Place In My Heart

They watched with disbelieving eyes as the door closed behind him. They sat on a cream, leather sofa set in silence, apart from the ticking of the grand clock that sat on the mantle piece above the fire. Each had their own way of passing time until someone else dared to speak up. Such as watching out of the window, onto the street as a steady stream of cars passed or tapping their fingers on the person beside them.

The only female in the room sighed, glancing at four blank faces. She shuffled around, trying to get into a comfortable position, which wasn't easy when she had an elbow digging into her left side and a boy practicing his keyboard parts on her thigh. It was clear she'd be the first to crack- not being able to stand the tension between a group that was too familiar with each other for that.

"Is anybody else losing sympathy for the lost puppy act?"

A series of grunts and incoherent mumbles erupted after her question. Referring, of course, to the boy who'd just excused himself so he could get himself in a suitable appearance for company. They were all bemused to see him lounging on the love seat in nothing but his boxers at 4 in the afternoon when they came round to drag him from the four walls of brick and mortar he'd been couped up in since they came off tour.

"Welcome, Nina, to the point we've been at for months." Sam said from his position on the carpeted floor, which he'd opted for rather to the position a practically naked boy had been on.

"He needs to get a grip! I love him to death and I did find it very sweet at first, but it's been over a year. Sixteen months of pouting and misery," Nina waved her arms around as best as she could in her confined area "and Kiley Townsen is not that special."

Her additional words were weak in her own ears, as they were in no way truthful. They all felt the absence of the beautiful girl within their group. Yet she was completely ostracized from their lives now, but he couldn't erase her from his mind.

"Can you remember the last time you saw him with a girl?" Dan asked genuinely curious, not just to stress the point they were all making.

"Oh I can," Mark raised his hand "let's see now... Oh the day before him and Kiley broke up."

Nina swallowed the lump in her throat as she suddenly had the desperate urge to cry. Sadness for her friend who had been left completely shattered. Every story she'd immersed herself in contained narratives where the female wasn't able to recover. They were dealing with a boy, past 18 and being on the verge of being considered a man. A perfectly attractive poster boy to the readers of NME and Kerrang. It wasn't understandable to anybody that knew him, or the girls that knew of him, why he chose to wallow in the remains of a school era affair.

"Are we positive he likes girls?" Jack piped up suddenly "the sparkly guitar, how fashion conscious he is and this epically long self pity phase. All the signs are as camp as Christmas. Shit! I think he checked out my arse the other day."

They couldn't help but giggle at the revelation his best friend has pieced together. Breaking the heavy atmosphere that hung thick in the Craig family's living room.

"He needs someone." Nina said softly. Pointing out the painfully obvious solution to the problem.

"What, like a rebound girl?" Mark asked, his eyebrows knitting together in thought.

"Rebound is meant to be like, the week after," Jack snorted "anyway like I previously mention, I don't think it's a girl he's after."

Everyone stopped what they were doing, apart from the motor-mouth that was talking at a horrendously loud volume. As George stood casually in the door frame, listening. None of them knew how much he had heard, but judging by the thin line his mouth was in, he has heard enough to grasp he was topic of conversation.

Nina shot up from her seat, making sure she slapped the back of Jack's head while she did it. A sheepish smile formed on her lips as she looked apologetically at George. All he did was sigh quietly, and nodded his head in defeat. Showing he accepted what they were discussing.

"Hear me out darling, I have an idea," she held her hands up to stop him from interrupting. "I know how much you want to get over her, but you can't. It's about time. So I'm going to intervene for your own sake, and our sanity. You need someone that will remind you how to love again, but not necessarily feel that way towards. Just to ease you back into it."

He didn't say anything. His left hand reached upwards to mess with his hair, ruffling it just a little more into an organised mess. Once again his head nodded, except the meaning was different. Now he was agreeing.

"I know just the girl." she gushed, excitement building as she had been given the go ahead. She would have put her plan into motion, regardless of whether he was willing or reluctant.