broken strings. ➳ payne. [slow updates]

Chapter Five. - Discoveries

Liam’s POV

I was snuggled safe in my bed, the warmth of the blankets protecting me. When I first glanced outside the window earlier that morning, it looked harsh and cold. I opted for the comfort the soft duvet offered. I heard rustling outside my doorway in between the spurs of sleep I got, but ignored it, assuming it was my parents.

After a while, my stomach started to grumble. I decided to get up and get something to eat. I walked out of my room, down the stairs, and to the kitchen. I grabbed a bowl from the cupboard, some cereal and took a seat at the table once the breakfast was made. I was happily munching before Niall burst through my door, the other boys following him.

“What happened to you guys?” I inquired, amusement in my tone.

“Our fans spotted us. Don’t worry, none of them followed us here.” Harry said, taking the seat to my right, the rest of the boys filling in the other seats.

“I’m sorry guys.” I said, going back to my cereal.

“Yeah, but something good came out of this Liam.” Niall piped up and my eyes lazily came to meet his, expecting him to continue.

“I think I found her.” He said, and I literally chocked on the food I was chewing.

“Why do you say that?” I questioned after I cleared my throat.

“Because she looked exactly like the girl in the picture. I don’t think her appearance has changed much. I think she recognized me though, so she definitely knows you are in town.” He said.

“How did she seem when you saw her though? Like happy, sad, mad? What did she look like?” I asked him, practically begging.

“Um, she seemed shocked. Like she didn’t know why I was there. She ran off before I could confirm if it was really her and I didn’t really follow her because that would be weird.” He said, a look of guilt ran across his face.

“It’s fine Niall. Will you just take me back to where you ran into her?” I asked, hoping to understand where she could have been headed or where she came from.

“Um, yeah. Sounds good. When would you like to go?” He inquired.

“Give me 20 minutes.” I said, pushing away from the table and walked to my room.

I quickly changed and made myself look decent before I headed back downstairs to find the lads joking around. I smiled at the scene of my best mates in the entire world. Besides my family, they were the only other people who could lighten my mood and had done so more recently with my arrival home. The support they demonstrated while I was looking for Aurora was one I knew I would never be able to pay back, but I would try my hardest, just like with Aurora.

“Ready to go guys?” I asked, interrupting their laughter.

“Of course. Let’s go find your lady friend.” Louis said, pushing himself up and the others following.

The walk around town was quite enjoyable. I knew exactly where I was going, remembering turns and shortcuts like the back of my hand. Whatever fans had mobbed the other boys earlier had left and I was grateful for that.

“This was this spot.” Niall said, stopping in his tracks and the rest of us turning to look at him.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yeah, this was the alleyway I kind of shoved us in and there’s her blood.” Niall said, the last part in a hushed tone.

“Her blood? Niall, what did you do?” I asked, growing more concerned that she was bleeding.

“Nothing. She kind of stepped into my path and I tripped on her and we fell and she hit her head on the sidewalk. She said she hit it yesterday but the fall must have caused the cut to open again.” Niall said, trying to defend his actions.

“Li, you need to relax. It’s not like Niall would hurt anyone intentionally in the first place, let alone your best friend.” Zayn said, trying to calm me down.

And I was trying, but the thought of Aurora hurt, hurt me. Yes, she had her scrapes and cuts when we were children, but I was always there to mend them. I was not there to mend the cut now. Though, I was sure she was use to mending to her own wounds when I decided to leave.

“Okay Niall. Which direction did you come from? Maybe we could figure out where she came from.” I said, looking at Niall.

“Well I came from that direction and she was in front of me with her back to me, so she must have too.” Niall said and starting to walk in the direction we had been headed. I hoped that it would lead me straight to Aurora.

Aurora’s POV

I was in the bathroom, just starting to put my make-up on when I heard the front door open and a smile worked its way onto my lips. I knew it was slightly after five o’clock and our dinner plans were almost ready to start.

“Aurora?” Austin asked.

“I’m in the bathroom.” I yelled back to him, grabbing my foundation from the counter and squeezing a dot on the back of my hand.

“Okay, I’m going to get ready. Are you almost done?” He asked, and I heard his feet padding towards the bedroom.

“Yes honey. I am just putting my make-up on now and then I will be done.” I said, shaking my head before dipping my brush into the liquid and swiping it across my face.

“Good. It should not take me long to change.” He said and I swore I could have heard the amusement in his voice.

That got me even more excited for that night. I had hoped it would be a good one for us, full of joy, laughter, and love. I continued on with my routine of make-up, adding the powder, eyeliner, mascara, and lip-gloss. Of course I was locked in the bathroom until Austin had finished.

I stared at myself in the mirror while I waited. I closed my eyes for a minute or so and opened them again. I was dissatisfied with who I saw staring back at me. While my smile said I was excited for the evening ahead, my eyes told a different story. They seemed to hold sadness, a sadness that had settled deep within my soul and refused to leave, anchoring roots within my heart. The cure was unknown to me, or to any other broken hearted fool in the world. I sighed at this, confused on how to act upon my discovery.

“Aurora?” Austin asked softly through the door and it caused me to jump slightly.

“Yeah?” I asked back.

“I have been calling you for like two minutes now. Are you ready?” He asked, chuckling a bit.

“Oh yes, I am. But are you?” I asked, a tone of mischief in my voice, pushing back the sadness for a few hours.

And with that question asked, the door flew open. Austin’s face was of pure amazement, starting at the top and working his way down. I was hoping he would be pleased with the gold eyeliner to match the gold belt that adorned the navy blue high-low dress, and the gold pumps to match.

“You look absolutely beautiful. Like a star in the night sky my dear.” He said breathily.

“Why thank you. You look very strapping yourself.” I said, admiring his light blue button up that was paired with black pants and shoes.

“Why thank you my lady.” He replied back, a smile upon his face.

I grabbed my small clutch off the counter and looped my arm through his. After grabbing my jacket, we made our way to dinner. The waiting of the elevator and the ride on it consisted of mindless chatter, Austin still appreciating the work I put into my outfit.

The night had casted colder air upon us, and the sky was still bright, but slowly closing up. I was able to make out various building and objects, the streetlights aiding in the figures I could not make out as clearly. As I was climbing into Austin’s Range Rover, I heard my name being called, but was already comfortable in my seat to look. Austin’s face was one of pure shock and when he shut the door to come around to the driver side, I saw why.