One Direction: A Hot Mess

Chapter 5

Zayn’s POV

When we walked into the club, I left the other guys immediately. 

That was for a lot of reasons.  One, we seemed to attract more attention when we were all together.  Tonight I wanted to remain inconspicuous.  Two, when Louis and Eleanor and Liam and Danielle got together it could get very mushy very fast.  A little too much for me.

But the main reason why was that I wanted to see Avalon again.  Not that I’d ever admit it.  I was Zayn Malik, the “player.”  I couldn’t be caught thinking about any girls except for the hot ones in front of me.  They weren’t supposed to cross my mind after that.

Supposedly.

But still, I wanted to see her one more time.  Maybe I could even work some of my famous charm on her, and get her to like me too. 

But when I finally caught sight of that gorgeous red dress and the golden river flowing down the back, I realized she was already talking to someone else.  And when she shifted slightly to the side, I saw who that person was.  Someone instantly recognizable by his curly brown hair.

Harry.

I felt a quick flash of anger run through me.  Harry had stolen my opportunity, whether he’d meant to or not.

Then he caught sight of me over her shoulder, and he returned the smirk I’d given him earlier.

Oh that little…

You know he’ll win, Zayn, a voice whispered in my head.  He’ll get the girl just like he always does.  This just made me angrier, my hands curling into fists.  I quickly backed up, keeping my face neutral hopefully, and headed to the bar.  Maybe I could drown my sorrows.

“One shot please,” I asked the bartender.  She handed me a clear shot glass full of clear liquid.  Who cares what it is, I thought and drank it down.  It burned my throat and left me gasping as I felt it burn inside of me.  Woah.  Now that was a shot, I thought with a grin.  “Another one please.”

Then, with my stomach full of nothing but two glasses of liquid fire, I got up.  I wasn’t near drunk yet, but I felt a little better, a little more confident.  I would find a better girl that Avalon to spend the night with.

I approached a group of girls in the middle of the dance floor.  The two blondes on the outskirts giggled and immediately scurried away when I approached, but the brunette stayed put.

She was tall with long legs poking out from beneath a tight black dress.  It had one long sleeve and a large triangular cutout just above her stomach.  Her hair was long and dark, hanging perfectly straight on the sides of her face (I can appreciate good hair when I see it).  Her eyes were brown and framed by long, dark lashes.  Wow.  She was pretty.  Really pretty…And fit of course!  And her dark dress when perfectly with my dark clothes (always a plus).

She noticed me looking her up and down and looked around awkwardly.

“Um hi,” I blurted out.  Smooth Zayn. “I’m Zayn.”

“I’m Nicole,” she smiled.  There was an awkward silence.  “So um do you want to dance?”

Uh oh, dancing.  I’m not very good at that.

“I’m sure you’re not that bad,” she said politely.  Oh shit, I said that out loud?!  Ok Zayn, time to recover.

“Sure,” I winked.  “Sure, let’s dance.”

And we did.  And it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.  I mean, I wasn’t as bad as I thought I would be.  I had improved since my X Factor days, I really had!  But this girl was like a professional.  She swayed and danced to the beat, but unlike me, who was stiff and uncomfortable, it was like the music didn’t even touch her.  She was in her own world, moving fluidly and gently.  It was mesmerizing to watch.