Lessons Learned

Part 22

When I woke up I was screaming.

It was screaming like I had never experience it before. It wasn't fear that racked my yells or even pain. It was worse than that. It was heartache.

"Shhh love, everything will be all right." I heard a boy's voice soothing me as the empty arena rang with my echoing sobs. I still wasn't fully awake. My mind was still in Niall's world, the ghost of his arms around me. That's when I realized it wasn't Niall's arms, but those of a mischievous eyed boy with a sweep of brown hair and a shock of concern on his face. "You're almost done babe, just hang in there."

"No!" I cried, grabbing at his striped shirt and shoving my tear stained face into his chest. "No! No! No!"

"Love," the boy bundled me closer, "please breathe. You're scaring me."

"Niall," I whimpered in a voice raw with pain. "I want Niall."

"Oh Annabelle," the boy's British accented voice was rich with sadness. "I'm sorry."

"Niall!" I cried out again, my sobs increasing as the new boy tried to calm my withering body. I needed to get out of here. I needed to go back to Niall. Back to where I belonged.

A loud ringing filled the arena, drowning out my sobs for a few brief seconds as the blue eyed boy fumbled with his phone. When I heard Niall's teary voice coming out of the speaker I broke down again, reaching for the phone as my sobs stole my breath and broke my heart. The new boy handed it off silently, pity in his eyes as I desperately pressed the phone to my ear and whispered Niall's name.

"Belly," Niall's voice caught in his throat and I could hear the sadness in that one word. But I knew he was trying to be strong for my sake. "Get better, all right? Go back to the real world and show them what they were missing. Live your life and remember that I'm watching over you." His voice caught and his strong façade faltered for a second, "I need you to come back. I love you."

"I love you too," I wiped roughly at my eyes with the back of my hand. "Why did I leave you?"

"Because you learned my lesson," I closed my eyes so I could see his angelic face clearly in my mind. "You realized it without me teaching it to you. I didn't think you would just randomly say it, so I never warned you against it."

"I miss you," I whispered. I had only been consciously aware of his absence for less than a minute, yet it had overtaken everything. With every agonizing second that passed I felt the dull ache in my heart grow sharper.

"I miss you too," his voice quivered and I could tell he had started to cry. "Get better babe. For me."

I nodded feverishly, not realizing he couldn't see me. The next thing I heard was a click in my ear and just like that Niall was gone. Forever.

I dropped the blue eyed boy's phone to the stage and sobbed into my hands. I cried and cried and cried, feeling the heat of the boy's body as he held me tightly. It felt wrong to be held by someone who wasn't Niall.

It took hours, but finally all my tears had dried up. My face was swollen, my eyes were bloodshot, my stomach heaved, and my throat was screamed raw. I wanted to die.

Too bad I was already dead.

The boy, who I now recognized as Niall's band mate Louis, brushed away the last of my tears with a gentle hand. I was cradled in his arms, my body curled up in his lap in the middle of a stage I had seen before. "I was here with Zayn," I whispered, not realizing I had spoken out loud.

"Yes you were," Louis gave me a pretty smile. "I'm Louis by the way."

"I know," I climbed off him and stood up, straightening the gray skinny jeans and black shirt I was now wearing. "Niall told me about all you guys." My voice caught on Niall's name and I knew Louis had noticed. I dropped my eyes and focused on the toes of my black Converse.

"I'm really sorry Annabelle," he murmured gently. "But you can't go back."

"I'm never going to see him again," the tears welled up in my eyes again, even though I didn't think I could possibly cry anymore. "He's gone."

"The ones we love are never truly gone," Louis's voice was soft and musical. "They live forever in our hearts and memories."

"But I won't remember him," I sobbed, automatically reaching out for Louis in hopes of comfort. He obliged, hugging me close so I could feel the tight muscles in his slim body. His hand circled my back, calming me the one calmed a scared child.

"What would you like to do?" his whimsical voice was light in my ear. "Stay here as long as possible so you can keep him in your memories or learn my lesson and move on?"

I didn't answer right away. It was a lose-lose situation. If I stayed to remember Niall, I would also be living in constant pain. But if I left I would only have one boy left before I forgot Niall for good. I didn't want either to happen. I wanted to go back a few hours in time, back to when Niall and I were lying tangled in the sheets of our bed with our arms around each other and our hearts beating together in unison.

"What would he want?" I murmured into Louis's chest. "He'd want me to move on."

"Memories it is then," Louis pulled away slightly and displayed another small but beautiful smile. "Enjoy."