Strings and Schemes

Chapter 15

I feel a familiar hand reach around my lower back, "Hi, you," he says, "great speech," I grin. "Been waiting for you all night, can't wait to hear all about your day. Though, you were pretty active it seems."

I laugh, "It was all Louis' doing."

He smiles, "Ready for this shot?"

I nod my head, and up comes the mace. Harry, Me, Zayn, Louis and Liam all at the mace taking the shot at the same time.

"UGH," I say afterwards. "WHY WOULD SOMEONE PUT WHISKY IN THAT?"

"It'll put hair on your chest, Raina!" Says Niall, "which may be a problem for you already with that moustache you've grown..."

I laugh, pulling the moustache off my face, putting it on Niall.

"Here, it may smell like booze but it probably suits you better than I."

"Liam, look, I've grown a moustache!" Niall yells, as if Liam isn't right next to him. Liam laughs, "good on you bro, wasn't sure you'd ever grow one."

Niall glares, "I'll have you know, the Irish potatoes do wonders for hair growth."

"Man, I do not need to know that you're growing pubes." Liam scoffs, disgusted.

It's nice to watch Liam have a normal interaction with everyone, considering what happened the other night.

Zayn wags his eye brows at me, laughing at the two men. "You see what I had to put up with all evening?"

"Oh shut up Zayn, you love me." Liam laughed, catching my eye and his demeanour falling slightly.

Zayn picks up on the change immediately, and pretends as if he doesn't, mostly to save me from either having to address it or having to feel embarrassed.

Harry comes over with his sister, Gemma to introduce us.

"Gem, this is my friend and probably our most loyal patron outside of these weirdos, Raina." I smile and reach to shake her hand. She laughs at me, and pulls me in for a hug which in this neck of the woods is entirely unexpected. The brits are not a hugging sort of people.

"It's so grand to meet you," she gushes, "I've heard so many things about you from well, all of these guys."

I smile, "all good things, I hope."

Louis cuts in, "all HONEST things."

I cringe, "Yeah, well whatever Louis says is mostly bullshit anyways."

Gemma laughs, "I mostly try to ignore them and stay behind the scenes at the pub, they can be a handful."

I nod in agreement, "it's not often you see me here on poker night for a reason."

"You and me both, sister."

Louis hops on a table, "ALRIGHT - ALRIGHT." He gets everyone's attention, swaying slightly. Myself and Zayn exchange a concerned look.

"Did you feed him at all today?" Zayn whispers.

"Come to think of it, no I definitely didn't." I hiccup slightly.

"Oh for fuck sakes Raina, you're both hiccuping." He laughs. I grin in response.

"It's Independence Day!" I whisper yell, "food wasn't mandatory."

"YOU two, shut it." Louis says eyeing us both with a knowing glance. I hold my hands up in defeat, as if to say, please don't shoot me.

"So, Raina has been completing my scavenger hunt all day to truly solidify her Independence Day. And we have one item left."