In Other Words (Niall Fanfic)

Chapter Sixteen

“Sure.” I yelled over the water. I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. “You better not be using my toothbrush, Horan. I like you, but that’s gross.” He said nothing as he turned on the sink. I poked my head out of the curtain. He sat coolly on the vanity, still in his boxers. “I’m in  a boyband, babe. You think I can’t manage to get a toothbrush?” He said, the words garbled from the foam filling his mouth. He spit into the sink behind him. “I called the front desk. They’re complimentary!” He said, impressed with himself.

I rinsed the last bit of conditioner from my hair, turned off the water and grabbed the towel from the bar outside the curtain. I dried off quickly, wrung out my hair and stepped out into the steamy bathroom, where Niall still sat on the sink. “Switch!” he said loudly, stepping past me and turning the water back on. I put some toothpaste on my toothbrush as I watched him adjust the temperature of the water from the mirror. His reflection looked at mine as his fingers reached down to pull off his boxers. My hand flew up to cover my eyes, but I left an obvious gap between my fingers.

“Nice butt.” I said, rinsing my mouth. I wasn’t sure if he’d even heard me, as he immediately begun his rendition of The Lazy Song. I left the bathroom door open and enjoyed my free concert as I threw on some clothes and a little makeup to cover the dark circles that were forming under my eyes due to lack of sleep. It was totally worth it.  

The wall-mounted hairdryer ran for a few minutes, and Niall stepped out of the bathroom in yesterday’s clothes, his bedhead no more. I sat cross-legged on the messy bed.  “I used your mousse.” He said. “And your deodorant.” He sniffed under his arms.

“Cucumber fresh?” I asked.

“Mmmhmm. What are you thinking for breakfast?” he said, pulling his phone from the bedside table.

“I’m dying for a New York style bagel; haven’t been able to find a decent one in London.” I said. “With cream cheese.” I salivated at the thought. He sat down and punched some keywords into his phone and started to scroll through our nearby options. “Hey, Ni.” I said.

“Yeah?” he said, not looking up from his screen.

“Now that we’ve brushed, can I get a little good morning kiss?” I said.

“I don’t know, you’re being a little mean to me today.” He said. With my eyes closed, I waited for him to come to his senses. It was only a few seconds before his warm lips were on mine. “Let’s go. I’m starved.” He said.

I took our cups from the clerk as Niall immediately opened the bag of bagels and took a whiff. “How do you take your tea?” I asked, setting the cups down on the little counter with the various drink and food accompaniments. “Three sugars and loads of milk.” He said, popping a couple of plastic knives and some napkins into the paper bag.

I started to walk toward one of the little tables near the back, when he stopped me. “I think it’s early enough that we can go eat in that little park down the street without being…you know…bothered.”

I gathered that being “bothered” was a real problem for him and the boys.  We found a spot on the grass and sat down, the blades tickling the backs of my thighs. We each had trouble choosing one bagel, so we got five. I ripped into the first one, slathered on the cream cheese, and tasted it. It was heavenly.

“This one is pretty good.” He said, halfway through a cheese bagel.

“What time’s your flight?” I asked, blowing some air into the little hole in the lid on my cup of tea.

“Four.” He said between bites. “What about you? When do you go home?”

“My flight doesn’t leave until five in the morning. I scheduled myself a shift at The LA Mission tonight. That will be very cool. So, until then I am just hanging with you, and maybe heading over to the market to pick up some things I can’t get in London.”