Power & Control

40: Blank Space

~A

When the persistent sounds of chattering and laughter finally woke me up from my deep sleep, I took a moment to try and figure out if the bus was still moving. It was, I realised, before I pushed myself off of the warm chest I had slept on for the entirety of the night. Niall steered, but didn't open his eyes as he hummed and reinforced his grip around me. How he managed to keep holding me without moving for so many hours was beyond me. He groaned in complaint when he sensed me trying to move away from him, brows deeply knitted together and puffy lips pouted. Even when barely awake, he was so fucking attractive to me.

"Where you goin'?" He grumbled in his deep morning voice, refusing to open his eyes.

"It's morning Nikki. Time to get up." I teased as I made another effort to push myself out of his grip, his arms falling to my sides as he gave in. His eyes finally opened, a soft curl of his lips giving away that he was trying to mask a smile.

"I don't hate that as much anymore." He mumbled, lifting a hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"Glad to have that effect on you." I leaned forward, not even thinking about it twice before placing a kiss onto the top of his nose. I didn't wait to see his reaction, pulling the curtain back and climbing out of the crammed bunk. Standing up in the corridor, I stretched my arms and back before swiftly visiting the bathroom. Niall was still in bed when I got out, and I tried convincing him to get up with the promise of fresh coffee. Though unenthusiastically, he climbed out of the bunk as I went down the corridor to the busy common room.

For a split second, everyone's eyes were on me when I appeared through the narrow bunk space. It felt like they collectively paused for that moment before going back to their conversations and breakfast. Nevertheless, I smiled at Louis and Perrie when they both caught my eye and went to the kitchenette, finding fresh coffee already brewed in the pot. I placed water in the kettle and poured a mug of coffee, tapping my nails on the counter as I waited for the water to boil. I mindlessly kept up with Ty as he talked to Julia and Duncan about what he was planning to do on his time off, only tuning it out once the water was done. I lifted the kettle and poured water into my own mug with an awaiting teabag, watching it change from clear to green from the tea.

"That for me?" I got startled by the quiet voice next to my ear, not realising Niall had not only been in the room, but standing beside me as well. I turned to find him smirking, his hand falling onto the small of my back. I could practically feel everyone's eyes on us, even if the ongoing conversations didn't seize.

"No, you hate tea in the morning. This is for you." I pushed the mug of black coffee toward him, rolling my eyes.

"I'm saddened to inform you we're out of almond milk. I'm willing to share my oat milk if you'd like." I offered, lifting up the carton of milk I had retrieved earlier to pour some into my mug. He scrunched his face in disgust at the sight of it.

"I'd rather die." His dramatic response had me stifling a laugh, lifting my hand to my mouth to do so. He thanked me and left a quick kiss on my cheek, a gesture that made me freeze momentarily. I was still not used to not having to keep this a secret. He smiled before taking a sip of his coffee, humming in satisfaction. I took my own mug and made my way to my usual seat at the table with Louis, and I practically saw everyone looking away the second I turned around. I chuckled as I sat down, glancing at Niall as he remained by the counter, leaning against it.

"Good news everyone, mum and dad finally made up!" Ty chirped, clapping his hands together once. I rolled my eyes at his ongoing joke, sipping my tea.

"Thank heavens." Duncan sighed in great relief, slumping back in the couch as he sat next to Perrie.