RED ROOM [H.S]

2.

Harry.

"That was fun," Niall had a smug smile on his face as we wandered out of Midnight Blues. Such a strange name for a stripclub, I had thought when we had first entered. It wasn't like I was familiar with them anyway, but the venue sounded like a jazz bar rather than a stripclub. Clearly I was very wrong.

Adjusting his fly, Niall winked at me before rubbing his nose. A few specks of cocaine rubbed off onto his fingers and he licked it off clean.

"Did you have fun, Harold?" He asked, when I made no effort to comment on tonight's events, too busy thinking.

I wasn't a big talker, never had been and probably never will be. I had always been a listener. Always wanting to hear the stories of other people rather than to discuss my own. Although this time, my head was somewhere else. Lost in a daydream of Spice, the pretty brunette with the cherry red lips and hypnotic dance moves. She was a small thing, I had thought. So petite and fragile looking. She had tired eyes that had turned fiery as soon as Niall touched her. It was like a spark came alive in her that very moment. She was something else, that was for sure.

I hated how awkward I was, how I could barely get a word out. I hoped she didn't think I was weird. She had smiled at me on knowingly though, almost as if she knew what she was doing to me. She most likely did, to be fair, working in an industry like that, with a face as beautiful as hers.

"It was great," I finally said as we walked down the empty streets of Vegas. We had been living here for almost three years now, and I could never get over how grimy America was compared to England. People didn't know how to clean up after themselves. I grimaced as we past a family of rats, scurrying down an alleyway. Filthy.

I knew Niall had sex with whoever had given him a dance. It was just something he would do. He would splash money on anything just for a good time. With the way he was walking and the lazily grin that refused to leave his face, he was happy with himself that he spent a large amount of money on a girl for the night. I guess with our work of line, he could afford to do so. He held confidence in his walk, shoulders pushed back and arms swinging naturally. Sometimes I wished I could be as carefree as him. Maybe my awkwardness would disappear if I could just pretend for a little while. Pretend I was normal. I sighed at the pity party in my brain.

"She was very pretty," I found myself murmuring. "She told me her name was Spice though. Do you think she was lying?"

Niall snorted. "She's a stripper, Haz. They don't give out their real names."

I frowned at that, shoving my hands in my pockets. "I suppose that's a safety concern for them, isn't it? Can't provide their clients with their real names."

Niall gave me his signature side eye look, mumbling something about my naivety and how it never ceases to amaze him. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and nodded in agreement.

"You need to get out more," he told me. "Sitting behind your desk isn't going to help your social skills."

I loved Niall, and I knew his words weren't meant to hurt me, but I felt the sting in my chest. He was my best friend, the person who knew me inside and out and knew things about me that I would never dare to tell another soul. He knew how bad my social skills were, and Niall being...well, Niall, thought it would be appropriate to take me to a strip club. He told me that I could do no wrong there, with a pocket full of hundred dollar bills and an easy smile, I could work on my social skills with the opposite gender. He wasn't wrong. Everyone I spoke to battered their lashes and giggled at me like what I said was funny. Even when I asked where the bathroom was. It's an extraordinary thing, money. It gives you too much power around others. I shook my head at the thought, my mind wondering back to little Spice and how she snapped at Niall for laying his hands on her without her consent. I made a mental note of that when I was in the room with her. My fingers had begged me to reach out to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. To feel the warmth that was vibrating off her body. But I knew better. I told myself that I wouldn't dare touch a woman without consent. She didn't look as if she was in the best of moods either. I didn't want to upset her anymore than what Niall had already done.