“This is packing ‘lightly’?” Niall chuckled, hauling your two large suitcases into the back of his car.
“Hey,” You defended. “You said to pack for a week! That’s a long time!”
“Whatever, lady,” He smiled and pecked your lips before maneuvering around you and shoving himself into the driver’s seat of his car.
You followed his actions, and planted yourself in the seat beside him. Shutting the door after you, you looked over at him and grinned. You and Niall had been planning this vacation for months. There was just never any time for it, with Niall’s job and everything. Finally, Niall got a break in between recording and touring and he dedicated the time to this- he knew how long you’d waited to go on a trip with him.
Taking in a deep breath, Niall rolled down the windows and turned the radio up. He winked at you as he slid his shades over his eyes, sending you into a fit of laughter.
“You think you’re so cool,” You laughed. “And it’s funny.” He frowned and playfully smacked your arm, only to end up laughing, himself.
After a long while of driving, Niall finally pulled over. It seemed as if you were in a deserted area, and you began to panic while he hopped out of the car. You looked around to see a lot of grass, and off to your right was a small little lake. There was one road, in which the car was parked, lined with trees that were already changing color. And when you turned to look behind you, you could see a cabin along the side of the road. You hurried out after Niall, hugging yourself in the cool breeze that blew past as the sky grew a shade darker.
“Nialler,” You began, grabbing a bag from his car and following him into that cabin. “Where are we, babe?”
“I’m not quite sure what it’s called,” He smirked. “But I do know that we will be the only people here. We’ll have the lake to ourselves, and this warm lil’ cabin, too.”
You set down the bag, taking in your surroundings.
“We could have left the country; gone to France or China or something. But, that’s where everybody goes on vacation. There will still be people in France or China. But, this little place…it’s just us. And that’s all I want; you, and me,” Niall explained, as you wrapped your arms around him.
You smiled and leaned into him. “That’s cute,” You nodded. “And I completely agree with you.”
He rested his forehead against yours, watching your eyes for a moment before heading off to finish unpacking from his car.
After that was complete, he began his new mission; convincing you to go swim with him.
“Niall, it’s dark!” You protested, wrapping your arms around yourself. “And freezing!”
“I’ll keep you warm. C’mon, please,” He begged, showing off his big blue eyes.
You stood for a moment, until finally giving in. you quickly changed into your swimsuit and hurried out to the lake, where Niall had already jumped in.
“The water’s cold!” He said through chattering teeth. You could see the goosebumps rising on his skin from where you were. “But, it’s totally worth it.”
You sighed and held your breath, tucking in your legs and jumping into the shivering water. Your head popped up first, and you took in the calmness of the lake. Even though the water was a bit uncomfortable at first, it was still a bit relaxing when you noticed how pretty the slight waves looked in the dark.
“Join me, madam,” Niall said with his best French accent as he held out his hand for you to grip onto.
You glided through the water and reached out for his hand, allowing his strength to pull you close to him. He wrapped his arms around you, and his palms rested on the lower part of your back.
Once again, leaning his forehead against yours, he inhaled a sweet breath, keeping steady eye-contact with you. “Is it just me, or did this water suddenly warm up quite a bit?” He smirked.
You chuckled and shook your head. “Just you.”
You smirked to yourself as you unraveled your hands from around him, dipping your fingers into the chilly water. You quickly retrieved them, wasting no time in flicking the cool droplets of water right into his face. You giggled uncontrollably as he jerked away from you, rubbing at his eyes.
“Ashley,” He whined. “You’ll pay for that! Come here, lil’ girl!”
You hurried to swim away from him, frantically kicking your legs. “No!” You cried when he grabbed a hold of your ankles. “Niall!”
By this time, he had already yanked you toward him, which completely failed. You ended up being tugged underwater, and you definitely weren’t prepared for that. You accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water as you kicked yourself to the surface, waving your arms is quick motions in an attempt to stay afloat.
You quickly wiped the water from your eyes, blinking until you could see clear enough to make out where the grass was from there. You treaded through the water until you could pull yourself onto land, taking in several sharp breaths. All the while, Niall tried to swim as quickly as he could after you.
After coughing a dozen times, you finally caught your breath again, and you shivered from the cold air mixing with the chilled water that rested on your skin. You grabbed the closest towel, which happened to be Niall’s, and quickly stood. You wiped the towel over your face before wrapping it around yourself as you quickly made your way to the cabin, ignoring Niall’s calls.
Once you were inside, you held the towel close to your body and locked yourself in the bathroom, where you ran warm water for a quick shower. You wiped at your eyes one last time with the towel, finally clearing away the cloudiness in your vision when you heard Niall’s worried voice.
“Ashley?” He hollered. “Baby, where are you?” He was quick in locating you when he noticed the bathroom door was shut. He leaned against it, to hear the sound of the water running.
“Princess,” He said, quieter this time. “I’m so sorry.”
You coughed a final time and hugged the towel to your wet skin as you began to shiver again.
“Are you okay?” He tried again.
You didn’t answer, instead you turned to face the mirror, where you watched water droplets drip from your reflection.
“Please answer me,” Niall begged. “Please, I need to know that you’re okay. I’m so sorry. I promise I wasn’t trying to do that.”
You stood still, transferring your weight from one leg to the other as you swayed, waiting for the shower water to warm up enough.
“If you don’t answer me right now, I’m breaking in there myself,” Niall threatened.
You thought he was just saying that until suddenly his sorrowful face busted through the door. “Did you think I was kidding?” He mumbled as he pulled you into his strong arms.
The warmth from his body washed over you and you held your eyes shut. He rested his chin on top of your head, rubbing his hands up and down your spine in attempt to warm you.
“I’m sorry, honey,” He whispered.
You nodded against his chest. “It’s okay,” You assured him.
“Are you sure?” He moved his hands to your shoulders, pushing you just far enough away so that he could see your eyes.
“I’m sure,” You nodded. He reached around you, and shut the shower water off, before carrying you bridal-style to your bed.
**I hope you liked it!! It’s kind of long, I hope you don’t mind that!**