Till Dawn (HS)

xvii

I don't think this is that disturbing but if you're sensitive about that kinda stuff then just skip this chapter I guess

~

Clara stepped out onto the driveway and her gaze went up to the sky. The clouds seemed to visibly darken with each second that passed, and the sun was no where to be seen now; she could tell it was going to rain soon. Her skin felt chilled as she hugged her arms around her quivering body and followed Liam to the door of his house, where he was already fishing for his keys. She had forcefully tucked away Harry's words in a distant space of her mind during the drive, because she knew that if she replayed them anymore, the sharp headache that seemed to cut through her skull would only intensify.

"Good thing we left before we got caught in the rain," Liam commented when he grasped his keys and opened the front door. He gave her a small smile, but worry filled his eyes as he noticed the way Clara was staring at the ground. He brushed his fingertips against her hand.

"Come inside," he whispered. "Are you hungry?"

Clara lifted her eyes to his and nodded her head. She didn't know if she was actually hungry or not, but food always took her mind off of things. She padded inside his house and blew out a quiet sigh. She had slept so nicely the night before, but now her exhaust had returned, perhaps due to the weight of everything which also seemed to force her lips to etch down into a frown.

She glanced back at her friend whose eyes had lit up. "I know," Liam grinned at her, hoping to bring a smile back to her beautiful face. "How about I go get food from your favorite restaurant? The one by your parents' house."

Clara was able to force a smile, admiring his constant effort to be there for her, even when he didn't have to. "That sounds good," she nodded and rubbed her stomach. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, it's fine. You can take a nap in my room or something. I won't be too long. It's not that far away from here." He gave her hand a squeeze and Clara swelled with gratitude. She suddenly lurched into his chest and wound her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

"Thank you so much," she mumbled, twisting the fabric of his coat between her fingers as she nuzzled her face against his warm, minty smelling chest. "For everything. You're so good to me, Liam."

His face became soft with affection and he hugged her back. "Of course. I do it because I love you."

"I love you, too," Clara whispered after a moment before pulling away from the emotional embrace. She wasn't just thanking him for the food, but for everything he had done for her over the years, especially what he had done in the past twenty-four hours. After Harry, he was the best thing that had ever happened to her. Clara watched him as he went back out to his car and drove away, leaving her in the big house all by herself.

Her footsteps seemed to echo as she plodded up the staircase, her heels against the polished wood flooring. Her feet ached and each step she took seemed to worsen the blisters that she could feel forming on her ankles from wearing heels for two days in a row. Clara had the desire to ask Liam if they could stop by her apartment later, perhaps, so she could pick up a clean pair of clothes and more comfortable shoes. He had done so much for her already, though. The last thing Clara wanted to do was become a burden.

The first thing she did when she entered his bedroom, after flickering on the lights to illuminate the walls with the dull glow from the lamp by his bed, was slip off the loathsome black heels from her feet. She set them by the door and then dropped her purse and phone onto his bed. Slithering a hand through her natural waves of hair, Clara sunk her teeth into her lip, looking around the room. She had been there so many times, for sleepovers when they were younger, for birthday parties, for late night studying when she had failed to prepare for school. Liam was probably the main reason she even graduated on time.