Dakota POV
"Oh, yeah! I remember that! Ha-ha, I remember when you practically ran that girl over!" I had just walked in and I could already hear my teammates reminiscing on our previous victory of a soccer/football season. Our team is undefeated. We all played for our university, but I am from America and I excel in my academics as well as football. I got a scholarship to this school and am now living in London doing schoolwork and playing the sport I love.
"OH MY GOD DAKOTA! Our star center midfielder has finally arrived!" Anna yelled at me from the table my team had picked. We were all still dressed in our fancy shmancy dresses from our football banquet. We had decided to have our own post-banquet party at this small restaurant.
"Hello to you too, Anna!" I replied. I walked over and took a seat next to her at our table. Apparently, they had picked a table right by the…. Karaoke stage… great. Sometimes I wonder about them.
"Karaoke, guys. Seriously?" I asked.
"Uhh, OF COURSE. Who wants to go up and do it with me!" Margaret—but we call her Maggie-asked, excited. She was our peppy, jokester wing-back.
"ME!" Megan's hand shot up. Those two were best friends and quite the trouble-makers. They ran up to the stage.
"Now we have these two lovely ladies!" The MC said. "And your names are?"
"Maggie and Megan!" Megan spoke for the both of them. "We're going to sing… 'MY FIRST KISS' BY 3OH!3 AND KE$HA!" Oh god….
"Ok! Here are your mics. Have fun!" He said. Next thing you know there are those two lunatics jumping around the stage singing that weird song.
"SING IT MAGGIE!" Some boy yelled from one of the tables across the restaurant from us. Maggie blushed a little, but kept on singing her little heart out.
When they were done they returned to our table, practically sweating into my food. "Watch your sweat, Meg!" I said. "Sorry!" She uttered.
Next a shaggy blond haired, blue eyed boy went up. "Hello there! What's your name and what will you be singing tonight?"
"I'm John and I'll be singing 'So Sick' by Ne-Yo!" The boy said with an... Irish accent?
"Well, ok John! Take it away!" The man said handing "John" the mic.
As soon as those first few notes came out of his mouth, I was completely awestruck! This kid was amazing. And quite attractive if I do say so myself! As he was singing we made eye contact a couple of times. We just looked at each and would smile and turn away.
When he was walking off stage, I walked over and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Hey, John is it? You're like really good. For real. You can sing." I meant it too.
"Thanks, and my name isn't really John. I just said that so people wouldn't like creep on me. Never know who'll be in this bar."
"Ohhhh, that makes sense, I guess. So what is your real name?"
"Niall. Niall Horan. And you are?"
"I'm Dakota. Dakota Richardson. And if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Because that is not a British accent."
"Ohh, I'm from Mullingar, Ireland, but I could say the same thing about you. Is that an American accent?"
"Yes it is. I am from originally from Shreveport, Louisiana in the good 'ole US of A. I got a scholarship to one of the universities here in London for soccer or football as y'all call it here. I'm never going to get used to that."
Niall chuckled a little. "Wait can you repeat the second sentence?"
"Umm.. Ok? When I said 'I got a scholarship to one of the universities here in London for soccer or football as y'all call it here'?"
"Yes that one..erm…y'all?" He tried to suppress laughter, but was doing a terrible job of it.
"Uh, yes, y'all. Sorry I was raised in the south. Guess you've never heard that."
"No, I have. I just think it's kind of funny.."
"Well ok then. Anyways, what brings you here to London?"
"Um… Well… Um.. Family vacation?" He said it, but it came out as more of a question.
"Ok? Well I better get back to my friends. And it seems you've got to get back to your family vacation over there." I was referring to his table full of about 4 other guys that he had come from earlier when he had first gone on stage.
"Oh…. Yeah I guess so. But first give me your phone." I did as I was told and Niall entered his number and I did the same with his.
"Maybe we can hang out sometime while I'm here." He said with a shy smile. I put my number in his phone.
"Sounds cool. Well see you….soon?" I said.
"Yeah, bye!" He said with a wink. Hmm… I wonder what he is really doing in London and why he can't tell me? Well, I am a complete stranger to him, I probably shouldn't even care. Oh well. Maybe I'll figure it out when I talk to him more.
"Ooooh, talking to the hottie, who can sing. You get'em D" Elizabeth said.
"Oh hush! He's nice…. And I might have just gotten his number." I said with a wink.
"Oh la laaaa.. Finally!" Maggie remarked.
"Hey! It hasn't been that long!"
"Uhh, yeah it has. Ever since-" Maggie continued, but I cut her off.
"Just drop it. Ok? I just wanna eat my now cold steak."
"Someone's got PMS…." Megan said, but she immediately regretted when I shot her a death glare. I just got his number. It's no big deal. I barely know anything about him. Not even the real reason he's in London.
I just need someone to help me forget about what happened with… well.. my last relationship.
Niall's POV
"Ey, mate! No need for insults!" Louis joked. Harry and he had really hit off their friendship ever since we all got put together as a group. The five of us—Liam, Zayn, Harry, Louis, and I-had all gone on X Factor, but weren't good enough to stay as singles. Simon thought that we were too good to let go of though, so he put us together as a group. Now we're known as 'One Direction'. It's still odd thinking about being in a band, though.
