Burn

Tests were never Rae’s favorite things in the world. Though she did relatively well on them, the stress that exams gave her was more than enough for her to stay away from them as much as possible. She never liked the feeling that she was being tested, that she was being judged on how much she knew, or how smart she was. It just didn’t seem fair to her, that someone could grade her on something that was often times out of her control.

So with that in mind, Rae felt guilty, knowing tonight she was testing Harry. Rae was hardly in the right place to be giving an examination to someone. Who was she to rule whether Harry was fit for companionship or not? She was no one, but she had to do it. She had to know how far this boy was willing to go in her presence, even if it made her feel a knot of guilt in her stomach.

Rae Bastian was the kind of girl who tried to lie to herself little as possible. She knew that if she convinced herself not to see things, they would never go away. She didn’t like that, so she often faced things she didn’t like, even qualities of herself she didn’t like, and accepted them. Lying would get her nowhere

That is the exact reason that Rae was going out to a club with Harry that night. She could not lie to herself and say she believed that he was a good person to the core, that there wasn’t something dangerous about him. She knew that she could not hide from the more dangerous part of his nature forever, and if she was ever going to figure it out, the time was now.

Getting ready had taken longer than usual. Though she was excited to go out with her friends, she was still dragging her feet, not sure if this was the smartest choice she had ever made. Trystan was right in saying that Rae may not like what she found, since curiosity killed the cat. Rae liked to think that since cats had nine lives, she was in the okay for the night.

Sliding on black, spiked Alexander McQueen heels, Rae looked in the mirror, assessing her outfit. She wore a tight fitting gold dress, the material rippling over her body like flowing gold. She narrowed her eyes at the hemline, worried that it was a bit too short before she waved herself off, knowing Trystan would have a short dress on as well.

Rae’s eyes had gold on the lids but were line with dark kohl, making them appear smoky. Her lips were tinted red, standing out against her pale complexion and her dark tresses were pulled back into a meticulously styled, messy bun. Rae had not bothered leaving her hair down, knowing it would end up in some form of up-do by the end of the night.

Walking out of her bathroom, she flicked off the light, humming to herself. It wasn’t quite time to go yet, so she pulled out her phone, dialing her father’s number and sitting on the bed. Absently, her hand went to the necklace around her neck, handing delicately against the smooth skin.

The small leather cord holding a simple, rough piece of gold had been her mothers. Rae was not entirely sure of the significance to her mother other than it was the first piece of jewelry her mother had ever bought herself. Rae’s mother had always worn it, and when she passed, it had gone on to Rae without question. The now meaningful piece had become a permanent accessory.

Getting the voice mail, Rae smiled, knowing that her father must be busy still. “Hi daddy,” she greeted after the beep, knowing it was better to leave a message than to just leave it. “Just calling before I go out with Trystan and some friends. I might not here my mobile later, so call me tomorrow when you can. Love you, night.”

Hanging up the phone, Rae stood from the bed, pocketing it in a small gold clutch that held keys, identification and money. Deciding she couldn’t really occupy herself in her room any longer, Rae exited the bedroom, walking past the music blaring behind Trystan’s closed door and heading downstairs.

After another ten minutes, Trystan came swaggering down the stairs, her dress living up to Rae’s expectations. Trys did in fact have proper good legs, so Rae was never bothered when her best friend showed them off, knowing it was one of Trystan’s favorite qualities about herself.

“You look proper fit,” Trystan assessed, looking over Rae’s outfit and nodding to herself. The blonde stuck her clutch under her arm, clapping lightly and smiling. “Harry is definitely going to try and shove his hands up that bloody dress.”

Rae laughed, shaking her head. “If he does, he’s going to have a bloody nose.”

As if his ears were ringing, there was a knock on the door to announce that Harry had in fact shown up to take the girls. Opening the door, Trystan flashed a smile, moving past the curly-haired boy and towards the car where a group of boys sat, as well as another girl.

Rae flicked off the light in the living room and came into the hall, Harry standing in the doorway waiting for her. His eyes glued to her instantly, their green expanse slowly making their way up her frame. The way he looked at her was filled with lust, but not in the sense that Rae felt he was undressing her. She couldn’t explain it, but it made her cheeks heat.”

