I slightly chased the lad who must have been Liam's brother, and tapped his shoulder. He turned around sharply, with a pint in his hand.
"'Scuse me mate," I started, with Finn lingering closely behind, "have you seen Liam?"
"Yeah, he's in the back," he said casually. And he sounded content, but the frownline between his eyebrows told another story. "D'ya want me to get him out for ya, I'm going there now?"
"Nah, it's alright," I said, "could you just let him know we're here and we'll catch him afterwards."
"Yeah, what's your name like?"
"Holly and Finn."
"Sound," he said, eyeing Finn and taking a drink out of the pint in his hand.
"Cheers."
I turned around to Finn, and he let out a deep sigh. I gave him a curious look, and he told me a story of how Liam's brother slept with a girl he was seeing before. I patted him on the back and reassured him that I wouldn't snake on him.
"D'ya want me to buy you a drink?" He asked me, placing his hand on my back and leaning into my ear slightly.
"Yeah, I'll have gin and tonic?" I told him with a smile, placing my hand on the front of his shoulder, as we walked over to the bar and he pulled me into a sort of side hug.
"The fresh air sobered you up like?" He laughed, as I was already pretty pissed back in The Beacon.
"Fiiinnnn," I groaned against him, and he put his hands up in defence and ordered two double G&T's. "Eyar, will you behave ordering me doubles, I'm gonna be so pissed."
"Don't be a fanny, love," he spoke into my hair as he dug his wallet out of his pocket with his spare hand and passed the bartender his money, and I chuckled at him.
I heard feedback from the monitors on stage as one of the band plugged into their amp. At first, me and Finn shared an excited look, thinking that 'Oasis' had started their set, but they were just setting up.
Liam briefly came on stage to adjust the height of the mic stand, and seen me and Finn at the back of the pub and gave us a smile and a nod.
"He seems sound, Liam does," Finn reasoned to me, as we stood side by side, considering his bad experience with his brother, "better than his brother anyway."
"He's not," I told him with a laugh, "I mean, he is sound, but I know he's slept with people's girlfriends before."
"Fuck's sake," he groaned, and I looked at him, "I want to like him, but I don't want to be dead para when you're with him."
"Eyar Finn," I told him, putting my hand on his shoulder, "You're the only lad I've not pied off for about four month, I'm not gonna go off with Liam."
After about 15 minutes, Liam and his band walked back on stage with a swagger reminiscent of Ian Brown. Liam had a tambourine in his hand, and his brother at the table behind me and Finn. I would occasionally sneak glances of him, to observe whether he like them or not. I knew that Oasis had only been together about two months, and Martha had been on tour with Noel and Inspiral Carpets for about six months, so I inferred that he had never actually watched them play before.
It seemed like he was examining the band, especially Liam more than he was watching them. He looked at the stage, beady eyes focused on Liam, with a placid expression - he didn't look disappointed but nor did he look overly happy.
A couple of people who I went to college with and that were already pissed came up to me and Finn and dragged us out of our seats to start bopping around with them.
-
After an hour long set, I'd lost Finn somewhere in the crowd that had gathered, and I stood talking to a couple of lads, Johnsy and Harry, that I used to be mates with.
Johnsy hooked his arm over mine and Harry's shoulders in a drunken embrace as he started belting out one of Liam's songs.
"Are you seeing Finn Monovan?" Harry asked me, purposely getting his surname wrong.
"Yeah, why?"
"Boring cunt, him," he said, taking a puff of his fag.
"I think he's a nice lad," I defending him, furrowing my eyebrows.
"Or yeah, he's a fuckin lovely lad," he said, getting himself out of Johnsy's embrace. I let Johnsy remain over my shoulder as it seemed that he needed some support. "But he's boring as owt now. Like you're one of the maddest cunts I know, and he used to be when he was about 16/17. Then he got a job and he just all about fags and pints now."
From the corner of my eye, I seen Liam bounding over to me. The cocky, snarky grin that usually made itself at home on his cheeks was replaced with a genuine excited beamer.
"Y'alright duck?" I asked him as his arm replaced Johnsy's on my shoulders, and he walked me over to the bar.
"I'm fuckin mint," he laughed, running his hand through his sweaty hair.
"You's were dead good, bless," I told him with a laugh, pushing his arm off my shoulders. He ordered us both a gin and tonic, and proposed that we get plastered.
"I can't, mate," I told him with a frown, "I'm with Finn, and I was planning on going back with him, so I don't wanna get too pissed."
"Oh shit yeah," he remembered, nodding his head in understanding, "where's he at like?"
"Dunno, I lost him."
Conveniently, he came running up to me, panic-stricken with glazed eyes.
"Holl," he said quickly, putting his hand on my arm briefly and then pushing his hand through his hair, "I really need to go, my brother's just been hospitalised. Heroin overdose or somet."
"Oh my god," I said, my mouth dropping in shock, "D'ya want me to come with ya, or would you be better on your own?"
"No, I best go on my own, I'll be meeting my mum there," he told me, "You still have a good night though, yeah?."
"Alright, let me know if he's okay," I said, as he briefly hugged me and he nodded and basically sprinted out of the bar after saying bye to me and Liam.
I shared a look with Liam.
"Shiiite," he said, letting out a huff, "dirty stuff heroin like."
"Aye," I agreed, and looked up at him.
"Eyar, mate," Liam said to the bartender as he had just started to pour the gin into our glasses, "Will you make those doubles?"
