Drowning

That smell of alcohol traveled through her nose before she even got to open the door halfway. It became one of her favorite scents when her days got progressively worse overtime. It dulled her mind for the remainder of the night, and nothing felt better than having the burn in the back of her throat. It made her forget everything almost instantly.

The pub was packed with the regulars and party-goers as it typically was on the weekend. Not that she minded anyways, her focus was more on the liquid than the men. If there was a stool empty at the counter, that was hers for the next few hours. The seat to the left of her was automatically taken by her friend Marisa, who seemed to enjoy the company of the men more.

“A cocktail for you, Miss Hannah?” Joshua spoke from behind the counter, wiping a glass dry.
She displayed a smile that others would believe she was being cynical, but it was her way of being genuine.

“I might need a shot of whiskey or two beforehand.” Hannah mentioned to him. He gave an affirmed nod and headed over to the liquor.

Now that Hannah had found her seat, sixth stool to the right, she had pulled out her phone from the small purse she carried with her everywhere. The person next to her friend had already dove into a conversation with her, and Hannah couldn’t help but straighten her posture at the thought of the other men already taken notice of her. A pair of eyes locked on her from what she could see from her peripheral vision, but it was better not to make contact because the guy had a receding hairline and was probably in his mid-forties. She unlocked her phone and began to dive in to the social media world.

Four shot glasses were placed in between Hannah and Marisa. Hannah divided the liquor up evenly, downing the drink in a matter of seconds to feel the burn she’s been yearning for ever since the beginning of the day. After the second glass was emptied, she pushed it away from her and texted back a friend. She barely noticed Joshua take away the glasses, replacing it with the cocktail she got every time she came to the pub.

The whole world seemed to block out when she had a drink in her hand and her phone in the other. The only people she gave the light of day on the weekends were Marisa and Joshua. Marisa had stuck with her through the best and the most horrendous times in her life, but nothing got better than somebody handing her drinks out with no questions asked. Josh pried into her life as far as she let him go, but never pressed for more. She enjoyed his company because he cared in a way that wasn’t intrusive, which was the reason why she kept coming back to this bar. Josh also blocked away any man stepping a foot in her direction. He knew her mood swings just by the first words she’s spoken to him, so nobody was allowed to go near her most of the time.

Her drink was almost half way done when the bells rung on the door, causing quite a disturbance. Hannah gave the door a glance, but not worrying about it. People stood from their seats automatically. Flashes from cameras on their phones blinded Hannah. The commotion moved slowly as the new customers tried to push past them to a booth in the corner of the room. They weren’t coming anywhere near her, so Hannah took another swig of her alcohol and forgot about them almost instantly.

The five boys slid into the booth in an orderly fashion. The first three in line took the side facing the front entrance and the other two took the other side. Two pitchers of beer were placed in the center of table right away followed by five glasses that were set in front of them. The oldest of the bunch grabbed the pitcher first and poured a reasonable amount in each of his mates’ cups before they could protest.

“Drink up, lads!”

It was a Friday that they finally had off in months. They loved touring as much as any other band, but nothing was better than returning to their homeland. Tonight was celebratory to coming home and not seeing each other every day besides those weekend trips to America for certain TV shows. They made nights like these last as long as possible.

The boys got lost in a conversation about the funniest shit they pulled while being on tour. The most recent story was when they visited Japan and how Zayn looked like he fit in despite his completely opposite nationality.

“I swore I thought we lost you, mate!” Louis commented.

The normally laugh-crazed boy of the bunch didn’t chime in with his obnoxious laughter, which was a first. A hand ran through his blonde hair, making a mental note to himself that needed to get it dyed again. He looked away from the group nonchalantly and gave the rest of the pub a glance. He watched as people came up to them, mostly the young girls, asking for pictures. Harry was the most popular of the boys, getting all of the attention first, yet it didn’t stop everybody else from targeting the rest of the boys.

An assortment of questions was being delivered to his face as if the fans thought it would help capture his attention more. And as much as Niall adored answering the questions, giving them a bright smile and his famous laugh, he kept sneaking glances at the blonde on the stool chugging the remainder of the liquid in her glass.

“You don’t mind if we have a few minutes to ourselves, do you, love?”

