up all night.

Liam looked at her, an indignant look on his face. "Excuse you," he said, struggling to pretend as though he was offended. "I'll have you know that most people that meet us think we're gentlemen," he told her, the expression on his face breaking into a grin. "Granted, we can barely hold it together at events like this, but I think we're starting to get at least a little better, don't you think? I mean, no one's running around here in his underwear, right?"

---

Jordan raised a brow at his words. "Are you just trying to get me to drink?" She teased, shaking her head as she looked up at him. She hesitated for a couple of seconds before nodding slowly. "Deal. So how are we going to determine who wins?" She questioned. After a second her eyes widened. "You have to take a drink. From your flask, since I had one. It's only fair."

"Well, the night is still young, Liam. There's plenty of time for one of you to run across the stage half naked," Paola smiled at him as she shrugged her shoulders. "Though I'm not sure you'd get invited back if you decided to do that." Paola couldn't help but think for a moment about just how good Liam would look in his underwear. That was something they could all be a part of.

---

"What can I say?" Niall asked, chuckling and shrugging his shoulders. "You seem like you'd be a fun drunk." He watched Jordan speaking, admiring the way her face lit up when she talked. "Oh, come on, Jordan. How stupid do you think I am? There's no way I'm drinking before this show." He laughed as he watched the expression on her face. "We'll do it tonight. The guys will be our judges. We have a hotel room not to far from here and we can head there after the show is over. You can even bring your band mates."

Liam let out a cough of a laugh, shaking his head at her. "Please, if I ran across the stage half naked, they would be begging us to come back. Especially if Harry did that. They'd be dying if he did that," he said, chuckling under his breath. "Management would kill us though, so it's probably not the smartest thing to do. They've been keeping us on a pretty tight leash lately," he added, making a face at the thought. He glanced around for a second before looking back to her. "So, Paola, tell me something about yourself."

---

Jordan shook her head at him, laughing softly. "I think you're just saying that," she quipped, running her hand through her hair without thinking about it. She paused, making a face when she realized that her stylist was going to be pissed at her for ruining her tousled waves. She looked back up to him, forgetting about it instantly. "No, we have to be on the same level of sobriety! Just one small drink. Or are you a lightweight?" She teased, smirking up at him. "The girls will probably like that. What hotel are you staying at?" She asked him, thinking that they might be staying at the same one.

"Well, if they're keeping you on a tight leash, I'm guessing you've been pretty bad, hmm?" Paola joked, raising her eyebrows as she looked at Liam. Of all the celebrities she'd talked to, she thought he was the most down to earth. She liked him a lot. At his question, she shrugged her shoulders, not really sure what to say. There wasn't really much to Paola's story; everything that she was basically came from her father. "I'm pretty average I guess. I'm not crazy talented like you, but my dad is, so I guess people think that makes me great by association or something."

---

Before he said anything else, Niall grabbed his flask from her hand and took a drink much bigger than the one she'd taken, attempting to prove the point that she would be losing that evening. He smiled at her, folding his arms across his chest. "We're staying at the Marriott. I'll let the guys know you're coming."

A sheepish look crossed Liam's face and he nodded slowly. "Uh, yeah. We've managed to get into some major trouble over the years," he said, shaking his head slowly. From literally running away from security ten minutes before a show, to streaking through the dark streets of Mexico at one in the morning, they'd managed to drive management absolutely insane. "Especially on tour. They want to kill us on tour all the bloody time," he laughed, grinning over at her. "No, I bet there's more. Tell me something. Likes, dislikes, hobbies, weird fetishes. Something."

---

Jordan grinned widely when he took the flask, secretly impressed that he'd taken an obviously bigger drink than she had. Her nerves were all but forgotten at this point, an easy smile on her face as she looked up at him. "We're staying there too, I think," she said. "It'll be much easier," she added, her fingers grappling at the hem of her dress. All of a sudden she heard a voice behind her, telling her that she had three minutes. She thanked them, glancing over or a second before looking back to Niall. "I should uh, probably go."

