Felicity

The feel of Harry's hand at my lower back sends lightning bolts up my spine. It's an electricity that I only ever get from him. Colton has never given me this feeling before. I can't get enough of it and it makes me feel like a bad person for craving Harry's touch. The warmth of his fingers over the fabric of my clothes is beginning to drive me crazy, and I'm not sure if all these feelings are intensified because of the alcohol that is already in my system. I'm certain that if I didn't have the three and a half drinks at the previous bar, my emotions wouldn't be this intense. 

Would these emotions even be present?

As we walk up to the bar, Maz and Andy have beat us there, already chatting with one of the bartenders. I'm beginning to wonder how often they come here because the guy outside the club just let us in without waiting in line and now they're chatting with the guy behind the bar like they've been friends since they were in diapers. 

Honestly, I'm intrigued with this guy that Andy has become. He has completely grown up since we last talked, which is expected of course. But he seems to be doing so well in his life. He is so much more mature in his mannerisms, he's undeniably confident, and he really just enjoys everything going on around him. I'm sad to have lost touch with him over the past few years. He probably could have rubbed off his confidence and zest for life onto me. I know I could benefit from it. 

Standing next to these three guys, might I pleasantly add that Harry's hand has not yet left the small of my back, I'm not paying any attention to their conversation. I'm completely engrossed in this club and my surroundings. With the music blaring out of speakers from each corner of the room, it's insanely loud inside. The DJ at the front of the room consistently turns up the volume and shouts into a microphone to get the partygoers even more excited. Everyone is dancing around us, whether they're grinding on each other or jumping to the rhythm of the music with their friends. 

It's dark all around us with the exception of the flashing colorful lights coming from above the DJ's table. There is one wall that glows red in contrast to the extremely dim lighting around the room. A few tables and VIP booths line that wall, but not very many people are sitting down at them. I'm so captivated by my environment that I don't hear my name being called until Harry waves his hand in front of my face.

"Felicity. Hey. Hellooooo," he drags out the last syllable in a singsong way before laughing. "Are you okay?"

I nod my head and smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just looking at everything here."

"Alright then. Well what do you want to drink?"

"I'm not sure."

Andy shakes his head at me before looking back at the bartender. "She'll have hippie juice."

"What is that?" I immediately ask, nearly shouting. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling so nervous. Hippie juice is giving me anxiety and I haven't even had any of it yet. I don't even know what it is. It could be poison.

I highly doubt Andy would poison me, but the sound of hippie juice makes me think it's something with an absurd about of alcohol in it. I'm probably not prepared for that.

"It's just an alcoholic drink, Fel. You'll like it, I promise."

I look over at Harry to see what he thinks, but he simply shrugs his shoulders like he has no idea about the drink either. Soon enough Andy hands me a glass and gives me a nod to try it out. He yells something about the drink but I don't catch it over the loud music. Hesitantly I grab the glass and place the straw between my lips. Taking a sip, my face instantly wrinkles at how strong it is. It's like drinking straight from a liquor bottle with just a splash of pink lemonade mixed in. It's terrible but for some reason I want more of it.

I'm going to regret all of this in the morning, I'm sure.

"Harry, join us," Maz demands as he pulls him right up to the bar. "Andy and I are going to do a line of shots, which means that you are, too."

Harry rolls his eyes as he stands between the two of them. I can't help but laugh at the situation in front of me as I continue to sip on this god awful drink. A whole line of shots sounds far too dangerous to me. Thank goodness I'm not the one doing them.

The bartender lines up ten shot glasses each, each glass a different color from the next. Harry shakes his head as the tenth glass is set in front of him. The look on his face lets me know he is not prepared for any of this. Andy nods at the two guys once the bartender walks away.

"Last one to finish buys the whole thing."

"I hope your wallet is ready for this because you're going to fucking lose," Maz squints his eyes as he points his finger at them. "I'm not paying for shit."

"You're going to jinx yourself if you talk smack," Harry makes a quick nod of his head before looking at the glasses on the counter. 

"We'll see about that."

"Felicity, tell us when to go," Andy shouts at me over the music. 

The three of them watch me expectantly, ready to start downing the shots on my go. As I set my now empty glass down on the counter, Harry's eyes go wide at the sight. He's not the only one surprised that I finished the drink so fast. I clear my throat and inhale a deep breath like I'm getting ready to compete in the biggest spelling bee yet. 

