Girlfriend For Hire// n.h.

Chapter Two

In the morning that follows, Niall wakes up to the smells of freshly cooked eggs and bacon, the scent wafting into his nose and making him get up from the comforting bed. Once he makes his way to the kitchen, Paige greets him with a smile.

"Eat up, we have a big day today!" she exclaims in excitement, placing a full plate down on the table for him. Niall obliges, picking up a fork and digging in. Without so much as a word, Niall finishes off the meal before Paige even has a chance to take her seat. She stares at his empty plate, cracking a smile.

"I'm guessing it was okay?" She asks, earning a simple nod from Niall, who sits back in his chair to digest his breakfast. Niall soon leaves Paige to her own plate, wanting to look good if he was going to be on camera today.

Deciding on a pair of black jeans with a white tank top, a graphic of a spotlight lining his torso, and a pair of white Nike's, Niall proceeds to the bathroom, fixing his messy blonde hair into a bit of a quiff. When he emerges, Paige is waiting patiently for him.

"You look nice," she comments, sliding in past him. Niall admires her for just a moment, her body lined with a pink dress that reaches to about her knees, the top a button down with leads into the skirt which flows beautifully on her. Paige fixes her brushed hair a bit, placing a black fedora-type hat on her head.

"You look, uh, good too," Niall remarks, staring at his Nike's as though they are the most interesting thing in the room.

"Wow, he speaks," Paige mutters sarcastically, her eyes opening wide as she brushes mascara over already long eyelashes. Niall is taken aback by her words, but knows he had not spoken at all to her this morning.

"Sorry. I guess I'm just a bit nervous..." He fumbles for words, not really having an excuse for not muttering a single word all morning. All he knows is that it is quite weird having another person in his home all of a sudden, much less a beard.

Paige stops putting on her makeup, turning herself towards Niall, eyeliner in hand. He makes note of how funny she looks with only one eye really done, but he holds in his laugh, because Paige's face holds seriousness.

"Listen, I know this is going to be hard for the first couple days, weeks, months, whatever, but management stuck you with me. I'm sorry if you already find me hard to live with, but I'm just doing my job," she explains, shaking her head.

"And what exactly is your job, because I still don't understand that part."

"My job is to make you look good with the paparazzi," she states, returning to her makeup. "No matter what. I'm trying to be friendly, but if that's not working, it doesn't have to stay that way."

"U-understood," he stammers, now noticing the menacing tone to her words. She was serious about her job, and sadly it took a snap like that to make Niall realize that. He soon decides to do what this girl says, if he doesn't want to disappointment management that is. No one wants to disappoint management.

"You ready?" she asks, stepping out of the bathroom and giving herself a twirl in the mirror. Feeling satisfied with her appearance, she turns her attention to Niall, who nods. "Then let's go," she tells him, a warm smile on her face as she entwines their fingers together and leads him toward the door.

"In all honesty, I'm a bit nervous," Niall confesses, staring at the ground as he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand. Paige nods in agreement as they approach Niall's Challenger, flashing him her best reassuring smile.

"It's all part of the act. You should be nervous about revealing your girlfriend of a few months," she tells him, winking and sliding into the passenger seat. Niall follows on the driver side, gliding the car into ignition.

"So, where are we heading?" he asks her once they're out of his flat's building's parking lot, stopping abruptly at a red light to wait for further instructions.

"Somewhere really big and public. I don't know my way around London, you're going to have to help me," she jokes, glancing over at him. Niall thinks for a moment, coming up with an idea.

"I know the perfect place," he tells her.

They soon find themselves in one of the biggest shopping centers in all of London. Kingly Court was always crowded, people constantly moving from floor to floor of the three story place, eating, shopping, and relaxing. It was practically perfect for what Paige had described to Niall.

The two wander around, acknowledging the gawks and stares they receive, and even a few camera flashes, but ignoring them the best they can. This was critical if people were to believe they were dating, and both Niall and Paige would have to stay alert and focused.

"Can we go in here? Please?" Paige begs, pointing towards Urban Outfitters. Niall laughs lightly, nodding his head and allowing her to drag him inside. She searches through racks and sales, picking out a few dresses and tops. When she's narrowed it down to a dress and two shirts, she brings Niall to the changing rooms, where she pleads with her eyes to allow her some time.

"Have fun," he tells her, gesturing towards the changing room.

