Friendzoned

6. Number

The sun was just starting to rise over the ocean and I couldn’t help but smile a little. I’ve said this rock is my favorite place in the world right? Well, it is. No one ever comes down here, and no one is ever awake this early so it’s completely and comfortably silent. I love it. I wish I could stay here all the time, but the sun only rises once a day.

Once the sun was fully up, I walked back to my bike, pedaling back home slowly because I knew it was going to be a long day. First, my shift at work was moved up to nine, and I have to stay until one—which will be nothing more than a pain in the ass. Then after that, Mom and I have to go out and look for new paint for the basement because she ‘can’t stand white’, and knowing my mom that will probably be about three hours, at least. Then I get a little down time until I have to go to the beach for Louis and Chip’s beach volleyball tournament. God knows how long that’s going to be.

All I know is I’m not in the mood for any of it. I don’t know why, but as I pedaled away from my rock, it just felt like I hit a wall of PMS. Either that or I’m just in my natural once every two week pissy mood. Doesn’t matter. I just want to stay in bed.

——

“Isn’t that your music boy?” Elena called. I turned around to see Niall walking into the restaurant, looking like he owned the place as he waved to someone on the other side of the room. Three weeks into his Nerja vacation and he has become the talk of the town. Everyone wanted him at their party, or to hang out with him on the beach or just talk to him. Even some of the girls at work gossip about him and make up little stories about what they would do if he gave them a second glance.

I wonder what it was about him that made everyone love him. The blue eyes? Feathery blonde hair that was brown at the roots? Maybe it was the charm…and the way he just looked like he didn’t give a shit about what anyone thought of him.

He almost always has a girl hanging around him, or gawking at him at the very least, and he almost always never gives her the time of day. Even Eileen got shut down multiple times because—as we talked about once before—he doesn’t like how overbearing she is. I think it’s gotten to the point where if you’ve made out with Niall Horan you can basically count yourself as a celebrity, indirectly. The weird thing is he doesn’t seem to notice that every girl here is in love with him.

That’s another thing about Niall, he’s so damn oblivious—well at least he is when it comes to girls except me. He probably didn’t even notice every girl in here turn around and watch him walk in, but he’s probably staring at me through those dark sun glasses. It’s not what it sounds like though, it’s just the fact that we’re such close friends that we notice things about each other that we wouldn’t in other people. And by close friends, I mean we’re the same as before. The only thing that’s changed is we hang out more, and the awkward silences we share are a bit shorter. That being said though, I think I’m the only girl he actually talks to.

“Go eat with him.” Elena’s voice was suddenly next to me, knocking me out of my thoughts.

“I’m working.”

She rolled her eyes, “You’re on break. Va chicka!” She started hitting me with her towel, shooing me away to go eat with Niall. I think she had her own little crush on Niall too. Every time he walks in here—this is only his third—she freaks out and makes me eat with him so no one else does and makes sure his every wish is tended to. Who cares if someone else eats with him? I’m tempted to tell her that she should eat with him, but I feel like she wouldn’t hold back slapping that towel in my face.

I walked Niall giving him a small smile, “Hi.” For each smile I give Niall, he returns one twice as big.

“Hey.” I shifted awkwardly as we stood there looking at each other—at least I think he was looking at me, I couldn’t really see for the sunglasses. Luckily, our silence was broken by someone coming to escort Niall to his table. The girl, Abby from Israel (that’s how she introduced herself to me), completely ignored me, even though I was talking to her about ten minutes ago, and led Niall to a booth toward the left of the room. All the girls in the room were murmuring, watching him as I shuffled behind.