The Dangers of Falling. [Harry Styles.]

Chapter One.

I breathed out a shaky breath, the air showing clearly in front of me as if it were smoke. The parking lot was quiet, the beat of the music from the bar not too far away leaking out. Drunken girls stumbled out of the doors with their closest friends and guys who only wanted them for unspeakable things, their laughter echoing loudly throughout the entire street. The bouncer paid no attention to them, not batting an eyelash. I flipped the hood of my jacket up, covering my choppy, freshly colored bright red hair. Maybe dyeing my hair was going a bit too far. I sighed, rather annoyed, at the wind biting at my face, whipping bright pieces of red hair into my face. The line to get into the club was long gone, surprisingly. The lack of people was possibly due to the new, exclusive club that opened down the road yesterday. The bouncer glanced up from his phone as I approached, my converse slapping the pavement with each step. He was a tall, broad-shouldered blonde guy with icy blue eyes and, from what I could see through his tight black shirt, a toned body. My shoulders tensed up, and I held my head a little higher automatically. Guys like him intimidated me, and even though I admitted it, I wasn’t going to show it. I met the age requirement for drinking, but I didn’t look it, so I’ve been told. Back in the States, I had to use a fake I.D. But here, I was legal.

"I.D., miss." His eyes flickered over me, boredom filled in beneath the ice barrier. He didn’t like his job, which was easy to see. I slid my wallet out from my jacket pocket, handing him the I.D.

"Huh, Amelia. Like Amelia Badelia?" the bouncer chuckled, his stomach caving in and out as he laughed. I rolled my eyes. That joke was getting old.

"Yeah, real cute." I glanced at his name tag. "Bob, is it? Like Bob the builder? Shouldn’t you be at a construction site or something?" The bouncer’s laugh stopped abruptly, his smile fading. I cracked a small grin, but it slowly fell once again as I snatched my I.D. back and entered the club. My mother had given me an old joke name.

The club was packed to the tip, the whole room overflowing with sweaty, dancing bodies that pushed up against one another. No one seemed to mind the atmosphere. They were all lost in the music, feeling the beat of the rhythm as they moved with one another. It must be nice to lose yourself. Being in reality than in your own world sucked. Sleazy girls were leading desperate men to corners, although I didn’t know why. No one cared what you did in a club. We were all here for practically the same reason; get drunk and not care. Lonely people sat at the bar, drinking away the pain. I soon was going to become one of those people, and I couldn’t help the rush that ran through me.

I approached the bar hesitantly, maneuvering through a few pressed together people. The bar was bright with electric lights and signs, stocked up with bottles of liquor and all other alcoholic beverages I couldn’t name. A girl with jet black hair stood behind the bar, her hair flowing down over one shoulder. Her outfit wasn’t in the least bit slutty like all the other girls I had seen. She was in plain black mostly, but that was probably uniform policy. She was serving a guy with the curliest hair I’d ever seen on a male. From behind, he seemed pretty dashing. Not that I was looking. The other bartender was a guy, his brown hair slicked up with hair gel and a bright smile on his face as he spoke to a girl on the corner of the bar. He was wearing a similar outfit to his partner, and his blue eyes met mine as I walked up. I quickly avoided eye contact, taking a seat on a swivel seat near the curly-haired fellow. His gaze turned on me, and I kept my eyes level with the bar. I could feel his stare as he measured me up.

"Hey!" a voice shouted, and I jumped in my seat, trying to regain balance as I slid over the side of the chair. A warm hand grasped my arm before I hit the ground, and the grip tightened as I was pulled upward and sat back down directly on my seat. I looked up, my brown eyes meeting bright green orbs. It was curly from a few seats over. He was stunning.