Twenty Two.

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March 24th, 2016.

BLAIR'S POV
I wake up in a familiar place, confused as to how I got there. The strong scent of cigarette smoke and alcohol instantly swirls around my head as I realize I fell asleep at 312 last night in Niall's arms. The last thing I remember was us swaying back and forth as he whispered sweet things into my ear.

I'm pretty sure he thought I was asleep.

I giggle at the thought and roll over, wondering where he is. Underneath me, I hear a crinkle sound. I reach behind my back and pull out a light yellow post-it note that's full of black ink stains.

I scan the top of it only to see it addressed to me. I wonder what it is? I begin reading the note and see that it starts with the phrase, "I'm so sorry."

 By the time I get to the last line, I can't even see the words due to the swelling of my tears

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By the time I get to the last line, I can't even see the words due to the swelling of my tears. I drop the note and begin gasping for air as I feel my chest tighten. My body drops to the cold, hard work floor as I toss my head backward and clench the material near my heart. A wrenching ache in my chest arises which causes me to lose it even more.

"Why," I sob out into my hands. "Why, Lord?" I cry out and look up towards the sky. I continue to gasp for air in between sniffles in attempt to stabilize my breathing. My head is spinning and the walls around me feel as if they're closing in all around me, trapping me in.

Truth is, I am trapped—only it's not in this room, it's in this nightmare that is now my new reality.

I can't do this.

I scream out for help. I don't care who hears me.

"Fuck," I cry out. My anger from lack of understanding continues to build. I'm in the dark and I will be till this is all over. Nobody will ever understand how I feel.

"Nobody," I start out as my voice breaks. "Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody," I continue to repeat as I rock myself back and forth on the creaking boards. Suddenly, the door slams open and I see all of the boys rush in with Delaney by their side.

"Blair!" Delaney screams out as she drops to the floor next to me. "Oh my God," she sobs as she wraps her arms around me. "We're here, we're here," she repeats. "It'll be okay, B, it's okay," she tries to calm me down.

"It hurts so fucking bad," my voice breaks from the overwhelm of emotions. "Fuck," I hiss out as I grip my blonde locks and pull on them. I flick my irritated eyes to Louis and suck in a sharp breath.

"Is he okay?"

Louis nods his head. "He is," he says as he wraps his arms tightly around me. "It'll be okay, Blair. We promised him we'd watch over you, and he promised us that he'd be back soon. He just has to go away for some time to make sure you're safe," he softly explains to me.

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