Liam spoke to the fans nicely without sounding like an asshole. Niall was grateful for his friend’s words because he didn’t want any distractions right now.

As the group of people left, a man came headed towards them, but stopping short to the girl at the counter. A cup of beer was in his right hand, a smirk plastered on his face when he had his eye on the prize. It almost made Niall want to jump and tell him to back off for the sake of the woman, but it seemed the bar tender was doing the job for him. The girl kept her nose buried in her phone at whatever app was opened as if she didn’t notice the man approaching her.

The brunette turned to the girl, having a smile on her face with her eyes sometimes adverting to the man that had just previously walked away. Niall was entering dangerous ground as he couldn’t keep his eyes off the situation. The brunette only needed to move her head an inch or so to notice his staring. Her elbow rested on the bar top while her eyes told the whole story. She had her mouth moving a mile a minute, and Niall wished he could see the blonde girl’s reaction. A smile would be a nice change to her constant frown.

In his trance, he was unaware of the glance he’d gotten from the brown haired woman, who smirked unbelievably. The smile told she knew who he was and enjoyed the fact that one of the band members was watching her and her friend. She gave a wink to her friend who refused to turn. The farthest she would turn would be to face the alcohol supply along the wall behind the counter, which gave Niall the opportunity to see half of her face. She played with her now empty glass, waiting for the bar tender to come by for another refill. It was when he delivered another glass and a shot of whiskey to her that Niall broke out of his daze, shaking his head. Fingertips brushed over his eyes, and he blinked a few times. He dared to look at the bar again, finding the brunette in a fit of laughter. Her gaze was on him. A tint of red rose on his cheeks now realizing that he had been caught. Niall took a swig of beer and returned to the conversation the lads were having.

That’s how the rest of the night played out. The boy with the captivating blue eyes had to pretend to be so nonchalant to steal gazes at the two marvelous ladies. Neither one of them had yet to approach the famous band as the same went for him All he could do was watch from afar until he received a firm grip on his shoulder from one of the lads, telling him they were getting ready to leave.

“Let’s see, that was…five men tonight.” Marisa shut the door behind her, taking off her coat and placing it on the table chair. “I’m guessing that’s a new record.”

Hannah hadn’t said anything since she arrived into the apartment. She gave a closed-mouth grin to her friend although she couldn’t see it, and then proceeded to the kitchen. Her coat and purse was disposed to the countertop before she opened the refrigerator. She used her hip to close it due to the fact that a water bottle and the last piece of pie were in her hands. Those items were placed on the table before she went back for a fork.

“A new pair of eyes were on you tonight.” Marisa spoke just as Hannah shoved the first piece in her mouth.

“You told me.” She said with a full mouth.

Hannah’s tone was ruining the mood Marisa was in, but then again, this was how it was almost every weekend. The blonde girl always put a damper in anyone’s mood, coming off with a persona that couldn’t give two shits about the world. Marisa considered herself lucky that she was chosen to stick around in her best friend’s life because she was one of the only constants in Hannah’s past. Despite the occasional funks she gets in, which irritated Marisa more than anybody would know, Hannah needed her more than ever even if she never took the time to appreciate it.

A smile rose on the brunette’s face, ignoring the monotone voice of Hannah.

“Did you hear what I said when I told you that?” The blank stare answered her question. Marisa sighed. “That boy wasn’t just any regular customer. A high-paid entertainer obviously has some interest in you.”

“Well, the multibillionaire can wait in line with the rest of the suitors.” She chugged half of her water like her life depended on it. “I’m not about to give him the royal treatment just because he’s got the world at his feet.”

Marisa eyed her best friend in the most curious of ways. There had been several times she’d tried to figure Hannah out, but it had been useless. Of course, traumatizing experiences can leave a person scarred and obviously awfully damaged, yet nobody could go on forever like this. It almost appeared as if she’d begun worshipping the devil if it wasn’t for Marisa dragging her arse into church every Sunday.

“You’re so hopeless.” The brunette stated a fact she gave Hannah each and every day. “Sometimes, I wish I could help you. I really do.”

The blonde stifled a laugh with a napkin as she wiped away the whipped cream from the corners of her mouth. She soon rose from her seat to clean off the plate and toss the water bottle to the side where the girls store recyclables.

