Safe

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I arrive in the lobby and hastily look around and search for Louis' face. I scan the front desk, the sitting room, and the little room back in the corner with a TV in it for those who are staying a bit longer than planned. I don't see Louis anywhere. 

"Why am I even here?" I mutter to myself. It's a question I can't seem to answer. I feel silly now standing in the middle of the lobby, looking around aimlessly. I must look like a lost puppy. The idea of finding Louis to comfort him seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm second guessing myself. Just as I'm about to turn and head back up on the elevator, I see a familiar head of brown hair sitting near the window in the lobby. 

She's staring lifelessly at her feet, her thumbs nervously playing with the buttons on her red  trench coat.  Without thinking, I head over to her position and take a seat next to her. She doesn't even look up. "Eleanor?" I gently put a hand on her knee, but she still doesn't move. She doesn't say a word. "Eleanor." I say a bit harsher this time to get her attention. She peeks at me from the corner of her eye. "What are you doing here? Where is Louis?" 

"Hell if I know," she mumbles. 

"Is everything okay?" I know she doesn't know that I'm aware of the problems she and Louis have been having, and I prepare myself for yet another side of the story. 

Silence.

"El..." I move my face to be in her line of sight. She looks at me with big, brown eyes that have started to fill with tears. Honestly, I've had enough of everyone crying. But I try to soothe her nonetheless. "You can tell me. What's wrong?"

"The shorter list to answer would be what is right, because everything is wrong. Everything. Louis won't talk to me. He won't listen. He's going to leave me, Kat. I just know it. I know he's going to leave me." She starts to sob and I take her head onto my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and let her weep. Once I feel her tears are near their end, I speak. 

"You wanna know what I think?" She nods her head slightly as she lifts it off my shoulder. I try to sound as gentle as possible in what I'm about to tell her. "Why don't you put yourself in his shoes for a minute, okay? Try and remember that he's dealing with a lot. He's trying to start his career, balance a relationship, and his friend almost just died. He's got a lot on his plate, and it's all a little too much for him right now. And that's okay. He's allowed to need to take a step back, and so are you. You just need to let him take a breather for a minute. He'll come around - just let it be."

"What makes you such an expert on him?" 

Her tone shocks me a little, but her question is valid. I'm not sure why I'm giving advice on his behalf. 

"Yeah, what makes you such an expert on me?" I hear his voice come from behind me and I immediately stand up from the couch. 

"No, I was just trying to.." I start to try and explain myself, but Louis interrupts me. 

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" Assuming he's talking to Eleanor, I give a quick nod and start to walk off. The sound of his feet behind me startles me for a second. 

"What are you doing?" I ask, confused. 

"You just said I could talk to you for a minute."

"Oh.. I thought you were talking to Eleanor." I peek over his shoulder and see Eleanor staring at us with blazing eyes. Great. As if me running off with him earlier wasn't enough, now she's going to be pissed about this. 

He gently grabs my elbow and leads me into the room with the television. As he shuts the door, I can see the sun finally starting to set on this long and tiresome day. 

"What's up?" I casually inquire. I gaze up at him and his blue eyes meet mine. 

"What were you talking to Eleanor about?" The intensity in his eyes makes me very uncomfortable.

"She was upset and I.. I was just giving her some advice." 

"Advice about what?" He's not even blinking at this point, and he's staring at me so hard it feels like a hole is being burned through my skull. 

"I don't.. I don't know. About you guys." It sounds awful the minute it comes out of my mouth, but I can't stop talking. "I just told her to maybe give you some space and that will help with things." He lets out a disgusted sound and turns away from me. 

"And what gave you the brilliant idea to do that?" His tone is harsh and angry, and I'm almost afraid to answer him. "Well?" He turns around to face me again. The TV in the background is playing a rerun of 'Friends.' 

"She just.. um.. she looked so upset, so I just thought that I could try and help her. Help you." 

"Honestly, don't, Kat. It was silly of me to tell you those things earlier. I don't know why I did. You don't really know anything about our relationship. You know about three seconds worth of information. That's not enough to try and give her advice, or me for that matter. You don't know anything," He angrily states his last sentence and opens the door, dragging his feet back to Eleanor. He takes a seat next to her, and I watch from the tiny room. They both look uncomfortable, not at all like they had when I had seen Louis sleeping on her shoulder just weeks before. They quietly talk and I decide to make my way back up to Niall's room.

In the elevator, I try and process everything Louis had said to me. I don't understand why he was so angry at me for trying to help Eleanor. Maybe he doesn't want help. Maybe he's trying to purposely sabotage their relationship. Maybe he's trying to get her to break up with him so he doesn't have to do it. As these thoughts run through my mind, I almost forget for a second that I had originally gone down there to try and comfort Louis. How silly of me. 

The doors slide open and I pad across the hallway to Niall's room, expecting to see him still engulfed in his guitar. Upon my arrival to his room, however, the bed is empty, and the room is completely vacant. 

"What the hell?" 

I stride out to the nurse's station. Two nurses are in mid-conversation at the desk, quietly gossiping to one another. I clear my throat. "Excuse me." 

They both turn to look at me. "Can we help you?" The one with brown hair obnoxiously chomps her gum. I can smell spearmint coming off of her breath. I take a step back to escape the aroma. 

"Um, where did the man from room 508 go?" 

The other one with pretty blonde hair is the one to answer me. "Oh, he was feeling better, so his friends took him down to the cafeteria in a wheelchair. They should be back pretty soon." The resume their conversation and I take that as my cue to head back to the room. 

The thought of food makes my stomach growl, and I realize that I haven't eaten all day. I decide to meet Niall down in the cafeteria for a late dinner, as it is already 7:30, and usually I eat by 6. Once again, I head back to the elevator and push the button. Halfway through the ride, I realize I forgot my purse in Niall's room.

I patiently wait as others come and leave the elevator, and I hit the 5 button again and make my way back up the creaky machine. 

The doors slowly drift back open and I wearily make my way across the hall for what seems like the hundredth time today. As I'm about to enter the room, I hear a few voices coming from the inside of it. I guess I'll have to go find my own dinner. 

I turn the corner, expecting to see Niall sitting in his bed, with Harry, Liam, Izzie and Danielle in the room. Instead, I'm greeted by an awful scene.

Zayn is perched on the couch near the window, kissing a blonde girl's neck and mumbling into her ear. Neither of them notice my presence at first, and I have to do a double take to make sure what I'm seeing isn't a hallucination from exhaustion. 

Zayn notices me first and nervously pushes the blonde girl off of his lap, revealing and confirming her face for me. 

"Kat!" She exclaims, her blue eyes alight with shock and fear. "You.. but I thought you were with, um.." Her face falls and she brings her eyes to the floor. "You weren't supposed to see this." 

Zayn is sitting next to her still, with a look of panic on his face. 

She brings her familiar eyes up to mine and begs quietly, "Please don't tell Harry."