The More I Try (An One Direction Fan Fiction)

Risks (Chapter Eighteen)

The smile that was etched across Thalia's face from the moment she opened that box stayed on her face for the next two days. Right up until Zayn pulled up in front of her house in a taxi.

From there on she only had more reason to smile.

"A cab?" Thalia asked as Zayn got out of the back, smiling weakly as he went to hold the door open for her.

"Would've gotten a limo, but there was nothing available." He answered, making Thalia laugh as he shut her door behind her. A second later he slid in next to her, cuing the driver to drive before turning to her with a sheepish and seemingly nervous smile.

"So where are we heading?" Thalia asked, curiosity making her eyes sparkle.

"Toronto. The rest is a surprise." Zayn replied easily, watching Thalia carefully as she seemed to just think for a moment.

"We're driving all the way into Toronto, for a date?" Thalia repeated, smiling through a confused face. Her fingers absent mindedly began playing with the hem of the light blue skirt that Arden had forced her to wear. They'd spent hours on the phone, Thalia just sending Arden pictures until he was satisfied that her skirt matched her white top and her white shoes and what not.

"Yeah, I've got something very special planned." Zayn finished, ending their conversation on what they were going to do. Soon enough they were chatting and joking around on their hour long ride into the city.

Thalia almost didn't realize they'd stopped just in front of the Toronto Island docks, still deep into their conversation- discussing their childhoods and life growing up.

"Aw, growing up in Bradford must've been so different from Stoney Creek. Here I can remember elementary school being so much fun, and then high sch-" Thalia started suddenly stopping, and just staring into space for a second as she thought.

"Yeah, high school was fine." She coughed into her fist, changing the topic by getting out of the cab and taking in the docks. "Toronto Island?"

Zayn confirmed with a nod, smiling excitedly as he reached for her hand- pulling her along with him away from the cab. After a couple minutes of waiting in line and speaking to people he'd already arranged things with- Zayn and Thalia were watching the water roll by on the top floor of the Ward Island ferry.

It was private, only them and some workers on the top floor- which Zayn was grateful for, and Thalia thought didn't matter. She only had the view of the ferry coming close to the island on her mind, watching the island roll out in front of her as the breeze played with her hair.

"It's lovely." She simply said, sighing dreamily as she leaned against the railing. Zayn went to stand next to her just, just watching as the sun rose behind the foliage covered island. Glancing sideways at her, he found that she was staring straight at him.

"What are we doing on Toronto Island? Kiddy rides at Centre?" She asked, smirking when Zayn made a shocked look.

"Who told you?!" He burst, making Thalia laugh. After she'd calm down he finally shared the details of his plans with her. "I was actually, thinking more along the lines of- a picnic?" He nervously said, pulling a picnic basket out from seemingly nowhere.

Thalia felt her heart fluttered at the sudden romantic thought, smiling wide as she slowly opened the top of the basket. Inside she found little peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cut up into hearts and stars and other cute little shapes. Then there were little drink boxes and cookies, wrapped up in saran wrap.

It made Thalia looked up at Zayn with a slightly opened smile, both surprised and happy beyond what she'd ever known.

"I know, I made them myself- and it was Louis how made them into little shapes when I wasn't looking. It's really dorky, I know-" Zayn started, looking extremely nervous and embarrassed before Thalia cut him off.