Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Broken Mugs Or That's What Friends Are For

Hi everyone, I actually wrote this chapter several days ago, but I had to write a filler chapter before that which you hopefully enjoyed as well. :) All the love, Summer xxx Ps. Louis is so adorable in this gif! 

I woke up with an uneasy feeling in my stomach and rolled  over to check my alarm clock. The date showed the 4 May 2016. Today my dad would have turned fifty-four years old. Rolling back onto my back, I stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes, unable to get myself out of bed. Silent tears wet my cheeks and disappeared in my hair, but I didn't stop them. The flat was completely silent as Lily was away to visit her parents, the only noises being the loud ticking of the kitchen clock which could even be heard in my room at the other end of the hallway. 

After a couple of minutes, I managed to get out of bed and wrapped a fleece blanket around my shoulders, before I walked over to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. While I waited for the water to boil I searched for a tissue, but eventually gave up and took a piece of kitchen roll instead. On my way back to my room, the mug slipped out of my hands and burst into hundreds of tiny peaces on my kitchen floor, the hot tea burning my feet. I let out a small scream and then burst into tears, squatting down on the cold kitchen floor. Sobs shook my body and when I carefully tried to pick up one of the bigger pieces, I cut my finger on a sharp piece of china. 

After pressing a kitchen towel to my bleeding finger, I reached for my phone on the table and called the first number that came to my mind. It rang a few times before Harry's voice mail answered. "Hi, this is Harry, please leave a message after the beep." I let out a strangled sob and dropped the phone to my lap. The pain in my finger was pounding and my fluffy socks were drenched with hot tea. With shaking hands, I dialed Louis' number who picked up after two rings. "Claire?" he sounded surprised and I didn't blame him. The last time we had talked had been three weeks ago on the beach. "Lou, I..." I began, before I started to sob again. "Claire, what's going on?" He sounded concerned and that made me cry even harder. 

"It's my dad's birthday and I just broke my favourite mug and cut my finger and Harry didn't answer his phone and I..." My throat was closing up and I knew that I was getting a panic attack.I didn't even have to finish the sentence before Louis interrupted me. "I'll be there in five minutes, love, stay strong for, alright?" Before he could hang up on me I let out a shaky breath. "I think I'm having a panic attack, I can't breathe, I-" Louis' calming voice sounded through the speaker. "Claire, I'm still here, alright? I'm here. Just breathe with me." I tried my best and tried to breathe in and out to his count while I heard a door close in the background. 

"Okay, here's what you're gonna do, love. You're gonna hang up on me and you're gonna call Zayn." When I started to protest, he interrupted me. "Yes, please. I can't keep talking to you if I want to be at your flat as soon as I can and Zayn is brilliant at this, okay? I'll be there as soon as I can, love. Hold on for me." He hung up on me and after a moment of hesitation, I dialed Zayn's number. It rung a couple of times and I prayed that he was already awake while trying to control my breathing somehow. "Hello?" Zayn's strong Bradford accent sounded through the speaker and I let out a shaky breath, before I replied. "Hi, um, this is Claire. Harry's and Louis' friend? I am so sorry for calling you but Louis said I should call you because I am having a panic attack and I don't know what to do and it just hurts, I'm so sorry, I-" I started to ramble, while hot tears were still streaming down my cheeks.

"Hey, no need to apologise, luv, I'm here for you just like I promised you. Okay, I want you to take a few deep breaths with me,alright? In and out, in and out." I tried to focus on his voice, but it wasn't helping as much as I had hoped for. "Alright, you're doing well. Now, I want you to imagine a safe, calm and happy situation. Can you do that for me?" he asked me and I nodded, for a moment forgetting that he couldn't see me. I imagined myself in my bed with Harry's strong arms wrapped around my waist and tried to focus on my breath. "Try to concentrate on whatever makes you feel safe and protected and now allow the upsetting thoughts in your head. Don't push them away, just allow them to sort of pass by while you watch them from your safe place." Zayn's calming voice guided me through my panic attack and after a couple of minutes, my breathing had returned to normal. 

"Are you feeling a bit better, luv?" he asked me and I let out a shaky breath, before I replied. "Yes, thank you so much for helping me. I know it's been months since we talked and I am so sorry for calling you out of the blue, but Harry didn't answer his phone and Louis had to hang up to get here."  I apologised and was suddenly very embarrassed to have called him so suddenly with a situation  like this after only having talked to him once. "I already told you, it's no problem whatsoever, alright? I know exactly what it feels like to have a panic attack and I really don't mind helping others." he assured me and I could hear a female voice in the background asking him something. "Sorry, luv, just one second."

There was a shuffling sound at the other end I could quietly hear Zayn explain to someone who he was talking to. "Sorry, about that. Gigi was wondering who I was talking to." He chuckled. Behind me I could hear a knock at the door and I slowly got up, Zayn still on the phone. "I think Louis is here." I said cautiously readjusted the towel around my finger, before I made my way towards the front door. "Oh, I'll let you go then. But, Claire, you can call me any time, alright?" he asked me, the urgency evident in his voice. "Thank you, Zayn, the same goes for you." I replied before we both hung up and I opened the door.

When Louis saw me in my pyjama with my tear-stained cheeks and the kitchen towel wrapped around my finger, the first thing he did was pull me into a tight hug which made me cry again. "Shhh love, I'm here. I'm here for you." He carefully closed the door with his foot while his hands stroked my back and my hair. "I'm so sorry for calling you." I mumbled into his chest and he slightly pulled away to force me to look at him. "Claire, I know we broke up, but you are still one of my best friends and you can call me ANY time, alright?" I nodded and he smiled down at me, but his eyes looked still concerned. "Alright, let's clean you up and then I'll clean up the mug and the tea in the kitchen, alright?" he asked me and I nodded and wiped my eyes with my hands. 

Louis gently took my uninjured hand and led me into my bathroom where he made me sit on the toilet seat while he looked through our first-aid kit. When he had found what he needed, he carefully took the towel of my finger which was still bleeding a little bit. I hissed when he sprayed an anti-septic spray onto my finger and he sent me an apologetic look before he wrapped it up with a bandage. He pressed a light kiss to my finger before letting it go and shot me a small smile, while storing the first-aid kit back underneath the sink. "All wrapped up." We smiled at each other, before I looked into the mirror. 

"Shit, I look horrendous!" I hastily got up and splashed some clod water into my face. "How about I'll bring you a new set of clothes and then we'll have a cuppa tea and you tell me what's been happening in your life during the past few weeks? And if you want to you can tell me about your dad, as well." he suggested with a warm smile and when I nodded he turned around and walked towards the bathroom door. "Louis?" I called out and he turned around in the doorway. "Thank you for coming." He smiled at me and nodded. "Any time, love. That's what friends are for, right?"