Time of Our Lives

*Kariann’s POV*

Spring Break. Two weeks of freedom and worry-free from school work. Dakota, Bonnie, and I climbed onto the private jet the guys rented out for us. “Damn…” Bonnie breathed, taking in the nice cab. We threw our bags down, taking a seat. A flight attendant came out, full of smiles as she offered us something to drink.

We would be meeting everyone at the destination, wherever that may be. Apparently the guys didn’t trust themselves without revealing the secret, so they decided to just meet us there. It was a long, yet quick, ride. It only took three hours before we landed. There were no windows so we had no idea what to expect.

The door opened and I was breathless as I stepped out and onto the steps. A soft breeze touched my cheeks as the wind blew. I felt a small smile touch my lips as five cars, very nice cars at that, pulled up. Five guys came out of the driver’s side, followed by two girls out of the passengers. “Wait…” Dakota wondered. “Where’s Eleanor? I thought she was coming…”

We made it down the steps and the five guys came up to us, Liam and Zayn with their girlfriends. We hugged each other and was introduced to the two girls. They were beautiful girls, it actually made me jealous. It was good to see them again. “Alright!” Niall said, and I noticed him intertwining his hands with Bonnie’s. “Let’s hit the road! I wanna see the beach!”

“Wait just a moment…” Dakota said, looking between Niall and Bonnie. “No way! When did you two start going out?”

Bonnie laughed, walking backwards and pulling Niall along. “Not saying!”

I gaped. No way, those two actually started dating? I grinned, seeing Dakota pout at her friend. “Love you, Kotes!”

“Alright! I think I’m going to have to agree with Niall on this one.” Liam said, smiling as he put an arm around Danielle’s waist. “I’m ready to hit some waves.”

Zayn and Perry were making their way to their own cars and Liam and Danielle went over to theirs. “So, you girls ready?” Harry asked, taking my bags.

I took it that I was riding with Harry and Dakota with Louis. Harry put my bags in the trunk before climbing into the driver’s seat. “So you chose me, huh?” Harry asked, grinning. “I’m shocked.”

“Whatever, Styles.” I said, reaching over to put on my seatbelt.

“Well, Louis needs to be with Dakota anyways.” Harry said, putting the car into gear as he followed Louis’s car. “He an Eleanor broke up.”

I gaped in shock. “Oh, my God. When?”

“Technically Christmas day, but they officially called it off last month.”

“What…” I was flabbergasted. “Why…?”

Harry looked over at me with a small smile. “Just watch what happens over the course of the next two weeks. It’ll be entertaining to watch.”

He looked back out to where Louis was driving… quite slowly. Harry honked his horn, looking over the road before speeding up to his side. Harry rolled down my window. “The hell, Lou?”

Louis raised an eye at Harry, then gave him a huge grin. He turned his head to talk to Dakota. “Hell yeah!” I heard her yelled, peeking her head over to grin at me.

“Bye, suckers!” Louis yelled before putting the pedal to the metal and speeding away.

“That little-“ Harry gaped before flooring it.

Wow, I expected Louis to be more emotional about the breakup, but he was laughing and free with himself. I screamed as Harry and Louis were side by side, pushing their cars to almost 110. It was a scream of excitement, but it did scare the hell out of me too. They didn’t keep going fast for long since they slowed back down to a considerate speed. The cars often danced around each other. It was quite fun and it took about twenty minutes before they pulled off into a drive down a hill.

They stopped the cars and Dakota and I stepped out, breathless. There were a line of small beach houses on a huge deck, numbered down. “Here!” I heard Harry yell.

He threw a pair of keys at me. There was a number on the keys. 28. “That’s your cottage number.” He explained before he went to the back of the car.

“You girls head on up.” Louis said, doing the same as Harry. “We’ll take your stuff up for you.”

I noticed the other cars were here. Dakota and I looked at each other, grinning in excitement. “Whoo!” Dakota yelled, running toward the steps that lead up to the huge deck. I soon followed after her.

Our cabins were right next to each other and Dakota disappeared quickly into her cabin as I was unlocking mine. I stepped in, taken in by its beauty. It was like a mini hotel room. There was only the room I was standing in along with a bathroom boxed in the corner. There was a queen size bed against one wall with enough room to walk around it since the bathroom was next to it. On the opposite end was a dresser with a flat screen on top of it. The room had a closet too right where the entrance was. It was small and cozy. Beside the bed was sliding doors that opened into a balcony that overlooked the ocean.

I stepped out, checking out the view. It really was beautiful. Best spring break vacation spot yet.