“You look absolutely ravishing,” Harry admitted, his eyes finally meeting hers. She wondered if he was having difficulty keeping their gazes locked. “You are absolutely tormenting me, love.”

Rae smirked, walking past him, making sure to brush against him slightly with her perfumed skin as she did so. She knew he got a good flash of leg as she walked down the stairs as well. “Keep your tongue in your mouth and your hands to yourself, Styles.”

Harry watched her as she walked to the car, turning to gesture for him to join her. Shaking his head and laughing, he followed her, catching her off guard when he grabbed her roughly by the waist, pulling her into his chest. It was clear that she was flustered being so close to him. “I invented this game, Rae,” he warned huskily, his breath very close to her mouth. The smell of mint and cologne made her head swim. “I would tread very lightly if I were you, babe.”

She batted her eyelashes. “Understood.”

*

Music pulsed loudly, it’s waves penetrating the walls, tables, and the bodies of the people that it swirled around. The glasses on the fine marble table quivered slightly with the music, the liquid inside pulsing in tandem with every beat of melody and at the drop of the bass.

The darkened booth held six young adults, all of whom were sharing conversation and drinking strong mixes of drinks. One particular male individual with green eyes had already surpassed everyone in consumption of alcohol, though no one really paid it any mind.

The atmosphere around Rae made her feel bubbly, and she avidly joined in on conversation and drinking. Already her body felt warm, and her eyes were heavy with everything she had consumed in the last hour, the need to dance increasing.

“How many drinks ‘ave ya had, Rae?” a girl, Samantha asked. Samantha had been in the car when Harry had picked Rae up, clearly a date of Niall’s. Samantha, or Sam as they called her, was a very petite blonde with a short haircut and the prettiest green eyes. She had an Irish accent that matched Niall’s very easily. “Not going t’ get fucking bladdered on us yet, are yeh?”

Rae smiled through the rim of her drink, finishing it off. She knew she was drunk, so she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t drink often. I’m a light weight, alright?”

“Ah, fuck it!” Sam laughed, shoving a drink towards Rae. Sam’s personality was appealing to the other girl, and she was sure that they could be friends. “Yer going t’ learn how to drink like the Irish tonight.”

“I’ll drink t’ that!” Niall hollered, raising his pint and finishing off the rest of it. Everyone quickly followed suit, and Rae drained the rest of the beer that Sam had handed her, though she made a face as she did it. Beer had never been her strong suit, but she would drink what was given to her. “Let’s dance!”

No one hesitated as Niall leapt up from the booth, pulling a very willing Sam along. Harry, who was sitting next to Rae turned to her, and in the darkness of the club gave her a very evil grin. If Rae had not been so intoxicated she would have seen the drunken tilt of his head, the dullness in his green eyes that symbolized he was not completely there.

Getting up, Rae sauntered over to the dance floor spinning around and shimmying her hips slowly to the music, lowering towards the ground as Harry trailed towards her, his head heavy with alcohol and eyes filled with lust. She smiled, knowing his eyes were on her and only her.

Harry placed his hands on Rae’s hips, spinning her around and pressing her back against his chest. she smiled slightly as one hand remained on her hip, moving them in sync and the other going over her hand, lacing their fingers together and raised it above their heads, one pair of hands in the crowd of many.

The two danced in perfect harmony, their bodies melded together and twisting around one another like thin wisps of smoke rising from a burnt out candle. Rae was struck by the amazingness at which they fit one another, not sure how to wrap her inebriated mind around the wholeness that they had together.

After some while, Rae needed another drink, peeling herself away from Harry but not before placing a kiss on the corner of his lips, dangerously close to his lips. Harry smirked at her as she did so, watching her snake through the crowd, teetering slightly on her heels an imbalance.

At the bar, she ordered another drink, sipping on it while letting herself breathe. When she was almost done with the drink, someone came up next to her and ordered her another one, drawing her attention to the left of her where the gracious stranger stood.

The man was the typical tall, dark and handsome, his dark eyes smoldering and the stubble on his chin giving him a gruff but classy look. Rae thought he was attractive and that it was kind of him to buy her a drink, but not only was she thinking about the boy on the dance floor, she also was not interest in being a shag for the night.

