Abby's P.O.V.

I saw a familiar looking girl standing by a car in the parking lot of the club. Her focus was on me.
I paused as she closed her car door and walked toward me.
She wasn’t dressed like the female members our age that I’d seen while in the dining room.
She was wearing a pair of faded well-worn skin-tight jeans that hung low on her hips and a tight Corona t-shirt. The red stiletto heels on her feet looked hard to walk in.
That's when I remembered her. Louis' girlfriend. Eleanor.

“Abby! How are you doing?” she said in a bubbly voice and pulled me into a bone crushing hug.

I smiled hugging her back.

“I'm good, what about you..” I replied. I wanted to make friends here. I didn’t like being a loner.

“I’m sorry I acted a bit crazy the last time! I was just so happy we would have to meet the girlfriend of Aiden! Harry and Louis are best friends. You met Harry right?”

I only nodded and suddenly it downed on me. Aiden's girlfriend?!

'Wait, I'm not Aiden's girlfriend! I'm just a friend of him. I barely know him.' I replied awkwardly.

She looked a bit confused at first and then nodded understandingly.

“Well, Harry has been over at my place with Louis trying to decide what to do about… well, never mind. I’m probably not supposed to talk about his private life with other people. Besides, I doubt you care to hear me ramble. I actually came here for a reason,” she paused and flashed me a full smile again.

“We’re having a little party over at Lou’s tonight. I want you to come. No, I insist you come. There are people you need to meet. The more people you know the better.
I just wish Dani was here. She’s my best friend and you would love her. She and her fiancé are off dealing with family.” She sighed and put her hands on her hips. “So you coming?”

I had planned on going back to Aiden’s condo and taking a walk down the beach and maybe reading a book. But she was right. I needed to meet people.

“Sure. I’d love to. Where and what time?”

Eleanor squealed and clapped her hands.

“Yay, I’m so glad! Okay, go get changed if you want and come over to Jace’s at about eightish. Oh and he lives… you got a pen?” I reached into my purse and pulled out a receipt from the grocery store last night and a pen, then handed them to her.

She scribbled down the directions and handed them back to me.

“See you in a few!” she called out, then spun around and headed back to her car.I watched her drive away before walking over to my car and getting in.
I couldn’t get her comment about Harry “dealing with” something out of my head.
She was right, she shouldn’t have been talking about his personal life but I was curious.
Even though I shouldn’t be.


****************

I had found the right place. Cars were parked everywhere.
This was a little intimidating but then it was also another experience.
I was on this trip for things like this. I parked my car and got out hoping that I had dressed appropriately. I had been torn between dressing to fit in with the members of the club I’d come in contact for the past two days or dressing to fit in with El.
I’d settled for somewhere in between. My blue jean skirt, black leather boots, and vintage Bob Marley tee shirt would hopefully work.

Before I could knock, the door swung open and El was reaching out to grab my hand and pull me inside. “You’re here!”

I couldn’t reply because she started yelling at someone to stop eating salsa over the white rug. I let her pull me through the crowded house out onto the back porch.

“Sorry, it’s so crazy. It’s not as bad out here,” she said, glancing back at me.

A couple of guys were sitting around a fire pit with beers in their hands. It looked like that was our destination.

“Boys, this is Abby. Aiden’s friend.” She smiled at me.
Louis stood up walking over to me and pulling me into a hug.
With that white button-up shirt he looked so much like Aiden.
He then pointed to a guy with blond hair and sparkling blue eyes and a mischievous grin.

“That’s Niall.” He winked and I decided I liked him.

He had that ‘just for fun’ look about him.

“And this is Zayn, who surprised us by showing up. We thought he was up north again.” Zayn was by far the best looking out of the trio. His dark hair was up in a messy quiff and he had a twinkle in his eye. The sexy smirk he was sending my way was extremely tempting.

“Hello Abby, why don’t you come share my seat? I’ll even let you sip from my beer,” Zayn drawled.

I thought about saying no but then caught myself and flashed him a smile in return before walking over toward him.

