Picture Imperfect (Niall Horan)

34 - Niall

34 – Niall

            As soon as the plane touches down in the Miami airport, I am already for this trip to be over. It feels…wrong to be away from Cassie all the time. It’s like I always have to have her around me so I know she’s alright. This whole mess with her dad has got her in emotional overdrive, and I’m supposed to be the one that’s there for her. She knows it, I know it.

            But because of my job, I can’t be there for her all the time. I care about my job and I care about Cassie, but unfortunately those two don’t mix together. That’s why I’m so envious of Liam and Louis. Marley never leaves our sides, and the same goes for Parker.

            Parker has a history with Miami. Liam told us she grew up here, she was homeless here, and she met Liam here. We don’t exactly know what happened in Parker’s past, but it’s ugly enough to be an arm’s length away from Liam at all times. The only time I see them apart is when we get off the plane, walk into the airport, and Parker goes to the bathroom. Even then, Liam stands outside the door and waits for her. As soon as she returns he takes her hand. Curiosity eats the rest of us alive but we know better than to ask.

            But Parker isn’t the only ones with negative memories in Miami. I met Parker here as well, when I was walking along the beach and I recognized her from the missing person’s stories on the news. I befriended her immediately and we walked for a little while. Long story short, she was the reason Sam and I had a fight. Not because Parker and I were together, but because Sam thought we were. It wasn’t necessarily that argument that broke us up, but it led into our split. Once again, I blamed myself.

            I think of the look on Sam’s face when she saw Parker and I on the beach. We weren’t even doing anything. The feeling I got when the girl I loved accused me of being with someone else is indescribable. And yes, I did love Sam. I told Cassie that the night we sat on the edge of the cliff over-looking the city.

            “C’mon, Niall,” Louis says to me, clapping a hand on my shoulder.

            I blink, being pulled from my thoughts of the past. It’s not a time I would like to remember, but I haven’t heard from or seen Sam since the day she told me she didn’t love me anymore, so of course I would recall the downfall of our relationship in the city that it took place.

            The lads, Parker, Marley and I all pile in the van. Liam and Parker sit in the back. Parker looks out the window, nervously bouncing her knee and staring out the window. Liam notices and takes both her hands in his and kisses her forehead. She leans into him and smiles. Whatever happened in Parker’s past is dark, but Liam is the light that saves her. Just the way she looks at him makes me wish Cassie would look at me like that.

            We’re taken to a hotel and as soon as I get into the room I’m sharing with Zayn and Harry—again—I’m restless. It seems like every time we stay at a new hotel I room with Harry and Zayn. Liam and Louis get rooms with their girlfriends, so it leaves the two single ones and Harry. He immediately takes out his phone and calls Amabel, stepping out onto the balcony.

            The hotel room becomes stuffy and I know I can’t stay here. The interview we are doing is on the Late Night Show, so we have hours to kill. I grab my phone and the car keys to the rental Paul gave me and get up.

            “Going somewhere?” Zayn asks, flipping through channels on the TV. He won’t find anything good; the stations are terrible.

            “Yeah, I’m going out,” I reply vaguely. Normally I would ask if he wants to come, but I want to be alone right now. I slip out the door without letting him reply and jog to the elevator.