Joey opened her eyes and she was in a dark room. The fan above her circulated rapidly, hitting her face with a cool breeze. The soft pitter-patter of the rain hitting against the window soothed her mind. She curled further into the white blankets, engulfing herself in warm bliss.

“Joanna.” A low voice called.

Joey’s vision slowly crept to her side, where she saw Frank, nude up to the point where the blankets covered his groin, drawing circles on her exposed stomach. It was then that she noticed that she was also naked.

Frank, his liquid green eyes overflowing with lust, advanced closer. His body pressed against her, sending tingles down her spine. His hot breath trickled down her neck, causing her shiver violently. Frank’s tongue caressed the shell of Joey’s ear. She was skeptical on how to feel. His body filled her with delectation but regret overpowered her pleasure tenfold.

“Don’t be shy, baby…” he whispered huskily before slithering his large hands in between her thighs. Joey mewled and squirmed underneath his touch. He rubbed her womanhood in slow and rough motions. He kissed the area connecting her neck and her shoulder before spreading her legs apart.

“N-no.” she silently protested.

“Don’t be like that, babe.” he said as he climbed on top of her.

“Frank, stop.” she begged.

He lowered himself into her. Joey tried to escape the body surrounding her, but he just gripped onto her arms. Tight and harsh, his fingers curled deep into her skin. She moaned, both out of pleasure and pain. On the brink of tears she begged for him to stop again. “I don’t want this!”
He ignored her, trailing his tongue up her throat. His grip on her arms wouldn’t release. The pain sweltered throughout the region. She struggled against his touch, but he wouldn’t relinquish.


Joey abruptly opened her eyes to see herself in the dimly lit hotel room. Kate was passed out on the floor with Harry a few feet away from her. Joey turned to her side to see Zayn clinging tightly onto her arm as he slept. The panic she was experiencing melted away and was replaced with tranquility. Unlike in the memory she just relived, she welcomed this skin contact.

It was softer, it was kind. It wasn’t forceful and violating.

She smiled when Zayn’s head shifted to the crook of her neck. It was the most intimate touch she had had in a long time.

“Perrie…” he moaned.

The happiness inside her body deflated as she remembered the girl tattooed on his arm. There was a quick flash of anger and then a longer feeling of guilt. How could she crave this attention from Zayn, the boyfriend of the girl who practically saved her from abuse?

She slowly slipped herself from Zayn’s grasp and stood up. She looked at her watch to see that it was six-thirty in the morning. Liam and Niall were facing opposite ways on their bed. Louis was nuzzles in between the two with cards decorating his torso. Joey decided she wasn’t going to wake the boys. She really didn’t want to talk to Zayn after the emotions she just experienced.
She quietly crept over to Kate and shook her. Kate’s eyes fluttered open. She bobbled her head in disorientation before whispering, “What’s going on?”

“It’s time for us to go.” Joey whispered.

Kate, her state of awareness increasing, frowned. “Do we have to?”

Joey snarled. “Yes. We do.”

She helped Kate to her feet and the two sisters quietly left the room. When they reached the lobby, majority of the fangirls had left. They stepped outside in the slightly chilly air and Joey dialed Clark’s number again.

“Hello?” Clark answered, sleepiness still prevalent in his voice.

“Are you done fucking Derek?” Joey asked shortly.

“Temper, temper, Your Highness. Yes, the youthful intern’s ass has been seized. Are you still over there by the arena?”

“No, I’m at Hotel Indigo.”

“You had enough money to book a hotel room but not enough money to catch the subway home?” Clark questioned.

“It’s a long story. Can you just come pick us up?”

She heard him laugh over the phone before he answered. “Sure. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

---

“So you slept with One Direction?” Shela asked, a dirty smile playing on her lips.

“In a non-sexual way, yes.” Joey replied.

Clark grinned at her. “You gonna get any of that teeny bopper ass? Because if you aren’t you need to hook me up. I’m sure one of those boys needs a man to show them whose boss.”

Shela slapped Clark’s arm. “You’re a dirty whore!”

“Forever and always, babe.”

The trio giggled. Joey glanced back at her bedroom, where Kate fell asleep in her bed. While Joey was at work Kate spent her whole day touring London on her own. The girl walked herself to the point of exhaustion. She passed out before midnight. She was glad Kate couldn’t hear this conversation. Especially the bits and pieces about Zayn.

“I don’t think I can see Zayn anymore.” Joey mumbled, pulling her knees to her chest.

