The club isn't as crowded as it usually is on a Friday night, but there is still a decent amount of people here. Celina made sure to point out the group of guys that were sitting at the bar and the different groups sitting at tables and booths. We walked past a group of boys sitting at a table congregated around a phone that was playing a football game. My guess is that their girlfriends wanted to go out and they wanted to stay in and watch the game, so they compromised. In all honesty, I don't really understand how watching grown men kick around a ball was entertaining enough to be shouting at a screen as if their commentary would change things. But I guess that's because neither of my parents was into sports and, growing up, I preferred the arts over athletics. I never really understood what made sports so interesting.
Celina pulled me over to the bar and ordered a round of shots, which we shared, and then she wandered off to flirt with some of the guys we had seen. I considered going over there too, but I needed a bit more alcohol in my system.
The music was almost too loud, and that's saying a lot from someone who always has their headphones at full volume. The DJ or whoever was in charge of the music tonight wasn't even playing the good songs. It was still decently early, they probably didn't want to have played all the good songs when there was hardly anyone here. Though, I'd prefer they played the same songs over and over than whatever they were playing right now.
I ordered myself another shot and downed it, grimacing at the burn in my throat. I leaned against the bar, not bothering to sit down, and I looked around the club for Celina.
"Hey there." A voice says, causing me to turn to look at the person it belonged to. They had an accent I hadn't heard in quite a while. I was used to always hearing British accents, with the exception of Celina's American accent. But Irish? That wasn't one I heard every day.
"Hi," I respond, shifting to lean on my left arm so I could face him. His blue eyes immediately darted to meet my brown ones, a smile plastered across his face. I think I recognize the man sitting in front of me, but not dare to ask him to confirm.
"Haven't seen you 'ere before." He says, taking a drink of his beer.
I tilt my head to the side and smirk, "That's funny because I'm here practically every weekend."
"That is funny." He says, getting up from his stool and moving to the one closest to where I was standing, leaving his friends behind him. "So am I."
"You sure about that?" I quip, "You'd think I would've seen you here before."
"Oi, you caught me." He says, holding his arms up in a playful defeat.
I smile at him. "So you lied?" I tease.
"Might have fibbed a little." He laughs.
"Well, how do you know that I'm not the one 'fibbing'?" I smirk.
"I don't, I guess," he laughs, "but I don't deem you as a fibber."
I let out a loud laugh, "Why do you keep using that word?"
He cocks his head, "Is there something wrong with the word fib?"
"Well, no." I say, slightly shaking my head, "I just haven't heard someone say that since I was a kid."
"Well, it happens to be one of my new favorite words." he says, "I'm Niall."
I had a feeling that's who he was. A wave of nervousness jolts through my body, now that I had confirmation that I was, in fact, talking to Niall Horan. It's like my body didn't realize that I had just had an almost flirtatious conversation with him. I don't understand why I'm nervous now.
"I'm Béatrice." I smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Béatrice." Niall grins.
I feel my cheeks start to flush, "It's nice to meet you as well."
"I like your accent." He says, finishing his beer and setting the empty bottle back on the counter.
"It's French," I say. "Thank you," I add, knowing that Celina would be proud of me for accepting a compliment, even if it were simple like this one, without giving it a second thought.
"Do you speak it?" Niall asks.
I nod, "Yes, do you?"
"No," he shakes his head, chuckling softly, "I can barely speak English at times."
I giggle and adjust the strap from my bag on my shoulder, not sure of what to say next. I didn't want to bring up his music or anything that would make him uncomfortable. I needed to say something quick or the conversation would end, and I definitely did not want it to end.
"Tell me something in French," Niall says and I'm instantly thankful that he had continued the conversation.
I smile and slowly lean towards him. With my lips near his ear, I whisper "J'adore la mer. [I love the sea.]" Judging by the look on his face when I leaned back, he probably thought I said something sexual.
His jaw was dropped a little and he chuckles, "What does that mean?"
"It's a secret," I smirk, keeping up with the idea that I said something dirty.
"Now, don't do that." He jokes. "Secrets aren't fun."
"Maybe I'll tell you, eventually," I say and a playful frown appears on his face. "Or you could google it."
"Like I'd know how to spell that."
I laugh, "Guess you're outta luck."
"Guess so." He says. He suddenly moves from his spot and sits on the stool next to the one he was originally sitting at. He taps on the now empty stool, gesturing for me to sit next to him, which I do.
Niall looks down at my ripped jeans, "Those are some very holey jeans."
"Uh... Thank you?" I say, unsure of whether or not he meant it as a compliment.
He laughs at my uncertainty, "I like them."