I heard a loud knock at my cabin door before it was opened, Harry walking in with my luggage. He set it down by my bed. “Alright!” He said, clapping his hands. “Why don’t you just save the unpacking until later and get dressed? We’re heading down to the beach now.”

I nodded, grinning as I picked up one of my bags and placed it on my bed to begin searching for my swim suit. “Oh, hey, would you mind waiting for me too?” Harry asked. “I want to walk with you.”

I smiled at him. “Sure thing.”

“Just meet me out front here.” He said before leaving me to change. I stripped down to put my bikini on.

I glared at my reflection in the wall mirror by the bed. “My thighs are so huge…” I sighed, grabbing a pair of mini shorts and putting them on. I debated on flip flops and decided on taking them to be safe. I put them on, grabbing a pair of sunglasses while I was at it. I stepped out of my cabin, locking the door. Harry was waiting for me. His hair was pulled back and he had a pair of shades on. He had on just swimming trunks, leaving his chest shirtless and wearing a pair of flip flops too. He grinned at my appearance. “Ready?”

I nodded, putting on my shades. It was play time.

*Bonnie’s POV*

It was a fun and exhausting day. It was past dark now and we were all crowded around sitting on logs before a fire. Someone had the decent thought of bringing marshmallows and hotdogs so we ate s’mores and wieners. I sat next to Niall, quite closely. He was leaning forward to bake his marshmallow, blowing it out as he caught it on fire.

Dakota was sitting on my other side, taking up the third seat for the log. She was laughing at Louis burning his marshmallows on the opposite end with Kariann and Harry, Harry in the center. Sitting on the right log to me was Liam and Danielle, cuddled close and Liam helping Danielle roast a mellow. The opposite of the, to my left, was Zayn and Perry who were exchanging kisses.

“Okay!” Dakota said. “I think now is the perfect time to do this because it’s been killing me this past month…”

She held up three envelopes. Ah, I knew what that was. Our college acceptance letters. Dakota passed Kariann’s down and gave me my own. “You sure you want to open them?” Liam asked, looking at the scared looks of Dakota and Kariann.

“Liam, shut up and let them open them. We all been dying to know what they got.” Niall said.

I watched as Dakota and Kariann flashed each other encouraging glances. Of course they would, they applied for the same University. I stared at my own bleak letter. “You two first.” I said, smiling at them.

“Here goes nothing.” Dakota breathed.

“3…” Kariann started.

“2…” Dakota said next.

“1!” They both said, ripping their letters open. I saw Harry peek over Kariann’s shoulder, reading if she made it.

“Oh, my God!” Kariann screamed. She suddenly reached over to the person closest to her and hugged him. “I made it! I made it!”

I looked over at Dakota. She was gaping at the letter. “Dakota?” I asked.

She looked over at me. “I can’t believe it…”

The look on her face was pure shock. I swallowed, did she not make it? “I got in…” She said, then proceeded into a screaming fit. “I got in!”

She hugged me tightly. She was shaking me so much we ended up falling backwards into the sand. A smile was apparent on my face as she quickly got up and ran over to Kariann and they hugged. Niall helped me up and I sat back down. “Are you going to open yours?” He asked, seeing my unopened letter.

Dakota and Kariann stopped cheering. Dakota stood up from where she was squatting and I could see her face cascade into shadows. I looked down at my envelope. I shook my head. “Nah.”

I threw the envelope into the fire. Everyone watched in shock as it burned. The only people smiling was me and Dakota. We both knew what I wanted to do and I would do it. “Why…?” Niall asked, looking over at me.

I smiled at him. “You told me we should follow our dreams, so I will. I’m going to become a model, not some doctor like my parents wanted.”

A smiled came across his face and his expression softened. Dakota sat back down next to me and we hugged each other. “Good job.” She whispered. “I’m proud.”

“I’m proud of you too.” I smiled back, kissing her cheek.

“Wait…” I heard Danielle speak up. “You want to be a model?”

I looked at her, nodding. Danielle nodded, a smile spreading across her face. “I can hook you up with some people if you’re interested. The company I’m working for is looking for some fresh-faced models. Do you have any experience?”

No way. I smiled brightly. “Yeah. During the summers when I’m in Australia I model for the clothing line Air Waves.”

“Perfect. You may qualify for the job. I’ll be sure to talk to my boss about it.”

I thanked her and we all cheered. “I could really use a beverage right now!” Louis yelled.

“We promised no alcohol!” Zayn said to him. “You’ll live!”

We carried on for a while. It was well into midnight whenever Liam and Niall brought out some guitars, playing with the strings. “How about a song?” Niall grinned, looking over at me.

