Luke, Michael and I had just won beer pong for the second time against Calum and Ashton, and the drink was starting to get to me. I wasn't tipsy yet, everything was just moving slightly slower and I was laughing a little harder.

"Hey Noelle, heard of the game 'bullshit'?" Ashton asked me.

"Of course," I asserted. "I'm really good at it."

"Bullshit," Luke called. "Now you have to drink."

"What? We weren't even playing," I laughed. Luke poured me a shot anyway and handed it to me. "What is this?"

"Drink it," he instructed, and I shrugged before downing it. As it burned down my throat I recognized it as some kind of fruit-flavored vodka.

"Nice," I said sarcastically. "Everyone loves vodka."

"Well, it gets the job done." Luke poured one for himself and downed it. "Tell me snowflake, why do you stay with Norman?"

I frowned. "I've said so many times–"

"That I'm not supposed to ask you that kind of stuff, blah, blah, blah." He gave me another shot, which I threw back. "I'm just curious, Noelle."

I sighed. I was definitely tipsy now. "If we're going to share secrets, I need another."

"Secrets? I wasn't aware the reason for you putting up with your boyfriend was a secret," Luke said, handing me one more, which I drank.

"Okay. Hm. Well. The reason – the reason I stay with Nathan is because he can be sweet, and nice, and I really like him," I told him, beginning to slur my words slightly. "Is there a problem with that?"

Luke observed me. "Sweet, and nice, and you really like him. You don't love him?"

"You're not one of my girlfriends, Luke, this is weird. No, I don't love him, but that's okay because I like him," I stated flatly.

Luke snorted. "Okay."

I narrowed my eyes at him and was about to say something else when Michael, who was sitting with Calum and Ashton on the couches, called, "Come sit with us, guys, and bring the alcohol."

Luke picked up the bottle and brushed past me, causing me to stumble slightly. I turned around and wandered over, collapsing next to Ashton who gave me a look.

"How much have you had to drink, Noelle?"

I shrugged. "Three shots. And some beer." I grinned drunkenly up at him. "Don't worry, I'm a heavyweight."

"Sure," Ashton responded sardonically.

"Anyway, I don't know that much about you boys," I commented, sitting up slightly and reaching for the drink, but Luke moved it out of my reach. I pouted, and then continued, "We should have like... a truth or shots game. Someone asks a question, you either answer it or take a shot."

The boys looked at each other and shrugged.

"We basically know everything about each other, but... let's do it," Michael declared.

Half an hour later and Michal wasn't wearing pants, Luke was sitting on Calum – who was trying to push him off but not succeeding – and I was sitting on Ashton. It was safe to say we were all quite drunk.

"Alright, Noelle, bluebell," Ashton said, patting my leg as Calum finally managed to shove Luke off, who was now sitting on the floor. I pretended not to notice Luke's gaze narrowing at Ashton's gesture. "Which member of the band would you most like to sleep with?"

I couldn't help it. My eyes went to Luke, who met my gaze with a smirk.

"She looked at Luke," Michael shouted.

"Michael, you are yelling," Ashton stated.

"She definitely looked at Luke," Calum agreed, kicking Luke lightly. I could feel my face heating up as the boys laughed.

"I'm not answering that - that one." I reached forward to pick up the bottle but soon realized it was empty. "It's empty. I'll get another."

I stood up and held the arm of the couch so I didn't fall over before making my way over to the fridge. As I opened it I felt someone's chin on my shoulder and I knew it was Luke.

"You would definitely sleep with me," he mumbled, his breath warm on the side of my neck.

"Nah," I muttered. "You wish, Mr Hemmings." I turned around and found myself trapped between him and the fridge. He rested his forehead against mine, looking right into my eyes.

"Luke," I said softly, smiling sort of goofily up at him. "I have a boyfriend."

"Fucking Norman," he muttered.

I couldn't help but giggle a little.

"What?" Luke leaned back a bit.

"I sometimes almost call him Norman. It's really bad. I spend too much time around you," I said, poking his cheek. I then reached up and squished his cheeks together, finding him annoyingly cute right now. Luke rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand away and pinning it against the fridge.

"I'm glad to see I'm influencing you. Now I think you don't need anymore drink. You tired?"

I shook my head, even though I was a little. "Time?"

"One-thirty in the morning."

"Huh." I looked over at Michael who was now sitting in his underwear, playing guitar. Ashton was singing along really loudly and Calum was curled up on the couch, eyes closed.

"Calum's sleeping," I observed. "We should draw something on his face."

