Heartbreak Warfare

Liam hadn’t gone in there to pick a fight. His intentions had been purely driven. Liam was simply going to ask Louis to lay off Harry for awhile.

Somewhere between Louis refusing and Liam bringing up Louis’ double life, a screaming match ensued. And despite Liam’s usually sweet disposition, it all got away from him. He was shouting horrible things at Louis, almost like he blacked out and some devil spawn from hell had taken over his body.

Lying in bed afterwards, he could barely remember the conversation as a whole. Liam was strongly suspecting demonic involvement, because there was no way Liam could have said those things. Not him.

Unable to sleep, Liam tried distracting himself with his iPod, then the TV. After thirty agonizing minutes, he decided to call Danielle. It was around nine in the morning back home and she would have been up with the kids.

The phone rang four times before she picked up.

“Li,” She breathed through the phone, “What on earth are you doing up right now?” Liam could just picture her staring at the digital clock on top of the oven, her unruly curls up in a messy bun and dressed in one of his t-shirts—baggy around her slender shoulders, but snug around her protruding stomach. “What’s it, three AM there?”

“Four, actually.” Liam answered. His voice was gravelly this early in the morning as his body begged for sleep.

Danielle’s laughter tinkled through the receiver, “Late night?”

He could hear three-year-old Florence giggling faintly in the background. Thinking about his daughter reminded Liam of Charlie and why he had fought with Louis and why he was calling Dani in the first place.

“Something like that,” Liam sighed heavily.

“Uh, oh,” Danielle noted, “Trouble in paradise? Already? You guys were doing so well! Even Louis was allowing Harry to walk into a room without verbally abusing him.”

“It didn’t have anything to do with Harry, Dani,” Liam readjusted his head against the cool pillow, “Well, it sort of did. Actually it really had everything to do with Harry, but Harry wasn’t there to instigate.”

“Did you and Louis have a domestic?” Dani questioned.

”Mummy, juice, pwease!” Liam cracked a smile, not regretting staying up so late to talk to his wife or hear his daughter’s voice in the slightest.

“Coming right up, Flora.” Danielle answered her. Liam could hear the fridge open and things being shuffled about.

“I should let you get back to the kids. Is Rupert taking a nap?” Liam scratched his neatly shaved head.

“Just put him down fifteen minutes ago.” Danielle answered, “Flora, wanna talk to daddy?”

“Daddy,” The little voice was loud, like someone who didn’t properly understand how telephones worked. “I miss you! When you comin' home?” She demanded.

Liam grinned from ear to ear. “I’ll be home in a few weeks, baby girl. You take care of your brother and mummy, okay, Flora? I love you to the moon and back.”

“I love you, too,” The little voice responded before Dani took back the phone.

“You should get some sleep, Liam.” Danielle told him.

“I know.” He took a deep breath through his nostrils. “This isn’t a mistake, right?”

“Our marriage or the tour?” Dani inquired, half joking.

“Dani,” Liam muttered, “I feel like I don’t even know these guys anymore. Especially Lou.”

“It’s been five years, Li. You can’t expect things to fall right back into place, not after how it ended. You five were brothers, and then you were nothing. It’s not something you completely bounce back from.” Danielle reasoned. “It’s only a few more weeks. Then you’ll be back with us, and we can welcome the newest member of the Payne clan.”

Liam chuckled softly. “How did I get so lucky as to marry a woman as amazing as you?”

“Being in a world famous boy band certainly helped.” She said playfully.

“I love you, Dani,” He said.

“Love you, Li,” Danielle responded, “Give my love to the lads and Olivia. Tell Julia and Charles I said ‘hi’!”

“Sweetheart,” Liam rubbed his face, sighing heavily. He was too tired to have this conversation with his wife so he said, “Good night.”



A torrential thunderstorm rolled in sometime before dawn. Olivia’s plan to fly back was foiled no matter how much money she tried to bribe the jet’s pilot and every airline in Massachusetts. No one wanted to brave the storm, especially once flood warnings aired that morning. The power was threatening to go out. It was everyone’s worst nightmare.

The six of them were holed up in the crowded lobby. Angry tourists were trying to find a room to stay and get out of the rain, but were being guided to the strip mall because of the hotel’s strict ‘no lingering unless a paying customer’ policy when there weren’t any more rooms available.

Every once in a while someone would do a double take at one of the lads which would provoke them to turn the other way, or bury their nose in the phone or planner.

“Are they going to cancel the concert?” Niall questioned as the wet travelers left in a hurry. New ones burst through the revolving doors, taking their place.

Olivia sighed, filtering through her emails. “No, I think that would raise a whole new storm in the form of your devoted fans.”

Niall smiled, “Right,”

“Should we head over now?” Zayn questioned, watching the rain fall steady against the asphalt outside. “It’s only gonna get worse, and I don’t want to get stuck out there.”

“Yeah,” Olivia nodded, “The bus is en route.”

Everyone was exhausted after four hours of sleep. The weather only made them all a little more melancholy. Liam and Louis weren’t speaking, but since no one was in the talking mood, it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Less than ten minutes later, they were packing up their things and boarding the bus. Olivia and Louis stayed behind to check everyone out, allowing some poor bastards to get out of the storm and into a room.

“Liam’s mad at me.” Louis informed Olivia once they got to the front desk. “He’s accusing me of leading a double life. He’s mad that I didn’t tell him about Charles and Charlie and Dean and everything. Fuck,” He massaged his right temple, “He’s got every right to be angry at me, doesn’t he?”

“Yes, he does,” Olivia agreed solemnly, “You told him about my dad?” She thanked the harassed-looking woman at the front desk, and they took off after their friends.

“It slipped out. I was angry.” Louis justified, “But you agree he has every right to be angry at me?”

“Yes, Lou,” Olivia said, readjusting her over-night back that was turning into a more-than-one night bag. “We kept secrets. We withheld information. They’re all going to be angry, mostly at me. It’s just a matter of time, and they’ll have every single right to be angry.”

“When did you become so grown up?” Louis stopped in front of the revolving door.

“Four and a quarter years ago when I became a mother.” She shot back. They stared out the water stained window, the other four were safely tucked away in the bus confines. “I’m going to tell him. I’m going to tell him before he finds out, because he will. It’s kinder that way.”

“Kinder?” Louis inquired with a hollow laugh, “What happened?”

Olivia pushed through the revolving door. “He apologized.”