Away

Chapter5

I wake up feeling cramped and last night's dream fades away.

I groan as I turn off of my arm and I wipe the dirt off of my face.

"Ay, Cerulean! You're up!" a familiar Irish voice says from outside the horse stall.

His face is pressed against the bars on the door.

He is alright. Harry is a jerk, but not too bad. Zayn and Louis, though...

"Hey Niall." I moved to stand up and fell on my face.

The tears sprang to my eyes before I could stop them.

I hear the door open and try to stop my tears. "I'm sorry-"

"Sorry for what?" Niall cuts me off. "For falling?"

I stay silent. He is not allowed to hurt me. He is not allowed to hurt me.

He sits me down, facing the door with my back against the wooden wall.

"I'm gonna go get your breakfast as soon as the next guard comes. I don't know who's coming or when they're coming because I didn't check the chart." He stays near the door, but still inside, and keeps the door open.

After a moment of silence, he is still looking at me. "You know we aren't bad people, right? Well, we kinda are, but not that bad. This is our job. It's just what we do. Not many people can get out of it. Liam did, though."

"Liam? Who's Liam?" This is a voice I haven't heard yet.

"Well, he-"

"Good morning, Niall! How are you today?" a loud voice greets. The accent causes my heart to start beating at an insane rate.

Niall jumps up, clearly surprised to see his leader. "Louis!"

The look that passes between them is uncomfortable even for me.

"So," Niall clears his throat, "uh, what's for breakfast?"

"Your breakfast is out with the boys." Louis takes the keys from Niall and slams and locks the door.

Niall squirms where he stands. "And Cerulean?"

"She will go without for her behavior last night." His voice leaves no room for argument.

Niall nods and walks the way Louis came.

No breakfast? Not again. Please not again.

This time I let myself cry. I don't try and hide it. It is crazy, stupid, immature, and so many other negative things.

But I don't cover it.

I sob so much that I jump when a hand is placed on my back and pulls me into a warm body that smells sweet of cologne.

"Shhhh. It's okay, Cerulean. Don't cry, baby. Shhhh." He pulls me close to his chest and rocks me back and forth.

I do not want to think about why Louis is comforting me. Or why I am letting him.

Maybe because there is something inside me that tells me that he is okay, despite the fact he broke my leg. It isn't my common sense, but it is there.

Maybe it is because right now, I am weak. He is strong. I need strong.

I don't know why, but he is the only person to see me cry, except for Erin.

He is safe. I know he is safe. Or do I? He hurt me. Not mentally, but physically.

Yet here I am. I continue to sob into his chest, and I can feel his muscles through the t-shirt.

He whispers things to me. Calming things. Nice things. Funny things.

Not too long later, I am breathing in his scent, loving the fact I am in his arms. I listen to his murmurs about how beautiful I am, how he wishes he would never have to watch me in pain again, how he wishes he could take me away from this place, and away from these people, and so many other things. I am calm and close my eyes.

I am loving his peaceful voice, and his steady hands, and his willingness to stay on the floor with me in a horse stall. I am loving him being here. I am, somehow, loving him.