Would You? (Sequel to I Would)

Chapter 8

~Louis' P.O.V~

I got home late last night after my walk. When I arrived back at the flat, everyone was already asleep and Harry and Alexia had gone back to their flat. I tiptoed up the stairs and went straight into my room. Sleep wasn't an option, though. I tossed and turned the entire night, having too much on my mind to relax. Plus, how could I relax when Amanda was out there on her own?

I didn't leave my room the next morning, even though I knew everyone else was already awake. I needed alone time. I needed to come up with a plan.

I decided that I would search my room for any clues. Joanna and Amanda have been sleeping at our flat for the past couple of months, so Amanda has spent a lot of time in this room. Maybe she left something here that would help me find her. I checked the closet first where some of her clothes were still hanging. I looked through some of her pockets, but came up empty. I checked the dresser next, but again, there wasn't anything that could help me. The last place that I checked was the nightstand, hoping that she left an address or a phone number inside one of the drawers, but once again, I couldn't find anything.

Of course Amanda wouldn't leave anything behind; She's smart. She made sure that there would be no way of finding her. She thought of everything. Since I wasn't going to find any physical clues, I sat on the bed and tried to think of something Amanda could've said or done to give me a slight idea of where she was going.

I racked my brain, trying to come up with something, anything, but like before, nothing came up. I sighed in frustration. There had to be something!

Then I thought of it; the letter. The letter she left on the nightstand the day she left. I kept it. Maybe she left some kind of clue in it that I missed before! I quickly walked over to the closet and took out the crumpled letter from my jeans pocket. I smoothed it out and began reading it aloud:

"Dear Louis, I'm not going to beat around the bush with this letter, I'll just cut to the chase; I think we need a break. I love you Louis, I really do, but I think it'll be healthy for our relationship if we have a little separation for a while. In the time being, I'll be staying at a friend's house..." 

I stopped there. Friend's house? Amanda hadn't been in London for that long. What friends could she have that I didn't know about? I know Amanda was lying in the letter, but maybe that was a sort of hint to where she was going.

I thought back, trying to remember if she ever mentioned friends that live in England. I think she had once told me that she has family friends that live just outside of London. Could that be where she went? It was my only lead, so I had to believe it.

To get there, she would have had to take the train. I thought about going to the train station, but where would I go from there? I didn't know exactly where they lived. I wouldn't know which train to get onto.

Another dead end. I kicked my dresser in frustration. What the hell am I going to do now?

Just then, a lightbulb when off in my brain. Duh! Joanna's here! She's Amanda's cousin. Maybe she knows where they live. I barged out of my room and ran downstairs to the kitchen, where Joanna was making eggs.

"Joanna! I need to ask you something really important. Can you come into the other room for a second?" I asked a little frantically.

Joanna's eyes widened. She knew this was about Amanda. "Sure. Be right back Niall!" she said and followed me to the other room. I turned back and saw that Niall had a suspicious look on his face. I ignored him and kept walking.

Once we were in the other room, I closed the door and spun around to look at Joanna. "Do you know about having family friends that live outside of London?" I asked.

She looked confused for a second, but then her eyes brightened. "Oh yeah! The Brightons'! I'm pretty sure they live in the next town over. They moved here from Canada about 5 years ago. God, I haven't seen them in forever..." her voice trailed off. "Why are you asking about them?"

"Remember in the letter, Amanda wrote that she was staying with a friend? I think that's where she went!" I said excitedly.

Joanna frowned. "You know she was lying in that letter, Louis. She's not really staying with a friend" she said.

My smile didn't go away. "I know that, but maybe that was some kind of clue to where she was headed. I'm sure she's not staying with the Brightons', but maybe she went to the next town over! Maybe I can find her there!" I said.

Joanna thought about it for a while. After what felt like forever, she spoke. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to check. But what if she's not there? What then?" she asked.

I sighed. "I don't know, but I have to try, Joanna. I can't just sit here knowing that Amanda might be risking her life for us. I have to do something" I said, determination in my voice.

Joanna sighed, too. "You're right. We can't just sit here and do nothing. You go and while you're gone, I'll try to figure out what her dad's up to" she said. Then, after a short pause, she said, "I really hope you're right about this. I want my cousin back" she said.

I smiled. "I'll bring her back. Don't worry."

We hugged, then we left the room. I wasn't planning on wasting any time. As Joanna went back into the kitchen, I went upstairs to shower, get dressed, then pack a few things. When I was done with all of that, I ran downstairs. Everyone turned to me in confusion.

"Going somewhere?" Zayn said jokingly, seeing the duffel bag. When I didn't laugh, his face dropped. "Where are you going?" he said, this time in a serious tone.

I didn't like lying to them, but I had to. I didn't want them to stop me or come with me. I needed to do this, and on my own. I feel responsible for Amanda's departure, and I had to do something to fix it.

"I'm, uh, going home for a few days! It's my grandparents' anniversary tomorrow, so I thought I'd surprise them" I said.

There was a short silence, like they didn't quite believe me. Finally, they gave in.

"That's so sweet, Louis!" Erica said.

"Yeah, wish them a happy anniversary from all of us!" Leni said.

"Have a safe flight!" Liam threw in.

Everyone mumbled their goodbyes, then I was out the door. I got into my car and headed for the train station.