Flirting With Temptation

It was a bit of an understatement. I needed a lot more than a drink. We headed to the club in our performance attired, not a one of us caring what we looked like. Someone called ahead and got the VIP section reserved for us in the club and as we pulled up it was obvious the fans had known our plans. I assumed someone had posted something about heading to the club because there were too many fans to have just happened to be here. The driver opened the door for us and Jesse got out first before turning around and helping me out. The second we all came into view the screams were deafening. Questions were being thrown around like this was an interview and the security had doubled in seconds as people shoved, grabbed, and yanked to get to us. I quickened my pace as someone began shouting about Jesse and I. His arm was around my waist as we broke through into the club and the bass hit us like a smack in the face. I wiggled out of his embrace, afraid to start rumors and began walking up the steps behind Kesha and Gwen who were consumed in a conversation.

We walked straight to one of the booths against the wall and slid into place. The leather of the seat catching on the exposed back of my leg. A waitress came up quickly and took our drink orders. I ordered two shots of tequila, a Jager bomb, and a beer. Kesha burst out laughing when the waitress left and slapped my leg playfully. “Damn girl! You came out to play tonight!Finally, someone on my level!” I cracked a smile but I knew it wasn't because I wanted to have fun. I wanted to forget about this blasted day and show Niall he didn’t matter to me. The waitress came back quickly and set all the drinks out in front of us. Kesha had gotten a Jager bomb as well, but when I grabbed for my shot of tequila she grabbed her shot of Jack. We raised them together and the small sound the glass made when it connected sounded like total happiness. We tilted our heads back at the same time, and slammed our shot glasses down only mere seconds apart from each other. She let out some laughter and I cracked an actual smile, but Gwen just looked concerned. “I'm gonna go talk to Jack!” She shouted over the music and I nodded as she slid out of the booth quickly.

Kesha slid closer to me and grinned. “Ready to get drunk?” I let out a laugh and nodded. I felt movement from my side and realized that Jesse had shifted, obviously uncomfortable. It didn't matter what he thought though, this was my pain, not his. I picked up the second shot of tequila and lifted it up as she did the same. “To us, may tonight be fabulous and only half-remembered!” I laughed as she said this and tossed my head back. I slammed the shot glass back down and sat back in my seat, letting the bitter alcohol slide down my throat and settle deep into my stomach where it created a comfortable heat. I smiled to myself and watched the gyrating bodies throughout the club. Everyone forgetting for one single night that their lives suck. Including me. Bills, loved ones, and the harsh reality that this was as good as it was going to get didn't matter on nights like this. Only the music, the drinks, and your friends. A flash of blonde set me on edge as I watched Niall climb the VIP stairs with Louis, Liam, Zayn, and Harry behind him. He was already looking around and I willed myself to look away but his vibrant eyes found my staring ones before I could.

I clenched my jaw tightly together, but his bright blue eyes had me captivated. It was as if I couldn't look away. He gave me the smallest of smiles that didn't quit reach his sad eyes and slid into the booth directly next to ours. The guys began to talk excitedly but Niall only continued to stare at me. He was at the edge of his booth, and I was on the opposite edge of mine, perfectly across from each other. His cheeks were flushed a bright red, either from the heat of the club or embarrassment I couldn't tell. His eyes were stony and it was obvious he'd been dragged here by his friends. I watched as he fidgeted with his fingers and bounced his right leg, probably willing himself to be anywhere but here. Yet, it was as if he couldn't look away either. My jaw began to ache with protest of my harsh lock on it, and I loosened up slightly. My shoulder was shoved forward and our gaze was broken as I looked to Kesha who looked slightly concerned. “You okay?” No, I don't want to be here anymore. I want to be anywhere but here. I contemplated saying this, but instead I cracked a huge grin and nodded. “Yeah! I'm fine! Let's do these Jager bombs! Loser buys the next round of shots!” She grinned, showing a bright, gold tooth. “You're on bitch!” We laughed and picked up the big shot of Jager and held it over the huge glass of Red Bull. “One......two......three!” We dropped them in and quickly picked up the glasses.

My lips slammed against the cool glass of the cup and I began drinking quickly. I ignored the burning sensation in my throat, and the fact that my head was already beginning to pound. I ignored the fact that Niall was still staring, and now so was Louis. I finished only seconds after Kesha who was coughing violently and trying to laugh at the same time. I set my glass down and coughed slightly, quickly picking up the beer and taking a long drink. I set the beer down and looked over at Kesha who looked amused. “Pay up!” I smiled at her, feeling his seering blue eyes burning into the side of my face. “What's your drink of choice, Princess?” She feigned as if she were thinking about it, a loose finger under her chin and a thoughtful expression on her face. “How about some more Jack!” I laughed and nodded. “Sure!” I looked over to Jesse who was pretending not to pay attention to us. I nudged him and smiled. “Can I get out?”

