Bipolar, Baby

The party wound down around 3 AM, and Avery was silently thanking God. She was over these random people hitting on her or touching her. She just wanted to spend time with Perrie and the boys, since those people were the reason she was here anyway.

"I'll see you soon!" Perrie said sweetly to the last drunken couple to stumble out of the duplex. Perrie leaned against the door and sighed.

"Why do I have parties?" She exhaled, smirking at Avery.

"Because you're a popstar, your fiancee is a popstar, all your friends are popstars. I think it's probably in your contract to party." Avery joked, chuckling lightly and nudging her best friend lovingly.

"You're drunk." Perrie concluded. Though to anyone else Avery looked like she was buzzed at best, Perrie knew better. She noticed the way Avery laughed was different when she was drunk. Instead of her normal, sarcastic chuckles, they were more lighthearted giggles. Her eyes were less focused, she glanced around a lot more. These seemed irrelevant, but Perrie knew.

"Just a little drunkish..." Avery smiled, her native British accent a little more obvious thanks to the booze and company.

Perrie laughed at her friend once more and the girls waltzed into the living space together.

Avery noticed only four boys were present.

"Where's Liam?" Perrie asked, and Avery thanked Perrie in her head for connecting the lost name to the lost boy because Avery couldn't for the life of her remember which one he was.

"Eh, his bird called, got in a fight, he went home. No worries, he didn't drink." Harry explained, his drinking making his speech broken.

Perrie nodded understandingly. Avery tried to remember what Perrie had told her about all of them, and from what she could recall Louis was the one having lady troubles, not Liam. But her tequila clouded brain wasn't allowing her to remember exactly.

Harry was laying down on the love seat, his feet dangling off one end. She studied him, being more attracted to him now with the alcohol. Naturally Harry caught her staring, and wiggled his eyebrows with a wink.
She shook her head and rolled her eyes, much to Harry's dismay. She was so...weird.

"I'm so ready for bed." Perrie groaned, sitting down on one of the couches, Zayn following in pursuit. Since Harry had clearly taken up a full couch for himself, Avery decided to plop down in between Niall and Louis. She smiled at Niall lightly and then turned her head towards Louis.

"How was your night?" She asked Louis as the rest of the boys and Perrie fell into conversation with each other.

"S'alright." Louis answered with a small smile.

"Only alright?" She pushed further. Louis normally wouldn't open up to anyone quickly, but something about Avery was almost demanding. He didn't have any issue opening up to her.

"Yeah, I mean, my girlfriend threw a fit I was at a party instead of with her, but..." He started and slowly trailed off.

"Well I'm sure you don't see each other often." Avery concluded, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

"We don't I guess. But...I don't know. I'm okay with it. Like...it doesn't bother me to be away from her like it does for her to be away from me. It's not that I don't miss her. I do. But I'm just...I don't need to see her every spare moment I have to reassure myself of our relationship." He explained, and Avery thought it was interesting he'd tell her all of this with only meeting her around 12 hours ago. But Avery tended to bring that out in people. People trusted her, though maybe they shouldn't.

"Seems like a pointless relationship then." Avery said bluntly, leaning back in her seat. Louis eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"How so?" He asked, intrigued. He wasn't offended, but more interested in what the girl had to say. She seemed put together and with it, maybe she knew something he didn't.

"I mean, I don't know you that well and I've never met your girl, but if every second away from that person doesn't drive you mad, if she isn't your favorite part of coming home and if you don't still get excited when you get a text or a call, then she's not it. You can love her, yeah, sure. But maybe she's just not the one." Avery explained, smiling lightly at Louis.

He raised one eyebrow and let it sink in, before exhaling and nodding softly. "Maybe."

"Just a thought. But I'm shit at relationships." Avery chuckled, lightening the mood.

Louis smiled gratefully regardless. "Thanks anyway."

"Anytime, I'll be your womans perspective." She winked, chuckling again.

"Yeah, thank you. I'll be your male perspective." Louis countered, laughing with her.

"Oh please. I'm fantastic with men." She said sarcastically.

"Oh, pleeeease. I can only imagine." Louis mocked her, nudging her softly.

Avery laughed even harder, and felt like she really fit in with the boys. She could see herself needing someone like Louis in her life. She tended to get too serious, and he was so childlike and light.

"Ave, your phones ringing." Perrie caught her attention, holding up Avery's phone.

"Toss it over." Avery said, and Perrie did so. She caught it and exhaled loudly and dramatically.

"It's work." She groaned. "I've been gone for a day."

"That's what you get for being so successful." Perrie quipped, laughing at her friends reaction.

"Yeah, yeah, everyone pipe down." Avery instructed, sliding her finger across the screen to answer it.

"Hello?....You know I'm in London, right? It's three AM..........No, send Lorelie. She's more suited.....no it's not that I don't trust you.....Felix, don't even.......okay, I'm your boss, and I don't care. So send her, and I'll reassign you to her clients tomorrow. I'll email you the info.....Okay? Okay. Thanks. Bye." Avery rambled off in less than a minute, and everyone in the room had quieted to pay attention. The way she talked to her workers was much more authoritive and strong then the way she talked to them. Harry had the passing thought that he'd hate to work for her, where as Niall thought it was...attractive that she was so in control.

"Get 'em, girl." Louis teased.

"Sorry. Sometimes I wonder how I'm supposed to trust those people when I'm away." She rolled her eyes playfully. Though, she did worry a lot when she was away. She was visiting Perrie for about two weeks which was the longest she's ever been away from work. It was causing her major anxiety. She was a strong believer in if you want something done right, you do it yourself.

"Definitely think it's time for bed, right love?" Zayn spoke, yawning to accent his statement. Perrie chuckled and nodded before turning to Avery.

"I'm not even tired." Avery chuckled, "But go on, I can manage." She dismissed them.

Perrie nodded and Zayn and herself dragged themselves up the stairs to their room.

"I'm about to call it a night as well." Louis declared, standing up and stretching his arms above his head.

"Ah, so soon? We were just getting friendly." Avery chuckled, batting her eyelashes.

"I almost feel bad leaving you here with Harry." Louis teased, winking at her.

"Hey, I'm here!" Niall peeped up, but the bags under his eyes said he was ready to fall asleep as well.

"Yeah, mate, you look done in. Let's go bud." Louis encouraged, grabbing Niall's arms and pulling him up.

Niall chuckled and nodded, "Bye Avery." He said sweetly, and the way he said her name with that accent made her smile hugely.

"Night Niall." She waved lightly. Louis and Niall left without another word.

"So, finally alone." Harry's deep voice broke her thoughts of Niall.
She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, aren't you tired or something?" She joked, a little more harsh than she intended. But to Harry that made it all the more fun.

"Not at all love." He replied, "But I can tire you out."

"That was so dumb." Avery chuckled, and Harry just grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

"I'm going to bed, for real. Goodnight Harry." Avery smiled, standing up and pulling down her shorts a little.

"Alright, I'll be right up." Harry quipped, standing up as well.

"Don't even think about it." She crossed her arms, taking a few more steps towards the stairs.

"Yeah, yeah," Harry waved her off. "Sleep well, Ave." He reached for her hand and laced his fingers with his, pulling her over to him. He planted a light, polite kiss on her cheek and released her. And with a wink, he headed out the door.

Avery rolled her eyes, but smiled all the way to her room.