Fireproof // Liam Payne fanfic (sequel to Through the Dark)

Chapter 55

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Ari's pov

"Who are you guys?" These words hit me so hard that I actually stumbled backwards a few steps. At first I thought it was a joke, but I could tell by the lost look in his eye that he was genuine. My mind was racing and I fought the urge to scream and cry out in pain.

I felt mute and restricted, standing in the center of the room. As badly as I wanted to, I couldn't bring myself to tear my eyes away from his. The big brown eyes, once full of life and happiness, were now cold and dazed- certainly not the ones I fell in love with.

The sniffles around my lead me to believe the other boys were crying. None of us saw this coming so it took as big a toll on them as it did me. I was completely speechless. For once I didn't have anything that I wanted to say either. It was as if my brain had given up all hope and shut down so I was unable to communicate. The only thing I could do was stand frozen in place while tears poured relentlessly from my eyes.

The room was full of a deafening silence. The only thing that could be heard was the heavy, uneven breathing of the boys behind me along with an occasional sniffle.

"Dada?" A quiet squeaky voice broke me from my trance. I closed my parted lips and blinked a few times as I turned around. Lacey was in Louis's arms, staring at Liam with glossy eyes. "Dada" she repeated and held her arms out towards him.

It was then that a was hit with a reality check. My head began throbbing and my heart was pounding against my heaving chest. I couldn't control the tears that spilled from my eyes, even after furiously wiping at them. My vision blurred and I felt like the walls were closing in on me. I knew what was coming, and if I didn't do something, I'd have the inevitable anxiety attack right here, right now.

Coming to my senses, my feet hastily turned against the tiles floor and I turned around. All four boys had red eyes and damp cheeks as they stood in the same state of shock. Without a word, I took a tearful Lacey from Louis and walked towards the door with my head down. I didn't bother looking back, because nothing wouldn't erase Liam's face of confusion etched into my mind.

By the time I got to the lobby, Lacey was in tears and she continued to repeat the word "dada" over and over again, making a piece of my heart shatter each time she spoke. Some of the boys were sat in the lobby chairs and immediately jumped up when they saw me.

"What's wrong?" Sandy asked frantically. His tone was a mixture of shock and confusion. This was supposed to be a happy day since Liam woke up, but seeing my tears only confused the boys in front of me.

"H-he doesn't remember" I croaked, wiping a tear from Lacey's cheek before she buried her head into my chest.

"What do you mean??" Ashton questioned nervously.

"He doesn't remember anything or anyone" I choked out, trying to suck back the tears that were stinging my eyes. Their faces instantly dropped and they all had the same expression.

"Ari..." Calum shook his head and I watched as tears filled his eyes. He laid a hand on my shoulder comfortingly as I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Just forget it" I mumbled, looking towards the ground. Moments of silence passed that consisted of tears and exchanged glances of sorrow. I felt a hand on the small of my back and I turned to find Luke holding Bryce. His tears had subsided and he looked plain exhausted and run down from all the recent events. Nothing in me held back the tears the poured when I buried my head in his chest.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice drew me back to reality. I lifted my head and turned to the source of the voice- Karen. Everyone stared blankly at her while her eyes scanned the crowd in search of some kind of answer. I kept my eyes directed on the floor, doing my best to avoid any sort of confrontation with her.