Never Can Say goodbye.

Shane looked out to the familiar countryside as the car flew passed at an illegal speed. He loved being home. It was the only time he could feel normal again – like he used to. He was Shane Filan for a few weeks, not Shane from Westlife. As much as he loved his job - he wouldn’t change it for anything – he could never help but feel like there was a part of him missing. A hole that singing couldn’t fill. The only hole singing couldn’t fill. He knew what it was; he knew what he needed, but he refused to admit it to himself, let alone anyone else.
His family may not have noticed that he desired something, but his band mates had. The five of them lived out of each other’s pockets. If they hadn’t noticed, something would have been wrong.
They were willing to help him, of course they were, he was their ‘brother’, but he couldn’t be helped until he wanted to be. So for a while, they had to play the waiting game. The problem being, none of them were very good with patience…

The smile lit up the whole of Bryan’s face as he stood at the end of the drive, watching Jessie, his girlfriend of two years, walking towards him with a grin of equal size to his own. Without saying a word, she walked right up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pushing herself as hard against his body as she could. Bryan let out a sigh of relief as he put his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck. This moment always bought a tear to the eye; seeing Jessie after being away from her for months. He had always hated being away from her, but with time, he had learnt to deal with it. He had felt so much further away this time though, further than he should have done, and he hadn’t felt right for three months. The moment that made his life fall back into place was the feel of her touch.

Nicky, Kian and Mark all stood side by side as they watched the Sligo waves crashing into the sand. Nicky had decided to spend his time off in Sligo rather than Dublin this time, he had just lost his mother, and felt like he needed to be with the people that knew him best. His strength. As he ran a hand threw his wind-blown hair, he turned to the others and smiled. “Just washes your problems away.” He said quietly.
Mark nodded and kicked the sand. “Only Sligo gives that effect. Anywhere else and it wouldn’t be the same. Trust me mate, you’ve come to the right place.” He assured him.
Kian sighed loudly and looked over his shoulder. “Yeah…anyway lads, I’m off. I have to meet Mary in ten. See you tomorrow night.” He promised as he walked off, heading for his car.
Mark watched him leave and then turned back to Nicky. “I get the feeling these next two weeks are going to be unexpectedly eventful.” He confided.
Nicky looked out to the sea, in silent thought and then nodded. “Me too.” He agreed with a hint of a smile.

Shane sat watching as Dale, his best friend, walked over to his table and put the pint of Guinness in front of him. “Thanks mate.” He smiled.
Dale sat down on a stool opposite his friend and nodded. “So what’s up? You’re not yourself.” He insisted.
“You know how it is, I just get a little down when I’ve been away for a while.” Shane sighed.
“Have you seen Jen yet?” Dale asked carefully.
Shane looked down into his glass and shook his head slowly, desperately trying to stop his eyes filling with tears. “No, I think it’s best I don’t see her around. For a while anyway.”
“It’s easier like that Shane, trust me. Your heart will heal, and then it won’t hurt to see her.” He promised.
“I know. But I loved her Dale, I really did. I still do, I don’t like the thought of getting over her.” He admitted sadly.
They both sat in silence for a few moments until Dale spoke up. “Maybe it’ll all change at Mark’s bash tomorrow. No doubt there’ll be loads of hotties there.”
Shane laughed awkwardly. “The only problem being they all know me, therefore they know how depressive I am to be around at the moment.”
Dale was about to reply, but stopped when the door to the pub opened and a big group of people burst into the bar. “Later.” He promised as he smiled and waved their friends over to the table.

Kian stood smiling as he watched Mary walk along the beach with her feet in the sea. She had always been such a thoughtful person – she always had something going on in her head. He had always wondered what, but then decided he would rather not know. Sometimes secrets were the key to longevity. He loved watching her black hair blowing crazily in the wind. She never made too much effort. She was just herself with him. A thing he wished every girl would be.
He laughed to himself quietly and then ran down the beach to his fiancée. “You’ll catch a cold if you stay out here too long.” He warned as he scooped her up in his arms.
“Well then it’s your job to keep me warm Mr. Egan!” She giggled.
Kian smiled as he looked down into her sparkling brown eyes. “I have a feeling that would be easier to do in the bedroom.” He said straight-faced.
Mary pulled away from him and stood with hands on hips, with a confused look on her face. “So what are we doing out here?” She asked before bursting into laughter, grabbing his hands and dragging him up the beach.
Kian willingly let himself get dragged up the beach and over to the parked BMW. “Don’t go all hyper on me just yet Mary; if you ruin the interior you really will be punished.” He warned.
Mary fluttered her eyelashes at him across the roof of the car and sighed. “I like the sound of that.” She muttered before opening the door and climbing in.

Mark stood in his kitchen gazing out at the Sligo countryside as Nicky crashed around trying to make himself something to eat. “Life’s just…beautiful.” He sighed thoughtfully.
Nicky put the saucepan down and looked over at his friend. “It has its good and bad points.”
“Yeah I guess, but it doesn’t matter how bad life is, all it takes is ONE thing to make it all good again, don’t you think?” He asked.
Nicky shook his head and shrugged. “I suppose so. But it can have the opposite effect too. I know from experience.” He whispered.
“Oh mate I’m sorry I didn’t think. I was just rambling…” Mark stuttered.
Nicky held his hands up and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Honestly, it’s fine. Look…I’ve lost my appetite; I’ll trying sleeping a bit more. I’ll be around later.” He promised.
Mark nodded but remained silent. Nicky had changed so much since the death of his mother. It was hard to talk to him nowadays; always having to be careful not to mention family, love, or other random things. It was going to be hard for him – he hadn’t only lost his mother, but one of his best friends too.