“Thanks for the drink,” she deadpanned when the bartender handed it to him. She slid it towards the man, who looked surprised at her declining the drink. “But I’m sorted.”

He slid it back towards her, giving her a hard look. “I bought it for you, you might as well drink it.”

Rae frowned as best she could, her muscles a little bit drunk. “I don’t want it. And I don’t want it from you.”

Rae spun around to walk away and lost balance, teetering backwards. The man caught her easily, steadying her and laughing a bit. He held on to her for a couple moments longer than she was comfortable with, but in moments his hands were gone and someone was in between them.

“Is there a reason your hands are on her?” Harry demanded, his speech thick and his posture tense. Rae instantly straightened, not liking the way she could tell his muscles were coiled for striking. An alarm was slowly starting to raise in her mind. “Because if there is, I’d really like to hear it.”

The man was not deterred by Harry’s attitude. In fact, he laughed at it, clearly not impressed with whatever he saw. His friends behind him seemed to think the same. “Listen mate, if you were here to catch your drunk bird when she fell, I wouldn’t have had to do the job for you.”

Although he hadn’t said it, it was evident what the man meant was that Harry was not doing his duty to Rae. Harry clenched his fists and took a step forward. Though Rae couldn’t see his face, she knew it must have morphed into something dangerous, because the mans eyes glinted with fear. “Would you like to carry on this conversation outside?”

Rae decided she was done with this, grabbing Harry’s arm and squeezing hard. He was unresponsive, his arm muscles bulging underneath her hand. She could feel the unbreakable strength underneath his sleeve, and it intimidated her. “Harry, enough. I want to dance.”

Neither one of the men said anything. Harry was rigid with anger, practically trembling with it as he stood there. Rae was beginning to feel desperate, craning her head to look for Niall, Trystan or anyone that could help. She only saw a sea of bodies. “Harry,” she begged again, pulling a bit harder. Though he didn’t turn his head, he looked at her from the corner of his eyes. “Come on, I want to go somewhere else. Please.”

After a few more seconds of resistance, Harry relaxed slightly, backing up and turning to face Rae his, stormy green eyes looking down at her. Instead of thanking him or saying anything, Rae turned quickly, knowing he would follow. What she hadn’t anticipated, was the words from the other man.

“Yeah, follow your little bird.”

Rae practically felt the gust of wind as Harry turned around, doing a complete turn and throwing his fist with it. The sickening crack of the hit could be heard over the music, but Rae had no time to blanch at the sound, for Harry was completely on top of the man, his fists raining with a fury like she had never seen.

The mans friends where on top of Harry then, pulling him up and hitting him. Rae screeched, throwing herself at them to get them away from Harry, who was hopelessly outnumbered, but one of them grabbed her, holding her firmly as she kicked and screamed. “Harry!”

The entire crowd seemed to be getting involved in the fight then, many trying to break it up but getting into it after being hit. Rae kicked and lashed out at her holder, tears streaming from her eyes as she saw a foot hit Harry’s ribs.

The brawl only lasted a few seconds, but to Rae it seemed like an eternity before the boys were thrown out. Not even thinking, she barreled towards the exited, both in a rage and in desperate need to discover if he was okay. Her fear and anger fueled her both, giving her the strength to shove her way outside.

He was leaning against a wall his hand covering his nose, where blood flowed freely. She was so angry with him, so enraged, but in that moment, when she saw the bruised knuckles and the blood pooling in his hands, all she could feel was sadness.

Harry didn’t look at Rae when she approached slowly, raising a trembling hand to reach for his, to examine his nose. He flinched away from her, clearly not wanting to be mothered. Though she was undeniably afraid of him, she was persistent, taking his hand and moving it away from his nose.

After a moment, Harry relented, letting his hand fall as he tilted his face towards the sky, the moon casting a silver light on his bruised nose. It seemed it was the only thing harmed on his face, and even though Rae winced at the blood on his face, she though he was profoundly beautiful.

“Come on,” she murmured, digging in her clutch and hanging him a silk handkerchief to stop the blood from flowing. She set aside her rage for now, wanting to take him home and fix him before she let him have it. “Let’s get you home, you idiot.”

It wasn't until he was using her handkerchief as a blood rag when she realized that Harry had in fact ended up with a bloody nose that night. Except, it wasn't from her.