Summer Love
six.
Mae still felt a burning sensation where Niall once had his hand on her lower back. She tried to avoid thinking about it as she sat in Zayn’s car, while guiding Niall towards downtown, but it was impossible. She never thought that someone who she met so early would have this effect on her. Sadly, she thought about him and their “date” (or non-date) constantly and it gave her butterflies every time she thought about it.
She glanced over at Niall and his eyes were locked on the road in front of them, as if he was worried that Mae would think he was a bad driver if he allowed himself to get distracted. She couldn’t help but think he looked, as elementary as it sounded, so cute as the wind blew through his blonde hair that was coiffed to the side and as the sun reflected off of his bright blue eyes that she thought were the prettiest eyes she had ever seen on the opposite sex. He looked so well-groomed and styled in his navy blue polo and stain-free, flawless white jeans and scuff-free shoes.
As Niall felt Mae’s eyes burn into him, he glanced over at her, before looking back at the road, and his uncontrollable smile spread across his face. “What?”
“N-nothing,” Mae said, embarrassed that she had just been caught staring. As her cheeks heated up she looked out the passenger side window.
“You look really nice today,” he complimented, his tone cool and void of all nervousness. “I really like your hair like that.”
Her cheeks got even warmer. “Thank you. You look nice, too.”
Niall chuckled slightly. “Well, thank you. I tried.”
Mae just nodded and smiled softly before looking down at her hands and hoping that her cheeks would not continue to be this hot throughout the whole night.
+
After Niall and Mae arrived downtown, they found a parking spot in the parking garage and their date officially began. They walked down the sidewalk together, their arms barely touching, with Niall on the outside of the sidewalk (like a gentleman should make sure to do), and Mae on the inside, while the people of downtown Daytona Beach passed by them. Neither of them said a word for the first five minutes of the date, until Niall finally spoke up.
“Sorry if you were bothered that I didn’t tell Doniya we were going out,” he apologized as he looked at her, his eyes locking with hers. “I didn’t know if you would be embarrassed.”
“It’s okay,” Mae assured him as she looked down after their three second eye-lock. “I just feel bad because I guess she was wanting to do something with me.”
“Sorry if I took you from doing something with her,” he muttered, not sure if that was a hint that Mae didn’t really want to be going out with him, and would rather be with Doniya right now.
“No. No, you didn’t,” Mae said as she continued to look at the ground. He saw her smile slightly. “This is fun so far.”
“Well, good,” he said as he looked over at the ice cream parlor that they were about to pass by. “Do you want to get some ice cream and sit and talk?”
“Sure,” Mae nodded. Niall approached the door and, like a gentleman, opened it and let Mae in before himself. They both walked up to the counter to be greeted by a young girl with long, red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, freckles covering her nose and cheeks, and green eyes. Niall let Mae order first before he told the girl what he wanted. They went over to the cash register after the young redhead instructed them to do so.
“Your total today is going to be $6.38,” the girl said as she looked at Niall. Niall looked down at Mae. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?” Mae asked curiously as she started to go through her wallet.
“Paying,” he said as he handed the girl $10. “I know how you independent women are nowadays.”
Mae pressed her lips together as she slowly slid her wallet back into her purse, causing Niall to smile. He got his change from the young girl before they both grabbed a spoon and sat down at a table that was in the far corner of the shop. They both started to eat their ice cream in silence before Niall, once again, started the conversation.
“So, not to be weird or awkward,” he started. “But do you ever talk?”
Mae looked down at her ice cream as she pushed her spoon into it and then pulled it back out, repeating the strange habit. Her cheeks started to heat up as embarrassment washed over her. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Niall chuckled, showing that crooked-tooth grin again. “I was just asking. Sorry if I embarrassed you.”
“I’m just kind of shy,” she replied. “And I get embarrassed easily.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed around me, honestly,” he said. “You don’t have to be scared to talk. Were you born in Ohio?”
As she swallowed a bite of her ice cream, she nodded. “Yes. I was born around the Cincinnati area and then moved near Columbus when I was five.”
“That’s cool,” Niall said with a small smile.
“I would ask you about where you’re from and all that,” Mae said, feeling like a complete fool. “But I don’t know anything about England.”
“Well, I was actually born in Ireland,” he said.
“So, that’s why you don’t sound identical to the other four,” she realized, causing Niall to laugh loudly.
And his laugh may have to have been her new favorite thing about him.
“That may be why, actually,” he teased, causing Mae’s cheeks to once again heat up and turn dark red. “It’s okay. You don’t know much about that, as you said, so I understand. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Mae nodded and laughed quietly as she looked back down at her ice cream. Sadly, it was hard for her to focus on Niall while he was staring at her as if he could read her every thought.
“You don’t have to always look down,” he commented, his voice soft. “You don’t need to be insecure, or shy, or like I’m going to judge you. You’re a very pretty girl, Mae.”
