Lonely Road

Chapter 5: Two Can Be as Bad as One

"Liam?" I whisper, catching Paul's attention.

In front of me, a very angry Liam is being held by equally frustrated, Paul and Harry. Harry let's go and shoves Liam onto the couch. I stand in shock as Liam glares towards the ground.

"Liam," I start and take a step towards the couch.

"Bug off!" He shouts and I freeze. His voice is drenched in anger and pain. I scan over him, gasping at the blood and bruises that cover his arms and face. He slowly lifts his gaze to mine and a drip of blood trickles from his forehead.

"What the hell happened?!" I turn to Paul and shout. Harry steps in and presses a hand to my chest.

"Look Niall, calm down! A pub called Paul and he found him this way in an alley not to far from there." He states calmly. I take a deep breath and face Liam again.

I sigh and crouch down beside him. He squirms awkwardly and I open my mouth to speak before settling on what to say.

"Li, I'm.... I'm so sorry." I breathe out. Tears threaten my eyes and I look up to Liam. He furrows his eyebrows in thought and clenches his fists. He turns to me, a spark of hatred in once amazing brown eyes. He abruptly stands up and turns to Harry.

"I'm going to bed." He growls and quickly storms up the stairs. I look down to the floor as pain fills my heart. Harry sits down to my left and rubs my back soothingly. I shake him off and dash up the stairs before the tears can escape. My head is spinning and I fall in front of Zayn's door. My vision becomes blurry as Zayn steps into the hall. He lifts me up and places me gently on his soft bed. My whole body is shaking with sobs as he whispers comforting words into my ear. I eventually relax and slip into a restless dream.

"Is anyone home?!" I shout into the eerie, dark, and unfamiliar building. My eyes search the abandon looking home looking for a source of light. In the corner was a dim yet noticeable flickering candle. I cautioned my action but walked up and grabbed the wax stick.

"Niall help me! Help me please!" I heard a weak scream coming from an upstairs room. Instantly my legs took control and ran to weeping scream of help. Barging through countless wooden doors I found where the noise was coming from. I froze in my step. It was Liam hovering over...me. Another me on the ground tied up and duck tape. Evidently I noticed something about Liam. His eyes...they weren't the usually warm chocolatey brown; this time they were a blood red. A whole different person I saw as I looked into his demeaning eyes.

"Nice to see you Nialler." Liam says, circling around my vulnerable body. His soft digits lingered on my skin as he cupped my face looking at me straight in the eye as his face inched closer and closer. His tanned skin touching mine as our lips connected. It was sweet and tender at first but soon my lips were burning. Slowly Liam inched away and his eyes turned a darker shade of red.

"Run Niall!" Other me said. So I did. I ran until my legs ached. The dark house was so big and scary that I didn't know my way around. Minutes later I found myself in the basement. I froze at the sight in front of me.

It was a Telly showing the a program but was interrupted with Liam crying on a bed holding a picture of us together. Just me and him sitting on a bench and wearing fake mustaches. A single salty tear dropped onto the photo and it burned a hole right through the paper. Evidently that burn was right on my face. I realized how much I messed up.

A few slipped up words ruined a friendship no matter how much I apologized. Liam hates me and I can't even fix it

Could I ever fix this?

Liam's Pov

I sprang from the couch as fast as I could, not want the fresh tears to spill over my cheeks. Only one door was open on the second level so I waltzed right in and slammed the door shut behind me. Sinking to floor, I bring my hands to my face as silent sobs escape my mouth.

After what seems like hours, I crawl over to the bed. My crying has simmered down to quiet whimpers here and there but I've mostly collected myself. Until I realize I'm in his room. The sheets are pulled back and the pillows are positioned all around the corners, as Niall doesn't enjoy feeling alone at night. Just the thought of him being in this bed makes my heart swell. I curl into a ball and grab the pillows. His scent is draped over them and I laugh, realizing that Niall sprayed his favorite cologne on the bed. I snuggle in closer to the plush pillows and try to fall asleep, ignoring the thoughts yelling at me to apologize to Niall.

I wake to the sound of shuffling around the room and I open my eyes to see the source. He's quietly rummaging around in a dresser to my right, his bare back showing and blonde hair damp. Suddenly Niall stiffens like he can feel my gaze, slowly turning to face me. I force my eyes shut and try to relax until footsteps approach the bed and the spot next to me sinks down. The familiar smell of Axe fills my nose as Niall reaches over me to grab something. I tense when his bare chest is inches from my face and my breath hitches. He stays hovering above me, searching the other side of the bed while trying not to wake me up. My eyes stay glued shut and he slowly pulls back. It takes a second for me to recognize the wet warmth gently pressed to my cheeks but when he pulls away, my heart is racing.

"I'm sorry Li." Niall whispers, oblivious to the pink tint of my face. His presence is soon gone and the door softy clicks shut.

Why is my heart racing at a hundred miles per hour? It's just Niall, not to mention I should be incredibly angry. But I can't help but reach my hand up to the spot and blush madly. Niall kissed my cheek.