Some time had passed. Days, weeks, and months. Damon and I had grown closer, but truthfully, not too close.

This wasn't because anything had gone wrong, or Damon hadn't kept up his gentlemanly ways. No, this was because I was scared.

Despite the face I put on, the tough exterior and the constant false act around my brother and his friends, I had been broken inside and until this point, I hadn't realised just how badly I'd been worn down.

I was back in Manchester. It was dull, rainy and exactly what I was used to. Ryan was busy all the time, we barely spoke to each other apart from in the evenings, and I spent most of my time at work, occasionally heading round the corner after my five-thirty finish with my co-workers to our favourite pub for a few drinks on a Friday night.

Damon and I spoke regularly, sometimes spending so much as hours on the phone talking to one another. His life down in London seemed so different to mine all the way up here in the north west. I missed him.

I could tell it was hard for Damon, too. He was so keen for him and I to advance and yet, when I explained how I felt inside and the fears I had thinking about giving myself to somebody in that way again, he understood, telling me he'd do whatever he needed to do for me to get to the point of trusting him and me being able to let my guard down, no matter how long it took.

And I believed him.

That particular Friday evening, the sun had set and the darkness was drawing in on the city. I crossed my arms at my chest as a few of us walked from the office block to The White Lion pub.

Richard, my colleague went up to the bar to get the round in whilst me, Jenny, Kate and Michael made ourselves comfy in our usual seats by the hearth at the back of the pub.

"Two pints, a G&T, and a Jameson. Christ, heavy week for you to be on the whisky at what?" Richard paused as he set our drinks down on the table, "Just gone five."

The group laughed and I just shrugged.

"Nothings ever simple with me Rich, you know that." I joked, sipping my drink.

The four of us spoke about work briefly, before the conversation switched to office gossip, then to football, then to everyone's plans for the weekend.

Spending time with my colleagues and hearing how sorted their lives all seemed did worry me a little. Despite them being a few years my senior, I still felt inferior to them, like I was a mess. Sometimes it made me want to pack my bags and move to London to start fresh with Damon, and other times, it made me want to just give up.

"Shut up you dickhead- four pints please love!"

My head snapped in the direction of the door when I heard that voice.

The four of them sauntered over to the bar, people's stares at the rowdy group eventually stopped and everybody returned to their drinks. Either they didn't know who Oasis were, or they did, and they simply didn't care.

My friends knew Liam and I had a history, and a long, confusing one at that, which made them all turn to stone when they realised who had walked into the pub for the first time as long as we'd been coming here.

I realised I'd been staring, feeling my cheeks heat up and my heart beat faster when Noel noticed me, a huge grin flashing up on his face as he came over to me.

"Brit! Come here you, how are ya?" He said with enthusiasm, pulling me up out my seat and hugging me tightly.

Noel wasn't usually this friendly, in fact, he was usually the most miserable man I knew. Something good must have happened for him to crack a smile so easily.

"Hey," I said softly, not knowing what to do as I watched Liam turn to see who his brother had made a b-line for across the bar, only for his face to fall when he saw it was me.

"You'll never guess what!" Noel said, laughing as he spoke, "Your boys have only gone and been nominated for a fuckin' BRIT award haven't they!"

"Oh my God," I said, a smile forming on my face as I felt a sudden rush of adrenaline pump through my body. A BRIT award. These four boys from a council estate that I've seen play to three people, now nominated for a BRIT.

"I'm so proud of you man, well done!" Grinning, I instinctively gave Noel another hug.

Noel, clearly high on something began boasting to my friends, who were more than happy to sit and listen to him chat absolute nothing but rubbish to them all.

I stood still, tensing up as I looked at Liam from across the room. He just stared at me, his hair so long it almost covered his eyes. I watched as the corners of his lips curved up into a tiny smile, and he raised his glass to me.

"Cheers," I mouthed, raising my glass to him too, as he turned his back on me.

I walked out of the pub without giving it a second thought, heading towards the tram stop to take me home.