“What song?” Liam asked the rest of us.

“Up All Night!” Dakota yelled, jumping up. “I wanna dance!”

I got up with her as Niall and Liam sat together to begin the song.

“It’s feels like we’ve been living in fast forward, another moment passing by…” Liam started.

“Katy Perry’s on replay. She’s on replay…” Harry picked up.

We all did the chorus, even us girls. Dakota and I danced around like the crazy girls we were. I noticed Kariann sticking close to Harry’s side, the two of them singing together. Danielle and Perry were both on a log, clapping and laughing at the rest of us. Zayn and Louis were practically tackling each other. The night was fun. We all stayed until the fire died out. “Guess it’s bedtime, huh?” Kariann said, yawning some.

We all got our stuff and slowly started to trail along. I checked my phone, seeing the time… and noticing the date. My eyes widened. “Dakota!” I yelled out.

She turned around quickly walking backwards, her hair blowing in the wind.

“Happy 18th birthday!” I yelled, grinning as I waved.

“Thanks, babe!” She yelled, smiling as she waved back.

She laughed as she started to run ahead and jump on Kariann’s back.

“Bonnie?” I turned around, seeing Louis with a soccer ball him and the guys were playing with earlier.

“Yeah?”

“Today is Dakota’s birthday?” He asked, shocked.

I nodded. “March 15th.”

A smile came onto his face. “Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

He started walking up the bank to go to the deck. A hand grabbed my arm. I turned around, seeing Niall. I smiled at him. “Hey- oh-“ I started, but he pulled me to him.

I looked up at him. One hand lingered on my lower back and the other brushed back my hair that was covering part of my face. His thumb gently grazed my cheek as the tip of his nose trailed the side of my head. He rested his forehead against my own and stared into my eyes. He had on a lopsided grin, like he couldn’t help but smile. “Sorry…” He said, pulling his head back. “I just can’t believe this is happening.”

I felt my lips pull into a smile. We stood there for a moment, staring at each other. “So.” I said, ready to lay the question. “Are you going to kiss me, or will I have to kiss you?”

“I don’t know…” He said, looking at my face. “I’m scared you’ll disappear if I do it.”

“Guess I’ll save you the trouble then.” I said, reaching up and placing either hand on his neck. I stood on my toes, bringing my lips to his.

It was a sweet, soft kiss at first, but it soon changed into something tender and slow. It wasn’t a long kiss, but Niall was breathless. It came out as a breath to him, but I heard him. “Wow…”

“Now, Niall.” I scolded as he started to pull away. “I have this huge problem when it comes to kissing.”

A grin played across his face. “What’s that?”

I reached up, running a hand through his blonde hair to rest it my hand on the back of his head. “When I start… I just can’t stop.” I said, looking into his eyes, smiling.

I felt his face began to near my own. “Now that’s a problem, huh? But who am I to stop you? You’re such an amazing kisser…”

Our lips met again, but this time, it was my turn to be breathless. I couldn’t believe it. Something felt so real between the two of us. I didn’t want it to end. No, this wasn’t like any relationship I’ve been in before. I actually wanted this to last. I didn’t want to let Niall go. Ever.

We managed to pull apart somehow and with one hand he carried his guitar and in the other, intertwined his fingers with my own. Unfortunately the night came to an end, but I knew it wasn’t over. There was tomorrow. Always tomorrow.

And I knew Niall would be here right by my side.

*Louis’s POV*

Somehow I couldn’t sleep at all last night. Today was Dakota’s birthday and the minute I knew the shops on the pier were open, I got up and got dressed. I walked along, staring at each of the shops. “Sir!” I looked over, seeing an elder lady calling me over. I walked over. She stared up at me, smiling. “I see you’re quite desperate to find something. Is it for a girl?”

How cheesy. I knew the lady was only trying to convince me to buy something from her shop, but I didn’t care. She was right either way. “Yeah. It’s a friend of mine’s birthday today.” I said.

“Judging from the look on your face, it doesn’t seem like any friend. Is she special to you?” She asked, a smile apparent on her face.

I smiled at her. “Yeah…”

“Is she a fan of jewelry? I got the finest of all the shops!”

I laughed. “Oh, no, surprisingly she’s not. The most I’ve ever seen her wear is a matching bracelet she and her friend wears. Nothing more.”

“My…” the woman said, seeming to put into a small dilemma. Something in her mind seemed to click. She reached over, grabbing what seemed to be an ankle bracelet. “Judging by what you said, it doesn’t seem like she wears anything heavy and noticeable. This’ll be perfect for her.”