His green eyes showed a lot of concern, but he merely nodded after clearing his throat and slid out of the booth. He held out a hand to me and I took it graciously and stood up. I fumbled slightly and his hands were quickly holding my elbows to steady me. “Are you sure you want to drink so much?” My smile quickly turned down on the edges to create a frown. “Yes. I'm a grown ass adult, I don't need a babysitter when I go out.” I yanked my arm out of his grasp and he looked a little mad as he lifted his arms in mock surrender. “Fine, Chels. Do what you want, but it's not going to change anything. I know. You may forget tonight, but tomorrow you're going to wake up sick and with all your memory.” He whispered this with venom dripping from his voice and by now I was scowling and debating just knocking him out. We stared at each other for a couple of seconds, but his face turned to one of concern. “I'm sorry, Chelsea. I didn't mean to get rude, but I think you'll regret tonight.....if you keep it up.”

I thought about what he was saying, but I felt like being irrational. I felt like being reckless and being stupid and not caring what anyone else thought about it. I spent too much time giving a shit what other people thought about what I did and said and it never got me anywhere. “Whatever, Jesse.” I mumbled it to him before turning around on my toes and walked off quickly. The second I passed by One Direction's table it grew deathly silent and then I heard a scramble and then footsteps behind me. I closed my eyes and prayed that it wouldn't be him. “No, no, no, no, God no.” I whispered to myself as I attempted to maneuver the stairs in the steep heels. When I hit the bottom I took off briskly walking towards the bar. The footsteps behind me became muffled by the sound of bass and the extremely loud music that pulsated through my body. I walked through the crowd, most of which parted after seeing who I was and got to the bar quickly. The second the tanned, muscular bartender saw me standing he abandoned the drunk guy at the end of the bar and made his way over.

When he stood in front of me it was obviously he was flexing for me. I gave him a smile and leaned against the bar. “What can I get for you, beautiful?” I grinned at his comment and tapped my heel as our eyes stayed locked onto each other. “I need six shots of Jack, please.” He grinned at me and six shot glasses and then grabbed the Jack Daniels. He began pouring while trying not to be too obvious he was checking me out. I was smiling right up until the point I saw the familiar blonde hair and bright red Bulls cap. I sighed and kept my gaze straight ahead but I could feel him staring at me. “You gonna drink all that yourself?” I resisted the urge to smile, because although he'd totally fucked me over his charm was still very intact. “After the shitty day I've had? I'm debating it.” The sarcasm shut his small smile down quickly. When the bartender was done I shouted to put it on my tab and I'd pay at the end of the night. He nodded quickly and obviously considered sticking around but Niall shot him a killer look and he scurried away.

I pulled the tray holding the shots closer to me and grabbed one of them. “So you're just goin' to act like I'm not standin' right here?” I put the shot up to my mouth and tilted my head back quickly. My entire body shuddered involuntarily as the liquid slid down my throat quickly and into my stomach. I made a face and then set the glass on the bar. “Yep. That was the plan.” He growled beside me and I looked over. His eyes were fierce with anger but it was obvious he wasn't about to give up. “What'd you expect, Niall? Did you think I was just going to fall into your arms and accept an apology after what you did?” He pursed his lips and looked down at the bar. I looked away from him and willed myself not to get upset in public. “Ya won't even let me explain.......I just want to fix things and go back to the way things were.”

My lips pulled up into a cynical smile as I grabbed another shot and drank it quickly. There were only four shots left and I'd probably end up downing them too. The effects of the alcohol were finally starting to settle in. My stomach felt red hot and my mind was starting to get foggy. I grimaced at the aftertaste in my mouth and leaned heavily against the bar. “I just want to forget the sight of Barbara shoving her tongue down your throat, but I'm not sure that'll happen.” I looked over at him and he looked extremely guilty, his mouth turned down and the twinkling in his eyes had vanished. “Barbara is just a friend.” I laughed out loud this time, feeling extremely dizzy and shook my head. “Right. I'm sure you kiss all your friends like that!” Shaking my head I grabbed the third shot but froze when his hand wrapped gently around my wrist, stopping me from picking it up.

I gritted my teeth trying to remain cool but it was getting progressively harder to do. I looked up at him but his eyes were soft now. The anger had seeped out of them and concern merely took it's place. “I didn't know Barbara was comin' until this mornin'. We're not even really datin', we've just been talkin'. I've been meanin' to talk to her about ending whatever it is we have but haven't had the chance. I thought she deserved to hear it in person.......” My jaw loosened up and I wanted to believe him so bad it hurt my heart; but Barbara didn't look like a girl who'd be all over a guy whom she was just 'talking' to. His bright blue eyes were begging me to believe him, and I wanted to. I really did. But I couldn't risk it. I felt the tears begin to brim in my eyes and I quickly looked away. “I didn't mean to hurt ya, Chelsea.”

