Insatiably You | l.s.

Chapter 21

It is minutes to eleven, and the five of us are sitting at the bar in Pandora getting ready to do our third round of shots as the familiar tune of a popular Rihanna song infiltrates the atmosphere. The pounding bass echoes through the club, and it feels as though with every pumping sound and every lyric crooned, it justles our insides, giving us just the perfect buzz we crave tonight. Zayn, as requested, is our bartender, yet all five of us eagerly count down the minutes to the end of this hour and, subsequently, his shift, so that we can get properly wasted against our better judgement and make a fool of ourselves on the dance floor.

Niall and Liam, both wearing artfully unbuttoned shirts paired with skinny jeans and jewellery, are perched on the barstools to the right of me, conversing with Zayn, who is over the counter in a similar yet more professional attire, trying to figure out what alcoholic beverage we should order next.

There are countless bottles of liquor, different shapes and sizes of glasses, different cocktails, shots, wines, beers, and so many other options to choose from, yet we all agree on something tamer this round. This is because, not only do we have leftover alcohol in our systems from yesterday, but we all already had a vodka shot (I included cranberry in mine) and some specialty shot Zayn mixed called the 'wolf bite', which I absolutely hated.

The 'wolf bite', although visually appealing, had such an unpleasant aftertaste that it almost made us want to go the rest of the night sober due to its pungent effect — half of us turned about fifty different shades of green, almost puking on ourselves. Shockingly, though, both Zayn and Niall seemed to love the drink, while Louis pretended to like it, only to gag when the rest of the lads weren't looking, leading to me erupting into a fit of giggles due to his theatrics.

Further to our almost drunken antics, for the most part of the night, I was the one gaining the majority of the compliments from both the lads and strangers. I, however, believe these praises to be directed at the wrong person since the epitome of elegance and grace is sitting to the left of me, hiding in the shadows of the dancing lights.

My glamour is there, displayed like a show for every passing eye to witness and enjoy; it is displayed in every curl, every glimmer of my jewellery and makeup, but his is hidden. It is hidden in his simplicity, masked behind a graphic tee shirt and skinny jeans, covered by a messy fringe, and hidden away from all passing eyes, yet he is nonetheless ethereal. Nonetheless, captivating and breathtaking.

Louis, probably dressed the simplest of us five, doesn't gain but a passing glance from anyone (although I would assume he'd prefer this after being put on display for hours due to his profession here). He gains nothing but a brief once-over here and there, yet he still manages to make my breath stutter. He still manages to make my body come alive like a livewire in his presence, and he still manages to be the only person in the room whose attention I crave like no other.

As Niall and Zayn continue their heated debate on whether gin should be included in any alcoholic drink or not, I finally turn all my attention to Louis, whose arm is now wrapping around my waist, with his body weight resting practically on top of mine, as he whispers sweet nothings in my ear.

"I can't get over how breathtaking you are, angel. How breathtaking you look... You're positively stunning, my love. Your hair, your nails, your outfit...fuck and your makeup. You are absolutely bewitching...You have— You have bewitched me body and soul, Harry," whispers Louis into my ear while his face rests in the crook of my neck as he lets out soft puffs of breath and just barely there open-mouthed kisses to the exposed patches of skin beneath my collar.

To the prying eye, it would just look as though Louis is resting his head on my shoulder, thanks to the veil of my hair canopying us from the outside world. Liam, Niall, and Zayn don't and won't notice this exchange between us two due to their distractions and our carefully positioned bodies. To them, it would just look as though Louis is already too drunk, due to the alcohol still in his system from yesterday's and today's intake, and simply unable to uphold his body weight. To them, it would look like he's just taking a kip, but to me, it feels as though the very skin on my neck beneath his lips is on fire.