Through the Dark (A Liam Payne Story) || Season 5 1D Watty Awards Winner: Best Liam Payne

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Song: Save Me by Nicki Minaj

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"Obstacles are put in our way to see if what we want is really worth fighting for."

--

Three days have passed since the call from Sam came in, and whatever Liam and I have worked on together until this point has been put on hold or shattered. There is no in between. The thought of not knowing what is going to happen to us has created a knot in my stomach.

There are too many emotions being held inside and I feel the need to scream as I pound on the punching pads that are covering Carter's hands. "C'mon, Rosalie!" Carter shouts at me. "Faster!" The day Sam called was the same day Carter and I agreed to have private late-night training sessions and, so far, they are going pretty well. I groan and continue to punch her protected palms, much faster than before. As I nail each pad with as much force as I can possibly emit, a flood of memories and past conversations rush into my mind.

"I can't stay away if you haven't noticed."

" I couldn't help but think about you. About how beautiful you are. Your smile. Your eyes. Your lips against mine. Your sassy personality.

"Because you're my woman."

"I'm not going to lose you. I'm not tired of this cycle. I don't care how long it takes for us to get somewhere in whatever this is, but one thing is for sure. This is worth all the fighting."

I feel anger boiling inside of me as if I'm about to burst. I squeeze my eyes shut as Carter's voice brings me back to reality. "Seventy more, Rosalie, let's go!" she continues to shout, and I comply with no hesitation. "Good! Keep it up!"

More anger builds up and I start railing on her. "Thirty to go!" her voice rings in my ears mixing with Liam's.

When I know I am on the last fifteen punches, I begin to grunt after each hit, releasing all the anger and confusion that has been pent up for the longest time. As soon as I land the last hit, I scream at the top of my lungs. Tears threaten to spill out, but I hold them back.

When I stop, I open my eyes to see Carter has taken a few steps back. "That was incredible," she breathes out. "You may have woken up a few people, though."

I shrug. "I honestly don't care," I admit and she laughs. "What time is it, anyway?"

"Probably almost three o'clock," she says. "I think we should call it a night."

I nod and wipe the sweat that is running down my face. Carter turns away from me and starts packing the equipment we used in today's session. "You did good tonight," she admits without looking back at me and I find myself smiling at the unexpected compliment. "I don't know where all of that came from, but I need to see more of it. Keep it up."

Before I can say anything, she zips up her duffle bag and quickly leaves the gym without another word. "Good night to you, too!" I call out to her before the door closes and I hear her giggle from the other side.

When the door shuts, I look down at my hands and they are shaking. I can't believe I did that ...

I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and index finger. I let out a shaky breath and I make my way over to my belongings to gather everything into my workout bag. I pause momentarily and, unexpectedly, the tears that threatened to spill earlier begin to pour out.