Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Fliss

"Do you love me?"

"No!"

"Don't say that, cause, shit on your dporstep and youre gonna lose us!" Me and Saff were shouting at each other over the music, I was in the kitchen mixing up the medicines, white russians with a little something added for an even better night.

"This drivers cluelessss, he stops at the station and saysss!" I sang as I poured a little tia maria here and there, a little vodka elsewhere.

"Lets be havin yous out, you can't do that son," Van smirked coming up behind me, his hands finding their way to my hips, he chuckled as I shook my hips in time to his voice, letting out a giggle when he jabbed my waist.

"When I'm drunk I can be an arsehole, but that don't mean I've got no class no!" I heard Saff shouting from the next room, mocking my accent with a laugh.

"Why can't we have something going on?!" I sang back at her, Van trying his best to harmonise with me, stealing a sip of my drink helping me carry them into the next room to gift the girls with theirs.

Saff and Rhys were still sitting on the table, his back against the wall, her back against his chest, her head tilted back on his shoulder as she beamed up at him. Had he not been such a waster I'd have felt happy for her, but instead I felt my stomach twist, begging for another sip.

My heart was still thudding, whatever me and Van had taken was racing through me, all the adrenaline in the world, I'd sprinkled a little into Saffrons drink too, hoping it might ease the tension in the room if we were all just as gone as each other.

"Why can't we have somethin going on?!" Cried Bondy, Larry and Alice, jazz hands and all as the last note rang out.

"Do you not have neighbours or what?" Grinned Bob from the sofa watching the spectacle in awe as we threw ourselves down beside him, Alice giggling as she leant against his shoulder, Bondy falling down beside her. She was good at slipping into friendship groups without really having to try. That was how me and her had met, she'd turned up to a gig alone and melted into mine and Saffron's company like butter, leaving with us that night as if she'd always known she would be. 

"Yeah we do," I giggled, "but they're here too, its Jazz an the," Bob raised his brow, nodding apparently impressed by our luck when it came to estate agents and student housing. 

"That's fucking lucky," chuckled Larry. 

"For who, us or them?" smirked Jazz from the door way, gesturing for me to join him outside, he had the tell tale glint of someone who'd seen too much in his eyes, luring me over to get a closer look at whatever it was he was he'd seen. I pushed myself up with a small smile when Van's hands instinctively caught my waist, steadying me because I was swaying a little too much to stand alone. I bit my lip and focussed on the floor, concentrating on making it to the door without tripping up, giggling and shaking my head when Jazz smirked at me. "Alright love?" he chuckled shaking his head. "Look at these two ey?" he nodded to Benji and Katie who were still sitting exactly where they'd been sitting hours before. 

"Cute huh?" I smirked softly, "have they been our here all night?"

"They've been here every time I've been out smoke," he whispered chuckling when he glanced over my shoulder, "lover boys watching us," he chuckled.

"What?" I asked screwing my face up, a little confused but Jazz only laughed and me nodding in the direction of the sofa. "Who Van?" I whispered holding onto the flutter in my heart because I'd not felt that kind of tension in a long time. 

"Yeah," he grinned, "I don't think he likes me getting this close to you," he chuckled brushing a piece of hair from my cheek with the usual wind up merchant smile I recognised.