𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 - 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 [✓]

𝟐𝟏. 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐀 𝐋𝐄𝐆

𝙹𝙰𝙽𝚄𝙰𝚁𝚈 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟷 | 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙼𝚂𝙻𝙾𝚆

The day had loomed over the group for a while, a mix of happiness, sadness and excitement associated with the date. They left Wilmslow to go to London for tour rehearsals on the fifteenth of January and they were itching to get away, not for any bad reason but simply because they wanted to perform. The band had been their life for the last six or more years and they were over the moon to be getting the exposure that came from a tour across the United Kingdom. 

They were getting picked up by a minivan at around seven in the morning the next day, so this was their last time the whole six of them would have together before they left. 
"Spin the bottle for old times sake?" Matty laughed as the conversation died down, making light of the situation that wasn't as serious as they were making it out to be. It wasn't like they were going to be gone for months, but the girls did feel like they would be missing out slightly.

"Do you fancy kissing all your mates then? Because I'm not putting my lips near any of you with a ten foot pole - apart from Adam obviously." Rebecca warned, laughing at how bad his suggestion was. 
He wanted to play shit stirrer as he was going to be missing out on it for a few weeks, "Elizabeths lips work near us."
She rolled her eyes and took a sip of her drink, "You can fuck right off mate." 

The song changed and it was one that caught his attention, so he forgot about his conversation with Elizabeth all together. It wasn't out of every bodies minds though when George absentmindedly came out with a bitter, "You never used to have a problem with kissing your friends."
It was quiet and hard to hear, especially over the sounds of the Healy screaming the lyrics to the 'best song ever to exist' according to him. It didn't go unnoticed, not by Ross or Elizabeth who both shot him a glare. Not making a big deal out of it but making it clear they heard him and disapproved. 

Adam and Rebecca excused themselves a shorter while into the night, Matty hollering and making fun of what they were going to go and do. "Get in there Hann, get that goodbye shag." 
Everybody laughed at him, Elizabeth joining in, "Remember I'm too young to be an auntie."
 
Talking a look around the room, Matty saw empty boxes of beer and no spirits left. "Well we're all out of drinks, Ross come help me out." he asked, not realising that the pair he would be leaving behind were still not on talking terms. 

Ross didn't notice the pleading look on Elizabeths face as he left the room. She didn't want to demand that she went instead, and look pathetic for not being able to last longer than five minutes alone with George; but she really didn't want to have to spend any amount of time alone with him. 

Sooner than she liked they had left the room, the music continued to play as they were sat on sofas on opposite sides of the room.
Neither one of them wanted to speak first, not wanting to have to apologise over something they both didn't feel in the wrong for. So they just sat in silence until Matty and Ross got back.

The awkward tension got worse when the music switched songs, even worse when Landslide came on and Elizabeth had to hold back her love for the song. George knew that she was acting unbothered when in actuality she loved it, but he was too stubborn to mention anything to her. 

"Christ, what died in here?" Matty asked, entering again with four bottles of beer between his two hands, Ross sporting the same carrying technique. 
"My spirit." Elizabeth joked with a smile, getting up to leave the room but Matty was quick to pull her back. 
"Where are you going?" 
"For a smoke, Lord knows I need one."

Once she finally left, Ross and Matty decided to grill George over his actions. "What happened then, how've you pissed her off this time?" 

He got offended, "I didn't do anything, she didn't want to say anything to me and I didn't want to say anything to her so we just simply didn't." 
Ross laughed, "So you both just sat in self-loathing on opposite side of the room in silence until we got back."

George nodded, not liking how it sounded but his friend wasn't wrong. "That's the saddest thing I've ever heard G. You used to be so close, just go kiss and make up." Matty acted like everything was so matter of fact and simple, but the feud was much deeper than that and George didn't even know why.
"I'm not going to go and apologise for something that I don't have to apologise for?" he scoffed, as if it all made crystal clear sense to him. The other two boys put their hands up and backed away, allowing him to deal with his weird and confused feelings by himself. 

Rebecca caught her younger sister on the way in from her cigarette break. "What's got you down?" she could read her sister like a book so she obviously knew something was up with her. 
All she could do was roll her eyes and laugh, "Guess who." 
Her older sister tutted and pulled her into a hug, "The pair of you might be the two dumbest people I know, and we're both friends with Matthew Healy."

She hit her sister and scalded her, "Don't be rude to Matty." 
"But you know it's true." she nodded, not disputing her sisters claims. "He's leaving for tour tomorrow though, I know you've not spoken in ages but can't you at least muster up the courage to be the bigger person and just say 'bye' to him?" 
Elizabeth rolled her eyes in true Collins sibling fashion, "I guess if I have to, but it's for everyone else's sake and not his." 

"We're gonna be off now to let you lot enjoy your last night pre-tour." Rebecca entered the room with a smile, her younger sibling behind her as if she was hiding away from the boys. 
Matty was the first to jump up, "Aww darlings, we'll miss you being there in the front row." 
He hugged Rebecca first and then Elizabeth, muttering into her ear, "George might be an arsehole but he's going to miss you. Even if he won't say it." 
She let out a nose exhale, thanking him for his words but annoyed that George wouldn't just say it himself.

"The trophy girlfriend of 'BIGSLEEP' everybody." Ross cheered, holding Rebeccas arm high as if she was the winner in a boxing ring, he had drunk far too many drinks at this point so all they could do was laugh at his recklessness. 

"And the trophy not-girlfriend but also photographer and sibling of the trophy girlfriend." 
She laughed, squirming as he picked her up from the floor a bit. "You couldn't have made that anymore long winded could you." 

Adam went to Elizabeth first, giving the girl he thought of as a younger sibling a comforting hug. "Look after your sister for me." She rolled her eyes at him being overdramatic as usual, of course she was going to look after her sister, but she doubted there would be many situations she needed looking after in. 
"Of course, look after your dumbarse bandmates." there was some offended chatter behind him that Elizabeth paid no notice to, as George went up to Rebecca to say bye. 

She knew that he wasn't going to approach her so she just nodded at him from their distance. "Good luck." She called with a smile and her hands placed over her heart, hoping he'd appreciate it.

It was a very awkward encounter, not only for themselves but for everybody else in the room having to watch it unfold. Anyone would think they were two cavemen experiencing human interaction for the first time. George made barely any effort to reply, almost freezing on the spot which confused her even more.

"We'll be seeing you in Manchester then." Rebecca grabbed her sisters arm and turned to leave the house. 
"Break a leg guys."

As they left the house, Rebecca shot her sister a glare. "Would it have killed you to give the man a hug?" "He should consider himself lucky that he got a word out of me."