I hadn't seen Liam in God knows how long, and since then, I'd tried my best to forget about him and force myself to get a grip of my life and not wallow over someone who didn't deserve me or my love.

"Brit!"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard him say my name, my breath getting caught in my throat and my eyes glossing over with what felt like tears, but for what reason, I wasn't quite sure.

"Sorry I was gonna come and speak to ya' but I thought Noel was hounding you all enough on his own."

Liam smiled shyly, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his baggy jeans and his coat zipped up to his neck.

"It's okay," I managed to say, "Congratulations on the nomination, by the way."

"Thanks, worked hard on it. Hope you've given it a listen even though your fella wants to snap my ankles." Liam laughed awkwardly, swaying back and forth on his heels as the wind whistled around the buildings that stood tall all around us.

"He's not - Damon's not my boyfriend, Liam."

"You don't have to say nothing to spare my feelings or anything like that darling, honestly. You and him, that's fine, I'm happy for you, really."

The first conversation Liam and I had had in months, and he told me a bare faced lie. He wasn't happy for me in the slightest. His body was tense and his hands tucked away, away from instinctively grabbing my waist which I know he so desperately wanted to do from the look he had in his eyes.

"No you're not." I said bluntly, not realising how I sounded before I spoke.

Liam just looked at me. The first drops of rain fell from the sky and a car drove past, the headlights illuminating Liam's face for a second before sending us both back underneath a shadow.

"You're right, I'm not. But that's what you say innit, in a situation like this. Can't stand here and tell you that there's not a fuckin' second that's not gone by where I've wanted to pick up the phone and call you, Brit. But I suppose that's exactly what I've just done."

"Liam, I-"

"Oi! Your turn on the pool table, won't wait forever!" Noel shouted down the street, his head poking out from behind the door of the pub.

"I've gotta go. Get home safe."

Before I could even open my mouth to speak, Liam was gone.

I wasn't sure how I felt, or if I even felt anything at all. When I looked at Liam, everything he'd ever made me feel came flooding back into my system all over again, but then, I still think back to the advice David gave me all those months ago.

'Never forget how you feel right now, and remember that he's made you feel like this.'

Those were the words David used to console me the night I found out Liam was cheating, again. No matter how many happy memories came back when Liam was stood there looking down at me, I just couldn't let go how he'd made me feel, and how many times I let it happen.

I thought I'd crack when I heard Liam call after me, but for once in my life, I was proud of myself for standing strong. Sure, I missed being around him, spending time causing havoc and drinking in his bedroom until the sun came up and we couldn't keep our eyes open any longer, of course I missed it.

But when I thought of all that, it was only countered with the thought of Damon, and the way my entire world shifted from a dull, depressing grey to a bright, vibrant rainbow as we danced together in his apartment on that night, the night I realised I didn't want to waste anymore time thinking about what could've been, and start thinking about what could be.

I found myself back at home without being able to clear my head of a single thought. Ryan wasn't home, but I didn't care to find out where he was that night. His schedule was getting more busy by the day and I left him to it.

I undressed, pulling on one of Damon's T-shirt's to sleep in. I hadn't told my brother how things were between Damon and I. As far as he knew, the two of us were just friends, and it wasn't like he had the time to sit and read a gossip column in a magazine to make him think any different.

Crawling into bed, I saw my phone light up on my bedside table.

Missed Calls
Damon Albarn (2)

Voicemail
Damon Albarn (1)

I immediately called back, holding the phone to my ear for a few moments before I heard the answerphone tone, not Damon.

Sighing, I checked the voicemail.

"Britney, Britney love I hope you can hear me. I'm in a bar, and it's loud and we've been here all day but I just wanted to - Alex! Alex another Jameson for me mate! Cheers! - I just wanted to let you know that we've been nominated for a BRIT, can you fuckin' believe it? I just want to celebrate with you, not these lot here. I miss you, Brit, call me back and we'll get as high as the fuckin' stars in the sky this weekend you and me. Call me back when you get this, I miss ya."