texting niall horan • [lowercase]

chapter twenty

i wake up the next morning still on the couch. the bright sun is pouring in from the tall windows. memories from last night pop into my brain, and i smile. there's a blanket draped over my body, and i see niall on the other side of the couch, mouth open, and snoring lightly. i hold in a laugh at the sight of him. niall stirs in his sleep, and i see his eyelids flutter open.

"good morning, love," niall says, his accent thick.

"mornin'," i reply, getting up from the couch, and stretching my arms. i start to fold the blanket i slept with last night when niall speaks again.

"how 'bout some breakfast?" he asks, rolling off the couch, and picking up our tea from last night.

"sure, i'll take whatever you have," i say, placing the blanket onto the couch neatly folded.

"uh how about cereal?" niall asks, with a sheepish smile. i had a feeling he wasn't a very good cook, so i offered to make pancakes instead.

we both make our way into niall's huge kitchen. niall sits at the breakfast bar, while i take out a pan and a bowl and start fixing the pancake batter. i can feel niall's eyes on my back, but i refuse to turn around. for the sake of the pancakes, that is. don't want my masterpiece to burn.

after i fix niall's stack, and hand it to him, he takes a huge bite and makes a sound of satisfaction.

"holy shit, liv! these are the best pancakes i've ever had! don't tell harry, but i think they're better than his," niall says, with a smirk.

i smile at the mention of his bandmate. even though their band is on hiatus, they still manage to stay close.

"well, you should probably learn how to cook since i won't be here forever, ya know," i say, mixing up the batter for my stack of hotcakes.

"yeah, but i could always just hire someone to do that for me, ya know," he says with a mouthful of his breakfast.

"oh my god, niall. don't be that lazy. just look it up on youtube or something," i say, jokingly. niall laughs and i have to say, its the cutest laugh i've ever heard.

"you know, i'm gonna miss ya loads when you're gone. even though we haven't been friends for long, it feels like we've been friends forever. like me and my bandmates. you better text me everyday and facetime me every night. no exceptions!" niall says, with joking bossiness in his voice. i laugh as i flip my last pancake onto my plate, and i go sit down next to him at the bar.

"jeez niall, i have a life you know," i joke.

"i know i know. but please, keep in touch. you're one of the most important people to me and i don't wanna lose you," he says, seriousness returning to his tone.

"of course, niall. you're really important to me too," i say, with a genuine smile. i meet his bright blue eyes, and he smiles too. he leans in, and gives me a hug, a tight one, i must say. i return his hug, and i rest my head on his chest since i'm so short i can't even reach his shoulder.

"i have an idea of something we can do today," niall says, ending our little moment. i raise my eyebrows in curiosity.

"what is it?" i ask.

"it's a surprise," he says, smiling and he gives a little wink, "so go get dressed, okay, love?"

"uh okay, i'll meet you back down here in 10?" i ask nervously. gosh, why am i nervous? it's not like it's a date or anything. that's ridiculous, olivia, get your shit together. but what if it is a date? oh god. what am i supposed to wear?

i quickly make my way up to the room i'm staying in, and i throw open the closet with all my clothes. i grab out a grey sweater, a pair of ripped jeans, and some boots. hopefully this outfit is okay. i really suck at fashion, ugh. i need to go shopping soon.

i pull on my clothes, and go to the bathroom where i do minimal makeup, and i put in a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a bracelet. i just end up putting my hair into two french braids to finish off my look.

i check myself in the mirror, making sure everything looks decent enough for niall.

what the heck, why am i trying to impress him? it's not like i like him like that... or do i? feelings are so confusing. i mentally slap my head.

i make my way back downstairs where i don't see niall anywhere. i check my phone, and turns out i got ready in a record time span of seven minutes, so niall is probably still getting ready.

i sit down on the couch, and open snapchats from my friends, and check instagram. some of my friends don't even know that i'm staying with niall horan, but i'd like to keep it that way. it's like he's my little secret, and i like it like that. after that, i hear niall's footsteps coming down the stairs. he comes into the living room where i'm sitting.

"wow, you look great, liv," he says, looking at me with a smile.

"thanks," i reply shyly, suddenly finding interest in my shoes.

"right then, i believe we should get going now. you're gonna love this place," niall says excitedly. i nod my head as we walk to the front door. niall opens it for me, and i blush.

quit it, olivia, he was just being nice. jeez.

when we get outside, niall stands there for a second, like he's contemplating something. so i wait, and look at my shoes again. then, i see niall reach his hand out in front of me. i look up, and he has a shy smile on his face. i giggle, and shake my head, then take his hand in mine, intertwining our fingers.

whatever this means, i think i could get used to it.

•••
a/n: omg wow. hey guys. long time no see- again- sorry for not updating in forever! i'm kinda getting back into this book, and im sorta planning a storyline again. so sorry if this chapter is kinda sucky, i havent written in forever!!! you can vote&comment if you enjoyed it!!

hope you liked, and happy new year:)