"I swear, there's really nothing," Paola said, shaking her head as she lifted her hands in the air. "I'm really not that interesting of a person, Liam. The only interesting thing about me is that I have money, but when the person you tell it to has as much or more than you, it makes it less interesting and more like talking about the weather." Paola knew from her time at events that there really was nothing to set her apart from everyone else. They were either actors, musicians, business men or some other entrepreneur that made them great, while she was just a socialite. The Paris Hilton of her generation, really. Only she was brunette and not nearly as annoying.

---

Niall knew that Jordan wouldn't be able to stay long, but he was happy to help keep her mind of things before she went on stage. "Go knock 'em dead," he said with a soft wink, tucking his hands in his pockets as he watched her band members behind her call her towards them. He was sure they were going to give an excellent performance and he was excited to watch them from behind the stage, though he was careful not to tell Jordan that lest it make her even more nervous. He had to make sure she didn't faint before their bet tonight.

Liam shook his head at her. "Come on, what do you like to do? What's your favorite book?" He questioned, wanting to know anything about her. He was curious. "Come on. There is something that is more interesting about you than money. Money isn't even that interesting, anyway." He was a firm believer that it was more of how you made your money that was more important than how much you had. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, glancing over as the music started. "Did you want to go over and watch? We can watch from back here. Or you could go out front. Or whatever you'd like to do," he said, not sure as to what she wanted to do.

---

All of a sudden Jordan remembered that she had to go out and perform. The nerves were back, although still not as bad as what they had been. "Thanks," she said, unable to keep from grinning when he winked at her. She ducked her head, starting towards her band mates. "You guys ready?" Everyone nodded and she took a deep breath before leading them onstage, instantly making her shoulders relax, acting as though she was perfectly comfortable on the stage. She picked up the guitar that had already been waiting for her and instantly started in on the chords, her fingers moving easy from note to note before she started to sing.

"Okay, books," Posey said, tapping her fingers to her chin as she thought for a moment. "Well, I hate young adult books. I know they're like all the craze right now, but I can't stand them. Never have. Everyone's just so whiny and it seems all the characters are either dead or dying. Or they're all rich. Which is equally as annoying." When the music started, the last thing Posey really wanted to do was go listen to it. She'd seen so many bands with disappointing performances that she really preferred to keep those things to the imagination anymore, but she wouldn't admit that. "Oh yeah, whatever you'd like is great with me. I can get out of your hair if you need to get ready."

---

Niall moved backstage to get as close to the girls as he could without being seen from behind the curtain. From where he was standing, he had the perfect view of Jordan, who was playing her guitar like it was what she was born to do. She was one of the best musicians he had ever seen, and he didn't know why girls like her weren't more confident with what they did. It was a shame for her to waste her time being nervous when she gave performances like that.

Liam grinned when she finally started talking. He nodded his head as she spoke, listening to every word. "Exactly! They all seem the same, you know? Like there can't be one original page in any of those books," he said, shooting her a smile. "I'm up for whatever you want. I mean, you don't have to go back out there if you don't to," he said, watching her for a second. "I like the company," he said simply. And he did like the company. He loved the boys, but it was nice to have someone else to be around. And the fact that she was attractive didn't hurt either.

---

After the first song, Jordan's shoulders relaxed for real, an easy smile on her face. That's how it always was. Nervous before they went on, but by the end of the first song she was perfectly fine and at ease. She let the guitar hand from her shoulder by its strap, grinning at the crowd. They were only playing a couple of songs since they were just opening, and they didn't much time. So she led straight into the second song, glancing towards the side of the stage for a moment, curious to see if she could find Niall.

"And they all end the same too," Paola said matter-of-factly. It was true, too, because she could predict the ending of everyone of them back when she still read them. Paola thought for a moment that maybe her parents were wondering where she went, but she would much rather stay backstage with Liam. "Let's stay here, then," she said, folding her hands in her lap. "There's nothing out there I haven't already done a thousand times before.

---

Niall met Jordan's eyes from back stage and gave her a soft wink. He couldn't wait to just get this show over with so they could get back to the hotel and get on with their drinking fun. He didn't know what it was about her, but he couldn't wait to spend more time with her.