“Why not? Because he has a girlfriend?” Shela asked condescendingly. “You guys obviously have a good friendship that is about to grow and he is obviously in love with this Perrie girl, so what is there to worry about?”

Joey sighed. “I guess you’re right. I still don’t know what I’m doing hanging out with famous people, though.”

Shela shrugged her shoulders. “Celebrities have to have at least a few normal friends, right?”

“I think that in order to get out these jittery feelings you have for Aladdin is for us to find you a good screw.” Clark mused.

Joey’s face heated. “Clark!”

“I know a couple of bisexual guys at this bar I go to. Bisexual guys are always the best in bed, love. This Brazilian named Evandro,” Clark fanned himself. “Jesus, he’ll sex you up good.”

“Brazilians are overrated.” Shela refuted. “Japanese guys are the best in bed. I know a couple from back at university. I could hook you up with one of them.”

“Stop, both of you!” Joey exclaimed.

The two young adults giggled.

“I’m not really in the mood for ‘a good screw’. Honestly, I don’t even want to be in any type of relationship with a guy. The feelings I had this morning were purely physical. It’ll pass.”

The both of them shrugged their shoulders. “Suit yourself.” Shela said.

Clark stretched and then rose from Joey’s couch. “Well, hon,” he started. “I don’t like being late to work because I overslept. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Shela got up as well. “Tomorrow is my first day as a translator, I have no idea why I’m still here.”
Joey smiled at her. “Good luck.”

Shela shrugged on her jacket. “Thanks, I’m gonna need it.”

She waved her friends goodbye as they exited her door. She laid down and extended her body across the sofa. She felt her heartbeat pumping in her throat. Joey was exhausted just as much as Kate was and was ready to take a break from reality and drift back into her subconscious. The only reason why she hadn’t yet was because she feared that something inside that dark subconscious of hers would lash out at her. Bring out painful memories. Drag her down the murky waters of reminiscence.

Truth be told, she hadn’t told Zayn the whole story that Sunday afternoon. She felt that the things Frank did to her, the more…twisted things, were better left unsaid. She hadn’t even told her closest friends. The dark and traumatic nights Joey went through was a secret she would rather keep buried. For a long while, those memories didn’t bother her or nudge her in her sleep. Last night was the first time they resurfaced, and she was scared.
She wondered if the problem was Zayn or if it was a problem she had to fix herself. So she lied awake, staring blankly at the pale white ceiling. She let the obnoxious sounds of London nightlife keep her conscious.

Without warning, her cellphone buzzed against her coffee table. She looked at the caller ID to see ZAYN displayed. She grumbled and hesitantly answered the phone. “I don’t remember giving you my number.”

He chuckled. “Your little sister gave it to me last night. She’s quite a talker, isn’t she?”

“What do you want?”

There was a silence before he answered. “I was wondering why you left without saying anything this morning. I woke up and it was as if you vanished.”

Joey grinded her teeth together. “I thought you boys needed as much sleep as possible, being busy pop stars and all.” she lied.

“We aren’t that busy just yet.” Zayn joked.

“Is there anything else you want to talk to me about? I’m about to go to bed.” she lied again.

“Yeah, Perrie wants to know if we can hang out sometime. Maybe I could take you ladies to a pub or maybe catch a film?”

Joey rubbed her face in exasperation. It was as if she was going on a date with a couple. She had experienced being a third wheel before, especially in high school. The couple climbs all up on each other and fiddles with each other’s hands. They rub noses together and call each other by endearing names all the while Joey sits awkwardly and alone. She didn’t feel like doing that again.

“I don’t know, Zayn. You might get in trouble.”

“With whom? The boy band police? Come on, it’ll be fun!”

“I’m not sure if I’m comfortable with—“

“Okay, I’ll make a deal with you.” he said. “If you enjoy hanging out with us this Friday, then we’re cool and we’ll hang out more often. If you don’t like hanging out with us then I’ll leave you alone. Is that fair?”

Joey smiled to herself. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Great! We should go to a speakeasy bar, the one in Zero Aldwych.”

“Cellar Door?” she questioned. She only knew of it because Shela was into that whole jazzy bar scene. Joey had never gone to one, it never really seemed her style, but she wouldn’t mind trying one out.

“Yeah, that one. We should go there. Perrie has been begging for me to take her there. Are you cool with that?”

“Sure.”

“Great!” Zayn exclaimed again. “We’ll come pick you up at around nine o’clock. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye.” She said before clicking END on her smartphone. Joey internally prayed that this friendship date wouldn’t go horribly bad.