I took the ankle bracelet from her. It was orange, her favorite color, and there were multiple colored differently shaped beads on it. I noticed pictures that represented peace, love, and happiness. It would suit her. “Thanks, I’ll take it.” I said, smiling at the lady.

The lady smiled. “With a handsome and nice boy like you, any girl would be lucky to receive that gift.”

I paid for the item and she did me the favor of wrapping it for me. I stuck the bracelet in my pocket, walking down the pier to head back to the cabins. I almost ran into someone along the way. “Whoa, Kariann.” I said, grabbing her arm to keep her from tumbling over.

She was quite breathless. “Sorry. I need to talk to Kariann.”

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

Kariann swallowed, not sure how to say it. “Well, it’s just that I remembered that we signed up for a scholarship program for Full Sail and I need to remind her about it. The thing is we have to turn something in by next Friday…”

She ran a hand through her hair. “What do you have to do?” I asked, curious.

“It’s a Creative Mind scholarship, so it can be pretty much anything. Me and Dakota were going to work together on a video, but we haven’t planned for one yet. We’re not even sure what the video should be about either.”

She looked up at me, not sure in what to do. I felt a smile on my lips. “What? Why are you giving me that devilish smile, Louis?” Kariann asked, raising an eye.

“You have the boys of One Direction presented before you.” I said. “What more of an idea do you need than to make a music video!?”

Her mouth dropped. “Wait, are you serious? Would you be willing to help?”

“I’ll talk to the guys.” I said. “I’m sure they won’t care in helping you out.”

Kariann screamed excitedly, pulling me into a hug. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! You guys are so awesome! I’ll go tell Kota!”

She ran down the pier to Dakota’s cabin, banging on her door loudly. I felt a smile tug my lips as I started to whistle while walking. I saw Harry coming out of his cottage, shutting his door. “Oy, Hazza!” I called out.

Harry turned, smiling upon seeing me. “Ay, mate. What’s that?”

I was mindlessly throwing and catching Dakota’s present in the air. I shrugged, sticking it in my pocket. “Nothing much. Just Dakota’s birthday present.”

Harry grinned. “Look at you being all sexy-like buying her a present. What’d you buy? Lingerie?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “It’s a bracelet.”

“Still sexy!” Hazza grinned. We looked over, suddenly hearing the excited screams of Dakota and Kariann.

“What are they screaming about so early?” He asked.

“Oh.” I said, looking at him. “They need to make a video for a scholarship program. I offered us up for grabs. So how about it? Wanna make a music video with them?”

Harry became thoughtful, not sure what to think. Kariann and Dakota came running out of the cottage. “Louis!” Kariann said, dragging an unusual wide-awake Dakota in front of us boys. “There’s a small problem.”

I looked between them, curious. “The video has to be all original. Meaning there can be no copyright content in it…”

“So that means all of your other songs you’ve recorded already has to be trashed.” Dakota said.

“In other words,” Harry spoke up. “You need a song that hasn’t been copyrighted yet?”

The two girls nodded.

“I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” An Australian accent spoke up.

The four of us looked to see Bonnie and Niall walking over. “What do you mean?” I asked.

“Use that song you guys wrote on Valentine’s Day.” Bonnie said, looking up at Niall with a smile.

Harry and my face’s fell in shock. “You sung it to her!?” Harry said to Niall. “I thought we agreed to wait on that!?”

Niall held his hands up in surrender. “I couldn’t help it, it was the only way for her to hear out my confession.”

“So that’s when you two started dating!” Dakota exclaimed, smiling excitedly.

“Wait-“ Kariann spoke up. “You guys already have a song written that’s not copyrighted?”

She looked between the two of us, but her eyes rested on Harry. Harry groaned, not able to lie about it. “Yeah, we do, but we wanted to wait before showing you guys.”

“Too late now!” Dakota said, grabbing Kariann’s arm. “We have to start this immediately. Do you guys have a recording studio somewhere on this awesome island?”

Harry and I looked at each other before turning to look at Niall. Niall groaned. “I’ll go wake up the others. We’ll meet you there.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Kariann said, smiling at Dakota.

They went back into their cottages, going to get ready. Harry and I looked between each other. “This is bad.” He said, sighing.

“I know.” I said, pulling out the bracelet from my pocket.

“Was you going to tell her after you give her that?” Harry asked. “Tell her how you felt?”

I nodded, staring at it. He put a hand on my shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Looks like it’ll come sooner than expected, huh?”

“There’s no helping it.” I said, sticking the present back in my pocket. “Hopefully she’ll hear me out afterward.”