Falling For His Princess

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

"Okay, Jamie." Elle turns to me with a ponderous look on her face. "Should I get the mango and lime chicken or the medium. I really like both, but I got the mango and lime last time. On the other hand, I'm not really in a spicy mood today. Hmm, what are you getting?"

My best friend and I had just walked into the neighborhood Nando's, coincidentally, the only one in the States. We went there a lot because when we didn’t feel like hanging around our houses, it was our favorite place to hang out. Every other decent place in Washington D.C. was either full of suits or tourists. The suits being senators and whatnot. By now you'd think that we wouldn't spend so much time wondering what to order at the familiar fast food restaurant, since we could practically recite the entire menu in our sleep.

"Just the lemon and herb," I reply.

"Oh, how unpredictable,"  Elle says sarcastically, giggling and nudging me playfully. "But seriously, what should I get?" She whines, as if she were facing an extremely difficult decision. I sigh as we both stand in line thinking, and I let my eyes wander around the Nando’s. A nearby window catches my attention, and I study my reflection, frowning. I’m not particularly conceited or anything, just bored. Not to mention the fact that I’m a fourteen-year-old girl. My light brown hair looks normal, wavy and hanging just below my shoulders, as always. As I brush my side bangs out of the way, I stare into my deep blue eyes, which are my favorite feature. Even so, I just look like the average American teen.

Suddenly, I notice Elle’s attention focus on something over my shoulder and her eyes open wide.

"What is it now, Elle? Another hot guy that you wanna go flirt with?" I say, raising an eyebrow at her teasingly, about to turn around.

"Don't!" she hisses. "It’s Niall Horan. Niall Horan is standing right behind you." I roll my eyes.

“Nice try. Well, not really, if you think about.” I laugh. “But seriously, stop kidding around, I’m really hungry.”

"I'm not lying about this!"

Grudgingly, I take a quick peek over my shoulder and catch a glimpse of an all too familiar green snapback resting on a mess of dyed blond hair.  Holy shit. She's not kidding. I whip back around to face Elle.

"What do we do?" I whisper frantically. I notice Elle starting to get that playful look in her eye.

"Go! Talk to him, he's right there. Most people don't ever get this chance!"

"What, no! What would I do, just turn around, tap him on the shoulder and start talking to him like we've always been the best of friends?" I say sarcastically.

"Yes!" Elle pokes me in the stomach. "Go!" I shake my head. There is no way I'm going to talk to Niall Horan, the Niall Horan, and make an idiot of myself. "Well, if you insist..." She trails off, looking away, and I watch her suspiciously before turning to catch another glance of the gorgeous boy behind me. Suddenly, I feel a shove in my side and then I collide into Niall's back. Startled, he turns around, clutching my arms to steady me.

"Are you okay?" he asks with concern in his voice. I almost pass out at the sound of that Irish accent.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" I say, dazed. "My friend-" I turn to gesture at Elle. Or should I say, where she should be. Crap. I glance around the Nando's, searching for a sight of that long, black ponytail. I look back at Niall to see a quizzical expression on his face. "Umm, well, my friend Elle, she sort of shoved me into you." I explain weakly. That sounds so weird. He laughs, reaching out to shake my hand.

“Hi, I’m Niall,” he shoots me a friendly grin. I shakily return the handshake, wincing. Why are my hands sofreakishly small next to his? He looks at me expectantly. “Do you have a name?” He asks jokingly. Name? Right. Oh god, kill me now.