"On three, ready? One, two ... three."

Before I even finish the last word, the guys are already picking up shot glasses, tilting their heads back, and downing each one like water. I watch in amazement as Andy drinks each with ease, seeming to be unfazed by the different alcohols. Harry trails just one shot behind him, quickly picking up his pace and wrinkling his nose in disgust after each one. With every shot that Maz takes, he twists his lips in distaste before shaking his head and continuing on. 

Now I have seen Sierra drink alcohol like it's her destiny, but I have never seen someone take ten shots in a row. This is insane but highly amusing from the sidelines. 

Without missing a beat, Andy finishes his line of shots first, slamming the final glass on the bar top. Shortly after there's another slam of a shot glass on the wooden counter top, and I look over to see Harry with a grin upon his face as he high-fives Andy. He flashes me a triumphant smile, a quick wiggle of his brows letting me know he's very proud of this achievement. Maz slowly sets his last glass on the bar before narrowing his eyes in the direction of the two guys.

"Well, well. Look who's buying the shots," Andy leans against the counter with an intensely smug look upon his face.

Harry laughs as a little hiccup escapes his mouth. "I don't want to say I told you so, but ... I told you so. It was the smack talk."

"Start a tab for me, hun," Maz pulls out a credit card and hands it over to a female bartender that is now balancing all the shot glasses in two stacks. He turns to the two guys and rolls his eyes. "It was pure luck. I had that tequila shot go down the wrong pipe. I challenge you fuckers to a second round! I'll kick your asses."

"I'm gonna pass on that," Harry shakes his head as he walks to stand beside me. He gently places his hand at my back and looks down at me. "We're going to dance, aren't we?"

"Oh, uh. I might need another drink," for some reason my heart beats faster at the thought of dancing here in a club with Harry. I don't even know how to dance. This is starting to stress me out.

"Get a drink then. Put it on Mazzi's tab."

"What the fuck?" Maz butts into our conversation. "Since when am I paying for everyone's drink?"

"Since you lost drinking shots and left a tab open with the bartender. It's one drink, get over it," Harry rolls his eyes before waving at anyone behind the bar. 

Maz scoffs in annoyance and starts to walk away. "Whatever. I'll be over here talking to some babes."

A loud cackle comes from Andy as he shakes his head and soon dismisses himself from us as well. I watch him as he slips through the crowd, flipping his hair to the side and chatting up a few people. Another glass of that hippie juice is placed right in front of me, tearing my attention from Andy and onto Harry. I didn't even realize he actually ordered me another one of these.

The two of us stay at the bar while I finish this drink. Harry patiently waits beside me, not once urging me to hurry up so we can go out to dance. As I sip on this alcohol and chew on the straw, my nerves are slowly beginning to settle down. I might have said I'm only going to get tipsy tonight, but at this rate it's looking like I'll be beyond that point. My main goal is to drink enough for me to feel calm about dancing, which was probably what happened last night in New Orleans, seeing as Harry said I was up on bar tops. Hopefully tonight won't be exactly the same.

I don't realize it until Harry takes the drink away from me, but I've completely downed the hippie juice to the last drop, making this obnoxious slurping noise with the straw. It's actually quite embarrassing, and my face grows a deep shade of red when the partygoer beside us stares me down. Thankfully it's too dark in this club to really see my reddened cheeks. 

After what probably feels like forever to Harry, I get up from my seat at the bar and nod my head to let him know I'm ready to go out there. He offers out his hand and I tightly hold on as he leads me through the crowd of people until we can't walk any further. We're surrounded by sweaty bodies, some of them reeking of alcohol while others look like they're on drugs. With all the flashing lights in sync with the DJ playing music, it's a little bit difficult to see properly. 

For a moment I think I've lost Harry until I feel a pair of hands at my waist. I can't even see him with everything going on, but the feel of his hands gives off a sense of familiarity, I don't need to turn around to know it's him. I do anyway because the tiniest feeling of paranoia eats at the back of my head.

When I turn around, I come face to face with Harry. He hasn't let go of my waist, if anything he's pulled me closer. Our chests are very close to touching, and our faces are within inches of each other. We haven't even begun to dance and my heart already feels like it's going to burst in my body. The extra hippie juice isn't working like I hoped it would. 

