And you need to know
You're the only one, alright alright
And you need to know
That you keep me up all night, all night

"Can I borrow your lipstick?"

I turned to the brunette girl with red highlights beside me who had just spoke. She had the prettiest bronze skin but also the messiest hair. Her lipstick was devastatingly smudged, so I reluctantly handed mine to her out of pity.

"Are you a fan of the band that's playing tonight?" I asked, opting for a small talk as I fixed my hair in front of the comfort room's mirror.

She briefly glanced at me as she reapplied her lipstick. "Totally. I actually met them, and they're so nice!"

I smiled. "That's good to hear."

The Latina handed me back my lipstick and leaned in, as if she was about to tell me she was secretly a man.

"Not only that, but one of them is good in bed too," she giggled flirtatiously.

"Damn, is that why you're a hot mess right now?" I questioned and she nodded enthusiastically. "Well, who is it?"

"You know the hot black guy?" she asked in a dreamy voice.

My eyebrows shot up. "Jordan?"

"No, you silly!" she giggled yet again. "The other one with the eyes that remind you of chocolate!"

I felt my whole body go stiff. "Ivan? Ivan Miller?"

"Yes!" she cheered, clapping her hands. "That guy is good. Probably the best I've ever had."

I cleared my throat. "Where did you guys, um, do it?"

"Backstage," she sighed. There was a faraway look in her eyes, as if she was remembering the moment. "His kisses are the bomb. That's why my lipstick is so smudged!"

Okay, I was definitely going to throw away this damn lipstick after.

"He told me he'd call me later, can you believe that?" she said excitedly. "I'm so excited! I can't wait to go out with him."

I gave her a tight lipped smile, just wanting to leave. Of course I could believe that. I mean, wasn't that what Ivan was known for?

"Anyway, I gotta go and watch him," she smiled and gave me a quick hug. In an instant, I recognized Ivan's scent on her. "Thanks for the lipstick and the chat, see you around, girlie!"

She skipped out of the comfort room after that, leaving me completely and utterly bewildered by myself.

I threw away the lipstick, not wanting to think about Ivan's lips touching hers. I felt so disgusted, and I had no clue why. Wasn't I supposed to be used to this? Wasn't this the whole thing why I agreed on this stupid bet anyway?

Even though I should've expected Ivan hooking up with other girls while flirting with me, I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

What if I wasn't playing him at all?

What if I'm the one getting played?

What if I was the only one getting attached?

I tried to think of Ivan not being in my life, and I shuddered when I realized it wouldn't be complete. He was a way bigger impact to me than Logan ever was because he could make me laugh and could always bring me up without even realizing it. I thought I was doing the same for him too, because he seemed to laugh more with me than with other girls.

But if he could hook up with another girl, then I was certain he wasn't going to fall for me anytime soon.

With a sigh, I strode out of the bathroom.

The loudness of the pub immediately engulfed me, and soon I was deaf with all the music. I worked my way towards the corner where there was a sofa with a couple making out, since I didn't feel like socializing.

Me being me, I plopped down right in between the horny couple, pushing them away from each other.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" The guy exclaimed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" I retorted. "I'm not the one having babies in some trashy pub."

"We're not making babies, you prude," the girl hissed, glaring at me.

"Well, you guys will soon if you don't stop being horny," I snorted. "Do you guys even have contraceptives?"

They looked lost. "Contra-what?" the guy asked.

I face-palmed. "Oh, my goodness. You guys really are going to have babies."

The couple stared at me then stared at each other before leaving. I smirked to myself and relaxed on the couch where I was alone, with no couple practically grinding on each other.

"Why are you all by yourself?" A voice asked.

I looked up from my phone to see Jordan, who looked as tired as I was. I shrugged and moved over so that he could sit.

"Jade is with Wyatt and Zoe is with Nico," I explained. "And Ivan's probably with a random chick he just met."

Jordan whistled lowly, resting his arms on top of the sofa. I dropped my head on his shoulder and he casually draped an arm behind me. "What's with the bitter attitude?"