Mae looked up at him, her cheeks an even darker shade of red. “Thank you… But you keep making me blush and it’s hard to just stare at you with bright red cheeks.”
“That means I’m just doing a good job at being a decent date,” Niall said, and at the sound of the word ‘date’, Mae couldn’t hide her grin.
“So, what do you like to do at home?” he asked, his tone full of curiosity. “And don’t give me an answer like ‘I like to read’; give me details.”
Mae straightened up in her seat and sighed to herself, before looking up at Niall. “I kind of prefer to be a homebody than to go out with friends every day. I don’t go out and party on Friday or Saturday nights; instead I tend to sit at home with a few of my girlfriends and watch movies while we give each other chocolate facials that we buy at Walmart for a dollar.”
Niall just sat there with a smile on his face as he listened to Mae share information about herself, and the fact that she was completely okay with being the kind of girl that stayed home made Niall even more interested in her. He never met a whole lot of girls that didn’t want to go out and party on the weekends or go act crazy, and it was weirdly attractive to him that Mae was one of the very few.
“We do each other’s nails and everything,” Mae continued. “We talk about the typical girl things, like boys, or clothes, or celebrity crushes. And if we ever do go out, we’ll go to a local Panera or a quiet sit down place to just talk and have a good time. The most dangerous thing we ever do is drive recklessly on our way home because we’re laughing too much or dancing wildly to our music…” she trailed off as she looked at Niall, who was still staring at her. “Sorry, I’m just going off on a rant and sound completely idiotic.”
“No, I like learning about you,” Niall told her. “That actually sounds like a really fun time, and I like that you’re not ashamed of that.”
Mae smiled as she looked down at her fingers that were now knotted in her lap. “I mean, that’s just who I am.”
Niall just nodded, his smile never fading.
“Now, tell me about you,” she told him. “What do you like to do?”
Niall sighed as he leaned back in his chair, before he leaned forward and placed his chin on his steepled fingers. “I like to go out with Louis and the rest of the guys. We’ll go to the movies or grab a bite to eat, and sometimes we may even go to a party or two, but nothing crazy. We can all sit at home together and just laugh and tell jokes or sing and we can just have a good time. When I’m alone I like to listen to a little bit of music and lie around. I’m not that interesting when I don’t have many people around.”
Mae smiled and nodded after Niall was done, and he sighed to himself. “And that’s about me. Are you ready to get out of here and continue on with our date?”
Still smiling, Mae nodded. “Sure.”
She glanced over at Niall and his eyes were locked on the road in front of them, as if he was worried that Mae would think he was a bad driver if he allowed himself to get distracted. She couldn’t help but think he looked, as elementary as it sounded, so cute as the wind blew through his blonde hair that was coiffed to the side and as the sun reflected off of his bright blue eyes that she thought were the prettiest eyes she had ever seen on the opposite sex. He looked so well-groomed and styled in his navy blue polo and stain-free, flawless white jeans and scuff-free shoes.
As Niall felt Mae’s eyes burn into him, he glanced over at her, before looking back at the road, and his uncontrollable smile spread across his face. “What?”
“N-nothing,” Mae said, embarrassed that she had just been caught staring. As her cheeks heated up she looked out the passenger side window.
“You look really nice today,” he complimented, his tone cool and void of all nervousness. “I really like your hair like that.”
Her cheeks got even warmer. “Thank you. You look nice, too.”
Niall chuckled slightly. “Well, thank you. I tried.”
Mae just nodded and smiled softly before looking down at her hands and hoping that her cheeks would not continue to be this hot throughout the whole night.
+
After Niall and Mae arrived downtown, they found a parking spot in the parking garage and their date officially began. They walked down the sidewalk together, their arms barely touching, with Niall on the outside of the sidewalk (like a gentleman should make sure to do), and Mae on the inside, while the people of downtown Daytona Beach passed by them. Neither of them said a word for the first five minutes of the date, until Niall finally spoke up.
“Sorry if you were bothered that I didn’t tell Doniya we were going out,” he apologized as he looked at her, his eyes locking with hers. “I didn’t know if you would be embarrassed.”
“It’s okay,” Mae assured him as she looked down after their three second eye-lock. “I just feel bad because I guess she was wanting to do something with me.”
“Sorry if I took you from doing something with her,” he muttered, not sure if that was a hint that Mae didn’t really want to be going out with him, and would rather be with Doniya right now.
“No. No, you didn’t,” Mae said as she continued to look at the ground. He saw her smile slightly. “This is fun so far.”
“Well, good,” he said as he looked over at the ice cream parlor that they were about to pass by. “Do you want to get some ice cream and sit and talk?”
