Into Your Arms

It had been two days since the incident. Noel was still an absolute wreck. She hadn’t eaten and only bathed because I threatened to bathe her like a child. I had only managed to keep her drinking throughout the day. Mostly tea, it seemed to keep her calm. She hadn’t left my side since the night I brought her home. Whenever we sat on the couch to watch a movie she was wrapped around me, not that I minded but it was getting to be too much. No matter what I did she clung to me like a child. The only alone time I had was when I had to shower or go to the bathroom. She wouldn’t sleep unless I was next to her and even then she would still have night terrors that scared me to death. She would cry silently most of the time but sometimes she would cry out and thrash around.

We were sitting on the couch, me going through my twitter feed and her sleeping with her head on my lap when my phone began to ring. Lilia’s name flashed across the screen and I quickly answered, praying Noel wouldn’t wake up.

“Why isn’t Noel answering her phone?” Lila demanded before I could even say hello. I took a deep breath and ran a hand across my face.
“She turned it off.” I whispered.
“Why? And why are you whispering? What’s going on?”

Sighing, I quickly and quietly explained to Lilia what had happened. From Ricky showing up at the flat up to the incident. She stayed silent as I explained before yelling to Niall to drive faster.

“We’re almost to the flat, okay?” Her voice sounded strained. “What’s she doing right now?”
“Sleeping.” I told her, running my hand through Noel’s hair carefully. “She hasn’t left my side since it happened.”
“She gets clingy when she’s upset.” Lilia chuckled sadly, sniffling. “Thank you for being there for her. We’ll be there in five minutes. Dammit, Niall, could you drive any slower?”

The line went dead and I set my phone on the cushion next to me. I glanced down at Noel as my fingers continued to run through her damp hair. She looked so much more peaceful than I had ever seen her. When she was awake there was a permanent sadness in her eyes that seemed to disappear when she slept. Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at me and I sent her a small smile.

“Lilia and Niall are almost here.” I told her only to see her eyes widen and she shot off of the couch.

She ran into her room only to emerge moment later dressed in a pair of jeans and a blouse and her hair brushed. Her body moved fluidly as she tidied up the flat and put everything where it belonged. I watched her with sad eyes as she stopped every few moments to scrub at her eyes before returning to her cleaning. She only stopped when the door to the flat was thrown open and Lilia cast a knowing glance at Noel. Lilia was wrapped around Noel before I could stand, leading her into her and Niall’s room. My eyes stayed glued to the closed door until Niall walked in with his arms full of bags. I grabbed some from him and sat them on the floor. He put a hand on my shoulder and led me to the couch. We sat in silence as my head snapped to the door again as I heard a whimpering cry.

“You alright?” Niall asked quietly. I shrugged in response, running a hand through my hair. “Lilia said she’d be fine. She just need some time to grieve. It’s only been two days.”
“I know but she just looks so sad all of the time.” I sighed, cradling my head in my hands as my elbows rested on my knees. “She’s barely spoken a word and hasn’t eaten. It’s no better when she’s sleeping. She gets there night terrors where she’ll start screaming and thrashing around. She’s breaking down and I can’t do anything to help her.”

Niall stayed silent causing me to look up at him. There was a knowing smile on his face causing me to furrow my brows.

“You really like her.” He stated. I swallowed hard before answering.
“Of course, she’s Lilia’s friend and she’s going through a lot.”
“You know that’s not what I meant.” Niall scoffed. “You like her.”

Did I? She was a cute girl, I’d always liked brunettes. And she had a similar sense of humor to mine. I couldn’t forget the spark there was when we danced at the club that night either. Niall watched me as I thought with a small smirk.

“It doesn’t matter.” I snapped, exhaustion taking over my emotions. “She doesn’t feel the same way. She’s made that obvious.”
“What did you tell me when I felt the same way about Lilia?” Niall countered. “She’s been hurt in the past so she’s scared. Give her time to get comfortable around you, yeah?”

I looked down at my hands that were clasped in my lap before standing, mumbling something about going home to shower. My feet carried me outside and to my car. I could still hear Noel’s cries and Niall’s words in my ears as I pulled away from the flat and drove towards my own.