From Where You Are

Nicole rubbed her eyes irritatedly. It had been a sleepless night - the last night in her London apartment. She got up and showered at five, preparing for her seven thirty flight home. She was at the airport by six fifteen, wanting to get there as soon as possible. She had arranged for all of her furniture to be put into storage until a later date when she could sort all of that out. Her apartment key was dropped off in the lobby of the building with a note to the landlord.

Nicole tapped her feet anxiously against the tiled floor of Heathrow airport. All of her bags had been checked and she was waiting in her terminal, having flown through security without any problems. She still had to wait an hour for her flight but she would rather wait at the airport than in her empty apartment. It held too many memories that she didn't want to remember.

Nicole flipped through the apps on her phone, sighing in boredom. There was nothing for her to do so early in the morning. She opened her bag, noting how light it had gotten since she had walked through security. Nicole frowned, pawing through the few items that were scattered inside.

Her passport and ticket were missing.

"Shit," Nicole cursed. Her emotions were already running high and she knew that if anyone stopped her from getting down to the check in counter she would probably rip their heads off.

Nicole slung her bag onto her arm and hurried downstairs, exiting the International Departures lounge quickly. She had a slight problem getting back through security, but when she explained her situation they let her through quickly and pointed her in the fastest direction.

The check in counter where she had left her passport and ticket was on the ground floor where the arrivals were. It was slightly crowded in there for it being so early in the morning, but that didn't stop Nicole from shoving her way to the front of the line and yelling out her problem at those who tried to stop her.

She just wanted to get out of the UK.

Nicole smiled gently at the woman behind the counter, her lips stretched too tight with the false grin. The lady raised an eyebrow, asking, "Can I help you?"

"I've left my ticket and passport here when I was checking in. Do you have it perhaps?"

Nicole's voice oozed sweetness, but she hardly meant it. The lady stared at her for a few moments, pondering it before slowly walking to the other end of the counter. A few shrieks came from behind her, but she ignored it, only turning her head slightly to see what the commotion was. Nicole shrugged it off, tapping her nails nervously on the plastic counter.

Finally the lady came back with her ticket and passport wrapped in rubber bands and in a plastic bag. Nicole smiled graciously at the woman, this time meaning it, before she turned and came face to face with an even larger crowd than before. Over the tops of everyone's heads she could see the International Departures Lounge sign, and she started to push through the crowd, finally making it to the other side.

"Nicole! Cole!" a voice shouted.

Nicole froze, the familiar sound seeping into her brain. "Fuck," she muttered.

She didn't have to turn around to know who it was. The crowd made sense then; she doubted many people booked such early flights.

Nicole paused, but then started moving towards the escalator, her pace quickening.

"Shit. Nicole! Stop!" Louis yelled.

No matter how hard she tried, Nicole couldn't help but turn to look at him as she hurried away. Louis was about fifteen feet behind her, hair a rumpled mess with a beanie haphazardly stuck on top of it. His grey shirt was somewhat tucked into his skinny black jeans and his favorite pair of sneakers, not surprisingly the one's she had bought him, were on his feet. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, a jacket laying across it. He looked a mess from head to toe, but still perfectly put together. Classic Louis.

"Stop Nicole, don't go," his voice dropped.

Louis ran towards her then, grabbing tightly onto her wrist.

"Don't leave me," he whispered. Nicole met his eyes. The normally bright orbs were glistening with tears, red and raw looking. It brought tears to her eyes instantly.

"Louis why are you here?" Nicole asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Louis shook his head. "Why wouldn't I be Coley? I'm not letting you go without a fight."

Nicole pried his fingers off of her wrist, rubbing the spot in anxiety.

"Why would you leave me? You love me," Louis murmured. She could hear the absolute heartbreak in his voice. She felt as though she were leaving a puppy behind.

"I can't do this anymore Lou. I can't do the wee hour of the morning talks, the random and scattered Skype chats. I just can't do it. I need someone here with me. Louis I don't know anyone. I'm all alone here. It's not the same. I thought - I, well, I don't know what I thought. Moving out here was too big Louis. I didn't think, I just listened to you and it was dumb of me. I shouldn't have done that because it hasn't done a thing for me.

"What we had was wonderful Louis, but it can't last forever. I miss my family and friends. I had no one here, not even you. When were you ever home for more than a few days in a row? You know I'm not happy. Why won't you let me be happy?"

Tears were pouring down her face, silent, sad tears. Nicole looked back up at Louis, her eyes had been plastered on the ceiling in an attempt to hold back the tears. His face was glistening - he was full out crying now too.

Louis stuck his hand into his pocket, grasping something but dropping it. His face had changed, almost into one of defeat. Finally he pulled his hand out. Louis held his hand out to Nicole but she shook her head.

"Shit Nicole. This isn't how I wanted to do this," Louis barked out, a slight chuckle leaving his chapped lips.

When Louis dropped onto one knee, the entire airport lobby became silent. Everyone's chatter died down. Nicole choked on her tears, a slight sob coming out.

