e i g h t e e n

*Just another warning that this is a VERY long chapter because it's literally the entire day of Christmas up to Christmas dinner but I hope you guys still like it <3*

When I walked back into Niall's room, still in my towel, after my shower he wasn't in there. I knew he had been in there however because his bed was made, his wet clothes were on top of the laundry basket and the lights on the small Christmas tree next to his mirror had been turned on.

I took my time picking me outfit. In the end I decided on my cream, roll neck, knitted jumper dress. It was one of my favourite dresses and I often wore it on Christmas. It had long sleeves and was just tight enough that it didn't just go straight down but not so tight that it hugged my body like my clubbing dresses did. I put skin coloured tights underneath it because it was to cold to have my legs bare and then white, trainer socks over my tights just to make it look a bit better. I then grabbed my rings from the bedside table where I'd left them before I got in the shower and hung them around my neck where they basically lived. I hated not having them on. I also picked up the bracelet Niall got me for my birthday months back and secured it around my right wrist and a couple of other bracelets but I put them on my left wrist. Niall's was to special to go with the others.

My hair was still wet from my shower by the time I'd gotten dressed. I'd chosen to double shampoo it even though I'd only washed it the day before. It just looked better whenever I would double shampoo it. The curls looked even better, almost like they'd been done with a curling iron but still looked natural, and it went even more golden than it already was. I knew Niall liked my golden colour so it made me happy. I didn't bother to dry it properly so I just put my usual treatments in it and gave it a few scrunches with an old t-shirt to dry it off a bit before grabbing my santa hat that my dad wanted to me wear and putting it on. The hat reminded me that I needed to call him later and I told myself to make sure I didn't forget.

Just before I left Niall's room I put on a small bit of mascara and my best perfume, Lancôme La Vie est Belle. I didn't wear it often because it was pretty expensive to buy but I figured Christmas was a good time to wear it. I snatched my phone off of charge as I walked out of Niall's room, shutting the door afterwards and making my way downstairs to the living room.

There were mountains of presents underneath and all around the Christmas tree, much more than the day before. It immediately put me in a good mood. There were even presents on the coffee table although they were very small ones and not many of them. The smell of pancakes cooking came from the kitchen and mixed with the smells of all the candles that were lined up along the mantle piece and it was surprisingly a wonderful smell even though there were so many smells all at once.

Greg was sat on the sofa on his phone and drinking another mug of steaming liquid, I was pretty sure it was tea. He didn't notice when I walked into the living room but it didn't bother me. I was actually happy because it meant I wouldn't have to face whatever annoying comment that I knew he was going to make about me and Niall. Well, not yet at least.

Niall on the other hand did notice when I walked in. He was sat, also on his phone, on the big, grey, round armchair that spun around. I didn't make a sound when I entered the room yet he still seemed to notice and smile at me.

"You did something different with your hair," he stated when I squeezed onto the armchair next to him. He picked up a piece and began twirling it around his fingers.

"Not really, I just washed it with shampoo twice."

"Hmm... I like it," he said and I smiled even though I knew he would, "I like your hat too," he said.

"Thank you," I gave him a quick peck on the lips and he smiled.

"Ah Lily, good morning sweety," Maura said, suddenly appreaing in the doorway that separated the living room from the kitchen, "Loving the hat!"

I smiled, "Thanks."

"I just came to tell you lot that breakfast is ready so if you want some go help yourself. It's all in the kitchen," she said to the three of us who were sat in the living room.

"Thanks mum," Greg said quickly and basically ran out the room to the kitchen, cursing when his phone fell out of his pocket.

"Right, I'll go wake Bobby up," she said. I wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or me and Niall but I nodded anyway. She walked out the door and I heard her footsteps as she walked up the stairs.

"Ni?" I said with a smile.

"Yes princess."

"Can we go get pancakes?"

"You know the answer is yes," he said and I laughed because I did know that was the answer and it was a stupid question.

There was a huge tower of pancakes on the side in the kitchen with syrup, strawberries, blueberries, chocolate sauce, cream, lemon, sugar and butter all on the side as well. I took 3 pancakes and covered them all in maple syrup. Niall took 5 pancakes and put different toppings on all of them. We took them back into the living room and ate them. I sat on the floor to let us both have more space but as soon as we were finished I jumped back onto the chair with Niall, this time swinging my legs over him and letting him play with my tights that he loved a bit to much.

