My Sunflower

eleven

After our concert, life has gone back to normal pretty much.

Well despite the fact that yesterday, the first day back to work, I was hit real hard with the post concert depression that I had to sneak off into the toilets to have a good cry a couple of times. Not to mention Darren caught me crying as I was walking into the bathroom and I screamed at him to leave me alone when he asked if I was okay. He just walked past as if nothing happened, didn't question it thankfully.

I'm walking down the aisles with a fish tank in hand, struggling with it that it almost slips from my hands. I shove it back on its shelf from where the customer decided last minute he didn't want it. Asshole.

I look down to see water pooling at my feet and I frown, brows creased. I round the aisle to where the fishes are and see Niall frantically mopping the floor which only causes the huge puddle on the floor to expand with each stroke he does.

"What on earth have you done," I ask, trying to contain laughter.

His eyes snap up to me, the ice blues looking worried. "Please don't tell Darren," he whispers. He points aggressively behind him toward the tank system beneath the bay he was working on, the siphon flopped onto the floor in a tangle of tubes. "That little bastard popped out the pipe and before I could realise it, all the water was gushing out!"

I snort, shaking my head. I brush my fringe from my face, going over to the sink and grabbing the blue roll.

"You won't be able to do it with that." I begin unraveling the majority of the blue roll, the action aching my wrists slightly.

As soon as it hits the puddle, it goes all soggy and sloppy and I crease my face up at it all.

"Can someone collect an order for Smith, please," Jade's voice asks over the headset.

I drop the rest of the roll on the floor, stepping over it. "Duty calls."

"Wha- Louis, you can't just leave me in this mess!" Niall calls a little exasperated.

"You got yourself in that mess, Nialler, you can get yourself out of it again." I punch in the code to the backdoor and go through into the stock room.

I find the order and take it down to the tills where a lady takes it appreciatively and leaves. Jade looks to me, giving me pleading blue eyes and exaggerates a pout.

"Lou you know how you're my bestest friend," she says slowly.

I scoff. "Sure."

She rolls her eyes. "Can you get my water from upstairs please."

I huff out a sigh, plodding over toward the stairs. "I'm only doing this so I can sneak chocolate!" I call to her.

"Thank you, beautiful," she mocks with a blow of a kiss.

Skipping up the front stairs, I go into the locker room that leads to the staff room. Once there, I open the fridge and steal a swig of someone's cola, before grabbing Jade's water bottle and shoving my hand into the box of chocolates on the table, shoving them into my pocket, the rustling of the plastic wrappers chasing away the silence ringing in my ears.

I swiftly leave the room and begin skipping down the stairs.

A song pops into my head and it brings both happiness and sadness due to the fact that I'm not at that concert anymore. "She's got a family in Carolina," I sing, looking at my feet so I don't trip.

Noticing there's barely any customers, I yell out, "oi, Jade, sing with me! She's a good girl, la la la la la la la, she's such a good girl," I sing out, laughing when I can hear Niall also doing the back chords of the la la from wherever he is in the store.