Smile For Me || Niall Horan

34: Moving In

Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale.

Austin had to fly back to California. He said he was satisfied with leaving and knowing that I was in good hands. I knew he was talking about Niall. 

"That's my foot!" Louis yells as Harry puts down a box. 

"Sorry." He picks it up and moves it, a smirk on his lips. Something tells me it wasn't an accident. I chuckle and carry the box I was holding up to my room. 

Today we are moving everything from my apartment back into the boys’ house. I'm moving back in again, not because I need a place to stay or because where I'm staying is too run down to function. In fact, my apartment is rather high class. It's not exactly small or oversized. It's the perfect size, and everything in it runs smoothly. The furniture it came with is all very nice, and I don't mind living there. 

I'm moving back in with the boys because my apartment is a good twenty minutes away, and I miss them like crazy. Not just Niall, all of them. Although I missed Niall the most, I was still good friends with the other boys, and I didn't want to have to stay so far from all of them. 

Besides, Claire won't stop pestering me. They all adore her and miss her too, and she really wants to live with them like before. Also, if I lived away from Niall then I would still get nightmares. 

I figured out that he's the reason they were less frequent on tour. It's because he was there. He made me happy and was there next to me each night to comfort me. It helped a lot.

When I left and ignored him altogether I was unhappy. I was a bit depressed. He wasn't there to protect me from my horrible dreams and to hold me when I cried at two in the morning, so they came back. And they came back a lot. They returned almost every single night when he wasn't there. 

Just another reason of why I need Niall. 

As I place the box on the ground by my bed I feel strong arms wrap around my waist. I turn around and find Niall smiling at me. "Hi there," I say. 

"Hello." Gosh, I love his accent. It's adorable. I missed hearing it. "Someone told me their birthday is coming up." 

Claire. 

I laugh. "She likes to announce it." 

"We should throw her a party." 

"You don't have to do that. Christmas is right around the corner so she'll get lots of gifts then."

"But what if I want to?" 

I give him a look. He sighs. "Fine. But good luck stopping Louis," he says with a wink. I smile and roll my eyes as he pecks my lips. I smile at him, and he kisses me again, a moment longer this time. 

"Niall," I say before he kisses me for a third time. 

"Hmm?" 

"We need to go unpack things..." 

"But I missed you," he whines, giving me puppy dog eyes. I giggle and pull him by the hand towards the door. 

"And I missed you too. But there's still a truck full of things to move." 

"The lads can handle it..." 

I give him a look and he sighs, reluctantly following down the stairs. 

"Lexi! Look what Louis gave me!" Claire squeals, holding up a navy blue TOMS shoe. I give her a quizzical look. 

"Did he give that to you...or did you steal it?" I ask her knowingly. She grins mischievously.

Moments later Louis runs in with one shoe on his foot. He was out of breath. He spots Claire and she squeals, running away from him. He runs after her, and I laugh as he chases her into the basement.

Zayn, Liam, and Harry were all helping me and Niall carry in the boxes. Now I have a lot more clothes and a lot more stuff than I did the last time I moved in, so it's taking longer. 

When we finally all finish, I crash on the couch in my room. I shut my eyes, exhausted. I feel the cushion sink down as someone sits next to me. 

"You have a lot of stuff," Niall comments, chuckling. I smile and rub my eyes. He picks me up and holds me in a position where my only option is to put my head on his chest. "Bed time?"

All I do is nod. He picks me up and carries me to my bed. He lays me down, and I cuddle up to my giant stuffed panda bear. "Oreo," I mumble, half asleep. 

"Hm?" Niall asks, clearly confused. 

"The pandas name is Oreo," I clarify. He chuckles. 

"Okay Lex. Goodnight babe." He kisses my head, and I hear the door shut as he leaves. It wasn't long before I fell completely asleep. Sleeping here felt different than sleeping at my apartment. Sleeping here felt like I was sleeping at home, and I liked it. 

I sat on the balcony of my room, staring up at the stars. I was alone until I felt a cold, strong hand on my shoulder. I look up, startled to find the killer there. He was dressed in all black just like he was the night he took my loved ones lives. His face was hidden now just like it was that night. 

I screamed at the sight of him. "What are you doing here?!" 

He removes the fabric covering his face and shows himself. It was Derek. The killer was Derek. 

I shoot up in bed, breathing heavy. I got up and walked out to my balcony, not even bothering to put on a jacket or shoes. I needed Niall. I hopped from my balcony to his just as he came out of his door. As he closed it behind him I ran up and hugged him. I buried my face in his chest, and he held me there, stroking my hair. 

"It's okay...shh....everything is going to be alright..." I continue to sob, soaking his shirt. "It's cold out." 

He opens the door to his room. I don't hesitate when he leads me in. We sit down next to each other on his bed. He puts his arm around me in a hug, comforting me. He didn't ask. He knew I would spill when I was ready. 

"Derek was the killer," I choke out. "In my dream, he was the one who killed my family." 

He doesn't say anything. We sit there as I cry and he comforts me. Just like before. 

Eventually I calm down enough to stop crying. Niall walks me back to my room, and I crawl back into bed. I pat the spot next to me, and he smiles, lying beside me on the bed. 

"Stay here tonight," I beg, grabbing his hand and resting my head on his shoulder. He nods. 

"Sure."

 He began to quietly sing to me. I'm not sure when, but I fell asleep in his arms. For the first time in a long time, I slept with Niall next to me. 

AUTHORS NOTE
im not lovin the story anymore cuz idkhow its ever gonna end so i really need to figure it out :P Suggestions for the ending? drop em in the comments :) i wont say whos i use yet, just so i dont spoil the ending ;) but if i do use yours then when i write/post it i will give you some creds for the idea even if i do tweak it a bit :) love you poptarts<3333 OH and next chapter is something really exciting ;) just a warning. well kinda exciting...sort of nerve wracking....like you might freak....but its ok :) hahaha so yea if you wanna know what that is then comment and vote :) so yea byee poptarts<3 lovee youu guyss