Drama
Chapter 38: Change My Mind
Leila's P.O.V.
During the night, I have a hard time falling asleep, so I slip out of Niall’s grip and get out of bed. The moonlight is creating shafts of light through the window curtains, lighting up the room for me to see. I approach the window and look at the view of the beautiful city lights that never seem to fade.
I need to think this whole situation through or I’m never getting to sleep. I just realized we have a small patio in this apartment, so I quietly exit my bedroom and past the living room, sliding open the heavy doors that allow me outside. The cool air sends chills down my body, but it feels nice. I close the door and sit on one of the comfy chairs near the railing, enjoying the night scene.
I don’t know whether I should stay in this city or go home. I don’t have the money to stay here and pay the rent and everything else. Home is calling out to me, and now that I’m thinking about it even more, the more I feel homesick.
Everywhere I go here in LA, everything is going to remind me of Spencer and how I let her get to me. I still can’t believe how stupid I was over this issue. No, I’m mad because Spencer drove me this far. Niall’s been down this road, too, why didn’t he help me? No, no, no, girl, don’t bring Niall into this. He tried as best as he could to keep you sane. Whenever you’re with him, you feel happy inside, like this is where you belong.
Meaning that I belong here with Niall. But I can’t stay here. Maybe I could move in with Niall and his uncle. But who knows what Spencer could still do to me if she knew I’m still in LA? Sierra, too, she knows where Niall’s uncle lives.
If you truly love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it was meant to be.
That’s what made me rise from the chair and head back inside. I’ve made a decision: I’m moving back home.
I slipped back inside the apartment and quietly dug out my suitcase from the hallway closet. Carrying it into my bedroom, I opened my wardrobe and began packing up, taking shirts off of the hangers and folding them neatly into my suitcase. But 10 minutes later, I can feel myself yearning for sleep, so I sit on the floor to continue packing. Two folded shirts later, I’m asleep, sprawled across the open suitcase.
Niall’s P.O.V.
I swear I heard something in the night, but I figure my brain was playing tricks on me and I didn’t worry about it. Still half asleep, I reach over to the nightstand and check the time. That’s when I realize Leila’s not next to me. I rub my eyes and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, resulting in a big yawn. Once I’m finished stretching, I notice Leila fast asleep on her luggage, her clothes lying everywhere. What? Did she go out during the night? Is she drunk? Intoxicated? Any drugs? No, she wouldn’t do anything like that. Nothing even smells like that, causing me to inhale a deep breath. But why would she pack? Was she sleepwalking or something? Maybe that’s what I heard last night.
“Lei, Leila, wake up,” I gently coax, shaking her shoulders. She groans. “Leila, time to wake up.”
“What time is it?” she asks, not moving.
“Um, about 9:45,” I answer. Leila slowly sits up, squinting in the brightness of the room.
“Ow, my back hurts,” she complains, stretching.
“You fell asleep on your suitcase,” I point out. She looks down at it.
“Oh, I guess I did,” Leila replies. I raise my eyebrows at her. “What?”
“You want to talk about this?” I question. She hesitates.
“I want to sleep, that’s what I want to do,” Leila responds, getting up and lying on the bed, snuggling under the covers. I just look at her. “It’s lonely over here.”
“Fine,” I give in, pulling back the blankets and crawling in by her. “So, are you going to tell me?” But when I look back over at her, her eyes are closed and she looks so peaceful. I close my eyes and rest with her, but after a few minutes, I decide to get up since I’m already awake. I take a shower and get ready for the day, trying to stay quiet in the bedroom. Then I quietly pad into the kitchen and make breakfast for both of us. She still isn’t awake by that time, so I relax on the couch and watch TV.
A few hours have gone by and it’s now almost 1:00. That’s weird; Leila never sleeps in this late. Turning off the TV, I decide to check on her. As I approach the door, I can hear noises and she’s definitely awake, but what is she doing? I turn the doorknob and swing open the door to see her continue packing.
“Leila?” I ask, surprised. She stops in her tracks and looks at me, surprised too. “What are you doing?”
“I’m, uh, packing,” she replies.
“For what? You seem to have a lot of clothes in there,” I say. She takes a deep breath.
“Look, Niall, I don’t want you to get mad at me but I’ve made up my mind. I’m moving back home,” she responds. I had a feeling that this was going to be the news, but I didn’t want to hear it and my heart sinks.
“But…Leila.” I seem to be at a loss for words as I stand there watching her collect her things. “What am I going to do now?”
Again she stops. I don’t think she realized that. She’s so worried about herself that she didn’t even think about me.
“How could you even forget about me?” I add.
“I-I didn’t mean to,” she apologizes.
“So, basically, when you leave, our relationship will be over?” I question, pushing it.
“Well, no, but—”
“Face it, Leila, how the hell will we keep up a relationship if we’re not even physically together? You know that we need each other, here, together,” I point out.
