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

2.27

'Mat, don't – ,' I started, but he had already shoved her in. Alison let out a high-pitched yelp before she went under, still yelling when she resurfaced with wide eyes.

'You,' she just grunted, her eyes shooting daggers at Nicholls. He laughed and quickly ran off when she pulled herself out of the pool, going after him. I chuckled and shook my head when they ran through the yard, around a few olive trees, until a dripping Alison jumped at him and pulled him down on the grass. Their loud yelling got the attention of everyone outside, and we all laughed a bit when Alison dragged a struggling Nicholls towards the pool.

'Karma is a fucking bitch,' she said, pushing him in. He laughed and let himself fall backwards, arms spread as if excepting his fate as he fell into the water.

'Fucking bitch,' Elliot let out. Everyone looked at him for a second, then we all started laughing.

'You can't say that, El!,' Emma let out from her sunbed.

'Alison did!,' he told his mother. Alison smothered her laugh with her hands in front of her mouth.

'Sorry,' she told Emma, who chuckled. She sat down on the edge of the pool again and I swam up to her. Alison smiled and kissed me when I leaned my arms on her legs.

'I knew Malta held some nice, spicy memories for you, but I didn't expect you to be this dripping wet again upon arrival already,' I teased her. Alison gasped a bit and held in a laugh.

'Oli!,' she let out quietly. I chuckled and she pushed my shoulder. 'Behave!'

'Oh, I sure will,' I said innocently. I pulled myself out of the water and sat down next to her, shaking my hair and making her squeal. Then I looked at her as her eyes trailed around the group of people that we both loved so dearly. 'This was a great idea,' I told her.

'Hmhm,' she just hummed, still happily looking around. She seemed relaxed, for the first time in ages. I felt exactly the same, as if all my problems of the past months had fallen off my shoulder.

*

Alison

Just as when we were on tour, everyone found their place within the group, and we all just got along casually. We enjoyed spending time together, but everyone was also free to do their own thing and it just worked.

I liked to take care of breakfast with Kean and Emma every morning before the rest started their day, and Oliver, Tom, Tilly and Deni took care of dinner often. I loved watching Oliver and Tom cook together, talking, joking and bashing around like only brothers could. My favourite thing to do was to sit on the other side of the kitchen island with Lizzy, sipping some wine as we watched them cook. We praised ourselves lucky – or not – that we were stuck with those Sykes brothers. I loved having Tom and Lizzy around too, and although Lizzy had hardly spend time with the whole band before, she fitted just right in. And after years of knowing each other, she didn't mind me and Tom hanging out as best friends anymore.

'Ali?,' he asked me three days after we had arrived. 'Can I talk to you for a moment?' I looked up from my book and shielded my eyes against the sun.

'Sure,' I said, getting up from my sunbed. Tom looked a bit nervous, and I frowned when I followed him into the yard, away from everyone at the pool. He looked around suspiciously and pulled me behind a big olive tree. 'What's going on?,' I asked.

'I eh...' He smiled and looked at his feet while he put his hands in his pockets. 'I want to ask you a favour.' His bright blue eyes looked back up to me.

'Sure, anything,' I told him.

'I need you to take some photos of me and Lizzy.'

'Okay...,' I agreed, frowning a bit now, not knowing why. Tom still looked nervous.