The Guitar Girl

Written by:

13ISMYNUMBER

Chapter 9

The Real Observer

"Love is opening your heart to someone and letting them stay there whether they're welcomed or not, they stay. And then slowly, they start to tear down the walls you build for so long…the vulnerability starts…but the worst part of it all is that it feels so right, you'd do nothing to stop them."

After Niall's confusing confession, the two have stayed silent and focused on getting some work done. When Niall had decided to go home, Riley couldn't be more relieved, not only because she didn't have to pretend to be a boy even when she's sick but as well as the bothering feeling of Niall's words and the continuous nagging feeling of Niall's presence has got her on the edge the whole time.

Tuesday morning came and Riley had felt like she came back from the dead. Feeling better, and song in hand, she knew she was ready to take another day with the witty One Direction lads. Niall and Riley presented the song to the lads including Jake and Max and all morning Niall have designated which part goes to who while Riley tried to mix and match tunes with Jake and Max.

When lunch came around, for the first time, Riley actually went with the lads to have some. She promised herself to take care of her body if she didn't want another lad to find out where she hides when she's not Riley, male guitarist of One Direction.

The waitress placed their drinks on the table and some of the lads took a sip. They were now in a small pizza parlor. Niall had tried his best to make the lads go and eat in Nando's but failed since everyone knows that there's a great chance that the lads would be there and right now, they don't want to be bombarded with fans.

"So," Liam says putting back his glass down, "The song was really great."

"Thanks." Niall and Riley say at the same time, at some point their eyes meeting when they both said it. Riley looked away.

"Niall," Zayn calls his attention, "You must've been really thankful to not have write songs alone like you always do since Riley is here now."

The comment was out of the blue and Riley's eyes snapped towards Zayn who was smiling down at a confused Niall. Niall slowly nodded his head, but his eyes were cautiously on Zayn as well.

Harry who was beside Riley brought his drink up and faced Riley saying, "Yeah, thanks, Riley. You've been nothing but pure help ever since you got here."

It was obvious that Harry was completely oblivious to how confused Riley was. On the other hand, Zayn smirked at Riley and she just glared at him, not liking whatever was on his mind. Sadly, what was supposedly an inside joke did not go unnoticed by someone who had been surprisingly quiet.

Louis, who was starting to feel that something was going on wanted to whisper something to Harry, so, he leaned towards him but it was a little too hard making Harry move forward and his drink spilling over Riley. She shot up immediately, shouting, "Styles!"

"I'm sorry, mate!" Harry says putting his glass on the table and grabbing some tissue. The spilled drink was all over Riley's shirt, especially on her chest part. She groaned, annoyed at the sticky feeling.

Liam's eyes widened at what happened and he couldn't help but freeze. Niall was trying his best not to laugh at how stupid Harry was. And Zayn…he watched every move Harry did.

And just when Harry turned around with tissue in his hand to help and wipe the mess on Riley's shirt, Zayn's hand shot out of nowhere and abruptly grabbed him by the wrist.

Louis' eyes trailed to Zayn's hard eyes to his hand grasping Harry to a frozen Riley. He watched Riley's eyes trail down on her shirt, then at Harry and then at Zayn.

'What's going on here?' Louis mentally asked.

Liam, getting back in reality and realizing what was going on, stood up and grabbed Riley by the wrist. "I, uhh, will drive Riley back to his apartment to change." He says before dragging Riley out.

Louis' eyes were hard on Liam and Riley as they exit the pizza parlor. He knows something was up and he knows that it has something to do with Riley. His eyes fell on Liam's back and then back at Riley's. Despite how weird it was, he noticed how small Riley's built was compared to Liam.

Sure, Liam's built had always been bigger but…it was just something about Riley's that makes her so different.

"You can let me go now, Zayn." Harry says, his wrist still in Zayn's hand. Zayn offers a small smile and lets him go. The tension was thick and Niall kept quiet, his eyes watching Harry and Zayn.

