Contentions(A Liam Payne AU)

Chapter 9-Slip ups

“It’s not the biggest, but it’s home,” Liam said quietly, jiggling the key in the lock of the door. I almost scoffed at his words; his house was beautiful, and compared to what I lived in it was huge.

“It’s gorgeous,” I mumbled, sending him a small smile and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. He returned the grin, opening the door and motioning me inside before he followed suit. The inside was average size, not huge but not insanely large either, but one thing that it did have was something I always craved for, something I hadn’t had in years; it was a home. Not just a residence, but the inside spoke volumes about him, it felt as though someone belonged there.

“Brinlee,” Liam tried, resting a hand on my shoulder and jolting me out of my fog. “Um, you can stay in this room right over here.” He opened the door to a guest bed room, standing awkwardly in the entry way as I looked around.

“Listen, I’ll grab you some clothes you can wear for tonight and you can shower. If you want to, I mean. I’m sure you’re exhausted,” he stuttered, bad boy Liam suddenly disappearing and showing some sort of bashful school boy.

“Thank you,” I giggled. “A shower sounds nice.”

“Great! There are towels under the sink and I’ll leave the clothes on your bed. I’m just gonna go-uh make some tea for us…yeah,” he said awkwardly, shuffling out of the room. I laughed as soon as he was out of earshot, his newly discovered attitude rather adorable.

With little giggles escaping my mouth, I shook my head in amusement, walking to the bathroom and hopping in the shower, ready to rid myself of the filthy grime of the warehouse. Methodically, I slowly washed my hair and body, reminiscing on the events that had happened. Slowly but surely, it began to sink in, the shock of the day, the realization that I may be alone. A gut wrenching sob escaped my mouth, echoing throughout the bathroom as I stumbled out of the shower, grabbing the towel and wrapping it tightly around my body as tears slipped down my cheeks.

“I-I’m gonna lose her!” I squeaked to myself, breathing erratic with panic. There was a sudden rap on the door, my eyes widening in fright as I stumbled back, slipping on a puddle of water and landing flat on my back across the cold tile.

“Brinlee?” Liam boomed, his voice holding an edge. “What’s going on, babe? Can I come in?”

Another sob.

Another tear.

Another whimper.

“I’m coming in, alright?” he said worriedly, opening the door to find me on the ground, sobbing hysterically.

“M-my sis-ter,” I cried brokenly, watching as the young man slowly walked towards me, crouching down in front of me.

“Cover yourself, Brin,” he said softly, tugging up the towel that had fallen to the ground around me, his eyes focused on my tear streaked cheeks.

“Now I left you some clothes on the bed…do you need help or can you manage?” he asked, grabbing the tops of my arms and pulling me to my feet. Almost instantly, the slippery tile betrayed me and I went clambering to the ground, towel once again fluttering away as he caught me. A quiet swear escaped the lad’s mouth and he supported my body, grabbing the material off of the floor and wrapping it around my frame.

“Get dressed, love. I’ll go pour us some tea,” he said gruffly, guiding me to the bed room and quickly shuffling out of the room, shutting the door softly behind him. In almost jerky movements, I tugged on the large t shirt and boxers, the clothes consuming my entire body in a baggy layer.

“Is it okay to come in?” I heard a familiar voice say quietly, only to receive a small sigh in response. He took that as confirmation though and cracked the door, peeking in before nudging it open all the way and carrying two cups in and setting them on the bedside table.

“Come have a seat,” he coaxed, patting the spot beside him on the mattress and holding out a cup of piping hot liquid.

“Careful,” he warned as my hands wrapped around the mug. “Don’t burn yourself.” I mumbled a thank you, letting it rest on my thigh as I looked down, staring at the steam rising from the golden drink. The undisturbed surface suddenly rippled as a tear slipped down the tip of my nose and plopped in the middle of the cup, making me aware of the salty drips running down my cheeks.

“Are you alright?” Liam asked quietly, his voice sincere yet knowing.

“I-I just want my sister,” I cried softly, hands shaking so that my cup almost tipped over. It was gently removed from my grip, my face immediately dropping to my palms, covering my grief stricken visage. My body was racked with shuddering sobs, choked noises escaping my mouth as the overwhelming sense of loneliness consumed me.

“Aw, kid,” he said, his tone strained with emotion. “I-It’s….I’m-…Listen, everything will be fine, alright? She’ll be okay.”

“Stop lying!” I shrieked, my head snapping up to look at him, noting his sympathetic features. “You don’t know that she’s going to be alright, you don’t!” My throat tightened with pain my chin trembling as I spoke.

“Sh-she was lying there and she looked so dead. I promised myself I’d never see her like that again. She may die, Liam. Die...” The bed springs squeaked as he stood, moving to kneel in front of me, his hands resting on my bare knees.

“What do you mean again, Brinlee?” he asked softly, inquisitively. “I’ve only seen her in the cage for the past week or two, how did you see her like that before?”

“I’m tired, Liam,” I said emotionlessly, looking straight into his knowing eyes, “I think you should go.”

“But, Brin-“

“I said go!” I snapped, his body tensing as he stood, his hands held up in a surrendering gesture. He shuffled backwards, giving me a small nod as he grabbed the door handle.

“Sweet dreams, darling,” he spoke, offering a small smile before shutting the door. And once again, I had been left alone with my thoughts by Liam Payne…