I slid the tray of shots closer to me and picked up the third one, downing it quickly before he could stop me. I slid the glass away from me when I put it down and waited for the alcohol to calm me down to no avail. Biting on my lip I willed him to go away, but I knew that he wouldn't. Niall didn't seem like the type to give up easy. He would stay until I pushed him away. I turned to him and shook my head, choosing not to look in his eyes for fear of losing my courage. “But you did, Niall. You hurt me. I don't want to play your stupid games. So, it's over. Done.” I turned away quickly and walked away, not bothering to grab the shots. I left Niall there to think about what I'd said as I quickly ascended up the staircase. When I got to the table Kesha had her arms around a random guy with a long beard and was consuming shot after shot. When I got to the table Jesse noticed my upset expression and stood up. “Are you alright? What happened?” I shook my head and took a long, deep breath. “I don't want to talk about it. I just want to have fun.”

His eyebrows knitted together for only a moment before he shrugged and nodded. The waitress came over quickly and asked if I needed anything. I plopped down on the booth and nodded, noticing the One Direction boys watching me. “Yeah, a bottle of Grey Goose and Patron please.” The waitress scurried off quickly and I sat back in the booth. Jesse sat beside me in silence as we waited or the waitress. When she returned she sat the bottles on the table and gave me a smile. “There you go, Ms. Maxwell.” I gave her a small smile and then cracked into the bottles. After that, total chaos ensued. Jesse only took a couple of shots, but Kesha and I went hard. We took shot after shot, making it a competition. Soon I was drunk off my ass and rambling on about nothing. It was late and the club was closing soon, although it was still pretty packed. I groaned holding my stomach and looked over at Jesse who was bobbing his head to the music. “I wanna go home.” He gave me a smile and leaned closer. “Thought you didn't need a babysitter?”

I groaned loudly and threw my head back against the booth. “Come on Jess! I wanna go home and I can't get there myself.” By the time I was done whining Jesse was laughing at my slurred words and childish behavior. “Fine, but you owe me.” He winked playfully and I giggled as he stood up and held out his hands for me. I grabbed them and stood up, falling right into his outstretched arms. I looked up at him and he grinned. “Told you you'd regret getting so drunk.” I laughed as he stood me up straight, and supported me by putting his arm tightly around my waist. We passed the One Direction table and Niall watched angrily. I could have sworn I saw a smirk on Jesse's face, but I was too drunk to even tell. I heard Louis shout Niall's name and soon I was on the floor moaning. When I looked up to see why I'd fallen I saw Niall with Jesse by the collar and they were shouting at each other. “What the hell man?!” Niall was growling and Louis was trying to pry his hands off Jesse's collar. Most of the VIP section had gone quiet other than the music. “Don't act like ya don't know ya piece of crap! Whatever ya got planned for tonight is gonna happen! I'll take her home!”

Blinking I rubbed my elbow which I had landed on and began to stand up. I was helped up by Harry who gave me a slight smile. “Get the hell off me, you psycho! She asked me to take her home!” I stumbled slightly, trying desperately to stand up straight so that I could understand what happened here. Louis was finally able to pull one of Niall's arms off and Jesse shoved him away. “Oh right! And ya didn't have anything planned other than takin' her home and tuckin' her in, right?! Ya liar!” Jesse smirked slightly and fidgeted with his collar, fixing it. “What I do with her is none of your business anymore, you fucked that up all on your own.” Niall lunged for him again but luckily Liam and Louis were able to reign him back. Jesse took a step closer to me and I ran a hand through my hair. This had gone too far, and if Niall weren't careful he could get arrested. “Ya son of a bitch! You touch her and I'll hurt ya! I swear that to ya!” I reached out and grabbed Jesse's arm, pulling him towards the stairs.

But before I could get him down the stairs he turned back around and gave Niall a condescending look. “I'll touch her, but only if she asks. I think you forget she was begging for me to touch her long before you came around!” Niall tried to go at him again and this time it took the boys plus Zayn and the guy Kesha had been with to stop him. After that comment Jess turned around and led me down the stairs. I was shocked at how he'd acted. We got outside and he hailed us a cab and we climbed in wordlessly. When we were safely on our way I turned to Jesse. “What the hell was that, Jess? I came out with you as a friend, what was Niall talking about?” He shook his head and looked out the window, unable to make eye contact with me. “I dunno. He had too much to drink, and got a little worked up. It's nothing to worry about! He's just pissed off I was helping you and he wasn't.”

