Devotion [h.s]

305

Harry Styles

Six pairs of eyes, a dreary room, and a lit fire. Everyone was silent, but not one persons mind was quiet.

It's been 3 hours since Niall lodged the bullet through Erica's windpipe; ending everything once and for all. Since then, Amelia had a breakdown, Niall had a breakdown, Audrey woke up and had a breakdown, and now everything was just—silent.

We were all staring at the fireplace with utter silence.

Everything in the past 3 hours has been a blur, I don't remember much. There's certain key point that come to my mind but I know I'm missing a lot.

I'm remember two hours ago Audrey came back from her unconscious state with a headache and a question of where Louis was. When Amelia bravely fumbled out the words of he won't be coming back, she broke down.

She screamed, cried, pulled her hair and prayed that it wasn't true. Her body was curled on the cold hardwood floor in sobs while Amelia tried to do anything she could to help her at such a helpless time. Amelia would have her arms wrapped around her body that was curled on the floor, nothing but screams of Audrey's denial filling the room. Niall and I stood there on the sideline like statues, broken hearts hearing her cry out for our parted friend and someone she loved.

I remember seeing Amelia's forehead resting on Audrey's curled back, tears coasting from her eyes and her empathetic heart. I remember turning my head to my left to see Niall standing there staring at the floor while a single tear rolled down his worn cheek from the loss of his best friend. I remember having Briar in my arms this entire time, but she was silent. Maybe it was wrong of me to let her witness all this, but she just watched as Audrey fell apart from the loss of her own love. The emotion made Briar sad, but she didn't cry.

I remember an hour ago, Audrey hit pure silence of denial but Amelia had her own private breakdown in the other room. I remember noticing her absence for too long, striking concern within me. But when I went into the bedroom, I saw her sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest and the phone to her ear. She was crying in silence to herself, sitting near the window as dusk was approaching. The cellphone was aligned with her ear, stumbled words coming from her lips to her father on the other end.

I remember watching secretly as she told the devastating news to her father who just lost his wife to a battle she wasn't apart of. I remember hearing her say she was sorry over and over again like this was any of her doing. I remember hearing the pain in her voice telling her dad they just had each other now.

And worst of all, I remember hearing her tell him through the phone that she wish it was her over Mary.

When she got off the phone, she broke down in silent cries of hope no one heard her through these parapet walls. She didn't know I was watching while she fell back on her side in sobs of her passed mother. Her body curled on the harsh floor while her face scrunched up in devastation. I remember vividly seeing the tears shooting to the floor to create a puddle next to her head, open palms pressed to the flooring. This position was the same position I was in when my sister died and I went back to the dingy motel alone.

I remember coming into the room right when I saw Amelia do this, running right up to her on the floor and wrapping my arms around her shaking body. I remember lifting and pulling her into my lap sideways, holding her in anyway I could as she sobbed. I remember her tears staining my t-shirt, the density of the room as she white knocked my fabric. I remember my hand hurting so fucking bad, but nothing compared to how my heart felt for this broken woman I loved.

I remember embracing her silently for forty five minutes, whispering words of sympathy in her ear as she cried in return.

I remember crying with her but holding it back as much as I could to be strong for her, I remember how much I wanted to change the past.