× Horan

The white dress she was wearing was rather distracting.

I have watched her all night, leaning into Jace and whispering in his ear, complaining about the small portion of her food and not even knowing how to pronounce what she was eating. It made her uncomfortable, that was easy for me to see. She wasn't born into a lifestyle where you could get whatever you wanted on a silver platter.

That's what I hated about my mum the most.

I hated the fact that I knew everything that was on the menu and that the wine I was drinking is older than I was. I hated that I knew the vest Thomas was wearing only cost twenty five euros from Macy's and how the recruiter beside me was a fake blonde wearing a knock off version of Chanel perfume.

We had dinners like this every year and I hated them all. It only reminded me where I came from. But, for one night, I sucked it up and let my old way of life consume me.

"Lynn," I heard Jace say over the small chatter around me.

I looked up and saw Lynn staring into her wine glass like she could see the future in its golden liquid. When she heard her name, she looked over at Jace like she came out of a trance.

"Are you okay?" he asked her. "You were out in space for a moment there."

"Uh, yeah," she said quickly, putting the glass to her lips and tipping her head back to finish the drink. "I had a long night. I've been getting nightmares and it's taking a toll on me."

Then her eyes flicked over at me and that was when I saw it. I never noticed at practice or when we spoke in her room two days ago, but Lynn looked bloody exhausted. Her movements were slow, eyes soft, and she tried to suppress her yawns only to fail in the end. She made an effort to keep alert as the recruiters talked, but as the night progressed, the drowsiness was clearly getting to her.

I watched her closely as she put the empty wine glass back on the table and leaned into Jace for what seemed like the hundredth time that night, and whisper something in his ear.

Jace nodded as Lynn stood up, grabbing the little white wallet she had brought, and started walking away. It was hard not to watch her leave with her dress barely even covering her arse.

I grabbed my wine glass and finished it off before standing up. I was well aware of eyes from my teammates watching me as I excused myself to the restroom.

As I walked down the stairs, I scanned over the room to see if I could see her. I reached the bottom at the same moment I saw her lace dress step through the front doors and outside into the night.

I didn't care if the lads were watching my every move from the balcony, I followed after her. The night had a crisp breeze and the sky was lit up by all the city lights, the moon just barely visible behind a tall building to the right. I spotted her sitting at one of the white patio tables in front of the restaurant, her arms over her chest and hands rubbing up and down her arms to keep warm.

"Daunted, are you?" I asked as I stepped up behind her.

She spun in surprise to see who the intruder of her thoughts was. "That's an awfully big word," she said once she saw it was me. "It's good to hear your voice. I thought you had gone mute."

"I spoke..." I said as I pulled out a chair beside her and took a seat.

"Once," she retorted. "Does the fancy atmosphere daunt you?" she questioned mockingly as she raised an eyebrow.

Hanging my head, I ran my hands through my hair. "Not exactly," I confessed. "Actually, quite the opposite."

We sat there for a moment as the people came and went from the restaurant, barely batting an eye at the two of us. I could feel her eyes on me and I knew what she was going to say before she said it.

"So what's the deal with your eye?" she asked, confirming my theory.

"James," I simply stated. "Last night when I went to get some clothes from the room, he was there and, well..."

Two days had passed since James found out about Abby and I, and I still hadn't a clue how he had figured it out. Abby was MIA since it happened, no doubt wanting to keep her distance from me, or at least until things cooled down a little. I didn't blame her. James could be terrifying if he wanted to be.

Lynn leaned over the table and looked at me closely. She reached out, almost like she was going to touch me, but seemed to reconsider because she dropped her hand back in her lap.

"Quit looking at me like that," I said into the silence between us.

"Like what?"

"Like you're concerned for my well-being."

"I'm not concerned," she admitted.

My eyes trailed up her bare legs and I could visibly see Goosebumps forming on her skin. The thought of giving her my jacket momentarily crossed my mind, but I pushed it away. It was her own damn fault she didn't bring anything to wear over her tiny little dress that seemed to grab my attention every chance it got. I wasn't Jace, I wasn't the type of lad to just give willingly, nor was I the romantic like he was.

"You and Jace seemed pretty cozy in there," I blurted out.

Lynn looked over at me with a teasing smile playing on her lips. "Are you jealous?"

"Are you hungry?"

She laughed at my sudden change of subject and I couldn't help but crack a smile, too. God, she was something. Even her laugh had me trapped in her web.

Lynn nodded. "I am, actually. My stomach wouldn't be able to live in this kind lifestyle, I don't think."

"You get used to it," I said without thinking.

What did this girl have that made me say things without thinking? One of these days I was going to let something slip that might get me in trouble.

"There's a pizza place at the end of the block," I told her. "Does that sound good to you?"

