Best Story Ever.
Chapter One - Part One.
Chapter One - Part One
*Tam*
“Is that your phone vibrating, babe?”
Tam’s hands froze in midair over her keyboard and she glanced at the clock on the bottom of the computer screen. Seven minutes, she calculated. Seven whole minutes since she had sat at her desk and already, she was being interrupted.
“It’s fine,” She said to her colleague and good friend, Jenell, without lifting her head. “I’ll call them back when I’m done with this.”
Tam continued to type furiously, her brain in a flurry, and the mental list of ‘things to do’ in her head getting longer and longer. As usual, whoever was calling would have to wait. Tam knew her workload would be intensified when she became Front of House Manager at Verwell Theatre, one of the busiest theatres in the West End of London, but she had no idea her social life would gradually trickle away. Tam had been promoted three months previously, and in the last two and half months she hadn’t had the time to meet up with friends for a cider at the pub, or even babysit her God-daugher Mia. Tam loved her job, but she sometimes missed her past life. It had been a lot less stressing.
“Oh gosh, Matthew’s just emailed. Have you seen it?” Jenell asked.
“Not yet, what does it say?” Tam finished up her email, filing it in to the relevant folder, and then began clicking away on the mouse and scrolling through the rest of her inbox.
“He’s calling in sick tonight.”
“Urgh.” Tam rolled her eyes and shook her head to herself. Oh to be front of house again. Come to work, rip ticket stubs, sell ice cream, and then head straight to the local bar. Of course, Tam could still join everyone once her shift had finished, but that was always a good hour and a half after everyone else.
Tam found the email and scanned Matthew’s excuse of a ‘bad stomach’. She didn’t like to think of herself as strict, especially as she had worked Front of House with most of the people still there now, and they were her friends, but Tam felt they underestimated how much extra work she had on her plate.
“Would you mind filling out a Sickness Form for him Jen?” Tam asked. “I really need to get through these before tonights performance.”
“Of course, no worries.” Jenell replied, leaving her desk and heading for the filing cabinet. “Why don’t you forward half of them to me and take a little break?”
Tam sat back in her chair and exhaled heavily. Her contract was meant to be forty hours a week, yet she was on her forty sixth and it was only Thursday. Her long weekend off couldn’t come quick enough. Sleep, sleep, a couple of ciders, and more sleep!
“Are you sure babe?” Tam pried.
“Yeah, don’t be silly.” Jenell flicked her wrist in Tam’s direction. “You’ve been working like a race horse ever since you got the position. Don’t think it’s gone unnoticed.”
“Aww, really? Thanks girly.” Tam smiled a little, feeling touched. Jenell had been Theatre manager for over five years, so the compliement meant a lot coming from her.
Tam pulled the top draw of her desk open and felt around for her cigarettes. She’d recently cut down to two a day, (one after lunch and one after dinner), but today would be a cheeky exception.
“Besides, someone’s pretty desperate to talk to you.” Jenell said as she resat at her desk. “I’m pretty sure that’s your phone ringing again.”
Tam’s face dropped. She pulled a single cigarette from the box, along with her lighter, and walked over to the coat rack where her coat and bag were hanging. It’s not who you think it is, she thought to herself. He wouldn’t dare contact you after what he did.
“Oh wow…” Tam felt her heart leap when she saw seven missed calls from the name ‘Payner’, on her iphone screen. Instantly, the stress of the last few months evaporated. Just like that, she felt light on her feet and comforted. Liam Payne. Her best ever friend.
Practically skipping out of the office and without saying another word to Jenell, she raced out the door and down the narrow hallway, the cigarette hanging from her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she had spoken to him. Maybe the year before when she was back home in Wolverhampton? They had definitely Skyped on her birthday back in February, but that was all of eight months ago, and nowhere near the same.
Just as Tam got out of the staff elevator, her phone begun to vibrate again in her hand. She looked down at it to see the words, ‘Payner is requesting Facetime’, and couldn’t help but chuckle. Typical bloody Virgo, so ridiculously impatient.
She slid her thumb across the screen and stepped out of the fire exit into the staff smoking area. Liam’s face appeared on her iphone screen and tears burned the back of her eyes.
“Oh my God, Payner.” She muttered under her breath, and it was only at that moment that she remembered the cigarette in her mouth. At the same time Liam noticed it. Oh dear.
“Um, what is that?” Liam’s eyebrows met in the middle as he grimaced at Tam, the tip of his finger appearing in front of his face. “Tamina Cockbeard Allder, what is that?”
“Definitely not my middle name,” Tam said, laughing hard.
“Don’t you change the subject missy,” Liam continued. “We’ve talked about-one sec…” Liam turned his head and Tam thanked God that something else had grabbed his attention. She wanted to catch up, not receive a lecture.
Tam plonked herself down on the fire exit step, removed the cigarette from her mouth to drop in her blazer jacket, and smiled to herself as she stared at her phone screen in pure delight. There was a time she had the pleasure of seeing this face every day, and not on the front of a magazine cover either.
“I’M ON THE PHONE TO TAM!” Liam shouted behind him. “I DUNNO, HAVEN’T ASKED YET… MATE, COME AND TELL HER YOURSELF!” He turned back to Tam and shook his head. “Sorry about that, Niall’s being annoying.”
“Niall! Oh my God, how is he?” Tam squealed.
“Annoying, I just told you that.” Liam said. “How are you more importantly? Obviously not good if you’re still smoking.”
“I’m fine babe, just busy, and I’ve cut down lots actually. You’d be proud.” Tam beamed at Liam, flashing her pearly whites. “But anyway, haven’t asked me what?”
