Don't Think, Just Jump

From the moment he saw her, Niall knew he had to save her. It was just the way she stood, almost as if life had beaten her down. She was curvy and about average height, her chestnut brown hair was parted in the middle and flowed out past her shoulders. Her silver sequined dress fell right below her mid-thigh. To Niall, she was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen. They were waiting in line for a small performance club. She took notice of his staring and sent a curious glance back. He diverted his gaze to the floor to look at his red and white converse. When she looked away Niall stole another glance at the girl and gathered the strength to speak.

"I'm Niall." He extended his hand to her.

"Michelle." She hesitantly accepted the friendly gesture.

"Nice to meet you, love." The thick Irish accent reverberated through her whole body.

"You're Irish." She stated blatantly.

"I am."

"Where in Ireland are you from?"

"Mullingar." He smiled. "It's in the County of Westmeath. So, basically right in the middle."

"Wow. What are you doing in America then? Specifically, what are you doing in Chicago?"

"Well, my mum moved here for work. And I came along because... Well, I'm a musician. Not professional, but I heard that Chicago is a rather musical city. I'm actually preforming tonight."

"Musical city, huh?" She mulled it over. "Maybe noisy... But I don't really go out much."

"Hm, well we'll just have to change that, won't we?" Niall winked. Her cheeks became flushed and she turned around.

Niall mentally face-palmed. The bouncer looked them over and moved the red velvet rope to the side, letting them past. The twang of a guitar reached his ears as he entered the club. It was dingy and full of self-proclaimed hipsters. The man on stage finished his song and was praised with snaps and whistles of support.

"Well, I best go backstage now." Niall politely dismissed himself. "Can I count on seeing you in my audience?"

"Yes," Michelle smiled. "I would love to listen to you preform."

"Alright!" Niall waved goodbye and flashed his wristband to the bouncer at the stage door. He picked up one of the numerous guitars and strummed it to make sure it was in tune. A moment later, the stage manager stood in front of him.

"Name?" He looked at his clipboard.

"Horan." The man flipped though some papers and took out a highlighter. He scribbled something quickly on the sheet.

"Okay. Our next performer is not here yet, so you're on next." Niall nodded and waited nervously for the person on stage to finish.

A deep sigh was released from the blonde's lungs as he stepped onto the stage. The bright lights momentarily blinded him and he brought his hand over his eyes.

"Hi," He greeted. "My name is Niall Horan. I'm from Mullingar, Ireland. And I'll be singing an acoustic version of the song 'So Sick' by Ne-Yo. This performance is dedicated to an interesting girl I met tonight, and I just wanted to tell her that I'd like to get to know her a little better."

All the women in the audience whooped and whistled at the teen. Niall's bright blue eyes glistened in the stage lights as he searched for the girl he met in line. What was it about her? She wasn't particularly attractive or noticeable, but he couldn't help but be drawn to her. Finally, his eyes locked with those of the very girl he was searching for. Even in the shaded area of the audience, he could see the blush creep onto her cheeks. The blonde boy frowned when she broke his gaze and stared into her lap. When he finished singing, Niall was met with applause and shouting. The crowd loved him. A giant smile grew on his face, but it faded as soon as he noticed that his mystery girl was gone. He could feel disappointment rising in his chest.