Taken by One Direction

Chapter 33: Love

I woke up quickly. I was lying on my stomach on the bed. I didn't move at all. I didn't want to alert whoever was in here with me that I was awake. There was definitely someone in the room.

I heard shuffling around before the bed dipped next to my waist. My body went rigid in fear. Carefully, something put a hot cloth on my upper thigh and left it there. Whoever it was got off the bed and walked a few steps. I let out a shaky breath as I heard footsteps indicating the person was back.

From what I figured, I was still wearing the t-shirt and panties that I had tried to escape in. Thank god I was completely exposed.

I felt another hot cloth press to my leg. I felt a shiver go down my spine as the cloth connected with open flesh. I could feel it.

I allowed a hiss escape my lips, but quickly regretted it; it was now known that I was awake.

"Katie?" Louis's soft voice sounded nervous. The bed dipped down again as he sat next to me. I slowly turned my head toward his voice and opened my eyes.

Louis stared down at me with concern. The sight of him made my whole body shake in fear. I tried to sit up, but Louis gently placed a hand on my back and pushed me back down. After that, I remained still on the bed.

"Katie, please, just say something." He begged after a few moments of silence. I had a lot that I wanted to say to this asshole. I wanted to cuss him out for catching me. I wanted him to know that I hated him. I wanted him to be upset about my pain.

But I couldn't. I couldn't go through this again. No, I needed to behave. I needed to submit.

"I'm sorry." I whispered hoarsely. A shocked look passed Louis's features, but he regained composure quickly.

"No you're not. Katie, seriously. Let me have it." He begged me. His voice was harsh, but raw. He wanted me to be angry at him.

"I promise I will never run again." I assured him. Louis looked at me solemnly before his eyes wandered down to my lower half. A pained expression consumed his face, but like before he quickly slipped back into composure.

"No. That's not what I want you to say." He exclaimed frustrated. He threw his hands up in exasperation before turning back to me.

"What would you like me to say, Louis?" I asked him softly. Normally, bitterness or sarcasm would seep into my voice, but this time, nothing. This time, my voice was unrecognizable to me. It was flat and monotonous. It was lifeless and drone-like.

"Say what Katie would say. Yell at me, take a swing at me. Something!" He yelled. I flinched at his volume and buried my face into the pillow. I heard an emotional sigh and then nothing for a few seconds. I peeked up to see Louis standing a few feet from me, his face in his hands.

"Louis?" I whispered. He looked up at me with reddened eyes, but made no move to come towards me.

"Don't be sad. I'm sorry. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have run. I deserved it." I told him. This time, mockery was evident in my tone. I couldn't help it. It was who I was. I don't take anything lying down.

Louis looked up at me with an unreadable expression. Immediately I regretted what I had said. Louis looked pissed.

"Please, I' sorry. I didn't mean it! I didn't, I swear!" I pleaded. I tried to sit up again, but Louis was at my side pushing me down in an instant.

"No, shh shh. It's ok. You're allowed to be angry. You're allowed to be upset." He told me. I shook my head and held back my tears.

"No, it's fine. I'm ok." I whispered, back to the monotonousness I had experienced before. Louis bit his lip to hold back the emotion I could see threatening to spill out.

"Please. Katie, just let me have it." He pleaded again.

"What? Louis, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to yell at you and then have Liam and Zayn come back in here and- and-" I couldn't complete my thought.

"No. I promise they won't hurt you ever again. I promise you." He whispered back. He was kneeling in front of me, his hands pressed together at the palms and his fingers interlocking.

"You've promised me so much before, Louis. You promised me a lot! I can't... I can't trust you Louis." I admitted reluctantly. I was afraid that... that if I was rude he would... he would get the other boys to come in here and a replay of before would happen.

"Please Katie. Please. I am dying here. You have no idea what I am doing to myself. I am literally tearing myself apart. I feel like I am the worst person in the world. I fucked up, just yell at me. Just get it over with." His eyes started to tear up as he begged.

"No. You deserve to suffer. You deserve to tear yourself apart." I hissed. He blinked away the tears and sat near me. I squirmed to the other side of the bed, wriggling around on my stomach still.

"You have to understand that when I dragged you back here, when I prevented you from escaping, I wasn't thinking at all. All I remember is not wanting you to leave." He tried to explain.

"Wouldn't you rather have me free than here. Here, I am hurt, physically and emotionally. Here, I hate you." There was no soft way of putting this. I didn't even try to hide the bitterness.

"I know, I know that I fucked up. Please. I didn't even think it through. All I know is that I couldn't bear for you to not be with me anymore. I never thought that Liam would- I mean, he was pissed after you kicked him, but I didn't even consider the fact that he would take it this far."

"Louis. Save it." I didn't want to hear it. I didn't even care.

"I just couldn't forget about you. I really like you, Katie."

"You have a funny way of showing it." I spat. I pushed off of the bed and stood before he could get me to lie back down. There were a lot of hot washcloths placed on the various welts and bruising I received from the beating.

Louis had tried to clean me up.

"You helped me?" I asked as I tried to look at myself in the mirror. The welts were scattered across the back of my upper thighs and disappeared into my panties and my shirt. They were purple and red, some were even open. It was clear that someone had spent some time wiping the blood from my body.

"Yeah, I couldn't bear to see you lying limp and lifeless on the bed. I needed to make sure you were ok, but you were unconscious. I needed to help. I needed to-"

"You need to forget about me. You need to move on." I begged. Tears were readily streaming down my face.

"I-I can't. I'll help you escape, but I will never forget about you." He whispered back. He allowed a tear escape but quickly wiped it away in embarrassment.

"I don't expect you to do that." I mutter and roll my eyes. I learned by now that I couldn't ever hold Louis to his word.

"I promise you that I will. I will get you out of here. No one will hurt you again. You can go live your life and be happy."

"And what will happen to you, Louis?" I turned to face him.

"It doesn't matter. If the woman I love is free and happy, then I'll be happy." He exclaimed in determination.

"Wait, you love me?" I was taken aback by this. I mean, I know that Louis and I had always gotten along the best, but... love? We had been joking about that whole Stockholm Syndrome thing before, right?

"You didn't know that? Katie, the reason I brought you back was because I was blinded by love. I needed you here." He said softly. He took a step towards me and held my chin in his hands.

"Yes. Katie, I am in love with you."