Louis's eyes rested on Zayn, whose face suddenly flashed relief.

'Relief from what?' Louis asks himself yet again.

The waitress comes with their food and the lads remained silent throughout.

Louis's eyes flicker towards where Riley was a moment ago and he can't help but think back on their first meeting.

"Ow!"

The word rung in his head again and again but it wasn't the word that bothered him, it was…the tone. It was a little too high for a man.

"I don't like personal contact, let's keep it that away."

Louis glares down on his pizza, not liking that there is some secret going on. Her words felt like they always held double meanings. It was as if it held hints, clues to a bigger puzzle piece of who she is.

"Louis, I can't swim!"

"What kind of guy can't swim?" Louis murmurs to himself.

"What?" Zayn's abrupt question came.

Louis smirks. He might be the playful and never the serious one but he was not stupid. In fact, if there's anything that Louis is better at than being annoying, it was knowing the boys like the back of his hand. He knows that Zayn did not say what because he didn't catch what he said, Zayn said it because there was something he knows and he's afraid that Louis might have solved a little puzzle piece.

"I mean, it's weird…but majority of the people who I know that can't swim are," Louis pauses, his gaze piercing right through Zayn, "girls."

"What are you on about?" Niall asks, after swallowing his food. Louis watches Zayn's eyes avoid his gaze and then back at Niall. Niall, not getting any answer, changed the topic, "Anyway, did anyone notice how weird Liam had been lately? I mean, when he told me to go to Riley's yesterday he was a tad bit pushy."

"Liam is always a tad bit pushy." Harry says beside Louis with a chuckle.

Louis eyebrows rise and he shows his mischievous smile, "Really? Well, I have to agree with you, Niall. He did seem weird…a tad bit protective, don't you think?" Louis was putting his cards on the table, and he was going to play it right. Nobody keeps a secret from him that he wouldn't find out.

Niall laughs. "Protective? Liam's never been protective of anything but Danielle or his sister! Riley's not even a girl."

Riley's not even a girl.

Niall's words suddenly held too much meaning for Louis.

Everything started to click.

Why Riley yelped, why Riley didn't want any physical contact, why Riley couldn't swim, why Liam told Louis to get towels when Riley was still in the pool, why Liam and Zayn didn't let him in when Riley was unconscious after drowning…

Louis watched Zayn's reaction as Niall's words flew out in the corner of his eyes. Zayn's eyes showed a little bit of discomfort but his face show otherwise. Louis smirks yet again as he says looking at Zayn this time, "Yeah, you're right. Riley's not a girl, is he now, Zayn?"

The Guitar Girl by 13ismynumber

Liam looks around the small apartment as Riley's bedroom door slowly clicks behind her, coming out after she finished changing.

Both Riley and Liam were relieved that Zayn stopped Harry or else, they would not only have some serious problems but as well as a permanently scarred girl pretending to be a boy.

Liam's eyes lands on a picture by the t.v. It was of Riley and her brother.

"Ah," Riley says arriving beside Liam, "Everybody seems to be taken by that picture."

Liam chuckles. "By everybody you mean Niall?"

Riley nods with a grin.

Liam points to a ten year old Ryan on the picture and Riley looks down on it. "This your brother?"

"Yup," Riley answers. "His name is Ryan."

Liam looks on the other side and stares down at a seven year old Riley, he chuckles. "I wonder what Niall said when he saw this picture."

Riley takes the picture from him and slowly puts it back to where it was before. She takes a sit on the couch and Liam follows her. "Well, I told him I was the boy in the picture and that the girl was my dead sister."

"Dead sister?" Liam asks, looking at her.

Riley rolls her eyes and nods. "It's a long story."

Liam clears his throat and says, "Well."

"Well what?"

Liam shifts to slightly face Riley. "What do you think of Niall?"

Riley laughs. "What do you mean what do I think of Niall?" She asks before adding, "I think he's a great lad."

