Notice Me! (A Conor Maynard AU Fan Fiction)

Chapter 23 - Never Happy

Beth’s POV

It seems like hours until the doorbell went. Mandy and Olivia answered the door and told Conor to go upstairs as I heard them make their way into the kitchen – with Zack I assume. I could hear footsteps coming up the stairs and my heart began to race. I could feel it beating out of my chest and I held my breath as the footsteps got closer along the hallway and outside my door.

“Come in.” I said as I heard knocking and the door handle twisted slowly revealing Conor. But it wasn’t him. He looked dishevelled and down, he had cuts and bruises on his face and he could barely hold himself together. I stood up and ran over to him about to trace my hand over the cuts on his face when I remembered I was meant to be mad at him. I quickly put my arm back to my side and walked back to my chair, watching the last ounce of hope be drained from Conor’s tired eyes. Conor shut the door but I could tell he wanted to escape out of it again, wishing he’d never turned up here.

“What happened to your face?” I tried to sound uncaring, like it was just a question I was asking a stranger. I wanted him to think he had to work for me. I’m not going to be easy and jump straight on him as soon as he walks in the door.

“I got in a fight with Sam. So did Zack.” Conor stared at his hands, bruised and swollen from the fight. I wanted to go over there and hug him, tell him it was ok and I forgave him and that the world was his oyster. But I couldn’t.

“Oh dear. Sorry to hear that.” I said monotonously. There was a silence following this that killed me. I couldn’t bear to have him in my room without sorting this all out. “Is there anything you wanted to say?” I said, back to my normal self. I couldn’t pretend I didn’t care about him.

“Beth, I’m so sorry…” For the first time since he walked in my room he looked me dead in the eyes. I could see all the emotion in his eyes; hope, sadness, anger…

“Why though?” I said, already feeling that stinging in my throat I’d felt so much this past few days.

“Please, just let me explain it all… Sam didn’t do me any favours!” His hands were clasped together like he was praying. The desperation in his face made me feel so bad. He’d become this?

“Go for it.” I folded my arms and crossed one leg over the other.

“Yes, originally I came up with this plan to make sure Zack didn’t think I’d gone soft! I told Zack I needed to sort some guy out for flirting with someone I liked cos I panicked. I ran to Sam, knowing the brotherly side of him probably couldn’t refuse the offer of helping me, and we came up with a plan. We had to pick a girl in the class and you were the one.” I rolled my eyes, getting mad that he was just proving his point about me being part of a plan. “But as soon as I sat down with you and started talking to you, getting to know you and everything I fell for you. That’s all real. The feelings I have for you are real, nothing to do with the plan. As soon as I liked you I forgot the plan even existed! I can’t bear to be without you…” The stinging in my throat was most prominent in my mind, but the stinging sensation in my heart soon took over. He was definitely pulling at my heart strings.

“Conor, the point is there shouldn’t be a point in your life where you think you can just pick people up and drop them when it suits you!” I tried to be angry, but seeing this shell sat in front of me made my heart ache. This wasn’t the Conor I loved. This was some grovelling, desperate, lovesick guy.

“I know. I can’t say sorry enough. Please Beth, just give me another chance and I’ll prove to you that it was a stupid idiotic thing and I-I…” Conor cut his sentence short. I waited for him to carry on but he sat in silence, his gaze at his hands once again.

“Conor.” I took a deep breath in and out and his eyes met mine. “You’re not the guy I fell for. The Conor I know and love is a rebel, willing to get into fights to protect people he loves and isn’t bothered by rumours.” He looked down at the floor and ran both hands through his hair. “I want you to be you again, not this desperate man willing to get on his hands and knees to beg for something.” He suddenly looked up at me, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“D-Does this mean…?”

“Only if you’re you.” I shrugged and his face lit up. Those dead eyes were sparkling, his smile finally reached his ears and he ran towards me, picking me off the chair and pulling me into one of those hugs I had craved. I wrapped my arms back around him and whispered in his ear. “Don’t care what people might think of you. People will love you for who you are.” He kissed my cheek as he finally put my back down.

“I can’t thank you enough, Beth. You’ve made me the happiest man in the w-” He paused as he saw the expression on my face.

“Conor wouldn’t say that…” I raised my eyebrow and pursed my lips.

“Fine.” He said with a smirk as he pulled me towards my bed and lay me down. He climbed onto my bed and straddled me, kissing me softly on the lips. The kisses became rougher and my hands stroked through his hair as the kisses deepened. It was a feeling I’d missed so much, the fireworks and tingles running through my body as I was close to the person I loved.

“Beth!” Mandy shouted and Conor jumped off me, trying to casually sit next to me and straighten himself out as the door flung open and Mandy ran in the room.

“What?” I huffed. “Jheez, don’t you guys know how to knock?”

“Sam called Zack and they’re having a shouting match down the phone, he said he text you something really important!” Mandy said, her breathing heavy from running up the stairs. I looked over to Conor and reached for my phone, seeing one message from Sam lit up on the screen.

“Where’s Zack?” Conor said, Anger in his voice. After Mandy called Zack from downstairs, he quickly ran up and walked over to Conor, Olivia following quickly.

“Mate, he’s worse than earlier! He’s trying to ruin everything!” Zack’s eyes were wide and both of them looked over to my screen as I unlocked it and opened the message.

From Sam: Looks like Conor forgot to mention the girls he got with in your short break ;) and attached was a photo of his inbox, full of female names.

“He’s going to get it when I get home.” Conor snarled, his fists clenched. “This is such bollocks!” Again, the stinging feeling came back in my throat and I tried my best to hide the fact I wanted to cry. I preferred school rumours and random people coming up to me and asking personal questions – they were just curious people. Sam was on a mission, and he wasn’t going to stop until there was no more Conor and I… Unless we could find someone to take his mind off me.

“I’m going to rip the shit out of him…” Zack folded his arms and shook his head. “This is just ridiculous!”

“He’s going to wish he was never born at this rate!” Conor spat. I could see the venom in their eyes planning their revenge.

“No.” I said shortly, causing everyone to look at me confused. “I’ve got a plan.” A smirk grew on my face as all four of them leant in closer to hear my ideas.