Stockholm Syndrome - A One Direction Story

Chapter Three

Niall's POV

I had woken up a bit later this morning, as I had forgotten to set my alarm the night before. It was around 8Am when I had finally woken up on my own. I was in a rush, as I would usually have an extra hour in the morning. I stumbled around my room as I changed into some clean clothes, then quickly ran a comb through my hair & brushed my teeth before gathering my things & grabbing a cereal bar from the kitchen pantry. I hadn't seen or heard Oakley this morning, but knew she should be home. I knocked on her bedroom door as I took a bite of the cereal bar & waited a few seconds. As the door was closed & there was no answer I had just assumed she had already went to bed. So I headed out of the apartment & for the parking garage, just as I would any other typical morning.

***

I got home around 6:30 that night. The sun was slowly going down, but it was still pretty bright out. I walked in the apartment, knowing that Oakley had another shift at the diner that started at around nine that night. Usually Oakley would be awake & making dinner by the time I came home from work. I walked in & put my things down, but it was pretty quiet. Usually I could hear Netflix or music playing in the background, as Oakley always had something playing when she was home alone. But tonight I didn't hear anything.

"Oakley?" I called out to her as I walked towards the kitchen. There was no reply & as I stood in the kitchens doorway Oakley was nowhere to be seen & the kitchen had been left in the sames state that I had left it in this morning.

"Oakley?" I called out again as I walked down the hall to find her bedroom door still closed. I knocked a few times & when there was still no answer I opened the door. I saw that her bed was still made, which usually she wouldn't do until right before she left for work. I searched the remainder of the apartment, to know avail. I tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. I figured that she had probably been called in for an earlier shift & just made myself a cup of noodles as I shot her a text asking where she was at.

An hour had passed & I had finished eating long ago. I jumped in the shower & when I had done & gotten dressed into some track pants I checked my phone. But still no answer from Oakley. That was a bit odd I thought. She would always send me a message to let me know there was a change in her schedule. It was around 8pm now & I was starting to get worried. I walked over to the fridge where there was a loose piece of paper taped to the fridge that contained all important phone numbers, including mine & Oakley's best friends. I dialed Oakley's friend & co-worker Amelia. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Amelia, it's Niall."

"Oh Hi Niall, how are you?"

"I'm okay thanks, how are you?"

"I'm good, just getting ready for work now, what's up?"

"Yeah, listen... Do you by any chance know where Oakley is? If maybe she got called into an earlier shift?"

"No, I don't think so. I haven't heard from her since she left the diner this morning."

"What time was that at?"

"Around five. Why?... Niall, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I just got home & she wasn't here. Doesn't seem like she has been all day honestly. I was in a hurry this morning, I assumed she had just went back to bed already. Did she say anything to you before she left?"

"Not really.. She just said that she was tired & wanted to get home quick to go to bed... Wait..."

"What?"