Leila collapses on the bed and begins sobbing. I know this is so hard for her but I also know what’s best for her since she can’t seem to figure it out for herself. Sighing, I sit next to her and comfort her once again.
“Lei, I promise we will get through this. Don’t move back because you think it’s the only choice you have. I’m here with you, Madison is, even Cameron’s on our side. You have all of us. Don’t think you have to do this alone.”
She sniffs and raises her head to look me in the eyes.
“Promise?” she asks.
“Promise,” I agree, kissing her forehead. “Now, come on, I made breakfast for you and it’s getting cold.”
“You’re the best,” she responds, smiling.
“I know,” I smile back. I lead Leila into the kitchen and warm up her food for her, setting the steamy plate in front of her on the table. The door to the apartment opens and in walks Madison carrying her usual stuff.
“Early day?” I ask her as she enters her bedroom to put them away.
“Yeah,” she calls back. As she comes into the kitchen, she adds, “My friend got sick, so we called it off for today.”
“Hey, you wanna do something for me?” I question Madison. The look on her face is priceless and I burst out laughing. “It’s nothing horrible!”
“Okay…” she responds uneasy.
“Tell Leila she’s not allowed to move back home,” I state. Leila coughs on her food because she wasn’t expecting me to say that and Madison’s face turns to shock.
“Leila!” she scolds. “You’re really thinking of moving back?”
“Thank you so very much, Niall,” Leila sarcastically tells me. She turns to Madison. “Well, Niall’s convinced me to stay, but I was thinking about it. I am still thinking of moving back, but…”
“Lei,” I warn.
“You’re not!” Madison shouts. “You’re the best roommate ever and I don’t want to end up with some creep!”
“Okay, okay, but what about the money situation?” Leila asks.
“Leila, I’ve already talked to you about this. We can cover you until you get a job,” I explain.
“But what if—”
“Lei, trust us,” Madison intervenes. Leila’s face twists up.
“Fine,” she gives in.
“Yes!” Madison and I say in unison, high-fiving each other. Leila takes out her phone to text her mom and tell her she’s staying, but a few minutes later, something comes up.
“Um, guys?” she questions, staring at her phone.
“What is it?” I ask. Madison rushes over. Leila turns her phone so we can read what’s happening. The first thing I see in bold, italicized letters are:
Sierra to Replace Leila Tesley in new series, “Deep Secrets.”
During the night, I have a hard time falling asleep, so I slip out of Niall’s grip and get out of bed. The moonlight is creating shafts of light through the window curtains, lighting up the room for me to see. I approach the window and look at the view of the beautiful city lights that never seem to fade.
I need to think this whole situation through or I’m never getting to sleep. I just realized we have a small patio in this apartment, so I quietly exit my bedroom and past the living room, sliding open the heavy doors that allow me outside. The cool air sends chills down my body, but it feels nice. I close the door and sit on one of the comfy chairs near the railing, enjoying the night scene.
I don’t know whether I should stay in this city or go home. I don’t have the money to stay here and pay the rent and everything else. Home is calling out to me, and now that I’m thinking about it even more, the more I feel homesick.
Everywhere I go here in LA, everything is going to remind me of Spencer and how I let her get to me. I still can’t believe how stupid I was over this issue. No, I’m mad because Spencer drove me this far. Niall’s been down this road, too, why didn’t he help me? No, no, no, girl, don’t bring Niall into this. He tried as best as he could to keep you sane. Whenever you’re with him, you feel happy inside, like this is where you belong.
Meaning that I belong here with Niall. But I can’t stay here. Maybe I could move in with Niall and his uncle. But who knows what Spencer could still do to me if she knew I’m still in LA? Sierra, too, she knows where Niall’s uncle lives.
If you truly love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, it was meant to be.
That’s what made me rise from the chair and head back inside. I’ve made a decision: I’m moving back home.
I slipped back inside the apartment and quietly dug out my suitcase from the hallway closet. Carrying it into my bedroom, I opened my wardrobe and began packing up, taking shirts off of the hangers and folding them neatly into my suitcase. But 10 minutes later, I can feel myself yearning for sleep, so I sit on the floor to continue packing. Two folded shirts later, I’m asleep, sprawled across the open suitcase.
Niall’s P.O.V.
I swear I heard something in the night, but I figure my brain was playing tricks on me and I didn’t worry about it. Still half asleep, I reach over to the nightstand and check the time. That’s when I realize Leila’s not next to me. I rub my eyes and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, resulting in a big yawn. Once I’m finished stretching, I notice Leila fast asleep on her luggage, her clothes lying everywhere. What? Did she go out during the night? Is she drunk? Intoxicated? Any drugs? No, she wouldn’t do anything like that. Nothing even smells like that, causing me to inhale a deep breath. But why would she pack? Was she sleepwalking or something? Maybe that’s what I heard last night.
“Lei, Leila, wake up,” I gently coax, shaking her shoulders. She groans. “Leila, time to wake up.”
“What time is it?” she asks, not moving.