"So mature, snowflake," Luke regarded.

"I'm very Medusa, mature. Wait, shit, no, I'm very mature, Medusa." I laughed to myself. "I don't know why I call you Medusa. You're way too pretty to be Medusa. Like, she has snakes for hair but you're hair is really..." I reached up and ran my fingers through his hair, just to see what it felt like. Luke's mouth dropped open slightly. "Soft," I concluded. "Your hair is really soft."

One side of his mouth pulled up into a grin. "Thanks." He stretched his own arm out and gently touched my hair, trailing his hand down my neck. "Yours is pretty soft, too."

"I know, right?" I smiled at him again before pushing past and sitting next to Ashton and sang 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star' with him as Michael played some random chords that did not go at all.

"That sounds shit," Luke commented, sitting next to me and resting his feet on me. I wrinkled my nose.

"Get off. No one likes feet on them."

"Not even my feet?"

"Especially not yours." I pushed his feet off of my legs and grinned at him, putting mine on his lap instead. Luke smiled back at me, which was weird.

"You're sooo pissed," I mumbled.

"Little bit."

"You're so, like, happy, which isn't like you."

"That would be because I'm pissed. How are you feeling, snowdrop? Fuck, no, snowflake. That's your nickname."

I gasped as I realized something. I turned to Ashton and Michael. "I never showed you the tattoo I got with Luke!"

"You got a tattoo?" Ashton said, clearly shocked.

"Show it to us!" Michael insisted.

Luke's lips were suddenly by my ear. "Don't."

"What?" I looked at him in confusion.

"It's on your ribs," he pointed out.

"I know that." I raised an eyebrow. "You don't want me to show them?" Luke shook his head. "Tough." I lifted up the side of my shirt just enough to show the tattoo.

"Nice," Ashton commented and Michael nodded in agreement.

"Put your shirt back down now," Luke murmured, and I rolled my eyes but did so anyway.

"Okay. Michael, who's more annoying, Luke or Ashton?" I questioned him.

"Luke," Michael replied immediately, and I laughed.

"I'd second that," Calum mumbled with his eyes closed.

"He lives," I said dramatically. "I was going to draw something on your face."

"Yeah, I heard." He shifted his position slightly and said without opening his eyes, "So Noelle, who do you think is the most annoying in the band?"

"Lucas Hemmings," I said immediately. "For one, he's too fucking sexy for his own good. Much like the rest of you. Do you know how annoying it is to be surrounded by four annoyingly attractive humans?"

"I know how annoying it is to be around one," Luke said. "If you didn't get it, I meant you."

"You need to stop with the flirting," I dismissed.

"We told you Luke gets really flirty when he's drunk," Ashton reminded me.

"He's flirty anyway," I muttered.

Luke shrugged, then "Noelle. Ever been skinny dipping?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Any of you?"

They all nodded, and I snickered. "Of course."

"Let's get personal. Worst fears," Michael said, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Luke glance at me. I tensed. There was no way I was going to share that, even if I was drunk.

"Ducks and needles," Ashton answered, and I would have laughed but suddenly I felt a little nauseous and it wasn't from the alcohol.

"Noelle?" Michael asked, and I looked at my feet and shrugged.

"I'm actually kind of tired," I said quietly. "I think I'm going to go to bed."

"I'll show you where it is," Luke said quickly. I nodded and we both got up. I followed Luke to a spacious bedroom where I immediately collapsed on the bed, burying my face in the pillow. I felt the bed dip where Luke sat on the edge.

"Noelle?" he said softly, and I rolled over to face him but didn't reply. "You okay?" he continued, and I nodded. "You can't sleep in those clothes. They'll be uncomfortable."

"I'll be fine," I murmured, and he shook his head.

"I'll be back in a second." I watched him go then shut my eyes as the room started spinning around me a little. When I heard Luke's footsteps coming back into the room I forced them back open as he handed me the t-shirt.

"You feeling okay?" he said, folding his arms, and I nodded, sitting up.

"I'm peachy. Just tired. And the room's kind of spinning."

"You're not going to throw up, are you?" Luke said worriedly, and I laughed a bit.

"Nooo. Are you?" I asked, beginning to pull off my shirt.

"Uh, no. Noelle, what are you doing?"

"Getting changed," I stated, and he raised his eyebrows.

