Niall Horan;

I ended up sleeping in four hours than my ideal time to wake up - a clear sign that I shouldn't work out whatsoever because I was planning on taking a run on the beach before the sun came up. So rather than staying in shape, I opted on opening my laptop and reading all that I have written down about Piper; her songs and my guesses on her story.

So far, all I've got is that she was into some guy that probably no doubt fancied her as well. It's a typical story, but it was still fun putting it together.

Having a plausible story line made me wonder just how different she would be if I was the one she was crushing on. Would she actually smile? Be less hostile? I guess I shall never know. Maybe I could just keep digging with her and I'll see that side of her that I see when she sings.

I'll ask her out for coffee.

- - - - - 

By the time I decided to get out of the confines of my suite, it's almost two-thirty. So I quickly make myself presentable and maybe check five times to make sure that I look a good kind of presentable before making my way to the familiar street corner. My gaze immediately goes across the street to see her walking on the beach.

I was a tad jealous of the wind then because it was caressing her hair and her skin and I knew that no way in hell would she even let me get within two yards of her.

When making her way to the corner, she stops at a parked rusty truck and tugs her guitar from the back and when she starts walking across the street she immediately spots me. "How many times do I have to tell you off before you get the hint?"

"Maybe ten?" I counter back with a lopsided smile. Of course, that doesn't soften her demeanor.

She places her case down and retrieves her guitar, slinging it across her shoulder before looking back up at me. "You have a lot of wit."

"Why thank y - "

"I hate wit." I deflate.

Once more ignoring my presence, she begins to strum the chords causing passerbys to gravitate towards her especially when she starts to sing. "Said all I want from you is to see you tomorrow and every tomorrow, maybe you'll let me borrow your heart and is it too much to ask for every Sunday and while we're at it, throw in every other day to start."

Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake.

As she continues the song, her body sways lightly causing the crowd to do the same. As per usual, everyone is captivated. Each and everyone either has a smile on their face or has their eyes closed and me, well I was too busy observing everyone else to do either or.

It was crazy to me how someone could be like the devil but the minute they sing, they turn into an angel. (Not that she was as intense as the devil; I just needed a good comparison.) She couldn't be the only one to be that way for example, when it comes to me I can be quite the devil if I go hungry but can be the sweetest if I had gotten a good does of food.

"I know people make promises all the time then they turn around and break them. When someone cuts your heart open with a knife, now you're bleeding don't you know that I could be that guy to heal it over time, and I won't stop until you believe it 'cause baby you're worth it," Piper sings beautifully before lowering her voice, "Don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me 'cause you might look around to find your dreams come true, with me. Spent all your time and your money just to find out that my love was free so don't act like it's a bad thing to fall in love with me, me. It's not a bad thing to fall in love with me, me. Not such a bad thing to fall in love with me."

The cheers, claps, and money were instant as well as their disappearance.

"Have coffee with me," I say to her the minute we're alone.

"Oh, wow, this is so sudden. I don't know what to say," she murmurs in a higher pitched voice with eyes wide for about two seconds before they're narrowed down to what I'm used to. "Oh, yeah - hell no."

She slams her case closed and starts walking away, I smile to myself and begin to follow after her.

"You know, maybe if we got some coffee together I'll leave you alone."

"Why don't I believe you?" She sends me a glance over her shoulder. I shrug sheepishly. She muttered something under her breath before stopping, slowly turning around to asses me. "Fine. Follow me."

I mentally do back-flips in my head as well as think that this could be the start to learning more about Piper - I don't know her middle name - Robinson. Now, it probably seems that I'm obsessed with her or something and I guess that reins a tad true but I'm merely obsessed with her story. (Although she has a lot more that a lad like me could become obsessed with.) Unlike my own, her story seemed to be happening in fragments. Almost as if her life was made up of multiple books, a series, whilst mine was merely a stand-alone.

It seems that way because every time she sings on that street corner, she sings of a story that was past tense.

Being lost in thought made me run into her side, which I'm still trying to contemplate if it was a good or bad thing; good because her soft skin grazed upon mine or bad because of that murderous look in her eyes. I mutter an apology before looking up at the sign in the window "Balconi Coffee Company".

Once we've ordered and gravitated to a table, Piper meets my eyes with that same uninterested look. "You are not allowed to ask personal questions and steer clear of anything that will anger me."

"So basically, we can't talk about anything." Bad, Niall. Now she's intensifying that look you despise.

She rolls her eyes, deciding that wouldn't be the stupidest thing I said tonight. "Fine, I'll start. You've got an accent and I'm sh*t at deciding where in the world you came from."

"Ireland," I say and accept the cup being set down in front of me. "What about you?"

"I'm from here." Of course her responses would be curt. "Why are you crashing into the L.A. life? Did people get tired of you back in potato land?"

I couldn't help but chuckle at her jabs. This obviously startles her, causing her eyebrows to soften their furrow. "No, I just got done with my A-Levels and I just wanted to explore an exciting place before heading back. And just so you know, people love me back home."

"So you're like eighteen-nineteen?"

"Nineteen. Why, want to know if we'd be legal?" Her eyebrows go back into their furrowed state. "Sorry, that one slipped. How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"Damn. You are so young with such a mesmerizing voice that is so not fair," I take a sip from my coffee but continue my eye contact with her. She tears her eyes away from me and picks up her own drink. "So what do you do?"

"Nope. Off limits." She doesn't lift an eye to me.

"Well, since you hate sharing about yourself I'll share my back story." She starts to shake her head 'no' but I quickly start, knowing that she'd regret not sharing with me. "I've never really traveled much, the farthest I've gone was Britain and that wasn't very exciting. Everything in my life was just kind of... calm, I guess. I had two awesome parents and an older brother – he's a b*stard. But I always wanted more, to do more, to see more so I made a promise to mum. If I aced my A-levels I could go anywhere I want. And my buddy Leo had gushed about his trip to L.A. and it sparked my interest. I went all tourist on the place – looking up everything I can and fell in love. And well, here I am."

"I fell in love with this place too," she said softly. I raise a brow at her, silently edging her to continue. "I'm originally from San Diego but left the minute I graduated high school. I didn't go to college, rather I just lived a little with my b – with some friends. Strict parents are the worst and I was just sick of being told how to live my life."

"'M sorry to hear that."

Hearing my voice startled her from whatever trance came over her and she narrowed her eyes at me. "That's all you'll ever hear."

And just like every other time, she leaves.

Hell to the yes, I smile lightly, she opened up to me. It might have be something as small as why she left San Diego but it was enough. I knew that I was slowly growing on her and that soon enough, she'll be the first friend I make in the states.

©2017 TypicalFangirlx