“Um, about 9:45,” I answer. Leila slowly sits up, squinting in the brightness of the room.
“Ow, my back hurts,” she complains, stretching.
“You fell asleep on your suitcase,” I point out. She looks down at it.
“Oh, I guess I did,” Leila replies. I raise my eyebrows at her. “What?”
“You want to talk about this?” I question. She hesitates.
“I want to sleep, that’s what I want to do,” Leila responds, getting up and lying on the bed, snuggling under the covers. I just look at her. “It’s lonely over here.”
“Fine,” I give in, pulling back the blankets and crawling in by her. “So, are you going to tell me?” But when I look back over at her, her eyes are closed and she looks so peaceful. I close my eyes and rest with her, but after a few minutes, I decide to get up since I’m already awake. I take a shower and get ready for the day, trying to stay quiet in the bedroom. Then I quietly pad into the kitchen and make breakfast for both of us. She still isn’t awake by that time, so I relax on the couch and watch TV.
A few hours have gone by and it’s now almost 1:00. That’s weird; Leila never sleeps in this late. Turning off the TV, I decide to check on her. As I approach the door, I can hear noises and she’s definitely awake, but what is she doing? I turn the doorknob and swing open the door to see her continue packing.
“Leila?” I ask, surprised. She stops in her tracks and looks at me, surprised too. “What are you doing?”
“I’m, uh, packing,” she replies.
“For what? You seem to have a lot of clothes in there,” I say. She takes a deep breath.
“Look, Niall, I don’t want you to get mad at me but I’ve made up my mind. I’m moving back home,” she responds. I had a feeling that this was going to be the news, but I didn’t want to hear it and my heart sinks.
“But…Leila.” I seem to be at a loss for words as I stand there watching her collect her things. “What am I going to do now?”
Again she stops. I don’t think she realized that. She’s so worried about herself that she didn’t even think about me.
“How could you even forget about me?” I add.
“I-I didn’t mean to,” she apologizes.
“So, basically, when you leave, our relationship will be over?” I question, pushing it.
“Well, no, but—”
“Face it, Leila, how the hell will we keep up a relationship if we’re not even physically together? You know that we need each other, here, together,” I point out.
Leila collapses on the bed and begins sobbing. I know this is so hard for her but I also know what’s best for her since she can’t seem to figure it out for herself. Sighing, I sit next to her and comfort her once again.
“Lei, I promise we will get through this. Don’t move back because you think it’s the only choice you have. I’m here with you, Madison is, even Cameron’s on our side. You have all of us. Don’t think you have to do this alone.”
She sniffs and raises her head to look me in the eyes.
“Promise?” she asks.
“Promise,” I agree, kissing her forehead. “Now, come on, I made breakfast for you and it’s getting cold.”
“You’re the best,” she responds, smiling.
“I know,” I smile back. I lead Leila into the kitchen and warm up her food for her, setting the steamy plate in front of her on the table. The door to the apartment opens and in walks Madison carrying her usual stuff.
“Early day?” I ask her as she enters her bedroom to put them away.
“Yeah,” she calls back. As she comes into the kitchen, she adds, “My friend got sick, so we called it off for today.”
“Hey, you wanna do something for me?” I question Madison. The look on her face is priceless and I burst out laughing. “It’s nothing horrible!”
“Okay…” she responds uneasy.
“Tell Leila she’s not allowed to move back home,” I state. Leila coughs on her food because she wasn’t expecting me to say that and Madison’s face turns to shock.
“Leila!” she scolds. “You’re really thinking of moving back?”
“Thank you so very much, Niall,” Leila sarcastically tells me. She turns to Madison. “Well, Niall’s convinced me to stay, but I was thinking about it. I am still thinking of moving back, but…”
“Lei,” I warn.
“You’re not!” Madison shouts. “You’re the best roommate ever and I don’t want to end up with some creep!”
“Okay, okay, but what about the money situation?” Leila asks.
“Leila, I’ve already talked to you about this. We can cover you until you get a job,” I explain.
“But what if—”
“Lei, trust us,” Madison intervenes. Leila’s face twists up.
“Fine,” she gives in.
“Yes!” Madison and I say in unison, high-fiving each other. Leila takes out her phone to text her mom and tell her she’s staying, but a few minutes later, something comes up.
“Um, guys?” she questions, staring at her phone.
“What is it?” I ask. Madison rushes over. Leila turns her phone so we can read what’s happening. The first thing I see in bold, italicized letters are:
Sierra to Replace Leila Tesley in new series, “Deep Secrets.”
Notes
So sorry I didn't update earlier! I've been so busy and yes, it was my 18th birthday on Wednesday so it's really been crazy!Please keep voting and spreading the word about this fanfic if you really enjoy it! We're actually almost done with this, can you believe it? I'm guessing there will be about 10 or less chapters left, unless I want to shoot for exactly 50 chapters, then there will be about 12.
Rachel :)
Make a Sequel please.
9/13/14