The King's Den ||h.s||

seventy

After dinner with Jade last night, Louis woke up from his nap and nagged at me for not finishing his work but forgave me and just went to finish it. After that, being around almost midnight Louis comes find Jade and I, with several bottles of liquor. I guess Louis wasn't the only one to have the idea since pretty much everyone drank last night, even Harry.

We woken up the next morning at 4. The sun was barely rising as we all without energy made our way around the house to get more stuff ready, even with our hangovers.

"Julia, seriously?" Louis was helping me load the final stuff into our SUV. "I don't see why Harry had us up early."

"I told you, it's best we finish this shit early," I grumbled, I wasn't in the mood either this morning.

I ended up ditching Louis so he can actually do work instead of me doing it all, like loading guns into the trunk. I walked to the kitchen to get myself another glass of coffee when I'm surprised to see Zayn pouring him a glass as well.

"Morning Julia," he holds his mug up, greeting me.

I take a coffee mug from a cabinet in the large kitchen, "morning Zayn. You're here pretty early."

"Harry's orders," he lowly grumbles. "Heard you all got drunk last night."

"Yep," I confirm. "I guess last day celebration."

"Last day celebration for what?" He gives a light chuckle.

I shrug and pour myself a coffee, "well, the last day before all of this ends."

He grows a little serious, "I'm gonna guess that entirely didn't mean a good thing."

"I think everyone knows that we all won't make it," it was true, Louis drunk telling me that he was gonna drink to make his last day count. It upset me that Louis thought that, but in all honesty we all do.

I think Zayn does too as he responds with, "I may not have said this before to you, but I'm glad you came around to the den."

"I'm glad I found this place," and it was true, I had found my place.

He takes a sip from his coffee, "you know, anyone is more thankful for you than Harry."

His name brings a flush of guilt and other emotions, "he was the best part of being here too, for me."

"Look, it's not my place... And well word gets around, but I think you should talk to him," I can tell he didn't really like suggesting it to me, but I think he knew he needed to.

I sigh, "you sound exactly like your girlfriend."

He laughs, "is that good?"

"Yeah, you two look happy," I similarly tell him what I told Jade last night.

"Thanks," he smiles. "But will you talk to him?"

"I think it's best I do," I admit it, it needs to be done.

I walk from the kitchen to the room's upstairs, I walk past Harry's room, still not quite ready as I just made a turn to my mother's room.

Opening the door, she's awake and sitting up watching a Spanish show on the TV in her room, she looks over at me, "morning Julia. Why is everyone up so early?"

"Do you know?" I didn't want to exactly tell her.

She shuts the TV off sets it gently on her lap, "yes, Harry came to personally talk to me."

"He did?" I'm guessing Harry found it necessary to tell both my mother and Liam.

She can tell I was a little surprised, "yes, we spoke of other things as well."

I know what she's leading towards, "dios, what did you tell him?" [god]

The cuts on her face have just grown to small scars and bruises clearing up, she looked like my mother again, "I thanked him."

"For what?"

"For keeping you alive," she answers. My mother was a rather proud Latina woman, she didn't usually thank anyone, or say sorry for anything. So this was pretty big. She takes my silence as the opportunity to keep going, "and I'm sorry, for everything that I've done to you." Well shit, it was like a Rosa de Guadalupe moment. I still remember that show from when I was younger.

I look at my mom seriously, feeling it's time to say what I've been wanting to say, "you weren't exactly there for me when I was a child. We didn't have a relationship like most mothers and daughters have. And you took Julio's side over anything, even if that was from him telling me I was worthless, or having me get engaged with Stephen, or even when I left the house and joined the den..."

I stop for a moment and tears rolled down her face and I finally say, "but you're here now, and I forgive you."

She lets out a small sob, "I'm so sorry Julia."

I hug her and she hugs me back. She holds me tight like it was the last time she'll ever hug me. But maybe she felt like it was, and maybe it was.

*

After talking to my mom, I just went to talk to Liam. When I walk in his room, without really bothering to knock I was a little shocked to find him standing by the window in his room.

"Liam? You're standing!" I gasped.

He looks over at me and gives me that soft smile, "oh yeah, I have been able to. It's just I've been lazy."

"That makes me happy," I was glad to see he was okay, he was going to be okay.

He knows why I was here though, "if you're here to tell me goodbye, I'm not really good at saying it back."

"I wasn't..." And I make my way over to him.

"Then what?" he, seriously, asks me.

"Liam, I'm gonna go soon," I say.

He shakes his head, "please don't."

"You know we can't guarantee I'll be back," I plead.

He looks at me and takes a quick surprising step towards me. He cups my face, "I'm sorry I was never what you wanted."

I didn't know why but I right there let myself cry, but I keep my voice strong, "don't be sorry. I'm sorry I never gave you the love you deserved."

He tries to hold back some years but he smashes his lips against mine, I kiss back but it didn't feel right. He pulls back, "I know it's not me, but I did truly love you," he admits.

"I'm sorry Liam," I cry a little harder.

He removes his hands from my face and pulls me in a hug as he soothes my head, "it's okay Julia. All I honestly cared about was seeing you happy." He pulls me back and looks down at me, "he made you happy."

***
Lol I should be writing an essay, but oh well lol. I have different priorities.

Anyway, two more to go...