There's no doubt I'm nervous about the situation in front of me. What makes me even more nervous is how much I'm kind of enjoying this. Not kind of ... really enjoying this. I really love being this close to Harry. The more I'm around him, the more I begin to crave his presence. I'm starting to feel like I'm addicted to his touch, even if it's just his arm around my shoulders. 

I can feel the alcohol creeping its way throughout my system. Suddenly my body feels more relaxed, my nerves have disappeared, and my senses have started to dull. The loud music doesn't sound so loud anymore. There's a warmth that radiates from Harry and without a doubt I find it very inviting. 

When I pull myself out of this trance I seem to be in, I look up to see Harry's bright green eyes staring back at me. That connection we once shared in St. Louis comes back in an instant and it's stronger than before ... so strong that I think I just can't ignore it anymore.

I push everything in my head to the back of my mind, simply focusing on the present. This is something Harry has been trying to get me to do the past week and of course it takes a few alcoholic drinks for me to actually do it. 

As the beat of the music reverberates throughout my body, I bring my arms up to loosely wrap around Harry's neck. With his hands still at my waist, he gently pulls me closer until our chests are basically touching. My heart is beating out of control, which I'm sure he can feel through my chest. Our hips move together to the music in such a way that I didn't know I was capable of doing. Maybe the alcohol turns me into a different person. 

We're so close together and our breathing seems to have become one. At times I can feel his hands slip a little lower down my back until he realizes what's happening and moves them back up to my waist. It's getting hot and I'm not sure if it's just because of the amount of people in the room or if it's the dancing. 

At some point between songs I find my backside pressed up against Harry's front. I don't know if he spun me around this way or if I was the one that made the move. Either way, the contact of his chest against my back and the feel of his chin hovering at my neck causes me to lose my breath. The thought of his lips so close to the skin of my neck sends an electricity throughout my body. Despite the fact that it's getting hot and I'm beginning to sweat, goosebumps are spreading across my skin. 

Harry guides my hips with his own, moving along to the music. His fingertips glide over the fabric of my clothes, leaving a burning sensation in each spot he touches at my waist. My breathing comes in much faster than it was just moments ago and my stomach is fluttering out of control. I can feel his warm breath at my neck, which is beginning to drive me crazy. I think the alcohol is intensifying these feelings I'm currently experiencing, but I'm not complaining. I lean my head back onto his shoulder and close my eyes, soaking in this moment.

For tonight, I've decided I'm going to let go. I'm going to let go of the worries of how I'm going to feel in the morning and how I feel about last night. I'm going to take a page out of Harry's book and live in the moment because in this moment, I feel incredible. This is like no other feeling I've ever experienced. It's amazing how light and relaxed I feel. 

The music is never ending. I know it's only been minutes but it feels like hours that Harry and I have been dancing. I lose track of time whenever I'm with him. I seem to never be aware of the time of day but I'm not sure it really bothers me. It's as if time slows down and picks up at the same time. It's odd.

I spot Maz off to the side, dancing with some girl I assume is one of the babes he claimed to go talk to. Andy is in the middle of the crowd, yelling and dancing with a bunch of strangers. He looks so happy ... and sweaty ... being surrounded by all these people. He waves us over but I shake my head and turn around to face Harry once again.

"Can we get another drink?" I ask, completely out of breath.

He removes one hand from my waist and runs it through his hair, the club lights reflecting on the beads of sweat at his forehead. "Yeah. I think I could use a drink, too."

I grab onto his hand as he leads us through the crowd. We accidentally bump into several partygoers, drinks being spilled left and right. It takes us a few moments to reach the bar, but when we finally do I order the two of us shots. Harry looks at me skeptically as the glasses are set on the countertop, yet he does nothing to refuse the drink. Instead, he picks up the two shots and hands one over to me.

"Cheers," I smile as I lift the glass, clinking it against his before I swallow the alcohol inside. Maybe alcohol isn't quite a good idea, but I'm not worrying about it. I'm carefree tonight.

Harry copies my actions and runs his hands through his hair after setting the glass down. He's just about to say something but someone takes a hold of our wrists and yanks us toward the dance floor. It's only through a flash of the club lights that I catch a glimpse of Andy. Sweat drips down the sides of his face as he continues to pull us through the crowd. 

"We're dancing! We're all dancing!" He shouts, jumping up and down with everyone around us.

