“Oh God, I think I’m blind,” Niall said rubbing his eyes.
I had momentarily gone blind from the flash, but I couldn’t even focus on that.
I could still feel Niall’s lips on my cheek. Warm and soft.
“Are you cold?” He asked looking at me.
I hadn’t even noticed I was shivering, but, yes, I was freezing. My clothes were soaked and it was freezing out. I nodded and he laughed.
“You wanna go back to the hotel?” He asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said though I did want to change, I wasn’t quite ready to go back.
“One more picture for the road,” he said chuckling as he snapped another picture of me.
I quickly shut my eyes, not wanting to go blind again.
Niall stood, putting his shirt back on, then held his hand out to help me up.
He pulled me out of the sand and handed me my bag. I quickly pulled my boots back on.
“Do you know what time it is?” I asked.
“No, hold on, I’ll check,” he said hanging my camera around his neck and grabbing his phone.
We started back towards the street, stumbling through the sand.
“Oh crap,” Niall said as we stepped onto the sidewalk.
“What?” I asked, now digging through my bag to find my phone.
“It’s Eight twenty three,” he said.
“I say we should hurry,” I said.
“Me too,” he nodded.
“Which way do we go?” I asked looking left and right down the street.
“I think it’s this way,” he said pointing right.
“You think?” I asked.
“I’ve never been here before,” he shrugged.
I sighed, wondering how much trouble we were both going to be in when we got back.
“Michaela’s panic face,” Niall said taking another picture.
“I’m not panicking,” I said holding my hand over the lenses even though he had already taken the picture.
“You sure look panicked to me,” he said smiling as I dropped my hand and he took another picture.
“Stop taking pictures of me,” I said.
“Why? You take pictures of me all the time,” he said laughing.
“Strictly business,” I said laughing too.
“Mhmm, I bet you loved every minute of it,” he said.
“Whatever you say,” I said as the camera flashed again.
“How do you know what’s a good picture and what’s not?” He asked looking at things we passed while walking.
“I don’t,” I said as he took a picture of a potted plant.
“But how do you make them look so.. natural?” He asked taking a picture of a sign.
“I just photograph what I like,” I said shrugging.
“Then I was doing it right from the start,” he said turning the camera back to me.
He took another picture, then lowered the camera. I had so many questions on the tip of my tongue.
Why do you like me?
You know more about me than anyone else here and you like me more than anyone else does.
Why are you perfect?
Too perfect. Something I’ll never achieve because I’m too emotionally screwed up.
Why can’t I just admit how much I like you too?
I can barely admit it to myself.
Why did you kiss me?
In so many ways I was thankful it was only on the cheek, I don’t think I could’ve handled a full on liplock.
“We should hurry,” I said as I started walking again.
“It’s eight forty, I’m gonna be in so much trouble,” I said running down the street.
“No you’re not! It’s only ten minutes late!” Niall said running behind me as he snapped more pictures.
“And we don’t even know where we are!” I shouted picking up more speed.
“We’re in New Zealand!” He laughed.
“VERY FUNNY!” I hollered back as a man came out of a shop door and ran straight into me, knocking me to the ground.
“Whoa!” Niall said as he stopped running.
“You two! You trashed my store earlier!!” The old man said pointing to Niall, who was, of course, taking pictures.
I quickly stood up, grabbing my bag as the man started hollering in another language, Niall merrily took pictures of him.
“Niall! Come on!” I shouted grabbing his hand and pulling him away from the man as he snapped more pictures.
“Hey! Those were good pictures!” He said running along beside me.
“There’s the hotel!” I said ignoring him.
“Sweet hallelujah!” He said sarcastically.
“We can’t go in together,” I said stopping at the steps at the front entrance.
“Why?” He asked.
“One; I’m past curfew. Two; We’re not supposed to be alone with each other. Three; Someone’s probably waiting inside for me,” I said.
“I doubt there is, but if you want to be sure, I’ll wait till you get upstairs,” he said.
“Good, I’ll text you when I get up to my room,” I said.
“Okay,” he said walking over to the door greeter.
I pushed open the door as I heard Niall say something about a nice beard, the camera flashing. No one was in the lobby, but I was still cautious as I made my way to the elevators.
The doors opened and Nicole’s eyes bugged out.
“I tried calling you! Where have you been?” She asked as I stepped in.
“My phone’s in my bag and I couldn’t find it,” I said now digging in my bag.
“Oh. Well I just wanted to talk to you. Where’d you say you’ve been?” She asked leaning against the wall.
“I’ve been with Niall,” I said looking at the floor.
Now that I actually said that, it sounded like we’d been out on a date.
“Oh? Where’d you go?” She asked cheekily.
“Don’t start. We just went to a couple stores is all,” I said.
