e l e v e n

Niall and I had gone back upstairs to my room after dinner had ended. My dad hadn't said anything since I had spoken but I could tell he wanted to talk to Carol so I'd left him, Carol and Tyler downstairs on their own while I went and packed with the helpless help of Niall. He wasn't doing anything that was useful except making me laugh.

"Personally, this is my favourite."

I turned around from folding a hoodie to see Niall holding up my red, lacy bra from Victoria's Secret to his chest and strutting up and down my room like he was on a catwalk. He'd attempted to make his voice sound like a girls but he'd failed miserably. He pretended to flick his hair, quite violently may I add, and I giggled.

"I don't get it," he said in his normal voice and collapsed onto my huge bean bag, "Why have underwear that really detailed and lacy when no one can see it because it's under your clothes." He attempted to throw the bra back onto my bed but instead it landed in the middle of my floor which made Niall scowl at his failure.

I rolled my eyes and laughed at the same time, "Because, it makes me feel pretty even if it's under my clothes."

"But you shouldn't need to feel pretty when your already the prettiest girl in the world."

I blushed once again at his words and he tried to winked at me but it didn't work to well. I laughed and walked over to the bean bag, "Move over."

"I can't, you'll have to sit on my lap instead," he flirted and I blushed which made me mad because he'd barely said anything.

"What if I don't want to sit on your lap."

"Then I guess I'll just have to pull you onto it."

"What if-" I began but a yelp escaped my mouth before I could stop it. Niall was leant forward and pulling me onto his lap. I wriggled but he won, making me flop like a lifeless body into his lap. I sighed loudly and rested my head on his chest, feeling it go up and down when he talked.

"Do you think your dad's annoyed?"

"I hope he's not but even if he is I'm still going with you. I really wanna meet your family," I said into his jumper. It a light grey color with tiny dots of white that you could only just see if you were close enough. Like always, it was laced with the smell I knew from a mile away. 

"I love you," Niall said and I smiled and blushed when he kissed the top of my head.

I was about to say I love you back but there was a loud knock on my door. I groaned and climbed off Niall. He made a pouty face when I left his lap and I tried my hardest to try not to find him adorable even though it was basically impossible.

I opened my door to reveal my dad holding the santa hat I always wore on Christmas in his hands. He looked sad but he was smiling and I wanted to tell him that I wouldn't go and I'd stay and spend Christmas like I always had. 

"My santa hat," is all I ended up saying in a quiet voice. 

"Well, if you aren't going to be home for Christmas at least wear your hat. I can't imagine you with out it," he moved his hands forward and I took it from him with a smile and said, "Of course I'll wear it."

"Niall?" he said, looking behind me and I shifted in the doorway to make room for Niall to stand next to me.

"Yes Mr Spinland," Niall said when he came to a stop in the doorway.

"Oh come on, call me Ben," my dad said in a happy voice which made a small smile appear on my face. Niall nodded but he didn't say anything so my dad spoke again.

"You love my daughter, correct?" my dad paused waiting for Niall's answer.

"Yes," he replied. I could tell he wanted to look at me but his eyes stayed on my dad to show he was paying full attention. This didn't stop me from blushing though.

He nodded and looked down at the ground, an action he rarely did, and began speaking to me, "I know you aren't my little girl anymore monkey but I still love you just as much and all I want is for you to be the happiest you can be. It's clear that Niall makes you happy, I saw all your smiles and blushes and looks at each other all through dinner. So just promise me you'll have fun and make a good impression on Niall's family so they don't think you were raised by a total dick."

I laughed but tears also started rolling down my cheeks at my dad's words, mostly at monkey, the name he called me all the way up until my 13th birthday when I had finally told him to stop calling me it because it was 'too embarrasing'.

"I'll try my hardest to make them like me," I told my dad and he smiled.

"They'll love you," Niall reassured me.

"I think we're gonna get some sleep, out flight is at 6:00 tomorrow and it takes an hour to get to the airport," I explained to my dad. Her agreed with me, saying it was a good idea to get a few hours of sleep in before we left. I hugged him before he walked back downstairs because I knew, even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be up early enough the next morning to see us off. I promised I would call him when I arrived at Niall's parents house and on Christmas Eve and Christmas.

I finished packing my suitcase before my dad left. I had to move it to the floor because Niall had stolen my bed, lying across it like a starfish. I had barely packed enough clothes for 2 weeks, let alone a month and a half, but Niall promised me I could just wear his clothes if I had to. I wasn't too keen on the idea but it was better than wearing nothing at all. Out of the clothes I had packed, there were barely any that would actually keep me warm if it began snowing. I'd packed for fashion not the weather so most of the tops were crop tops apart from my single set of pyjames which was just a massively big grey t-shirt and shorts. I had chosen to take my big blue puffer jacket though so I didn't think to much about being cold.

As for my shoes, I decided on taking my chunky white trainers, my classic chestnut uggs and my black ankle boots that Carol had given to me the previous Christmas. I'd also packed my makeup, hair equipment, toiletries, and skin care things all in a separate bag which Niall had made fun of me for. "You don't need all those things" he'd told me but I had insisted on taking them.

When I finally lined up my bags near my door it was midnight. Niall looked like he'd passed out on my bed. He had moved from his starfish shape to lying diagonal across the whole bed, his head in the top left corner and his feet in the bottom right. He looked unbelievably peaceful the way his mouth was open just the tiniest bit and his hair had gone a little floppy. I debated with myself for at least 5 minutes about whether to try and move him so I could sleep in the bed but in the end I decided against it and quickly switched off my lamp that was filling the room with a dim light before flopping down onto my beanbag. I fell asleep almost immediately to the soft rythem of Niall's breathing that I could hear ever so faintly from across the room.