Today was the day of the party.

Van's house party.

I was a bit nervous, since he said there would be alcohol there, but nothing could happen.

Everyone who was going was people that Van knew, plus the boys were all coming, as well as the girls.

I put on my black jeans, chucks, a nice floral button up that Matty had given to me and my jacket.

I got ready and then sat on my bed.

I was simply relaxing, but was so spaced out that when my phone rang from beside me, I jumped rather high.

I picked it up, recognizing Matty's icon.

"Hi Matty!" I smiled, though he couldn't see me.

"Hello, love." he said back.

"So funny you should call, I'm wearing that floral shirt that you gave me the other day." He had one just like it, but it was slightly different in design, and he said he bought it because when he saw it he thought of me.

"Really?" he sounded excited.

"I'm glad I picked something nice." I could imagine him smiling.

"Well, look, Me and the boys, as well as one that you haven't met before are going to a small party tonight. Care to join?" he asked.

"I'd love to but I'm going to a small party as well." I said.

"Really, now? Where?" he asked.

"My friend Van just moved down here and is-"

"Throwing a house warming party?" Matty finished.

"Y-Yeah... How did you know?" I asked, curiously.

He laughed.

"Oh my god. Well, it just so happens that we are also going to that party." he laughed.

"No way! How do you know Van?" I questioned.

"We saw his band, what are they called, ehm, Catfish and The Bottlemen, and we adored them, so we started talking after their gig and turned out they were quite nice and we became friends." he explained.

"Well, that's amazing! I grew up with Van, he's one of my closest friends!" I said.

After the words left my mouth I frowned a bit.

Van was my best friend but I had lacked in talking to him or sharing with him recently, and there was a lot that he didn't know, so I felt bad for letting it slip.

"Well then, I suppose we will see you at the party. What are you doing until tonight?" he asked.

"I haven't got anything planned. Might meet up with the boys and girls when they're ready but if not then I'll just wait it out until I can make my way over." I thought aloud.

"Why don't you come hang with the boys and I?" Matty asked.

"You know, I'd love that."

"I'll be there in a few minutes then with a car. Be ready!" he cheered.

"See you." I smiled, and hung up.

Matty could be so bright, and I honestly loved him.

He was such good company.

Even when he got a little moody, or a bit in a state, which, George informed me that he does every once in a while, I still enjoy him, and George.

George was like this gently giant that was absolutely gorgeous and funny.

He was fit, and he was so kind.

Extremely talented, too! He gives Helders a run for his money.

I laughed aloud at that thought, and soon heard a honk outside.

I jogged down from my room, giving mum a kiss and leaving, running up to Matty's car.

When I was inside, I leaned over and gave Matty a hug, and he smiled at me.

"Ready?" he asked.

He had on his own floral shirt, and black jeans.

"Yes. Are we twins?" I asked, looking at his messy curly hair and similar apparel to my own.

He looked me up and down and then himself.

"Twins with different colored eyes." he joked.

I laughed.

We were then off, and soon enough reached the front door of his flat.

We popped inside and George shouted a hello and came to give me a hug.

When the giant stepped away from me, and occupied himself with Matty, I gazed into the room.

A new face was sat next to Ross, a man with shoulder length brown hair, that held some curl.

He was thin but he looked nice.

He had on a grey shirt that was lined with red, and some dark blue jeans.

He and Ross were sitting rather close, and looked engrossed in conversation.

Adam turned and looked at me.

"Hello." he smiled gently.

"Hi." I replied, smiling back before turning my attention to the way Ross and this other man seemed enthralled with one another.

"Oi, lover boys, company!" Matty shouted.

Ross and the man both snapped away from one another and looked towards me.

Ross smiled, "Hello, Sarah!" he said, getting up and making his way over to give me a hug.

I met him half way and hugged him.

"Oh, this is John." Ross said as he parted from me.

"Hello," I smiled, "It's nice to meet you." I said.

He stuck his hand out. "Likewise." he smiled.

Ross sat back down next to him, and slipped his fingers into John's.

I raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"He's uh..." Ross started, turning a light shade of pink and looking down.

"He's my boyfriend." he said, scratching his neck.

"That's fantastic, how long have you two been together?" I asked, making my way to sit on the chair next to Adam, as Matty and George sat down on the couch next to the other couple.

"A few months." Ross said.

"A few months?" Matty scoffed.

"It's almost been a year!" Matty laughed.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut up!" Ross laughed, throwing a pillow at Matty.

I laughed at the boys and their antics.

Adam was rather quiet next to me as everyone began to chatter.

"So, you don't talk very much." I commented, softly.

He looked at me for a moment, only allowing me a glimpse of what were actually quite beautiful Green eyes.

He then looked away again.

"Sorry, a bit of a shy one, I suppose." he commented, softly.

"He's not always shy." John butted in softly, while Matty, George and Ross were conversing.

Adam seemed to have shrunk.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When he is on stage, he may not go wild, but damn, he can play like a mother fucker." John said, raising his eyebrows.

