Panic Cord {Harry Styles}

one

may 23, 2015

"Come on, you look like a frigid old housewife!" Eliza shouted at me as I threw myself back onto my sofa, picking up my popcorn again and stuffing a handful into my mouth. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me," she whispered to herself more than me. "Are you seriously still moping around over Jamie?"

I shrugged. It was none of her business. Ok, maybe it was. She was one of my best friends but she didn't like him from the get go so of course, when we broke up she was over the moon. "I really don't want to go out. I just want to lay here and watch Friends reruns," I smiled at her over my bowl of popcorn.

"Fuck Friends, I've never understood what's so great about that show. Ava's on her way over here now and you better be ready to go when she arrives. I swear to God Jennifer Cole, if you don't get your arse up those stairs and into your shower I will make you. Because let's be honest, I'm not sure when the last time you showered was," I knew she wasn't kidding, but the idea of moving from my little cocoon of happiness was unpleasant.

Eliza had stormed into my apartment using the key I'd given her and was now standing - hand on hip - in my living room while I lay curled up in my duvet on my sofa. Her short, shoulder length brown hair was behind one ear, the other side falling in front of her eyes as she ranted about how Ava and her have missed me, and that I wasn't the same when Jamie was around. I knew I'd need to snap out of whatever funk I was in, because Jamie had no doubt probably found someone new. But I wasn't ready to do that, it had only been two weeks. And while maybe he wasn't the perfect boyfriend, I had still fallen in love with him over the past two years that we had been together. And I definitely wasn't the perfect girlfriend that's for sure.

"Okay, okay! I'll come with you both, but you promise it's just a quiet night for dinner and wine? And if you both decide to go to a club, I can come home?" She nodded happily, clapping her hands together. "And excuse you but I had a shower this morning," I said as I walked by her making her laugh loudly.

& & & &

"You look hot, babe!" Ava said as I walked into the living room shrugging my blazer on. I glared at her before grabbing my bag and stuffing cash, my phone and lipstick in it.

"Can we go now before I change my mind? This is sounding more and more regrettable by the minute," I questioned and Eliza let out a huff.

She turned to me and popped a hip. "Honestly Jenn, if you're going to act like a spoiled brat all night you don't need to come. We're trying to help you here and you're acting like we're condemning you to a night in hell!" She sighed.

I widened my eyes in shock. It was rare that Liza got angry or annoyed at anyone, let alone Ava or I. "I'm oh so very sorry, Liza but my boyfriend and I just broke up two weeks ago. I know you didn't like Jamie, but I fell for him. And as much as you warned me about him, I couldn't stop myself. He really wasn't all that bad. He loved me for the past two years and I can't thank him enough for that," I said. I wasn't going to beat around the bush. If she could act like she didn't care then I could too, I could tell her what I was feeling. "Are we going or what?"

Ava nodded, throwing an arm around me and then her other arm around Liza. "Can we please just have a good night? The taxi's been downstairs for the past minute and a half so we really need to move," she smiled, pulling our two bodies alongside her own.

I had started to look forward to tonight while picking out an outfit. I had started to forget about the events of the last two weeks. Yes, I still wasn't completely ecstatic about it because I was tired - extremely tired - but Eliza decided to blow her top and go off on a little bitching spree at me. When she broke up with her ex, she had missed him for a couple of months after the initial split. Yes, she still accompanied Ava and I on nights out, but it wasn't any secret that she went home and had a good cry in bed. I'd received the drunk phone calls to prove it.