Smile at a Stranger (1D/ Niall)

Zoning out

Well my realization that I'm an idiot came today when I was planning on putting up a new chapter... which I will do.  And realized that I didn't upload a certain chapter.... So I went back and changed it.  So check it out!!! It's called "Get you next time" and this chapter you've probably already read.  And the next one will be new.  HAppy?

Vote, comment, read on!

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Chapter 9

Zayn's POV

I click the camera app on my phone for the fourth time just to make sure my hair still looks good.  Then I check my collar on my nice shirt.  I look pretty damn good if I do say so myself.

Well that was what Summer wanted.  For all of us to look nice but casual.  A smile still comes on my face when I think back to an hour ago.  Niall trying to figure out what to wear.  He asked me for advice, and literally he tried on 7 outfits.  

I think the reason for him acting like such a girl is because a girl.  A certain girl.  A certain girl who happens to be our tour guide. 

It's funny because I've never seen him so puppy dog in love like this.  Which makes me smile more. 

"Zayn?"  I see Liam's hand waving in front of my face.  I look at him next to me. "You're zoning out." 

"Oh."  I'm not sure how to respond.  I like spacing out.  It gives me time to think.  I look back out the window and at Summer's front yard.  Her house looks so normally American.  Then my heart practically stops.

Louis needs to stop honking that horn!  "Lou!"  I yell at him.

"I'm hungry!"  He yells back at me.

"It's only been 5 minutes.  Give her a break."  I tell him calmly.  Summer needed to change for dinner, and we all decided to stay in the car.  Mostly because she said she would be fast.  Apparently she doesn't understand what Louis thinks of as fast.

"I'm hungry too."  Niall whines behind me.

I roll my eyes and hop out of the car.  "I'll be right back."  I tell them and start walking to Summer's house.  She left the door open so I walk right in.

"Summer!"  I yell into the house.

"Up here!"  I follow her voice up the stairs and down a hall.  I stand in her doorway. 

She looks up at me and smiles uneasily.  She's in a navy tank top and a black lace skirt.  "I'm taking forever aren't I?"  She asks nervously and guilt ridden across her face.

"Not at all."  I reassure her.  She smiles a little easier but then looks back at her closet.  I sit on her bed which has clothes thrown onto it. "Don't know what to wear?"  I ask knowing the answer.

She turns around.  Her eyebrows raised and smiling at me innocently.  She's probably freaking out.

"You're beautiful no matter what you wear."  I know she needed to hear that.  She blushes but turns around quickly.  I think I caught a giggle too. 

"But you're One Direction."  I hear her mumble.  She sighs.

"And that matters because?"  She doesn't need to be so insecure around us.  She just needs to be herself.  I know that's what Niall likes. 

She turns around, giving me a look and with her hands on her hips.  "Do I need to explain it to you?"  She says sassily.  Then she giggles turning back around.

"I'll help if you want."  As much as I avoid these situations, I know she needs me.  And I'm ok being there for her.

"Ok."  She says determined.  She grabs a pink and black striped shirt and puts it on.  She turns around.  "I'd put on a black tank top."  She tells me before expecting an answer.

"Very edgy.  I like it."  She smiles happily at me.  But turns around again. She takes off that shirt and throws it to me.  Then she grabs some green top and puts it on.  She turns around once again. 

It's silky and outlines her figure very well.  My eyes take in her overall look and how beautiful she is.  It's a normal involuntarily action when I see a pretty girl. 

"Wear that."  I say smiling.  She blushes and looks at the ground. 

She comes over and grabs my hand and leads me to her bathroom.  My eyes fall to her necklaces hanging from a little metal tree.  Her fingers pass over some necklaces obviously looking for a certain one.  I watch her grab a necklace that looks like rose gold and the pendant is a key with the top being a heart. 

"My parents got me this in Tiffany's when I turned 14."  She smiles sweetly at the necklace as if it means something to her. 

"Let me put it on you."  I gently take it from her hand and lay it around her neck.  She lifts her hair up.  I hook it in the back.  She lifts her eyes up to my reflection.  I smile at her reflection and she smiles back.  "You're gorgeous."  I tell her right in her ear.  I see her shiver. 

"Thanks."  She smiles and blushes. 

"Niall will agree."  I turn and leave with a smirk on my face.  I get half way down the stairs when I hear her following.

"What do you mean?"  She asks anxiously.

I continue down the stairs and wait for her to catch up to my side.  I look at her worried face.  She is beautiful even when she is slightly freaking out.  "Summer, Niall choked and did a spit take when he saw that picture of you and Liam." 

Her mouth drops open slightly.  Her eyes not leaving mine.  The colors of them remind me of a deep chocolate but with a red tint.  Then she looks away taking an uneasy breath.  She attempts a giggle, but it's completely forced.

"Don't be nervous, love."  I put my arm around her and lead her outside.  She grabs shoes and a purse on the way out. 

"Thanks Zayn."  She says quietly as we walk out the door.  I look down at her.  Her straight brown hair flows in the cool wind.  She smiles at me.  An honest smile. So I do the same back. 

I open the passenger door for her.  She slides in.  Then I run around the car to get to my seat.  "Where are we going?"  Liam asks. 

"Beck's.  It's a really nice seafood place.  But it also serves other things."  She turns around looking at us with a smile.

"Ok.  You look very nice by the way."  Liam says giving her that sweet Liam smile.

"Yeah, you do."  Harry says giving her a wink.  I'm pretty sure he knows that she's off limits.  I think everyone can tell that Niall likes her.

"Stop flirting Harry.  Summer needs to tell me where to go."

"I wasn't flirting."  Harry says firmly.  Whoa... Harry really doesn't want anyone to think he is flirting.

"It's actually really close."  Summer says totally unaffected.  Louis pulls out of her driveway.  "Go right."  She tells him. 

The drive seemed like 2 minutes.  No one really talked.  We just listened to the radio, which almost never happens.  But I like those silences.  I like thinking about what everyone else must be thinking about.  You would think I would know exactly what they are all thinking.  And sure at times they are predictable, but it's not like I'm in their head. 

So it makes me wonder.  About my best friends.  What they are really thinking about.  What actually goes through their heads.  Sometimes I wish I knew.  But I think I'm pretty good at putting myself in others' positions.  Understand where they are coming from. 

And other times, when they could be thinking about anything, I don't have a clue.