All of a sudden, we were joined by Liam's brother as he walked up to the bar, immediately easing the tension. He patted Liam on the shoulder and Liam wrapped his arm over Noel's shoulder as they greeted each other.
"Alright dickhead?" Liam said with that cocky grin of his again.
"Alright kid," his brother replied.
"Eyar, this is Holly," Liam pointed to me, "I think you met her earlier."
"Oh yeah, you were with Finn Monovan," he said with a smile, "So, are you his new bird then or wha?" He asked, pointing to the left of him at his kid brother.
"Haaaha, nah I'm not," I reassured him, tactfully as ever. "I'm just his mate."
"Eyar, behave laughing whenever someone thinks you're my bird. It's dead embarrassing," he stated with a laugh, his shoulders shrugging as he huffed again.
"I'm Finn Monovan's bird actually," I stated awkwardly, quirking my eyebrows at him slightly as to imply that I knew they don't get along.
"Shite," he laughed, "I've got a bit o' beef with him."
"Yeah," I chuckled as well, "I've heard."
"I'm Noel," he said, putting his hand out for me to shake.
Our drinks appeared on the bar, and Liam payed for them before I could protest. I pulled out my pack of fags from my jacket pocket, and offered both of the lads one. Noel declined, as he'd just had one apparently, and Liam took advantage of my Marlby Reds and excitedly accepted, nabbing one from the packet.
"Eyup, Liam," I said with a laugh, amused by his excitement, "If you want, I'll give you one of my packs next time I see ya."
"Right, you're my best mate," he told me, putting his arm over my shoulders.
"Shite, have you got a lighter?" I asked, annoyed at myself for not having a lighter - again. I'm sure I put one in my jacket pocket earlier though. I must have lost it. Liam started rummaging around in his pockets, unsuccessfully, and then checked his shirt pocket.
"Here," he passed me it, letting me light my fag first.
-
I tripped up over Liam's feet, as I was trying to get him to dance with me by the bar to One Love by The Stone Roses, and he had to steady me by wrapping his hands around my forearm. Even though I had previously declined his proposal of getting smashed, here I was, four double G&T's later: shitfaced.
Liam then pulled me over to his group of mates, unwilling to leave me on my own, and my blonde hair was put a messy ponytail, as I was getting too hot. Only it wasn't me who was handling my hair but one of his friends who was laughing at my state, and then my head rest against Liam, who was standing slightly behind me.
Mind he was also drunk, but I am going to defend myself by stating that I was drinking double G&T's for a solid 6 hours, while he only started at about 9, after his set.
There was another girl in the group stood next to Noel, whom I recognised and was sort of lingering awkwardly, and it took me a while to put a name to her face. But then it eventually hit me that she was one of the girls who went to Spike Island with me and Martha, and is usually at the same parties.
"Lucy Jones!" I exclaimed as I had my revelation, leaving the steadying grip that Liam had on my arms, and made my way around the outside of the circle to greet her. Her eyes also lit up in recognition, as she was nearly as drunk as me - except not as sloppy - and we embraced in a hug.
"I didn't know you knew these?" She asked me excitedly, as we pulled out of the hug, and we both showered each other in compliments, as we typical drunk girls do. "You look so nice, I haven't seen you in forever."
"Well, I only know Liam," I said, and she was one more person to ask me if I was his bird. Instead of laughing, I took pity on Liam and tried to prevent my self from snorting as I shook my head. I looked over to him and he chuckled, which better have been gratefully.
Suddenly, my stomach was felt heavy, and I couldn't bring self to take even another sip of the pint that Liam advised me to drink, instead of another gin and tonic. I sat down for a sec on a chair that was free at an occupied table, and Lucy kneeled down in front of me as I tried to compose myself.
"Are you gonna whitey?" Liam said, appearing in front of me too.
"Yeah, I think so," I said, and he helped me to my feet and to the women's toilets.
When I'm sober, I normally comment on how minging they are. There was dirty toilet water all along the floor, toilet paper everywhere and a couple shagging two cubicles down, all under sleazy pink neon lighting.
I sat on the floor of one of the cublicles, with Liam and Lucy stood in the door frame, and it didn't take long for me to empty the lining of my stomach into the bowl. There was a rubbing on my back and someone faintly talking to me, which I was too preoccupied to work out, and was frankly only making me feel worse.
"Shut up," I groaned, in a brief pause between whiteys.
My retching died down after about 2 minutes, but I sat there for at least 5 minutes in total, as my eyes started drooping and I insisted on leaning my head against the toilet paper holder on the cubicle wall. Liam put his hand behind my head, getting some toilet paper to wipe my mouth and chin with.
"Stop patronising me," I told him, pushing his shoulder away feebly.
"Ey, I'm not," he said, clearly trying to be understanding of my drunkenness, since Lucy had fucked off somewhere, but he was getting impatient still, "You've just thrown up, now you're nearly passed out on the floor of some dirty bar. I think you need a bit of help."
I stretched my arms up to him and he picked me up with a sigh, placing a steadying hand on my back.
"Sorreh," I said to him, letting my accent get stronger. "I swear down, I'm such a bitch."
"Behave yourself, you're getting histerical," he said, rubbing his hand up and down my back for a sec as I started sulking. "You're not a bitch man, just an headache. Anyway, I'm walking you home now, there's no taxi's about."