Act Like You're in Love {Niall Horan}

Chapter 46: Caught

~Mariah's P.O.V.~

I woke up next to Niall -- my favorite way to wake up.

I was a bit uncomfortable since I went to sleep in my clothes instead of pajamas or something comfy, but I didn't want to move because Niall's arm was draped over my body, and I might wake him.

"Are you awake?" his voice passes through the air quietly.

I giggled. "Yeah, I thought you were sleeping." I turned over to face him.

"Let's go to the mall," he said. "But don't go all shopping-happy."

I guess we're continuing our spree of doing things.

Thirty minutes later I was dragging Niall into a photo booth that had finally freed; the mall was swarming with shoppers since it was a Saturday. Niall groaned, a clear sign that he didn't want to take pictures, but I knew he didn't really mind.

"Which picture border should we do?" I immediately questioned as we sat down, scrolling through the options after inserting a few one dollar bills.

"Uh, um," Niall stuttered. "Whichever you'd like."

"No, don't give me that crap. You don't have to let me make all of the decisions," I said seriously facing him. I wanted him to know that I didn't want him to just go with whatever I said because if he had a problem with it, I wanted to know. This was a little thing, but it's just showing that it's okay. I hated how my dad always did what my mother wanted. I felt like being together with someone should be more like a partnership rather than a dictatorship.

Niall looked taken aback for a second, but I guess it clicked because he pointed to one and said, "Well, I guess I kinda like that blue one."

I smiled. "Alright." Then I selected that before the camera timer began. "Uh, let's do funny faces!" I suggested in a spur of the moment.

I fishy-faced with big eyes while Niall stuck his tongue out and used his fingers to drag his eye lids down.

Before I knew it I was already giggling. "What next?"

"Angry face?" Niall said uncertainly.

I furrowed my eyebrows together and pouted. Then there was Niall, who made me crack up all over again with a frowny face that was supposed to be angry-looking but actually looked adorable.

"We should do funny faces again," Niall suggested.

"Okay!" I blew up my cheeks and crossed my eyes right before the camera clicked a photo, but Niall's lips touched my fat cheek. Instantaneously I felt something else on my cheek: a blush.

He just gave me a sly smile before declaring the last pose as a normal, smiley picture, in which surprisingly neither of us ended up making weird faces or messing it up.

I pushed away the black curtain so I could get to the photo slot where the picture roll was supposed to come out. Bouncing on my toes like an excited child, I waited and waited until finally the machine made a noise before pushing the two strips of photos out.

I looked at them, but when I did, I didn't think, Ew. Look at me. I'm ugly. I had never been extremely insecure. Sure, I didn't think I was drop-dead gorgeous, but I never used the word "ugly" on myself. But in the pictures with Niall, I looked like I was glowing; I looked like I was happier, and that's the most beautiful thing, isn't it?

A tiny, but real, smiled settled on my face in content while I gazed at the pictures. I felt Niall's eyes on my eyes, but eye contact was not made since I didn't look up.

I stuck the strips in my purse. Later I'd put one up on the backboard of my desk where I have a photo strip collection with friends. I never took one with a boyfriend before.