Who Knew: A Liam Payne Fan Fiction

Chapter Fourteen

            I like the way the rain sticks to my window, dragging down the colors from outside, forcing them to mix with each other. Days like these were numbingly comfortable; creating an illusion that everything will be just fine. The clouds seem to whisper, “Just go back to bed, and escape from your worries.” But they leave out the fact that once the sun shines through, those problems will still be there, brighter and fresher than before. Rolling over, I stare up at my ceiling, head empty and wandering. My eyes flow from speckle to speckle, creating invisible patterns that play themselves out on the white expanse.

            I had avoided nagging comments from Bailey over the last few days, as well as flinching every time my phone rang. It wasn’t like my parents to call, and they hadn’t, but that didn’t keep me from imagining all the “what ifs.” Each time my roommates would raise a brow at me, egging me on to answer, only to be disappointed by the lack of parental contact.

            “You should really just call them.”

            “You can’t hold off forever.”

            “They should support you no matter what.”

            “They’re your parents, what’s the worst that can happen?” Again and again like a broken record player, they prodded me towards the phone with no success. They didn’t understand, not that I had expected them to. But there were moments when I just wanted to scream at them for not realizing that my relationship with my parents was different than theirs. Where would be the fairness in that? It’s not their fault I didn’t tell them anything,that I was a locked drawer full of dark messes and dust filled corners. I did all I could to distract them from my “little” predicament, and sometimes it worked.

            Like when I had finally told them about Liam, and they took it surprisingly well. Not that I had expected them to freak out, but they had remained fairly calm. I vaguely remember Bailey laughing at me in disbelief, until I rang him up and she heard his voice. Her expression was somewhere between shock, embarrassment, and complete elation. Sophia seemed to be just as confused as I was when I first met him; she doesn’t get out much. But even with that moment of fun, life seemed to be immensely more difficult with each passing thought of the future.

            The only thing that seemed easy was texting with Liam. It’s become a constant now, starting when I wake and then ending when I finally say goodnight long after I should be asleep. It seems like we’ve talked about everything, ranging from silly to serious, favorite colors to biggest regrets. Even though I can’t see his face, just those little words provide me with more comfort than anyone else could give. Hearing his stories, with the occasional interruption from one of the other boys, is usually the highlight of my day. Every once in a while he alludes that he’ll be back in Boston soon, but he never says when. It scares me how impatient I am about it. He doesn’t know about Japan; I’m putting that one off until it’s inevitable. But after promising Bailey last night I’d make the call today, I have no choice. Sitting on my bed, I stare at my phone, fearing if I touch it the number will automatically be rung. This isn’t going to be pleasant, my head sneers, and I dial.

            “Freemont residence.”            If I hadn’t thrown on my sweatshirt earlier, I probably would’ve shivered at her tone. Is this what I sound like? For a nanosecond I consider hanging up, but unfortunately I remember I had made a promise.

            “Hi, it’s me.” That was clear. I could practically picture her eyebrows shooting up in surprise.

            “Addison. What is the reason for this call? Is everything alright?” This is what my family does. We don’t call to chat or catch up, we only call when someone’s sick or dying or even dead.