Young Blood

By the time night rolled around Eliza and I had been all but caught up in our lives and stuffed on sushi.
Since she was mixing tonight for the Lion Lounge, she would be avoiding the boys for at least an hour.

At around ten-thirty we began to get dressed, our day had been long.
Eliza buried herself in her suitcase looking for something to wear.

I myself picked out a gold and black sparkly number, the back of the dress was bare and dipped low to the mid spine. The sleeves came down to a quarter length I paired it with black heels and a small gold clutch.
I picked my hair back in a soft bun.

"What do you think?" I asked Liza.

"Sexaaaay, damn chica." she laughed " This boy must be something."

I blushed a light shade of pink, and became conscious of the time. " Why aren't you dressed? Liza, it's 11 already!"

By the time Eliza and I finished it was eleven thirty, and we had to make it across town before twelve.

"Liza! Come on you gotta be there on time, love!"

I paced around the room while Eliza blasted the ozone with hairspray

"LIZA!" I shouted from being knee deep in her suitcase, I found her boots but I wasn't trying to keep her in here in longer.

"I know, I'm rushing just give me a moment I gotta call and make sure my stuff has arrived at the club."

"Do it in the car, we're gonna be late."

"How do I look?" she did a full circle turn

"Beautiful, you've really been working on your abs. Now can we go?"

"Tee, don't get your knickers in a bunch! Your boy will be at the club regardless, yeah?"

"That's not why I'm rushing!" I scowled but could not fight blushing, I am the world's most terrible fibber

Lies!" She accused with a laugh, " I can see it written all over your face!"

With a roll of the eyes and a sheepish smile I continued "Whatever, can we just go?"

She and I intertwined arms, and headed down to the taxi.
With five minutes to spare we made it to the Lion's Lounge

"Jesus H Christ, that took forever. Look, Tee, I have to go 'round back but when I get a spare second I'll find you" she kissed me on the cheek and went on her way.
I walked in by myself with a smile, prepared for a good night.

"You finally here, eh?" My curly haired friend yelled over the blaring speakers as i walked into the V.I.P section, he stood with someone who's back was faced toward me.

"Sorry we just ran a little late darling, I'm a girl! Perfection takes a while to create." I joked with Harry, giving him a pat on the back

The man with his back towards me turned around.
Love, it doesn't take much for you!" Liam embraced me in a hug, he had recently come out of a relationship, so he was becoming a freer flirtier version of himself

"You're too sweet, Liam." I kissed his cheeks and looked around for someone else.

"Where's the others?"

"Louis is on the dance floor and Niall and Zayn are on their way."

"So where's Liza?" Harry asked

"My darling Liza has left me on my own." I threw my hands up with a shrug.

I turned around, and what I would see walking through the door hit me like a brick to the stomach
He walked in, hand in hand with her.
It felt like I'd been shot in the chest, I nearly collapsed into the chair behind me.
I remained composed though my insides churned like butter.
He looked at the floor, at the walls, at Louis shaking his ass on the dance floor every where but at me.
Liam said something that ignited a fit of laughter in Harry, I pretended to join in.

They finally reached our table, "Perrie, how are you?" I smiled cheerly, though I could feel the tears clinging to sanity in the rim of my eyes.

"Hello, sweetie I'm lovely and you?" she sheepishly hugged me.

"I'm wonderful, just here to dance. My friend Eliza is mixing tonight so I came to support her."

"No way! You're friends with Eliza?!" she shouted and every inch of my body curled into an uncomfortable twitch.

"Yeah, we been friends for a while, I was shooting an event she mixed for and we just became best friends."
I smiled, he continued to look at the ground. Which than turned pain into anger, I still maintained the shred illusion of what really laid behind my mind.

"Hey." Zayn finally looked up, his almond brown eyes looking into my bright green ones.

"Hello, love." I smiled and embraced him as if we were the best of friends.

He whispered a soft "I'm sorry, I'll explain later."

"Don't bother." I retorted

I pulled away, made some more small talk and excused myself.
I rushed to the bathroom, head low and tears falling.

"I'm a fucking gobshite!" I thought to myself
"I can't believe I copped off with him, i'm astonished by myself on my own ridiculous behavior."

I knew better, yet some how some way I fell into the trap. The same trap all the other girls fall into, but I always said never me. "It couldn't possibly happen to me, I'd stop it before it even started."
And here I am, sitting in a bathroom stall crying like a wet nellie.
I was the picture of a nineties melodrama.
I looked in the mirror and saw a fool looking back at me.
I realized that this fool would thrive any longer, I cleaned myself up and walked back out to the dance floor.
Luckily, the man I had wanted to see was on the dance floor.

