In Strange Places

15 - How I Want You

Hands winding into my hair, lips moving eagerly against mine, I stood enveloped in Liam's intoxicating hold for several minutes. My lips moved on their own accord, slowly yet willingly.

His lips were as soft as I remembered. And lord, was it an insane inner battle to break away. Every fibre of my being thrummed under his kiss but I couldn't let myself lose control. Not when there was such angst brewing between us.

With as much strength as I could muster, I pushed him off me.

No!", I managed to gasp, "No I am not gonna let you do this to me..."

"Do wha' Julia? Make you want me like you always 'ave?" His voice was rough as he stepped towards me. I moved two steps back, staring wide eyed at him.

Before either of us could say anything else, the phone rang. Grateful for the distraction, I stomped past him and answered the phone. My voice came out annoyingly shaky.

"H - Hello?"

"We can't find that fuckin' twat anywhere", an irritated Mancunian voice spoke. "Are you sure he isn't there with you, Julia?"

I sighed, "He is now."

Silence on the other end. I could feel Liam staring holes into my back.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me this earlier?", Noel was surprisingly calm.

"It was because I hadn't yet discovered him lying outside in front of my door."

"Wha' so you just found him before making your mornin' tea?"

"Actually, I found him passed out after you made the first call. A right sight it was."

"Ee-yare! You don't 'ave to talk about me like I'm fuckin' invisible y'know."

I didn't even look at him.

"Does he plan on coming back so we can do the fuckin' show tomorrow?"

"I don't know. You shouldn't have let him out of your sight in the first place."

"Right. And you shouldn't have been such a selfish cunt and left Manchester without giving him a proper fuckin' reason. It would 'ave saved us lot a world of trouble today."

Noel's scathing tone put me at a loss of words for the second time that day. Liam snatched the handset from me.

"The fuck do you want you dick?", he snarled.

From there on, the bickering between the brothers began.

"Get to fuck you dick! You pulled the same fuckin' stunt back in San Francisco and no one said shit. At least I had the fuckin' decency to tell you what I was gonna do."

"No, no, shut the fuck up about tha'. Tha's none of your fuckin' business, right!"

It grew progressively worse with every minute. Even after walking out and closing the door behind me, I could hear Liam loud and clear. The tendrils of a headache began to creep up on me and it wasn't even afternoon yet.

I sat on the couch with my head buried between my knees, trying to tune out the shouts. The fight could have gone on for an hour but in reality, it lasted minutes. When I heard him hurl something against the wall, I winced.

He stormed out of the room seconds later and stopped at the foot of the couch. I didn't dare look up.

"Congrats Harris", he said, voice brimming with contempt. "I'm going to be out of your fuckin' hair in less than five minutes and you can go back to being a miserable cow again."

He went back to the bedroom and came stomping out with his clothes in hand. Passing me without barely a glance, he swung the front door open and walked out of my apartment as abruptly as he had appeared before it.