White Horse

Chapter 34: Story Time

~Louis' pov~

"Alright, let's go put the girls to bed so we can talk," I whispered, unbuckling Caden's seatbelt and scooping her into my arms. Devon did the same with Ashtyn, not being as careful to not jostle her as I had been with Caddie. Devon caught my look, and chuckled.

"She's an extremely heavy sleeper. I could smack her head into the wall and she would keep snoring, wouldn't even miss a beat," Devon explained, as we walked towards the house. Liam unlocked the front door and held it open for us as we walked inside.

"Is Caden like that?" I asked.

"Not really. She used to be, but after she started babysitting a few years ago she lost it. She calls it her motherly instincts. I believe it. Every time someone got sick, they would go to her to take care of them. She just has a way with people. It's pretty amazing," Devon replied, a distant smile on his face.

"Tell me about it," I chuckled. "Okay, I'm going to put her into her bed. I'll meet you downstairs when I'm done."

"Kk."

I approached Caden's door, slowly turning the nob and trying to get her inside without hitting her head and/or feet on the doorframe. Successfully making it inside, I gently placed Caden on her bed. As quietly as I could, I rummaged around her drawers to find her pajamas.

"They're behind her pillow," a voice whispered. I looked over my shoulder to see Harry leaning on the doorframe. Glaring, I backtracked to Caden's bed and slowly slipped my hand behind her pillows. My fingers caught the fabric of her bundled up pajamas and I slowly tugged them out from behind her head.

"How'd you know they were back there?" I whispered as I unfolded , lying them beside her.

"She told me once," He shrugged walking into the room. He sat on the edge of her bed, looking over at her, "She also told me that she likes her hair up when she sleeps so it doesn't get in her face and that she likes to wear knee high socks but usually kicks them off during the night."

"How do you know so much?" I slipped off her shoes, tossing them to the side. Once those were off, I moved to her jewelry.

"We used to talk. Out of the four of us, she and I were the closest. We used spend hours doing nothing but talking. I found out a lot about her," he answered, his face a blank slate.

"Like what?"

"They're not my secrets to tell. Why don't you ask her?"

"Well if you know her so well, do you think she'd mind if I put on her pajamas for her?" I snapped.

"No, just be quick." He replied, getting off the bed and turning around to close the door. Even once the door was closed, he kept his back turned to give her some privacy while I changed her. I quickly slipped Caden out of her day clothes and put on her pajama shorts and top.

"Harry do me a favor and put on her socks while I pull her hair into a pony tail," I mumbled, wanting to get downstairs so Devon could tell us the story.

Taking in a sharp breath, he turned to me with torn eyes. He looked so distraught that it made me completely stop what I was doing. "I can't do this Lou. I just... I cant. I'm sorry." With that, he quietly opened the door and left.

Sighing, I turned back to Caden and put on her socks before pulling her hair up. I opened up the blankets and tucked her in. I softly placed a kiss on her forehead, "Good night beautiful."

~ Harry's pov ~

Once I was out of Caden's room, I sunk to the floor with my back against the wall. The palms of my hands slammed into my eyes as I tried to work out my inner turmoil. What was this girl doing to me?

I can't keep doing this. I can't keep staying away from her. It was killing me to not be able to go near her. She reminded me of the person I was before this all began. She brings out the old Harry. The Harry that didn't sleep around. The Harry that didn't let management change who he was for money. The Harry that wasn't afraid to sit next Louis during an interview without a second thought. The Harry that loved without boundaries, without second thoughts, and with everything he had. The Harry that I want to return to. And I could tell that our separation was taking a toll on her to. She was a lot more stressed and worried than when she first got here. When she first met us, she was strong willed, out-going, and fun to be around. She's more reserved and quiet. He's breaking her and he doesn't even realize it.

I picked myself up off the floor once I heard Louis finishing up. I didn't want to confront him, especially not now. So I made my way downstairs and headed toward the room with the fridge. As I walked into the kitchen, I was greeted by the sight of Devon kneeling on top of the counter trying to reach the very top cabinet. Granted, even though he was trying so hard, he was reaching for the wrong cabinet. The liquor was in the one next to the one he was trying to open.

"Looking for the tequila?" I chuckled, startling him.

"Yea. Niall told me it was somewhere over here," Devon replied with a sheepish grin. He hopped off the counter, allowing me to take his place.

I hopped onto the counter and opened up the cabinet that he was reaching for, just to humor him. As I did so, a huge bag of Haribo gummy worms and another bag of M&Ms smacked me in the face. "I believe, you have just discovered Niall's secret candy stash. Wait... NIALL! DID YOU STEAL MY GUMMY WORMS AGAIN?"

".... Maybe?"

"I'm coming after you, you little leprechaun and when I do, you'll never see it coming!"

"You've been threatening me for years! They're all empty!"

"Maybe I just haven't found the perfect time to attack. Have you ever thought about that?" He didn't reply. With a curt laugh, I pulled all of the Haribo gummy worm bags out of the cabinet. There were about 8 large bags and 3 smaller ones. The little thief. "The liquor cabinet is the one next to it." I pulled down a few bottles of the tequila and handed them to Devon before hoping off the counter. "Can you take those to the living room while I grab the case of beer?"

"Yea, sure." He disappeared into the living room, while I went to the fridge to get the case of beer.

"Alright. I've got the beer. We're already to start story time," I announced, walking into the living room and placing the beer onto the coffee table. I grabbed one and settled down onto the love seat.

"Caden and Matt were the cutest couple any of us have ever seen. They acted like they had been married for years. Caden, to be completely honest, was a lot smarter –school wise- than Matt was. He wasn't stupid, but when it came to school stuff Matt was doomed. He applied to six different colleges and was denied from each. His last option was to go into the military. Caden doesn't know this but he went to a training session one summer when he told her he was going to visit his grandmother. The guy that was training the group was, according to Matt, 'strict and scary as Satan himself'. He filled their heads with scary war stories that made Matt flip his shit when he got back. He was convinced that he was going to end up six feet under, but he was determined to make something of himself. He came back to Ashtyn and me and asked us with all of these worries in his head. Little did I know, he and Ash were forming a plan. He never wanted to break up with Caden, God, that boy loved her like she was air and he was dying to breath. He loved her so much that he was going to propose."

"Wait. If he was going to propose then why did he cheat on her? Why did he break her heart?" Louis interrupted, taking a swig of his beer. His eyebrows were furrowed, a clear sign that he as confused.

"The breaking her heart wasn't exactly his idea..." Devon replied, rubbing his face. "It was Ashtyn's."