I Thought You'd Care
Chapter 28: She Has Her Reasons
Chapter 28: She Has Her Reasons
Liam’s POV
All of us but Nell were awake. It was ten in the morning, and Harry was making pancakes. We were all sitting at the dining table, joking around. We didn’t have anything planned today. I think we were just going to have a day in. Harry was just serving up our plates when she stumbled out of the hallway and towards the bathroom, clutching her head and grabbing onto things. Her eyes looked bloodshot and swollen, and she had this panicked look on her face. She disappeared quickly, into the bathroom. None of the other guys saw her, as they were all watching Louis throw leftover pancake batter at Harry.
She reemerged a few minutes later, looking better. She looked calm, her eyes were normal, and her hair was tied up around her head. She looked around for a moment, obviously trying to see if we had noticed her, and when she decided that we hadn’t, she sat down between Niall and I and said, “Morning.”
We all chorused off hello’s and Harry served her a plate, which she ate thankfully. While the guys were talking, I leaned over and whispered to her, “Are you okay?”
She glanced at me quickly before answering. “Nightmares.” And left it at that. I nodded slowly. I would talk to her later.
“So,” Louis said. “We have nothing to do today. So I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie.”
“I’m down with that.” I said, and Zayn and Niall agreed. Harry eventually decided to go, as well, despite his headache.
“I’m working today.” Nell said. “Some high-up people are coming for lunch today. So I have to be there at 11:30. I won’t be able to come.”
“I saw that there was a good one on at two.” Louis mentioned through a mouthful of pancakes, ignoring what she’d said.
We agreed to that and continued making small talk. After about an hour or so, Nell got up and said, “I should probably get ready. Don’t want to keep my boss waiting.” She walked to her room. I had an urge to follow her, and make sure that everything was okay, but I knew it would look suspicious, and the guys would give me shit about Danielle, so I decided to wait until later.
We moved to the couch, where Niall and I started playing FIFA. He was beating me by two points when Nell came out from her room and everything went dead quiet. I had been so into the game, I didn’t notice the boys’ silence until Niall stopped playing. “What’s wrong boys…oh.” I trailed off as I looked up and saw her standing there, a slightly concerned look on her face.
“Is everything alright?” She asked hesitantly.
Niall and Harry were gaping at her, and Louis and Zayn were looking back and forth between her and them, trying their best not to laugh at the way she had them wrapped around her finger. I finally broke the silence. “Yeah, I just think the lads are just a bit shocked by how you look.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.
Niall spoke up, finally. “Definitely a good thing,” he spluttered. “You just look really, really nice.”
She smiled a bit and looked at the ground. She seemed uncomfortable, so I again broke our silence. “Alright. Well, have a good time at work! We’ll see you later.”
She looked at me gratefully and left, softly closing the door behind her. I had paused our game of FIFA, so Niall just sat there, staring at the screen. I heard Harry behind us. “Well, I’m going to wank one out.” Louis snickered and patted his back as he walked towards his room.
“Fuck you, Liam.” Niall groaned, lying on the ground.
“Why, Ni?” I asked, trying my best not to laugh at him.
“She lives here, Liam. I have to see her every damn day and it’s going to drive me insane because I can’t date her. She said she ‘didn’t want a relationship’. Well, that’s fucking fantastic, how about you tell me that then kiss me then live in the room next to mine then wear sexy dresses then wink at me then remind me that I can’t have you.”
I pat him sympathetically on the shoulder. “Just deal with it, Niall. Maybe she’ll change her mind.” Louis, Zayn and I were muffling our laughter while Niall just howled. “I hate you but I love you but I hate you. I’m still deciding if I’m completely happy about her being here or if I hate it more than anything. Because I can’t have her Liam. Why? Why does she have to be the first girl that I really, really like and then I take her on a date, and then we do things, like fun things, if you know what I mean, and then she just ignores me, and now she’s going on about how she doesn’t want to date anyone. Why?”
I sobered up, remembering exactly the reasons why she didn’t want a boyfriend. She’d shared her insecurities with me, and it had been terrifying knowing what she’d actually been through. She’d made me promise not to tell, but I couldn’t leave Niall hanging, so I simply said, “Niall, just trust me, lad, she has her reasons. I know you can change her mind, but you have to be patient.”
“Stop being so damn right, Liam.” Niall sighed, shaking his head. “Can we just get back to FIFA? I don’t want to think about this anymore.”