*Tam*
“Is that your phone vibrating, babe?”
Tam’s hands froze in midair over her keyboard and she glanced at the clock on the bottom of the computer screen. Seven minutes, she calculated. Seven whole minutes since she had sat at her desk and already, she was being interrupted.
“It’s fine,” She said to her colleague and good friend, Jenell, without lifting her head. “I’ll call them back when I’m done with this.”
Tam continued to type furiously, her brain in a flurry, and the mental list of ‘things to do’ in her head getting longer and longer. As usual, whoever was calling would have to wait. Tam knew her workload would be intensified when she became Front of House Manager at Verwell Theatre, one of the busiest theatres in the West End of London, but she had no idea her social life would gradually trickle away. Tam had been promoted three months previously, and in the last two and half months she hadn’t had the time to meet up with friends for a cider at the pub, or even babysit her God-daugher Mia. Tam loved her job, but she sometimes missed her past life. It had been a lot less stressing.
“Oh gosh, Matthew’s just emailed. Have you seen it?” Jenell asked.
“Not yet, what does it say?” Tam finished up her email, filing it in to the relevant folder, and then began clicking away on the mouse and scrolling through the rest of her inbox.
“He’s calling in sick tonight.”
“Urgh.” Tam rolled her eyes and shook her head to herself. Oh to be front of house again. Come to work, rip ticket stubs, sell ice cream, and then head straight to the local bar. Of course, Tam could still join everyone once her shift had finished, but that was always a good hour and a half after everyone else.
Tam found the email and scanned Matthew’s excuse of a ‘bad stomach’. She didn’t like to think of herself as strict, especially as she had worked Front of House with most of the people still there now, and they were her friends, but Tam felt they underestimated how much extra work she had on her plate.
“Would you mind filling out a Sickness Form for him Jen?” Tam asked. “I really need to get through these before tonights performance.”
“Of course, no worries.” Jenell replied, leaving her desk and heading for the filing cabinet. “Why don’t you forward half of them to me and take a little break?”
Tam sat back in her chair and exhaled heavily. Her contract was meant to be forty hours a week, yet she was on her forty sixth and it was only Thursday. Her long weekend off couldn’t come quick enough. Sleep, sleep, a couple of ciders, and more sleep!
“Are you sure babe?” Tam pried.
“Yeah, don’t be silly.” Jenell flicked her wrist in Tam’s direction. “You’ve been working like a race horse ever since you got the position. Don’t think it’s gone unnoticed.”
“Aww, really? Thanks girly.” Tam smiled a little, feeling touched. Jenell had been Theatre manager for over five years, so the compliement meant a lot coming from her.
Tam pulled the top draw of her desk open and felt around for her cigarettes. She’d recently cut down to two a day, (one after lunch and one after dinner), but today would be a cheeky exception.
“Besides, someone’s pretty desperate to talk to you.” Jenell said as she resat at her desk. “I’m pretty sure that’s your phone ringing again.”
Tam’s face dropped. She pulled a single cigarette from the box, along with her lighter, and walked over to the coat rack where her coat and bag were hanging. It’s not who you think it is, she thought to herself. He wouldn’t dare contact you after what he did.
“Oh wow…” Tam felt her heart leap when she saw seven missed calls from the name ‘Payner’, on her iphone screen. Instantly, the stress of the last few months evaporated. Just like that, she felt light on her feet and comforted. Liam Payne. Her best ever friend.
Practically skipping out of the office and without saying another word to Jenell, she raced out the door and down the narrow hallway, the cigarette hanging from her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she had spoken to him. Maybe the year before when she was back home in Wolverhampton? They had definitely Skyped on her birthday back in February, but that was all of eight months ago, and nowhere near the same.
Just as Tam got out of the staff elevator, her phone begun to vibrate again in her hand. She looked down at it to see the words, ‘Payner is requesting Facetime’, and couldn’t help but chuckle. Typical bloody Virgo, so ridiculously impatient.
She slid her thumb across the screen and stepped out of the fire exit into the staff smoking area. Liam’s face appeared on her iphone screen and tears burned the back of her eyes.
“Oh my God, Payner.” She muttered under her breath, and it was only at that moment that she remembered the cigarette in her mouth. At the same time Liam noticed it. Oh dear.
“Um, what is that?” Liam’s eyebrows met in the middle as he grimaced at Tam, the tip of his finger appearing in front of his face. “Tamina Cockbeard Allder, what is that?”
“Definitely not my middle name,” Tam said, laughing hard.
“Don’t you change the subject missy,” Liam continued. “We’ve talked about-one sec…” Liam turned his head and Tam thanked God that something else had grabbed his attention. She wanted to catch up, not receive a lecture.
Tam plonked herself down on the fire exit step, removed the cigarette from her mouth to drop in her blazer jacket, and smiled to herself as she stared at her phone screen in pure delight. There was a time she had the pleasure of seeing this face every day, and not on the front of a magazine cover either.
“I’M ON THE PHONE TO TAM!” Liam shouted behind him. “I DUNNO, HAVEN’T ASKED YET… MATE, COME AND TELL HER YOURSELF!” He turned back to Tam and shook his head. “Sorry about that, Niall’s being annoying.”
“Niall! Oh my God, how is he?” Tam squealed.
“Annoying, I just told you that.” Liam said. “How are you more importantly? Obviously not good if you’re still smoking.”
“I’m fine babe, just busy, and I’ve cut down lots actually. You’d be proud.” Tam beamed at Liam, flashing her pearly whites. “But anyway, haven’t asked me what?”
