Change My Mind

8 - A going away party

After dinner we drove back to the city. Harry and Niall had arranged a night at an exclusive club, where they knew the owner. Once again we skipped an entire line of people, who had probably been waiting for hours to get into the swanky club. I took a deep breath, and Niall put his arm around my shoulders and led me in. 

"Now they're all looking at me and thinking, 'what an absolute arse, cutting the line like that'," he said and made me laugh my nerves away. We were led to an area of the club which was VIP access only. "There'll be a few celebrities here probably, but pay them no mind, they're mostly wankers," Niall said as we were shown into a booth with a couch, room to dance and easy bar access. 

Liv was already sipping a cocktail and dancing, while looking down onto the absolutely massive dance floor below our booth. People cheered and applauded the DJ, and I wasn't sure if he was anyone famous, but at least he was popular it seemed. 

"Liv, do you want to go for a dance?" Niall asked and she practically leaped towards him and waved at Harry and me before she led Niall down to the dance floor. 

"Would you like a drink?" Harry asked and handed me a tablet with the drinks menu. I scrolled through the copious amounts of drinks feeling overwhelmed by the choices. Harry's finger landed on the tablet. "That one is really nice," he said. 

I looked up at him and nodded. "I guess I'll try that one then," I said and walked over to sit on the couch. He finished the order on the tablet and put it down on the table. Then he sat down on the couch and leaned back, looking at me. 

My heart rate was definitely going up and I took a deep breath to steady myself. It almost seemed as if he picked up on it, as his eyes scanned my face and down my body. "Tell me something," he said. 

"Like what?" I said with furrowed brows. 

"Something about yourself," he said and smiled as he reached over and tucked a strand of my hair back over my shoulder. I swallowed visibly, making him chuckle silently at my reaction. "Just something. I'd like to know more about you. I know you're from Naples in Maine. Your dad is an arborist from England. Newquay, Cornwall to be exact. Your mom is American, and an environmental activist. You have a big brother - I forget his name..." 

"Sylvan." I said and cleared my throat. "My brother's name is Sylvan. We call him Syl mostly, like everyone calls me El. Or Bug." 

"Bug?" He said and raised an eyebrow. "Why do they call you Bug?" 

I blushed and luckily our drinks arrived allowing me a moment to breathe. I sipped my drink and nodded as an appreciation of the taste. Harry sipped his own drink and put it down on the table, folded his hands in his lap and waited for me to continue. 

"Umm, when Liv and I were kids we used to play a game where she was a butterfly and I was a ladybug. She has always been like she is now; radiant, beautiful, someone you can't take your eyes off. A butterfly was fitting for her. I've always been as awkward as now, and I'm best hidden behind a polka-dotted shell. Anyway at first our brothers called me Bug and it kinda just stuck, I guess. Liv grew more beautiful, taller and elegant. I stayed small and awkward, like a bug." I took a sip of my drink and silently prayed that Liv and Niall would be back soon, so I didn't have to talk about myself anymore. 

There was something about Harry's expression that I couldn't quite put a finger on. He tilted his head and looked at me like he was thinking about something serious. "Did people tell you these things about Liv and yourself, or is it your own observation?" He finally asked after a bit of an awkward silence. 

"What do you mean?" I asked and genuinely didn't understand what he was asking me. 

"You praise Liv a lot. At the same time you make yourself sound unworthy of the same praise. I don't think you're small like a bug, Elowen. Not at all," he said and studied my face. "You don't sound like you see yourself at all." He slid his fingers over to my wrist and put his fingers on my pulse point. With certainty that made my pulse go even higher.