To say the least, I was slightly paranoid after Niall left. I would've thought that he'd stay after he found out what happened, to make sure that man didn't come back. But maybe he left because he was afraid if he was around, he would come back. Should I stay away from Niall?

Another knock came at my door. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I peered through the peep hole again, praying it wasn't another one of Niall's addicts. But it wasn't; it was only Zayn. Relieved, I opened the door.

"Hey Zayn," I said, trying to make my voice sound cheery. "Come on in."

"How are you, Emma?" he asked, sitting at a chair by my counter. "How was the date with ol' Niall?" he asked with a grin. I bit my cheek.

"It was really fun," I said truthfully. Until his "pool friends" tracked us down and almost assulted me, I thought. "How's your weekend been so far? Do you want a drink?" I asked.

"Nah, I'm good. I was actually coming over to ask if you wanted to go out with me and my friend Liam tonight, he's just got back from a really long trip to England to see his mom. He said he knew you," Zayn explained.

"Oh yeah, I remember Liam. He worked with me for like, five months then quit," I laughed. "We didn't really stay all that close, but him and Harry and Louis did. Are they coming?" I asked.

"Harry's going to some art show with his sister I think, and Louis is sick, so no. Just gonna be us three. I figured we'd grab some dinner and catch up. How about it?" Zayn asked.

"I don't know..." I said.

"C'mon, it'll be fun! You can invite Niall if you like; he's friends with Liam," Zayn suggested. I shook my head.

"I think he's...busy tonight. But I'll come, I guess it will be fun. What time?"

"We'll pick you up at seven!" Zayn said, and walked out the door. I had an hour and a half.

I had no idea where we were going, but I was guessing it probably wasn't anywhere too fancy. Zayn didn't seem like the fancy type, and from what I remember about Liam, he wasn't either. They seemed more down to earth and fun. Honestly, I figured we were going to a bar.

I pulled on a pair of plain blue jeans and a loose white tank top with city designs on it. I'd had it since freshmen year of college to be honest, but I really did love it. I just couldn't part with it. I put a cute leather jacket over it, and finsished the outfit off with my black pumps. Not too fancy, but not too casual either.

I just straightened my hair, and did my everyday makeup, consisting of the usual foundation, neutral eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. By the time I finished, it was six thirty. Not going to lie, I looked pretty good tonight. I guess I'd make a good second first impression on Liam. It never hurts to have options.

Zayn arrives on time as promised, with Liam behind him. Liam is tall; not as tall as Harry, but taller than Zayn, probably about five eleven. He had short brown hair, and scruff on his face. Not a full blown beard, but cute scruff. It almost made me laugh. His eyes were brown, but glowing.

"Emma!" Zayn greeted me. "You look great," he said, looking me up and down. I laughed.

"Hi Zayn, hi Liam. It's great to see you again!" I said, stepping out of the doorway, locking my door behind me. "How've you been?" I asked.

"I've been good," Liam replied. He started working with me about the same time I started at McClellan's. He just quit much much sooner. We'd been pretty good friends when he worked there, but we never really stayed in touch. I haven't seen him in over a year. "Just got back from England, I was there for about a year or so," he explained. That would be why I hadn't seen him around. "What about you, still working at McClellan's?" he asked.

"I am," I replied. We made our way out into Zayn's car. Liam offered me the passenger seat, and I gratefully took it. I hated riding in the back.

"You don't get bored?" Liam asked. "I was always bored when I was there. No offense, I mean, you guys were great, I think the practice just bored me," he explained.

I laughed. "Well, I think it's the best job I'm going to get therefore, I love it."

"Hmm," Liam almost scoffed.

"What?" I asked, defensively. "I do like it."

"Nothing, just...you seem like you're settling. You shouldn't have to settle for something you don't like. You're going to be doing this forever after all," he replied. "That's why I quit. I'm trying to find a job as a policeman or something of the sort. I think it'll really help people."

"And physical therapy doesn't?" I joked, pretending to be offended. Liam and Zayn laughed, but I was still thinking about what Liam said. I guess he was right, that I was settling, but what was I supposed to do? I couldn't just drop everything, could I?

"And we're here!" Zayn announced as we pulled up to a local bar. I was right. I climbed out of the car, holding back a sigh. Of course they go to the one bar with awful food.

"Wow, I haven't been here in forever!" Liam exclaimed as we flashed our IDs to a security guard. It was a very nice place, they just made awful food. "Remember when you, Niall and I would always come here?" Liam laughed. "The good old days."

"We went a bit crazy when we turned Niall finally turned twenty one," Zayn explained, laughing.

There were tall tables spread throughout the bar, so Liam and I stood at an empty one while Zayn got drinks. It was only 7:30, so it wasn't super crowded yet, but people were coming in at a steady pace. This must be a popular hangout.

"So do you come here often?" Liam asked.

I shook my head. "I've been here once or twice, but crowded places aren't really my type of place," I admitted. Honestly, I was almost scared. The guys at bars were always creepy and the crowds were crazy when everyone was a little bit tipsy (or full blown drunk).

