When All I Can See Is You ~N.H.

Chapter 27

Listen to "Please Don't Go" by Barcelona while reading this chapter. Link at the side. Also, read author's note at the end :)

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~NIALL'S POV~

Clink. Clink. Clink.

The sound of the silver tea-spoon hitting the white china was the only sound in the room as I stirred the tea inside the two cups. Steam blew into the air from the hot liquid in spirals, the scent of herbs and honey reaching my nostrils. My admiration for the brew grew as I inhaled the smell, my lips pulling up in a grin. Even when I was younger, I had a strong love for tea, its organic-like taste bringing peace into my mind and body.

It was ten in the morning, Elizabeth and I had just had our breakfast of bagels and eggs and were relaxing. Relaxing from what? Well, let's just say, ever since her visit at her parent's house yesterday, the budding tension between us has grown. Days after telling her about Daniel, I had taken notice of her change in behavior. She had started to get suspicious of my whereabouts, asking where I was going whenever I went out, asking if she could join me, and even questioning about my occupation. Of course, I answered the first two questions, confirming that it was okay for her to join me to the store, but when she would inquire about my job it was a different story. Obviously, I couldn't give away that piece of information, so I would act as if she hadn't spoken and excused myself. I hated pushing her away like that, making it seem as if I didn't care about her, but it was the right thing to do. Or so I thought.

As the days dragged on, I had also taken notice on how the stress was taking a toll on her. Elizabeth thought that I didn't see the way she sulked around, not wanting to do anything but sit there and entertain herself with her own thoughts. Or how the light-tan layer of skin below her eyes turned a dark shade, forming circles from not sleeping, which then caused slightly prominent eye bags. The guilt began to eat at me as I started waking up in the middle of the night, due to her constant movement in bed, accompanied by a few exasperated groans. I had realized that pushing her away and not telling her the FULL truth was crushing her, making the guilt that weighed on my shoulders even heavier. Each time I would glance at her, absorbing her exhausted expression, a feeling of disgust and disappointment would flow through me. Those feelings were not directed towards her, but myself. I knew damn well that I was the one who placed her into that state, making her thoughts be full of worry. However, I acted as though I hadn't seen the change in her, even if it killed me to see her suffer that way.

Her visit to see her old friend seemed to dig her deeper into that hole of hers. There was no doubt in my mind that she had shared her concerns towards her companion, chatting about how much of an asshole I was being. Elizabeth was never good at hiding her feelings, almost anyone can tell if something was wrong, especially Kyle since he's close to her. Knowing how much of a nosey bastard Kyle was, I knew he poked and prodded at Lizzie, trying to get her to explain the cause of her state of distress. It pissed me off to see her become a little distant towards me after their hang out, my theories about him feeding her shit confirmed. Hah! The prick probably told her that I was being unfaithful towards her. Hell, if that's true, I might need to beat the shit of him for putting that absurd idea in her head, after I had taken it out of her mind days before.

"Just perfect." I murmured as I dropped a few cubes of sugar into her cup, knowing how she liked her tea. My fingers wrapped around the handles of a wooden breakfast tray as I placed the drinks inside, along with a plate of sugared cookies. I know we had just eaten, but hey, a few treats won't hurt.

As I walked towards the bedroom, an unsettling feeling started to cascade around me. It seemed that the emotional peace I held before had disappeared, finding myself fearing my resenting girlfriend. She had tried to mask her solicitude, but her forced smiles, lack of chatter, and avoiding eye contact with me was enough to prove that she felt less like herself. Trust me, I tried to make her feel comfortable within my prescense, but it was no use. That alone, scared me.