When Mona walked into one of the bedrooms during the whole "The-First-Bedroom-You-Walk-Into-Is-Yours" spiel, the minute she saw the television perched on the wall over the dresser, she almost screamed. Liam and Harry had offered her every bribe in the world in exchange for the only room in the cabin with a TV, but she'd smugly refused both of them, a certain haughtiness settling within her at the sight of their petulantly disappointed expressions. Because, honestly, who in their right mind would give up the best room in the house? Not her, that was for sure.
She'd been settled comfortably in her bed that night, the lovely dinner she and Niall had managed to pull off putting her in a delightful mood, and suddenly she wasn't thinking about the cold anymore. There was a warmth buzzing through her. What the real reason for it was, she didn't know. But the Home Alone marathon was airing on the television and she decided she wouldn't dwell much on it, instead leaving her rather comfortable bed to grab some snacks from the kitchen. She didn't like moving from her spot once she'd gotten cozy, so she might as well make the trip now.
Niall was sitting on one of the couches in the sitting room when she'd walked down the stairs, his glasses perched low on his nose and a book open in this lap. He fiddled aimlessly with the green highlighter in his fingers, chewing on the inside of his cheeks as his eyes quickly skimmed the words on the page.
"Seriously," Mona found herself saying, Niall nearly jumping out of his skin at the sound of her voice. "We're on winter break and you're doing work?" Her tone was laced with amusement as she sent him a small smile before she walked towards the kitchen. When she'd retrieved an armful of snacks, which she placed in a large bowl for easy transit, and a bottle of water, she reentered the sitting room only to find Niall in the same position, except this time, his eyes were trained on her.
"I'm not doing work," he said rather defensively, adjusting his glasses by pushing them up his nose. He slammed his book shut as if to emphasize his point, and Mona found a laugh falling from her lips.
"Okay, Blondie. Whatever you say."
She'd been heading towards the stairs when she heard Niall's own laughter from behind her, and she turned around to find him standing, facing her with his hands shoved into the pockets of his sweatpants, book abandoned on the couch behind him. "You still remember that day? Orientation. When we were doing those stupid icebreakers."
"Yeah," Mona breathed, chuckling. "And I couldn't remember your name so I called you Blondie." The two of them laughed again. While sometimes Niall came across as an ass, most of the time, he carried this air of ease about him, a calm smile always threatening to tug at the corners of his lips. He had broad shoulders, which were showcased by the t-shirt he'd decided on for the night, and his body was long and lean, not overly muscular so that it was overwhelming, but also not too scrawny. So, sometimes, when he stood that tall and looked that fucking cute, Mona always wondered how the hell she never cared to be his friend. They were standing there, grinning at each other for a few more moments before Mona spoke again. "Do you...want to come upstairs with me? Home Alone is on and we could watch it...together...if you'd like."
Niall looked thoughtful for a moment, shifting from foot to foot before nodding gently. "Yeah. I'd like that."
Mona gestured up the stairs before walking up, setting her bowl of snacks on her bed before clicking off one lamp and crawling back into her comforters. Niall had walked through her door shortly after, and she gestured towards the spot next to her. Without a word, he settled in beside her, under the covers, yet still keeping a safe distance. The pair leaned back against the headboard, munching on Pringles and engaging in light conversation.
It was then that Mona learned that Niall wasn't as bad as she had initially thought. Behind his rather short temper was a kind, intelligent man who had strong opinions but carried them on his shoulders in such a way that it made Mona want to learn more. She wanted to learn about that book he'd been so engrossed in, and she wanted to discover more about the project he was working on, which he'd briefly touched upon but didn't go into detail.
The truth was, Niall Horan was actually pretty incredible. And that night, in her room with Home Alone playing in the background and their mouths stuffed with chips and sweets, she found herself making a new friend, that warm feeling inside her only growing stronger.