From Where You Are

Nicole slammed her body down into the bar chair, signalling the bar tender to bring her a drink. Her body was already molding itself to the comfort of the chair, exhausted after a long day of work. A glass was placed in front of her, along with a plate of food. She smiled up at her friend and he winked, chuckling softly to himself.

She dug in to the hamburger, sipping slowly on the rum and coke as she ate. Her eyes scanned the pub, looking for a pair of familiar blue orbs but knowing that she wouldn't find them. Nicole blew out a sigh and finished her food quickly, insisting on paying though the bar tender refused, saying it was on the house.

Begrudgingly she left, her trench coat wrapped tight around her body to shield her from the chill winds of the London night. A year and she still wasn't used to the cold weather; it was such a drastic change from her home at the Cape. Sure, Cape Cod got chilly winters but the summers were fantastic. The weather in London seemed to be a little more depressed than her home town.

Nicole ran a hand through her blonde hair before turning to her purse to search for a pair of gloves. She sniffled, feeling a cold coming on.

If she was being honest with herself, Nicole had to admit that the only thing that would make her truly happy right at that time was going home. She missed her mom and dad, her little brother Max, and the small house on the beach that she called home. With her job it was impossible to even consider going home. Her boss had her running around 24/7, even on vacations. All of the money she had went to paying her rent and making sure that she could stay in the UK - after all, she was technically an American citizen.

Nicole's phone buzzed in her pocket and she dug it out, smiling at the text.

Thinking about you x :), it read.

She sent back a quick reply to the boy on the other end, who funnily enough, was on the other side of the world at that moment. He had probably just woken up and was about to go out to eat breakfast.

He was something special, and one of the few things that kept her living in London. Without Louis she probably would have moved back home by now. It was hard though - he was constantly touring or doing promotional things. Their time together was few and far between, but what they had was special. The space was becoming too difficult to manage though, and she wondered if it was worth it anymore.

Her phone buzzed again, this time signalling an incoming call.

"Hey babe," Louis chuckled.

"Hi Lou," Nicole murmured.

"How are you?"

As Louis began his incessant questioning, Nicole punched in the numbers that would allow her into her apartment building. She grinned at the warmth and replied to his questions quickly, more than anything wanting to go and take a hot bath and then curl up in her bed.

"I miss you," Louis whispered.

His tone surprised Nicole, and she almost dropped her room key. She caught it in time though and slid it into the lock, swinging her door open.

"I miss you too Lou..." Nicole trailed off.

She kicked off her shoes and walked into the bathroom, pouring the bath. Her body was tense, muscles clenched 24/7. She was homesick and constantly running around. All she wanted was 'me' time.

"I'm not coming home tomorrow."

The words hit her like a ton of bricks.

"They extended our promotional events. It's going to be another week."

And that was all she needed to hear before she felt her heart breaking. Her body slumped against the side of the bath tub, clothes still on and the water still running. Her body was weakened by his words in the worst of ways. Though it pained her, she knew what she had to do.

"Louis we can't do this anymore. I can't - I can't handle it anymore. You're never here and when you are we just get followed around. I can't share you if I can't have you. I'm going home. I'm sorry," she whispered, tears flowing down her face.

Nicole pressed the end button, not waiting to hear his response.

Louis stared down at his phone, the screen blinking, reading 'call lost.' Harry slapped a hand down on his shoulder, mouth full of food.

"What's wrong?"

Louis' heart was ripping apart and there was nothing he could do to fix it. It was his fault really, he couldn't deny it. Whenever he had time with her he was either sleeping or running out the door to do something last minute for work.

Their talks were always late at night, usually in the wee hours of the morning for her. She would stay up all night just to hear his voice, and he would do the same for her. The constant texts and emails weren't enough to keep their relationship strong and he knew that, but he tried anyway. God he tried so hard. He didn't want Nicole to leave his grasp ever, and there she was, leaving him.

He thumbed the box in his pocket, knowing that he would have to return it when he arrived back in London. Tears welled up in his eyes and he sniffled.

Harry tensed, his best friend not answering him.

"Lou, what happened?" his voice softened, quieter now.

"It's over," Louis mumbled. "It's over, it's over, it's over."

When Louis looked up, he knew he must have already looked a mess because of Harry's reaction. It only took him mere seconds to break down after that, sobbing into his friend's arms.

Across the world Nicole was slipping into her bed, eyes red and cheeks stained with mascara. Her sobs echoed in her empty apartment, alerting her to her loneliness.

That was it. It was all over.

Nicole kept repeating this mantra to herself until her sobs stopped wracking her body and she fell asleep curled up with his pillow.