Near To You (One Direction Fan Fiction)

Chapter Six

Near to You

06

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Let me say first that you’re so charming; don’t you think that you could use someone to charm?

The One You Say Goodnight To – Kina Grannis

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            “Watch out.”

            Zayn dragged me toward him as two boys ran past us with their hands thrown haphazardly in the air. I giggled lightly as they continued to hoot and holler around the corner.

            “Thanks.” I smiled up at Zayn whose hands lingered for a moment longer around my waist before he let me go. I stepped away, pushing my hair out of my eyes, and I glanced up and down the street in search of more hooligans but we were now the only two on the empty road.

            We resumed our leisurely stroll on the sidewalk, the bright streetlights illuminating small circles of pavement.

            “Are you sure it’s alright for you to be out here?” I asked again.

            “Yes.” Zayn laughed. “There’s hardly anyone out here at this time.”

            Silence fell over us and I twisted the sleeves of my sweater so that they fell over my hands. Bringing my fingers to my mouth I breathed on them once or twice, trying to keep them warm.

            “Do you want to go inside somewhere?”

            I glanced his way briefly. His hair was tucked under a grey beanie and he had the glasses I had seen him wearing the first day we met, but he was still recognizable if you knew who you were looking for. I couldn’t risk forcing him to sign autographs and take pictures just because it was a little nippy outside.

            “I’m alright,” I lied and shoved my hands into my pockets. I kicked some of the fallen snow with the toe of my boot. This was the reason we had come outside in the first place. I had been sitting in the shop, struggling with writer’s block, infuriatingly early in the process, when he had burst into the store, nearly giving Frankie and I a heart attack.

            He all but dragged me outside into the snow, promising Frankie that he would be back to collect our things before it got too late. We wandered around the streets closer to the shop for a while, until we decided to go to the park. He had been appalled that I had not been anywhere besides the tiny district outside my university.

            “I don’t miss the snow.” I laughed softly. “To think I could have gone to Spain.”

            “Spain?” He asked curiously.

            “It’s Thanksgiving next week,” I explained quietly. “My father got a bonus this year and he’s taking my mother and sister to Spain.”

            “Why don’t you meet them there?”

            “Not enough money,” I frowned. I noticed that his shoulders had grown rigid and I realized I was being a downer. “It’s alright. I’ll see them at Christmas and that’s only a few more months away.”

            “You must miss them a lot.”

            “All the time,” I answered truthfully. Once more I wished I could touch the money I made from Behind Closed Doors. What better use could I put it to than seeing my family?