Sweetened || HS AU

• sixteen •

| Jailen |

It hadn't even been an hour and I was over this night.

Harry and Zayn seemed to be ten thousand times more annoying than usual tonight and I was already finishing my third drink. I leaned back against the bar and looked out into the crowd of people that grew as the minutes passed, nodding my head along to whatever Cannons song was playing over the speakers. I recognized the singer but couldn't exactly figure out the song.

Harry and Zayn were talking to someone they knew from back when they were teenagers. They were obviously close, I could tell by the way they cackled whenever the brunette said something. With all of the talking from the people surrounding me, on top of the music blaring through the speakers, it was damn near impossible to make out what he saying. His accent made it 100 times more difficult.

Not that I really cared what they were talking about. I was just glad their attention wasn't on me for once tonight.

Harry was suffocating me. He was afraid that I'd have another panic attack, even though I told him I was fine, especially now that I was slightly buzzed. But, Harry was stubborn. So, when the cute Irish man took their attention, I gladly took the opportunity to sneak away and enjoy myself at the bar; with the tab under Harry's name, of course.

My phone vibrated and I looked at my screen. Another text from Jason complaining about Hayden. I grinned as I enlarged the picture.

She was spread across their entire bed, obviously taking up more space than she needed with her bonnet nearly off of her head. Nick was on the floor, nothing but a single pillow under his head, considering Hayden had the entire comforter to herself. I smiled, my heart warming at the picture before reading Jason's message that was attached.

Jason:
come get your baby 🙄😂

"She's so cute," Harry's voice sounded from above me and I nodded.

"Isn't she?" I looked up at him and licked my lips, not missing the way his eyes quickly darted to my mouth, "She gets it from her momma, obviously."

I was well aware that the few drinks I had drank too quickly were making me entirely too confident but I didn't mind it. Especially because it had caught Harry off guard. He smiled crookedly, his eyes glossy from having a few drinks of his own.

"You didn't lay by yourself, sweetie. I mean, have you seen me?" He made a point to take a step back and dramatically gesture to himself.

I looked him over. From the way his hair was falling over his shoulders, to the cross necklace resting on his exposed chest, to the way this suit was hugging him in a way that should be illegal... he looked good, I can admit... to myself.

I shrugged and slowly raised my eyes to his, "You're alright, I guess. I've seen better."

"Yeah?" He chuckled, "Who?" I opened my mouth and he shook his head, "And don't say Zayn, he doesn't count."

"I wasn't gonna say Zayn... I was thinking about your little friend over there. He's cute."

"Niall?" Harry looked over his shoulder and made eye contact with his friend. A silent conversation between the three before Harry looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

Zayn glanced at me, a slow smirk spreading across his face before he leaned over and whispered something to Niall, who then smirked in my direction and nodded.

Harry chuckled and brought his cup up to his lips. I watched as Niall broke away from Zayn and made his way in our direction. Normally, I probably would've been shaking with anxiety but right now, I kept my eyes locked with his blue ones, practically drooling over how good he looked.