little do you know // niall horan au

epilogue

Niall's arm was a warm weight across her body as he slid into the bed next to her, jostling her out of her near slumber as he attempted to make himself comfortable.

She huffed, annoyed for a moment since she was nearly asleep. Niall, of course, noticed, and to make up for it he pressed a kiss just below her ear and murmured, "Sorry to wake you, my love," and suddenly all traces of annoyance evaporated right out of her.

She took a deep breath, humming as she turned around to press her face into his chest, welcoming the burst of warmth that flooded her skin. In response, he shuffled so she could rest her head on his bicep, curling both of his arms around her and holding her close. This, she thought, was warmer and felt way better than any blanket cocoon she could build around herself. She tilted her head up to face him, a silent request for a kiss, not bothering to open her eyes, and after he pressed his lips to hers gently, she went back to nuzzling her nose into his sternum. "Wasn't asleep yet," she mumbled into his shirt, yawning a bit, and she felt him smile against her hairline.

"What're you doing in bed so early?" It was barely dark outside. Usually, when Niall came home, they would make dinner together and then settle in for the night to watch a movie or hang out with everyone else. So, all things considered, his question was warranted.

Still, she was suddenly reminded of the dull throbbing in her head and wished he just didn't ask. It had been a very long, eventful week, and she felt the fatigue catching up with her now. She felt as though she was still recovering from the surprise visit by Pari, Deepa, and her husband, Aditya, earlier in the week. It had been a series of squeals and tears when they showed up at Mona and Harlow's door, with them explaining that they had been roadtripping to Toronto to stay with Aditya's family and decided to take a detour to visit Harlow while they were at it.

Louis had also been hanging around again, back from whatever lavish business trip he was last on, and he was able to get them all reservations at this fancy new restaurant that opened up in midtown. "Soooo," was what Pari had said once they were all settled at the table and flipping open their menus. She was eyeing Mona and Niall suggestively, waggling her eyebrows at them—oh those Kotecha girls and their eyebrow waggles—and said, "Please tell me you two are official now, I'm begging!"

Mona had simply looked at Niall who was already grinning at her, shaking her head because of course everyone wanted to know. She had already laced her fingers within Niall's under the table, so he simply brought their intertwined hands up to rest on the tabletop, the simple action both answering the question and also resulting in a chorus of hoots and cheers, much to the chagrin of the people sitting at the tables around them. Louis, on the other hand, had simply looked puzzled, saying, "Wait, I thought you two were together this entire time?" At that, Mona met Niall's eyes and they had both burst into laughter, everyone else at the table joining in.

Nevertheless, Louis, after getting over his initial confusion, joined in and ordered two bottles of champagne for the whole table. Needless to say, it was a wild night.

Deepa, Aditya, and Pari had stuck around for two more days before heading out yesterday, and it was forty-eight hours filled with Connemara's, a club, and lots of liquor.

Which was why today, she'd walked into her apartment after a day of errands with a splitting headache and a need for sleep. She had barely gotten through showering, brushing her teeth, and changing into some comfy clothes before she collapsed into her bed, where she had stayed until now, all curled up into her boyfriend. Every time her brain reminded her of that fact, her heart gave a little stutter. "Have a headache," was all she managed as an explanation, her voice muffled into the fibers of his shirt.

Niall hummed, the sound reverberating through her skin, and he held her a bit closer after her admission. "Rough day with Mimi then?"

Mona groaned a bit pathetically at that, because, again, the reminder of her day only caused her headache to intensify. "Don't remind me," she grumbled, pulling the blanket up higher around them.