Picturesque. (Niall Horan)

chapter 1

My mood perked up slightly when I saw a coffee shop in the distance. The October wind was bitter, so a warm drink would be great just about now. The bells jingled as I opened the front door. There didn't seem to be anyone here, except an old man reading a news paper and a business lady with her phone attached to her ear. That must be the worst. Not having any fun at your job, just getting phone call after phone call. Things like that make me grateful for my own career. It was fun and exciting, a new experience the next day.

I pulled myself out of my thoughts and approached the counter. A girl, probably around my age, looked up and jumped slightly when she noticed me. "What can I get ya?" She said with a forced smile. An older man behind her coughed as soon as she finished. She exhaled and plastered on a fake smile. "Welcome to the Milk Bar how can I help you?"

"That's better." The man behind her, who I assumed was her boss, murmured and walked into the back of the shop. As soon as he was gone, her posture slumped and her smile dropped.

"Can I just get a coffee with three sugars and cream, please." I tried being polite, knowing the poor girl probably hated her job and had to deal with pricks all day.

"What size?" She gestured to the various sized cups on the counter.

"Uhh.." My eye brows knitted together. "Large, is fine." I finally replied. She nodded in compliance and continued to make my order. I took the time to inspect her. Her hair was up and covered by a green hat that matched her green polo. She was slim, but not too tall. Her shoes looked worn out and there were deep bags under her eyes.

"Is that all sir?" She placed the cup in front of me.

"Yeah, that'll be all." I reached into my pocket and fished for a bill.

"Two seventy-five." The cash register dinged as she gave me my change.

"Keep it." I replied. She smiled generously and placed the change into a glass container next to the register. When I wrapped my fingers around my cup, my whole body warmed up immediately. The rain was pouring down harder now, so I decided to just sit in the shop for a while. I took a seat facing the window. Even though I was inside, I kept my obnoxiously large sunglasses on in order not to get noticed. Not that I didn't love my fans, it was just nice to have a minute to myself.

I gazed out the window and focused on the rain falling from the deep grey skies. There wasn't a person occupying the streets, nor any cars whizzing by like they usually would be. That was strange for London. Typically it was a busy city. I didn't let it bother me too much because I was enjoying the alone time.

"Did you hear me Johnson? Fired!" I jumped when I heard the sound of yelling coming from behind me. I whipped my head around to see what all the commotion was about. The girl that made my drink was making her way across the shop with her boss yelling at her. She didn't say anything, she just threw her hat on the floor and stormed out into the rain. Her boss looked embarrassed when he realized the few people inside were looking at him as if he were crazy. I shot up out of my seat and followed the girl outside. Leaving my perfectly good coffee, I ventured out in the rain to find the girl who just stomped out.

I spotted a figure walking in the distance. "Hey!" I yelled out. She didn't respond. For some reason, I started jogging to catch up to her. "Hey!" I tried again after I was closer. Still nothing. I kept jogging until I was just a few feet away.

Kaylie:

I cannot believe I just got fired. And with all those costumers watching no less! God I hate when people stare at me like that. It makes me feel like even more of a freak. I let out a frustrated sigh and angrily kicked a rock across the road. The rain was pouring down and I had to walk all the way back to my flat. Just great.

In attempt to salvage some warmth, I wrapped my arms around my body. But that didn't do much. Behind me I could hear a noise, footsteps maybe? I couldn't really tell over the sound of the rain pouring down on the sidewalk. Letting it roll off my back, I kept my steady pace of walking.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. They sounded like they were right behind me. I whirled around and saw someone keeled over, panting to catch there breath.

"Can I help you?" My tone was bitter, like the air that nipped at my bare arms.

When the guy regained his breath, he looked up at me. He was still bent over, supporting his upper body with his hands on his knees. "Well, I was just in the coffee shop and saw what happened-"

"Look," I said cutting him off, "can you not mention that please? I just want to forget it happened." I turned back around and started making my way home. I really was not in the mood to replay everything that just happened at work.

There was a hand on my shoulder. "Well, you shouldn't be walking home alone in the rain, you'll catch a cold."

"I'll be fine." I tried to stop my teeth from chattering. God it was freezing outside.

"Come on, let's get you out of the rain." He took off his sweat shirt and held it over both our head, stopping the rain from hitting us. We started jogging down the now empty sidewalk. I didn't have a clue where he was taking us, I just hoped he wasn't a secret killer or anything. "It's just another block." He added, his breath visible in the cold air. I nodded my head, even though he didn't see me. My hands were numb from the bitter rain. I tried rubbing them together to salvage some heat. We took a sharp right turn into a building and stood in the middle of a lobby. It looked really nice and expensive. "You coming?" I jumped at the sound of his voice.

Against my better judgment, I followed the stranger to the lift. We stood side to side and listened to the elevator music. "Are you a serial killer?" I blurted out, not realizing how strange it sounded.

He chuckled. "No, I am not."

"Oh." I looked down at my soaking wet shoes. "What's your name?"

"I'm Niall."

"That's a strange name." I piped in.

"It's Irish." He added.

"Oh." I whispered to myself, nodding my head slowly. "Then what are you doing in London?"

"My job has me here." Niall answered slowly, as if he were making sure he was saying the right thing. Before I could ask him anything else, the lift jerked to a stop and opened it's doors. "Ladies first." Niall held his arm out to stop the doors from closing. I stepped out cautiously, cringing at the feeling of soaked socks beneath me. My steps fell behind Niall as we walked to his flat. 408. He pulled out a set of keys and unlocked the door. He stepped in first, but closed the doors after I stepped in.

"Why did you bring me to your flat?" I asked a little uneasy with the stranger.

"I just didn't want you to have to walk home in the pouring rain." He waltzed into his kitchen and put his keys on the counter. I followed after him and leaned against the wall.

"Why? You don't know me?"

"Do you want something to drink?" He changed the subject and opened his fridge.

"No thanks." I crossed my arms, now feeling a little warmth.

"You sure?" He poked his head above the door. "I can make some tea."

"I'm alright. Thank you though."

A streak of lightening flashed through the blackened sky, followed by a roar of thunder. A sigh escaped my lips. "Would you like me to put your clothes in the dryer?" Niall closed the refrigerator door and opened a can of soda. "I have some clothes you can change into."

Why are you at a strangers house and why is he offering to dry your clothes? My thoughts bounced around my head. 

"It's alright, I should be getting home." I started backing out of the kitchen slowly.

"I'll give you a ride."