"You're the best boyfriend ever. Be right back," she says, planting a sweet peck on his lips before disappearing to try on the clothes. Niall leans against the wall, still trying to get over these unexpected kisses she seems to like to give him. The least she could do was warn a guy, right?

"Excuse me, are you Niall Horan?" A petite girl asks him, a name tag indicating she worked in this store. Niall nods, giving her a smile.

"Yes, how may I help you?" She blushes, pulling out her phone from her back pocket and opening the camera app.

"May I have a picture with you?" she asks, and Niall nods once more, allowing her to get him in the picture before the phone makes a snapping sound, and the photo is saved into her library. She smiles at him, a flirty spark crossing over her ivy green gaze. "Would I also be able to get your number?"

"Niall?" A voice speaks up, Niall recognizing it as Paige. She stands beside her changing room, holding the door open as she models a dress. Blue, a color that looks lovely on her, with a lace top that has long sleeves down to her wrists. The skirt flows almost exactly like the dress she had been previously wearing, and Niall finds himself almost gaping at her. "How does it look?"

"Ah-Uh, I mean... You look beautiful," he chokes out, giving her a nervous smile. Paige makes her way over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Seemingly choosing to ignore the worker who is standing, mouth agape, as Paige does so. She buries her face in the crook of Niall's neck in a hug, and he returns the gesture by placing his hands around her waist.

"You really think so?" she whispers, tickling Niall's skin with her breath. In response, Niall nods slightly, smiling wide.

"Absolutely. Now go change, I want lunch," he tells Paige, who pulls away, sashaying back into the changing room, but not before giving the worker a death stare. Niall makes a mental note to bring it up later when they're somewhere more private.

Out of earshot, the worker fumbles for words. "I... uh, I had no idea you had... I mean- I didn't think you-"

"It's fine," he reassures her, leaning back against the wall. "No one knew."

"She's one lucky girl," the worker comments before making her way back to the cash register, where quite the line has grown. Fortunately, no one approaches him until Paige reemerges, dress and shirts in hand.

"Let's go," she tells him, entwining their fingers once more before heading towards the line. Once they get the cash register, Paige takes a wallet out of the purse she brought, pulling out money. That is, before Niall interjects.

"I'm paying," he states, pulling out his own wallet from his back pocket. Paige shakes her head, taking out a few twenties. Niall pushes her hand away, taking money out himself.

"Niall, they're my clothes, and I'm paying," she insists, attempting to hand the cashier her money again. Once more, Niall pushes her hand away, handing the girl his own money and giving the bag to Paige.

"I'm the boyfriend, I pay," he explains, finding it quite hard to refer to himself as her boyfriend. It would no doubt get some getting used to.

"Fine." She gives in, grumbling under her breath as she snatches the bag away from him. Niall only chuckles, kissing the top of her head and wrapping an arm around her shoulder before making his way to the exit. "I'm paying for lunch," she speaks up after they reach a little cafe.

"Not a chance," he jokes, taking a seat across from her at a table near the center of the cafe, only to draw more attention. They proceed to order a small lunch, agreeing to pig out once they got to Niall's flat. When it comes time to pay, Niall takes out his money first, refusing to let Paige pay a dime.

"You really suck," she mutters under her breath, giving him a smile, which Niall returns.

"Hmm, was that supposed to be an insult?" he teases, entwining their fingers together, rather than Paige. Her face holds a bit of surprise, but it quickly disappears with a smile.

Upon leaving Kingly Court, Paige's phone buzzes in her purse, and she pulls it out to see the notification. Unlocking the phone, she scrolls through some pages before finding what she wants.

"Five new followers. Niall, Harry, Louis, Liam, and Zayn of One Direction. Wow, I got five of five in one day? Must be a new record," she jokes, sending the two of them in a light chuckle.

"Yeah, followed you while we were in the cafe. Figured I'd get it out of the way," he tells her as they make their way to the car again. "Do you think we did it?" he asks once they're in the privacy of his black Challenger.

Paige glances around through the windshield, proceeding to lean in to Niall and kiss his lips softly and sweetly. "Yeah, I think we did."



Nonetheless, the next morning the biggest story to hit social media is Niall Horan and this mystery girlfriend, who everyone soon figures out is Paige. Two thousand followers flow into her twitter within minutes, some sending hate, others congratulating her and supporting the relationship.

What Niall finds ironic is the picture all the tabloids used, him and Paige sharing a tender kiss in his car. Maybe she was better at her job then he originally thought.