Burning on the Edge

“I’d like something longer than this, honestly,” the customer said, staring down at the bright, blue medium sized dildo in Niall’s hand.

“Oh, um, sorry,” Niall mumbled out, nearly dropping the dildo on the ground as he placed it back on the display table. He quickly moved on to the next set, a much larger variety of sex toys.

Charlie watched him from her spot behind the register. It was a bit creepy, the way she was spying on the whole exchange, but it was for good reason. She was, after all, his senior at work. She’d been there longer than he had and by watching him with customers she could give him some pointers on how to improve his sales technique. For one, he needed to stop blushing. Niall’s cheeks were a bright shade of red and Charlie was starting to feel bad for the guy. She had a feeling the customer was as well based on the sympathetic look on her face.

She’d come in wanting a dildo, but had never purchased one before so Charlie let Niall handle it. He’d walked her over to the display of sex toys and grabbed the first one he found. The customer clearly had a preference, but he was too shy to ask. He just kept showing her whichever one came to sight.

“Perhaps this?” the customer said, grabbing a long dildo with a rounded top and flat base.

“Whatever you want, miss,” Niall chuckled nervously, rubbing a hand down his face. “Shall I ring you up now?”

“Give me just a moment,” she said, eyeing the other dildos on display. “Thanks for your help. I’ll meet you at the counter.”

Niall couldn’t have ran back to his spot behind the counter fast enough. He met Charlie’s eyes and she offered him a meek smile. “Everything alright?” she asked.

“Just fine,” Niall responded, the red in his cheeks slowly fading away. “She’s still browsing.”

Charlie nodded her head in acknowledgement, waiting it out until the customer came back with her products. She let Niall ring her up and the minute she was out, she turned to the boy. “That was interesting,” she said.

“Oh, come on,” Niall whined, looking embarrassed again. “I wasn’t that bad.”

“Niall, you looked like a tomato.”

“A cute tomato?”

“Yes, but a tomato nonetheless. You need to loosen up!” Charlie emphasized. “You are working at a sex shop, so I want to assume that you’re not a bumbling virgin. Or even someone who is shy of the concept of sex. When you sell these products you can’t get all nervy about it. So what if you held a dildo out to a woman? We are all adults here, yes?”

Niall looked a bit scared, his brows furrowed and expression startled by Charlie’s sudden burst. “Yes?” he said, like it was a question.

“Yes!” Charlie laughed. “So try not to think too much about what these products are being used for. Or even if you do, it’s fine! Let’s go over there and get comfortable with this stuff.”

She marched out from behind the counter and walked over to one of their biggest dildos. Just looking at it made her wince. Niall had slowly followed her, looking like a scared puppy. That was soon about to change. Charlie picked up the dildo and handed it to Niall. “Hold it. Hold this until it doesn’t make you blush anymore.”

“That’s easy,” Niall said, grabbing the dildo from her. “It’s only when I’m trying to sell it to someone that I get embarrassed.”

“Alright, then let’s pretend I’m a customer and I am asking you to help me find a pair of handcuffs.”

Niall put the dildo down and nodded. “Okay,” he said, leading Charlie over to the handcuffs. He looked around the display a bit before holding up a magenta one with fur around it. “How’s this?”

“Perfect,” Charlie purred, attempting to sound extra alluring. “Put them on me.” She held out her wrists and Niall stared at her with wide eyes. She raised an eyebrow at him in question. “Come on. I want to test it out so that it fits my wrists comfortably since I’ll be tied up in it for God knows how long.”

“Uh,” Niall stuttered. “Um...okay.” He unclipped the handcuffs and slid them on Charlie’s wrists, clasping them shut.

“Hmm,” Charlie hummed, straining her wrists and testing out the handcuff. When she glanced up at Niall, she caught him swallowing visibly while staring at her. This time, it was Charlie that felt a flush on her face, which completely defeated the purpose of her trying to get Niall more used to their store products. “Right, so I also need a dildo like that lovely lady who came here a few minutes ago. Can you please lead me over to your dildo section?”

“Absolutely,” Niall said, walking down the aisle to the next. “What kind would you like?”

He was getting into it now -- the role playing. Charlie couldn’t help but smile as she looked at the different dildos. She bit her bottom lip before replying, “I’m not sure. Can you please test out that red one over there? Just tap me on the cheek with it because my hands are a bit occupied at the moment.”

