Second Snapshot (Picture This Sequel: Niall Horan)

-Confrontation and late nights. [Chapter 17]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN- Confrontation and late nights.

"I never said she was any of those things."

Claire retorted.

I just sat there feeling my cheeks heat up as she spat out each and every syllable forming the new list of rules for girlfriends and the consequences if any of these laws were breached. Niall and I had already breached all but one and I didn't think it would be long before we would be what Claire, if she knew, would describe as pure delinquents. I bit my lip as I scrolled aimlessly through the logs that Claire would surely slaughter me for if she was to discover. So, being the time filler searching person I was at this time I went through and deleted each and every one of the 178 that I had acquired in communication with Niall since last night.

"It's not always about what you say. It's what you imply."

Liam objected and I felt this hit me a bit. It wasn't even aimed at me and yet I felt some kind of relation to this. Like I should be particularly alert for those two short sentences but I didn't know as to why.

I leaned to the right and picked up my drink. Letting the cool liquid of the diet coke fizz on my tongue for a few seconds before flooding my system covering the nauseated feeling that was churning in the pit of my stomach as I listened to the argument continue to fold out in front of me.

"I never implied anything aside from what I said."

"You're a control freak."

Liam insulted and at this point I snapped my gaze up from my scanning of Niall conversations to register Claire's taken aback expression from Liam's fresh remark. Liam was seriously out of character today, was it really all because of Claire's new girlfriend rules?

"Excuse me?"

Claire raised her eye-brows and I caught Niall refraining from laughing as he smacked his hand to his mouth his laughter that had escaped his lips muffling into his hand at this argument and how Claire was so blatantly losing.

"You heard me. You're. A. Control. Freak."

Liam spat a steady repeat and I too had to refrain from reacting in some way, this was actually highly entertaining. It's not every day you see someone stand up to Claire like this, let alone Liam.

"What in hell's name is that supposed to mean?"

"Don't you know? You're the freaking queen of it. You treat us like we're two years old, thinking you have to control who, what and when we speak to or be social with. It's so stupid. You're a monitoring our call logs, do you know ridiculous that is? It's a downright invasion of our privacy; nobody should have the right to do that. You're so...obsessed with making us live by your rules when you don't even obey them yourself."

"How do I ever not obey my own rules? That's ridiculous to suggest so."

Liam looked from me to Niall and then back to Claire. This isn't looking pretty. I winced a bit as I sensed that what was about to roll of his tongue was not going to be a standard insult but something personal.

"Rule number four. We're not allowed to 'be social' or have any kind of relationship with any other crew members but we all know you still have a thing for Niall here!"

Oh shit. Niall's smirk dropped and he ran his fingers uneasily though his hair as he tried to catch my gaze but I chose not to look at him concluding this was not something we could discuss silently with everyone else here, it'd be too obvious.

"Liam could I talk to you outside please?"

She said coolly and all the boys aside from Liam and Niall did an oooh getting a death stare from Claire. I cringed as I could feel both Niall's and Zayn's eyes on me as I was staying scarcely silent on this subject, even more now that it had been put into the air open like a half-finished book for everyone to comment on. But I, was going to remain silent. I don't exactly know what you're supposed to say when your shared manager with your boyfriend has a thing for your boyfriend that nobody else even knows is your significant other, just an awkward ex in public.