I bit on my lip, having the feeling he was lying to me, but suddenly I felt sick. I groaned and held my stomach and he turned to me quickly as we arrived at the hotel. “Hold on. I'll get you up to your room. We'll get you some water and get you to bed.” I nodded and he got out before helping me. Luckily there weren't many photographers around so we got into the hotel room without many people spotting us and were quickly on our way up to my room. We left the next day......or later that day for the next city and I knew I'd be really sick the next morning. I dug the key card out of my bag and handed it to Jesse who opened up my door and got me inside. I ran to the bathroom quickly and began to dry heave over the toilet. Jesse stayed out in the main room and I heard running water from the other room. I managed not to puke and quickly brushed my teeth not wanting to reek like alcohol. When I walked out Jesse extended a tall glass of water and two aspirin in my direction.

After taking the pills and downing most of the water I actually felt a little better. Although I was still beyond drunk I knew my hangover might not be so bad now that I'd gotten fluid other than alcohol in me. I walked over to the bed and realized that Jesse had set out a pair of shorts and a tank top for me to wear to bed and I smiled. I grabbed them and quickly stripped, hoping he was still distracted by the tv which he'd turned on. When I was dressed in my pajamas I turned around and noticed him staring at me. I blushed deeply and shook my head. “Thanks for bringing me home.......” He gave me a confident smile and walked over. “I wouldn't have let you leave without me. Something could have happened to you. We may not be together but that doesn't mean I don't still care about you.” I looked down but his finger was under my chin the next second, pulling my face to look up at him. “Are you really over me, Chels? Truly done with me?” I stared into his green eyes and thought about the question he was asking me.

I thought I had been, but it was easy to say I was over Jesse when he wasn't there. Since the first day we'd met we'd had instant chemistry, even if we weren't on good terms. And when I'd seen him that first day and realized he was on tour with us I knew that it hurt more than I thought it would have. Being with Jesse was nothing like being with Niall. Being with Niall was easy, and it felt natural and really good. I got butterflies with Niall. But with Jesse, it was different. With Jesse it was familiar, but felt forced sometimes. To be honest, I don't think I would ever truly hate Jesse. I would always love him in some way. “No......but that doesn't mean I want to be with you either.......I just need time to myself to think about everything. It's been a long day.” He nodded but moved closer to me. I should have stopped him, but I didn't, because I wasn’t' sure I wanted to. If Niall could be with someone else why should I feel sorry for being with Jesse? When I looked up at him shyly his green eyes shown bright, and his head moved closer. It was now or never, I could stop him, or I could let it happen. He leaned closer not waiting to see if I was going to stop him and our lips connected for an instant. It was long enough though.

When he pulled away he was grinning like a fool, but I just felt like one. He could tell something was wrong by my facial expression. My lips had turned down into a small frown and my fingers lingered over my mouth where his lips had just been. No matter how drunk I was, or how much I wanted Niall to feel the betrayal I'd felt, it didn't feel right. And I would have been just as bad as Jesse if I'd let him think it was okay. I looked back up at him and his smile had fallen. “What's wrong?” I exhaled deeply and inched back before taking a seat on the edge of my bed. “I can't, Jess. I just can't......I need time. Can't you understand that?” I was afraid to look at him, but I didn't have a choice. Because he knelt down in front of me and forced me to look in his eyes. “I can understand. And I'll give you time, as much as you need. Just know I'm here no matter what.” I stared into his eyes, holding my breath and nodding. He stood up slowly and left a kiss on the top of my head before walking out.

After he left I curled up under the covers of my bed and held my throbbing head. Too much had gone on today and all I wanted to do was be at home, in my own apartment, in a city I knew. I buried myself under the covers and shoved my head under the pillow. I squeezed my eyes shut and let the tears stream from them freely, not caring what I'd look like in the morning. I wanted my life to be less complicated and be normal. As I drifted off to sleep, all I could think about was Niall's angry face when he'd had Jesse in his grasps. It was only then it occurred to me that was exactly what Jesse had wanted. He'd done something to make Niall that angry. He was pushing Niall, for whatever reason I had no idea. But it was obvious that Niall didn't just get angry for no reason. Jesse's words echoed in my head, and the look of shock on Niall's face was hard to forget. I'll touch her, but only if she asks. I think you forget she was begging for me to touch her long before you came around! It hit me like a train, and I realized that Jesse hadn't changed all that much. He was still playing the game, only now it involved Niall. I vowed to talk to him tomorrow, and maybe even Niall if it meant getting the story straight. I yawned and closed my eyes tightly, hoping for sleep to take me away soon so I could forget this stupid day.

Notes

I hope you guys enjoy! Comment and tell me what you think!!! -Caity