“Are you serious?” Niall asked.

“Of course. I’ve got to get a good feel of it.”

Niall let out a startled laugh and shrugged as he picked up the dildo and poked Charlie on the cheek with it.

“Harder. I couldn’t feel it.”

“Jesus Christ.”

He tapped Charlie lightly on the cheek and only added a fraction of pressure more than the last time. “I’m not sure, Niall. Maybe you should test it out and see if you think this is a good fit for me.”

“Test it -- test it out how?” he asked, looking bewildered now.

“Tap it on your cheek, feel the dildo out. You’ve got to get an idea of the pressure.”

Niall hesitated and Charlie only pushed him more, nudging him until he slapped his cheek with the dildo. Just the image of it made Charlie burst into laughter. Soon, Niall was laughing too, tapping Charlie on the cheek with the dildo as well. This was how Bug found them when he stepped out of his office.

The two employees stopped to look at Bug, wondering what he was thinking given the scene in front of him. Charlie with her hands handcuffed while Niall held a big red dildo between the two of them. After what seemed like forever, Bug said, “Get back to work, you freaks.”

He marched back into his office, leaving the two of them standing there, giggling.



“I don’t understand why we can’t just kick him out of the group,” Harry groaned, his grey Burberry wool scarf blowing against the cold wind. “He smells like the Chinese food from Hunan Kitchen all the time, Charlie!”

Charlie let out a long, suffering sigh, stuffing her hands in her coat as she continued to walk beside Harry through their campus. It was another cold, January day and Charlie was tired. She was tired from her lack of sleep from staying up late to write a paper, she was tired of from her hours at the shop, and she was tired of Harry complaining.

“If you have such a problem with Louis’ odor, maybe you should gift him a cologne or Axe spray,” she suggested with a dull tone.

Harry raised an eyebrow at her, not at all amused. “I would never. The most he deserves from me are the socks and coal I give him every year for Christmas and his birthday. Especially considering he gets me the most God awful gifts, too. Last Christmas it was a box full of snow, which had melted by the time he even gave it to me. Remember that, the box was dripping everywhere? The year before that it was apple juice in a piss cup from his doctor’s office.”

“You two are impossible,” Charlie laughed. “Very amusing, but also impossible. Just bury the hatchet and move on!”

Harry shook his head, looking at Charlie like she’d lost her mind. “Not a chance. Which brings me back to my original point -- why can’t we kick him out of the group?”

“He’s Liam’s best friend, Harry.”

“I can be Liam’s best friend. I bet I could be a better best friend than Louis ever can.”

“But if you’re Liam’s best friend,” Charlie said, hooking her arm through Harry’s as they approached the campus cafe, “then who will be my best friend?” She blinked up at him, batting her lashes and pouting her lips. She’d painted them a mauve pink shade and when Harry’d seen her do so earlier while they were Skyping before classes, he’d decided to paint his nails the same color as well.

“Your cute face won’t work right now when I am actively trying to be rid of smelly boys from my life.”

“I thought you liked Hunan Kitchen.”

“I love Hunan Kitchen, but imagine smelling like food all the time,” Harry wrinkled his nose as he leaned forward to open the door to the cafe. He stopped short when he saw someone on the other side opening it to step out. Charlie looked over, and to her surprise, it was Niall who walked through.

“Niall! Hey,” she smiled. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“Just grabbing a coffee before my Biochem lecture,” he explained, stepping out further to move away from the door. “How are you?”

“Tired,” Charlie responded. “Didn’t get much sleep.”

“Right, you mentioned you had that paper. How’d that go?” Niall asked, taking a sip of his drink. “Did you finish?”

Charlie nodded. “I did. After three in the morning.”

“Yikes,” Niall winced, his blue eyes squinting sympathetically.

“Yikes is right,” Charlie agreed. Harry cleared his throat beside her and Charlie visibly shook as she turned to look at her best friend, who she’d momentarily forgotten. “Oh, sorry. Um, Harry, this is Niall. He works shifts with me at Frisky Business. Niall, this is my best friend, my confidant, my ride or die -- Harry.”

Niall smiled, extending his hand forward to shake Harry’s. “Nice to meet you, man.”

“You too,” Harry responded. “Been hearing about you quite a bit lately, so it’s nice to put a face to the name.”

