Pictures Of You

Love My Way

Noel felt his guts writhing within his body. He'd had his hands on her. Softly on her waist, on her face. Their bodies and faces close. Like how he wished they could be. But they weren't. It was Liam. Of course it was.  She wasn't pushing him back. She wanted it. Him. She'd put her hands on his chest. The way he wished she'd put them on his. Another twist in his guts. Liam and Maggie. Together. Somehow...he'd always known it would happen. He'd prepared himself. And yet it still stung. They looked good together. Of course they did. He exhaled shakily as he sparked up a fag. Let it go. He'd need to work with her so he couldn't hold onto this feeling.

He inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply. You're a fucking idiot. This crush has gone far enough. Maggie was kind to you. She listened. She seemed to like him just as he was even with all the twisted and bitter turns within himself. That was all this was. A crush. She was attractive. Funny. Kind. They barely knew one another. It had only been a month. One month. One month of weekends spent with her. Her eye roll. Her sarcastic tone. Her tinkling laugh that would sometimes descend into a cackle. Her soft hands on his inside a plaster mould. Her lips reddened by a rocket lolly. Her dancing green eyes that he was falling deeper and deeper. Blowing out the candle on the birthday cupcake she'd got him. In a month she'd managed to burrow deep inside the previously impenetrable heart of Noel Gallagher and now he had to shut her out. Forget. And watch as Liam got what he always wanted. The things Noel wanted. The attention of his father. And heart of Maggie Mitchell.

Footsteps. Hurried footsteps pulled him out of his spiralling thoughts.

"Ay! Where you going? You standing me up?"

Noel felt his heart sink in his chest. He turned around to face a slightly breathless Maggie. He'd never seen anything more beautiful as she stood illuminated by the streetlight on the street they both lived. She frowned at him as he let the silence rage on.

"Well?" She insisted.

He shrugged.

"Didn't think you'd notice me gone." He said simply.

She gave him an incredulous look.

"Noel...you invited me there with all your friends. I didn't know anyone then you just left me there...what the fuck was that?!" She said becoming impassioned with frustration.

Noel flexed his jaw in an attempt to control his anger.

"You knew Liam. You and him seemed to be getting on well." He said coolly trying to stop the rage and jealousy bubbling up and out of him.

Maggie flushed and exhaled slowly. So he had seen. But then...Liam had been right? Maybe. Only one way to find out.

"Liam made it look like he was going to kiss me to make you jealous. He told me so."

Noel searched her face for any hint of dishonesty and found none. He blinked slowly. His heart began to race as he panicked. Liam knew. He'd played him.

"What? Why the fuck would you go along with that?"

Maggie moved closer to him slowly. Closer until there was only a few inches between them. She was shivering but it wasn't cold. Her lip was trembling. He noticed. Her eyes were so focused on him that he felt like his heart would burst out of his chest.

"I wanted to see if it was true so I let him. And it looks like maybe it was." She said quietly.

Noel started to feel the panic set in. He felt like the houses on the housing scheme were closer than they'd ever been. Closing in around him and her. No escape. He'd have to face his feelings. Now.

"Yeah, alright. I was jealous. I was jealous when I saw you with him." He admitted with a relieved sigh as he let his shoulders come down.

It would be embarrassing getting rejected by her but she was kind. She knew they'd need to keep working together she'd make it the least awkward it possibly could be.

"Why couldn't you just tell me you liked me Noel?"

Noel shrugged and looked away from her.

"I mean we barely know each other. It was just a crush or whatever. It's no big deal. I think you're sound. You're kind and funny and really, really intelligent so it just...happened. Then you know that night when you listened to me on the kerb in the street...I don't normally really let people get that close unless I really trust them.  But like I said it's no big deal alright. Just forget it. I'll get over it. Don't make it weird or feel sorry for me or anything alright. Just forget it."

Maggie felt like time itself had completely frozen. It seemed to drag on a never ending conveyor belt. Noel Gallgher was openly admitting he liked her in the most wonderful way shed ever been told. Previous boyfriends had complimented her looks or just kissed her without asking. Never anything like this. All she had to do now was act.

"No." She muttered shakily.

Noel glanced back to her.

"What?" He asked.

Maggie pushed all of her fears aside and gained in confidence.

"No. I won't just forget your feelings like they're nothing because they're not." She said softly.

Noel felt weirdly emotional from her gentle words.

"Stop. Look I told you. I don't want your pity alright. It's nothing."

"It's not pity! And it's not nothing. Not to me."

He didn't believe her. No matter what she said he thought she was just being kind or that she felt sorry for him when he was being so vulnerable with her.

"Can I kiss you?" She blurted out.

"What?" Noel asked quietly as he began to look increasingly flustered.

Maggie carefully placed her hands on his chest feeling his heartbeat race beneath her palms. His blue eyes were darkened with a careful restrained desire.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked again.

Noel hesitated but nodded.

Maggie watched as Noel's lashes lowered and his lips parted slightly. Her heart pounded as she gently pressed her lips to his. His lips were surprisingly soft. They didn't brush against hers or push forcefully. He was patiently waiting and enjoying the moment. She deepened the kiss and when she did he felt him take hold of her waist softly and she shivered from the weighted heat of his gentle touch. He became less patient as the pleasure he was feeling from the kiss began to take over. His grip on her waist tightened and he opened her mouth to allow his tongue to begin a slow dance with hers. Cigarettes, beer, gum and lipstick all mingling together in an intoxicating cocktail.

Maggie couldn't breathe he'd taken all her breath from her but she didn't want this feeling to end. She'd never been kissed this way. So gently. So respectfully. Yet so passionately.
It wasn't how she'd imagined he'd kiss. She'd imagined it rough but this was the gentlest kiss she'd ever received. She'd been wrong about so many things regarding Noel Gallagher. Day by day she was slowly realising that. She pulled back unable to hold off anymore. She smiled as she noticed Noel pull towards her again clearly intending to prolong the kiss. Maggie gently pressed her lips against his throat hearing his sharp intake of breath made her feel oddly powerful.

She pressed her forehead against his throat. She felt protected and safe here.  Noel wrapped his arms around her gently.

"I like you too. I think about you all the time. You're honest and you have all these mad thoughts and ideas and opinions I could listen to all day. So I don't want to forget your feelings or make them go away alright?"

Noel nodded slowly not quite able to believe the last few moments had happened. She liked him back. Now what? Oh fucking hell.

He gently held her face in his hands feeling the soft skin beneath his fingers and smiled as he saw the soft blurry smudging of her dark Berry lips that he knew must now be staining his own mouth.

"Well you got your wish to see me in make up." He said as he brushed his thumb across her bottom lip.

Maggie flushed and smiled.

"Yeah. Suits you. But I think maybe a bit more just let me-"

Maggie kissed him in an unhurried manner and Noel kissed her back. Neither really knew what was happening or what this meant. But in that moment the only thing that mattered was  the feel of lips abd arms and heartbeats tentatively becoming one under the buzz of a streetlight in Burnage.