"C'mon, Liam, it'll be fun!" Harry whined, wrapping her arms around Liam's middle and squeezing. "Please?"

"You only want me to go because Zayn will be there and you don't wanna look desperate," Liam huffed, unbuttoning her work shirt and throwing it on her bed.

"Yeah, maybe I want a nice deep fuck tonight and I know how to get it," Harry shrugged dismissively, "but I also need you to get laid."

Liam threw her friend a bland look. "No one needs me to get laid," she muttered, finding her nicest tank top and pulling it on.

"Uh, I do," Harry told her. "Someone needs to pull that stick out of your arse."

Liam rolled her eyes, tugging off her work skirt and replacing it with a pair of short denim shorts. Harry had said once that they made her bum look nice, so she kept them for special occasions.

"Are you coming?" Harry asked excitedly, taking in what her friend was wearing.

"Yes, Harry, I'll come with you," Liam sighed. Locating her dancing shoes, comfortable while still having heels high enough to accentuate her arse, she slipped her feet into them and grabbed her wallet and keys. "But this is ONLY so I can be your wing woman," she stated firmly, pointing a stern finger at her friend. "The second you start setting me up with someone, I'm out of there."

Harry raised her hands in surrender. "Okay." She linked their arms and led Liam out of her house. "So, I'm not saying I'm setting you up with anyone-"

"Harry," Liam warned.

"-but if I was, would you want a guy or a chick?"

Liam sighed. "It would depend on their personality," she replied. "Just because I'm bi, doesn't mean I choose which gender I feel like shagging for the night. It just means that a person's gender doesn't matter to me if I like who they are as a person. For fuck's sake, Haz, bisexuals aren't just whores who'll take any fuck that's going."

"Are you sure?" Harry asked with a grin, slapping Liam's bum and squeezing.

"Very," Liam deadpanned.

Shaking her head, Harry stated, "This stick up your arse must be hurting by now." After the two of them had been walking for five minutes, Harry asked, "Would you date me?"

"Uh…" Liam gave this question some serious thought. "Well… I guess I might. If we met differently and… Who am I kidding? No, Harry, I wouldn't date you."

Harry pouted. "But why not, LiLi?"

"You're… I dunno. I don't fancy you, I guess." Shrugging her shoulders, Liam explained, "If I fancied you, hell yes. But I don't."

Knocking their shoulders together, Harry asked, "Would you shag me?"

"If I was drunk enough," Liam smirked.

"Liam!" Harry slapped her friend's shoulder. "I'm a great shag."

"I'll take your word for it," Liam chuckled.

"Oh, this is the place!" Harry pointed up ahead to a quiet-looking club.

"Haz… are you sure?" Liam asked in confusion. "Clubs aren't quiet places, but this one seems to've managed it."

"There's not heaps of people coming, and they wouldn't've started the music up yet," Harry assured her, dragging Liam through the doors.

Liam stared around at the place; dimly lit, quite spacious, lots of dark corners for people to hide in. She was just about to ask Harry if there was anyone there at all when a huge crowd of people jumped into view yelling, "Surprise!"

Beaming like an idiot, Harry looked to Liam. "Happy birthday."

Liam's eyes widened and she flicked through her mental calendar. "Oh, fuck," she realised.

"You forgot your own fucking birthday," Harry laughed. "Come on. Let's get this party started!" she yelled, music starting up and the crowd of people moving to either the dance floor or the bar.

"So," Harry beamed, bumping Liam with her hip, "whatcha think?"

Liam sighed and sent her friend a fond look. "Thanks, Haz."

Grinning from ear to ear, Harry pulled Liam into a tight hug. "Now it's my duty to find you a shag tonight," she whispered in her friend's ear, earning a groan of protest and laughing. "Hey, birthday tradition."

"It's not a tradition," Liam stated, pulling back.

"It's a tradition for me, and I think it's time you adopted it." Just before Harry could grab Liam's elbow and drag her over to the bar, a man appeared beside them.

"Happy birthday, Liam," the man smiled.

"Thanks, Zayn."

Zayn looked to Harry. "You look like you need a drink and a dance," he told her, offering his hand.

"You read me so well," Harry flirted, lightly dropping her hand into Zayn's.