Adam smiled gratefully.

"Really?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's quite the talented egg, he is."

My smile grew wide.

"I cant wait to see you lot in concert." I said.

I thought for a moment and then said, "John, are you in the band?"

"Yeah, actually." he smiled.

"I mean, I'm not technically a member, meaning, I don't do the photo-shoots or interviews, but I play Saxophone on the tracks and live." he explained.

"The Saxophone? That sounds fantastic! So you're the one behind that groove I hear in the songs." I smiled.

"That would be me." he smiled cheekily.

I couldn't help but laugh. "You do one hell of a job. As do you, Adam." I commented to both of them.

"Thank you." they both said.

Conversation flew off the walls with this group.

We never stopped talking, though Adam was more of an observer.

Before we knew it, it was time for the party, and time to have some fun.

I was quite looking forward to it, despite this odd feeling in my gut.

Plus, Alex would be there. I hadn't heard from him though, in quite a few days.

I bit my lip as I thought about it on the drive to Van's new flat.

We had all stuffed into the car.

George was in the backseat, with Matty on his lap, Ross was driving, and John was in the passenger. I was in the middle, next to Matty and George, with Adam on my other side.

I think Matty could sense my slight uneasiness.

He leant forward a bit and looked into my eyes, blocking my view of the window.

"You alright?" he asked.

I nodded and smiled.

"Just thinking about Alex." I said.

I felt no need to lie about it, at least not to Matty and the rest of the boys.

Most of them hadn't met Alex, and George and Matty already knew my feelings about him.

~~~

We arrived quickly and all piled inside, as the party had already started.

I weaved through the people that I didn't recognize, and as I gazed at the flat, I also looked for Van, finding him quickly standing next to a beautiful woman with dark hair, and a drink in her hand.

Van had on his flirty smile.

I stayed back a bit, not wanting to interfere, until Van looked over and saw me, calling me over.

The woman eyes me up and down and I felt a bit uneasy under her gaze.

I met her eyes as I approached and it seemed like something had clicked in them.

I didn't have time to think about it though, as Van pulled me into possibly one of the tightest hugs that I have ever received.

I hugged him back as I laughed.

"Oh, Sarah. Its been too long, god." he said, parting and smiling widely at me as he poked my face.

I swat his hand away and smiled.

"What do you think of the place?" he asked.

"It's brilliant, Van! It really is!" I smiled.

His blue eyes were shining so bright, warmth radiated within me.

"Oh, this is Ar-" Van began to introduce, but I was distracted when I heard my name.

"Sarah!" I heard Matty's faint voice.

I turned around, and spotted him half way across the room.

He beckoned me over.

"I'll be back." I smiled to Van and the woman, and jogged over to Matty.

He pulled my over, putting me in front of him as he put his hands on my shoulder, getting close to my ear.

"Look who has shown up." He whispered.

I looked towards the hallway, and there he stepped from.

Alex Turner, In all black with slick hair and a chain necklace, stepping into the room, and taking a look around.

Behind him came all the other boys, with their ladies on their arms.

Nick spotted me, pulling Jane along with him, as she hit Alex on the arm.

He quickly looked over and his eyes met mine.

I offered a smile and he simply stared at me, and his eyes moved down my body.

I hadn't even noticed that Matty had walked away, leaving me frozen as an odd look in Alex's eyes reared itself.

"Pip!" Nick smiled and shouted.

Alex looked away and I looked at Nick, smiling and hugging my brother as he picked me up.

It was like this with all of the boys and girls, as they sat around the couches that Matty, George, Adam, Ross, and John also occupied, becoming acquainted.

When they all sat down, I ran over to where I saw Alex walk off to.

I spotted him by the back glass doors, that led out to the pool area.

I walked over quietly, admiring his jawline and the way he stood.

He had a cup of something in his hand, and he took sips from it.

I tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello stranger." I joked.

He put on a smile that seemed somewhat forced.

"Hello." he said, smiling and opening his arms.

I stepped into them, giving him a hug.

Something felt off.

He held onto my tightly, and when we parted, stopped to kiss my cheek, and even the corner of my mouth.

"How are you feeling? Better I assume." I said, pointing at his cup which smelt of alcohol.

"Yes." he answered shortly.

His eyes scanned the outside until finally they landed on something and what I could have sworn was anger filled his gaze.

"I've got to go," he said quickly, setting the cup on the nearest shelf, and stepping out the glass doors.

I thought perhaps, to follow him but decided against it.

Instead, I shook off my odd feeling, and turned around, spotting all of the couples I knew being lovey on the couches, and a few even kissing.

Then, I spotted Adam, who looked so uncomfortable that he might get up and run any moment.

I made my way over, sitting next to him.

"Hey," I said to the sad looking man, setting a hand on his shoulder.

He jumped.

"Oh, hello..." he let out, seeming to shrink into something small.

"Are you alright? You don't look happy." I noted, sitting a bit close to him.

He took a few deep breaths.

I thought, perhaps, that he wasn't going to respond, but he did.

"Couples..." he said softly.

"Hm?" I hummed.

"Just, uhm..." he scratched his neck, then played with the sleeves of his sweater, which were pulled over his hands completely as he bit his lip.

"Seeing all my friends and stuff with their couples sometimes makes me a bit sad." he said.

"Why's that, love?" I asked, setting a gentle hand on his back to rub it.

He seemed to relax a bit.

"I have a girlfriend, but she... She lives really far away." He said.

"So you're long distance?" I asked, an empathetic tone filling my voice.

"Yeah... She's lovely, she's blonde, and she has these really pretty hazel eyes, and she's funny, and she's a bit younger than me, her name is Elouise... I call her Ellie, and she's sweet..." he rambled, getting quieter as a blush covered his face.

"Sorry..." he said.

"No, no, its okay! She sounds like a proper lovely girl." I smiled at him.

He, for the first time, gave me a genuine grin.

"She really is."

"But, uhm, seeing everyone being so lovey makes me a bit melancholic, because I... It makes me miss her, you know?" he said.

I nodded. "It's alright. You have all of us here for you. I'm sure maybe one day she can visit." I said.

His whole face brightened up, and he seemed to be less shy.

"You're right, and since you mention it, she is going to come and visit soon, a month I think!" He said.

His whole demeanor had changed.

I couldn't help but reflect his happiness.

"That sounds wonderful!"

He nodded.

"When was the last time you spoke to her?" I asked.

"Quite a while ago... My phone doesn't always work for out of country calls." he said.

I bit my lip, fishing my phone from my pocket.

When I found it, I pulled it out and pushed it towards him.

"Mine can make out of country calls. Go ahead." I smiled.

"R-Really?" he asked.

"Yes!" I laughed. "There isn't a password, and don't feel awkward about it. I'm sure she'll be happy to hear from you." I smiled.

He took the phone from my hand.

"Thank you, Sarah, you're such a sweetheart." he smiled, giving me a light hug and a peck on the cheek as he got up and walked towards the front door, to step outside and call her.

I smiled after him.