"Honestly, I'm so hungry that I don't even care that I'll be eating with you," she teased before she stood up

"Damn, you are hungry."

× × ×

Ciro's was a pizza place on the corner of the block. It wasn't anything fancy, so when Lynn and I entered, you could guess that we got some strange looks. More so at Lynn. I mean, her dress was rather short. I should have given her my jacket just so the group of lads sitting in a booth wouldn't be staring at her like a trophy. But of course, I didn't do that.

Instead, I led her as far away from the group as I could and into the back corner, sliding into a booth next to a window that looked outside at the streets. The waitress came and gave us menus.

"Oh, thank God. It's in English," Lynn expressed as she looked through the menu.

We decided to share a cheese stuffed three meat pizza and placed our order. The waitress promised us that it would be there soon and placed our drinks in front of us before she left.

I leaned back into the booth seat and watched Lynn. She was looking down at her lap, fiddling with something on her dress in concentration. If someone were to have told me three weeks ago that I would have willingly invited Lynn to get pizza with me, I may have laughed in their face. Actually, even if they told me that a half hour ago, I wouldn't have believed them.

Maybe I had a little more to drink than I thought...

"You know," I started, watching her as she looked up from the sound of my voice. "I really don't know anything about you."

"That's because we don't like each other, remember?" she smiled. "What do you want to know?" she asked, taking a sip of her soda the waitress had brought to us a few moments ago.

"Where does your brother work?" I asked without thinking. "You told me that he had claustrophobia despite the job that he has."

"You remember that?" Lynn asked, her voice just above a whisper. She looked rather shocked. "He's, uh... He's in Afghanistan at the moment."

"Oh," I said, understanding where she was getting at.

"A pilot, to be exact," she added, looking down at her lap.

What she said that night in my room about how ironic it was for her brother to have the career that he has, it made sense now. He spent his time trapped in a small compartment, it truly was ironic. I wanted to ask her more about her brother, but it was obvious that it was a touchy subject. I wanted to know how close they were together and when the last time they have seen each other was. I wanted to know the laughs they shared and the secrets they threatened to use against each other when they didn't get their way. I wanted to know what it was like to have a sibling that actually gave a shit.

"I have a brother, too," I confessed. "We're not on speaking terms, though."

Lynn's brows furrowed. "How come?"

I shrugged. "Just grew apart, got different interest. He went and got married and had a kid, pretty much leaving me behind. I didn't even know his wife was pregnant until Mum phoned me that she was going into labor."

She swirled her finger around the wet ring her drink made on the table and looked up at me through her lashes. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I would do if Anders ever left me in the dust... Family means a lot to me."

I thought about the essay I took and couldn't help but ask. "What happened to your parents?"

Just as the words left my mouth, the waitress came back with our pizza. The look on Lynn's face told me that she was relieved by the distraction, but I wasn't going to give up that easily. I wanted to believe that it was just a tender subject, I didn't know if it was the look in her eyes, but there was something there that was hard for her to face - more then what I discovered in her essay.

"This looks so good," Lynn expressed as she grabbed the closest piece of pizza and brought it to her mouth. She took a bite and pulled it away, the hot cheese going with it. It strung between her mouth and the pizza and she started laughing, making me join in with her.

The whole thing was so weird. We were actually getting along, laughing and talking together. None of it seemed awkward or even a little irritating to me. I honestly enjoyed being with Lynn.

I never got to ask about her parents again. I didn't learn anything else about her. She told me some jokes and some funny stories about her and her friends back home in California, but that was it. She was keeping herself sheltered from me, and I couldn't even be angry about it. I was doing the same with her.

"So," I started as I picked off a pepperoni from my slice of pizza. "You fancy that waiter at Galvin La Chapelle? I saw you drooling over tall, dark, and handsome."

Lynn laughed. "What's wrong with checking out the merchandise? It's not like you weren't flirting with the blonde scout sitting next to you."

"I wasn't flirting, I was charming. My future could be in her hands, after all."

"But if the opportunity were to rise to sleep with her, would you?"

"In a heartbeat."

Lynn shook her head, an amused smile on her pretty lips. "You're like Himeros, the god of sexual desire. Straight up sleeps with everyone."

I gaped at her in mock offence. "I don't sleep with everyone. I have my limits."

"Oh, and where's the line?"

"Males." I thought for a moment. "Actually, I take that back. I've met some pretty attractive lads before."

Lynn busted out laughing, making everyone around us turn and look. It was a laughter that I could feel in my lungs, so hard that it took my breath away. The lack of oxygen didn't matter. All the tension between us from the past few days melted like snowballs in a microwave. Her laughter rang in my ears like music, and all I could do was smile.