“You gonna scoot over or am I supposed to sit in your lap?” I asked hoping the teasing in my voice didn’t sound stupid.

Zayn’s smirk grew into a full-blow grin. “Hell yeah, I want you to sit in my lap,” he replied.

I was trying to decide if Lana would think this was a bold, fun move or if I was coming off as a slut. I could never tell. She was always my gauge for what I should and shouldn’t do.
Which was one reason she sent me off to figure out life all by myself.

I might as well go with it now. I’d already acted like a hussy. I stepped over his legs propped up on the iron rail that went around the outside of the fire pit and then took a seat in the stranger’s lap.

“He won’t be here long, baby. You might wanna come over here to this lap. I never leave this place,” Niall said from across the fire.

Zayn’s arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me back against his chest. “You never know, Ni, I might have found a reason to stick around awhile.”

I was pretty sure I was in over my head.

“Zayn, play nice. She’s a friend of Aiden’s,” El scolded. I wondered if she was thinking I was some kind of cheap whore now.

“Don’t go getting all tense in my lap now, sweetheart. Lean back and get comfortable,” Zayn whispered in my ear. His smooth british accent made me feel warm. I liked this guy. I managed to relax and do as he said.

“Here, you can have my beer. I’ll get another one next time one of these chumps gets up for another round.”

I didn’t really care for beer. But I also didn’t want to be rude so I took it. “Thanks.”

“You’re most welcome.”

I was surprised that his hands didn’t go to my legs but one stayed around my waist and the other was resting on the arm of the chair. I liked that. He wasn’t assuming I was easy just because I’d crawled into his lap.

“Tell us about Aiden. We haven’t seen him in for-fuckin-ever,” Niall said.

I didn’t know much about Aiden. We’d talked on the nights we worked together but we never got real deep with our life stories.

“He’s doing good. Women come from miles around just to sit at the bar and flirt with him. He has a dedicated following. He enjoys his job but after seeing this place I have no idea why he stays in Manchester.”

Niall cut his eyes over to Louis and they both looked solemn. They obviously knew why Aiden wasn’t here and it upset them.
They missed him. I didn’t blame them. Aiden was a great guy.

“So, why did you come running here from Manchester?” Zayn asked as his hand slipped up and covered my stomach. His thumb was awfully close to brushing the underside of my left breast. I wasn’t sure if this was okay or if I should just go with it.

“Harry! It’s about damn time.” Louis’ words surprised me and I wasn’t sure I was okay with sitting in Zayn’s lap anymore. I hadn’t expected Harry to be here.

I glanced back at him and my heart stuttered when his dark green eyes zeroed in on me… or Zayn… or both.

“I didn’t know you were back in town,” Harry said to Zayn but his eyes shifted right back to me.

“Yeah, came in last night. Might stick around a little while.” The teasing lilt in his voice didn’t seem to amuse Harry.

I watched as Harry walked over to me and held out his hand, “Abby, would you come with me please?"

As attractive as Zayn was, Harry’s dark commanding tone was too hard to resist. I slipped my hand in his and he pulled me up out of Zayn’s lap. I started to say something to Zayn but Harry pulled me back inside the house without a word to anyone else.

“Where are we going?” I asked, setting my beer down on the first table we passed before he made me spill it.

Harry didn’t reply. He nodded to the people who called out a greeting but then he just started ignoring them. I had to run to keep up with his fast pace.

We went down a hall and Harry jerked open the door to the last room on the left and pushed me inside before closing the door behind him.

I was starting to get worried that I’d somehow made him angry when he stalked over to me until he had me pressed back against the wall. The emotions in his emerald eyes confused me. He didn’t seem angry. He looked confused, torn and maybe turned on.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said as he placed his hands flat against the wall on each side of my head.

“I think I may have snapped.”

I hadn’t been expecting an apology.

“Okay,” I replied waiting on more of an explanation.

“I want to be inside you again, Abby. I want to pull this sexy ass excuse for a skirt up and bury myself in the tightest pussy I’ve ever been in.”


Whoa what?

Notes