Picture Imperfect (Niall Horan)

36 - Niall

36 – Niall

Fuck.

I bite my nails as I stand out on the balcony of the hotel room in Miami, my elbows resting on the edge. My foot is tapping and I can’t stay still. Cassie needs me. I know she does, even if she doesn’t.

Her phone call from earlier keeps replaying in my head over and over again. I hate that I can’t be there for her when she needs it. Many times I almost leave and get on a plane, but I talk myself down. Just hearing her crying on the other end of the line was enough for me to develop pure hatred for Brandon. Isn’t he supposed to be her friend? Isn’t he supposed to be there for her during this difficult time? Instead, he’s making her cry.        

In a sick and twisted way, I’m glad, because she called me. Based on the amount of silence between us before we left for Miami, I didn’t think she would turn to me. But she did. And that makes me love her even more, because now I know that she knows she can count on me.

“Niall?” A voice calls from behind me. I turn. It’s Parker. “Hi,” she smiles, stepping out and standing next to me.

“Hi,” I breathe, finally taking a deep breath.

“What are you doing out here?” she asks, her long brown hair blowing in the warm breeze. The Miami weather is wonderful.

I shrug. “Thinking, I guess.”

“About Cassie,” she says. It’s not a question.

“Why doesn’t everyone assume that I’m thinking about Cassie, or that I’m upset about something that has to do with Cassie?” I groan.

“Are we ever wrong?” Parker raises an eyebrow.

I remain silent, and that’s all the confirmation she needs. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know,” I helplessly reply.

Parker bows her head. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?”

“I’m sorry because she cannot see how much she needs someone like you. Actually, no. Not someone like you, just you. She can’t see what’s right in front of her.”       

I give her a weak smile and throw an arm over her shoulder, pulling her to me. Parker always has a way of cheering everyone up. “Thanks, Parker.”

“You’re welcome.” It’s silent for a few heartbeats and I am actually feeling a little better as Parker rests her head on my shoulder. “We should go out,” she says suddenly.

“What?”

“You and me. Let’s go out today. Liam is busy and I don’t want you going insane staying in this hotel room.”

“Are you sure?” I ask, knowing that she has bad memories that happened in this city.

“I’m sure,” the brunette says, more to her than me.

I stand up a little straighter. “Okay. Let’s go. Right now.”

Parker grins widely. “Meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes.”

“Is it sad that I don’t miss any of this?” Parker asks me as we walk down the streets of Miami. She’s standing closer than she normally would and her brown eyes are constantly sweeping the crowd. I’m itching to know what happened, but I don’t ask.

I shake my head. “You moved on from whatever happened here. I don’t think moving on is ever sad. It’s a good thing.” She looks over at me, trying to smile but failing. I try my best to make her laugh, to keep her mind off of her past by telling really lame knock knock jokes, and she even smiles a real smile a few times, but I know she’s still on edge.