And Liam was suddenly standing on her own as Harry disappeared over to the bar with Zayn's hand on her arse. "Great," she sighed, leaning against the nearest wall.

 xXx

Liam had made an effort to have a good time after being abandoned by her best friend. She had a drink, danced a bit, talked to a few people she hadn't seen since high school…

As she felt her drink wearing off, Liam headed back to the bar. Before she could order, however, a drink was sat in front of her, and not by the bartender.

"Here," grinned a blue-eyed blonde girl standing beside her, Irish accent making Liam's tummy flutter. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," Liam smiled. She casually dipped her finger in the drink, taking note that her special nail polish didn't react with anything strange in there before licking the alcohol off her finger. "Mm… nice."

"I'm not trying to drug you," the blonde assured her. "But that guy over there might." She gestured with her head, then flashed her nails at Liam. One fingernail was red.

"You use it, too?" Liam asked, sipping her drink.

"I'd be lost without it," the blonde laughed. She held her hand out to Liam. "Name's Niall."

"Nice to meet you, Niall," Liam smiled. "My friend Harry reckons I'm weird for using the drug-detecting nail polish. But it's saved my arse a few times, so I'm sticking with it."

"Same here," Niall chuckled, swallowing a mouthful of her own drink. "Here, I'll see you 'round." She patted Liam's shoulder and headed off into the crowd before she could call after her.

"See you," Liam sighed.

 xXx

Not an hour later, Liam noticed that the crowd was significantly more drunk than before. She had seen a group of guys cheering and chanting over in one of the corners ten minutes ago, and not one of them sounded sober.

"Hey, birthday girl."

Liam looked to the pretty Irish voice from earlier. "Hey, Niall."

The blonde stood closer than she had before, the smell of alcohol strong on her breath, but she seemed to handle the drink quite well. "How's your night going?" Niall asked, pulling a bar stool closer to Liam's and sitting so their thighs were touching.

"Not bad," Liam shrugged. "I mean, I didn't even remember it was my birthday 'til I got here, and I kinda can't stop thinking that no one told me all day. Like, not one 'happy birthday, Liam'. And I don't even know anyone here, they're Harry's crowd."

"You know me now," Niall grinned.

"Hardly," Liam sighed.

"Well, we should get to know each other better," Niall stated with a nod.

Liam laughed a little at Niall's determination. "Okay." A flash of pink caught her eye, then Harry appeared beside them, hanging off Zayn still.

"Found you a present, LiLi," Harry giggled, poking a pair of hot pink lacy panties down the front of Liam's top. "Happy birthday, babe." She pressed a kiss to Liam's cheek, then turned back to Zayn and snogged him hard. "I'm off. See you when I'm sober, LiLi," she sing-songed, dragging Zayn towards the exit. It took them a bit longer than it should as they kept stopping to snog or grope each other on the way.

"Great," Liam huffed.

Niall grabbed Liam's hand wordlessly and pulled her around a corner so they were hidden from the crowd. She stood inspecting the panties that were half shoved down Liam's cleavage. "Those are mine," she giggled.

"What?" Liam asked, eyes wide.

"Some guys were cheering for a strip-tease, so I gave them my knickers," Niall shrugged.

Liam felt suddenly curious about this girl. The careless way she was willing to give away her pants but ignore any advances… it was both intriguing and strangely drew Liam in. "Didn't want any of them?" she asked, subtly moving Niall into a corner.

"If you mean I didn't want any of their sausage-fingers anywhere near my cunt, yes," Niall replied. "Not interested in blokes, especially not ones that just want something wet to stick their cock up."

"You're interested in women?" Liam asked, just lightly pressing her hand against Niall's stomach.

"Well… not so much the ones here, but if I still had my knickers on, I'd be soaking them for you."

"Yeah?" Liam pressed a little harder against Niall's tummy, slowly sliding her hand down. She didn't know why she was doing this; this wasn't like her. Normally, she'd be tripping over her words and blushing insanely, but Niall's confidence seemed contagious. "Well, my fingers are a bit thinner than those blokes'."

"I know," Niall whispered with a cheeky look.

"And my hands are clean," Liam added as she slipped her hand up under Niall's very tight, very short shirt.

"Thank God. Those guys looked like they hadn't washed in w-weeks…" Niall's eyes fluttered shut as Liam gently brushed her middle finger through the heat between her legs. "Warn a girl," Niall laughed shakily.

