I looked at Ed incredulously before I caught Harry’s eye and caused us both to burst out laughing. We laughed until my sides started to hurt and I had to clutch the counter top for support.

‘Right well, let’s leave them to whatever that is.’ Fran said, shaking her head at us like we were mad. ‘I better get back home. I’m having lunch with my mother and sister where I’m going to be interrogated about my lack of love life. Oh, the delights being maid of honour at your sister’s wedding!’

‘Ouch.’ I said sympathetically.

‘I know right and I’m hungover. Fuck my life!’ She cried dramatically swinging her handbag over her shoulder and balancing her sunglasses on her head.

‘Poor you.’ Hammy expressed her condolences. ‘Text us if you need an extraction.’

‘Thanks, H. See you later, love.’ She said kissing her on the cheek and blowing air kisses at the rest of us.

‘Have fun!’ Nick called after her sarcastically.

‘When hell freezes over!’ She called back before slamming the front door closed.

I laughed and picked up the now empty glasses walking them over to the sink to wash them up.

‘I should probably get moving too Nick. I need to get to work on this new album, management’s on my ass about it.’ Ed explained grabbing his hoodie and phone from the table. ‘Does anyone need a lift?’

‘Yes!’ Daisy said jumping up before she cleared her throat. ‘I mean; yes, please that would be great…’

‘Ok, that was very enthusiastic…’ Nick joked.

‘I just hate public transport.’ Daisy said blushing like crazy. Ed turned away from them to get his wallet off the table and Daisy took the opportunity to hit Nick on the head with her rolled up magazine.

‘I’d love a lift.’ Greg said. ‘I need to sleep…’

‘Ok, Hammy?’ Ed said, heading towards the door.

‘Nah, Danny’s picking me up any second now.’ She replied grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl and picking her bag up from the island. ‘You going out tonight?’

‘I’m supposed to be presenting an album to management today and I haven’t even started writing it… so yes I’m probably going to need to get pissed.’ He summed up.

She stared at him confused. ‘Right… you know what? Just text me.’

‘Nice to meet you, Ali.’ He said waving at me from the doorway.

‘You too.’ I said smiling at him. ‘See you guys again soon.’

‘Bye todos!’ Hammy said to us before strutting jokingly down the corridor waving her apple above her head in a wave.

‘Bye lady and gentlemen.’ Greg called as he walked out of the kitchen. ‘I love you Ali!!’

‘Love you too Greg.’ I said laughing. Ed wandered towards the door calling to Daisy to hurry up and that he was starting the car.

Daisy hurried into the kitchen and kissed all of us on the cheek and ruffled Nick’s hair glaring at him. ‘That’s the last time I tell you anything.’

‘Hurry up before he leaves you behind, princess!’ He smirked, she turned away from him and began towards the corridor.

‘Wait!’ Nick yelled.

She turned back to face him hissing, ‘What?’

He hurried over to her and tugged her t-shirt down a bit to expose the top of her lacy bra.

She hit his hands away from her boobs, ‘NICOLAS!!!’

‘Don’t flatter yourself, Dais.’ He laughed before pointing at himself. ‘Wrong team remember. Now go and flirt your surprisingly toned ass off.’

‘I hate you…’ Daisy laughed embarrassed and hurried out of the house before he could embarrass her further.

‘LOVE YOU TOO!!!’ He called back.

I was creasing myself all the way through their exchange and turned back to the sink.

‘You know they’re definitely going to end up together right?’ Harry stated, ‘They don’t need any of your help.’

‘I know… but I still like the role of cupid so much more than spectator.’ He explained shrugging.

‘Your funeral.’ Harry laughed.

I rolled my eyes at Nick’s comment deciding to tune them out. I focused my energy back on the dishes in the sink, I ran the hot water over the glasses and watched as the beige liquid swirled down the plug hole. I felt my mind wander back to the subject that I’d tried so desperately to avoid. I closed my eyes against the image of Sam and her in the shower and tried to expel it from my mind but I stayed there replaying over and over. My heart pumped faster and my muscles tensed as I felt the betrayal hit me over and over again. I swallowed again trying to dislodge the lump in my throat but it stayed there no matter how forcefully I swallowed. A sudden crack pulled me from the images.

