Love Affair

Five

☆Warning: discussions of self-harm, suicide attempts and grieving☆

Waking up warm is a feeling that I've been so grateful to get used to. Until Niamh, I never had slept in bed with someone and it's just something that now I know how it feels there's no going back.

This woman will be sleeping in my arms for the rest of my life.

She's sandwiched between Harry and I, his stomach is pressed against my arm that's wrapped around her. We're all squished together, limbs wrapped around each other like a pretzel.

Niamh must be melting, her face pressed against my chest with her arms wrapping around me in the best way.

I'm surprised by how happy she was yesterday, the alcohol last night definitely helped. I was expecting a very different outcome but I think today will be hard for her, she'll let herself be upset and all the feelings she's bottled up are going to spill out.

Even after all the years we've been together, I still get scared when she's upset because I don't know what thoughts are going through her head. I don't like to not be there when she's sad, I wasn't there once and I'll never make that mistake again.

Niamh is my entire world and I don't know where I'd be without her.

A vibrating phone halts my thoughts, carefully manoeuvring myself to reach an arm backwards in the direction of the bedside table. Straining my arm is the only way I can grab the ringing phone, it's Niamh's, her phone is bigger than mine so I can tell instantly.

Lifting it up above my face, I see it's her mum ringing her, of course it is. She just doesn't leave Niamh alone sometimes, especially when she knows her daughter is already struggling on certain days of the year.

I answer.

Pressing the green accept button, I bring it down to my ear after pressing my lips against the top of Niamh's head.

"Hello?" I speak first to give her a nice little surprise.

"Niall? Hi!" She acts like we're best friends, it's all an act because as soon as something doesn't go her way, she gets nasty. "Where's my little buttercup?"

"She's asleep, what do you want?"

"Isn't it almost midday over there?!" She sounds extremely surprised, "she should be up by now."

I roll my eyes, feeling Niamh begin to wake up against me. Her limbs stretching the best they can and a sleepy hum leaving her lips.

"It is but we were out last night for her birthday, didn't get in till late." I shift on the mattress to give her more space but she follows not wanting to let go of me which means Harry also shuffles over searching for warmth in another body.

"I see..."

I smile to myself, she's very clearly pissed at the thought of her daughter going out for her birthday and getting drunk. Sometimes I'm convinced she wants to treat Niamh like she's still ten, she lost all power when I came into the picture so she resents me.