Liam makes a face for a moment before saying, "No, I mean as a boyfriend."

Riley's brows furrowed together and she showed a disbelief expression at Liam.

The plan was in motion and Liam was taking every opportunity he could to make Riley and Niall fall for each other despite that fact that Riley was currently a boy in the eyes of a very oblivious Leprechaun.

"What?" Riley says, her tone higher.

"Well," Liam pushes, "Tell me what you think of him as a boyfriend. Do you think he'll be a good one?"

Riley shifts in her seat, uncomfortable. She rubs the back of her neck, a very bad sign of her nervousness. "Well…I don't really know. I never had a boyfriend before. And besides, don't you have that bromance thing going on, you should know if he'll make a good one or not."

Liam scoffs, ignoring completely the joke she just made. "What? You said you never had a girlfriend before…which is kind of obvious now since I now know why." Liam says, gesturing to her body as he says the last part.

Riley rolls her eyes and says, "Well, the same goes with boyfriends…I never had them before."

"Why?" Liam abruptly asks.

"I don't know..." Riley trails off, "I think I just never got interested in anyone before."

Liam puts a couch pillow on his lap, getting comfortable on his place. "No guy ever looked at your way before?"

Riley rubs the back of his head and says, "There were but…I just never got interested."

Liam nods in understanding. And when Riley starts to think the interrogation was over Liam adds, "But you never really answered my question, what do you think of Niall as a boyfriend?"

Riley stands up, looking down at Liam. "Why are you suddenly asking anyway?" Her tone a tad bit annoyed.

Liam grins. "Don't get angry. I just need uhh, a girl's point of view." Liam lies.

Riley sits back down. Rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time today, she says, "I guess, he'll be a great one."

"How can you say?" Liam asks.

Riley bites her lip feeling uncomfortable. She remembers all those interviews that she had seen Niall on and remembers all his answers, especially the latest one.

"I'm still looking for my princess."

"He's really honest, you know. I mean, you can just see it in his eyes how pure and sincere he is and that's rare to find." Riley says suddenly getting lost in her own thoughts.

She remembers his laugh and how contagious it was. She remembers how he gets real shy all of a sudden and how adorable it gets.

"And he's just so adorable when he blushes when he's shy and how his laugh could go on and on and you'd never get tired of hearing it." Riley continues, her head slightly going sideways.

She remembers his eyes, those piercing blue orbs.

"And when he looks at you, you could easily get lost in those blue orbs of his and—" Riley trails but suddenly snaps out of it, realizing everything she just said. Her eyes looked at an amused Liam.

"Go on." He urges her, a glint of persistence in his eyes.

Riley clears her throat. "Well, like said, he'll probably be a great one. He's a great lad after all." Riley says, trying to save herself from embarrassment.

"So," Liam says, not letting her easily get away, "Do you think a girl like you could fall for him?"

"Fall?" Riley repeats, not quiet understanding if he meant fall as in fancy or fall as in—

"In love." Liam finishes her thoughts all of a sudden.

Riley laughs and Liam looks at her like she was crazy. She takes a deep breath as she said, "You're asking me that?" She controls her laughs and adds, "Liam, I'm a girl pretending to be a guy and you're asking me if I would fall for your band mate?"

"Yes." Liam says, like it was the most obvious answer.

"Liam," Riley starts, "This isn't some movie where in a girl pretends to be a guy because she needs money and unexpectedly falls in love. This is reality! Things like that don't happen."

"So, are you saying that you don't believe in love?" Liam carefully concludes.

Riley shakes her head. "No. What I'm saying is that you're idea of me falling for a person I work with, with my current situation is preposterous. "

"So, you do believe in love?" Liam asks, making it seem like he wasn't really much into what Riley was talking about.

Riley puts both her hands up in defeat and says, "Yes, I do."

"Really?" Liam challenges.

"Believe it or not, I did fall in love back then." Riley says, taking Liam's little challenge.

