Pacified

(6) Get Out

(Trigger warning: contains some intense scenes; death)

Louis had insisted that I take a nap when we got home from the mall. I thought it would be difficult to fall asleep after all the drama that had ensued earlier but I was so exhausted from the panicking and crying that I fell asleep right away. 

When I woke up, I noticed a note next to the bed. 

"Your new clothes are in the closet. Come to the kitchen when you're ready for homemade pizza - Louis"

I smiled at the note and the thought of food. I hadn't had lunch and I was starving. I checked the clock. 6:30.

I found a simple t-shirt and leggings in the closet and put them on, happy to be in something more comfortable than the jeans I had fallen asleep wearing. I walked into the bathroom and combed through my hair with my fingers to get some of the tangles out. The bruises and small cuts on my face were starting to fade. I splashed my face with a bit of cold water to wake myself up from my nap and then decided to head downstairs.

I could hear quiet talking as I walked down the stairs. I stopped mid-step when I heard Harry say my name. I knew I shouldn't be eavesdropping but I was too curious. I sat quietly on the step and listened.

"When do we bring it up?" Niall asked.

"We don't. We slowly introduce it."

"I called myself daddy today and she didn't freak out."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah. She seems to be comfortable enough with the nicknames."

"I think we need to give her a little time to adjust. Lets not take things too fast."

"Right. We need her to trust us and we don't want to escalate her anxiety."

"I hope this can eventually help her anxiety. I hate seeing her suffer."

"so we all agree on the plan then?"

The voices stopped. What plan? Adjust to what? So many thoughts swirled around my mind that I didn't even hear Harry come up the stairs.

"Hey there hun. What are you doing on the stairs?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. 

"I.. uh. I just got tired. Thats all." I stammered, knowing that he would easily see past my lie.

"Tired?  You just took a nap, silly," Harry grinned. 

"Ha, I guess I did. Silly me," I laughed nervously. I really needed to work on my lying skills.

"Well, silly, we're about to make some homemade pizzas in the kitchen. Come on, you need to eat something," Harry laughed, his dimples making an appearance.

I followed Harry down the stairs and into the kitchen where the rest of the guys had set out every kind of pizza topping imaginable along with 5 pre-made pizza crusts. They all took turns greeting me as they finished setting everything up.

"Ever made your own pizza before?" Niall asked. 

"No, our oven never worked so if I wanted to eat I had to spend all of my money on cheap fast food." I shrugged.

"You don't need to worry about that anymore. We have two working ovens so you can have all the homemade pizzas you want," Louis said excitedly, using exaggerated hand gestures. I smiled at his silliness. 

We all sat around the table exchanging containers of toppings and bags of cheese. A mini food fight broke out when Louis playfully threw a pepperoni at Niall and Niall responded by throwing a piece of ham back at him,  but somehow managing to hit Liam instead of Louis.