A blush formed on Niall’s cheek, and he let out a soft chuckle. “Well I’d better get to class on time otherwise this kid always steals my seat. See you guys around.”

Charlie and Harry both waved, watching Niall’s retreating form. Once he was out of eyesight, Harry turned to Charlie. “He’s pretty cute.”

Charlie shrugged. “I mean, I agree, but there’s more to him,” she said, following Harry into the cafe.

“Like what?” Harry asked, walking toward the display of pre-made sandwiches. He grabbed a buffalo ranch and a turkey sub, examining both.

“I don’t know,” Charlie mulled. “He’s got this really strange sense of humor. And he’s interesting, in the…strangest way.”

Harry put the turkey sub down and opted for the buffalo ranch chicken before moving onto the drinks section. “So what I’m getting here is that he’s strange.”

“A bit, yeah,” Charlie nodded. “He’s sort of too serious, if you know what I mean, but I think he’s a freak on the inside.”

“What?”

“I think he’s, like, wild once you break through the shell. I can just feel it. You know that saying?”

“You think he’s a freak in the sheets?” Harry snorted, taking out a green tea bottle from the fridge. “What the fuck are you on, Charlie? And are you going to get food or not? You know I’ve got Urban Politics in half an hour and I’ll get marked if I don’t show up on time.”

“Alright, alright. Let me grab some fries or something.” They walked over to the grill side of the cafe and Charlie ordered her fries. Waiting, she leaned against the counter, facing Harry. “So as I was saying. I’m super intrigued by him. I want to get to know him better.”

“Then what’s stopping you?” Harry asked.

“It’s hard to get to know him when he’s all serious.”

“He seemed pretty nice when we spoke to him.”

“That’s because I got him to actually laugh at work the other day. But it wasn’t easy,” Charlie explained, grabbing her fries from the cook, and walking toward the queue. “Had to play with dildos.”

“Look Charlie, while I’m all about getting it in, any guy who has you working that hard may not be worth it.”

“Yes, but if a guy is too easy then it’s no fun.”

“Touché.”



emergency staff meeting @ 3

Bug wasn’t usually a texter. He preferred to call, claiming he was old-fashioned, so it was odd to receive one from him. Especially one about a “staff meeting” because they never had those. Charlie was reluctant to even go because Harry had come over and they were marathoning America’s Next Top Model while baking a batch of cupcakes. It was gearing up to be the perfect Saturday, but Charlie still pried herself off her couch and left Harry with the promise of coming back soon from this supposed “staff meeting”.

At Frisky Business, she found the CLOSED sign hanging over the door with Niall sitting inside, awkwardly playing with the hem of his shirt as Micah and Quentin chatted between themselves. They were the only other two employees at Frisky Business and covered the shifts that Charlie and Niall couldn’t. Quentin started as early as Charlie, and Micah was one of the newer ones who was hired along with Niall. Charlie took the empty seat next to Niall, offering him a small smile in greeting.

“Got the text from Bug?” he asked.

“Yep,” she responded. “It’s weird. We never have staff meetings, so I wonder what this one is all about.”

“Must be a part of the new management system he’s trying out. He was telling me all about it the other day.”

Charlie stifled a giggle. “That’s interesting. Would love to hear more about that.”

Before Niall could elaborate, Sidney walked out from the back office. Charlie lit up upon seeing her and rushed over to give her a hug. She looked as gorgeous as ever, hair tied up into a ponytail with a cute joggers and jumper outfit.  “What are you doing here?” Charlie asked.

“Bug wanted me around for the staff meeting since he’s going to be talking about a big project. How’ve you been?”

“Same old.” She turned back to see Niall watching the pair and then looked back to Sidney. “Did you meet Niall?”

Sidney shook her head. “I haven’t yet, no. Bug was going to introduce me to the two new employees during the meeting.”

“I’ll beat him to it,” Charlie smiled, leading her over to the blond boy. “Niall, meet Sidney. Sidney, this is Niall, my official work partner.”

Niall extended his hand to shake Sidney’s, giving her a warm smile. “Nice to meet you. Heard a lot about you from Bug.”

“He’s literally obsessed,” Sidney replied apologetically.

“I don’t blame him,” Charlie added in a completely serious tone before addressing Sidney. “Any clue as to what this meeting is about?”

“Can’t say -- Bug’s orders,” Sidney shrugged. “What I can say is that it’ll be a lot of work, but fun, as well.”

