The Only Direction

Chapter Seven- Aria

The tall brunette wrapped her arms around Niall and whispered something to him. Seriously? If he had been any other guy on the street she wouldn’t have thrown herself at him. But of course, being a famous hot member of One Direction, he was a desperate babe magnet.

            “Erm, as much as I’d love to, I have a lover,” he said to her, pulling her arms off of him and stepping away.

“What? WHO!” shrieked the plump redhead.

Niall placed his hands around my hips and looking into my eyes with his own. His eyes twinkled mischievously, like clear blue high tide water did right before it was low tide. Actually, that’s what they looked exactly like at the moment.

“Her,” he said. And immediately after that he pressed his lips to my own.

I won’t lie. I was frightened. I understand that he and I were playing fake lovers. But I thought it meant us play flirting and holding hands and whatnot. Not making out for fan girl strangers.

After a bit I finally opened my own mouth. It wasn’t that bad kissing him. He tasted like the spicy chocolate brownies he had eaten just a few minutes ago. I gently ran my fingers through his baby soft blonde hair. His hands moved from my hips to my lower back. I prayed he wasn’t trying to feel my love handles.

Seriously? A hot guy was making out with me and I was concentrating on whether or not he found my body to be to fat? I worry wayyy to much.

Niall pulled away and grinned at me. He turned to the three girls beside us. Blondie wore a scowl and had her arms angrily crossed over her chest. Redhead stood with her mouth wide open and her hands on her hips. The brunette looked the worst though, by far. Her hands were balled into fists and she looked like she was about ready to punch either Niall or myself. Or possibly even both.

“See ya girls,” he said before grabbing my hand and walking away.

“What was that?” I asked when we got inside of his car, giggling like a baffling idiot.

Niall threw back his head and laughed. “Well that certainly got them off of our backs”.

“Jesus Niall you could have warned me you were going to do that!” I said, hitting his arm.

“Oww! I thought we were on the same page when you said we should fake date”.

“I meant we could hold hands and fake talk!”

He narrowed his eyes on me. “So everything we talked about. It was fake? It was just an act so we could keep the fan girls at bay while we ate a peaceful dinner?”

I began chewing on my fingernail, as I often found myself doing in a moment of stress or nervousness. “Obviously not. Had it been fake I would have been completely all over you. I was talking to you like a normal person. But I didn’t expect you to out of the blue kiss me!”

“Oh honestly Aria! Do you really find me that bad of a kisser!”

“This isn’t about your kissing skills!”

“Then what is it bloody about? Because as far as I know, you weren’t complaining about it. You were bloody kissing my back with no problem whatsoever!”

I felt my mouth fall into an angry O, before I turned away from him and looked out the window. What an arrogant bastard! There I stood allowing him to kiss me and now he takes it out on me?

After a few minutes I saw him peek at me. “Are you mad at me?” he whispered.

I huffed. He seriously had to ask? “Well I’m not exactly thrilled with you at the moment”.

He pulled the car over in a McDonald’s parking lot. “Listen, I didn’t mean it like that”.

I turned to him and glared. “Then how did you mean it?

“I thought.. I thought you didn’t like it and that’s why you were mad,” he said before mumbling something unintelligible.

“What was the last part I couldn’t hear you”.

“I said I haven’t kissed all that many girls!”

“This wasn’t about the kiss itself. It’s about who could of seen”.

“Stop worrying, nobody saw it. What are you so paranoid about?”

“Oh I don’t know. Maybe that someone will have seen, taken a picture, and either posted it on the internet or sent it to a magazine. And how will everyone react to sweet little Niall Horan fake dating an American girl”.

“Aria you’re just being paranoid”.

“No I’m not. Take me home”.

“What?” he asked, looking completely confused. Was he just playing stupid tonight?

“You heard me. I said take me home”.

“Aria I didn’t mean-“

“I don’t care!” I said, cutting him off. “Dammit Niall! You’re just a bowl of unpredictable tonight, aren’t you! First you kiss me out of NOWHERE and expect me to be ok with it. Then, when I worry about how it will affect your public image you assume I’m calling you a bad kisser! I honestly just want to go home right now”.

He sighed, bit his lip, and restarted the car.

When we walked up the stairs and stood in front of both of our apartments he looked at me sadly.

“I didn’t want tonight to end like this,” he whispered.

“Neither did I,” I whispered back. I felt my eyes well with tears

He held his arms “Come here,” he said in his adorable irish accent. I sighed and hugged him back.

He pressed his lips to my ear and playfully whispered, “I’m not that bad of a kisser am I”.

I giggled. “No you weren’t that bad”.

He grabbed my face and jokingly kissed me on both cheeks like a French person, emphasizing the “muah, muah” .

I laughed. “Goodnight Niall”.

“Goodnight,” he said, before I turned around, unlocked the door, and went inside.

I flicked on the light switch. “Alison?” I called out. No answer. She obviously wasn’t home.

I sat on the sofa, turned on the television, and flicked through the channels until I found a decent show. It appeared that a Pretty Little Liars marathon was on, so I settled for that.

Ok so maybe the kiss hadn’t been that big of a deal. As much as I hated to admit it, I actually kind of liked it.

But what if the tabloids did see? And Niall would have his image tainted forever, as the jerk who fake dates girls. Or the jerk who takes a girl out once, brings her home, and never sees her again. I couldn’t to that to poor Niall.

“Oh just shut up,” I whispered to myself, before turning off the television and going to bed.