"I love you Nicole and I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. If I could go back in time and change everything I did wrong I would. I would say no to anyone who called asking for my time and I would stay wrapped up in your embrace all day. I would never let anyone take those moments away from us, because you're all that matters to me. Nicole you are my home. I've always wanted to be yours, ever since the day I met you. I knew you were the one, though you lived so far away. Distance is a bitch isn't it?

"I love you Nicole, and nothing that ever separates us should matter. We're stronger than this," Louis' voice wavered, his lips quivering, "So marry me and promise me that you'll never leave me because you love me too. You love me more than anyone else, and no one could make you smile like I do. You love me too," his voice dropped into a whisper and he squeezed his eyes shut in pain. "I know you do."

Nicole pressed her hand against her face, trying to stop the tears that were flowing freely out of her eyes, hiccups escaping her lips. Her mind made its decision quickly and before she knew it, Nicole was throwing herself at Louis, sobbing into his shoulder. He caught her, placing his other knee on the ground and holding her close to his body.

"I'm sorry Louis," she choked out between little sobs. "I love you so much."

"We can make it work Cole. I have faith in us."

Someone started clapping and before the couple knew it, all the people that had stopped were clapping, cheering for their love. Nicole could hear the cameras snapping pictures of the two but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered except the boy in her arms.

Louis rubbed her back, whispering in her ear how much he loved her.

When both of their tears had subsided, Louis helped Nicole up. He let his hands fall to her hips, grasping them gently in his large hands. He smiled down at her and pressed his lips to hers. Every emotion that Nicole had ever had for the British boy came flooding back to her in that moment, and she grabbed Louis by the back of his head, pulling him closer to her.

They separated and Louis grabbed her left hand, pulling the ring out of the box and slipping it gently onto her finger, all while looking into her eyes. She nodded softly, a smile working its way onto her face.

"Let's go home," Louis murmured, linking their hands and holding her close.

Their cab ride home was quiet, the couple just reveling in each others presence. Louis led her up to his apartment, where they stayed close the entire day. He made her lunch and they watched films all day, curled up on the couch. Their hands explored one another, finding each other and remembering exactly who they were.

By the time night fell, both were significantly tired and Nicole got into Lou's bed without any hesitation. Louis grinned at his beautiful girlfriend all cuddled up in his bed. Her hair was splayed out onto the pillow and her big eyes were looking up at him curiously, as if asking why he wasn't in there with her.

Louis jumped on top of her, earning a little giggle from the blushing girl before she pushed him off, leaned over and placed a kiss on his lips. Louis grabbed her around her waist and pulled her against him, snuggling his head into the crook of her neck.

Within moments they were asleep, finally at home with each other.

Nicole woke up early in the morning, around 1 AM. She looked over at Lou, who's mouth was slightly open. Soft snores emitted from it and she couldn't help but smile a little. She swung her legs out of bed, sneaking quietly into his kitchen. She put a kettle on for a cup of tea as she let her mind wander down to the ring on her finger.

She was scared. It was so sudden. Louis had surprised her with his proposal, but she knew that he was the one for her. Even being across the ocean wouldn't keep him out of her mind. It was perfect that he had stopped her really.

She was just so young to be getting married, and so was he. The marriage would affect his job and she could already picture the hordes of screaming girls that would be upset with this update in their relationship. Nicole knew that there would be no break from the paparazzi now. The thought brought tears to her eyes. Would there ever be a time for her and Louis to go out in public and not be harassed?

In the other room Louis woke up, the bed cold around him. He sat up, noticing that Nicole had disappeared. His heart started to pound quickly, wondering if she had left in the night. He padded into the kitchen, poking his head into every room along the way.

His body relaxed when he entered the kitchen and saw her leaning over the counter, her head in her hands. He knocked slightly on the wood frame of the doorway, quietly trying to get her attention without startling her. Nicole's head snapped over in his direction, hair getting into her face. When she brushed it away he saw the redness of her eyes.

"Come to bed," he murmured, his voice raspy with exhaustion.

Lou rubbed at his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. Nicole pressed her clammy hands flatter against the smooth marble counter top. Before she knew it his hands were on her shoulders, pressing down in just the right spots, making her melt in his arms as he relieved her tension.

Louis looked down at his girlfriend, tears in her eyes, and his heart broke. He leaned down to place a kiss on her neck.

Whispering, "I love you."

His hands wiped away her tears and she let herself collapse into his arms. Louis held his girl tight, letting her cling onto what she knew. Nicole broke away a few moments later.

"I'll be to bed in a moment, alright?"

Louis nodded and returned wordlessly to the bedroom. Nicole sighed, looking down at her ring finger. The simple diamond glistened even in the muted lighting of the kitchen. It was a big commitment but she was willing to jump off the deep end for her love.

Nicole walked back to the bedroom, feeling more confident than she had ever felt in her relationship. Louis was lying with his arms under his head, staring up at the ceiling. Nicole made her way next to the bed, meeting Louis' eyes.

"I love you Louis," she murmured.

Then she was smiling, crawling into his arms, and knowing that everything would work out if Louis was there.