Charlie frowned. “That doesn’t help at all. In fact, I’m even more intrigued.”

Sidney patted Charlie on the shoulder. “Hang tight, you'll see.” She wandered over to Micah and Quentin leaving Niall and Charlie alone again. Niall pulled out his phone, tapping and scrolling away, while Charlie did her best to not be nosey and look over his shoulder to see who he was talking to or who he followed on Instagram. Despite having worked together for a few days now, Niall still felt like an enigma to her. Something about him was fascinating because he gave off such little of himself.

“How’s it going?” Charlie decided to ask, wanting to strike up conversation with him.

Niall peered over at her, as if he was making sure she was asking him the question and not anyone else. “I’m good, thanks. I was spending today doing assignments and then later, Zayn and I were going to head to the pub for dinner and a few beers.”

“Sounds fun. Where do you guys usually go?” Charlie asked. “Don’t tell me it’s Mark’s.”

Niall snuffled out a laugh. “That’s the one. I love it there and Mark is actually really nice.”

“He hates me and my friends,” Charlie admitted, trying to look at least a little embarrassed. “Every time we’ve gone there we’ve gotten into some trouble and after a while, it just didn’t feel right to keep going back.”

“What did you do?” Niall asked, brows furrowed. “I mean, besides Mark’s, there’s only one other campus pub we have and I feel like it’s mostly filled with first years.”

“Best not to mention the stuff that went down at Mark’s. But because of it, we’ve had to resort to the other pub. Sometimes we go to the one further down into the city, though.”

“The Gatsby?”

“The very one!”

“That one’s pretty good. They play good music,” Niall nodded.

Charlie was just about to ask Niall if he would like to meet at a pub one night with all their friends, but then Bug strolled in. He looked a bit flushed, sweat beading on his forehead. Despite his frazzled appearance, he was grinning. “Hey everyone. Thanks for coming down,” he said in greeting. “I’ve got some very big news that I’d like to share with you.”

“A raise?” Charlie asked, a bright smile on her face.

Bug hesitated before shaking his head. “No, though, I’d love to give you guys raises. Thing is, we’re not bringing in as much revenue as I’d like. Sure, we’re not swatting flies in here, but we could be doing better than we already are. I feel as though sex shops just aren’t what they used to be. People don’t come in here as much because they resort to the Internet. And I get that -- it’s 2018, who is going to want to walk out on foot and come to a store to get off? They’ve got their Google and their RedTube or whatever. So I got to thinking and thought of something that could potentially give us a boost not only in cash, but also advertising. Sidney, would you like to come up here and explain while I get our presentation board ready?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but instead rolled over his small white board where he started scribbling something. Sidney had a small smile on her lips as she stood in front of Bug. “After much thinking, Bug and I decided to organize a block party!”

“What’s that?” Charlie asked.

“When I was growing up in America,” Bug chimed in, “one of my favorite things was block parties. It’s when a group of people put together a big outdoors party to either bring people together for a cause or just for shits and giggles. It’s a good way to get business out there with the right advertising and it’ll help us raise a lot of money.”

“So we’re having a block party for the store?” Micah clarified.

“Yes!” Bug exclaimed, a big grin on his face. “A block party for adults! We’re going to have themed food, themed games, themed prizes. But I need your help in planning it. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I think this could be great.”

His enthusiasm was contagious and Charlie found herself smiling in excitement. This could be quite fun. “I’m in,” she said, leaning back in her chair and looking at the other three.

Micah gave a shrug while Quentin nodded. Charlie looked to Niall, who was the only one seeming a bit hesitant. She nudged him with her shoulder and he glanced at her, eyes wide. Charlie raised her eyebrows at him and felt him sigh.

“I’m in as well,” Niall said.

Bug started clapping in excitement before pushing the whiteboard in front of them. The words ADULT BLOCK PARTY was written on the top with several lists to be made. Food, games, entertainment, prizes, decorations, and assignments. “Let’s begin with decorations. I was thinking that instead of balloon animals, we’ll make balloon dicks.”

“What else can we do?” Sidney asked the group. “Can’t just have balloons shaped like dicks.”

“I once saw streamers with vag and dicks on them,” Quentin said. “I think it was at a gift shop in Stretford.”