I glanced at Jordan, who had an earnest expression on his face. Even though he had a face that mostly looked intimidating, I could see the softness in it.

And that made me feel like I could trust him.

"He made out with another girl," I sighed. "I don't know why I'm so upset though, I know he's like that."

"That's what happens when you expect more from someone," Jordan said as he played with my blonde hair. "You expected him to be a better person since he's always hanging out with you, didn't you?"

I nodded meekly.

He clicked his tongue. "Now, that's where your wrong. Ivan was programmed to be a player, you can't change him overnight. Don't expect him to change that easily when he's not entirely sure what he's after either."

"Do you know?" I asked. "What he's after?"

He smiled softly, looking down on me. "Of course, silly. He's after you."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "What?"

"Trust me, I've know Ivan for a long time. Yes, Ivan Miller is a joker and is always laughing, but before you, it was all fake. Now, I can tell that his smiles and laughs are genuine. He's being a douchebag right now, whoring around and hooking up with other girls because he's scared of what he's feeling. Ivan never experienced love because of his dark past, and now that he's feeling it, he's afraid to get hurt again." Jordan explained with a smirk.

"That doesn't make any sense." I whined.

"When did love ever make any sense?" he retorted wisely.

I looked up at him with a teasing smile. "How do you know so much about love?"

"Um, hello, does the name Darla ring a bell to you?" he scoffed, releasing a big sigh. "I actually really loved her, you know? Maybe the reason why I can't give my 100 percent to Kaden is because I still love her. Well, but that's also because I know that he will never love me."

"It's hard to move on, isn't it?" I sighed, earning a nod of agreement from him. "But don't you say that! You never know, maybe Kaden actually has a heart."

He snorted. "Ha. As if. I'm his best friend, I know he's straight as fuck."

"And I'm his sister," I debunked his statement with a raised eyebrow. "He might not be thinking about that right now, but anything is possible with Kaden. Trust me."

"I doubt that," he frowned. "He doesn't even know I'm bi, no one does, except you."

"Well, tell him!" I threw my hands up. "What are best friends for if you can't tell the other your deepest, darkest thoughts? Kaden might not be the biggest LGBT supporter, but he would never judge anyone."

He was silent for a while before nodding. "You know what? You're right. I'm going to tell him soon."

I smiled in contentment, snuggling deeper in his arm. Somehow, even though Jordan and I don't spend that much time together, I felt like he was a close friend, someone I could trust.

It bothered me to think about what was going to happen if ever I did leave Ivan. Would I still be friends with Jordan, Nico, and Wyatt?

Would I still be friends with Ivan?

Thinking of the devil, Ivan appeared out of thin air, and his expression was no where near his usual happy one. He crossed his arms as he stood in front of us.

"What's going on here?" he asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

Jordan smirked, and I immediately understood what he was trying to do. "Just chilling, bro."

"Yeah, I didn't really feel like socializing, you know?" I said and smiled at Jordan, moving nearer to him. "And Jordan here is keeping me company."

He frowned, his hands balled into fists. "Why didn't you ask me to keep you company?"

I shrugged. "You were busy banging some girl."

All color left his face, his whole demeanor changing. "I—How did you know?"

"This girl with pink highlights bragged about it in the bathroom," I informed him as nonchalantly as I could. "She's expecting to see you again, by the way."

He looked at me for a while before turning his gaze on Jordan. "We're gonna start in five." Ivan said shortly before storming off. Jordan sighed and gave me a somber smile before running off and chasing after his bandmate.

I walked over to the open bar once I was left alone, feeling like I needed a drink. I ordered a cocktail and downed it just before the show started. The band greeted the crowd as usual, but I could tell there was something off about Ivan, like he was fidgety and anxious about something.

Once they started singing, I swayed and sang along. I had been listening to their music because it was actually really good, but also because I really loved hearing Ivan's voice. I didn't really talk about it that much, but his voice was absolutely angelic and I could listen to him all day.

My friends went over to me. Zoe ordering a tequila shot while Jade stuck with her water jug from home. We sang along and occasionally chattered among ourselves.