“Mhmm.. well I told Harry I wanted to go home..” she said, her smile fading.
“Really? What’d he say?” I asked as the doors opened.
“He wasn’t very happy,” she said.
“What did he do?” I asked looking for my room key.
“He got a bit angry and we started arguing and he started saying really rude things and I just got really angry and said a few rude things myself and then I left and tried calling you and then you didn’t answer and then… why are you wet?” She asked.
I stared at her, wondering how she got all that out in one breath, then before I could reply, Harry came around the corner of the hallway.
“Nicole!” He called out seeing her.
She turned around, sighing, as Harry ran down the hall to us.
“What?” She asked in an irritated tone.
“I’m sorry, babe, I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said when he made it to us.
“Well it sure seemed like it,” she said crossing her arms.
“Don’t be a brat. You know I just want you to be happy, I should’ve realized that going to see your Grandma will make you happy. It’s your choice, not mine, and I’ll be happy as long as you’re happy. And I don’t hate your Dad, I just hate how he treats you, and how you always follow his stupid rules, but none of that matters, I’m over it and I love you,” he said unwinding her arms so he could grab her hands.
“How long did it take you to come up with that?” She asked trying to hold back a smile.
“About twenty minutes,” he said grinning.
“Liar,” she said.
“I thought of it right when I saw you,” he said pulling her into a tight hug.
“You’re a horrible person,” she mumbled into his chest.
“Why?” He asked laughing.
“Cause you always make me forgive you,” she said pulling back.
“It’s a gift,” he said cheekily.
“Watch it,” she said poking him in the chest.
Harry looked up at me.
“Did you come to her to have a dramatic girl talk about me?” He asked smiling.
“No, I came to ask her about her date with Niall,” she said, her cheeks turning bright red.
“Date with Niall?” Harry asked now grinning.
“It was not a date, we just went to a couple stores, that’s it,” I said trying to get my key out of my bag.
“Why are you blushing then?” He asked cheekily.
“I’m not blushing! I’m freezing!” I said defensively, which was true, but I still felt my cheeks burning a bit from the phrase ‘date with Niall’.
“Why are you wet?” Harry asked looking at my clothes.
“I asked her the same thing,” Nicole said shrugging.
“Whatever happened the text me!?” Niall asked running around the corner, my camera bouncing around his neck.
“I can’t find my phone! Or my freaking key!” I hollered at him as I dug through my bag.
“Why are you wet too?” Nicole asked him.
“We went to the beach,” he said his cheeks red, though I wasn’t sure if it was from blushing or cold.
“Skinny dipping?” Harry asked grinning.
“Obviously not if both of our clothes are wet, genius,” I said kneeling down to look in my bag.
“Right,” Harry said as Niall’s cheeks turned redder.
I finally stood back up and pounded on the door, hoping Emma was in.
“Didn’t find your key?” Niall asked as Harry whispered something to Nicole.
“No, and I can’t find my phone either,” I said knocking on the door again.
“I think Emma is with Zayn,” Harry said.
“Great,” I said opening every pocket in and outside of my bag as I sat down on the floor to dig through it.
“We’re gonna go get some dinner, so I’ll text you later, if you find your phone,” Nicole said.
“Okay,” I said nodding as they walked over, Harry’s arm around her waist.
“Where’d you last have your key?” Niall asked kneeling down in the floor beside me.
I thought for a second.
Last night after I left Niall’s room, I unlocked my door to get a piece of paper to give him my number, I laid the key on the bedside table, and never touched it again
“It’s on my bedside table,” I said as I slumped against the door.
“You have great luck,” he said laughing.
“I don’t think I have any at all,” I said.
“Just call Emma and ask her to bring you her key,” he said.
“I would if I could find my phone,” I said dumping my bag out on the floor.
“Dang.. how do you fit so much stuff in there?” He asked as everything from my 6 pound bag spread across the hallway carpet.
“I don’t know, but my phone isn’t in here,” I said rummaging through the crap.
“Where did you last have it?” He asked looking through the stuff.
I last remembered grabbing it when I left the room earlier, then I put it in my bag, then I heard it beep at the pizza place, and I got it out to the check it, then Niall said something and distracted me and I laid it on the table.
“It’s at the freaking pizza place!” I said throwing everything back in my bag.
“How do you loose things so easily?” He asked laughing.
“I don’t know,” I said as I grabbed the last thing off the floor.
I stared at it for a second, turning the bottle in my hand, it was more than half full. When was the last time I had taken one of my pills? I couldn’t remember. The bottle should’ve already been under half full. Usually the only thing on my mind was the fact that I could take my pills in a couple more hours and be numb from everything. I hadn’t thought about my pills in days. Only one person was responsible for that.
The one sitting on the floor in front of me.
Niall Horan.