Soon enough - too soon, if I was being honest - her laughter died down and we were back to eating, starting up a new topic of conversation.

We had been sitting there for an hour when there was finally only one piece of pizza left. We both grabbed for it at the same time.

"Here," I said as I ripped it in half. I handed one piece to her and just as she was about to take it, I snatched it away and brought it to my mouth and licked it.

Her mouth opened in revulsion. Then she reached out and grabbed the other one in my hand and started to shove it in her mouth very unladylike. I laughed at her as the red pizza sauce started to trickle out of the corner of her mouth.

I liked seeing her like that. Hell, I liked seeing any girl act like that, so open and unafraid to do something a little out of what is socially acceptable. All the girls I've dated, had sex with, or just knew were all so clean-cut and formal. Lynn was a nice splash in the face.

"I think we should go," I told her as I finished my half slice of pizza. I took out fifteen pounds and put it on the table. "It's getting kind of late."

"No, no," Lynn said as she started digging through her white wallet. "I can pay for my half."

"Not a chance," I told her as I scooted out of the booth.

"Can I at least pay the tip?" she asked. She took out ten quid and looked at it with a confused expression. She peered up at me and then back at the money, looking unsure of herself. "Uh, I'm not sure what the difference of our money is. How much do I need to tip?"

"Nothing," I answered and grabbed her arm to pull her up gently. "I paid."

"Niall," she whined. The sound of my name leaving her lips sent shivers down my arms.

"Lynn," I mocked as I led her out the front door.

I told her that I was parked in the lot of Galvin La Chapelle. We walked side-by-side, her arm brushing against mine every so often. I could visibly see the Goosebumps on her arms, but again didn't bother taking my blazer off for her. I wasn't sure what was going on with us tonight, but I didn't want to ruin it with a gesture known for romance.

"How was that birthday dinner, by the way?" Lynn asked.

"It was fine."

She looked at me closely. "Just fine?"

I shrugged. "It was a dinner, not a trip to Disneyland. The lads asked where you were, but I just told them you weren't feeling well and couldn't make it."

"Sorry about that," she admitted shyly. "I would have gone but I wasn't so sure it was a good idea after what happened... between us."

The kiss. It always came down to the kiss. My birthday dinner was fine, but I did skirt the idea that if Lynn would have gone, that it would have been a little bit better. Not because I enjoyed her company or anything, but because she might have convinced the team to not sing Happy Birthday to me on the top of their lungs in the middle of the restaurant.

But then again, this was Lynn we were talking about. She might have encouraged it.

"Did I ever tell you that you look nice tonight?" Lynn said, changing the topic.

I smiled. I looked over at her and admired her attire for the hundredth time that night. Fuck, she looked good in white lace. The designs along the arms were rather beautiful with the entwined flowers of the fabric. Her white strappy heals made her legs never-ending and her caramel brown hair was down in waves, blowing behind her from the slight wind.

"You don't look half bad yourself," I confessed back to her.

"Oh, I know," she teased.

Her deep sapphire blue eyes twinkled from the street lights and when she smiled at me, I could see small dimples forming at her cheeks. I had the desire to take her in my arms and kiss her right then and there in the middle of the footpath.

But before that craving could grow deeper, I spotted my car in the parking lot and walked faster. I didn't bother to open the door for her or even wait until she was buckled up before I left the lot.

× × ×

I pulled up along the side of the Aspin House and put the car in park, but Lynn didn't move from beside me. I looked over and expected to find her sleeping, but her eyes were open, looking down at her feet. She looked lost in thought.

"If you're waiting for me to kiss you goodnight, you're going to be sitting there for a while," I joked and immediately wanted to take it back.

Lynn peered over at me, her face aggravated. That was when I knew I fucked up. That kiss we shared just the other night in my bed was still fresh and unspoken of. I had crossed the line.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"No, it's okay," Lynn said monotonously, clearly lying.

She continued to stare down at something on the ground, lost in thought. She ran her hand down her face and took a deep breath before releasing it. I thought she was going to say something, but she just shook her head and removed the seat belt and opened the door, stepping out.

Before she closed it shut behind her, she looked passed me and through my window.

"Who's that?" she asked.

I looked over to see who she was talking about and saw a man leaning against his car smoking a cigarette.

I looked back at Lynn, confused. "Uh, not sure."

"Oh," she said, her eyes refusing to look at me. "Well, thanks for the ride."

She slammed the door shut a little too forcefully. I ignored the shift in her mood and waited to pull away from the curb until I saw that Lynn was inside the building, safe and sound.

× × ×

How did you find this story? Was it recommended? Did you see it in your feed? Or are we mutual followers and you felt obligated to read it?

-Jess