It might've been because I was hot under my blankets or it might've been because Niall was on my sofa in the room next to mine probably asleep. Whatever it was, it made me get up and creep out my room to the kitchen to get a drink.

Niall was laid on the sofa with his phone lying screen-up on his chest. Like always when he slept, his mouth was parted the smallest amount. One of his arms was resting on his chest near his phone and the other was dangling off the sofa. There was a blanket down by his feet and I could tell he'd pushed it off. 

I stepped lightly past him and nearly made it to the kitchen when his phone screen suddenly turned on and lit up the room dimly. I stepped round the little table and picked it up off Niall's chest quickly so it didn't wake him. He sniffed and rolled over but he didn't open his eyes. I exhaled in relief that I hadn't woken him up and walked over to the kitchen where I put his phone on the side before getting a glass out the cupboard and filling it up quietly from the tap.

I leant against the counter as I took a sip of my water. It was cold and sent a shiver down my spine. I looked at Niall and how care free he always looked when he was asleep. It wouldn't matter how stressed or how many worries were on his mind, when he was asleep Niall looked like the most calm and peaceful person in the entire universe. Even from the kitchen, his hair looked fluffy and I wanted to touch it. I was very tempted to because I missed the silky touch of his hair but I knew the smallest thing could wake him up.

I jumped when Niall's phone screen lit up again. I knew it was wrong but I leant over to it and looked at who the message was from. It was from Maura. The message said Just make sure it's wrapped nicely beca... and then it disappeared because it was only on the lock screen. My eyes were drawn off the message however when I saw what his lock screen wallpaper was.

It was a girl with long, golden, curly hair wearing grey sweatpants and a black, ribbed, halter neck crop top. Her smile was wide and she had been laughing when the picture had been taken. Her hair was blowing in the wind and a few strands were in her face and no matter how many times she tried to move them they kept going back to her face so eventually she gave up and just let them be. The girl was me.

The picture had been taken around sunset on a day in December. Niall had stayed in his room all day for work, he didn't even come out for food. He'd refused to tell me what he had been doing the entire day though. All I knew was it was for work. I'd tried to have fun but even making a ginger bread with Maura was boring, probably because she was so amazing at decorating and I wasn't. So, when Niall finally walked down the stairs at half 4 I practically dragged him out the front door and forced him to go on a walk with me because otherwise I knew he would end up going back to his room and working. There had been no cars around so we'd walked along the roads, occasionally skipping. It was exactly like a movie.

I stared at the picture for a long while before I finally looked away and took my glass to the sink. I poured the remaining water down the sink and watched it go down the drain. Niall was still asleep when I walked back to my room so I didn't wake him up by giving his phone back to him. Instead I left his phone on the counter and went to bed thinking about how he might actually still love me. Why else would I be his lock screen wallpaper?