~~~

I had been with Van as he showed me around the second floor.

It was nice, and when we stepped downstairs, my happiness came to a halt.

Their lips were locked in a dark corner of the room.

He was gripping her, body totally involved with hers as they moved slightly.

Van was chatting with some man next to me and I watched the scene across the room.

She slid a hand down his chest and he pushed her against the wall.

This wasn't Alex.

No, no no, this wasn't My Alex.

I didn't recognize him, but it was him, despite how I was trying to tell my brain that it wasn't him.

It wasn't him...

It wasn't him...

It couldn't be him...

It can't be him...

He can't be doing this...

He can't be...

He can't...

He can...

He can be...

He is doing this...

It is him...

He was kissing her.

After all this time, he... He cried in front of me, he kissed me, twice , he slept in the same bed as me, he spent... hours being with me and comforting me, I comforted him, I thought... I thought we were going somewhere.

Years, years, years , I've known him and have been slowly getting closer to him, he enjoyed my company, and I enjoyed his, I... I fell in love with him and I thought maybe he felt something for me, but here he was... kissing this other woman.

It was the woman, the woman who was with Van earlier.

I was frozen as she parted from him, gripping the back of his head, and her gaze slowly and sickly met mine.

She smiled and I stared into her cold eyes.

Her smile was really a smirk, a sickening smirk that filled me with rage and fear.

Then, Alex turned, following her gaze until it met mine.

His eyes grew wide in shock and then he looked back to the woman, and back to me.

He shook his head, "No," he mouthed, looking back at her again.

"Van," I said, not breaking my gaze away as he tried to walk away form her and walk towards me, but she pulled him back.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"What was that woman's name, that you were with earlier?" I asked.

"Sarah!" I could barely hear Alex calling my name.

"Oh, Arielle." he said, before turning back to the man whom he was having a conversation.

That was all it took.

Her name.

Arielle.

It sank in and as I watched him break away from her, I ran.

I ran fast, and I made it to the door, though I heard my name in a few different voices.

I heard Matty, and George. I heard Jamie's voice, too.

I heard Alex's.

But it didn't stop me.

It didn't stop the tears from rushing to my eyes, and spilling violently as I ran as fast as I could out of the house, and down the street, wherever it would take me.

For a while, I thought I heard footsteps.

Footsteps following me in a rushed manner.

But they were gone soon enough.

All I could hear was the rough breaths that I was taking, and the hard clacks of my feet hitting the pavement.

~~~

When I made it to Libertine, I collapsed on the floor between the small pond and the bench that I loved so much.

It was dark and cold, but I was sweating and panting, and it didn't matter.

The sweat mixed in with my tears as I cried, and let out sobs.

I felt betrayed.

I felt disgusting.

I felt... many things. Every emotion was flashing through my mind, and even when I tried to tell myself that it was not a big deal, and maybe he was just drunk, I remembered who he was kissing.

Of all the people in the world...

Arielle.