"In that case, I'll go. Night, snowflake." He smiled at me – still drunk, then – and left the room, shutting the door behind him. I put on the t-shirt over my underwear, and it reached past mid-thigh since Luke was so tall. I then climbed under the duvet and shut my eyes, feeling exhausted. However, sleep wasn't coming. I tossed and turned but I wasn't tired. Half an hour passed. Then an hour. It reached three o'clock and by now I'd sobered up, and a headache was coming on. I groaned to myself then froze as I heard creaking outside the door. I held my breath and listened more closely. Nothing. Then another creak. I sat up, my eyes trained on the door, hoping it was just Michael sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack. Then someone started to twist the doorknob. I was freaking out. This was it. This was the end, when I was going to be murdered and –

"Luke, what the fuck?" I demanded loudly when his tall silhouette appeared in the doorway.

"Shit, sorry, I didn't think you'd be awake," he whispered.

"Then why are you in here?" I questioned, trying to calm myself. "You scared me so much. I thought there was a murderer coming to kill me."

"Sorry. But that's a bit of an overreaction. And I'm here because my room is next to Michael's and he's snoring," Luke told me, fully entering my room and shutting the door behind him. It was only then I realized he was shirtless. I looked away quickly.

"What made you think you could come into my room?" I huffed.

"Well, I'm not exactly going to share with the others, am I?"

"Why not?"

"Because they all probably snore."

"What makes you think I don't?" I challenged.

"Please, can I please just share with you tonight, snowflake?" he implored, already walking over to the bed. I kept my eyes firmly on a very interesting spot on the wall so I wouldn't stare at his bare torso.

"Luke, I swear to god if you kick me or if you snore, you are sleeping on the couch."

"Are we forgetting whose apartment this is?" he challenged, getting under the covers and facing me.

"Whatever. Stick to that side of the bed." I turned away from him, curling up tightly into a ball.

"What? No cuddling?"

I scoffed and twisted round to look at him. "In your dreams, Lucas."

He grinned at me and I rolled my eyes, turning back around and shutting my eyes, ready to attempt to get to sleep again. But like before, I still wasn't tired. And suddenly, I wanted to talk. I faced Luke again, whose eyes were closed.

"Luke?" I whispered.

"Yeah?" His blue eyes opened, looking right at me.

"Can we... can we talk?"

"Sure. What about?"

I took a deep breath. "My worst fear."

Luke didn't say anything for a moment, and then he shuffled a little closer to me. "Yeah, of course."

"You know, right?" I asked softly.

"Well, I guessed." He bit his lip. "Do you have claustrophobia?"

"I used to. I had therapy for it, and I got over it. But... sometimes I have small relapses." I closed me eyes for a second. "Do you, uh... want to know why?"

"Only if you're willing to tell me. I don't want... I don't want to make you upset."

Why do you have to be so perfect, Luke? "I want to talk about it." I cleared my throat. "When my mom and dad were together, he used to travel a lot. Mom hated it. She never really liked being alone, so... she drank. At first it was only a little, then it was a lot. She blamed me." I breathed out slowly. "She started to hate me. I... she..." My breath caught in my throat. "Whenever she was drunk – which soon became, like, all the time – she hated... she hated seeing me. So she would, uh, lock me in the closet." I felt my eyes well up slightly. "I never knew when she would let me out. Sometimes I was in there for hours. Every time I tried to tell dad she would interrupt so he didn't know. I got too scared to try after a while. It got worse. Dad went away for longer." I suddenly couldn't stop talking. Along with the words came a few tears. "She... she hit me, a few times." Luke inhaled sharply. I exhaled slowly, feeling a bit better. I was glad to have told someone this. Jess knew, but that was it. "Dad eventually caught mom hitting me, and she ran out. We never saw her again."

Luke didn't say anything for a moment. Then his eyes travelled to the scar on my temple, which I didn't realize I'd been running my fingers over. He said with a clenched jaw, "Is that from her?"

"Technically it's from the corner of a table. But she pushed me into it, so, yeah. You know how I didn't want you calling me Ellie? That's what she used to call me. Now I hate it."

After I finished talking, I suddenly realized that I'd just told Luke everything – Luke, who I'd known for just over two weeks. I hadn't even told Nathan that, and I'd known him for much longer. Why had I just done that? Maybe I hadn't completely sobered up. "Uh... sorry for dumping all that on you. Night," I said abruptly and turned over, pretending to go to sleep. Luke didn't say anything, so I assumed he was going to sleep too. Then he gently touched my shoulder in a comforting sort of way before rolling over and after a few minutes, his breathing was steady, so I knew he was asleep. I tried desperately not to concentrate on the fact that I was sleeping in the same bed as Luke Hemmings, and after while, I drifted off.