Brokedown Palace

I stood hovering over the sink, wiping my forehead with my bare arm. The small sweat beads covered my face, I let the running water pool into my hands and splashed the cool water over my face.
I stared hard into the mirror mentally regaining my composure.
I walked out of the bathroom seeing Harry sitting on the leather couch on the other side of the door.
His bright green orbs looked up at me with concern, and I just smiled at him and walked to where Louis was waiting for me.
"Hey what took you so long?"
"Harry just was in there for a while." The lies just piling up.
"I told him not to eat those cherries, should have listened to me."Louis said nonchalantly.
I laughed lightly, and followed him into a small but cozy room.
I recognized some of the men as the rest of the band, but the others were completely new faces.
"Lads this is Dylan, she's an old friend and she's going to be living with me for a while." He said proudly.
The three boys stood up and each shook my hand politely introducing themselves, well Niall embraced me in a bone crushing hug.
I could feel a genuine smile form on my face when I looked over and saw Louis happily talking about a new song he was writing and couldn't help but admire him. He was doing what he loved, and that is one of the reasons why I stayed hidden for so long, I would never forgive myself if anything ever happened to him.
"So you knew Louis when he was a kid?"
The bright blonde boy asked from next to me with a thick Irish accent.
"Yeah I did, he was my neighbor growing up." I laughed thinking about how awkward and dorky Louis was, and how he still seemed to be.
"Has he always worn his pants so tight?" Niall asked half joking half serious.
I let out a hearty chuckle already warming up to the boy next to me, "Yes he has, but you all give him a run for his money I must say. I don't think I have ever been able to get myself into a pair of pants so tight." I said nudging his thigh with my elbow.
Niall faked an expression of hurt and laughed along with me.
He got up shortly after and made his way over to the recording booth, to which Louis came back and sat beside me on the couch.
"I like having you around again when I write, it helps me become distracted."
"How could being distracted possibly help you write Louis?" I asked mid chuckle.
"Hey I don't know, just take the compliment before I take it back."
"Thank you Louis for telling me that I am a great distraction." I said while looking into his blue eyes noticing how the small flecks of yellow still shown bright in contrast.
"You know you should get in there some day."
He said seriously while staring back at me, guilt pulling at my chest. I forgot how caring Louis was.
I let out a soft sigh and laugh, "Maybe, but today is your day go kill em tiger." I said as he got off the couch and into the recording booth.
"Hey." This time Louis's smooth even voice was replaced by a hoarse deep one.
"Hey Harry," I said without having to even look up.
"So I have been thinking, and I believe that since you are now a part of our group you have to be intiated. Well I mean if you're up to it. I just feel like you haven't really had much fun in a long time." He said lowering his voice to almost a whisper at the last part.
"What'd you have in mind?" I asked, amused by the dimples that appeared in his cheeks.
***************************************************
"I don't know why I'm doing this." I sighed laying back on my bed talking to no one but myself, well technically to Cat.
I had agreed to let Harry, Louis and Niall to take me out to a club tonight without really thinking it through.
"I'm not ready for this." I mumbled as I got up off my bed and walked over to my suitcase in the corner of the room, still packed.
I rummaged through it finding my only nice piece of clothing that a bartender had given to me when she realized she had bought the wrong size. It was a black silk romper that tied around my neck.
I fumbled with the bow around my neck and decided to tackle it after I put on my shoes, just simple nude heels.
As soon as I finished strapping my shoes Louis walked into the room.
"All ready?" He asked.
Luckily I had curled my hair already giving it a soft tousled looked and applied some more makeup than I usually wore.
"Yes, almost I just can't seem to get this to tie." I said as the fabirc once again slipped from my finger tips.
My back was turned to him so I didn't notice him make his way across the room until his warm breath was on my neck.
"Here I got it." He said as he took the ties out of my hand. I pulled my hair away from my shoulders allowing him to finish what I had started.
His hands moved incredibly slow and I could still feel his hot breath on the nape of my neck.
I felt his hand linger on my shoulder before he let out a soft cough,
"You look absolutely beautiful."
I laughed at his comment, "I haven't even turned around yet."
"You don't have to, you always look beautiful." He said quietly.
I turned around feeling my cheeks growing hot.
A horn cut through the silence that filled the air.
"We should go" Louis almost whispered.
"Yeah just let me grab my purse."
With that, we both walked out of his house and I couldn't help but wish the horn hadn't interrupted us, I felt as though we needed the raw emotional moments like that to bring us out of the mess I had caused.
The ride was quick and the serious feeling left the air as soon as we entered the black SVU and heard Harry and Niall having a heated argument over some football match that happened earlier.
Louis soon joined in leaving me to sit back and watch with the feeling that somehow I belonged here.
***************************************************
The first shot burned, the second shot burned but the fifth shot was numb. I could barely feel the liquid move it's way down my throat, and was happily surprised by how good I felt.
I hadn't drank in months, something I gave up shortly after I moved in with Charlie. Tonight, I wanted to relax so tonight I drank.
I could feel a pair of eyes on the back of my neck as I took of a sip of my beer,
"You know if you want to dance you could just ask me," I said to the man behind me.
To that he grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor leaving Niall alone at the bar laughing.
Harry's hand felt unlike the soft one I was so used to. His hands were strong and rough, I couldn't help comparing the two.
Our bodies moved in sync to the terrible music that blared from the speakers. I smiled and wrapped one arm around his neck laughing when he grabbed my waist even tighter, not knowing how ticklish I was.
I noticed Louis across the floor dancing with a pretty blonde, seemingly forgetting all about what had happened between us less than 2 hours ago.
I felt harry take a step back behind me causing me to turn around in confusion.
He did a goofy move that sort of resembled the robot mixed with the chicken dance. I laughed wholeheartedly and for the first time in a long time felt like a normal young girl.
Harry grabbed my hand and led me away from the dance floor, I was drunk but not drunk enough to do something stupid so I stopped in my tracks.
All harry did was turn around and once again grabbed my hand, "you can trust me." He said as he again lightly pulled me in the direction of the bathrooms.
I was hesitant but there was something in the way that he spoke that allowed me to keep moving forward.
I noticed a stair case towards the back of the club and realized that was where we were heading.
As we climbed up I could feel the air turning slightly colder until finally I realized they led to an open roof.
I stepped onto the roof and took in the sight before me. The city lights were glowing in the dark matching the stars, but the noise of the streets were almost non existent up there.
"This is beautiful."
"It's something alright" Harry replied, smiling over at me.
"It's fun seeing you act like this," Harry said.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"I mean that you seem a bit more relaxed now that you've been here for a little while, I like your smile. You're always so serious." I knew that he wasn't being insulting, just observant.
A blush appeared on my cheeks for the second time this evening, and I couldn't believe that this time it was Harry making it appear.
"Care to dance again?"
I laughed again, "There isn't any music!"
"So? In movies there's never any music, and we both happen to be somewhat intoxicated so I don't think music would really make that much of a difference." Harry said.
His child-like grin was as refreshing as the midnight air blowing in between us.
I started doing the robot-chicken hybrid dance that he had done earlier, to which he started laughing so hard he could barely stand.
"I can't help but feel that I looked just as ridiculous as you just did." He said inbetween laughs.
We stayed on the roof for what seemed like hours, and I seemed to push all other thoughts out of my mind for the first time in a long time. Having fun wasn't something I had done in a long time, and I could get used to it.

Notes