"You really aren't wearing pants," Liam murmured in interest, slipping just the tip of her finger inside Niall.

"No, they're between your tits." Niall's hands were braced against the two walls that created their corner. "Do I get a good time, gorgeous, or are you just keeping your hand warm?" she asked when Liam just stood still, watching Niall's chest rise and fall quickly.

"Only if you come back to mine afterwards," Liam breathed out quickly.

Niall's eyebrow quirked. "That's it, eh? Well, be as lazy as you like now, because if I come home with you, you aren't getting any sleep tonight."

"I'm never lazy." Liam plunged her finger into Niall, earning a gasp. "If I do something, I do it properly." She quickly found herself a nice little rhythm, then pressed her thumb against Niall's clit.

"O-oh… man…" Niall's head fell back as she rocked her hips forward. "Jesus Christ…"

Liam rubbed her thumb in small circles, her finger still working in and out strongly. "I don't do these things by halves," she whispered, her free hand gripping Niall's arse.

"A-ah…" Niall opened her legs as much as she could. "Sh-shit, Liam…"

Moving her hand from Niall's arse to her thigh, Liam hiked the blonde's leg up at just the right angle for the movements of her thumb to cause a short scream. She leaned closer and pressed a few wet kisses along Niall's jaw, listening to the blonde letting out a few quiet, desperate noises. "How's that feel?" she murmured.

"Like you don't know," Niall gasped out, one hand moving from the wall to grip Liam's shoulder. "Jesus… yeah, yeah-" Arching her back, Niall's head jerked backwards as she cut herself off with a moan. She took in a shaky breath, then slid her hand down Liam's arm and squeezed lightly, making her slow to a stop. "Whoa," she panted.

"Come back to mine, then?" Liam asked, withdrawing her hand from between Niall's legs.

"You try and fucking stop me," Niall laughed breathlessly.

Eyeing her wet hand, Liam licked her fingers and knuckle clean, then wiped her saliva on her shorts. She noticed Niall watching her with an open-mouthed smirk.

"C'mon, then, get me to your place," Niall grinned, lightly shoving Liam back to balance herself on both feet again. "I think it's about time I show you what I can do," she whispered in Liam's ear, nipping lightly at her earlobe and dragging her tongue around the shell of her ear.

"Y'mean I don't get to just keep making you come all night?" Liam asked with a slight smile.

"I'm not an all-take-no-give kinda girl," Niall told her. "And I won't have you being the all-give-no-get kind." She grabbed Liam's hand and pulled her back to the crowd, both of them wading through the people to reach the door. Once they were outside, Niall stopped Liam from walking any further. "Just let me do this first," she whispered, wrapping her arms around Liam's neck and kissing her.

Liam responded slowly, trying to take the moment in. She pulled back and just stared at Niall for a few seconds. "You're not allowed to be a one-night stand," she stated.

"Why not?" Niall giggled, confused.

"Because kissing is intimate. I don't let people kiss me unless I can see myself at least waking up next to them the next morning," Liam explained, her hands settling on Niall's hips.

"How far in the future can you see yourself with me?" Niall asked impishly.

"Longer than tomorrow morning," Liam replied seriously. "You've just got this… energy. I need it."

"Can say the same to you," Niall grinned, biting her lip coyly. "Let's go, then," she whispered.

 xXx

When Liam woke the next morning, her head felt stuffed with cotton wool and her eyes were blurry. She blinked to clear her vision, eyes widening when she found herself faced with a mess of blonde hair. It took a few moments, but she then remembered the night before. With a hum and a smile, Liam shuffled closer to the other girl in her bed, curling her arm properly around the blonde's waist and kissing her shoulder.

"Hmm?" the blonde mumbled, rubbing her cheek against the pillow before sighing heavily and opening her eyes. "Where am I?"

"Morning, Niall," Liam murmured, propping herself up on her elbow and pressing a kiss to Niall's jaw.

Niall turned her head and looked up at Liam blearily. "Morning, Liam," she whispered with a smile.

"I know you'd had a few to drink last night-" Liam started.

"I remember it all," Niall assured her. "No regrets."

Leaning down, Liam pressed her lips against Niall's. "Good," she whispered.

