In the Open

"Stop charming me!"

*** Nadine's dress ***

Nick and I sit on the couch while Zayn goes and gets my bags from the car. I offered to help, but him being the gentleman he is, refused.

"You already wrote our scene? All of it?" I skeptically ask him as he grabs the notebook from his bag and hands it to me.

"Yep," he says, popping the 'p'.

I give him a weird look and sift through it, scanning the pages. It's amazing; poetic and beautiful. No way did Nick Simmons write this. I couldn't even write something like this, whoever it is has serious talent.

"Who did you pay to write this for you?" I ask him in annoyance. I actually want to do this project and get an excellent grade on it, and of course Nick just has to cheat his way through it like everything else.

"I wrote it," he says defensively. Does he think I'm that stupid?

"I'm serious Nick! This project is important to me and I actually want to deserve the grade we get. I'm not going to turn this in. I am not a cheater and I actually do my own work.

He looks angry, offended, and most of all hurt. "I wrote it my goddamn self. I'm not just some worthless piece of shit who makes everyone else do stuff for him. I spent weeks on this damn thing because I know how important this grade is to you. You really think I'm that fucking shallow and useless? Fuck you Nadine, I'm done."

"Nick!" I call after him as he storms out of Zayn's apartment, leaving a trail of rage behind him as he goes. He doesn't say anything and I watch as he pulls out of the parking lot, tires screeching and engine revving angrily.

"What was that all about?" Zayn says curiously, with a suitcase in each hand.

"I messed up. I messed up bad," I whisper, with tears in my eyes. I've never seen Nick that hurt, other than that time he had that awful nightmare. And this time was so much worse because I'm the one who hurt him. He's right. I think he's shallow and couldn't possibly write something that deep and emotional. Nick doesn't even have the emotional depth to write something of that intensity.

"He's not a bad guy Nadine. He may seem like it, but he isn't. His life is fucked up and it makes him tough. He may look like nothing gets to him, but the truth is that everything gets to him. I've never met someone as caring as him. If you knew what he has to deal with, you'd understand why he tries to turn all of his emotions into indifference and anger. It makes things easier for him, but he is not an arrogant asshole. He has the biggest heart, he just doesn't let people see it."

"Why?" My voice cracks with emotion as I ask, my heart breaking for him. What happened to him to make him like this? What makes him so cold and distant from the people who just want to love him? Why won't he let people care about him.

"It's not my place to tell you Naddy." He smiles sympathetically at me and leads me back inside.

I try to block Nick out of my mind for a while, and unpack all of my things in the guest room that Zayn offered me.

"Hey, do you want to go out to dinner with me?" Zayn says with a blush. I smile at his cuteness.

"Like a date?" I ask shyly. I have never been on a date. I've never had a boyfriend, or a first kiss. I don't know the first thing about dating.

"Well I figured since you're already living with me I should ask you. I've wanted to for a while, I just didn't know when the right time was." He chuckles lightly and shoves his hands in his pockets.

"Yes, I would love to go on a date with you Zayn Anderson."

He smiles at me and I can't possibly contain the smile on my face. He tells me we'll leave at six, and I rush to my room so I can call Alyssa.

"What the heck do I wear?" I ask her, looking through my clothes. We're on FaceTime and she smirks at me as she shoves another bite of pizza into her mouth, getting pizza sauce all over her chin.

"He's hot, you should wear a tight dress that will make him want to rip it off when he sees it."

"Alyssa!" I scold her while laughing. I love this girl. I lay the only dresses I have on my bed, looking for a cute and casual one.

Alyssa boos me as I do so. Just then, I come across the perfect one.

The top of the dress is a beige color covered in black polka dots, with ruffles along the neckline and shoulders. The back of the dress has a black ribbon stretching from each shoulder. The bottom of the dress is a little short for my liking, but the plain navy blue is beautiful and classy. There's a brown belt in the middle of the dress that ties the whole thing together. I show Alyssa and she nods in approval.

"Thank you Lyss," I say to her, and we say our goodbyes and hang up.

I slip the dress on and pair it with a cute pair of brown wedges. Looking in my mirror, I do a little spin in the mirror and smile at myself. The dress if very flattering, and I'm surprised I don't wear it more often. I look at the time on my phone.

5:32...

My eyes widen and I quickly run out of the room, but slam harshly into something. I fall hard on my butt and grimace. Ow, that hurt. Maybe running in an unfamiliar place was not my brightest idea.

Only then do I notice Zayn cackling in front of me.

"Hey, stop laughing at me you banshee!" I pout at him, while he just stands there laughing like it's the funniest thing in the world.

"I'm sorry... that was just so amusing to watch." He offers me his hand and pulls me off the floor effortlessly.

"Yeah it wasn't amusing to me... my butt hurts," I frown at him as he starts to chuckle again.

He smiles playfully at me, and pulls me into a hug. He holds me to him tightly, and kisses the top of my head. The butterflies in my stomach go crazy at the action and my cheeks heat up.

"All better?" He tilts my head up to look at him, and our faces are only a few inches apart. I look at his lips and feel the sudden urge to kiss him. Zayn is such an amazing guy. He's perfect actually. He's incredibly sweet and mannered. He is funny and playful, and is fun to be around. If my first kiss has to happen, I want it to be with him. But for some reason, something in my head is telling me not to kiss him. I listen to it and step back from him, although I'm not sure why.

"I'm almost done getting ready," I chuckle at him when he pouts as I pull out of his warm embrace.

"You look beautiful. Absolutely perfect," he says while moving my hair behind my ear, his thumb brushing back and forth sweetly on my cheek.

"Stop charming me!" I say with a laugh as I shake my head at him. I walk into the living room to retrieve my purse, grabbing both my makeup bag and brush. Then I rush by Zayn as he smiles adorably at me. Darn him and his effortless charm, he's perfect and it's incredibly maddening.

I stop and take a quick look at him. He's wearing jeans, with a navy blue button down shirt. Of course, the sleeves are rolled up to reveal his muscular arms. I smile at the fact that somehow our outfits are matching even though we didn't try. I bite my lip to stop myself from grinning when I get back into the room. I'm smiling way too much already.

I quickly brush my hair and put half of it up in a topknot bun. Sifting through my makeup bag, I grab my lip gloss and mascara. I coat my lashes until they're long enough, and then I put on two layers of my lip gloss just to be sure my lips stay hydrated.

The nerves kick in as I finish getting ready. This is my first real date, with an amazing boy who is sweeter than anyone I have ever met. My stomach erupts with butterflies, and a smile rises to my face. He actually wants to go on a date with me. Nadine Reynolds. I almost can't believe it.

I take one last look in the mirror, and walk out of the room, feeling mostly happy when Zayn looks me up and down as soon as he sees me. He smiles and bites his lip, telling me I'm beautiful with a sweetness in his eyes that seems too good to be true. I should be completely happy that this boy wants to go on a date with me.

But a part of me, for whatever reason, feels guilty. And I don't have the slightest idea why.