-----------------------------------------------------------

The minute that we walked into the hotel suite where the party was in full swing, I knew I wouldn’t last very long. Everyone except for Harry and I had been throwing back shot after shot at the bar, and I was past the point of wanting to get intoxicated anymore.

Liv, on the other hand, was two sheets to the wind.

I had assumed that it was going to be a smaller party, mostly the group of guys at the bar and a couple of people who’d stayed back at the hotel. But I was very wrong. A couple of the guys who hadn’t gone to the bar had spent all night picking up girls to bring back with them. The suite, which was easily triple the size of our standard hotel room, was packed wall-to-wall with scantily clad women. And girls. And more women.

At least these boys didn’t discriminate based on age.

I followed Liam and Liv past the liquor bottles lined up on the coffee table; Harry’s hand resting on my back. Liam stopped abruptly. Joining in a conversation with a guy I recognized as Zayn, and several others I’d never seen before, I watched as Liam pulled Liv into his side and introduced her.

“You want a drink?” Harry breathed into my ear, glancing towards the table littered with bottles and empty Solo cups.

I shook my head no, taking in the scene before me as he scooted off to get a drink for himself. I knew I wasn’t old, at least not by my standards, but I couldn’t find it in me to get excited about the party or the group of people I was surrounded by. I spun around to find Liv and tell her that I was going to head back to the hotel when I heard cheering and whistles coming from the place I’d last left her.

I found Liam and Zayn in the sea of females fairly easily. But Liv was short and they were not. I peered around to see if she was sandwiched between them when my gaze caught a pair of sky high blood red pumps on a pair of tiny feet.

A pair of pumps that I recognized immediately.

A pair of pumps that were attached to my best friend who was standing on top of an end table next to the couch, swaying her body back and forth to the beat of the weird indie rock music someone had playing. It wasn’t the fact that she was literally dancing on a table that concerned me. Well, it wasn’t what concerned me the most.

It was the fact that she’d just peeled off her baggy black ACDC top and thrown it at Zayn, who had proceeded to thrust it high in the air as the people around him applauded. Liam clapped him on the back and whispered something in his ear that made both boys throw their heads back in laughter.

I felt Harry’s presence as he slid into the small amount of empty space next to me.

“She’s a little wild.” He murmured, tipping the neck of a beer bottle up to his lips. I shifted my gaze from Liv’s striptease to Harry’s Adam’s apple, bobbing up and down as he gulped the amber liquid. He lowered the bottle and licked his lips, the right side of his mouth turning up slightly.

“I need to talk to her.” I started to move towards Liv, but was stopped before I’d gotten far at all. Harry had hooked a thumb in one of my belt loops and was refusing to let go. “Harry, let me go.”

“She’s having a little innocent fun, Logan. Let her be.”

“Innocent? You think that’s innocent, Harry Styles?!” I flicked my middle finger on his chest. His very muscular chest. “That won’t be innocent when she’s shed a few more layers and this entire room gets a peep show. At least, I’m sure her husband won’t see it as just a little innocent fun.”

He choked on his beer, spitting it out onto the girl in front of him. She turned around to glare at him, before realizing who he was. The way that her face softened immediately suggested that as long as it was Harry Styles spitting beer on her, she was fine with it. If it’d been me though, she probably would have clawed my face.

“I’m sorry. I thought you said husband.”

“I did. She’s also a mother, but that’s not where the problem lies.”

“But… she’s been all over Liam all night.”

I nodded slowly. “She and her husband are having some serious problems. I’m not sure that they’ll stay married, but for now, she is still married. And I would hate to see her do something to jeopardize that, or give Jackson a reason to portray her as a bad mother.”

Harry opened his mouth to respond at the exact second a loud banging was heard coming from the suite’s front door. The entire room paused, held their breath, and glanced at the door.

Another bang.

“Harold.” Zayn hissed. “Answer the damn door.”

Harry rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. Setting his bottle on the floor by his feet, he shuffled to the door and opened it a crack.

“Ello, gentlemen.” His charm was legendary.

“Sir, we’ve received several complaints from other patrons of the hotel. The amount of noise coming from this suite is excessive. Please keep it down, as you’re not the only people staying on this floor.”

“Of course, Mr.-“ He strained to read the man’s name tag. “-Jarrod. We’re very sorry, sir, really.”
Shutting the door before the man had time to reply, the room stayed silent for another couple of seconds before erupting in high fives and cheers. The music was turned back up and the chatter continued at exactly the same level. I stomped over to Liv, tapping her leg to get her attention.

She leaned down.

“What are you doing?!” I spat out. “Jackson will shit a brick if he finds out about this, Liv.”

“For once, I don’t care.” She laughed. I could smell the whiskey on her breath. “Thank you for looking out for me. But I’m going to dance on this table. I might take off some more clothes, I’m not sure. And I’m probably going to end my night underneath that man.” She pointed to Liam. Or maybe Zayn. They were standing right next to each other so I couldn’t be entirely sure. Although my bets were on Liam.

“Are you sure you want to do that? You can’t take it back if you and Jackson work things out.”

“We’re not working things out. Sober or drunk, I’m telling you that my marriage is finito. And tonight I’m going to do what I want to do for me. I’d like to be responsible Liv tomorrow.” She winked, before standing up again.

I shook my head, letting out a deep breath as I walked away from Liv and her table, and out the balcony doors. The night air was just warm enough to be pleasant.

The thick sliding glass was an excellent sound absorber, taking most of the noises from the party and keeping them inside where they belonged. I checked my watch as I heard the whoosh of the door opening. I’d hoped to escape for awhile alone, but as long as it wasn’t a pack of drunk sorority girls, I figured I would survive.

“I take it she didn’t care about your concerns.” His deep voice gave me goose bumps that had nothing to do with the temperature outside.

“She’s her own person. I voiced my opinion and she said thanks, but no thanks. The rest is on her.”

He nodded his head in agreement, his forearms resting against the metal railing. For several glorious minutes, we stood side-by-side without saying a word.

“Do you ever get tired of this?” I asked, quietly.

“Get tired of what?” He asked back, just as soft.

“This lifestyle.” I held my arms open wide beside me. “The hotels, the endless parties, the abundance of women. The not being able to go to a club without a posse of linebackers keeping you safe. The thousands of people on social media following and holding onto your every word. The lack of privacy.”

I met his eyes, disbelief showing through the green. He took in a deep breath before turning to face away from the party, away from the hotel, and away from me. If I hadn’t been expecting his answer, I would have missed it.

“Yes.”

-----------------------------------------------------------

Notes

These characters are getting to be so fun to write, and I'm hoping that you all continue reading their story! I know that they're only going to get more interesting from here on out. Thanks for continuing to read!