Chasing Blue Roses

18. Jealousy and Tequila Don't Mix.

18. Jealousy and Tequila Don't Mix.

I felt my heart thump in my chest, echoing the beat of the club’s bass as it pounded through my body. I’d never felt so out of place. A thin layer of mist swirled across the dancefloor, slicing through the lasers and strobe lights.   

What am I doing here?

Faces lifted in our direction as we walked past. I could guess what they were thinking as their eyes found mine. Who is she? Do I know her? Should I know her? I concentrated my gaze in front of me, following the lines of Liam’s back through his shirt as we threaded our way through the club’s VIP area.

The eight of us were sandwiched between two large bouncers built like bears. I couldn’t blame people for staring. The boys attracted attention wherever they went and we were hardly doing our best to keep a low profile. I watched Harry shoot a charming smile at a clump of giggling girls nearby. The tallest of them licked her lips and winked back. I took a deep breath. I guess slipping beneath the radar hadn’t really been Harry’s intention.

“Holy shit, Is that Zac Efron?!” Hannah’s grip on my arm tightened, as she squinted at a table in the corner. The VIP section was lit with dim, red lighting – although ‘lit’ may have been a slight exaggeration. Sheer curtains draped down from the ceiling, winding around couches and tables for privacy.

As far as I could tell, the curtains doubled as a make-shift booth for anyone who was feeling particularly hard up and couldn’t wait to get home. Lou cringed as we caught sight of a couple ‘getting it on’ on the couch nearby.

“Bloody hell,” She chortled. “They’re just curtains, not cloaks of invisibility!”    

A couple strutted past us, the girl knocking shoulders with me before apologising quickly. She was wearing the sexiest dress I had ever seen – pieces of red fabric wound diagonally around her body, as if she’d been wrapped in a huge satin ribbon. On anyone else, it would’ve seemed as though she were bursting out of her clothes, like a female hulk; but on her, it looked stunning. I grabbed a champagne flute from a tray nearby and downed it in one long gulp. I didn’t belong here; surrounded by this crowd of beautiful people, a crowd of VIP's.

Why had I let Harry push me into coming?

He didn’t push you into anything… I reminded myself adamantly. Quite the opposite in fact. I guess he hadn’t known about my aggressive competitive streak. I’d grown up around so many boys, it was practically a disease. Once I’d seen that glint in Harry’s eyes, there was no way I was backing down like he wanted me to.

Harry and Zayn disappeared quickly onto the dance floor. I glanced up as Louis arrived at our table with a tray of drinks, tongue out in concentration as he balanced the shots. “Tequila for everybody!”

Lou waved his offer away, running a lazy hand through her tousled blonde waves. “I’m ‘right, I can’t be hung over in the morning, I’ve got Lux!”

Niall ignored Louis’ offer, he was too busy chatting up Hannah. I grinned. They sat with their heads bowed together closely; in a little bubble of their own, completely oblivious to everyone around them.

Good on her, Niall was sweet and they looked cute together. I watched as Liam pulled out his phone, reading a text with a goofy smile on his face. Probably Danielle. Louis mentioned that they were still together and ‘sickeningly loved up’.

I felt a wave of homesickness crash over me. I missed Ellie and James. I missed all the boys, even hanging out at Crush’s place. I would’ve given anything to be at his apartment right now, toxic socks and all. Being at this club, in the VIP section no less, felt more foreign to me than ever.