When in London (One Direction Fan Fiction)

25

I only slept for twenty minutes.

I mean, not to sound like a moody teen or anything, but at that given time I couldn't think of anything else to act like other than a moody teen. All I wanted was to sleep for a couple months or so, but no. I only got in twenty minutes before I felt the car lurch as Niall put it into park and turned off the ignition. My eyes snapped open as I jolted awake, hardly suppressing my groan as I came to the realization that I was still in the car.

"Go back to sleep, I'll carry you in," Niall said from beside me before climbing out and shutting his door, making it echo and bounce against the parking lot walls. I sighed, unbuckling my seat belt and opening the door before Niall got to it first.

"Or not," I heard him mumble under his breath, probably thinking I wouldn't hear him. Or maybe he just didn't care if I did.

The elevator ride was quiet. So was the walk to our front door. And when the boys greeted us and asked me if I was okay, I didn't answer. Instead, I soundlessly took off my shoes, grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and made my way upstairs. I went straight to bed, not even bothering to change out of my uncomfortable jeans and overly huge sweater.

I fell asleep in an empty bed, alone.

***

Rough fingertips swirling patterns along the skin of my back is what woke me up that morning.

Niall must have came to bed long after I fell asleep, because at the moment he was laying down in front of me, his hand underneath my sweater as he soothed my nerves with his dancing fingers.

"How long have you been awake?" I mumbled, keeping my eyes shut against the bright sunlight making its way through the crack between the curtains.

"All night," he responded.

"All night?" I repeated, surprised. I opened my eyes to look at him.

"Mhm," he hummed in confirmation.

"Why?" I asked, shocked. Niall always slept. Any time he got the opportunity to sleep, he would take it. He never had trouble falling asleep. He loved sleep, probably more than he loved food.

"Couldn't fall asleep," he shrugged. his fingers still tickling my back. He had bags under his eyes, but other than that he looked fine. Almost like he was eager or something. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," I answered, looking away from his gaze in embarrassment. "Sorry about last night," I apologized as I leaned my forehead against his chest.

"It's okay, Katie," he whispered, moving his hand to my hair. He ran his fingers through it, almost making me fall back asleep. "So... Can you tell me about what happened yesterday?"

Uh oh.

"Um... Yeah," I sighed, sitting up and pulling the sheets tighter against my body. I looked down, noticing that I was still wearing my clothes from yesterday and took that as an opportunity to stall. 

"Can I just shower first? I feel really gross," I mumbled, quickly pulling the sheets away and climbing out of bed before Niall could stop me. I practically ran to the bathroom, locking the door behind me before I even heard his answer.

"I'll just wait for you out here...," I heard Niall speak, just loud enough for me to hear.

"Okay," I replied, my voice shaking. Why was I so nervous to tell him? Nothing even happened! All I did was meet up with my ex and talk about how I wouldn't be taking him back. And then I forgave him... sort of. But forgiving isn't looked down upon! It's something people encourage; it's a nice thing to do! It's not like I did anything wrong...