"They do! It's ridiculous! I prefer reading something different, you know? Something that I haven't experienced a hundred times," he said, glad that they agreed on something. "That sounds good to me," he said, shooting her a grin. "I don't mind hanging out with you," he added slyly. "You do have to watch me - I mean us - when we perform. Its' only fair, you know?" He stepped forward, looking down at her. "I'll be pretty upset if I don't see you while we're on."

---

Jordan caught his wink, causing her heart to race. Her fingers fumbled over the next chord, just for a couple of seconds, short enough that most people didn't notice. She ignored the looks her bandmates were giving her. Her cheeks were flushing and she couldn't help herself as she sang, glancing back over to Niall one more time.

Paola smiled brightly, blushing as Liam looked down at her. It had been a long time since she'd met someone as genuinely nice and charming as Liam, and she made him feel slightly giddy in a way she couldn't explain. "I would love to watch you," she said, nodding her head. She was sure he gave a great performance - not like many of the disappointing once she had seen before. "Will I see you after?"

---

Niall noticed her quick little fumble, but only because he played guitar himself. It made him smile a bit more and he was surprised to see that he had that much of an effect on her. He wondered if she'd warmed up to him a bit more than she claimed he had. She was a beautiful girl with lovely friends, and with alcohol and his bandmates thrown into the mix, it was going to be an interesting night. He didn't want to miss the rest of Jordan's performance, but he knew he had to tell the rest of the guys about their plans before they made different ones. He hit up Harry, Louis and Zayn first, who were all standing in a group and agreed, and then moved to tell Liam, but hesitated when he saw him talking to a girl. He didn't want to interrupt, but he didn't want him to make plans with this girl first.

"Hey, Liam," he said slowly, hoping to catch them at a lull in the conversation. "We're having some people to the hotel tonight. The girl group that just went on, actually, so don't make any plans."

Liam leaned against the wall, grinning widely when she agreed. "Good," he said, knowing that he was going to most likely show off during the entire performance. He really wanted to impress her. "Oh, definitely," he said, stepping towards her. He glanced over to Niall, frowning as he started to speak. "I just made plans," he said dryly, glancing over to Paola for a second. "This going to sound like I'm hitting on you, and I swear I'm only hitting on you a little bit, but did you want to come to the hotel after the show?" He asked her, making it obvious that he wanted to see her after the show.

---

Jordan glanced back to the crowd, grinning widely as she sang. Throughout the rest of the show she'd glance over to the side, feeling a little disappointed when she didn't see him there. She knew that she shouldn't feel that way since she barely knew him, but she couldn't help it. After the last song she grinned widely, giving the crowd a wave before she and her band mates headed off the stage, laughing loud and joking around with each other.

"To your hotel?" Paola asked, smirking softly as she folded her arms across her chest. For anyone else she would have immediately said no, but in the short time she'd known Liam, she felt a connection with him that she wanted to explore. She felt like he understood her in a way most people didn't, and they had the same sense of humor too. The fact that he was gorgeous didn't hurt either. "If I say yes, you better not start telling people I'm one your fan girls, but yes, I'd love to."

---

After getting everyone to agree to their night in at the hotel room, Niall went back towards the stage to wait for Jordan's set to get done. He watched as she thanked the crowd and walked backstage, laughing with her band mates the whole time. They looked like they had enjoyed themselves quite a bit, and Niall couldn't help but think how pretty Jordan looked when she was so confident. "Hey," he said, smiling at her while he tried to get her attention. He only had a moment before he and the guys would be going on stage.

Liam grinned widely, nodding his head instead of actually answering her. He wasn't essentially inviting her there so they could do stuff, but he wanted to hang out with her more. The fact that he was attracted to her was only a part of it. "I would never do that to you. I might like to think that, though." He teased, grinning widely. He glanced over to the stage, seeing Harry and Louis start to head towards their entrance point. "We should probably head over," he said, nodding his head in that direction. Without thinking he grabbed her hand, beginning to lead her towards the rest of the lads.

