Runaway Bride

Ch. 2

Once we were on our third glass of red wine, all of us started to get tipsy.  My vision was a bit blurred and my brain felt fuzzy.  But at the same time, I felt like I could run a marathon.  

Cara, who had been drunk once she arrived, was now passed out on the couch, arms and legs spread across the black leather.  Her hair fell to the ground and her dress revealed half of her black lace bandeau.  And to top that, Cara was snoring extremely loud.  What a lady.

"Aw, our little princess." Danielle mumbled, making weird gestures with her hands.  She takes another swig of wine then starts to chuckle to herself.

I join in with the laughter, but there's no use.  The whole night, I've been reminiscing my encounter with Louis and analyzing it more than I probably should.  But so many thoughts appeared in my mind every time I thought back to just a couple hours ago.  

For example, Why did I stop talking to him? I wanted to go on, but I just, stopped.  How did we both end up in the same Starbuck's? Aren't there like, 45678932 across the globe? What brought him to the one I was going to? And, what if he still loved me? What if I still... loved him?

"Eleanor, Eleanor, Eleanor!" Danielle called in different voices, bringing me back into reality.  I shook my head of these unanswered questions and looked in Danielle's direction.  "Gosh El, what's keeping you? You've been staring into space for the past five minutes!"

I grasped the large wine glass and started to whirl the red liquid around.  "Dani, can I ask you something?" 

"Ask away."  As she answers, she closes her eyes and spreads her arms, as if she was welcoming me into a hug.  

"Dani, you have to be honest with me."  She nods and mouths, 'I will.'  Before I go on, I take a deep breath, anxious about her answer.

"Do you ever, you know, miss Liam?" I quietly ask, my eyes wandering anywhere but her eyes.  I took a risk asking the question, but hey.  Who's going to remember tonight anyway?

"Of course I do.  He was the best boyfriend I ever had."  I could hear Danielle's voice start to crack at the end of the sentence, clearly starting to tear up.  I had the exact same emotion when I though about Louis.  He was the best boyfriend I ever had and not because he was famous.  But because he had every trait a good boyfriend has.

Personality: check.

Looks: check.

Trust: check.

I cut my thoughts off there and continued to listen to Danielle.  "I never wanted to break up with him you know?" Danielle continued.   "But as if we had the choice right?" She choked on her last words and a tear escaped her left eye, which she quickly wiped away.  The last sentence kept repeating in my mind.  As if we had the choice right? 

Let me explain something first.  Danielle and I never wanted to really end our relationships.  We were asked to.  

~*flashback from a year ago*~

"Girls."  George smiled as he greeted us, as he welcomed us into his office.  George Zimmerman represented the boys and had ginger hair that was styled in little spikes on the top of his head.  His figure was broad and business like, causing his tailored suit to ripple.  His office smelt like clean laundry and his things were organized and tidy.  Pictures of him and his wife lined his walls and his desk.  

"You know Louis and Liam work in the music industry, where many things are sacrificed so that they remain on top."  I exchange a look with Danielle, who's sitting in a cubed chair beside me.  She shruggs her shoulders and I focus my attention back onto George, who's pouring tea into a mug.

"And they boys aren't on top." He states, returning back to his desk, placing the mug of hot tea before him.  

"Which means?" inquires Danielle with knitted eyebrows.  I remain silent, curious to see what this meeting is really about.

"Which means, there are things that need to be sacrificed.  One Direction isn't being talked about and well, some new couples need to arranged."  I stare at George, who's still sipping his tea like this is nothing.  Like our emotions are just some kind of game that are for his own personal use.  

"And what do you mean by, "new couples"?" Danielle demands, clearly unamused by the situation.  

"More, famous, more known.  So we'll need you to break up with your said boyfriend and our plan will be in the works." He looks up at us, almost expecting us to be accepting of the situation.   George moves his gaze between the both of us and taps his fingers together, awaiting an answer.

"I won't do it.  And anyways, Louis and Liam would never be okay with this." I announce, rising from my seat.  I feel a sudden rush of adrenaline and rebellion surge through me and I clench my fists, in order to contain my emotions.

"I agree.  The fans know us don't they? Aren't we a tad bit famous as well."  adds Danielle, who's also standing up.  She crosses her arms in frustration and starts to inhale and exhale deeply through her nose.

"Not enough to be fully famous I'm afraid.  No, they wouldn't want this, but it's for their own good.  We're only doing this because we care about their career.  And I'm hoping you will do it for the same reason.  Do you really want to risk their careers being lost? Come on girls, I was hoping you'd agree with the plan."  

From then on, I didn't know what to say.  I was speechless.  I sank into my chair and held my hand to my mouth.  Did I really want to risk it? What if George was right? Oh, who am I kidding, he was right.  I cared about Louis' career, don't get me wrong.  But was that enough to end our relationship?  

"I'll do it." Danielle whispered silently, yet loud enough so everybody could hear.  She turned to face me and mouthed "I had to."

"Count me in." I heard myself say, looking at Danielle, then to George, who was smiling in excitement.  I then glanced at the floor, swallowing hard.  

"Alright, that's great! For your convience, would you like to hear the full plan?" 

I nodded, still observing the floor's hardwood surface.  At this point I was speechless, and could only manage to use body movements at this time.  

"Well, Liam will be paired up with Lola, the aspiring singer.  And Louis will be will a woman called Charmaine Garth.  First to break up is going to be Danielle.  Then it's Eleanor's turn.  And please, could we keep this between us? Many problems will be avoided.  All clear?"  He explained, revealing every detail of this horrible plan.  

"All clear." The pair of us chorused then leaving the room.  I followed behind Danielle, who stopped at the end of the hall.  

"Well, I'm off to, you know." I hugged her goodbye, then she was off to break up with Liam.  And in the words of Mr. George Zimmerman, then it's Eleanor's turn.  

I HOPE THIS ONE'S GOOD!

as I said before, feedback is always appreciated :)

Thanks to everyone who's reading... if anyone is... ;)

~*Mariah*~