He's Inevitable || N.H.

F O R T Y - S E V E N

"Emma?"

My head throbs as I slowly open my eyes. Disoriented by the bright light, the sudden noise, I look up to see mum had finally come home.

"Mum?"

"Hi, baby."

I sit up and hug her to me, tears coming almost instantly. I can tell she's taken aback, that she's a bit out of her depth. They're not used to me acting this way. To me being this weak and fragile.

"Emma, what's going on, baby." She whispers in my ear. Teardrops start to fall, being absorbed by her thin cotton shirt.

"He's gone mum...He's gone." I try to speak, my sobs making it increasingly difficult, "Dad made him leave."

"Ems." She says stroking my back in light circles, trying to calm me.

"What?"

"Baby, since when do you cry? Since when do you just sit here and weep?"

"Mum."

"If he's gone, you go find him."

I pull back from her and furrow my brow, a hiccup escaping as I manage to say, "What?"

"Emma. Find him. Bring him back."

"Mum, how am I possibly going to find him? He won't even answer his phone, how could I know where he is?"

"Then look. Look for him."

"Dad really doesn't know? Isn't it dad's fault that he's gone in the first place?" I say, wiping at the drying streaks upon my tired face.

Mum shakes her head sadly, "I know it's hard to believe, but he really doesn't. He didn't tell Niall to go away, Emma. He didn't tell him to leave."

"What did he say to him then?"

She looks away suddenly, refusing to make eye contact with me, "That's something you and your dad need to talk about."

"Mum...I couldn't."

"Emma. I know that your dad's been wrong about of lot of things, he truly has. He knows that, baby. He has only meant well, as terrible and misguided as those actions may have seemed. He would never want you to be hurting like this. It breaks his heart to see you this way."

"But...then why would he try to break me and Niall up?"

"Really, Emma? Why? Perhaps because he was worried about his baby girl being hurt by a man who is his age. It's not a weird concept to understand. And yes, I know. I know Niall is a good man, I know he would never do wrong by you, but he betrayed our trust, Ems. We have a right to be ticked off too."

"I know."

"Your dad loves you, Emma. Don't think he's the enemy. He's just very bad at executing plans that he believes will result in happy endings."

"What possible happy ending could come out of this situation?"

"You're never going to know if you just sit here and wait." I sigh loudly, but she continues, "I want you to be happy." She tilts my chin towards her, smiling lightly. "I don't like this mopey, depressed, Emma. I want my old Emma back."

"Yeah?" I say trying not to cry again.

"So how about it?" I nod. "Go get him, Ems. Go bring him back."

–❈–

After getting showered, dressed, and finally not feeling as if I would burst into tears at any mention of him, I pack a bag and head downstairs. I am surprised to see dad already sitting at the island, with a glass in front of him. I pass try by him, ready to go to the car and leave, but he grabs my arm lightly, "Emma, wait."