Moments (Being Edited)

Eight

The bungalow was like a sauna compared to the weather outside. I was wrapped tightly in my towel which was soaked from the rain that was falling even heavier than it was before. The four of us were shivering madly, our teeth chattering and our lips turning an unnatural shade of purple.

"Those hot chocolates would be nice right about now!" I called out, dropping my towel by the door and hurrying across to the fire that was burning brightly.

"Liam put an umbrella over the spa, and it's pretty hot in there, so you can go sit in that if you want and I'll bring your drinks out when I make them?" Louis suggested from his seat on the couch.

"Louis you're amazing," Zayn said, dropping his towel and racing for the sliding door that lead outside.

Harry and Lacey followed after him, and I pulled the door closed behind us. It was so cold outside I was tempted to go back indoors, but I threw a leg into the spa which was excessively hot anyway. The water burned against my leg, but I pushed myself to get completely into the water, and once I was in, I let out a deep sigh of relief at how soothing the heat was.

The umbrella Liam had put up kept the rain off of us, and the wind had died down a little, so there was only a heavy chill hanging in the air that danced through my soggy hair and damp skin. 

It didn't take long for Lacey, Harry and Zayn to fully submerge their bodies in the water too, and Lacey rested her head on the top of my shoulder, her jaw still shaking.

"You okay?" I asked her quietly, wrapping my arm around her shuddering frame.

"I'm fine," she told me, her arms wrapping around my torso, pulling her closer to me.

"If you don't warm up soon I'll take you inside and you can shower and get into something warm and sit close to the fire," I said, and pressed a kiss to the top of her soaked head.

"Okay," she nodded.

The four of us sat in silence for a short while, warming up a little and also just listening to the sound of the rain. Louis brought out a tray stacked with four large mugs and put them in the cup holders around the outside of the spa before hurrying back inside, escaping the cold.

"Here," I said, handing Lacey one of the mugs.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking the mug and warming her hands on it before taking a long sip.

I took my mug and held it close to my face, breathing in the steam that radiated from the liquid before throwing most of it back in one gulp. It was hot, but a comfortable hot that warmed the pit of my stomach and made me shudder.

"Are you any warmer?" I asked Lacey, finishing my hot chocolate and setting the empty mug back in the cup holder.

"I'll finish my drink and we can go inside?" she suggested, taking another shaky sip.

"Absolutely. You finish it, I'll go get the shower ready for you," I told her.

She nodded, and I cautiously stepped out of the spa. I shook off most of the water before hurrying into the bungalow. It was beautifully warm, but I neglected the call of the fire and instead hurried upstairs. I grabbed a towel from the cupboard across from the bathroom before I pushed open the door and stepped into the bathroom. My fingers searched the wall for the light switch, and once they found it I draped the towel over the heated rail. I set down the bath mat and opened the shower door, ready for Lacey to just step in and turn on the water.

"Niall?"

"Upstairs," I called back to Lacey, stepping out into the narrow hall so she could see which room she was meant to be going into.