Niall rolled onto her back, lifting a hand and stroking Liam's cheek. "I think I'm going to need your number."

"I'd hope so," Liam chuckled, pecking Niall's lips again. "What was your favourite part of last night?"

Niall considered this for a moment. "God, that's hard. Um… Well, first, let me tell you the fingering you gave me at the club was amazing. And the things you can do with your mouth are fucking phenomenal." Stealing a short kiss, Niall whispered, "But I think the best bit was cuddling with you 'til we fell asleep."

A grin spread across Liam's face. "You're so cute."

Niall raised an eyebrow. "I've been called many things, but 'cute' isn't one of them."

"Well, it is now," Liam chuckled. "Unless you're saying the cuddling and sleeping was better than the sex because I was rubbish, then you're not cute."

"Oh, don't worry, the sex definitely wasn't rubbish," Niall laughed. "But I liked cuddling with you. It felt… safe. I haven't felt that safe with another person for a long time."

"You should always feel safe," Liam frowned. She held Niall's hips and rolled them over so the blonde was lying on top of her.

"Well, I do feel safe with you, so it's fine," Niall assured her, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear so she could see Liam better.

Liam beckoned Niall forward with one finger, earning a giggle as she kissed the girl above her. "Why didn't you feel safe with anyone else?" she asked, stroking Niall's hair.

"Well, I only recently decided to stop pretending about my sexuality," Niall explained. "Pretty much everyone else I've been with was a bloke, and that was pretty terrifying each time. I've been with a girl before, but she was super controlling and freaked me out more than a bit."

"I was… kinda controlling…" Liam bit her lower lip.

"Yeah, but… you just felt safe. The whole time, I felt like if I asked you to stop, you would."

"Course I would," Liam half-laughed. "There's no fun in sex if one person's not into it."

"Tell that to my ex boyfriend," Niall muttered, a slight shudder running through her.

"He can't touch you," Liam murmured, catching Niall's lips in a kiss.

"Are you gonna protect me?" Niall giggled.

"If I have to," Liam nodded. She leaned up and kissed Niall's cheek. "You don't feel safe, you tell me, okay?"

Biting her lip and failing to hide her grin, Niall whispered, "Thank you."

"My pleasure, gorgeous." Liam guided Niall's head into the crook of her neck, rubbing her back soothingly.

Checking the clock beside Liam's bed, Niall sighed and sat up, the blanket falling around her hips. "I have to go to work," she informed Liam regretfully.

"On a Saturday?" Liam whined, pushing herself up, too.

"If no one worked on weekends, the world would fall apart," Niall chuckled, pecking Liam's pouting lips.

"Alright," Liam sighed reluctantly. "What do you do?"

"I waitress," Niall shrugged.

"Where?"

Giggling, Niall stated, "If I tell you, you can't come harass me at work."

"Why not?" Liam whined playfully.

"Because I said so," Niall grinned. "Besides, my boss's been a bit funny recently and I dunno if a lovely young woman coming in to harass me on the job would do me many favours."

Liam sighed in resignation, settling her hands on Niall's hips and kissing her quickly. "But you've gotta give me your number first."

Leaning over to the bedside table, Niall grabbed the pen and notepad Liam kept there. "Why do you keep this beside your bed?" she asked as she scribbled her information down.

"In case I come up with ideas in the middle of the night." Smiling at Niall's confusion, Liam explained, "For work. I work in graphic design."

"Ah." Sitting the notepad aside, Niall hopped out of the bed and started redressing herself.

"You work at Zayn's restaurant?" Liam asked, reading the name, number and work address Niall had copied down.

"Yeah," Niall nodded as she untucked her hair from the back of her top. "That's why I was at your party yesterday."

"Zayn's been funny around you recently?"

Niall laughed. "No, the kitchen boss has. Sean. Zayn's getting kinda fed up with his shit, but he's good at what he does, so…" Niall shrugged, finding her shoes.

"Hang on." Liam slid out of the bed and pulled on a T-shirt and sweat pants before digging through her wardrobe. "Wear these. They'll be nicer to walk home in."

Biting her lip to hide her smile, Niall accepted the shoes and tugged them on. "Thanks." She headed for the door, Liam following along behind her. "I'll see you 'round, then."

"Yeah." Opening the front door of her house for Niall, Liam pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. "Yeah, definitely."