The show was almost over; Zoe was tipsy, Jade was sleepy, and I was hungry. I was in the middle of debating whether or not to leave when something Ivan said spiked up my interest.

"The last song we'll be doing today is actually a cover of a famous song by Lany. I'm sure all of you know him." Nico introduced, earning a loud cheer from the audience.

"My boy Ivan actually suggested we do this song," Jordan wiggled his eyebrows. The crowd yelled 'ooooh's.'

"It's for his special someone," Wyatt added, winking at his bandmate. Ivan shrugged as if he had been caught, earning a louder cheer from everyone.

"What else can I do for someone who's probably my greatest adventure?" he jokingly argued with his famous grin.

But he was staring right at me, intensely might I add.

I felt my heart stop.

He said it, he quoted my all time favorite movie—he freaking quoted Up.

He walked over the piano on the stage and started playing a note that I was very familiar too. Wyatt strummed his guitar slowly, Jordan hit his drums gently, and Nico hummed softly.

"Ain't never felt this way," Ivan started singing beautifully, looking right at me.

My breath was caught up in my lungs. He was singing my favorite song, and my favorite version too, the stripped one.

Oh shit.

"Can't get enough so stay with me," he winked, making me blush deeply.

"It's not like we got big plans," he smiled and closed his eyes. "Let's drive around this town and raid some malls."

I burst out laughing, remembering the time we actually did. Ivan smiled at me as I did.

"And you need to know that you're the only one, alright?" Ivan sang and placed a hand over his heart.

"All right." Nico echoed, nudging Ivan playfully.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Ivan. I was so captivated by his voice and the way he looked as he sang. The thick emotions in his voice scared me to my core. It was obvious that he was singing his feelings, his feelings for me. How could I possibly break his heart when he was giving his all in singing my favorite song?

Zoe, ever the crazy one, started screaming and slapping me, as if she was the one being sang to. Jade was gushing, her drowsiness immediately gone. Their craziness should've snapped me out of my captivity, but I was too mesmerized to be pulled out of my daze.

"And you need to know that you keep me up all night," he nodded at me, as if I really did.

"All night." Nico echoed, winking me.

Ivan and Nico sang the chorus together. "Oh, my heart hurts so good, I love you, babe, so bad, so bad."

Zoe and Jade, with huge matching grins etched on their faces, made me sway along the music.

There were too many emotions that I was feeling right now, and I didn't know what to do with it. I ordered another drink and drank it all, feeling like I needed to be intoxicated.

"Mad cool in our matching hoodies," I chuckled when it was slightly off key, remembering our weird mall hoodies. "Mad warm when you laugh at my jokes."

"Aw, he changed some lyrics for you!" Zoe squealed out loud, earning dirty, jealous looks from different people. I hit her arm playfully, making her shut up.

"Watching movies in our fort," he sang, his chocolate eyes showing me how much he appreciated those moments. "And you listening to me rant and whine."

I cracked a smile at him weakly, suddenly having the urge to cry. Why didn't I feel this bad when Logan confessed to me?

Just when I was debating whether or not to push through with my bet with Kaden, the girl from the bathroom earlier passed by me. She waved and squealed at Ivan, sending him kisses and pushing up her boobs as he deliberately ignored her.

All of my hesitations vanished. If he really did love me as he was saying in the song, why did he bang this girl just moments before his big performance? If he could do it now, who says he couldn't do it in the future?

Boys like him need to know that they can't just hook up with whoever they want and still be with someone else romantically. They needed to understand what it was like to get hurt so that they could learn their lesson and never do it again. They need to feel pain for all the heartbreak they caused.

I needed to get even with them.

After the second chorus, Ivan stopped singing. He stood up from his piano with Nico taking over.

"Katherine Solace, will you come up the stage with me?" he asked. He reminded me of a puppy begging for attention, looking extra cute.

I didn't want to go up on that stage, but since Zoe and Jade were pushing me and everyone else was just looking at me, I was pressured to go up. Ivan helped me up and held my hand while his fellow bandmates and other people whooped at us.

"And you need to know that you're the only one, alright," he sang softly, staring right into my eyes as he leaned in. "Alright?"

