Love Hurts

3. Confusion

~Niall~

"Bro, please.. Talk to us. You need to talk to us." Zayn said for the sixth time. It didn't make a difference. How could I explain it to them if I couldn't even explain it myself?

"I.. I don't know. I mean, she honestly can't have forgotten me, could she? You know how much she meant to me, mate." I croaked, still unable to believe what had just happened.

"Nialler, I don't mean to kick you when you're down, but she genuinely looked like she had no idea who you were. It wasn't a joke, mate." Harry said gently, crouching down to my level. I sat in the airport terminal, my head in my hands.

I was so fucking confused. I had literally no words for what had just happened, and I needed answers.

"I need to talk to Char. Now." I confirmed, standing up. 

"That's not the best idea, Niall. She's obviously very confused and probably upset. It's best to leave her be." Louis muttered, but I shrugged him off.

"Lou, we're going to be spending 4 weeks together. We need to sort it out, now."

He seemed reluctant, but he let go. I marched off to find Stan and the rest of the group, needing answers. They were all congregated outside some room, and I tapped a burly guy on the back.

"What are you all doing here? Where's Charlotte?" I demanded, and he glowered at me.

"She's in there, you twat. She blacked out, the medical crew or whatever are looking after her. Nice one, pretty boy." He hissed. My heart faltered. She blacked out?

I pushed through the group, desperate to see her again. She was lying down, still out of it. I knocked on the door, and Jess snapped her head up.

"Oh God, Niall! Come here, it's okay. She's fine, I think, but she hasn't eaten much lately..." 

I could tell. Her once curvy body had withered away, to nothing but a bag of bones. Her beautiful face was all bones, her eyes shrunken into her head. Her long, glossy hair was limp and her whole prescence was... dull. This wasn't my Char. 

"Niall... How do you know Charlotte?" Jess asked timidly, and I stared at her.

"We were... best friends in my childhood. More than that, actually. We called ourselves 'soul mates'." I remembered, smiling wistfully. "She was my everything. But she left, her family upped and moved without saying goodbye. I loved her so much, I was absolutely heartbroken. And now I come here, to find out she doesn't even know me. It's just... I don't know." I finished, but Jess didn't speak for a while.

"Niall. How much do you know about what happened to Charlotte?" She asked finally, chewing on her bottom lip.

"Wh-what do you mean?" I asked, and she sighed, letting go of Charlotte's hand.

"I think it's best if you leave her alone for this holiday. It's evident she remembers some part of you, but it's causing her too much stress. And she cannot deal with stress. I'm sorry, Niall." Jess whispered, but I was confused.

"Remembers some part of me? What do you mean? Why wouldn't she? Jess?" 

"Please, Niall. Just... please." She choked out, tears in her eyes.

I felt a hand curl around my forearm, but I shook it off. "NO! Let me know what happened, Jess, please!" The hand curled around me again, stronger this time, pulling me out of the room. My protests were deaf to her ears, and I was shoved roughly down on to the ground.

The burly guy was glaring at me. "Stay away from us. This was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, how are we going to relax with you around, causing drama? Just fuck off." He growled, and as I began to retort I felt a presence behind me.