“I only plan to become more morbid in the months to come.” She smiled cynically before heading to her bedroom.

Hannah had actually listened to what Marisa had to say about the onlooker. The boy had been gawking in their direction for nearly two minutes. Even through the dark atmosphere and the distance between their seats, a light shined upon his bright blue orbs. Marisa described them as the sky before the rain clouds rolled in. He was so focused on them that she swore she saw the black in his pupils. His blonde hair was styled in some up-do he’d been doing for months; she’s seen it in the magazines. His natural, dark roots were quite obvious, however. Marisa noted he should schedule a hair appointment. All this information stored in her brain, but she remained quiet about the situation.

What are the odds of the boys arriving to the same pub in the next seven days? They had many other places they could travel to, nightclubs they had yet to visit. There was nothing special about her most favorite bar; it was just Marisa, Joshua, and Hannah, nobody else. That’s why when the cameras flashed outrageously for the second week, in a row, Hannah, for once, turned to see the turmoil.

“Surprise, surprise…” Marisa said loud enough for Hannah to hear. She had this shit-eating grin on her face as if she was inviting them here herself.

Hannah waved her hand to Joshua frantically. “Two more shots on the double!”

The employee returned to his best customer in record timing, asking if she’d like anything else with it. After downing the liquor that burned down her throat, she lifted her half-full glass of her favorite drink. A refill was going to be needed soon, but she was comfortable for now.

Most of the chaos had suppressed after a few minutes, but the pub did seem louder than it was before they walked in. It was like she could almost tell the difference from their English, or Irish, accents compared to the rest of England. They stuck out like a sore thumb without even having to try. It must be because their voices are heard everywhere you turn. They are displayed on television commercials, or on the radio. Even their voices can be heard just by staring at their picture on billboards.

Hannah was more intrigued by the fact that they were at the pub exactly a week later around the same time than she was about the money stuffed in their wallets. She had a thought about how the boys arrived at the same location looking for her, but what a selfish thing to think about. Neither of the boys knew her whereabouts nor did half of them even give her a second glance. They are just a bunch of teenage boys travelling around the world for their music career. Why care about what opinions they have of her?

Curiosity got the best of her, and Hannah turned her head to the right. Someone blocked her view at first, and she chose to keep her head still. The last thing she needs is to look desperate when observing them. The person moved, so she could see the boy band sitting in the same booth as they were the last time. Girls were sitting at the table this time, however. A pretty brunette sat next to a brown haired man, whose voice was heard the most out of the group. She looked quiet and rather attached to him. Hannah suggested they must be a couple; she knew three out of the five of them were taken. There was another girl with long, light brown hair sitting next to the boy named Liam. His name stuck with her out of all the other names in the band. Maybe because he had the charming smile or she enjoyed listening to his voice when he talked. If she had to choose, he’d be her favorite of the band. It didn’t seem to matter anyways because an arm wrapped around the girl, his smile showing he was very much in love.

Her eyes slowly traveled down the group of boys, studying each and every one of them intensely. Nothing really interested her about them, but actually getting a good look at them was a once in a lifetime chance. And she lived in London, so seeing them around should be more frequent than not. A new album of theirs was being released in the next couple of days, and apparently, their tour came to an end. Of course, they would still be travelling the world, but most of their time should be spent in London.

She caught sight of Harry, who was currently in a fit of laughter. His eyes squeezed tight and had to withhold the drink from spraying from his mouth. All the girls found the boy band hilarious. Without a doubt, the boys found one another just as hilarious, if not more. Hannah moved down the line of men, having her stomach drop only seconds later. Suddenly, the room became increasingly hot, and she grabbed hold of the front of her tight dress to release the tension swelling in her chest. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the boy at the end of the table. It was blonde boy, and by the looks of it, he’d been gawking at her for numerous minutes. With a casual, calm, and impassive eye roll, she turned back in her seat and took a sip of her drink. She promised it’d be the last of her curiosity over One Direction.

