English Rose - liam gallagher fic

23. when the sun goes down

I waited a day before ringing Liam, seeing if he would have cooled off by then.

"Hello?" Peggy answered, and I was nervous. I don't know if Liam's told her we've fallen out but I don't want her to hate me.

"Hiya Peggy is Liam there?" I said anxiously.

"Eee alright love," she said and I sighed quietly in relief. "Yeah hold on I'll just go get him."

There was shouting and heavy footsteps and rustling of the phone.

"Hello?" He asked in his aggressively thick accent,

"Liam," I said, getting nervous again. "I'm really sorry."

Then the line went dead, and suddenly tears were rolling down my cheeks. I don't get how I can go from his best friend to the devil within two days.

"Are you okay love?" My sister asked, coming up behind me and rubbing my shoulders. It was one of the rare times that she wasn't drunk or hungover.

"Liam hates me," I muttered, wiping my tears but when she shuffled around to face me and wrapped her arms around me I started sobbing.

"Do you want to go out? Take your mind off it?" She offered, shuffling the straps of her grey cami up.

I nodded and her slim fingers ran across my face as she wiped the tears. Thankfully I had no makeup on, so I had no panda eyes.

"Come on girl, put your shoes on," she said, and she took my hands to pull me up.

I sniffled as I pulled on my converse and tied the laces. Zara held her hand out for me as she stood by the door.

"I feel so bad for you," she said, engulfing me in a hug and rubbing my back.

I sighed and rested my chin and her shoulder and we walked out of the door.

We got on a bus and found ourselves, unfortunately for me, in Burnage as Zara wanted to go to Sifters. I was gonna say something about her disloyalty to Backbeat Records, but then I remembered she has no ties with it as it's not her dad who runs it.

We walked through a park, looking for somewhere to sit down where we can drink our slush puppies and eat our kebabs in peace.

I was starting to temporarily cheer up, we lied on the grass having a good old chuckle at daft things. Zara pointed out that one of the clouds looks like an old fashioned sex toy and then noticed some old crank going for a shit in a bush about 20 ft away.

I picked at my kebab, as it was just the remnants and crumbs left.

"CLARKY!" I heard someone shout, and my head snapped up. I seen Noel running over to me with a football under arm.

"Hiya mate," I said swallowing, nowhere near as cherry as I'd normally greet him.

"How are you?" He asked, sitting down and I could tell he was being sincere.

"I suppose you've heard," I shrugged, and he clicked his tongue with a nod.

"Liam's a mess," he told me, "I can tell he's upset but he's hiding it behind all this anger."

"Tell him I want to talk to him," I said, with a pleading tone to my voice.

"He's over there," he told me, and I shook my head.

"He won't speak to me."

"I'll send him over," Noel said and walked off, over towards his football playing group of lads.

I watched from a distance and shared a look with Zara, and she put her hand on my shoulder for support. They looked like they were arguing and Noel shoved Liam and Liam put his head in his hands in frustration before stomping over.

As he grew closer I could see his unreadable face become clearer.

"We gonna talk then?" He said to me plainly, and I looked over to Zara before standing up and walking away with Liam.

We sat on a bench and I had one leg crossed underneath the other and I sat facing him while he sat frowning at his feet.

"I am really sorry, I shouldn't have interfered," I started.

"S'alright," he said plainly.

"Did you tell Erin?" I asked nervously.

"Yeah, yesterday," he said. "Said she wants a word wi' you."

"Why?" I asked, trying not to sound defensive.

"Dunno," he shrugged.

"Are you's alright?"

"Nah she finished wi' me man."

"I'm sorry," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder and he looked at me for the first time.

"It's alright love," he said and hooked his arm over my shoulder. "I shouldn't have gotten off wi' that bird."

I rest my head on his chest and wrapped my arm around his waist.

"I can smell green," I commented, wrinkling my nose.

"Yeah that's me, sorry," he chuckled.

"Are we okay now?" I asked, looking up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, we'll always be sound me and you," he told me, rubbing my shoulder. "I'm sorry I made you cry."

"Bastard," I laughed, smacking his chest and sitting up.

"I'm not saying I'll never go to the Groucho again," he said, and I coughed. "But can we not make that our thing, like can we keep the Beacon as our thing?"

"Course babe," I said.

-

I felt bad for leaving Zara for Liam, but she bumped into one of her friends from work anyway so she was okay.

Liam and I sat on the floor in his back garden with a glass of orange juice in hand.

"How's your sister now?" He asked me, clicking his tongue.

"I dunno," I said, "she's in a lot more now, and she hasn't been coming in plastered as much so she might be starting to sort herself out."

"Oh that's sound that then," He replied, nodding.

"I'm melting here," I commented, adjusting my sunglasses on my face and Liam agreed. "How you feeling?"

"A bit gutted, but I brought it on myself really so I'm not beating myself up over it too much," he told me, referring to his breakup with Erin.

"That's good then," I said, tutting. "How come you told her?"

"I thought about what you were telling me," he replied, "and I felt bad. Anyway d'ya want a can out the fridge?"

"Yeah go on then," I said, taking a gulp out of my glass of orange in attempt to finish it faster.

Liam stood up and walked into the kitchen and I leaned back against the garden bench, which was laden with cardboard boxes and empty plastic crates.

The recently painted fence was already starting to peel and I chuckled to myself, as we focused more of our time on chatting and frolicking about than actually making sure the fence was painted efficiently.

I heard shouting from the kitchen from
Peggy, and then Liam emerged with a beaming smile on his face and four small cans in his hands.

"Look at these me mam got from work," he said as he sat down, handing me two cans.

"Gin in a tin," I read, chuckling and cracking one open.

"Gin and tonic," He told me and started sipping. "Perfect for this weather."