‘Shit!’ I heard Harry yell.

‘Ali? Fuck! Are you ok?’ Nick asked hurrying over to the sink.

I opened my eyes finally to see red tinted water running around the sink and my hands clutching a broken glass. Harry shut off the tap and touched my clenched fists encouraging
me to let go of the glass. I straightened out my stinging hands and let the pieces of glass drop into the sink. They led me over to a chair and sat me down talking quickly to each other and occasionally to me but I found that a yes or no was sufficient as a response.

‘Guys, would you….?’ I tried

‘Do you have a first aid kit?’ Harry asked Nick cutting me off.

‘Guys…’ I started again.

‘I don’t know: this is a rental!!!’ He replied frantically searching through the cupboards for a first aid kit.

‘Ok, we have to take her to the hospital…’ Harry said clearly out of his element.

‘GUYS!’ I shouted causing them to fall quiet. ‘Would you stop?? It just looks worse than it is. I’m fine…’

‘You did not just say that.’ Nick said raising an eyebrow incredulously still rummaging through his cupboards.

‘What? It’s true! I’m f…’ I began.

‘Don’t say it, I’m not afraid to hit you.’ He said pausing to glare at me.

‘Shut up, Nick.’ Harry said, ‘Let me take a look at it.’

He eased closer to me on his knees so that he was on my level because I was sitting at the kitchen table. He gingerly took my hand and lifted the dish cloth slightly to see my skin. I watched his eyes widen and the colour drain from his face as he saw the blood before he fell backwards unconscious.

'Harry!' I cried as Nick ran over to him to help him up. I saw his chest bouncing wildly and had a panic thinking he was having a fit or something but then Nick held him up long enough for me to see his face creased with laughter.

‘Oh my god! Seriously?!’ I half-shouted as Nick hit him over the head and pushed him back onto the floor.

'You should of seen your faces!' Harry laughed hard holding onto his sides.I just stared at him unamused and in pain whilst he collected himself and then once he righted himself he became serious again. ‘But all jokes aside we need to get her to a doctor, it's seriously gross.’

‘Thanks, I feel so much better now.’ I said sarcastically. I felt my hand burning slightly uncomfortably and grimaced slightly, averting my eyes from the blood stain growing on the towel. ‘Shit, it really hurts.’

‘Come on lets go.’ Nick said deciding, grabbing his jacket to throw it over his jumper and tucking his feet into a pair of sneakers.

‘I’ll drive.’ Harry said grabbing his coat.

‘Uh, no, I’d rather not thank you!’ I said patronisingly. ‘What if you see a bunny, get scared and really do faint?’

‘You know I’m going to ignore that because you injured.’ He said grabbing my elbow and tugging me from the chair across the kitchen. ‘Just stop with the snarky comments and get in the car.’

‘But…’ I started tugging on his grip.

‘No buts! Just go!’ He kept pulling me.

‘Wait!’ I tried again.

‘What is up with you? Can’t you just be like a normal girl and get in my car without putting up a fuss?!’ he said loudly turning to me angrily.

I snatched my uninjured arm from his grip and put it on my hip sassily raising an eyebrow to show my irritation, ‘I was going to ask, oh fearless leader… if I could put on some shorts?’

I watched Harry cough awkwardly and his eyes flick down to stare at my bare legs. They then moved up my body to my bra visible through Nick’s t-shirt to my collarbone to my lips where they stayed for a minute.

‘Seriously?!’ I exclaimed. ‘I’m bleeding out here and you’re imagining what I look naked!’

Harry cleared his throat centring himself before smirking at me, ‘What can I say? I appreciate a good model when I see one just take a look the Audi out front.’

‘Did you just compare me to your car?’ I questioned incredulously.

‘I… umm… yeah…it’s supposed to be….umm… that usually…’ He tried

‘Usually works on ‘normal girls’?’ I asked. ‘Well, as you established earlier, I’m not like normal girls, Styles. So you’re going to have to work on what you consider to be ‘charm’. Asshole!’

Without waiting for any kind of response, I stormed away from him up the stairs to my room to get changed….

‘You got that right you certainly are not like the others.’ I heard him quietly say just before I could slam Nick’s door.

Notes

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T x