Holy Grail (discontinued)

VIII. Drunk

“Everything alright here?” Of course. Of course Zayn would walk back over here. He assesses the situation, glancing between Luke and I.

“Y-yeah. Everything’s fine,” I stutter, refusing to make eye contact.

“Listen, Luke. I didn’t mean to overstep any boundaries. My apologies,” Zayn says to Luke with a small smile, as he takes a sip from his drink. Luke’s jaw clenches as he turns me around so my back is pressed firmly against him. He leans his chin on my shoulder and I bring a hand up to cup his face, stroking his cheek.

I can’t make it seem like anything was wrong.

“S’alright mate. I just get a little protective of her. She’s sh!t at defending herself,” he chuckles. And I feel like his statement holds so much more meaning than he intended. Or maybe he knows exactly what he’s saying; I can’t defend myself against him, and he knows it.

Zayn gives him a tightlipped smile, before his eyes shift to me. I don’t really know what to do, especially with Luke still holding on to me and Zayn staring so intently. So I smile, which causes Zayn to smile-wider than he did for Luke. Oh, that glorious smile that I hope to see again.  

“Guys!” Everyone’s attention shifts to Calum, who comes towards us with a pretty brunette on his arm.

“Hey, sorry we’re late,” he smiles. “Luci…this is my girlfriend Martina. Babe, this is Luci. You’ve met everyone else already.” I bring my hand out to shake the girl’s hand, but she pulls me in for a hug instead, forcing Luke to loosen his grip on me.

“Wow, you’re so beautiful,” she says, scanning my face.

“Th-thank you,” I nod uncomfortably. No one ever calls me beautiful.

“So, are you like, here with someone or…” she trails off.

“Yeah, I’m--”

“She’s with me,” Luke steps in, slinging an arm over my shoulders. Of course; he’s being ‘protective.’

“Oh, look at you Luke, making an honest man out of yourself. It’s been awhile, yeah?” Luke seems to tense at this, as Calum awkwardly laughs. But I’m just confused.

“We’re not dating,” he’s quick to say-too quick. And there they are; the words that break my heart. Why am I even here? "Just because I said she's here with me doesn't mean we're dating." 

I quickly glance around the group, noticing Zayn, whose eyebrows furrow, but soften when he sees my eyes shift off to the side, tears pricking at the back of my sockets. I know they’re probably turning red.

And I know he's probably just as confused as I am, since everyone-including me-was under the impression we were a couple. But I keep getting proven wrong on that one. 

“Excuse me,” I mumble, not waiting for a response before I step off. I don’t want to make a scene and cry in front of everyone, so I quickly head to the restroom, hopefully without running into anyone or being pulled back towards the group.

I stand by the vanity, hands spread a part on either side of the sink. My head drops, the tears clouding my vision as I suddenly long to go home; home as in New York. What’s the point of staying here, putting up with Luke, if he doesn’t even want people to know we’re dating, including some of those who are the closest to him? I might understand more if it was like, a month of something. But six months?

I take a couple of shallow breaths, before grabbing a piece of tissue and blotting under my eyes. My mascara is smeared, making me look like a raccoon, and my cheeks are flushed, but not from blush.