Liam scoots over, taking interest at what she said. "Really? Who with?"

Riley groans before biting her lip. "Cliché as it is, I fell for my best friend. And well, it didn't exactly have a happy ending." Riley says, "You see, he needed to move to Chicago and when he was in the airport and I was going to see him off, I gave him a letter where I wrote my feelings down for him."

"I take it that he didn't feel the same way?" Liam interrupts. Riley nods before adding, "I told him that if he felt the same way, we should keep in contact but if he doesn't, it's better if he never talks to me again."

"Never?" Liam asks in disbelief. "Why would you say those words?"

"I was young!" Riley defends. "I was just about to enter high school, plus I don't think I could face him if he doesn't feel the same way. Hello! I just said I love him and he's my best friend."

Liam clasps his hands in front of him, changing the topic. "So, if it was a different circumstance right now, do you think you're ready to fall again?"

Riley rubs the back of her neck. "I don't know? Maybe not, maybe not?"

"Why?" Liam says, shouting a little bit.

Why?

The question itself brought so many thoughts in Riley's mind.

Maybe she didn't want to fall again because she couldn't really wrap her mind around it at the moment. Or maybe, she just forgot the feeling of it all…hell it has been around six years since she did and she has a very rough memory of blissful it felt. Or maybe…just maybe…

She was scared of the vulnerability it brings.

She closes her eyes for a moment and swallows the tempting feeling of just giving a random answer to Liam. Once she opens them, Liam still waits for her answer. She sighs, deciding to break the rule that had been set on stone yet again. "Because, somehow, it gets scary…because," She says genuinely, "Love is opening your heart to someone and letting them stay there whether they're welcomed or not, they stay. And then slowly, they start to tear down the walls you build for so long…the vulnerability starts…but the worst part of it all is that it feels so right, you'd do nothing to stop them."

Disclaimer: I do not own ONE DIRECTION but I do own the idea and the plot of this story as well as the fictional characters that are used and will be used in this story. So please don't steal it. Thank you.

Louis gets suspicious. Meow! Longer chapter, yes!

Reviews and replies:

ToKToK: HAHAHA. Yes, thank you for welcoming captain obvious. HAHAHA. I love it! Well, sorry to say but I'm glad my story brings that kind of reaction to you, it means I'm successful in what my plan was. Well stay tuned!:)

Tok. TM: Just hang in there to find out the real story of her mother's death. And also about Liam not telling Niall will be explained in future chapters.:) Just wait and stay tuned, okay? Yes, let fate do its thing.

Polkadotsandsmileyfaces: Pru got mad because she knows the story of why Riley's mother is dead and is getting tired of Riley blaming herself. Anyway, I hope that brought light to something.:) and oh, what do you mean by your question: Does he suspect now or does he know?

Cookie Monster is Beast: I'm glad to know this story happy. Thank you for reviewing!:)

A. Payne: Yey! Thank you so much for reviewing!:)

My-Haters-Are-My-Motivators: Love the name! Thank you for reviewing!:)

Pat a.k.a. DirectionerPIanist: Well, Jessica was really good. I mean she deserves to be on the top two but when you look into the future of who could possibly have a great album, it would be Philip. So yeah, he deserves it still. ANG MGA PINOY AY NAG UUSAP PA RIN TUNGKOL DITO. Diyos ko.:)) Anyway! Thank you for reviewing again, love.:)

Its-steffy: Riley's web of lies will get bigger and bigger, trust me…so every detail counts. Anyway, about you being upset with your friend, hey it happens. But I'm glad to help you if you need it, okay? You know where to find my PM button.:)

Well, thank to everyone who continuous to support, read, review, alert and favorite not only this story but as well as my other stories! Thank you so much!:)

Anyway, school is starting in more than a week from now and…let's just say, my sanity isn't exactly at its fittest.:))

Stay Safe.

Xoxo,

13ismynumber