"Oh man, we need to go out again sometime! Big places can be fun if you find the right ones," Liam said. I nodded.

"Here we go!" Zayn said, setting three drinks on our table. "Now let's catch up."

"What is this?" I asked, looking at my cup.

"It's delicious, now drink up!" Zayn replied, sipping on his drink.

I took a chance and sipped mine. It was sweet, but bitter at the same time. It burned my throat , but not badly like straight alcohol would. "This is good," I decided. "What is it, really?" I asked.

"It's a White Russian!" Liam said. "You weren't lying when you said you didn't drink much did you?" he chuckled.

"I really don't!" I laughed back, taking another drink. "You'll have to show me what's good."

"Will do," Zayn and Liam said together, then laughed. They started talking about something, and I sort of tuned out. I was looking around at all of the people in the bar. I liked to observe.

There was a man sitting alone at the bar counter, his head hung. He must've just had something awful happen to him. A young couple laughed, nearly spilling their drinks on each other a few seats down. One man was talking to a girl who was clearly not interested, because she kept pulling out her phone and looking around.

"Emma?" Liam asked, pulling me from my thoughts. "Want another drink?" he asked.

"Um, yeah that sounds good," I replied, surprised by my own answer. I guess I figured I should let loose a little bit; it was a Saturday night, I was with my friends! I'll have some fun.

Soon enough, Liam came back with three more drinks, setting an orange-y one in front of me. He and Zayn just had regular beers. "What's this?" I asked, feeling like a kindergartener asking the same question over and over.

"Sex on the beach!" Liam replied. I scoffed at the name. "I'm getting all of these popular drinks, and you still don't know them...its making me laugh."

I shrugged. "What can I say?" I said, taking a sip. This one burned a little more, and tasted sort of sour to me.

We went on talking, Liam telling us about his experiences in England. He had lots of great stories.

"Emma, have you ever been out of the country?" Zayn asked. By then, I was finishing my third drink. I knew I should stop, but for whatever reason, I just kept going.

"I haven't actually. I've really hardly ever been out of Washington!" I exclaimed.

"Wow, really?" Zayn asked. I nodded.

"I just...never found the time to get out I suppose. I took care of my mom pretty much my entire childhood, all up until she died." My mind was a little fuzzy now.

"You should definitely get out sometime, it's a pretty big world," Liam said, grinning. I smiled back. "Another drink?" he asked.

"Why not," I replied. Soon he came back with a plain beer. I'd never liked beer much, but I drank it anyway.

"I feel like my taste is much more diverse now," I laughed.

"Glad you came then?" Zayn asked.

"Yes, yes I am," I replied. My head was very fuzzy now. How many drinks had I had?

I was looking around when suddenly I spotted a face I did not want to see in the slightest bit. The man who was at my door earlier! I gasped.

"What's wrong?" Liam asked.

"N-nothing, I just...thought I saw someone I knew," I replied somewhat truthfully.

"You're that embarrassed of us, huh?" Liam joked. I laughed, but kept looking around. I lost track of the man. Liam and Zayn kept talking when I saw him again. He made eye contact with me for a split second before someone walked between us.

"I hate to be a party pooper, but I think we should go," I slurred.

"Why? Everything alright?" Liam asked.

"Yeah, no I'm good, I'm good. Just, uh," I searched my mind for an excuse while I also searched the area with my eyes for the man.

"Oh, is there someone here you don't want to see?" Liam asked. "An ex?"

His question caught me off guard. "Something like that," I replied. "He was...scary. I just don't like being around him," I lied.

"Okay, let's go then. It's 10:30, and Liam is probably jet lagged," Zayn said, cracking a smile. I smiled back. My eyes felt weird and my head was spinning.

We made our way out to the car, and I sat in the back this time. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes as Zayn pulled out. They probably thought I was asleep,because they started talking about me.

"How many drinks did we give her?" Liam asked under his breath. I heard him turn around in his seat.

"Only four...I mean that is a lot, but I feel like I'm not like that after four drinks," Zayn replied.

"Well, she did say she doesn't drink much, and she's pretty small. She can't be more than like 110, four drinks probably would be a lot for someone like her," Liam said.

"I do have ears," I said trying not to smile. "Wow, my first time getting drunk, and it's with two guys I barely know."

"Hey, you know us pretty well by now!" Zayn laughed. We pulled up to our apartment complex and made our way upstairs. "Well, Liam is staying at my place tonight, and we're just down the hall if you need anything," Zayn said, stopping while I tried to unlock my door. I dropped the key.

"Here, I've got it," Liam said, and unlocked my door for me.

"Thanks," I laughed. "Goodnight guys! You're pretty fun I guess," I said, shutting and locking the door behind me.

My phone buzzed, letting me know I got a text. It was from Niall. Why was he texting me at 11:00 at night?

Hey Emma , I wanted to apologize for earlier. Are u ok?

I replied, Doinf greattttttrrtt. My fingers didn't really knowwhat they were doing. I laughed to myself.

Are you sure? Niall replied.

Yeab man im sp good, I said back.

I'm coming over.

I didn't reply to that message. I just laid on my couch and closed my eyes, falling asleep.