Caroline shifted uncomfortably in front of Harry, her phone still dangling by her side,her destination forgotten. She felt her skin prickle, and closed her eyes momentarily, swaying on her feet a little.
"How are you?", Caroline managed to ask, her voice sounding high and unnatural to her own ears.
"I'm good", Harry leaned against the wall they were standing next to, looking impossibly comfortable, and for a second, she thought about slapping him. "You?"
Caroline nodded automatically. "Fine".
She stared at him, waiting for him to speak again, but he didn't. Instead he grinned infuriatingly, enjoying her discomfort so it seemed.
"Better go inside", she mumbled eventually, and as quick as a flash, ducked inside the club, lifting her hand in something resembling a wave, leaving Harry out in the cold.
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Eilidh didn't feel like she thought she would. She had been excited for Hogmanay, it had been so long since she had been home, and was so excited to see her school friends and catch up. Now that she was here though, she felt oddly empty and removed.
Checking her phone for what felt like the millionth time, she exhaled heavily, annoyed at herself.
"Missing him?", her friend Tawny asked sympathetically, observing her behaviour.
Eilidh rolled her eyes at herself. "Yeah", she admitted, before falling silent again. She didn't want to divulge to anyone that she felt strange about her and Harry being apart that evening.
Eilidh had been nervous coming to this party. She had been invited of course, but hadn't seen most of these people in months, down to her working so hard through in Glasgow to keep the salon up and running. She had felt silly as soon as she arrived for her nerves however, her old friends Tawny and Eve greeting her enthusiastically and warmly. She knew that it was splashed across every magazine and paper in the UK about her relationship, and had noticed old familiar faces giving her sly looks, appraising her. She was no longer Eilidh McLean, dumped fiancée and hairdresser, she was now Eilidh McLean, girlfriend of famous boy. She shook her head, it sounding ridiculous even in her head. She was grateful for Tawny and Eve and their unwavering support. They were the kind of girls who it was just easy to be with, to pick up where they had last left off.
"So lovely having so many people back", Eve enthused, swigging from her beer bottle as her soft brown eyes scanned the room.
Tawny nodded, agreeing, flicking her bright red hair from her face. Tawny was the ultimate paradox to Eilidh, a bad girl covered in tattoos while sporting the most stunningly angelic face most people had ever seen.
Her and Eve were as thick as thieves and had been since they were little, and even now it made Eilidh want to laugh when she looked at them. Eve was positively cherubic in comparison, her soft brown hair plaited back from her face, a pretty, floral dress coming to a modest length below her knee.
Despite their differences they were best pals, and they had always made somewhat of a foursome with Nina and Eilidh.
"Awww, its Rudy!", Tawny's face lit up and Eilidh's heart froze, turning slowly to see her old best friend striding towards them, arms outstretched, eyes fixated on Tawny. Eilidh felt a pang of unwelcome jealousy as she watched them embrace, knowing that Rudy had always had a soft spot for the wild redhead.
"Ladies", Rudy politely bowed his head to the girls, his eyes meeting Eiludh's and holding her gaze for a second too long. She tried to make her mouth smile, but it suddenly felt difficult to move the muscles in her face.
"Going for a smoke", she mumbled to Nina, who nodded and squeezed her knee,understanding.
Eilidh fought her way through the party, making a beeline for the patio doors, her cigarette already between her lips.
She inhaled heavily as she got outside, breathing in the freezing,clean air, wishing it could purge her of all the confusing feelings swarming in her brain, threatening to overwhelm her at any moment. She groaned as she patted her pockets, realising that she didn't have a lighter.
She jumped when a hand holding a naked flame appeared under her nose, and rolled her eyes. Of course he had followed her.
Rudy laughed at her skittishness, standing back and looking at her, appraising, probing.
"What?", Eilidh asked, self-conscious as she drew nervously on her cigarette.
"Nothing", Rudy replied, sitting down on a low wall that ran round the periphery of the garden. "Nice to be home?"
Eilidh shrugged, pulling her jumper over her hands. "S'alright", she replied non-committally and Rudy smiled.
They gazed at each other for a couple of minutes without speaking. Eilidh examined him, realising that he looked fit and well. The hollows in his face had filled out slightly, and his eyes less haunted.
"He's not here, you know", Eilidh said suddenly, and Rudy squinted at her.
"I know he isn't", he replied, stubbing his cigarette out.
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Harry checked his phone and sighed. He didn't want to be the one to text her first, but he felt truly odd. Nervous, and jumpy. It was unsettling. Maybe it's because Caroline is here, an unwelcome voice chanted in his head and he cringed, taking a deeper drink of his Jack Daniels.
"You ok, mate?", Lou was at his elbow, and he grinned down at her, his eyes glassy with alcohol.
"I'm good, my old pal", he returned,slurring slightly, slinging his arm around her shoulder. "You?"
"I'm good", Lou awkwardly sneaked a glance over her own shoulder before leaning in to speak in Harry's ear. "Mate, I know it's a bit weird, but I thought I'd let you know, Caroline's here. I had no idea, otherwise I would have tipped you off".
Harry knocked back the rest of his drink in a oner and signalled for a new one. "S'alright", he replied, shrugging. "I already saw her".
Lu stared at him, her eyes questioning.
"Outside", he explained, hiccupping behind his hand. "She walked away".
Lou's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"She walked away", Harry laughed humourlessly. "Didn't wanna talk to me", he spread his arms open, looking down at Lou, who stared back, disconcerted.
"H, she's gonna find it hard to-"
"S'alright, s'alright", Harry waved Lou's explanations away with his hands, gulping more of his drink as she looked on worriedly. "I get it. She's alllllll moved on. Doesn't like me", he gave Lou an exaggereated pout while she still stared at him.
"Haven't you moved on too?", she asked finally, and Harry barked out a laugh.
"Oh yeah", he agreed sarcastically. "Totally in love with Eilidh. Another one who says she loves me, but will probably drop me when things get tough".
Lou sighed. This was not what she wanted to hear. "H, whats going on? I thought Eilidh was doing her own thing tonight and everything was cool?"
Harry turned and smiled mirthlessly at his friend. "Of course it's cool", he said without conviction, giving Lou a thumbs up. And with that he turned his back on her and wandered off through the crowd.