"Sweetie, mind if I cut in?" I tapped Liam on the shoulder and spoke into his ear as he danced with some blonde bimbo.

He turned around with a sweet grin, "Of course you may, beautiful."
The blonde walked away with nothing but a scoff and a hair flip.
Liam placed his hands on my hips and we began to move our bodies to the music.

I had known Liam for quite some time now; meeting him around the same time as Zayn, I met him when he was sweet tattoo-less and a poster boy of pure innocence.
Since then he'd shave his head, and added a couple tattoos to his once clean body, he'd taken on a devilish personality to match.

"I really like your hair like this." I ran my thumb across the back of his head, as my arms linked around his neck.

"You do?" he ran his own hand across the top of his head.

"It gets colder with less hair." he chuckled

"Well remind me to never go bald than."

"Nah, you look ravishing just like this."

He pulled me closer to him, as our bodies swayed together to the grimey beat that flooded the speakers.

I felt eyes burning holes into my bare back, I shrugged it off.

"You know Eliza is pretty good at this!" he pointed at the speaker but I hardly heard him.

"Ye wha?!" I shouted

"Eliza! She's good!"

"Oh yeah! She's amazing!"

"You know Zayn told me you were from Liverpool, but I haven't ever heard your accent."

"Oh yeah, sometimes my accent slips out on the rare occasions, it's a little less northern when I'm out here in London"

"Well.." he paused and leaned in really close to me.

"I bet you the next Liverpool vs West Brom game, we take your ass down."

"You're foolish for thinking that Mr. Payne."

"Wanna bet?"

"I'll bet you anything that my reds will take down your shite West Brom."

"Oh Ms. Egan don't be so confident in your reds."

"Shh, you will not disgrace my reds on the dance floor!" I hollered in laughter

"Our bet will be.." he placed his hands on the small of my back, and he continued.

"If West Brom wins, you go out on a date with me, yeah?"

I stayed silent, I had become lost in thought.
Did I want to do this? Should I take our simple two step further, how would Zayn feel and although he was not my anything would I want go out with one of his best mates?
Would he even care if I did?

"Fine, but if I win you have to wear a Liverpool jersey on stage."

"Seriously?!" he looked at me wide eyed.

"Beyond seriously, darling!"

"You my dear have a bet." we pulled our bodies apart and shook hands.

We danced a few more songs and time seemed to fly as Eliza set reached an end, Liam and I separated. He headed back towards V.I.P and I headed to the bar

"Two tequila shots please, doll." I asked the bartender, tonight was not the night to make life choices. So I might as well drink up.

I felt a hand pull on my elbow.
"Ey! You get your hands off me fucker!" I snapped at the mystery groper.

I let out a scoff once I seen who it had been.

"What where you doing with him?"

"Why don't you bug off, it's none of your damn business."

"What do you mean? He's my mate, you're my girl."

"No love, your girl is over there in V.I.P"

"Don't do that, Taissa"

"Oh, Taissa? Not even a Sia, you must be billowing mad, eh?"

"... Yes.. "

"Well you don't have a foot to stand on, love."

"Taissa." he put a hand on my shoulder

"Just leave me be, yeah?"

"Let me explain."

"What is there to explain sweetie? You made your choice by bringing her tonight. Tell me did you bring her with intentions of embarrassing me?"

"No, Sia I didn't even invite her."

"Oh yeah that makes sense as you walked in hand in hand." I rolled my eyes

"Sia, believe me. Jade told her the lads and I would be here, what was I supposed to do?"

"I really don't know Zayn, how about telling her?"

"Not in public, not that way."

"Not at all, not even in private Zayn, I'm blinded by foolishness and good hair. I'm done with that."
I began to walk away, he pulled me back.

"You can't go on with Liam."

"I can do whatever I like."

"He's my mate."

"And he's single, as am I. We have no claims or ties to anyone."

"I told you this weekend, I wouldn't either."

"Well tonight changed everything."

"It doesn't have too."

"But it did, love. You could have told her before you came here, but you didn't."

"It's not that easy."

With that my drinks were ready, I walked away from Zayn, I downed my two shots and fire shot through my throat. Maybe tomorrow I'd regret this choice but tonight I live in the right.