Ninas London (One Direction fanfic)

Chapter 42

Second to last chapter! (: Enjoy! xxNina

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The whole night is a blur.

From the moment Harry leads us out onto the floor, I don't stop dancing. Girls and guys pack the place, jumping to the beat, laughing, raising their drinks into the air. The crowd is so huge that I'm packed in tight, never an inch apart from anybody, Harry pressed at my side. Blue and red lights swirl around the room, occasionally drowning us for a moment in bright color. Eleanor's shoes start to make an impression on my heels, but I hardly notice. Damp pearls of sweat form on my forehead, making my hair stick a little to my face. The humidity has already brought the wave out from my hair, melted off the layer of powder I'd applied at El's flat. But a quick trip to the bathroom proved that my eyeliner was only slightly smudged, that my hair was still glossy and untangled. I'm winded after only an hour but I show no signs of stopping.

Harry shows no interest in ever leaving my side. The loud music, the darkness, the alcohol makes everyone unstoppable and carefree. The other guys are out of sight. I'd seen Niall lead Caitlin off somewhere and I trust him with her. The thumping bass and blasting electric guitar drowns out my words; Harry can't even hear me a foot away from my mouth. And yet I'm perfectly fine in the loud silence. We don't use words, just occasional smiles at each other, occasional gasps of laughter when he accidentally spills some beer on my thighs. Nobody recognizes him; nobody cares who we are. We're just two more people in the crowd, victims of music and youth and craziness.

I only meet up with Eleanor once the whole night. Harry finds Louis in the crowd closer to the stage and they leave for a moment to grab drinks. El and I decide against the alcohol and instead stay on the floor, cracking up and grabbing hands. We jump to the beat and reach out like everyone else does towards the playing band. She spots some friends occasionally and offers quick hugs and bright smiles, but she never leaves my eyesight. We laugh together at totally drunk guys stumbling around at the foot of the stage. We both shoot our arms into the air when the guitarist delivers crashes to the amps. We dance together like it's the time of our lives, like we're ready to die tomorrow.

Ten minutes later Louis comes up and wraps his arms around Eleanor's waist. She giggles and turns around in his embrace, planting a long kiss on his lips. Louis' hair has started to string a little at his temples, but he doesn't loosen his close protective grip on El. Together they bounce to the music, in their own little world, oblivious to anyone around them.

Just as watching them gets awkward I feel a clammy hand grab my own. Harry spins me a little and I'm enveloped in his musky scent. His white shirt clings to his abs and his hair is matted to his forehead, like mine. He leads me away from the stage and into the darkness, pushing through dancing couples and more drunk gorillas. We find a few feet of space towards the back, under the indoor overhang where the lights don't reach and there's total darkness.

Along the way I spot Niall and Caitlin. They dance closely, Niall holding a plastic cup of something, giving Caitlin a small sip every now and then. She looks up at him, smiling, and they start dancing again, forgetting their surroundings. She laughs at something he's shouting to her above the music, and he smiles at her. I'm a happy mommy.

Then they fall from my view and the two of us are in darkness. Harry pulls me in from behind and I giggle for no reason. He holds me by my stomach and I feel the dampness from his shirt, even the rythmic beating of his chest. We sway to the music and I close my eyes, letting the flashes of color from the lights disappear. I reach back and wrap a hand around the back of his neck. It feels strong and pieces of his hair rake through my fingers. I feel his breath on my shoulder and I relax, letting the music and darkness guide me into some strange peace. His hands brush against the knots of fabric on my stomach and I lean against him. Tall, strong, protective. Out of sight from everyone, the cameras that so desperately seek a view of us. All my problems disappear as we dance, for hours, ignoring the fact that tomorrow I leave on an airplane for California.

Time doesn't exist in nightclubs, but eventually three a.m. ticks by and my eyelids feel heavy. My heels feel rubbed raw and my calfs burn from jumping up and down so much. Harry offers me some of his beer again and I eventually give in, letting the gross strong taste into my mouth. It makes me feel even more restless though, and my soreness becomes the smallest of issues. The loud bass thunders through me and the only thing I grow aware of is Harry's presence. He's the only reason I feel I'm here anymore and I never leave his side. I need him tonight, like I know I have all week.

Thirty feet away Caitlin's wrapped an arm around Niall's neck, taking in more and more of his drink. Something inside me feels nervous of her possible hangover tomorrow, but I shoo away the thought and decide that sleep and a pack of mints can fix anything tonight. Eleanor and Louis have stayed by the stage all night, dancing to the band's music and failing to hold back on any PDA. Liam and Zayn have been out of sight all night, probably hanging out in the lounge in remembrance of their absent girlfriends.

I assume that everyone's doing fine and I keep myself in the dark with Harry. Each moment injects a piece of confidence in me, despite my tangling hair and damp forehead. We share the same oxygen, never letting go of each other. Sometimes I pull his hands farther around my waist, giggling uncontrollably when the alcohol hits my brain. Sometimes we ignore the upbeat thumping music and just sway, my arms wrapped around his neck, his around my back. He's so tall that even with my heels I can only rest my forehead on his collarbone. I spend most of the night with closed eyes, relaxing against him. The room is full but all I see, feel, and hear is Harry. I know here is the only place we could ever be like this. I had danced like this with my old friends at prom and homecoming. Tomorrow we could be just friends again, the alcohol and darkness to blame for our actions. But I refuse to think about the future and enclose myself in tonight, Harry next to me, nobody else. Nothing else matters.

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Gripping his arm I stumble towards the cab. Louis takes the passenger seat and Eleanor slides into the far right, leaving me to the middle. I use his hand as balance and step into the back seat, yawning and dizzy. El takes my hand and says something to me but my senses are already fading. The car door slams shut behind him and I feel his arm against mine. I immediately drop my head to his shoulder and he lets me sink into a sleep. The last words I remember are Louis' directions back to El's flat. El assuring me that Niall's taking Caitlin and Lauren back in another cab. I struggle to keep my eyes open as a glowing "3:56 a.m." flashes on the dashboard. In two hours I should be waking up for something. Maybe a plane ride... I forget. My eyelashes flutter a little and the car starts moving down the street, giving us silence for once in the night. The stillness is so relaxing and he droops his shoulder even more to make a comfy makeshift pillow for my heavy head. I finally black out.

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My first instinct when pulled out is to wrap my arms around his neck. I close my eyes again as he carries me bridal style up the path to the door. One shoe starts to slip off my heel and I feel El gently remove them. My bare feet dangle from his strong arms as Louis grabs us the elevator. My head fits perfectly into the crook of his shoulder and I dip in and out of sleep, their whispers fading.

Finally a door opens and a bright light penetrates my closed eyelids. I squint and hear El a few feet away - "keep the light off" - and the darkness finds me again. "In here," she whispers, and I feel him carry me into my bedroom. I hear rustling covers as El pulls them back, and then he slowly lowers me down onto the soft mattress. The covers are pulled over me and I listen as the three tiptoe out of the room. The door closes shut and I'm left in pitch black, to finally fall into a deep sleep.

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A/N: AIGOO SORRY FOR THE LACK OF UPDATES D: I feel really bad ): BUT YES SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER D';

BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT :3

-C.M.