The Assistant // Louis Tomlinson

26 - Let's Go

Little Things

"Where do you want to go?" Louis asks me softly, rubbing his thumb against the back of my hand that he refuses to let go.

It's the first time either of us has spoken since we left my grandparents thirty minutes ago. I don't know where we're going. We are just driving.

My wrist has stopped bleeding and my heart has steadied, but my mind just can't work. There are too many things going on and I wish I could just go back to the morning and do the whole day over.

I relapsed; I hurt myself again. The worst thing--Louis saw me. He had to see me in all my worthless and brokenness.

"I have no idea," I mumble honestly, still keeping my gaze locked on the world beyond the car window.

"What are you thinking?" he asks cautiously.

After a moment of silence, I exhale deeply. "How exhausted I feel. How I want to escape from it all. How I want to go back to before he had to come through that door. How I want for my family, the boys... you, to never have seen me like that. How much I just don't want to deal with any of this," I say as the tears well up in my eyes rapidly once again. I can't help it.

"We'll get through this Avery. I am not going anywhere."

"I just don't want to deal with any of this."

"We don't have to deal with this, right now, if you don't want to," he says as his voice perks up a tad--hoping the prospective of avoiding the situation for the time being will make me feel better.

"What do you mean?" I ask curiously, finally turning to look at him.

"Let's just get out of here for a little bit. We have a concert in Hawaii the day after LA. Why don't we go a little early? We can go, I can come back for a few days for the concerts, and fly over with the boys and we can all enjoy Hawaii for a bit. Management has given us a few days to enjoy the islands. It can be an escape. Then when we are finished, we can go back to work. Hang out on the road just like Europe. It can just work itself out."

I stare at him blankly. Honestly, that sounds like a perfect plan--a plan that I can seriously see working. But it sounds too good to be true. I mean, I will obviously eventually have to deal with my family. For now though, I can go hang out and relax on a tropical island with the man I love.

"Let's go." I smile in response. I know it's a slightly odd response to be smiling given the circumstance, but all I really want is to leave that behind for now.

"Really?" he perks up at my change in mood.

"Yeah. Let's run off to paradise for a little bit."
He tore his eyes from the road to give me the biggest smile I have ever seen cross his lips.

"Then, by tomorrow, we will be standing on the shores of the Hawaiian Islands."

"Make it Maui," I quip.

"Why Maui? The concert is on Oahu."

"Oahu sucks," I state as if it is the most obvious answer in the world.

"Okay..." he says, obviously unaware of the low quality Oahu ranks in the Hawaiian Islands. "Have you been there before?"

"My mom lived on Maui for 12 years. We have some family over there that we visit all the time on Maui. It was my second home growing up. For the first... at least five years of my life, I spent a good three months a year over there. It's amazing." I smile at the treasured memories that talking about my times on the island.

"Well, then. Let's go to Maui."

☆☆☆☆☆

"Gate 18. Flight HA 33 to Kahului. First class now boarding!" a woman's voice calls over the loudspeaker.