Offside Hearts

Midnight Gala 2

The music in the house began to fade into just a whisper. Darren had lost track of Ethan somewhere between the dance floor and the buffet. Not that Ethan seemed to want to be found. Shaking his head with a smile, Darren wandered to the quieter side of the house. The cool night air was a welcome escape from the crowded ballroom. He had barely taken a few steps when he heard it. Someone was crying. He stopped. For a moment, he wondered if he should turn back. Whoever it was clearly wanted to be alone. Then another quiet sob drifted through the silence. His feet carried him forward before he could think twice. The balcony came into view. A lone figure sat on the floor, knees drawn to her chest, her back resting against the railing.

“…Louisa?”

She slowly lifted her head. Her eyes were swollen and red, mascara smudged beneath them. For a second, she looked embarrassed to have been found.

“Oh…” Her voice was barely above a whisper. “Darren.”

He hesitated. “Mind if I sit?” She gave the smallest nod. Darren lowered himself onto the floor beside her, leaving enough space between them that she wouldn’t feel crowded. Neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable. It simply existed between them. After a long moment, Darren glanced at her.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Louisa shook her head. “No.” Another silence. Then, without warning, her shoulders began to tremble. She pressed a hand over her mouth as though trying to stop herself from crying. It didn’t work. The tears came anyway. Darren looked at her for a moment before gently placing an arm around her shoulders. He didn’t say anything. He simply let her cry. Slowly… Almost instinctively… Louisa leaned into him. Not because she knew Darren well. But because, at that moment, she was too exhausted to hold herself together. The music from inside carried faintly into the night. Neither of them noticed. Inside the ballroom… Olivia frowned. She had circled the room twice. No Louisa. She checked the lounge. The garden entrance. Even the dessert table. Nothing. A knot formed in her stomach. She headed toward the balcony. As she stepped outside, she froze. Louisa. Curled against Darren’s side. Crying. Her heart dropped. She hurried over and knelt beside them.

“Lou?” Louisa slowly looked up. Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.

“It’s…” She swallowed. “It’s Julian.”

Olivia closed her eyes for the briefest moment. She had feared as much. Without another question, she wrapped her arms around Louisa.

“I want to go home,” Louisa whispered. Olivia brushed a few curls away from her friend’s face. “Okay.” Her voice was soft. “Give me one minute.”

For a brief second, she was quiet. Then Darren said,

“I’ll stay with her.”

She looked at him. For the briefest moment, neither of them spoke. The music from inside drifted faintly through the open balcony doors. Olivia’s eyes moved from Darren… to Louisa… then back to Darren again. Something in her expression softened. Just a little.

“Thank you.”

Nothing more. She turned and disappeared back into the ballroom. She found Dimitri almost immediately. He was laughing at something one of his friends had said when he noticed the expression on Olivia’s face. The smile disappeared.

“What happened?” Olivia leaned closer. “We’re leaving.” His eyes searched hers for a second before he nodded. “No questions?” “Not tonight.”

He squeezed her shoulder gently.

“Promise you’d be alright?” Olivia managed a grateful smile. “I will.”

When she returned to the balcony, Louisa had finally stopped crying. Darren stood as Olivia approached. Without a word, he offered Louisa his hand. She accepted it. Once she was on her feet, Olivia slipped a neatly folded handkerchief into her hand.

“Here.” Louisa dabbed at her eyes before letting out a shaky breath. “Ready?” She said. Olivia slipped an arm around Louisa’s shoulders. “Come on.”

Louisa nodded weakly. Before they turned to leave, she looked back at Darren.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Darren offered her a small smile. The girls walked away together.

**************************************************

Julian didn’t come out until they were gone. He’d seen everything from where he’d stood in the dark.

He had watched Louisa fall apart.

He had watched Darren sit beside her, offering comfort that Julian no longer had the right to give.

He watched as Olivia put her arm around her friend and led her away. Every cell in his body screamed for him to go to her.

To pull her into his arms.

To tell her none of it was true.

To take it all back.

But he couldn’t.

If he did, he would only pull her further into the darkness that had already begun to surround him. He walked out onto the now-empty balcony.

The music from the party filtered softly through the open doors, but out here everything felt unnaturally quiet. Empty. Even emptier than it had been before.

He turned back to the spot where Louisa had been sitting. He could almost see her there. Curled up against the railing.

Broken because of him. His chest tightened. Julian gripped the cold metal railing until his knuckles turned white. “I did the right thing,” he whispered.

The words didn’t sound like his own. They sounded like someone else’s. “I did the right thing.” As if saying it enough times would make it true.

There was a faint scent in the air. Sweet. Warm. Strawberries… and something softer that he had never quite been able to name.

Her perfume.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, holding onto it like a lifeline.

But it was gone just as quickly as it came.

The world came back to him once again. The void inside his chest felt even more unbearable. His shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry, Louisa.”

“I’m so sorry, baby.” “I never wanted to hurt you.” The words died in the night, unheard by the only person who mattered.

He stood there for a long time, gripping the railing tightly, like if he let go, he might fall apart.

His phone began to ring.

It rang once.

Just once.

He didn’t answer.

It rang again.

Julian’s jaw clenched. He dug his phone out of his pocket and stared at the screen.

The warmth in his eyes disappeared in a flash. The mask went back on. He put the phone back in his pocket without saying anything.

Julian glanced once more at the balcony. Then he walked away, through the silent hall, past the laughter and music and warmth coming from the party, never once looking back.

A moment later, the front door clicked shut behind him. He left in the night, leaving behind the only girl he had ever truly loved.

*************************************************************

By the time the girls got back to the apartment, neither of them said a word.

It wasn’t an awkward silence. It was a heavy silence.

Olivia walked into Louisa’s room, nudging the door open.

Louisa was already lying under the covers, curled up on her side, staring at the wall. Olivia didn’t say a word. She just climbed up into the bed and laid down next to her.

She put an arm around Louisa’s waist and pulled her close. For a long time, neither of them spoke.

She just held her. She could feel Louisa’s uneven breathing, the occasional shiver that ran through her, and every now and then, another silent tear on the pillow.

“Liv…”

“Hm?”

“…Am I that unlovable?”

Olivia pulled back just enough to look at her.

“What?”

Louisa shrugged.

“If the person I love can walk away so easily… maybe there’s something wrong with me.”

Olivia’s eyes softened. “Oh, sweetheart…” She reached up to smooth a loose strand of hair behind Louisa’s ear. “That is the most untrue thing I’ve ever heard.”

A tear slipped down Louisa’s cheek.

Olivia brushed it away with her thumb.

“You are one of the kindest, warmest people I’ve ever known. You make everyone around you feel seen. You love with your whole heart.”

A small, sad smile tugged at the corner of Louisa’s lips.

“It doesn’t feel like enough.”

“It is.”

Olivia leaned closer until their foreheads almost met.

"And anybody who can't fight to keep someone like you…"

She smiled sadly.

"…doesn't deserve you."

"You're a rare gem, Louisa."

“Anyone lucky enough to have your heart should treasure it.”

Louisa laughed quietly through her tears.

"You always know what to say."

Olivia smiled softly.

"I just know you."

She pressed a gentle kiss to Louisa's forehead before pulling her back into a tight embrace.

Neither of them said another word. They just stayed there, holding on to each other, as the silence fell in the room and for the first time that night, Louisa wasn’t so lonely.