“Yes!” Bug exclaimed, ignoring Sidney’s protest. In the end, she just rolled her eyes as Bug wrote down the balloons and streamers under decoration. They then moved on to food.

“Hot dogs are phallic shaped foods,” Charlie said. “We need to have hot dogs. And then maybe we can grill burgers, too, and draw nipples with ketchup on them.”

“Love it,” Sidney giggled, writing it down under food.

“Good one, Charlie,” Bug commended. “My friend, Oliver, actually owns an ice cream shop near here and he agreed to cater some flavors. I’m all for it, but I wanted to get creative with the names.” He wrote down the list of ice cream flavors they were getting catered and Charlie immediately thought of a few dirty names for them.

“Birthday Cake Blowjobs,” she said, unable to stop giggling. “Oh, and, Pistachio Penis.”

“Charlie’s on a fucking roll, guys,” Bug shouted, writing her suggestions down. “I want some from you guys. Micah, give me one.”

“Chocolate Cock,” she began, trailing off before answering again. “And Junior Mint Jizz.”

“Amazing,” Bug said. “Niall, it’s your turn.”

Charlie faced Niall, not the least bit surprised to see how red he’d become. His arms were folded across his chest and he had a hand covering his mouth. “Um, I don’t know, man,” he stifled out an uncomfortable laugh.

“You do, buddy. Just think for a minute.”

He didn’t answer straight away, looking at the remaining flavors. “I guess, Vanilla Vagina,” he eventually said.

“Gimme another. Come on!”

“Dark Cherry Doggy Style,” Niall mumbled.

“Hot,” Charlie added. Niall shoved at her with his elbow and she laughed. “How about Mint Chocolate Chip Missionary?”

“These are perfect!” Bug exclaimed.

They threw out a couple of more names, including Pumpkin Cheesecake Condoms, Rose Rimjob, Cookies&Dough&Cum, Blueberry Boobs, Rocky Roadhead, Apple Anal, and Hazelnut Handjobs. Then time came for them to plan some games. Bug and Sidney had come up with Pin the Butt Plug in the Hole as well as Dick Ring Toss and pie eating contest where pies are decorated as arses.

“How about Simon Says, but a Kama Sutra version,” Micah said.

“That’s a good one,” Bug agreed. “I hope people are bendy. What else?”

“Tug of War but with anal beads,” Charlie added.

“Dunk tank, but filled with vanilla frosting that looks like jizz,” Quentin said. Charlie had a feeling he loved the word jizz.

She looked to Niall. “Niall, you got anything?”

“Yeah, sure,” he said. “How about a jar filled with condoms and people guess how many there are. They can take the jar home at the end of the night?”

“That’s a really good one,” Sidney said. “In terms of prizes, we were thinking flavored lube and condoms, so it works.”

“This is all pulling together so well, guys,” Bug said, admiring the whiteboard. “We are going to need help with setting it all up, though. Sidney will take care of location as well as the chairs and tables we’ll need. I’ll take care of the food and drinks. What do you guys think you can offer to the table?”

“My friends can help set up,” Charlie said. “I’ll rope them into it. Liam can even play DJ. He calls himself DJ Payno all the time, so I’m sure he’ll love it. We could do a setlist of sex songs.”

“I’ll ask my friend Zayn to help out at as well,” Niall said. “In fact, if you needed to make flyers, he can do it. He’s pretty good with Photoshop.”

“That’d be great!” Sidney said. “We made our flyer on Microsoft Word.”

“Yeah. I’ll ask him for sure.”

“Amazing,” Bug said. “Thanks for helping the planning session, guys. I’ll let you go now, but feel free to come up to me with more suggestions.”

He clapped his hands as a way of dismissing them and they slowly started to get up. MIcah and Quentin were already headed toward the door, but Niall didn’t seem to be in a rush. “What are you doing now?” Charlie asked. She knew she had Harry waiting back at the apartment, but she was sure he was fine. He probably found a way to entertain himself and won’t be needing Charlie right away.

“Was going to head home. I have to ask Zayn if he wants to do the flyer,” Niall said. “Or rather tell him I already volunteered him.”

“I’m sure he’ll do it. I don’t think he needs to do too much,” Charlie said.

Niall shrugged. “What are you doing now?”

“Nothing much,” she replied. “Trying to figure that out actually.”

“Well, do you want to come over and help me convince Zayn? Maybe he can design it while we’re there. I’ll make you a cuppa?”

