We walked across the hall, our entwined hands swinging between us as though we were an old married couple. I pushed the down button on the elevator, remembering that this was the very spot I first saw Niall. I wanted to tell him this, but it seemed too sappy. "Stupid elevator," I muttered instead. He laughed lightly, squeezing my fingers.
"So now are you going to tell me where we're going?" I inquired in my best flirty voice, looking up at him through my eyelashes. He stared into my eyes for a few moments, and I could see him struggling to compose his thoughts.
"Erm…what?" he finally asked, shaking his head and focusing on my question. "Oh, yes. We're going to the beach."
I smiled ear to ear, my eyes crinkling in the corners. "I absolutely love the beach. It's my favorite place on the planet!"
He smiled at me again, obviously glad that I approved of the venue. "We have to make one quick stop first, is that alright?"
"Of course," I replied automatically, unconcerned.
We exited the front doors of the hotel, only to see hordes of paparazzi and innumerable camera flashes. Niall sidestepped in front of me so the reporters couldn't see our faces. "You go left, I'll go right. Meet me at the black Mercedes Harry was driving last night. Hurry, they will follow." He squeezed my hand and sprinted to the right. Following his lead, I pushed through the crowd and ran as fast as I could to the back of the parking lot. I saw the car in the right corner, and realized what Niall had done. He had purposely given me the shorter distance to run, but whether his reasoning was to give me more time or to mislead the paparazzi following him, I didn't know. Fortunately, Niall seemed to be a fast runner, so he rounded the corner just as I reached the car. His hand was stretched in front of him, gripping his car keys, and he unlocked the doors. I climbed inside the passenger seat, leaving the door open, and quickly jumped the divider into the driver's seat. I stretched my hand out the driver side window and pointed frantically to the passenger side, hoping he would get the message. I looked out the rearview, seeing that the photographers who had been following me stopped a ways back, but they were as hot on Niall's heels as ever. When he reached the car, he literally jumped into the passenger side, threw me the keys, and slammed the door shut, barely missing the fingers of a reporter. I started the car and revved the engine in warning before quickly reversing out of the spot and speeding down the hotel driveway. I drove a couple blocks before the crazy reporters and fans were completely out of sight.
"I'm so sorry about that," Niall said, his eyebrows pinching together and his blue eyes open wide. "I didn't know they'd be there. I wanted this day to be perfect and they just…"
"What are you talking about?" I looked over at him, an insane giggle bursting through my lips. "That was so fun! I feel like we were just in an action movie or something. And I was the hot girl in the getaway car!" At this point I succumbed to a fit of laughter.
I pulled up to a red light and looked him in the eyes. "You're going to have to try a little harder to scare me off, Mr. Horan," I tacked on confidently. He didn't respond, but leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. I grabbed his hand with one of mine, feeling fairly certain that I only needed one to drive.
"Turn here." We had stopped to buy lunch to-go at a cute little café, Niall ordering enough food for about seven people. After, I drove us about forty-five minutes north along a curvy highway with a spectacular view of the Pacific. The clock struck noon just as we pulled in to the beach Niall had directed me to. I immediately realized why we drove such a long way when there were miles of coastline much closer. This beach was about three hundred yards in length, walled in completely by two adjoining cliff faces, and therefore extremely private, and was utterly deserted, despite its perfection.
"Whoa," I whispered, glancing down at the beach from our stance at the cliff top. "This is amazing."
We ate lunch on the sand, talking and laughing all the while. After about an hour, we decided to go swimming. When we had both stripped down to our swimsuits, he picked me up in his arms and walked forward until he was waist deep. He abruptly dropped me into the water, soaking me from head to toe. I stood up laughing and splashing him, and soon it turned into a full-fledged water fight. After about forty minutes in the ocean, we swam back to shore and laid down together on his oversized towel.
"This really has been the perfect day," I remarked after a couple minutes' silence. I stretched out on my back, placing one hand under my head and using the other to hold Niall's.
"Yeah, I had a lot of fun today," he responded, "but I wouldn't say it's been perfect." My heart dropped. What had I done wrong? Why did you let yourself fall for him so quickly? Of course he doesn't care as much as you do, he's an international sensation. He could have any girl in the world, why would he pick you? I cursed myself for putting my heart on the line, already feeling it pulse painfully in my chest.
He looked over at me, seeing the poorly concealed hurt on my face, and quickly backtracked. "It's not perfect yet, but we can add the finishing touches." He grinned devilishly at me before jumping to his feet. He helped me up by our still interlocked fingers and pulled me gently closer to him. His other hand wrapped tenderly around my waist, and before I realized what was happening, his lips were pressed warmly against mine. I closed my eyes, fully taking in the moment. Niall Horan is kissing me. At that moment, he wasn't a famous singer, I wasn't a Harvard freshman, we weren't worried about deadlines or paparazzi. At least for that moment, he was mine. The moment was incredibly sweet and indefinably ours. When he finally pulled away, all I wanted was to be close to him again. I wrapped my arms around his waist and felt his hug my shoulders. We stood there for a while, just enjoying the comfort of one another's embrace. I loosened my arms from around him and gently kissed him again, this one lasting a little longer.
I sighed as I pulled away, looking into those beautiful blue eyes before blushing and turning away. I took my phone out of my pocket and checked the time. "Three o'clock. Doesn't somebody have a sound check at five?" I asked in a quiet voice, which nonetheless seemed out of place in the moment. He sighed, removing his arms from my waist, leaving me craving his touch.
"C'mon then," he said, offering me his hand. His tone matched my mood perfectly: bittersweet. I was sad that we had to leave, but I knew that we would have many more fun times to come. This date cemented the idea that Liam had planted in my head. The thought lifted my spirits and gave me a reason to leave our little safe haven. Our time together wouldn't end here.