D E S I D E R A T A [ g.d ] ON HOLD

08

I won't rant much this time, this is a new chapter and I hope you enjoy it ;) 

**

George nodded absentmindedly at the girl in front of him. Her name was Emma, Emily or maybe Ellie, he wasn't sure but he still pretended that he listened to what she was saying. The only thing that he caught was that she was into biology and that she to watch Bake Off. That's when he switched off and leaned on the wall with his hands clasped behind his back.

It was almost the week and half since he didn't stop doing it – going out and getting drunk to the point that he always wondered how he got home. Sometimes he'd be alone in the bed, sometimes he'd find Matty sprawled on his stomach still wearing shoes and his jacket but never he'd find a girl next to him because he would send them home as soon as they finished having emotionless sex.

"Are you even listening?" Emma, Emily or Ellie asked, poking his chest with her manicured nail. George looked down at her, not remembering how he got to talk to her in the first place. She huffed in annoyance, throwing her long black hair behind her shoulder. When she didn't get an answer from George she rolled her eyes at him. "You know what? I am out."

She turned around; pulling her tight dress down a bit and George moved towards her, "Wait, Emma, Emily...—" he called out.

"It's Ellie!" she snapped and disappeared into crowd.

George turned around and sighed and looked at Matty who was toppling over with laughter at his best friend. "That was funny!" he grinned out.

"Sod off, Matty." George replied moving back to his spot on the wall, looking for another girl that could be his new fun. That's when he saw her, standing on the other side of the bar, talking to some girls. Her floral patterned dress reached just above her knees and her brown hair was falling down her back. He already had too much alcohol in his system and the blunt he shared with some dudes outside the bar didn't help either.

"Where you going?" George didn't even realise he was walking until Matty called after him but he just ignored him and confidently pushed through the mass of people until he reached the group.

He lightly placed his arm around her waist and her friends looked at him, shocked and wide-eyed. "Nellie," he said over the music. The girl turned around and her friends started giggling while the only man in the group glared at him.

"Excuse me?" she asked, looking up at the tall man. "I'm not Nellie," she replied with a faint smile.

"Oh, but...—" he replied, still holding on her waist and before he could speak the guy launched at him, grabbing his collar.

"You better move your hands away. She is taken!" he yelled out and George just stood there, alcohol doing crazy thing to his mind. But he noticed Matty, walking over to them and pushing the two guys away and apologising to the group few times and telling them to get some drinks on his name.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he yelled as he took George outside the bar and the tall guy sat down on the cold pavement. "You cannot just grope random girls like that!" Matty ran a hand through his hair and crouched down next to George. "Let's go home. No drinking for you anytime soon."

George didn't protest as Matty dragged him up and called out a taxi. Drunk or not, he was sure that he was deep in something with a stranger that didn't want to let go of his head and maybe his heart, too.

The following day, when he woke up it was already afternoon but he still didn't want to get out of the bed. Sprawled on his stomach, his long limbs stretched out. He heard cars speeding down the street, his mates making music in the room next to his and the smell of sweat trickled his nose. Realising it was him who was reeking he got up and rubbed his face couple of times before getting out and heading for a shower.

"What happened?" he asked, groggily, lighting a cigarette as he walked in the studio, dressed in just pair of sweats.

His friends just looked at him with funny faces. "You don't remember?" Matty asked, setting down his guitar and walking to his laptop with a goofy face. "You tried to flirt with a taken girl calling her with different name," George's eyes widened slightly as he feared of what Matty could say next. "Who is that Nellie anyway?"

John started coughing a bit, excusing himself out of the room while Matty raised an eyebrow at George. "No one," he responded, trying to sound calm.

"Well, that 'no one'," he emphasized it, "almost got you a black eye," Matty replied, sitting back and strumming his guitar few times as George excused himself and walked back to his room, mentally beating up his crazy head for doing what he did last night and for not being able to erase her from his thoughts. He lay down, his back hitting with mattress as he stretched to get his phone from the nightstand.

**

Nellie sat in her living room, wrapped up in a thin blanket as she stared blankly at the TV. She couldn't sleep and it was almost 2 a.m. Empty cup of tea rested on her lap and she wasn't getting sleepy yet. Clive wasn't home yet ever since he left this evening to hang out with his friends what probably ended up with him coming just shortly before he had to go to work.

She pulled the blanket closer to her body as she switched the channel once again and settled on the rerun of CSI Miami. Getting up, she walked into kitchen and took cookies from their drawer and grabbed a glass of milk. Few hours ago she was tempted to go out just like she used to do from time to time but changed her mind.

What if she did the same mistake just like the last time? Nellie shivered slightly at the thought and took a bite of the cookie, brushing the crumbs from her t-shirt. Was he thinking of her too as much as she thought of him? Maybe the moment she thought they shared back in Seattle wasn't moment for him.

She finished her cookie and then grabbed the laptop from beneath the table and opened the Google page. She sucked in her bottom lip, her thoughts wandering as she typed in his name and the name of the band she'd seen on Tina's poster.

But before she could hit enter, the doors opened and she quickly exited the page and shut the laptop. Clive walked in, his shirt unbuttoned as he staggered inside, tipsy. He narrowed eyes at Nellie as she got up and walked over to help him in. "Move!" His voice was angry, arrogant and Nellie stepped back a bit. "What? You scared of your husband?" he asked, each word laced with sick humour. He got closer and grabbed her wrist, squeezing it tightly and making Nellie wince in pain. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you tonight?"

You already are. – Nellie thought.

Clive just snickered at her while she kept her mouth shut. She knew better than to speak when he is drunk and capable of doing whatever he wanted. He let go of her wrist and she stepped back, rubbing at it. With a laugh, Clive walked in their bedroom and shut the doors with a loud thud that probably woke up their neighbours too.

Nellie sighed, getting back to the couch and laying down.

That night she fell asleep on the couch while inspector Horatio Caine was solving yet another murder in Miami.