fix you // liam payne

chapter thirty-three // secrets.

liam's pov

As we wheel pass the nurse's desk, Ellie pops behind the desk with a sweet smile and grabs me a fresh towel, without me even asking her to. I felt foolish as ever for being actually sweaty after my physical therapy, but I don't dwell on it too much. There's really no use. I've realized that if I were to spend time getting embarrassed in front of Ellie, I'm just wasting all of my time. She's the only person I don't have to worry about what I look like, or what I'm doing. I have to worry about all of that enough in the public eye. 

But not with Ellie. 

She hands me the towel before pushing me back into my room. I wipe my face free of sweat, wishing I could just hop in the shower, but push the irrational thoughts from my head. 

"You're no fair," Ellie says as she shuts my door shut behind her, wearing a cute pout on her pink plump lips.

My hands freeze with the towel on my neck as I stare at her with wide eyes. What did I do? 

"Hmm?" I ask as she takes a few steps toward me, her eyes scanning my entire face carefully. 

"How do you look so cute when you're so sweaty?" She rolls her eyes, causing my entire face to turn pink as I let out a laugh, dropping my towel onto my lap. 

She lets out her quirky laugh, one that is so loud and so sudden as she squats down to my level. I reach forward to tuck her hair behind her ear, brushing her cheek with my thumb ever-so-softly. 

Her soft arms wrap around my waist as we run through the motions. I place my arms on the armrest of my wheelchair, doing my best to help myself out of my chair. Ellie picks me up and helps me into my hospital bed. I'm always very impressed by how strong she is. I plant a soft kiss on her cheek as she lets go of me, allowing me to fall back into the comfort of my bed. 

"Oh poor Ellie, you don't even know the half of it," I shake my head, "You're always cute, and somehow, each day you seem to get cuter? It's a modern mystery, really." 

Her head tilts back as she lets out a loud laugh, bringing a giant smile on my face. Before she can step away from my bed, I reach out to grab her hands, tangling my fingers with hers. I'm always surprised when I grab her hands, for as hard as she works, I'm always expecting rough hands worn down from long shifts, but they're just as soft as ever. Whenever I comment on them, Ellie always mumbles something about Bath and Body Works being amazing, but I think she's just naturally soft.

I pull our intertwined fingers up to my face, grazing her soft skin against my cheek before planting soft kisses on the surface of her skin. I can feel my stubble scratching her slightly, but she doesn't seem to mind. She beams one of her brilliant smiles at me, so large and full of light. 

I trail kisses up her skin, alternating arms. She jerks slightly as I kiss the inside of her elbows, letting me know I've found a ticklish spot. As I travel up her arms, her face turns a soft shade of pink as she stares at me, the corners of her lips permanently upturned. 

As I reach her shoulders, Ellie scoots closer to me ever-so-slightly. I'm not even sure she realizes she's doing it. I let go of her hands so I'm able to push her long blonde hair out of the way, exposing her the soft skin of her neck. I travel kisses across her collarbone, wishing there weren't a thin layer of clothes between us. 

Finally my lips meet her neck and the moment they do, I hear Ellie release a small whisper of a gasp. Her head tilts to the side, landing in one of my palms as she allows me access to her bare skin. She smells like vanilla and lavender, a scent that'll be hard to get from my brain. 

Unable to help myself, I lightly nibble on her skin as she scoots even closer to me so that she's nearly on top of me. Ellie's free hands run along my arms until they reach my neck, then she begins to run her fingers through my hair, creating goosebumps all along my arms.