Charlie had to remind herself to reign it in and not appear too excited. She gave him a soft smile and nodded. “Yeah, I’m down for that.”



Niall’s apartment seemed too small for two people to live in, but he and Zayn somehow made it work. It was a one room studio with a kitchen and a bathroom. With dark brick walls and wood flooring, it was dimly lit. There was a bed against a wall with a desk beside it. A black couch and chair were placed beside the small heater across from a ladder which led to a twin bed on top. The kitchen was tiny with a wooden counter and cabinets and they had a small dining table with two chairs propped up within the hallway that led to the doorway.

“This is nice,” Charlie commented after stepping inside and getting a good look.

“Thanks,” Niall responded, taking off his coat and scarf. His nose was bright pink from the cold, making Charlie wish she could bop it. “I think Zayn’s in the bathroom.” He looked around the room, taking in the open books that were laid out on the desk next to the window. He glanced back at Charlie. “Why don’t you take a seat? And I’ll get started on the tea. How do you like it?”

“Splash of milk and a spoon of sugar,” she replied.

He nodded, stepping into the kitchen and taking out a kettle before getting to work. Moments later Zayn walked out of the bathroom wearing nothing but red boxers. His hair was wet, indicating he’d just gotten out of the shower.

Surprised, he stumbled back a few steps upon seeing Charlie. “Hey. What’s up?” he asked, regaining his composure.

Niall popped his head out from the kitchen. “I invited her over. Wear some clothes before you make her uncomfortable.”

“On it!” Zayn said, smiling at Charlie before grabbing a pair of joggers off the bed. “What brings you guys here?”

“I’ve got a favor to ask you,” Niall said. He situated the hob before walking back into the room and settling down beside Charlie on the black couch. “We’ve got this block party coming up for work.”

“An adult block party,” Charlie added.

Zayn frowned. “What the fuck is that?”

“We’re renting out, like, a park? I think. And we’re setting up games, food, and a whole ton of shit for it to promote Frisky Business.”

“Oh, wow. That sounds fun?” Zayn looked like he wasn’t sure what he was meant to say. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who was easily impressed.

Niall nodded. “Should be. But we need to promote it and I was wondering if you could make the flyer for us.”

Zayn hesitated as he said, “I don’t know, man. I’ve got a ton of coursework lined up.”

“I already volunteered you.”

“Son of a bitch.”

There was a moment of silence where Charlie glanced back and forth between the two. Niall stared back at Zayn, standing his ground until finally, Zayn nodded. “You’ll do it?” Niall confirmed, grinning.

“Do I have a choice?” Zayn mumbled, standing up and heading over to the desk where he pulled out a sketchpad and pencil. “Give me a few minutes to draw it.”

“You’re the best, Z. As a thank you, I’ve got a cup of tea coming for you.” Niall stood up, leaving Charlie alone with Zayn again. Zayn got busy with the flyer, not even sparing a glance at Charlie, so she pulled her phone out. There were several texts from Harry, demanding to know where she was and why it was taking her so long. Apparently Louis had come over and he was driving Harry crazy. She was glad she wasn’t there to witness whatever fight they were in at the moment.

Niall stepped back in the room a few minutes later holding a tray with three steaming mugs of tea. He placed it on the desk in front of Zayn, offering his cup to him before bringing the remaining two over to Charlie. Charlie smiled and said thanks before taking a big sip. This was cozy.

“What were you up to before the meeting today?” Niall asked.

“Hanging out with Harry,” she replied. “We had a whole day planned of marathoning America’s Next Top Model and baking.”

“That does sound really fun.”

Charlie’s eyes brightened. “Big fan of the show?”

“Not really. I’ve seen an episode or two. But I’m into watching everything. You can put on Animal Planet and I’ll watch it.”

“You must have a favorite,” Charlie pushed. “What do you watch all the time?”

“Catfish,” Zayn mumbled from over where he was sitting.

Niall nodded in agreement. “I love the suspense.”

“Or you’re just gathering notes on how to be the perfect catfish so you can trick someone online,” Charlie suggested, giving Niall a knowing look.

“You caught me,” he said, throwing one hand up in surrender while taking a sip of his tea with the other. Charlie noted how he took his without any milk. “It was nice to meet Sidney today. She seems brilliant.”