A hand appeared to her left, which was cutting her off from Marisa. Her grey eyes travelled up the black sleeve of his t-shirt until she reached his face. She already assumed the man was not her age. There were no boyish features present, and he clearly needed a shave. He had a smile plastered on his mouth, one that she sees too often in men when they come over to her. He’s already got what he’s wanted to say on a script in his mind. Whatever he was about to charm her with was going to have to wait.

“Pardon me, but my friend doesn’t want to talk to you or anyone for that matter.” Marisa gripped the man’s forearm so he’d get her attention.

“I’m causing no harm! All I want is to chat with the pretty lady I saw walk in the pub.” The man still kept his gaze fixated on Hannah. “What’s your name, darling?”

“None of your concern,” The blonde turned forward in her seat and sipped her drink. She seemed totally uninterested only to cover up the anxiety building up when he wasn’t leaving.

“Aw, don’t be like that. I’m not going to bite.”

Hannah rolled her eyes at his playful comment. She’s heard this once too many times, always giving her the idea to retaliate and bite them instead. Out of the uneasy feeling her stomach had, she swallowed the remains in her glass. Her eyes searched for Joshua who was at the other end of the bar. He was talking with another employee most likely something work related. The glass in the man’s hand was now placed on the countertop as he pressed his large hands to the end of it. She felt his presence come closer ready to whisper something in her ear, but Joshua then showed up. A pink, fruity drink with a cherry in it was placed in front of her.

“I was told to bring this to you.” He smiled, and then shifted his gaze to the man on her left. “Sir, you don’t mind leaving this poor lady alone, do you? You’re crowding her.”

The man exhaled roughly, proving he was clearly frustrated by the three rejections he was given. The drink was removed from the counter and his presence disappeared immediately. Hannah gave Joshua a small smile, and he smiled back wider, appreciating the effort she gave in showing her gratitude.

“What’s this?” Hannah questioned, lifting the skinny glass, observing it like a science experiment.

“Oh, this is new!” Marisa cut in and removed the glass from the blonde’s grasp. After giving it a sniff, she took a gulp without even asking. She made a noise in satisfaction as she examined the drink again. “There’s quite a bit of vodka in here, isn’t there?”

“And rum, and other fruity contents,” Joshua gave smile. “He’s the one that suggested it.”

He pointed with his index finger to the area Hannah absolutely did not want to look at. Her stomach did a flip over the fact of who the suspect must be. There are plenty of other people to choose from the crowd; she’s been handed drinks out of the blue all the time, but they are never like this.

“You know who I am talking about, don’t you?” He half-smiled at her attempt not to turn in the stool. “He’s still watching you.”

“Oh god…” Hannah covered her face with her hands, groaning in frustration. The lighting in the pub should have covered it, but she hoped her palms could shield the pink forming on her cheeks. “He cannot just leave me alone, can he?”

“Try it!” Marisa pressed and brought the drink in front of her friend.

Hannah examined the glass again before lifting it and bringing it to her lips. The liquor still stung the back of her throat as she swallowed, but the fruity contents gave it more flavor. She took another sip to make sure she was going to make the correct judgment.

“It’s not too bad.” The blonde shrugs. It tasted expensive, something that she wouldn’t buy on a regular basis, yet she’d drink it again.

“I’m glad you like it.”

An unfamiliar voice spoke off on her right. He was either pretty loud about that statement, or he was really close to her ear. Hannah’s heart doubled the beats per minute as she kept her focus on the drink. Don’t look to the right…don’t look to the right, she reminded herself several times since he arrived. He could wait around like all the other men do in the pub. Men buy her drinks all the time; nothing about this drink makes him extra special. The money in his pocket did not make him more important on her scale; however, she didn’t understand why shifted to her right anyway.

She leaned her left elbow on the counter and peered at the celebrity who apparently had been pestering her from a good distance. He flashed a perfect smile at her, and all she could do was respond the same way. Her smile was forced, and there was no point in hiding it, yet didn’t scare him off.

The boy offered his hand to her still holding that grin, unaware of the vibe she was giving off.

“My name is Niall.” He greeted her. The Irish in his voice was very clear in the loud pub.

Hannah actually let out a chuckle, finding it funny that everybody knew who he was, but still had the decency to introduce himself. It was a polite gesture, but he truly did not need to do that. A person like him should just assume and ask for her name directly.

“Don’t I get to know your name?”

