You Had Me At Hello || z.m.

Pool Party

"One, two, tree!" Alice and I count in unison before tossing off our glasses of vodka.

"Waaaa, it's so fucking tough!" I exclaim, with a smirk on my face.

"Two more glasses and you'll be confident enough to face that fucking blonde doll!"

"...and three more glasses and I'll punch her as soon as I see her face!"

We run in our bedroom, and Alice helps me picking up a dress. Liam will be here in a few minutes, and I'm still naked and with no make-up on.

Finally, I choose a violet tight dress, and put a simple make-up on. By the time I'm ready, the bottle of Vodka is almost empty.

We get out of our flat and decide to wait for Liam on the sidewalk. When we spot his car we cheer up like two stupid little girls.

"Hiiiii Leeeeeeyuuuuuuum!" I squeak, while sitting next to him and kissing his cheek. Alice is as excited as me, and Liam looks at us in amusement.

"Are you two already drunk?" he asks with a quizzical look.

Alice bursts out laughing and I try to look serious: "Maaaaybe, a little!" I whisper. Liam laughs and shakes his head, starting the engine and leaving.

Alice's phone starts ringing.

"Hello? Hi cutie" she giggles and softly smiles. "Yes...yes...ok...see you there. Love you too!". As soon as she hangs up I turn around to mock her. "Ooooh cutie!" I mimic her voice. "why do you always do that strange voice when you talk to Louis, Alice?"

"Fuck off, Irene!" she replies, sticking her tongue out.

"You two are crazy!" Liam sentences.

In a few minutes we reach the location of the party. It's a big hotel, with a big park. There's an outdoor lounge bar, with a lot of small tables and benches around it. Here and there, plunged in the grass, there are flaming torches, that make the atmosphere very romantic. A few meters away, a light-blue, sparkling pool. Pop music fills the air, and we immediately catch up with Louis and Niall. Alice hugs his boyfriend and I say hi way too loudly, unveiling my "condition".

"Wo-oh, the girls must have been drinking a few before coming here!" Niall exclaims laughing. I gently hit him on his shoulder, and he grabs my wrists to block me. While I'm fighting with my Irish friend, I notice Harry walking towards us, three glasses in his hands. He's wearing a grey shirt, slightly too opened on his chest not to be noticed. I swallow hard and force myself to look away from his body.

"Hi, love" he smiles, looking me in the eyes, as if Alice didn't even exist. Fuck you, Harry, I'm way too drunk to sustain your charming green eyes. Give me a break!

"Where are Zayn and Perrie, mate?" Liam asks.

"They should be here in a few minutes, let's go find a table in the meantime!" Niall answers.

We all walk through the crowded garden, reaching a table and taking a seat. We start talking, I'm sitting next to Harry and I feel his gaze burning on me. God, he's so hot tonight. So why the fuck am I all sweating just at the thought that Zayn will be here in a few seconds? There's one of the cutest boys I've ever seen sitting next to me and trying hard to catch my attention, and my mind is fool of Zayn. Fuck me.

"There he is!"

Liam voices distracts me from the conversation I'm having with Niall. I turn around and there he is. Black tight shirt, dark skinny jeans, black converse. A metallic pendant hanging from a thin chain around his neck, a smile on his face. He's walking towards our table, waving at us with one of his hands. The other one hold in Perrie's hand. My heart skips a beat. She's right behind him, a tight black dress and high heels. Our gazes meet, and I decide to let my eyes speak. I'm not going to let her frighten me, not this time.

"Hi pals! Vas happening?" Zayn sits at the table saying his typical motto. I try hard to hide my anxiety, and the alcohol in my blood is definitely helping me.

"This place is so cool!" Zayn says looking around. "This is gonna be a fucking good night!" he claims in excitement.

"Zee, are you already drunk too?"Liam has a suspicious look on his face.

Zayn giggles looking down at Perrie. "We...may...may have had two or three drinks before coming here." He admits as his girlfriend puts her hand on her mouth, pretending to feel ashamed.

I have to make a special effort to look calm. Their gazes, the way they touch each other, their complicity. It all hurts so much.

"What about having a drink?" Liam suggests. I jump up from my chair nodding vigorously.

"Absolutely yes!" I scream. Liam, Niall, Louis and Harry look at me laughing, and my best friend takes my hand, leading me to the bar.

"Ok Irene, come with daddy Liam, you definitely need some support tonight."