Stealing Hearts

"Is she bringing that strange girl with her again?" Jake asked George, looking at his distracted best friend over the rim of his pint glass.

"What?" George looked up from fiddling with the edge of his dark blue military style coat. He was filled with nervous anticipation; it was like this every time before his reunions with Eleanor. Why he was nervous was still a mystery to him, seeing as joy would be a much more conventional emotion to be feeling when knowing you are about to be reunited with the girl whom has meant everything to you since Year 13.

"Is she bringing that strange blonde girl with her?" Jack asked again, speaking slower and with more deliberation as if it would alert the speed of George's thinking process.

"I don’t know," he said honestly. "I can only assume that El will bring her along."

Jake groaned and buried his head his head on the shoulder of a very pretty blonde with long hair, who had a slightly confused expression on her face.

"What strange girl?" Laura asked Jack carefully, not sure if she really wanted to hear the answer.

"Eleanor is sharing a flat with a complete psycho," Mark quipped up from the other end of the table.

"She's not a psycho," Dan insisted as he shot Mark a warning glance. "Ignore him Emily," he said to his girlfriend of almost a year, who like Laura was wearing an anxious expression on her face, in preparation for what was about to happen.

"What do you mean with psycho?" Emily asked Dan with her large eyes shining in the dim pub light.

"She just not quite right in the head," Dan said gently, "but it's nothing serious."

"Nothing serious?" Sam erupted with feeling, but was prevented when George suddenly propelled himself from his seat and flew in direction of the pub door, which had just opened to reveal two girls huddled in layers of warm clothing.

With a shriek of utter joy, George threw himself at the brunette who was in the process of unbuttoning her bright blue trench coat, but she didn't get very far as a pair of skinny arms wrapped tightly around her waist. Before Eleanor could even say any form of hello, George's lips attacked her own in a home sick and longing way. Eleanor smiled into the kiss and placed a hand to the side of his face lovingly.

The whoops and cheers from the table of people behind them cut their welcoming embrace short, as the remaining members of One Night Only and girlfriends grinned at the reunited pair, their smiles being but a fraction of the couples ear to ear grins.

Chloe stood at the edge of this, winding her scarf nervously in her hand, not quite sure what to do.

"Hey Chloe good to see you," George said with a smile to the antsy girl, before he wrapped his arm around Eleanor's waist and planted a light kiss on her temple.

"Come on let's sit down," he said to both of the girls and guided them towards the table that their group had been occupying.

The reunion of friends was a joyful occasion.

Eleanor and Emily shrieked with joy at seeing each other for the first time in two months. Emily had been in the enviable situation of being able to take time off her job as retail manager at Kurt Geiger, and thus in the position to join the boys on tour. Cheek kisses were exchanged before Eleanor was introduced to Laura, who was slightly newer to the chaotic and downright crazy group of friends.

Laura had been at one of the boys shows and had gotten into a light hearted argument with Jack, about the lack of innovation and colour in their merchandise. And so on the spur of the moment Jack, who had already developed a huge crush on her, invited Laura to come along on tour with them and design their merchandise. Having nothing going for her at home and being bored of the place, she naturally joined them; much to the delight of Emily who was sick and tiered of being the only person on the bus who had objections to the smell. Another female was welcomed into the One Night Only family with open arms.

After having kissed everyone's cheek and welcoming everyone with a hug, Eleanor sat down next to George on the bench, emitting a contended sigh.

Chloe had been welcomed far less jubilantly, but nevertheless she also received hugs and warm smiles, even if they were rather cautiously given. She decided on sitting in between Mark and Sam. Secretly she had always taken a shine to Mark, but had been to shy and weary to act on her affections.

The evening wore on pleasantly, everyone chatting amiably and sharing stories of tour madness, which left everyone in stitches and even managed to produce a current of giggles from Chloe.

George was uncharacteristically quiet. He preferred to lean back keeping a hold of Eleanor's hand and watch her reaction to all the stories she heard. Her laughter at the ridiculous and sometimes unbelievable tales, left George with the guilt creeping into his stomach that he had not been able to take her along, even though Eleanor had explained a hundred times that it was not his fault that she couldn't leave uni.

Eleanor noticed his silence and turned to face, only to see him smiling at her intently, his eyes shining only for her. She laughed softly and leaned in to plant a soft kiss on his lips before turning back to join in the conversation about Laura's plans to launch a merchandise make over.

Chloe had been watching the tender interaction between Eleanor and George like a hawk, the tension in her shoulders and stomach growing. Her hands were shaking and her head filled with thoughts that she was unable to stop or control. Then the familiar urge got a hold of Chloe again as she started at George.

It was not the urge to have him physically but it was the urge to have that what she didn't have and couldn't have.

His affections and attention.

Chloe Andrea Rider wanted George Craig's heart for herself.