The blonde gave the admirer a dramatic eye roll with a smile, turning her head away from him to look at her best friend. Marisa was in the middle of sipping her drink, which was clearly to get out of the dispute Hannah was going to drag her in. She comes to the defense of all the boys that approach Hannah, why would this boy be any different? Marisa was smiling as well, so she knew what she was doing. She even got Josh on the joke.

Hannah went back to her original position, clearing her throat, but not saying a word. Niall didn’t utter anything either, just took another sip of the beer in his left hand. After swallowing, he blinked a few times, waiting for her to make the first move.

“What are you going to do with the useless information that is my name?” She finally said.

The celebrity shrugged. “I can’t keep calling ya ‘that pretty lady at the bar’. You deserve a name.”

Charming and quite bold, Hannah thought to herself. Something about the way he made that statement was different than the rest of the admirers, but of course, she could not take any chances. He is widely known to the public. With people like him, anything is possible.

“Do all of your other targets deserve fruity drinks as well?” She mocked and lifted the glass to take a small swig.

She could see he enjoyed her sipping the drink he ordered, but the gaze didn’t last that long.

“Nah, Josh knows it’s one of me favorite drinks. I only give them out to the special ladies.”

Hannah smiled arrogantly. “Ladies…plural, I see. What number am I?”

Niall leaned his right elbow on the counter, his figure too close for comfort. The boy was quite humorous, which was why the thought of their minimal distance pushed to the back of Hannah’s mind.

“You’re actually number one.” It was Niall’s turn to return the smug expression. “Now, am I worthy enough to get to know your name?”

It was just her first name. What was so difficult of telling him a generic girl name? Men that have come and go quickly forgot about it within the first five minutes, which was a reason to hold back. No harm could be done…only to a girl who over-thinks everything. She received a pinch in her lower back from her best friend, meaning “you better tell him before I do.”

She sighed, but kept that playful grin on her face. “It’s Hannah.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He cocked his head to the side, talking to her like she was a toddler.

Hannah let out a phony laugh, her expression giving off the impression that she actually though this boy was hilarious. The best part of it all was the boy looked like he was buying it. However, the smile swept off in a heartbeat as he took a swig of beer. He appeared too serious, the kind of expression she was so used to seeing.

“Come dance with me, love.”

She bit her lip roughly with her teeth to keep this cynical smile from growing. Again, she turned her head towards Marisa, who was in on the conversation and was terrible at covering it up. The brunette yelled for Josh who was serving at the other end of the countertop. It was obvious that the two friends were going to have a chat when they arrived back at the flat.

“Sorry, I don’t dance.” Hannah was careful with the way she was rejecting him. So many other ways to say this floated in her mind, but she opted for the friendly version.

“I find that completely hard to believe, Hannah.” Niall raised his eyebrow, being at his most playful of the night. The smirk played on his lips, thinking that this comment was his way in on leading her to the open area in the pub.

“Okay,” She pushed the glass away from her and gathered her materials. She tapped her index finger on Marisa’s shoulder as she stepped down from the stool. “I think it’s time for me to go.”

“Aw, come on, love!” His hand touched at her bare skin, which caused her to turn her head abruptly. Her eyes soften, remembering it was the band boy she was talking to. “I’m sorry if I came off too strong. Don’t leave because of me.”

“I actually have places to be tomorrow. All boys come off too strong, babe. It’s nothing I’m not used to.” She ruffled his hair and flashed another fake smile, something she didn’t know he was growing fond of. “Let’s go, Marisa!”

“What if I came back to see you next week, yeah?” He yelled to her once she began to walk away. “Would you change your mind?”

He didn’t care for the other people in the pub as she called for her attention. A universally known pop-star had just been rejected in the most subtle way, but he wasn’t about to let that hurt his pride. Hannah gave him a sarcastic expression when she turned to look at him. His arms were out wide, hoping she’d take his offer. He nodded his head for encouragement, but received a shake of her head – another rejection.

She exited with the sound of her pumps echoing throughout the whole room. The obnoxious laughter was faintly heard before she opened the door that caused the corners of her mouth to lift. The amount of smiling she’d done tonight was beginning to make her cheeks hurt, and she did not know whether she liked that or not.