Greg joked about sex for a good while but Niall and I ignored most of his comments. Maura and Bobby joined the three of us in the living room abour half an hour after I'd finished my pancakes and we began opening the endless amounts of presents.

"Niall this one's for you," Bobby said when he pulled out the box that I'd wrapped so awfully. He handed the box to Niall who immediately looked at me as soon as he saw the handwriting. He read out the label I'd written and I blushed with a small bit of embarrassment.

"Niall,

I was stuck on what to get you but I tried my hardest so don't be to mean about it. Also, don't read everyone because it will take to long and lots of them are way to embarrassing for both of us for you to read in front of your family.

And by the way, these are no where near all the reasons because if I did all of them I probably would writing be going until next Christmas and maybe even the Christmas after next.

Anyway, I hope your not to disappointed with it.

All my love,

Your princess"

I heard Maura aww when Niall read out the final line and I blushed even more.

I watched as Niall tore the wrapping paper off leaving a plain cardboard box. He threw the wrapping paper onto the floor and opened up the box while I waited nervously for his reaction.

"FOOD!" he shouted and pulled out all a load of the chocolate and sweets that I'd arranged in the box. I smiled but didn't say anything because he hadn't yet seen my small pieces of paper.

It didn't take him long though.

"What's this?" he asked me, holding up a folded up piece of blue paper.

"Read it," I said simply. He unfolded it and read it in his head first. I saw his face light up and I instantly no longer felt nervous.

Niall cleared his throat and read the piece of paper out load so his family who were all looking at him could hear it, "Reason 8 of why I love you. You can always make me smile."

It was silent for a moment and I blushed and leaned into the armchair in an attempt to hide my face. Surprisingly, it worked.

"Coffee anyone?" Maura said trying to break the silence. We all said yes and Bobby and Greg went with Maura to the kitchen to help her with the coffee and me and Niall were left on our own.

"Reason 3 of why I love you. Whenever you call me princess it makes me feel like the most special and loved girl in the world," Niall said and I looked up from the sofa to see him reading another bit of paper, yellow this time, and a smile beginning to creep slowly onto his face.

He put the paper back into the box and put the box on the floor near his feet before turning to me.

"That," he pointed to the box on the floor, "Is the best present I have ever gotten."

My heart exploded with happiness at his comment and it was impossible not to smile, "Really?"

"No it's actually the worst present," he said sarcastically and I chuckled because his words made it clear that he loved it.

"Do you know what I've loved the most about spending all this time with you?" he asked, taking hold of my hands and pulling me towards him so my legs swung off the chair and I was pushed into his side. 

"What?" I said into his side.

He sighed slightly, "That I wake up everyday in the same bed as you and your lying next to me with your phone rested on your tummy and your hair is messy from sleeping and your wearing that grey t-shirt of mine that you seem to love so much and you have goosebumps on your arms because the duvet isn't covering them and your kinda squinting at your phone because the lights are still off and your phone is always really bright."

"Wait when have you ever seen me like that. I always make sure your asleep before I go on my phone because I get a double chin," I burst out, pushing off his side a bit so I could look at him.

"Your double chin is cute," Niall laughed.

I frowned but Bobby's entrance into the living room made me not argue back and just lean back into Niall's side. Bobby was carrying 2 mugs of steaming hot coffee.

"Here you go Lily, black with one sugar," Bobby told me and passed a white mug with a dancing reindeer on. It had turned into my favourite mug in Niall's house but I wasn't sure why.

"Thank you," I said to Bobby when I took the boiling drink from him and started blowing on it to try and cool it a bit before drinking. 

Maura and Greg returned to the living room about 2 minutes after Bobby did. Maura carrying Niall's coffee and her's and Greg carrying his and a plate of lots of different biscuits. We took a break from the presents while we drank coffee and ate biscuits. I ate a lot of biscuits, mainly custard creams, because I seemed to be really hungry despite my big breakfast. Niall tried throw a bourbon in my mouth and, to everyone's amazement, managed to get it in. He was unbelievably happy with himself, so happy that he jumped off the chair and did a small dance around the living room which resulted in him falling over and me cackling like a witch with laughter.

