That Smile (A Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter 5: Forget About It

"Bulletproof nothing to lose, fire away, fire away." Lauren muttered the lyrics to Titanium by David Guetta as she stared at herself in the mirror applying mascara. "You shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium, you shoot me down, but I won't fall, I am titanium."

"Almost ready?" Elyse appeared at the doorway.

"Yeah, hold on." Lauren blinked and then carefully wiped a smudge by her eye. She twisted the cap back on her mascara and tossed it into her cosmetic bag that was on the counter. On the way out of the bathroom, she flipped off the light, and then she crossed the room to her bed and picked up her purse.

Sammy was sitting down and strapping on her sandals. Once she was done she stood up and sighed in content. "The boys are outside." She had to admit that she was happy to see Harry again, even though it hadn't been long since they last saw each other.

"Ready?" Lauren asked and the other two girls nodded. They left their room and went down the hall to the stairs. Waving to the desk attendant, they pushed their way through the front doors of the residence hall and into the bright mid morning LA sunshine. Lauren squinted, trying to adjust her eyes to how bright it was.

"Lauren!" Niall said excitedly once he saw her. He jumped up off the bench that he, Harry, and Zayn were sitting on. Harry and Zayn followed suit and they crossed the path to meet the girls. Harry wasted no time kissing Sammy's cheek and wrapping his hand in hers. Zayn must have said something funny when he greeted Elyse, because she was laughing and smiling.

"Did you have a good night last night?" Niall asked Lauren as they started off down the path towards the van that held Louis and Liam and would take them to the mall.

"I had a great time, thanks, did you?"

"The best," they walked next to each other, not touching and remaining quiet, slowly and behind the others. Finally Lauren spoke.

"Niall," it came out in more of a statement than a question.

"Yes?" He asked, a little alarmed that he had done something wrong.

"What, um, happened last night in the dressing room, um I didn't mean to make anything awkward." Lauren choked on her words as she tried to spit them out.

"Oh, that. Don't worry about it. I, um, didn't want to make it awkward either, uh" Niall was also having trouble talking.

"So, I guess it's cool then."

"Yep, like it never happened." He nodded in agreement, though there was no way that he could deny to himself these feelings he suddenly had for a girl that he had just met the day before, but whatever.

"Great," Lauren's voice drifted off and once again they were silent. Finally they reached the van, and suddenly Lauren was thrust into the hilariousness that was One Direction, her main reason for loving them as much as she did.

The ride to the mall was filled with many jokes and comments that had Lauren practically dying in laughter. At one point she buried her head into Niall's arm because she just couldn't take it anymore. Niall was also laughing, as was everyone else in the car. Including the driver and the security guard.

When they arrived at the mall and went inside they all dispersed and went their on ways. Zayn and Elyse went in the direction of the bookstore and Sammy and Harry, Louis, and Liam went down another way, leaving Niall and Lauren.

"I'm hungry." Lauren stated.

"Great, me too." Niall smiled in relief, he didn't really want to be his usual self and kill the moment by saying that he needed food.

"To the food court it is." Niall grinned. Yep, he really really like Lauren. Lauren set off in quick walk towards the food court, Niall struggled to keep up. It was really great to be with someone who was like him, and understood him like that.