---

Jordan wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings as she stood there, focused more on her band mates than anything else. She blindly handed her guitar to someone, only looking away when she heard Niall, her stomach fluttering when she saw him. "Hey," she breathed out, grinning up at him. "You guys are going on now, right?" She asked, ignoring her band mate, Alex, when she mentioned about her messing up on stage. "That didn't have anything to do with anyone that was here, did it?" She asked slyly. Jordan could feel her cheeks flush and ignored her, instead looking back to Niall. "You can ignore her. Like, all the time."

Liam's hand touching hers made her feel even better than she did when he smiled at her, and she quickly followed behind him without any question. She was excited to see him play for the first time, and even more excited to be able to do it backstage and away from her parents. "I'm not sure if it's bad luck in England to say good luck, so I'll just say go out there and wow all those rich people," she said, smiling at him as they walked toward the other guys and another group of girls. The girl band Niall had been talking about, she assumed.

---

"We've got a minute before we go on, but yeah. You played great," he said before noticing Jordan's friend whose eyes were trained on him. She was clearly the overbearing once, but it was okay. Every group had one. "Did you invite them yet?" He asked not sure if he should actually mention it in front of the weird one or not, but by the time he thought about it, it was too late.

Liam glanced back to Paola, glad that she seemed pretty content to follow him backstage. For a second he'd been worried as to whether he was stepping beyond his bounds. He wasn't sure where he stood with her, and he kind of liked the exhilarated feeling. "That sounds much better than good luck, to be honest," he told her, grinning wide before he looked back to where he was going. Harry and Louis looked back to them, grins on their faces when they saw that the two were holding hands. "Liam, who's this nice girl?"

---

"Um, thanks," Jordan said sheepishly, grinning up at him. "I'm sure you guys will be even better," she added, glancing back to her band mates. She rolled her eyes, motioning for them to do something other than stare at them. "No, not yet. I was going to wait til you guys were on before I said anything. Things seem to be pretty busy back here," she said, giving a shrug of her shoulders.

Paola had never met Liam's friends before, but it didn't take a genius to recognize the tone in their voice that insinuated something was going on between them. Paola froze with her hand in Liam's, entirely unsure of what to say, but luckily that seemed to be his territory. She truthfully had no idea what was going on between them, but she enjoyed whatever it was. She thought about making a cousin joke, but decided against it.

---

Niall didn't mean to drop the bomb before Jordan had a chance to, but he couldn't really do much to fix it because it was time for One Direction to go on. He looked towards the guys, who were motioning towards them, then back at Jordan. "Speaking of when we go on, I've got to go, but I'll see you after." He gave her a quick smile before he walked over to his bandmates, ready to go on stage for another performance.

[I didn't see the reply to this. ]

"Paola," Liam responded easily, rolling his eyes at them. "You two are idiots, now go," he said, pushing them both towards the stage. He glanced over to Paola, offering her a quick smile. "I'll see you after the show?" He asked her, giving her hand a small squeeze. He could hear the guys behind him, telling him to hurry it up, but he waited for her answer, the grin still prominent on his face. He waited a couple more seconds before heading towards the rest of the boys, ready to go on stage.

---

Jordan grinned, giving her head a nod as he spoke. "Good luck," she said, standing back as he walked over to his bandmates. "You look like you have a crush," she heard her friend say. She looked over, shaking her head adamantly. "I don't know what you're talking about," she denied, although she knew that she was at least partially lying. Niall was... Different. There was something about him that she liked. So maybe sure, she might have had a small crush on him.

[That's okay ]

"Of course," she said smiling as she nodded her head, though she'd be watching him the entire time he was on stage. "I can't get into your hotel without you, right?" She chuckled softly, really looking forward to seeing him after the show. She was happy that he'd invited her over, because she wanted to spend as much time with him as she could.

---

Niall raised his eyebrows at Jordan before walking over and standing with his mates right by the curtain. As soon as their name was called, they'd be out there and performing, and Liam better be with them too, Niall thought, realizing that he was still talking to the girl he'd found at Niall had no idea where.