After at least 40 minutes of talking, we began opening presents again. The rest of the presents I'd gotten Niall's family were all successes. Maura put the perfume on as soon as she opened it, the same with Bobby and the jumper. Greg didn't put the sunglasses although he told me he would make sure to take them on the holiday him and his friends were planning for the summer which made me feel happy. He could've very well been lying but I tried to not think that. 

I received a few more presents, not loads but it didn't bother me at all. Maura got me a beautiful necklace. I knew I probably wouldn't wear it but I thanked her anyway because I loved it and it was an incredibly beautiful necklace. Bobby got me a light blue scarf with tassels. I had actually been wanting a scarf because I only had one so when I tore the wrapping paper open and saw he'd gotten me one I was very happy. Greg hadn't bothered to wrap the present he gave me which made Niall angry. He began having a go at Greg about how rude it was of him to wrap everyone else's present except mine. Their argument made me laugh because their accents sounded even thicker than usual and a lot of the time I couldn't understand what they were saying, it just sounded like a load of weird sounds.

When they finally stopped arguing, I finally could say thank you to Greg. He'd gotten me a set of pyjamas, fluffy ones with small penguins on the trousers and a big penguin of the shirt. They made me smile because all the penguins on them were so cute. I heard Niall huffing while I was saying thank you to Greg but I tried my best to ignore him although it proved difficult because each huff got louder and heavier. In the end I smacked his chest lightly and he shut up.

When all the presents under the tree had been opened and there was wrapping paper covering nearly the entire floor of the living room, it was past lunch time. The snow had stopped falling outside and left a thick layer on the ground that looked fluffy just from looking at it from inside.

"Oh gosh, I better go put the turkey on!" Maura suddenly burst out. She shot up from the sofa, leaving a space in between Greg and Bobby and walked towards the doorway of the living room.

"Just a sec Mum," Niall stopped her, "There's one more present."

He reached over to the coffee table and lifted up a short rectangular box wrapped in white and gold wrapping paper and a gold ribbon tied in a slightly messy bow. None of the presents had been wrapped the same paper as the one Niall picked up and everyone watched to see who he passed it to.

He passed it to me.

"Merry Christmas," he said and leant back in the chair to watch me unwrap the small box.

"You've already gotten me a present though," I said, confused.

"Just open it," he had started smiling now, clearly excited for me to open it.

My fingers tore the wrapping paper off leaving a small cardboard box decorated in small white dots that Niall had clearly done himself. I smiled at how each dot was perfectly round and how there were no mess ups at all.

When I opened the cardboard box there was a piece of paper folded exactly to the shape of the box on top of whatever was underneath it. I picked it up, making sure not to look at what was underneath it so I didn't ruin the present, and read out loud the writing that Niall had written.

"To Lily,

Your always the most beautiful in the mornings. Not that you aren't beautiful all the time but when I find you the most beautiful is in the mornings.

You warm the entire bed and sleeping next to you makes me fall asleep with not a worry in the world. If I wake up in the night I'll always feel for your body under the covers and fall back asleep almost immediately knowing your there sleeping next to me (sorry mum and dad if this is making you guys feel awkward because I'm talking about sleeping in the same bed as Lily but get used to it, I'm an adult now).

What I'm tryna say is, will you move in with me?

You don't have to say yes but I would really like it if you did but also, I would hate it if you did say yes when you actually don't want to. Whatever you say, I'm going to respect it.

Here's the key to my house anyways cause even if you don't move in with me I still like that you have a key. Also yes, I did steal it back from you.

I love you always,

Niall"

My mouth dropped when I looked back at the box to see the key to Niall's house.

He's asking me to share his house with him. He's giving me a key permanently for his house. For our house. Well, our house if I say yes to moving in with him.

"C'mon, what's your answer?" Greg asked from the sofa. I was still looking at the note and the key that I had forgotten other people were in the room.

"Back off Greg, she doesn't have to answer straight away," Niall said from next to me.

"No it's ok," I said quietly, looking up from my lap so I could see Niall, "I'll move in with you."

Niall smiled a huge smile and laughed, "Yes!"

I laughed and he wrapped his arms round me, making me feel safe from anything that could ever possibly hurt me. I smiled and said into his chest, "I love you."

"I love you too princess," he said and kissed the top of my head. No matter how many times I said I love you it never seemed to be enough. Niall would never know how much I loved him so the best thing I could do was say it as often as possible and hope he said it back which he always did and that was all I could ever ask for.