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8.

I hung up the phone incredulously. The air outside seemed to drop 20 degrees as I pulled the blanket tighter around me and pulled another cigarette from my packet.

How have so many things gone so wrong so quickly? I can't help but feel like I'm a bad omen, that my being here is what's causing all of this trouble.

I suppose we just gotta be thankful that they were still in the syco building when the fight broke out, so this is one thing the press aren't gonna know about.

I sighed deeply as I felt the beginnings of a migraine. What is Es thinking? I mean she's always been in love with Niall right from the moment she met him. But I guess that was a schoolgirl crush, and nobody can argue that Harry is 100% man.

The porch door opened, making me jump. Luckily it was only Liam who stepped out, carrying a Chinese take away bag.

"Lucky thing I got here when I did or the delivery man would've drove away" he joked as he sat down beside me.

He put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him, letting me rest my head on his well toned chest.

"You can't fix everything all the time Han. I know you feel like it's your job but it's not, we're all adults here and our mistakes are ours to clean up"

I finished my cigarette and dotted it out in the ashtray.

"I know" I agreed with him. "But the biggest part of this mess is my fault"

At that moment my phone once again started ringing.

Huh, Zayn.

My hand automatically reached for it but Liam's hand encompassed mine.

"Don't" he whispered. His big brown eyes were full of pain, and it wasn't until that moment that I realised just how much my shitty choices affected everyone else.

I flipped the phone over so I didn't have to look at his name anymore.

"You know he still loves you, right?" Liam asked me gently.

"Oh yeah, so much that he's engaged to someone else" I snorted in response.

"Han, this life is hard. I know it sounds silly but there's so much pressure and expectations. Almost overnight it seems like you go from just an average lad to a worldwide sex symbol. You got supermodels knocking your door down for a date. You got top designers begging to dress you and one wrong move and the tabloids tear you apart. How many big celebrities do you know that live in the same house as before fame? Or dress the same, or date the same person? I'm not defending what he did Han but you have to understand that all of a sudden he was a somebody, and somebody's don't date little nobody's from Yorkshire, no matter how much they love them"

I sat silently for a few seconds, mulling over what he'd said. Deep down I knew he was right. Would I still be pining after Zayn if I was a mega star and had Zac Efron hitting me up?

"That still doesn't change the way he's acting" I eventually responded. "He's made his bed, time for him to lay in it"

Liam was about to respond when a loud crash from inside the house interrupted him.

Liam closed his eyes, clearly trying to keep his cool.

"They're adults Liam, they can clean up their own mess" I teased him gently.

He smiled weakly before standing up from the bench.

"Sometimes they need a little authority to get there" he responded as he pulled me up with him.

The shouts from inside peaked as we opened the back door and stepped inside.

Sure enough, Niall and Harry stood in the middle of the room having an epic showdown. Niall was yelling furiously at Harry, his accent making it so that we couldn't even understand the words coming out of his mouth. Although my bet is we wouldn't wanna know what he was saying at this moment in time.

Before Liam could interject the two, I stood in between them, a hand on Harry's chest, my eyes meeting Nialls with a steely calm.

"Do you realise how pathetic you're being?" My voice alone was enough to silence Niall, however his face remained a mask of rage.

"Is yelling at each other going to change anything that's happening? You're best friends for crying out loud!"

"He knew how I felt about her" Niall spat out, not meeting Harry's eyes.

"No offence mate but she clearly didn't feel the same"

"Harry, I'm warning you" I turned my glare on him, immediately silencing him.

"Yes, Harry made a dick move, but are you expecting no guy to ever date her because you have feelings for her?" I asked Niall, challenging him to argue. His jaw tightened but he made no comment.

"And you" I turned to Harry. "He's your best friend for gods sake, sneaking around with the girl he likes behind his back? What happened to the bro code?"
Harry lowered his eyes, staring at the floor in shame.

"Yes, this is a shitty situation but it's neither of your faults, okay? You're fucking brothers, now get in the living room and talk this out like men" I snapped at them both.

"And you" I snapped my fingers at Esme. "Outside right now" She bit her lip and walked outside silently.

I watched Harry and Niall walk into the living room and rubbed my now throbbing head.

"Nicely done sis" Louis winked at me.

"Fuck off Louis" I glared at him. "Nice of you to control the situation by the way.

He blushed sheepishly and followed the other boys into the living room.

Liam placed a kiss on my cheek.

"It's all gonna be okay" he smiled at me before following after the boys to act as mediator.

I took a deep breath and followed my best friend outside.

An hour and a bucketload of tears later and Esme had finally accepted that she'd been a dick.

"I can't believe I did that" she gasped for what must be the 40th time, downing the last bit of wine from the bottle.

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked her, finishing my own glass of wine.

"I have no idea" she sighed in frustration. "What happened with me and Harry was just casual, like I didn't think I was ever gonna get anywhere with Niall and me and Harry have always had this flirty banter and one thing led to another and we started sleeping with each other" I nodded patiently along to her words. I've heard this part of the story already.

"When Niall first showed interest I was going to break things off with Harry but I just couldn't, he was fun and wild and the complete opposite to Niall and i dunno Han, I guess I just wanted the best of both worlds" I nodded sympathetically. Boy did I know that feeling.

"What am I meant to do?" She wailed, shovelling another mouthful of chow mein in her mouth.

"Honestly Es, I think you need to let them both go. You're ruining a friendship here and it's not fair"

She grimaced at my words.

"I'm being selfish aren't I?"

"Just a bit" I agreed bluntly.

"I know! I'll let the fortune cookies decide!" She declared as she pulled them both out of the now empty bag.

She handed me one before unwrapping her own hastily.

I watched in amusement as she read her fortune, the smile on her face automatically turning into a glare.

"Let it go, new experiences are just over the horizon" she read out.

I let out a smug cackle, only making her glare more.

"Your turn, Mystic Meg" she said, throwing a piece of cookie at my head.

I opened my cookie slowly and carefully, my eyes scrunching up as I read my cheap future prediction.

"A new work venture sees a new love interest. Don't fight it" I snorted and threw the cookie in the bag. "I definitely think I've had enough of men for the time being!"

"Come on Han, the fortunes have spoken! Everything is gonna work out just fine"