Party 'til you pass out / When the party's over

2.13

Once we've both said our goodbyes

Let's just let it go

Let me let you go'

Her silent tears turned into quiet sobs and my heart broke at the sight of her getting so emotional. I pulled her in my arms and held her tight, closing my eyes to fight my own tears back while she cried into my chest. Her hands were clinging on to my shirt as if I would disappear if she didn't, and I pressed my lips on her head.

'Quiet when I'm coming home

And I'm on my own

I could lie, say I like it like that

Like it like that

I could lie, say I like it like that

Like it like that...'

A short moment of silence when the song ended, and then a new, upbeat one started. Alison inhaled deeply and pulled away from me, wiping her eyes and sniffing. I pulled my phone from my pocket, still ignoring Gemma's texts, and pressed pause.

'I didn't see you for a Billie Eilish fan,' she then said with a hoarse voice, making me chuckle quietly and let go of the tension. She did so too and seemed to calm down again.

'Well, if a seventeen-year-old can write a better song about heartbreak than me, she must be a fucking genius.' Alison laughed again and wrapped her arms around herself, looking down while biting her lip. I put my hands in my pockets and just looked at her.

'I liked your version better,' she whispered. I smiled at that.

'Thanks.' I sighed and was happy that the tension between us had cleared.

'Gemma was lucky to have you, if only for a moment,' Alison then said. Her eyes met mine and I frowned.

'I don't know,' I said, shaking my head. 'I don't think it's ever been fair of me to date her while my heart still belonged to someone else...' She just looked at me for a moment, then came up to me and pulled me in a kiss. I smiled against her lips and wrapped my arms around her, picking her up. Alison let out a laugh and a squeal when I carried her to the bedroom and kicked the door closed with my foot.

'Oli,' she chuckled as I threw her on the bed.

'Just for the record -,' I started while I peppered her face with kisses, making her laugh again. 'You have always, always been on my mind and in my heart, no matter with who I was in the meantime.' I kissed her nose and she cupped my face.

'Are you indicating there have been more girls in your life during our break?,' she asked, trying to sound teasing but failing.

'Why would you want to know?,' I asked her. She shrugged a bit.

'I'll always be curious, and I'd rather live with the answer and be pissed about it, than keep wondering and get insecure.' I looked down on her and had to give it to her for her honest explanation. 'How many?'

'What?'

'How many girls have you slept with?' I was weirded out the question nonetheless, but the look in Alison's eyes gave me no choice but to answer honestly.

'Eh...,' I counted in my head for a moment. Sarah, the Irish red head. Some merch girl from another band on tour. Gemma. And Penny, from Kerrang! Magazine, after the Amo release party - I didn't even remember how that had happened. If only Alison knew...

'It's never a good sign when you have to think about it,' Alison chuckled. I threw her troubled look.

'Four.' She sighed at that answer, obviously not knowing what to make of it.