The Way You Loved Me [Under Edit]

Just 'cause he said it, doesn't mean he meant it!

Melanie.

            The foul name echoed through my mind as I sat motionless on Niall’s couch. He’d abandoned me for the kitchen about thirty minutes after my emotional breakdown. Part of me was angry that Niall just left me sitting there, I was his guest after all; the other part of me understood his actions, though. Although I was someone he invited into his home, I was still a stranger.

            I was staring blankly at the TV screen before me, barely watching the rerun of How I Met Your Mother. Melanie’s name was racing through my mind, causing my blood to boil. I was over the whole sad part of Spenser’s cheating, the anger was finally settling in.

How dare he, I thought to myself, after I all used to do for him! I couldn’t grasp the fact that Spenser had, in fact, cheated on me while I lay in comatose state. As I was on my death bed, that bastard was fooling around with some skank a few counties over.

            As I popped my knuckles anxiously, I listened as the microwave beeped loudly from the kitchen. Although I’d never been in the large house before, I moved gracefully through the rooms, following the sound of Niall humming and banging around, until I finally reached the kitchen. I hovered in the doorway, trying to be as motionless as possible. I couldn’t contain my smile as I watched Niall swaying back and forth on his feet. His light hair bobbed up and down as he hopped around the room, dancing around. The phrase “dance as if no one was watching” came to mind immediately.

            He popped open the microwave and was just about to yank its contents out whenever I cleared my throat loudly. “That’s going to be hot.” Startled, Niall flinched and spun around to face me. His pale eyes grew wide as a smile spread across his face.

            “There you are!”

            Smiling sheepishly, I glanced behind him. “What were you heating up?”

            “Some old Chinese food,” he replied, averting his attention to the food. He grabbed a potholder from the tile countertop and pulled out the white carry-out box. “I figured you’d be hungry.”

            Now that he mentioned it, I was hungry.

            Before Niall could empty the container into the two bowls he’d set on the counter, the doorbell rang. His back tensed as he exhaled deeply, “That must be Mara.”

            Mara.

            Upon hearing her name, a wave of sadness washed over me. She’d known about Melanie too…

            “I don’t want to see her!” I hissed, fleeing from the room.

            “What do I tell her?” Niall asked, quick on my heels. I raced across the house, reaching the bathroom I’d been in only hours before. Hovering outside the door, my back to him, I sighed.

            “Tell her I don’t want to see her.”

            “She’s your best friend, Cahlan. She won’t believe me.”

            I turned around and faced him, our bodies only inches apart. “Then think of something.”

            He ran a hand through his hair and sighed, closing his eyes. Mara rang the doorbell again. He groaned loudly before turning on his heels and heading to the door. For a moment I thought about hiding in the bathroom, but figured that’d get boring quickly. Instead, I slipped into the dark room across from it.