Our faces were an inch apart when he sang, "And you need to know that you keep me up all night, all night."

And just right before the chorus, he kissed me.

The boys whooped in delight as we did so, and I especially heard Zoe scream and Jade gasp loudly. The crowd, despite the other girls being jealous, cheered on us, so I couldn't just push him away.

His lips were soft against mine, his hand ever so gently caressing my cheek. His kiss was showing me how much he really loved me, how much he cared for me.

Was it bad that I liked how that felt, to be loved and for someone to love care for me like this? What did that make me out to be?

"Damn," he said breathlessly with a smile once he pulled away. "Are you my favorite movie? Because I can relive you kissing me back again and again."

Despite my nerves, I laughed. Of course Ivan would say something stupid even in a supposedly romantic moment.

Ivan continued the song with his arm wrapped around me, swaying me along to the beat of the music. He had the biggest grin on his face, and I wondered if I really did have the power to wipe it off.

"Okay so based on this whole cheesy thing," he began once the song ended. "You must know that I love you by now."

I nodded meekly, not knowing what to say.

He took his arm off of me and faced me properly. I wish he didn't do that because now I could see how genuine his feelings were, how bad I was going to hurt him.

"So, Kath," he said with a hopeful and shy smile. "What do you say about being the Ellie to my Carl?"

I gulped and looked around to see that everyone was awaiting for my response. Zoe and Jade looked pained while Nico, Wyatt, and Jordan were all huddled up with matching smirks.

I couldn't bring myself to answer him.

So instead, I grabbed his hand and pulled him off the stage with me. The chatter in the room arose and people murmured about what was happening. I couldn't bear to look at his bandmates, so I averted my eyes from them. The last thing I saw before exiting the pub was Zoe and Jade's weak supportive smiles.

When we were far enough from everyone, I stopped in my tracks. I turned around to see Ivan with a playful expression.

"If you wanted to get me alone, you should've just told me instead of pulling me away from everyone aggressively." He joked, but I could tell he was a bit uneasy.

I bit my lip and ran a hand on my arm since the night breeze was making me feel a bit cold. Well, maybe it wasn't from being cold, maybe I was just nervous.

"Ivan..." I trailed off, not knowing how to begin.

The smile was immediately wiped off his face. "No, please, I already know what you're gonna say."

"How?" I asked him.

"Isn't that what happens in movies?" he smiled sardonically. "When the girl doesn't answer in front of the whole crowd, it means she doesn't want anything to do with the guy."

I closed my eyes in a grimace. "It's just that—"

"Can't you give me a chance?" he begged, cutting me off. There was an expression in his face that I had never seen before. "If you could hangout with me despite my reputation and treat me like a normal person, then you can give me a chance to date you."

I exhaled through my nose. "But that's just it. I can't. It's not because of your reputation, it's because you live up to it."

All color drained from his face. "Didn't you listen to the song? I said—"

"Yeah, I heard it loud and clear, Ivan. I'm the only one, right?" I laughed dryly, cutting him off this time. "If I really was the only one, then why hook up with that girl from earlier? Why continue to play with girls while you hang out with me?"

"It's because I'm scared of how I'm feeling!" he snapped, his face showing vulnerability. "I never knew how to love since nobody ever really loved me. I wanted to be sure that I loved you and not anybody else, and my fucked up way of testing that is to see if I'm happy doing what I'm used to doing."

He looked right at me. "And I'm not. I realized that I never was. Until I met you."

"But that's the point, Ivan," I retorted, crossing my arms. "You said so yourself that you were never loved. Did you play with girls for them to feel that too? You must know how it feels to not have someone love you back, yet you still went ahead and made others feel it. That feeling sucks, doesn't it? It makes you feel worthless, it makes you not want to live, so why did you make someone else feel that? Why would you make other girls suffer like you did when you know yourself that it's hard to move on from?"

I know I was being hypocritical, but he deserved it. I knew he was hurting, but he didn't have to anyone else too. He didn't have to hurt plenty of girls.

He didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't reciprocate," I said coldly. "Why did you even do it, huh? Why did you