“Sure,” Mae nodded. Niall approached the door and, like a gentleman, opened it and let Mae in before himself. They both walked up to the counter to be greeted by a young girl with long, red hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, freckles covering her nose and cheeks, and green eyes. Niall let Mae order first before he told the girl what he wanted. They went over to the cash register after the young redhead instructed them to do so.
“Your total today is going to be $6.38,” the girl said as she looked at Niall. Niall looked down at Mae. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Think about what?” Mae asked curiously as she started to go through her wallet.
“Paying,” he said as he handed the girl $10. “I know how you independent women are nowadays.”
Mae pressed her lips together as she slowly slid her wallet back into her purse, causing Niall to smile. He got his change from the young girl before they both grabbed a spoon and sat down at a table that was in the far corner of the shop. They both started to eat their ice cream in silence before Niall, once again, started the conversation.
“So, not to be weird or awkward,” he started. “But do you ever talk?”
Mae looked down at her ice cream as she pushed her spoon into it and then pulled it back out, repeating the strange habit. Her cheeks started to heat up as embarrassment washed over her. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for,” Niall chuckled, showing that crooked-tooth grin again. “I was just asking. Sorry if I embarrassed you.”
“I’m just kind of shy,” she replied. “And I get embarrassed easily.”
“You don’t need to be embarrassed around me, honestly,” he said. “You don’t have to be scared to talk. Were you born in Ohio?”
As she swallowed a bite of her ice cream, she nodded. “Yes. I was born around the Cincinnati area and then moved near Columbus when I was five.”
“That’s cool,” Niall said with a small smile.
“I would ask you about where you’re from and all that,” Mae said, feeling like a complete fool. “But I don’t know anything about England.”
“Well, I was actually born in Ireland,” he said.
“So, that’s why you don’t sound identical to the other four,” she realized, causing Niall to laugh loudly.
And his laugh may have to have been her new favorite thing about him.
“That may be why, actually,” he teased, causing Mae’s cheeks to once again heat up and turn dark red. “It’s okay. You don’t know much about that, as you said, so I understand. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Mae nodded and laughed quietly as she looked back down at her ice cream. Sadly, it was hard for her to focus on Niall while he was staring at her as if he could read her every thought.
“You don’t have to always look down,” he commented, his voice soft. “You don’t need to be insecure, or shy, or like I’m going to judge you. You’re a very pretty girl, Mae.”
Mae looked up at him, her cheeks an even darker shade of red. “Thank you… But you keep making me blush and it’s hard to just stare at you with bright red cheeks.”
“That means I’m just doing a good job at being a decent date,” Niall said, and at the sound of the word ‘date’, Mae couldn’t hide her grin.
“So, what do you like to do at home?” he asked, his tone full of curiosity. “And don’t give me an answer like ‘I like to read’; give me details.”
Mae straightened up in her seat and sighed to herself, before looking up at Niall. “I kind of prefer to be a homebody than to go out with friends every day. I don’t go out and party on Friday or Saturday nights; instead I tend to sit at home with a few of my girlfriends and watch movies while we give each other chocolate facials that we buy at Walmart for a dollar.”
Niall just sat there with a smile on his face as he listened to Mae share information about herself, and the fact that she was completely okay with being the kind of girl that stayed home made Niall even more interested in her. He never met a whole lot of girls that didn’t want to go out and party on the weekends or go act crazy, and it was weirdly attractive to him that Mae was one of the very few.
“We do each other’s nails and everything,” Mae continued. “We talk about the typical girl things, like boys, or clothes, or celebrity crushes. And if we ever do go out, we’ll go to a local Panera or a quiet sit down place to just talk and have a good time. The most dangerous thing we ever do is drive recklessly on our way home because we’re laughing too much or dancing wildly to our music…” she trailed off as she looked at Niall, who was still staring at her. “Sorry, I’m just going off on a rant and sound completely idiotic.”
“No, I like learning about you,” Niall told her. “That actually sounds like a really fun time, and I like that you’re not ashamed of that.”
Mae smiled as she looked down at her fingers that were now knotted in her lap. “I mean, that’s just who I am.”
Niall just nodded, his smile never fading.
“Now, tell me about you,” she told him. “What do you like to do?”
Niall sighed as he leaned back in his chair, before he leaned forward and placed his chin on his steepled fingers. “I like to go out with Louis and the rest of the guys. We’ll go to the movies or grab a bite to eat, and sometimes we may even go to a party or two, but nothing crazy. We can all sit at home together and just laugh and tell jokes or sing and we can just have a good time. When I’m alone I like to listen to a little bit of music and lie around. I’m not that interesting when I don’t have many people around.”
Mae smiled and nodded after Niall was done, and he sighed to himself. “And that’s about me. Are you ready to get out of here and continue on with our date?”
Still smiling, Mae nodded. “Sure.”
It can't just end like this!! Can I have your preamicion to make a story of what happens after???????
1/14/14