The Balcony

Chapter 10

After their performance, Van and the lads made their way to find Lauren and I at the bar.

"Hello love, you alreet? How were we!?" Van asked me, beaming with enthusiasm as he pulled me into a hug.

"You's were amazing! Just as I expected" His face lit up at my response. We joined the others who were sat at a table in a corner. Van sat next to me, and I noticed how close we were to one another. I also noticed how much I enjoyed being so close to him. It's like it put me at ease. My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a shrieking female voice.

"VAN! I've missed you!" Some short, cute, brunette exclaimed as she threw her arms around him. He responded by returning the embrace. She waved at the rest of the group and to me. I smiled back at her. And whilst I had no right to be jealous, I was. Extremely. So I decided to remove myself from the situation by getting myself a drink.

"Anyone want anything else to drink?" I asked the group, as I stood up.

I got a response of "no" and shaking heads, and no response from Van who seemed to be immersed in his little brunette friend.

"Vodka and coke please. Actually, make that double vodka." I asked the bartender as I handed him over some cash.

I glanced back over at our table to find the brunette still sitting there, now even closer to Van. Well, not much point going back there I thought to myself as I took a seat near the edge of the bar.

"Eliza?" I heard a name call.

I looked up to find the pretty boy I had met at the party I went to a few days ago.

"Oh hey Josh. How's you?" I asked him, standing up to give him a hug. Although I didn't really know him, our little conversation at the party was nice. We exchanged numbers. He was a cool guy. He returned the hug, and although he gave good hugs, I couldn't help but notice that they weren't as good as Vans.

"I'm good Eliza, and you?" I nodded and pointed to my now half empty glass.

"Well, you know, as good as I can be being the cliched loner drinking at the bar." I laughed to myself.

"Well you're not a loner anymore" he said as he sat on the stool next to me.

"You want another drink?" he asked me.

"Sure. Surprise me." I was probably going to regret that response since mixing drinks always fucks me up, but at this moment I really didn't care.

***

An hour had passed and I hadn't even thought about Van. I was laughing at something Josh had said, and I'm not even sure if it was that funny or was I just really drunk, when i was interrupted by a hand on my shoulder.

"El. We're all going now." It was Van, and the tone in his voice was hard to decipher. His eyes gazed to where Josh had his hand resting on my thigh.

"Sorry Josh, this is my lift home. I guess I'll see you around though."

He nodded and smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. Van awkardly coughed and I knew he was pissed off. I noticed that the others had already left. I nearly stumbled as we walked out the door, and I knew that that last drink was a mistake.

"Woah, you alright there El?" Van asked me, as he immediately grabbed me to steady me.

"Why are you pissed off with me Van?" I asked him quietly.

"I'm not El."

"You are. You were giving evils to Josh for no reason."

As soon as I mentioned Josh, his jaw clenched.

"Come on El, let's get you home."

"Who was that girl you were with?"

"A friend..." He replied. "An ex, actually. Kath."

"Oh, she seems nice." I said, although it crushed me to know she had history with him.

Van half nodded at me, whilst looking me in the eyes.

"Van...?" I began. He raised his eyebrows at me as we reached his car.

"Can I stay with you tonight..." I half asked. The alcohol in my system had given me the balls I never had.
He smiled gently at me.

"You exhaust me, El." He said laughing and after that all i remember was falling asleep in the car.

***

I awoke the following morning, and after expecting to feel Vans body wrapped around me, I was somewhat shocked to wake up to an empty bed. I sat up too quickly, and as I did, the room span.

"fuck..." I groaned.

As I went to check my phone to check the time, I could hear music. But it wasn't just any music, it was Vans voice. I moved out of bed closer to the door to hear.

"Cos when you act placid, you know that i can't stand it

Whoever you're mixing your drinks with is dying to go to town on you"

I stopped listening after that. It felt wrong to eavesdrop. But I couldn't help but wonder, who was he singing about? Somehow I couldn't help but think back to the last night when he snapped at me and called me "calm and placid". But why would he write a song about me anyway? I opened the door to make my way downstairs. Van must have heard me, as he stopped singing and put his guitar down.

"Morning El." He smiled at me. "You want something for breakfast?" He asked me, before his phone began to rang. He mouthed "sorry" to me as he answered it.

"Yo Larry what's up? Ugh mate really? Can't you just walk or get one of the lads to pick you up? Fine, i'll be there in 20. See ya in a bit." He sighed as he hung up.

"Sorry El, gonna have to bail on breakfast with you. Larry needs me to pick him up down the town. I'll drop you to uni when I get back if you want, although I'd rather we go back to bed..." he began to laugh as I hit his arm.

"Go. Drive safe." I said as I playfully pushed him out the door.

"Look at you! Getting bossy in me own home!" He laughed before closing the front door.

I made my way back to the kitchen. Cereal. I wonder what kind of cereal they'd have. I looked around in a few cupboards before I came to one that contained one of those huge boxes of Special K. I laughed, as although it would be something I wouldn't imagine him choosing, it made perfect sense. As I set my bowl down on the table, I noticed a little notebook. Lyrics. I didn't want to look as it would be prying, but one word stood out from it all. "placid". As I looked at it closer, I noticed that it was the song he was singing earlier. But this was the full thing.

"I want to endorse you. I want you to exhaust me."

"Come back and find me with her entwined around me."

They're the lines that struck me the most. They were more than relatable. They were real.

And at the bottom, in bigger writing than the rest of the lines, was "SIDEWINDER", with the 's' made into a snake. But what I noticed the most was the writing in the bottom right corner.

"El x".