“She is,” Charlie smiled fondly. “After I met her, I totally understood why Bug moved halfway across the world to be with her. Are you excited about the block party?”

“Honestly, a bit, yeah. I think it’ll be a lot of work, but as long as I’m getting paid, I’m fine with it. It’s something I wouldn’t mind going to if I wasn’t working it, too.”

“I mean, yeah, it’ll be a bit time consuming. More than what you probably signed up for. Bug will compensate all of us, though. He’s not the type to accept free labor.”

“Good to know,” Niall responded. “I’m just waiting for this semester to be over. As soon as I get that diploma, I don’t have to worry, you know? About whether or not I’m wasting my time when I could be revising or doing coursework. That is until I’m looking into med schools.”

“I totally get that,” Charlie nodded. “I just don’t think you should hold yourself back from having a life, though. Working at Frisky Business can be fun. It can be your little escape from school.”

“Easier said than done. I need to stay focused.”

Charlie pursed her lips, bringing her mug close to her lips to take a sip. She knew she couldn’t argue with Niall on this -- at least not now -- because he seemed pretty adamant. It just didn’t make sense to her that he wanted to stop himself from having a life outside of school when it didn’t really have to be that way. He could do really well in school and still have fun. It didn’t have to be one or the other.

The two of them continued to chat while Zayn worked on the flyer. Niall indulged Charlie a bit about his family back home in Ireland. He grew up in a small town, has an older brother, and a billion cousins spread across the world. His parents are divorced, both remarried, and he hasn’t gone back in two years because he loves it here so much. In return Charlie told Niall about growing up in Brighton, next to the sea where her hair was always a bit sticky because of the air. She told him about getting fish and chips everyday with her best friends and how she frequented trips back home to her parents and younger sister at least once a month.

Their conversation diverted to holidays and traditions that they’ve always had with their families when Zayn stood up, walking over and settling down on the couch between them. “What do you think?” he asked, holding up the sketchpad. The flyer had Frisky Business: Adult Block Party written in bubble letters. Every U and O within the letters had nipples drawn on them. Surrounding the words were drawings of vibrators, anal beads, condom packets, and other sex related objects.

When no one spoke, Charlie realized it was because Niall was looking at her expectantly, waiting for an answer. “Oh, um,” she blinked, studying the flyer again. “I think it’s sick? I don’t really know what we’re supposed to be looking out for.”

“I like it as well,” Niall said, grinning at Zayn. “Thanks Z. I’ll show this to Bug tomorrow at work and get the stamp of approval.”

“Cool,” Zayn yawned, standing up and strolling over to grab his empty mug. “Let me know and I’ll get this done on Photoshop.” With that, he wandered into the kitchen. “Think I’m making curry tonight. Would you like to stay Charlie?”

Niall peered at her from over the flyer and she slowly shrugged. “Sure? Can I invite Harry over, though. I’ve sort of abandoned him.”

“Of course!” Zayn said. “The more, the merrier. Although, we only have two chairs at our table so two of us will have to be on the couch.”

“Oh, we eat on the couch all the time. No big,” Charlie said, pressing on Harry’s number to call.



Niall and Charlie stood quietly while Bug studied the flyer Zayn had drawn. They were in his office the following day, both early for their shift so that they could present the flyer. It had been a quiet five minutes and it was as though Bug was studying an intricate piece of art, not a flyer for an adult block party that Zayn threw together under an hour.

Finally, he looked up and a slow grin spread across his face. “This is incredible. What the fuck? Who drew it? Who is the genius?”

“Zayn, my roommate,” Niall answered, looking both relieved and proud. “I told you about him at the meeting.”

“Right, right,” Bug nodded. “Your roommate. He’s amazing. Please tell him that I will be paying for this and his time. This is awesome.”

“You want to pay him?” Niall asked, looking shocked. “Really? Because I told him this was just a freebie.”

“Are you kidding? He’s so talented and it’s clear he took the time. I’d like to repay him somehow. Does he want to go to dinner with me?”

“Are you asking Zayn out on a date through Niall?” Charlie giggled.

“I mean, he’d be down,” Niall chuckled.

“Done, then. I’ll take Zayn out to dinner as a thank you. See how soon you guys can get me these fliers so we can start putting them up!”

“Wait, did Sidney get the location already?” Charlie asked.

Bug nodded. “She did. We’ve got a block party to put together, fam.”

“Please don’t say that ever again.”