Let Me Love You : (Cheryl & Liam)

Chapter 1 - she doesn't deserve this

The silence was the loudest noise Cheryl had heard in a long time. She was sat alone in her luxury mansion by the fireplace smoking a cigarette with a bottle of vodka not too far away from arms-way. Black mascara running down her face and a hole inside of her chest. Again. It happened again. Cheryl opened up and put her heart in the hands of a man only for it to be broken in the most cruel way. A way Cheryl never saw coming. A way no girl thinks will ever happen to them. Cheryl was no fool, she knew real love existed, she knew loads of people had found their happily every after; the question that rang hauntingly in her head as she stared blankly at the burning wood ahead of her was why wasn't she one of them? Why wasn't she worthy of finding a good man to love her above all else. Why wasn't she worthy of finding a soulmate to last a lifetime full of love and happiness? Why was she always having to pick up the broken pieces?

Outside of Cheryl's mansion, an after party was well underway. The X-Factor 2015 Final after party to be exact. Simon Cowell lived for a good party so it only seemed fair it was at his. Everybody apart of the final was there including all contestants and celebrity performers. Including the boys of One Direction. Laughing, joking, drinking, dancing - having a well good night. Although one face was noticeably missing. Liam Payne had certainly noticed as he was actually on a mission to find her. Cheryl and Liam had never really had a relationship (friendship) however they were always very friendly when they saw eachother; and they had just seen one-another only a few hours ago at the final. He noticed how she wouldn't make eye contact with him, how her face wasn't lit up by her gorgeous smile, or how the sparkle in her eyes had completely vanished. He wanted to talk to her. To check and make sure she was alright. But disappointment rang clear when she was no where in sight. After a good 30 minutes his curiosity took the better of him and next thing you know his Cheryl hunt had now turned into a Simon hunt. He figured Simon must know where the brunette beauty was right? Right. You see Cheryl had told Simon at the X-Factor studios that she was going to skip out on the after party as she wasn't feeling well. I guess you could say she didn't lie, she wasn't feeling well, it just wasn't an illness she was suffering from. It was a broken heart.

Back at Cheryl's mansion, the fire continued to burn and the vodka continued to pour. Cheryl had been sat there ever since she got home. Her good friend Lily was meant to stay the night with her as she didn't want Cheryl to be left alone. Lily knew she was in a bad place as she was the only person in Cheryl's world that knew about her getting a divorce. Not even Cheryl's Mam knew. - However, Cheryl had sent her away insisting that she just wanted to be left alone. Lily made her promise she would be okay and that had she needed anything to call her without hesitation. You see the reason Cheryl wanted to be left alone was that she had this thing about her in which she never wanted anyone to see her cry. She was always so strong and crying to her was a form of weakness. - but 3 hours later and almost a full bottle of vodka devoured, Cheryl was no longer in a state to remember or care about anyone seeing her cry.

The doorbell ringing was the first thing Cheryl had heard in hours. Despite that fact, the sudden, loud noise didn't jolt her in the slightest and remained unanswered. Maybe it was the fact she was way too drunk or maybe it was the fact she just genuinely didn't care for life at the moment much less whoever was ringing her doorbell at 2 o'clock in the morning. Cheryl had tried getting up to bring her dogs back in the house from them running around the backyard with every intention of leaving whoever was still ringing her doorbell outside to freeze in the cold, December, London weather. However her drunken state prevented her from a clean escape. Bending down to pick up the alcohol to bring back to the kitchen, it slipped from Cheryl's loose grasp and the next thing heard was glass shattering all over the room. At that moment she was way too out of it to even show a reaction. She sat right back down to her original spot and stared blankly at the fire that had only gotten bigger as the last bit of vodka still left in the now shattered bottle had made its way into the pit. The front door had then swung open to reveal Liam standing in the entry way as the glass shattering frightened Liam into thinking something happened to Cheryl. The house was pitch black resulting in Liam pulling out the flashlight on his phone to look around. Liam had never been to Cheryl's house and quite frankly in this moment he was still praying this was infact her house and that Simon hadn't accidentally written down the wrong address in his tipsy state. Liam spotted a light a little ways down the hall and in a room. Deciding to follow, it led to an open space almost like a lounge room. As he got closer he peered his head in and softly spoke "Cheryl?". No response. Cheryl remained facing forward. Liam could smell the vodka the second he entered as it reeked of alcohol. He slowly walked closer and closer until he reached her tiny frame. He looked around to see the shattered glass letting him know what caused the loud noise only moments ago. He was truly shocked to what he had walked in to. Underneath the glass though was something Liam wasn't expecting to see; photographs scattered all around. Cheryl was burning every last photo of her and her separated husband. It didn't take a genius to understand why. Liam wasn't surprised though. He never really thought their marriage would last. Especially as she had married him after only a few months of knowing him. He remembered thinking how could she be so stupid? But the thought didn't last too long as he remembered Cheryl always lead with her heart. Which was always a blessing and a curse for her. Liam was however shocked to see the state Cheryl was in. Never looking at him. She was zombie-like. Almost like she mentally wasn't even in the same room as him. He had never seen her like this before. Bending down to get her to acknowledge his presence he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, "Hey love, you alright?" he knew it was a stupid question as he could clearly see she was not. He just didn't know what to say. Cheryl finally turned her head slightly to face him. Her bloodshot eyes made contact with Liam's worried filled ones. A single tear made its way down Cheryl's cheek before she looked down and turned back facing the fire again. Sobs began racking over her body as she just couldn't seem to stop crying. Liam immediately moved closer to her scooping one arm under her knees and the other over her back picking her up bridal style "it's okay love, I've got you. Let's get you to bed". Cheryl layed her head on Liam's shoulder as he began walking out of the room, "No wait I have to bring the dogs in" she softly spoke for the first time. Her voice coming out raspy and soar. "shhhh I'll get them. Which way to your room"?

By the time the pair made it to Cheryl's room she was already passed out. Exhausted from all the crying and alcohol consumption. Liam had tried his best to place her down on her bed out of his firm hold without waking her up. He gently pulled the duvet over her body to make sure she was nice and warm. He couldn't help but to stare at her sleeping figure for a moment, it just made his heart ache at the sight of the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life being so heartbroken. "She doesn't deserve this" he mumbled quietly to himself before heading back downstairs. Once Liam got the dogs back in the house he locked both the front and back door before making his way to the kitchen to get Cheryl a big glass of water and 2 tylenol for the morning as her head was sure to be pounding by then. Making his way back upstairs he placed the water and medicine on her bedside table before turning off the dim lamp and making his way out of her bedroom. Liam invited himself to crash on the couch downstairs because he sure as hell wasn't about to leave Cheryl home alone in the current state she was in. Not a chance.