Walking Through the Time Capsule

Chapter 42

Walking Through the Time Capsule

Chapter 42

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Niall...

"I mean, I'm not at all surprised, but I still can't believe that happened though."

"Mhmm..."

"What do you think about it?"

"Yeah..."

"Niall. Are you even listening?"

"Huh, what?" I snapped my attention back. "I'm sorry, Princess, what did you say?"

"I was asking you what you thought about Louis falling into the pool with his phone yesterday, but now I'm more interested in knowing what world your mind is in? It's obviously not here." She frowned at me, making me feel guilty. 

Since the note showed up at the door last week, I'd been a complete mess. I'd been back and forth from angry to nervous to depressed to paranoid. It was a disaster. Everyone else was feeling similar things, but they were all doing much better at hiding it than I was. I kept zoning out while my mind ate itself alive. Annabelle was the only one that could keep me out of it, but I still had my moments where my emotions and thoughts became too much. I always had to come up with a lame excuse, and I felt so shitty for lying to her and hiding things. 

"I'm sorry, I've just got a lot on my mind." 

"Niall, that's the sixth time this week. What is going on with you? You know you can tell me anything, right?" She lifted her head off my chest to give me a better view of her puppy eyes. 

"I know I can, but there's nothing to tell right now." I said lamely, feeling like a bigger and bigger asshole with each word. 

I immediately knew I said the wrong thing when her face scrunched up in annoyance. "If you're gonna lie to me, then at least try to do a better job." She huffed, getting off me and heading towards the door. 

"Annabelle! Annabelle, wait." I quickly got up to follow her to her room. 

"No, I'm sick of this! In my most vulnerable times, I trusted you! When I didn't know who you were, even when I was afraid of you cause I thought you were someone else, I still trusted you! But for some reason, something is picking away at your brain and you won't trust me." Her voice raised in volume with every word. 

"I do trust you!" I shouted back.

"Obviously you don't! What are you hiding from me?!"

"Believe me, you're better off not knowing." I seethed, letting my anger for them slip through to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" She screamed, her voice cracking. "Are you doing something bad?" Her voice lowered a little, but still full of anger. "Are you seeing someone else? Are you sick of me?" Her voice cracked and sounded small, full of sadness. Her eyes started to well with tears as she hopelessly stared up at me.

The anger quickly deflated as my heart started to crack in the deepest parts. "What? Annabelle, no, of course not." I didn't hesitate to pull her into a tight hug. "How could you think that?" My own voice started to crack. 

She tucked her head into my chest, and it didn't take long before her small whimpers muffled through the room. 

"Oh, darlin'." I whispered, swaying her back and forth gently. "That would never happen."

"How could you happily be with someone that doesn't even remember her own relationship?"

"Annakins," I used her childhood nickname to hopefully cheer her up, "I-I love you so much. I don't care if you don't ever remember, or if you do. I just have so much on my mind, but I promise none of it is about any doubts of my love for you."