Game Theory × NH

056 | barium

× Horan

"So are you going to tell me what's going on or am I going to have to force it out of you?"

Jace looked up from his beer. "What do you mean?"

It was Monday night and Jace and I were spending it at The Courtyard Bar. The place was packed - there were no empty seats anywhere to be seen. The sound of cheering came from a group of lads at the other end of the bar watching the sports station on the telly, girls in short skirts and low-cut shirts sat at a booth in the back scooping out their next pray, and about three dozen other people mingling and laughing as their sober thoughts quickly disappeared as fast as their drinks.

"I mean you putting up a wall and refusing anyone entrance," I clarified. "Ever since last weekend you haven't said much of anything, I was surprised you even agreed to go out with me tonight."

"Well, I couldn't refuse a date with Niall Horan, could I?" he joked with a sly smile that didn't reach his eyes.

He was beating around the bush and I was finished playing games. "Can I take a wild guess? Does it have anything to do with Hazel?"

Hazel was the girl Jace dated back in secondary school that dumped him without a reason only a few months later to start dating his best friend. It was just one other thing on the list that the two of us had in common: we were both deceived by the person we loved.

Jace's jaw dropped and I knew I hit the nail on the head. "How could you possibly know that?"

"I saw you texting her the other day," I admitted. There wasn't a point in lying to him, he would find out the truth one way or another. "I just figured that was the reason you were being so distant."

"If you knew, then why didn't you confront me sooner?"

"Because I wanted you to come to me. But a week passed and I was getting worried that something was wrong." I paused. "I really thought you would have come to me. I mean, I told you everything that had been going on with Lynn and I."

Jace looked away and down at his beer. "No, you're right, I should have told you sooner," he said dejectedly. "I just thought I could handle it on my own, but the longer I thought about Hazel's offer, the more conflicted I felt."

I opened my mouth to ask him what he was talking about, but the second I did, commotion caught my attention and I looked over my shoulder and saw James walking into the bar. But he wasn't what caught my eye; it was the girl next to him with matching baby blue eyes and bleached blonde hair. Abby.

I hadn't talked to Abby Moor in a long time, and from what I could recall, she and James still weren't speaking. But I guess a lot could happen in a few months.

They walked to a group of people in the corner and sat down. They didn't even see us sitting at the bar. Good. I didn't want any confrontation right now.

I turned back to Jace. "What did you mean when you said 'offer'?"

"That's what I'm freaking out about." His jet black hair was a mess and his blue eyes were almost glowing in the soft yellow hues of the hanging lamps over the bar counter. "Hazel asked to meet up. 'Just like old times' she said, like nothing happened between us."

"So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know." And then he laughed suddenly. "Of course she would do this to me - pop out of nowhere when I'm happy with some other girl. It's like she knows. And no thanks to her, I've been kind of an arse to Jamie this past week, ignoring her calls and texts..."