“Jake?” I say quietly into my mobile. “Are you free to chat?”

“Ella? W-What… Are you ok?” Jake sounds concerned.

“Yeah, I just need to chat…” my voice breaks.

“Just hold on, I’m on my way to get you. Where are you?”

“Central Park…” I say, sighing heavily. The phone goes dead. I know why though; that’s Jake’s way of saying he is worried and is coming to get me right now. I know him… Within minutes a car pulls up outside the park and I run towards it as Jake gets out, scouting for me. I don’t know what’s going on in my head, everything seems a blur and I needed by best friend to help me out. Seeing him standing there waiting for me make me feel so special, and I just run at him, flinging my arms round him and not letting go. He held onto me too, resting his head on mine.

“Wanna go back to mine?” He asked.

“What counts as yours?” I question, not moving.

“I got a flat about 5 minutes from here…” he said confidently. I could tell in the way he spoke he was saying it to prove he’d moved on from what happened to us two years ago.

“Yeah. Ok. Thank you!” I say. I’ve still not moved. I must have looked like an idiot to anyone around, I just ran at this guy and hugged him and didn’t let go! But I don’t care what people have to say or what they think. This is my moment.

***

Arriving at his flat, he opens the door with pride and allows me to walk in before him. It was amazing. So clean and tidy. It had a very neutral colour scheme, mainly browns and creams. To my left a kitchen and dining table, quite spacious for a flat I had to admit. Ahead of me a large brown material corner sofa took up most of the living room, and a huge flat screen TV was placed perfectly in the corner. It was amazing. I would happily live here!! Jake shuts the door behind him.

“You like it?” He questioned, smirking.

“It’s perfect!” I reply to him as if he’s bought it for me. I immediately run over to the sofa and jump onto it, but land on something that feels like anything BUT a sofa, and whatever it was made me fall onto the floor infront of the sofa.

“OOOWWWWW!” I hear from behind me. I look back and there, laying across the sofa was none other than Harry Styles.

“Oh My God! Harry I’m so so sorry!!” I cringe, but I hear other giggles from around the house and the other boys walk out, doubled over.

“I told him it was a stupid place to hide…” Zayn said, holding his side. I can’t help but smile and look over lovingly at Jake.

“Thought you could do with some cheering up!” He smirked. Dammit. He always knew how to cheer me up! I remember one time when we were like 6. We were playing in his house and I fell over and cut my knee on the patio. He ran in, got his mum to help with first aid and he rushed out, handing me an ice cream and hugging me. ‘You’ll be ok’ he’d whispered at me, ‘If you stay strong through this I’ll get you a toy!’ – and I stayed quiet. And the next day he knocked for me with his mum holding this giraffe toy. It was the cutest toy I’d ever had. I still have it now!

“Thank you guys so much. But I don’t wanna bore you with my life story, so you just wanna have fun?” I smile.

“No.” Liam says sternly. “You gotta let it all out to feel better. Don’t let it torture you!” he walked over and sat me down on the sofa, sitting to my left, Louis sat to my right. Zayn and Harry took up the other length of the sofa with Niall squished into the corner.

“Guys! Give Niall some room!” I laugh, seeing Niall sit uncomfortably, he smiles a ‘thank you’ smile at me and Harry moves his feet off the sofa.

“And I’m going to be sitting where?” Jake asked, looking at the One Direction boys sprawled over his sofa.

“On my lap?” Niall winks. I don’t know why, but that made me cry with laughter. Whether it was the way Niall had said it almost flirtily or whether it was Jake’s look of horror from hearing it – whatever it was, it was hilarious!! I knew right then that this day was going to get a lot better!

“So you stayed in contact with them behind my back?” I gave Jake a look that said ‘really?’

“Are you kidding me? These guys are hilarious! I mean we don’t meet up that much, they’re busy with their lives of fame. But it’s always good to give them normality too!”

“This is one of the only places we can go, knowing we won’t get mobbed by fans and paps!” Zayn pipes up. I feel sorry for them in a way. I read these stories and see pictures where hundreds of fans are camping outside the hotel they’re staying at. I’d go crazy!

“And Louis, your dream came true sooner than you thought!” I smiled, remembering he only text me that morning to say we should meet soon.

“And I couldn’t turn it down! How are you anyway?” He looked down towards my stomach and for a second I had no idea what he was talking about. My life had been in such a wreck I forgot about my stomach. I lift my top up, revealing a large medical plaster.

“Still healing up, give it a little time and I’ll be alright. Nasty scar though, that’s what they said.”

“Fucking Asshole. I’ll kill him…” Zayn snaps.

“Zayn, he’s in prison. That’s enough for me. As long as I’m alive!” I smile at him reassuringly.

“Still think he should be stabbed…” Zayn mumbles under his breath. I love this man seriously, he’s the kinda guy who you could ring up at 2am, say you’d got into a fight and he’s run over there and beat the guy up without asking. The protective type.

“Well, regardless of what you wanna do to that man, Zayn…” Liam started, “There’s still whoever upset her today!” I felt all the boys eyes suddenly looking at me, and I felt really uncomfortable.

“It’s nothing…” I say, trying to get out of it.

“Ella, if it was nothing, would we be here? Would Jake have picked you up?” Niall questioned. I sigh and look at the floor. I knew I’d start crying and look like an absolute idiot in front of them if I spoke about it all; the job, Michael and Conor… God. But they were waiting eagerly for me to start…

“Michael fired me…” I said, trying to wind it all up into one sentence. The boys look shocked.

“Sorry what?” Jake said.

“Michael… He’s an asshole. Feel free to beat him up. He said I had to go, I was holding Conor back. Told me Conor didn’t like me otherwise he would have written a song about me and said I could have got any of you killed…” Harry shakes his head as I’m speaking.

“Prick.” Harry says bluntly. “And Conor stuck up for you I assume? Told him to fuck off?” I blurt out a short laugh as if what Harry said was something unbelievably stupid.

“If you call sitting looking out of the window and saying nothing sticking up for me. Conor knows he can’t get anywhere without his manager… If he had to pick, he’d have to pick him. Mike said I can’t see Conor anymore, he needs the publicity of kissing celebrities and that…”

“Now that is a load of bull…” Louis spat. “If Michael cared about Conor he’d want you around for him, to save his life and care for him… I know I’d love it if Eleanor could be with me all the time, even if it was a job that meant she had to protect me…” The boys roll their eyes at the lovey-dovey speech Louis was giving.

“Well, nothing can be changed now. I’m jobless, boyfriend-less…” My sentence drifts into a mumble.

“Well, there’s only one thing I can suggest…” Niall begins. “Party??” He smiles hugely. I shake my head.

“Thanks Niall, but I think I’ll just sit here, watch ‘The Notebook’ and cry into a tub of ice cream.” I say, truthfully.

“No, no, no!” Liam says. The sensible one telling me to go out? Well this is something I wasn’t expecting… “Lets all go out. Let paps take pictures and let them see how much better off you are without them!” Liam says persaudingly. “Jake’s going!”

“I am?” Jake says taken aback. “Well I better get ready then!” he claps and runs off into his bedroom. The other guys look at me, waiting for me to say yes. I really really didn’t want to, but hey, I can’t say no to those 5 cute faces.

“FIIIIIIIIIIINE!” I shout. “But I got nothing to wear!” I pull a sad face and Harry smiles, looking at Zayn, who pulls a bag out from behind the sofa.

“Jake bought it for you…” Zayn smirks as he gives me the bag. Well I guess I better get ready!!