"Thank you." I chuckle, accepting my second complement of the night without Celina's help.
Niall and I talk for a while longer, mostly joking about random things. He told me about how he used to play football and how now he loves golf. We ended up sharing golfing stories, but his stories pertained to actual golf while my golfing background consisted of mostly putt putt with Celina.
I hear the first three beats of the next song and instantly recognize it, and judging by the look on Niall's face, he does too. Celina was obsessed when "Slow Hands" came out and played it on repeat for days. I guarantee that she's freaking out, wherever she is, right now.
I let out a loud laugh, "Isn't this your song?"
"Sounds like it." He replies with a hint of amusement in his voice.
I hop up from the stool I was sitting on, "Come dance with me."
He shakes his head, still grinning widely, "I don't dance."
I fake pout and tilt my head at him, "I don't believe you."
Niall nervously chuckles, "I can't, I've got bad knees."
"Well then," I smirk, "I guess you'll just have to watch."
Without saying anything else, I walked over to the large crowd of people grinding on each other. I found a spot where I could still see Niall and started dancing, badly. I will be the first to admit that I am a horrible dancer, but at least I own it. As long as I'm having fun, which I am, I don't care what anyone's opinions of me are.
Niall was still watching me, a smile still plastered across his face. By the time the first chorus came around, I started to mock Niall's dance moves from the many videos Celina had shown me of him performing it live. Even though I couldn't hear him, I could tell that he was laughing. One of his friends said something to him and he turned around to face them.
Simultaneously, I felt a hand grip my wrist and I turned in that direction. I felt a wave of relief when I saw a very excited Celina standing next to me. "Béa! This is our song!" She shouts and pulls me further into the crowd.
We started dancing together, just like we would have when we were in one of our apartments. If I were in a room full of people I knew, this would almost be embarrassing, but something about being surrounded by strangers makes me feel bold. As I looked around, I couldn't see Niall anymore. I felt a little disappointed, but I figured I'd probably never see him again anyway.
I'm not sure how long Celina I had been dancing for when I started feeling tired. It had probably been only a few songs, but I'm out of shape. I couldn't tell you the last time I worked out. Celina always tries to get me to go to the gym with her, but I'm lazy and don't feel like walking all the way to the gym.
I made my way back over to the bar where Niall and I had been sitting, and to my surprise, he was still there.
"Oi!" He calls, "You're quite the dancer."
I smile, sitting back down next to him, "Learned from the best."
"I didn't know you were a fan." He laughs.
"You never asked."
"Touché." He laughs.
Niall ordered both of us a beer, and we continued talking about random things. Some of his friends joined in on the conversation, but I didn't catch any of their names. I didn't recognize any of their faces but they were all good company. This was the most fun night I'd had in such a long time. From talking with Niall to dancing with Celina, all of it had been amazing, almost like something I'd seen in a movie before.
"Béa!" Celina's voice shouts as she frantically comes darting over to Niall and I, pulling me back to reality. "We need to leave, like, right now!"
"What? Why?" I ask, setting my half-full beer back on the counter, "What happened?"
"Dean's here!" She says. Great. Of all nights for Celina's ex-boyfriend to be clubbing in London, it had to be tonight. The one night I don't want to leave early, Celina wants to leave. It's almost ironic.
"What? Are you sure we have to leave?" I ask, gesturing with my eyes for her to look at the person sitting behind me.
"Yes!" She says, "I'll get the Uber. C'mon!"
I wasn't going to argue with her about staying. I know that being around Dean makes her uncomfortable, and that's the last thing I want to happen. I also don't want to leave her to ride in an Uber alone. I was fine with leaving, even though I was enjoying my time with Niall. But I would always put my best friend before a boy. No exceptions, even if the boy is Niall Horan.
"Is everything okay?" Niall asks, obviously hearing Celina and I.
I nod, "Yeah, I think so."
"Are you sure you have to go?" He asks.
"Yes." I frown. "I'm sorry."
"Béa, we need to go," Celina says.
I take a deep breath, taking it all in before I begin to follow her towards the door. I stop and look at Celina. "One sec!" I say and turn back towards Niall.
I open my purse and try to feel around for what I'm looking for. Niall watches me as I make my way back over to him. "Let me see your arm," I say.
He makes a face at me but holds out his arm. I retrieve the eyeliner pen I had in my purse and pull the cap off. I quickly write my phone number on his skin. I didn't get the chance to say anything else to him before Celina pulled me away. Niall didn't break eye contact with me on my way out, and I could've sworn I saw him wink at me.
I've never been in a club or had alcohol before, if you couldn't tell.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.