It Just Got Complicated - Louis Tomlinson - Completed

24

"I was worried about you today" mum says suddenly as we're sitting out in the garden, just the two of us.

"Why?" I ask.

"I'm going to tell you a story, I want you to take it seriously." She says. I nod for her to go on.

"I was fourteen. It was so long ago, but it's burned into my memory." She gazes out at the sky, her eyes are glazed over with tears. "I was down at the beach with my friends at the time, and there was a group of guys there. One of them approached me, they were older, about seventeen, so I was flattered that one started chatting me up. He said he wanted to get to know me, so we broke off from the group and sat on the other side of the rocks. I was too young to know it was a bad choice." She takes a breath and wipes a tear off her cheek. I hold her hand.

"We talked for a few minutes, then he tried to kiss me. I kissed him back, at first, then he started going further. I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't. He said I'd asked for it, that I wanted it. He pushed it until I finally thought to scream. Your father and his friends must have just arrived at the beach because thirty seconds later he appeared, saw what the guy was trying to do, and beat the living shit out him."

"Mum!" I gasp. "You don't swear, ever!"

"I do when you're not around" she smiles sadly. "Your dad drove me home and told my parents what he'd seen. He wanted to go to the police, I refused. I just wanted to forget it."

I've never seen my mum so upset and angry before today and it's not something I want to see again.