how to love // z. m.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

-Still Addison's POV-

I came up coughing and choking on water, with someone's arms around me, running their hand up and down my back, which sent shivers up my spine but soothed me at the same time.

I think it's pretty clear that it wasn't a shark.

And now I probably look like a stupid, idiotic sissy.

"Shh..." the voice cooed into my ear. It was a guy, I knew that. He was holding me gently against his bare chest. "Sorry I scared you, Addie."

Wait.

That accent, plus the fact that he knows my name?

The second I got my breath back, I flinched away from Niall and hit him in the chest.

"You idiot!" I shouted, blowing up in his face. "Why would you scare me like that?! Are you crazy, Niall?!"

Niall didn't even blink. He just kind of had this look on his face that was between sympathy and a smirk. "Sorry, Addison."

"Yeah, you better be sorry," I continued, not letting his attitude ruin this. "I could've completely choked on the water and died. Did you know that you were going to scare me, or was it an accident?"

"An accident, of course," Niall said sincerely, and I looked at him in thought. The smirk on his face was no longer there. "I wouldn't do anything like that to you, Addison." For some reason, that sounded like it had a double-meaning.

I pressed my lips together and sighed finally. "Okay. I forgive you."

"Thanks so much," Niall laughed and wrapped his arms around me. That's when I noticed --- like, really noticed --- that I was being hugged by an incredibly hot topless guy.

I wonder what's going through his head, me being in a bikini and all...

Probably, "Eek, eek, eek, when is she going to let go of me?!"

Hehe.

"Well, want to get back to shore?" I asked as I pulled away from him.

"No," he said, smiling down at me and how close we were to each other, but then he blinked, embarrassed, and said, "I mean, yeah. Sure."

I stifled a laugh and we awkwardly waded through the water to the shore together. Niall jogged over to a set up of towels and grabbed some sunglasses and a hat. He quickly put them on and I raised my eyebrows at him. He looked up and blushed slightly.

"Because of..." he tried to say. "paparazzi and... such..."

"Yeah, I know." I giggled and sat down on the towel next to his own and ran my fingers through my wet air as I sunbathed. "So, what is the Niall Horan doing at a beach in Miami? Shouldn't you be doing sold out concerts right now?"

"Well," he said, getting comfortable, "that's later tonight. At noon I have to leave here though, for rehearsal. I just wanted to get a little relaxation in before the mother-load hits."

I smirked and looked at him out of the corner of his eye.

From his dyed blonde hair to his aquatic, mesmerizing blue eyes, and to his toned chest, everything about him was flawless. Even his personality. It wasn't like he was Niall Horan, the singer.

He was just Niall Horan.

Niall Horan, the guy with an amazing singing voice.

I liked that about him.

Yikes, now I'm sounding like a fan.

I guess I chuckled without realizing it, because Niall looked over at me. "Something amusing you, Addie?"

I bit my lip, smiling over at him and shook my head innocently. "Nope. Nothing funny over here, Blondie."

"Hey, you're a blonde, too," he said, countering me. "And besides, you're a natural blonde. I'm not."

"And?" I flashed him a toothy grin and looked back out to the ocean.

We just sat there like that, until Niall spoke up again. "So, do you know if Toni ever talks about Zayn?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up curiously.

"If you tell anyone this, I'm dead," Niall sighed, looking over at me. "Toni is all Zayn ever talks about any more. I was wondering if that might be the case for Toni, as well."

I sighed, looked down at my hands in my lap. "Toni has a boyfriend. David."

"Right, yeah..." Niall nodded, as if he already knew this. "Zayn's mentioned him before, too. Not in the nicest way, but..."

Something about the way Niall was talking, perhaps because he was being so serious, made me laugh. Being serious is so unlike him. "I don't really like David. He's a nice guy, sure, but not perfect for Toni."

"Exactly."

I smiled at Niall's agreement, and felt a little blush taking over my cheeks.

"You're blushing," Niall stated smugly. "Why?"

"Shut up..." I mumbled, looking away from him.

Niall must've taken steroids for confidence, because he moved closer to me, using his hand to gently turn my head to face him. "So, we've established that Toni has a boyfriend, despite our distaste for him."

Fancy wording.

"Now, I have to ask." He smiled, and I took note that our faces were inches apart. Our lips were inches apart. "Do you, Addison, have a boyfriend?"

I was staring into his bright blue eyes, which weren't far from mine at all, and I could barely muster up my answer. "No."

"Do you want one?" Niall asked quieter, and I felt his breath colliding with my own in the little space between our lips. Moments later, that space vanished.

-Toni's POV-

Sunbathing has got to be one of the most relaxing things any human can do. Honestly.

Except, of course, when someone blocks your sun.

"You're so cute when you're sleeping..." I heard that someone mutter in a certain British accent.

I let a laugh escape my lips. "I'm not sleeping."

I heard silence for a few seconds, before I heard Zayn's voice again. "I, uh, wasn't talking about you..."

I opened my eyes and raised an eyebrow at Zayn. "Really. Who, then?"

"Liam," he blurted. I looked around. There were a few other beach set ups around us, but no Liam.

"Zayn," I said, as if I were talking to a child. "Liam isn't anywhere near here."

"Because you woke him up!" he shouted defensively. "He got mad and left! God, can't you leave Ziam alone?"

I blinked up at him in shock.

"Uh..." He blushed. "Nevermind. Mind if I sit next to you?"

"Sure," I said, pulling my oversized sunglasses over my eyes again as I leaned back into sunbathing position, the position that Zayn joined me in a few moments later.

After a few minutes of silence, I sighed and sat up, twisting myself into a crossed-leg position, facing Zayn.

"So," I said. "What's new?"

He looked up at me through his sunglasses. "Uhm... Nothing?"

"Want to go do something?" I bounced up and down a little in my seat.

"Not really."

"Please?"

No response now.

"Please??"

Zilch.

"Please???"

I was about to scoot over and start shaking Zayn, when my eyes caught sight of something very... interesting, down the beach.

Niall and Addison.

And they were kissing.