(Here’s Nell’s outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=77324956)
Liam’s POV
All of us but Nell were awake. It was ten in the morning, and Harry was making pancakes. We were all sitting at the dining table, joking around. We didn’t have anything planned today. I think we were just going to have a day in. Harry was just serving up our plates when she stumbled out of the hallway and towards the bathroom, clutching her head and grabbing onto things. Her eyes looked bloodshot and swollen, and she had this panicked look on her face. She disappeared quickly, into the bathroom. None of the other guys saw her, as they were all watching Louis throw leftover pancake batter at Harry.
She reemerged a few minutes later, looking better. She looked calm, her eyes were normal, and her hair was tied up around her head. She looked around for a moment, obviously trying to see if we had noticed her, and when she decided that we hadn’t, she sat down between Niall and I and said, “Morning.”
We all chorused off hello’s and Harry served her a plate, which she ate thankfully. While the guys were talking, I leaned over and whispered to her, “Are you okay?”
She glanced at me quickly before answering. “Nightmares.” And left it at that. I nodded slowly. I would talk to her later.
“So,” Louis said. “We have nothing to do today. So I was thinking maybe we could catch a movie.”
“I’m down with that.” I said, and Zayn and Niall agreed. Harry eventually decided to go, as well, despite his headache.
“I’m working today.” Nell said. “Some high-up people are coming for lunch today. So I have to be there at 11:30. I won’t be able to come.”
“I saw that there was a good one on at two.” Louis mentioned through a mouthful of pancakes, ignoring what she’d said.
We agreed to that and continued making small talk. After about an hour or so, Nell got up and said, “I should probably get ready. Don’t want to keep my boss waiting.” She walked to her room. I had an urge to follow her, and make sure that everything was okay, but I knew it would look suspicious, and the guys would give me shit about Danielle, so I decided to wait until later.
We moved to the couch, where Niall and I started playing FIFA. He was beating me by two points when Nell came out from her room and everything went dead quiet. I had been so into the game, I didn’t notice the boys’ silence until Niall stopped playing. “What’s wrong boys…oh.” I trailed off as I looked up and saw her standing there, a slightly concerned look on her face.
“Is everything alright?” She asked hesitantly.
Niall and Harry were gaping at her, and Louis and Zayn were looking back and forth between her and them, trying their best not to laugh at the way she had them wrapped around her finger. I finally broke the silence. “Yeah, I just think the lads are just a bit shocked by how you look.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” She asked, arching her eyebrows.
Niall spoke up, finally. “Definitely a good thing,” he spluttered. “You just look really, really nice.”
She smiled a bit and looked at the ground. She seemed uncomfortable, so I again broke our silence. “Alright. Well, have a good time at work! We’ll see you later.”
She looked at me gratefully and left, softly closing the door behind her. I had paused our game of FIFA, so Niall just sat there, staring at the screen. I heard Harry behind us. “Well, I’m going to wank one out.” Louis snickered and patted his back as he walked towards his room.
“Fuck you, Liam.” Niall groaned, lying on the ground.
“Why, Ni?” I asked, trying my best not to laugh at him.
“She lives here, Liam. I have to see her every damn day and it’s going to drive me insane because I can’t date her. She said she ‘didn’t want a relationship’. Well, that’s fucking fantastic, how about you tell me that then kiss me then live in the room next to mine then wear sexy dresses then wink at me then remind me that I can’t have you.”
I pat him sympathetically on the shoulder. “Just deal with it, Niall. Maybe she’ll change her mind.” Louis, Zayn and I were muffling our laughter while Niall just howled. “I hate you but I love you but I hate you. I’m still deciding if I’m completely happy about her being here or if I hate it more than anything. Because I can’t have her Liam. Why? Why does she have to be the first girl that I really, really like and then I take her on a date, and then we do things, like fun things, if you know what I mean, and then she just ignores me, and now she’s going on about how she doesn’t want to date anyone. Why?”
I sobered up, remembering exactly the reasons why she didn’t want a boyfriend. She’d shared her insecurities with me, and it had been terrifying knowing what she’d actually been through. She’d made me promise not to tell, but I couldn’t leave Niall hanging, so I simply said, “Niall, just trust me, lad, she has her reasons. I know you can change her mind, but you have to be patient.”
“Stop being so damn right, Liam.” Niall sighed, shaking his head. “Can we just get back to FIFA? I don’t want to think about this anymore.”
(Here’s Nell’s outfit: http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=77324956)
8/19/13