The Assistant // Louis Tomlinson

24 - Run

Diana

"Hi everybody! Miss me?"

"Brad!" Nichola cries, running over to give him the biggest hug her small arms can muster. "How have you been?!"

"I've been doing good! I've missed you guys!" he exclaims in mock excitement before shifting to look at me. "Hey, Avery. It's good to see you. How have you been?"

His sly expression makes me want to throw up. He knows I'm trapped. No one in my family knows how our relationship really was. How he hurt me.

In their eyes, he was perfect. He was charming and funny and well-liked. To me, he was the one who destroyed my life. Destroyed me.

Ignoring his question, I turn to Louis since I know I need someone to understand what's happening right now. "Louis, this is Brad. My ex-boyfriend."

Louis looks almost unfazed until a wave of realization passes over him. Thank god. Hopefully having him here will help me get through this situation.

Louis' eyes go wide as he averts his gaze to the tan, blond haired boy standing beside my grandfather.

"Hi, I'm Louis Tomlinson. Avery's boyfriend," he says firmly, shaking Brad's hand with a look of determination mixed with hatred. I wonder if my family is aware of the tension in midst of the encounter.

"Louis Tomlinson?" Brad repeats as if mulling over an opinion of him. "Where have I heard that name before?"

"I'm in the band One Direction," Louis clarified.

"Oh yeah, the gay British boy band," Brad laughs.

"No, not The Wanted. One Direction," Louis says the band's name slowly as if talking to a child.

The boys all chuckle at Louis' retort. I would have laughed if I had been able to move.

Brad fixes his gaze on Louis. Oh, no. I know that look. I reach down to scratch the scars on my wrist that suddenly start itching almost to an unbearable extent. I haven't had a an urge to grab a blade in a long time.

"Okay... well, we were just about to sit down. Would you like to join us Brad?" my Aunt Colleen asks, finally becoming aware of the awkward situation, even though she can't understand the real reason why.

"Oh, no, I couldn't. I just wanted to stop by to say hi. I heard Avery was back in town for a bit and I thought I'd pop in. But I don't want to intrude, so I will just be going now," he says reluctantly. I know the last thing he wants is to leave. The show is too good to look away.

"Oh, nonsense! You are like family! You have to stay!" my Aunt Di urges.

"I don't know..."

"It's decided. Tom, can you set another place at the table?" Aunt Colleen speaks up once again.

"'Course! Glad to see you again, bud!" Uncle Tommy says, clapping his hand on Brad's back as he goes to get the place setting in the kitchen.

"So, how have you been Aves?" he asks me as I follow the crowd to the dining room for dinner. The way his name comes off of his lips as if they belong there sends chills through my spine.

"Good," I choke out. I take a seat at the table across from him, with Louis on my left. I take his hand and squeeze it tight without chancing looking away from Brad for a second. I never know what I could turn back around to.

"I like your tattoo," he smirks smugly.

I bite down on the inside of my cheek and dig my left wrist harder against Louis' leg. I'm not sure how much longer I can hold myself together in front of him.

"Tattoo?" Papa asks with weary eyes. I know I will be in trouble for my tattoo, and I'm certainly not going to explain my reasoning. But, in this moment, my grandpa's wrath is the least of my worries--which says something in and of itself.

"Yeah," I manage to say quietly. "I got a tattoo on my wrist. It's a--uh, butterfly. A butterfly tattoo," my voice cracks.

Louis squeezed my hand tighter and I feel like I can burst into tears right then and there. I just want to curl up in his lap and let the feeling of being with him protect me from the thoughts that are bubbling up in my head.

"Let me see," Baileigh says in her small voice. I swallow hard and allow her innocence to free me from the reigns I hold myself under around Brad, and raise my arm--not letting my grip of Louis' hand loosen--up on top of the table; my wrist visible.

"You never told me you got a tattoo!" Gen cries. She feigns anger, but I can see her fascination of the ink imprinted on my skin.

"Yeah, I got it when I moved to London," I say, weaker than I would have liked. Most of my family let it go unnoticed, caught up in the new guest and the food, but I know Brad and Louis are aware of my faltering shield.

"Is there a meaning to it?" Brad asks, his eyes narrowing in mock curiosity. "Why a butterfly? And why on your wrist? You do know what a butterfly on your wrist usually means, don't you?" he inquires, finishing with a triumphant smirk. I suck in a breath and bite hard on my lip until I taste blood.

He knows he won. He know he's broken me.

Ignoring the fact that I'm letting him know he is getting to me and that I'm about to make a scene in front of my family that they will be asking questions about, I stand up from my chair abruptly and bolt for the door. I ignore the calls after me, and I go to the front door as quick as I can. I throw it open and run through without looking back.

☆☆☆☆☆

Louis' POV

Avery runs out of the house quickly. I know he's gotten to her. Then, regardless of the fact that her entire family is sitting there watching and wondering as the scene unfolds in front of them, completely unaware of the underlying story, I stand from my chair and reach across the table.

In one motion, I grab Brad's shirt collar and drag him up and away from the table.

"You sick bastard! You couldn't let her move past you?! You couldn't let her be happy?!" I scream, fueled with rage as I begin to pound his face in.

I throw him down on the ground after a few punches, sitting on top of him and colliding my fist with his jaw once again.

"You hurt her! You fucking destroyed her! You don't get to come back after she has put herself back together and ruin her all over again!" I scream and shake him by his collar.

I'm so clouded by anger that it takes a hand grabbing me by the back of my shirt and pulling me off the filthy weasel to realize someone calling my name.

"LOUIS!" the man behind the hand calls.

I flip around to beat him in as well when I see Liam standing there with a shocked expression. I look around the room and see that everyone is now standing with similar expressions on their faces, a few of them even clouded with fear.

"You don't know him!" I scream, pointing at the gutless pig laying on the floor, looking like the victim.

"We know him better than you do! Better than we know you!" Cole yells at me, furious.

"You have no idea what he did. You have no idea what Avery has--" I stop my rant abruptly as her face appears in my mind. I had forgotten she had run out. Oh, no. She wouldn't... no. She wouldn't do that. She wouldn't do anything that stupid.

Then again, the reason her whole world fell apart had just taunted her 'weakness' right in front of her face.

"I have to go!" I say as I turn to the door with a petrified expression. I feel something wet hit my chest as I whip around to the entrance. It takes till then to realize that I'm crying--hard.

"LOUIS!" I hear multiple voices cry out. I ignore them and head closer to the door.

I don't have time to stick around to answer questions. The girl I love is about to do something I promised she would never have to do again.