Before You Go [N.H]

5.3 - Balance - Sharp

Niall's POV

Ever since that night everything has been more than perfect with Luce. We've been going out a lot, doing lots of activities together, trying out new things that either her or I have never done before. And she seems genuinely happy. She even said that her face hurts from smiling and laughing too much and that her heart feels like its bursting with love and happiness whenever we're hanging out.

And lucky for me, we've been spending lots of night together. Whenever I could kick Deo out of the house, she'd stay at mine, otherwise, we'd stay at hers.

Everything is just perfect. She's happy, I'm happy. We're happy. So I thought a quick trip to LA for work would be fine. I stayed in touch, video chats every morning and every night. Text as much as possible. Everything seems to be going as planned.

So I don't really understand what's going on when I receive a call from Lucy's phone and on the other end a distressed Jamie asking me if I'm back to London and to come over as soon as possible. I wanted to surprise her and come a few days early. But instead, something apparently really bad happened.

I quickly take my phone, wallet and keys and head out. I drive as fast as I can. When I get there, the door was unlocked. So with a twist on the doorknob, I'm able to open the door. I knock before I go in but no one answers. I carefully walk inside and I can already hear her cries ringing through the walls of the empty house. I follow the heartbreaking sound to the kitchen.

I see her sitting on the cold tiles of the kitchen floors, a clean knife sitting in front of her. Without thinking or hesitating and with a quick knee slide, I get to her. I grab her arm inspecting them for any bleeding cuts. I quickly check her thighs and anywhere else she could've possibly have done any harm and when I don't find anything I let out a relieved 'Thank god!'

I protectively pull her into a hug, rocking her back and forth, desperately trying to get her to stop crying. I feel like crumbling apart. My heart is in pieces. But I need to stay strong because she needs me.

That's only when I turn to Jamie who's been sitting next to her this whole time. I mouth to her a 'what happened?' And she just shrugs, signalling that she doesn't know.

I shift back my attention to Lucy noticing her sobs have calmed down a bit.

'Can you stand up?' I carefully ask her.

She shakes her head without lifting it up from my chest. I slowly move to stand up and with a look, I get permission to lift her up. I carry her to her bed. I lay her down before getting into the bed myself. I pull her into my arms. At this point Jamie leaves us alone in Lucy's bedroom, closing the door behind us.

I start singing to her while playing with her hair, hoping this is soothing enough to get her to sleep. And eventually, she does. I wait a while after making sure she's asleep before going back to the living room.

'Thank god you came! I couldn't calm her down.' Jamie tells me.

'What the fuck happened!! I left for 5 days! Is it her anxiety? Did you go out with people she doesn't know?'