Stay With Me (Liam Payne)

Part 25

 Liam was impossible. He had been a complete jerk since Nicki had left. Well, Jen thought, until he kicked her out. Here she was, at his flat once again, because Paddy needed help getting Liam out of bed. He was refusing to wake up. Jen stomped up the stairs and pushed open the door. His room smelled like a trash dump. There were clothes and food wrappers and just trash everywhere. Jen grabbed the remote and untinted the windows, letting light in. Liam was in the middle of his bed, naked, with a champagne bottle in his hand.

"Get up, Liam. We leave in an hour." Jen said.

"I can't. I did a terrible thing." Liam replied.

"Okay, I am not going over this again with you. You broke up with her because you said she was mean and that she was using you. You don't want her around if that is true. You are better off. Now, getup. I'm going to have nightmares about your naked ass tonight."

"She wasn't. She wasn't. I'm so dumb." Liam cried.

"She wasn't what? Using you. Duh. But, too late now. I can't find her. She's not at her grandparents, they haven't seen her in weeks. So, get over it and get up." Jen grabbed one leg and pulled.

"She needed me. And I kicked her out." Liam said.

"She's pretty tough. She'll be fine." Jen said. "PADDY!" she yelled. Paddy came up the stairs. "Grab his other leg and we will drag him into the bathroom."

"No! I'll walk." Liam stood up and walked over to the bathroom. Jen followed, just to be sure he got it the shower. She saw clothes on the floor, next to the tub and bend down to pick them up. "LEAVE THEM!" Liam screamed at her. Jen threw up her hands and walked away. She was pretty sure those were Nicki's clothes, but whatever. She went out into the bedroom and started throwing clothes into the hamper. The cleaning woman was stripping his bed. She pulled off the blankets and top sheet, walked to the stairs and tossed them down. Jen looked over that the bed. He had a black nightgown on he sheets next to where he normally slept. Jesus, maybe she better look harder for Nicki.

Nicki walked home from the diner, early in the morning, enjoying the sunshine. Summer was the best time of year. She felt great. She was taking care of herself just fine. So, she couldn't afford much, but that was okay. She was working and saving, maybe someday she'd have enough to relax. Right now, she just needed to save.

A block away from home, some kids had a box of something that said'free'. Then, a little kitten head poked out of the box. Nicki hurried down the block. They had two kittens. They were big enough to leave there mama the kids told her and their mother said they couldn't stay. They were both girls, one all gray and one gray with white feet and one white ear. She took them both. There, now she had a family. She named them Ginger and Maryanne. Her girls. She needed nothing else. 

Liam's phone rang as he brushed his teeth. "Hello?" he said to the 'unknown' caller.

"Sir, this is Smith and Son Gravestone Company. This is your final notice about the gravestone you ordered. We can't hold the ashes any longer. The plot is ready, we just need the final 500 pound payment, or we will have to send the ashes back to you."

Liam was torn. Did he just pay it to say sorry he was such an ass? Or did he let her go to the potter's field? "Fine, I'll pay it. Can you take care of the rest on your own? Just take my name off the record?"

"Certainly sir. I just need payment information."

Liam walked out of the bathroom, got his wallet and rattled off the numbers. The man thanked him and he hung up. Liam dressed and walked back into the bedroom. His sheets were gone. They were gone. " JEN!"he yelled.