In an instant Maz appears out of nowhere, swinging his arm around my shoulders and laughing hysterically. His breath smells like alcohol, so I know he's had quite a lot already. The four of us dance within the crowd, singing along to whatever words are in the songs. I think the alcohol is just now really starting to hit me because I don't think I've ever been this carefree and dare I say fun. But my balance is also a little off and my head is feeling a bit woozy, so that's definitely a sign that the alcohol is getting to me. 

Andy takes a hold of my hand, pulling me towards himself as we dance together. It's friendly and nothing like the way Harry and I were dancing earlier. I haven't had this much fun with Andy since we were in high school. I mean, we never went to clubs or anything but whenever we hung out together I'd be doubled over in laughter. The time I'm spending with him now is very nostalgic, bringing me back to a time before Colton ... a time when I always felt so light and happy. 

Suddenly Maz squeezes between us with four shot glasses in his hands. I didn't even notice that he apparently left for the bar while we were dancing. He hands me a glass, as well as one to Andy and one to Harry. He holds his up and shouts a bunch of words that unfortunately are drowned out by the loud music coming from the DJ. I have no idea what he says but that doesn't stop me from drinking the alcohol in the glass I'm holding. Just as quickly as he passed them out, Maz collects our empty glasses and once again disappears into the crowd.

When I turn around, Andy is no longer standing at my side. I catch sight of his massive head of hair in the crowd and notice he's gone off to dance with a couple of pretty blondes. I feel slightly awkward standing alone in the crowd. With Maz having run off to the bar and Andy dancing with with strangers, I don't know who to turn to. I'm not even sure where Harry is at the moment.

Deciding on finding my way out of this sea of drunken strangers, I maneuver myself through groups of people until I feel someone grab onto my arm. I nearly think it's some sweaty creep until I'm pulled close to them, coming face to face with Harry. He sets both hands atop my shoulders, giving me a gentle and calming squeeze before his hands slide down my arms to my wrists.

"Are you doing okay?" He asks as he leans down, his hot breath at my ear. "I've lost track of how much alcohol you've consumed. I just want to make sure you're alright."

I give him a thumbs up as I try to shout over the music. "I'm fantastic!"

Harry lets go of my wrists and places his hands at my hips. He pulls me just a little closer until we are standing chest to chest, our faces dangerously close together. I'm holding my breath in anticipation of what's to come next. I don't even know what I'm expecting to happen, but at the rate that my heart is beating, I must be thinking of something major. 

"Dance with me."

It sounds like a demand but doesn't feel like one. His voice is low and a bit soft yet confident enough to know I won't turn him down. That burning connection between us has me in such a trance that all I can do is simply nod my head in agreement. Words just aren't coming out of my mouth right now. 

Harry smiles brightly at me as we start moving along to the beat of the music. Either the alcohol I've consumed has made it easier for me to move, or I have mysteriously gained an understanding of how to dance in a club. 

I'm beginning to lose myself in our surroundings. The loud music is blasting from the speakers and flashing lights are making my vision go insane. My mind goes crazy whenever I start thinking about how close Harry and I are currently dancing together. With each of his movements and attempts to pull me closer, my stomach does backflips and my heart feels like it's going to explode in my chest. 

My arms are rested atop his shoulders, and our foreheads might as well be touching they're so close. Despite the fact that the gap between us is almost nonexistent, I don't feel close enough. I want to feel closer.

His eyes watch me carefully, glancing down a few times before they seem to examine my face. I'm not sure what he's searching for, but with every moment that his eyes scan my body, I swear the temperature in the room increases. Harry's hands gently squeeze my hips before his thumbs move in small, soothing circles. 

I close my eyes for just a moment, soaking in everything around me. My heart is racing faster than I've ever felt before, and I can't tell if it's because it's trying to keep up with my dancing or because Harry's touch is thrilling. 

When I open my eyes, Harry is staring down at me as he bites his lip. His emerald green eyes seem to glow against the flashing lights in this dim night club. I'm caught in awe of how attractive he is, and in this moment it's like everything goes still. I can't hear the music anymore, I can't see the flashing lights, I can't feel the other club goers around us. All I can hear is the rapid beating of my heart, and all I can see is Harry standing right in front of me. Subconsciously my hands move from around his neck and up to the sides of his face, running my thumbs over his cheekbones ever so gently. 

Before I can even comprehend what I'm doing, my lips are on his.