We had decided to come to this karaoke bar… thing to get away from the other contestants and to just have fun without cameras constantly shoved in our face for footage for the next X Factor episode.
"Hey, Lou, look at those two girls up there! There quite hysterical and attractive!" Harry said.
"Ohh, I see them. You're right! About both things! What'd she say the girl on the left's name was? Maggie?"
"Yeah. Wh-" Harry was cut off by Louis, though.
"SING IT, MAGGIE!" Louis screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Oh, god, Lou! SHUT UP!" Liam and Zayn said in unison.
"What? I find her attractive. So I screamed her name. Anything so wrong with that?"
"Kind of! She might find you odd!" Liam said.
"Oh who careeesss. I am odd! Hey, Niall! You've been too quiet, so go up there and sing next!"
"What? Hell no! What would I sing anyway? What if someone recognizes me? What if-"
"Oh just go up there! It'll be fun! And just say your name is…. John! There. And you can sing your audition song. All solved. Now go!" Zayn said.
"Oh alright.." I just gave in. Oh well, it'll be fun.
"Hello there! What's your name and what will you be singing tonight?"
"I'm John and I'll be singing 'So Sick' by Ne-Yo!" I said slightly nervous.
"Well, ok John! Take it away!" With that the man handed me the mic. The first notes of the song started to play, and I sang it just like I did when I first performed it.
While singing, I noticed one of the girls sitting near the stage.
She was sitting at the same table the two girls, who were just up, were sitting at.
Something about this girl stood out, though. She had long, light brown hair that came just above her elbows. Her skin was slightly tan, but you could tell it was natural, not like she had gone to the tanning salon, got a spray tan, or sat out in the sun trying to get skin cancer.
We kept making eye-contact while I sang; her eyes were a dark brown.
My song finally ended and as I stepped off the small stage, someone tapped me on the shoulder.
It was the girl.
"Hey, John is it? You're like really good. For real. You can sing." Wow. That really did mean a lot, coming from someone, who wasn't a judge.
"Thanks, and my name isn't really John. I just said that so people wouldn't like creep on me. Never know who'll be in this bar." Or so people won't recognize me, and it seemed as though it worked. I guess she doesn't watch X Factor. I'm glad.
"Ohhhh, that makes sense, I guess. So what is your real name?"
"Niall. Niall Horan. And you are?"
"I'm Dakota. Dakota Richardson. And if you don't mind me asking, where are you from? Because that is not a British accent."
"Ohh, I'm from Mullingar, Ireland, but I could say the same thing about you. Is that an American accent?"
"Yes it is. I am from originally from Shreveport, Louisiana in the good 'ole US of A. I got a scholarship to one of the universities here in London for soccer or football as y'all call it here. I'm never going to get used to that."
I couldn't help, but chuckle a little.. y'all? No one says that. "Wait can you repeat the second sentence?"
"Umm.. Ok? When I said 'I got a scholarship to one of the universities here in London for soccer or football as y'all call it here'?"
"Yes that one..erm…y'all?"
"Uh, yes, y'all. Sorry I was raised in the south. Guess you've never heard that."
"No, I have. I just think it's kind of funny.."
"Well ok then. Anyways, what brings you here to London?" Crap, I don't want her to think of me differently because of being on a hit TV show in London. It's weird, though because I just met her and I already care about what she thinks of me.
"Um… Well… Um.. Family vacation?" It came out more as a question. It was a cruddy cover up.
"Ok? Well I better get back to my friends. And it seems you've got to get back to your family vacation over there." Well, I'm screwed. She caught me lying.
"Oh…. Yeah I guess so. But first give me your phone." It was worth a shot. I really wanted to see her again. She handed over her phone.
"Maybe we can hang out sometime while I'm here." I said with a slight smile, as she put her number in my phone.
"Sounds cool. Well see you….soon?" She said.
"Yeah, bye!" I said with a wink.
I feel bad for lying to her, but I don't want her going out with me just because I can sing, and I definitely don't want her wanting any of the other lads.
Everyone gets jealous!
I walked back over to our table, and when I turned back around to look one last time they were getting the check and getting up to leave.
"Soo, how'd it goo?" Liam asked.
"Told you, it'd be fun!" Louis said with a wink. "You better hook me up, mate!"
"Ok, enough! I only talked to her…and got her number.." I mumbled the last part.
"Woah, what was that mate?" Harry said leaning in closer. He was clearly teasing me.
"I GOT HER NUMBER." I said, clearly annoyed.
"That's what I thought." He said, satisfied.
"Whatever, Waiter , can we get a check please?" I asked.
"Sure thing, lad."
"Wait, Niall. What about…." Zayn trailed off.
"About what? Do we not have enough money to pay or something?"
"No, you told us earlier about…her… from your hometown..?"
"Oh… I already told you. Now, I don't really want to talk about it let's just go."
"Ok. Well, if you want to talk-"
"Zayn. I'm fine."