"Where's Stella?" I heard Liam say just as I was about to round the corner. I had just finished hauling all my bags down to the back entrance where we were loading everything up. What I should have done was quickly veer the corner and make myself known before the person he was asking the question - presumably Louis - had a chance to answer with a response not meant for my ears.
I should have done that, but instead I hung back, pressed against the wall and trying my best not to make a sound as I nervsously waited for a reply. I mean, since when did I do what I should have?
"How am I supposed to know?" Came the bitter bark from Louis.
"Whoa, chill mate..." Liam coaxed. "I know about the two of you... Last night. I saw Stella leaving this morning. Atta boy, Lou." I could just picture Liam nudging Louis' with his elbow in the way that guys did.
"Right, you saw her running out on me...running away from what she called a 'huge mistake'," he said. It almost physically hurt me to hear the pain in his voice.
"She called it that?" Liam asked in disbelief. "Wow, I mean, I figured that you guys would be... Well together now."
"Something like that, yeah. I kind of assumed that too. Like that old saying, I definitely made an ass of myself when I tried to kiss her and she said she had to see where things go with her ex..."
"I don't care what she says - that girl has feelings for you, Lou. And if yours are as strong as I think they are, you shouldn't give up fighting for her. Prove that you're better than that douche."
"But Liam I've fucking tried.... You know I have. How much more can I handle?" Louis sighed heavily. "He cheated on her.... Fucking cheated on her and she's still choosing him. She chose Harry, too. But the only time she chose me was when she was too drunk to think better of it."
I bit down on my lip, wanting to disapear into nothing after that last comment.
"Never give up on something you want, Lou."
Liam's words echoed through my head over and over again, holding deep meaning. Was it Max I wouldn't give up? Would I go home and fight like hell for him, even after all the ways I'd screwed up? Or was it something else? Something I wanted even more?
A reply from Louis never came, which must have meant they'd carried the conversation off somewhere else. I was almost relieved. I couldn't bare to hear much more of his strained words.
I stayed like that, pressed against the wall, leaning my head back and taking deep breaths. My eyes were closed as I heard someone say "are you okay, Stella?" The thick Irish accent echoed in my ears as I pulled my eyes open to reveal a smiling but concerned looking Niall; that boy was always smiling.
"Oh...yeah, I'm fine!" I answered quickly with a bright, fake smile. I pushed myself off the wall and began walking in the direction of everyone else, Niall following after me.
"I can tell that you're lying. I've got good senses that way, yah know. But don't worry; I won't pressure you to tell me what's wrong. All I'm gonna do is offer you half of my KitKat bar," he grinned as he pulled out the shiny red wrapped candy bar from his pocket and held it out to me.
I looked down at it skeptically then back to his face, smiling now. "But Niall Horan never shares food," I objected. It was a lesson I'd learnt quickly around here - Harry had tried to take one of his hot wings one afternoon, earning him a nice dead leg from Niall.
Niall shrugged. "I do when I see a pretty lady down in the dumps," he said smoothly as he crumpled up the wrapper and stuck in back into his pocket, then snapped the bar in half.
