Imperfectly Perfect

Chapter 32 - Broken, numb and lost

I feel an itchy feeling in my eyes and hurriedly flutter them open. The surroundings of me come to my notice and I look around. It doesn't feel nearly to what I last saw even a few hours before. In fact, I see sunshine and hear birds chirping and even people talking. Confused about the time of the day, I grab my mobile from the nightstand and take a glimpse of it.

"Holy shit," I jump up and sit on the bed.

It's 9.00 Am and I'm massively late for work. Talk about the pain of having office even on Saturdays. I look over and see Niall sleeping in the most peaceful manner he probably has slept in all these weeks. His lips are a tad parted and he appears in utter serenity and happiness. Even in this rush, the image manages to make me smile. I lean in and plant a kiss on his forehead.

I decide to leave Niall a note, so he doesn't feel bad about not finding me in bed when he wakes up. After climbing down the bed, I fetch my office notepad from my handbag and tear off a page. I grab a pen from one of the nightstand's drawer and sit near the edge of the bed.

"I'm sorry honey for leaving early. I got really late for work. Be well, stay safe and I'll see you in the evening. I love you! – Noddy"

I rest the paper on the nightstand on Niall's side of the bed and cover it with his mobile, so the paper doesn't fly away.

Not wasting any further time, I grab my belongings and rush out of Niall's room. I see neither Liam nor Sophia around the house, so I assume they're still sleeping. Not everyone has office even on Saturdays.

After I unlock the door of the boys' apartment, I rush to my own. Somehow fishing the keys from my handbag, I enter my place and shut the door behind me. I straight away run to my room and open the wardrobe, taking out a pair of dark denims and lavender top. As much as I hate to take off Niall's T-shirt off my body, I still do it and grab the towel to enter the bathroom to take a shower.

Anyway, after another 25 minutes pass and the clock ticks to 9.30 Am I find myself completely dressed to leave for office. I know I'm super-freaking late, but knowing Venkatesh's nature and the number of good stories I've been pumping out these last few days I'm pretty sure he'll give me an hour of grace time.

Laughing at my own thought, I take my bag and mobile as well as the keys to exit the apartment. I lock it and dump the keys inside my bag before letting out a sigh of relief. It's been long since I've had such a rush of emotions.

As I make my way towards the boys' apartment, the sun shines directly on me and I strangely feel hot around my neck. When I look down, I notice the infinity neck chain that Niall gifted me last night, glistening in the sunlight. With a wide smile, I kiss it dearly.

My heels make a clanking noise on the floor of the building as I slowly reach Niall and Liam's apartment. I witness that their door is left ajar. I knit my brows in astonishment. Something about the atmosphere makes me feel strange.

My pace slows down and I dare to step inside their flat although I know I'm getting late.

I see Liam sitting on the couch with his head plunged inside his hands. Sophia sits close to him, her hands wrapping around Liam's head.

I walk towards them. "Hey," I say, furrowing my brows.

Neither of them answers nor looks at me.

"What's going on?" I ask, feeling jittery inside.

Sophia slowly lifts his head up and locks her gaze with me. Her eyes are completely wet. My heartbeats race up now as I walk across to stand before them.