We're Only Watching The Skies

Fallon ran outside, tears stinging her eyes. “Told you so,” her subconscious mocked. She knew she had no right to be upset. She had told herself time and time again that he would wind up hurting her, but she of course didn’t listen. She deserved the pain she was going through.

“Fallon wait!” someone yelled from behind her. She slowed her pace slightly, still fighting away tears. Arlie ran up beside her. “Fallon, what happened?”

“He’s a dick. Like the others. Like all the other guys,” Fallon sniffled, wiping her nose.

“Ok, but why?” Fallon jerked open the car door and slunk into the seat. Arlie walked to the driver’s side and got in as well.

“He made up this big elaborate lie about how I wasn’t like the others, then told his friends we were... messing around.”

“Are you serious?” Arlie sat in the driver’s seat, clutching the steering wheel. She was angry. Angry over the fact that this guy had torn apart her emotionally strong best friend.

“Just take me back to the dorm. Please?” Arlie glanced over at Fallon sympathetically.

“Ben, Jerry, and Bridesmaids sound like a good plan?”

Fallon look towards Arlie, a small smile appearing on her lips. “You’re the best.”

The two sat up most of the night, stuffing their faces and watching sappy romances and chick-flicks.

The next day, Fallon woke up around 1pm. She had always hated sleeping in so late, but she felt like she deserved it. It was a Saturday, and she had nothing planned for that day.

She sat up in her bed and looked around. Arlie’s bed was empty, indicating she had already left to go visit her parents for the day. Fallon peeked out her window slowly. Rain was splashing against the window softly. The clouds were casting a gray quilt over everything in the room, and Fallon really just wanted to pull the sheets back over her head and go back to sleep.

Buzz buzz.

Her phone gently vibrated on the bedside table. She picked it up and unlocked it, staring at the screen.

Arlie: Get up you lazy bum and get ready! We’re going OUT! I’m on my way home from my mom’s, and your butt better be out of bed by the time I get back!

Fallon groaned and fell back on her bed. She really didn’t feel like going out that night, especially not with it raining like it was.

Fallon: Not tonight. I’ve got some studying to do.

Arlie: Party pooper.

As Fallon stood up out of bed, she reached her arms up, savoring the feeling of her muscles stretching. She padded into the bathroom, yanking off her tank top and shorts, and turned on the shower. Hot steam filled the room as she stepped into the stall. She took a quick shower and washed her hair. When she had finished, she stood under the water, letting it trickle down her bare back. She could stay like this forever, but the hot water heater disagreed. As the water started to cool down, she cut it off.

Buzz buzz.

She quickly wrapped a towel around her and ran out to the bedside table to grab her phone.

Unknown: Why aren’t you coming tonight?

She locked her phone, a bit confused. Someone probably just had the wrong number. Suddenly, it went off again.

Unknown: Oh, and the next time you shower, you might want to put on some clothes before you stand right in front of your window with the blinds open.

Fallon grasped the towel with a gasp and peaked out the window. All she saw was on guy walking on the sidewalk, clearly laughing. They had their hood up over their head, but it was obvious who it was. Louis.

She dropped the phone onto the bed and went to the bathroom to get dressed. She slipped on a clean pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and then tied her long hair on top of her head messily. No, there was no way she was going out. The rain started to pour harder outside, just reiterating that fact.

She walked back out into the room and sat cross-legged on her bed, pulling her laptop to her.
Before she could even get settled, her phone buzzed again.

Unknown: So will I see you tonight?

Ignore.

She turned on a random movie that they hadn’t finished last night and sat back against the wall, right as her phone went off again.

Unknown: I guess that’s a no then?

She pushed her phone under her pillow with a frustrated sigh. Why did he think it was ok to do this to her like this? She was his yo-yo, being pushed away then pulled right back and it was almost impossible to resist him. He knew he could get away with it.

For a little while, it was quiet. She had almost started to doze off to the sound of the rain pattering against the glass, until there was a knock at the door. Fallon groaned softly and paused her move. She move towards the door and opened it, coming face to face with Louis. He was wearing a rain covered jacket, and his hair was soaked.

“What are you doing?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. She tried to remain calm and composed, but she was sure he saw straight through her act.

“You didn’t respond to any of my texts,” he replied in a “matter-of-fact” tone.

“Yeah, it’s called ignoring you.”

Louis smirked slightly as his eyes narrowed in on her. “Why would you want to ignore me?” Fallon squirmed under his intense gaze. “By the way, you look amazing with your hair down. Especially when all you have on is a very short towel.” His smirk deepened. Fallon stood in shock for a moment, and then slammed the door in his face. She heard him chuckle faintly before he opened the door again. “I’m joking.”

“Just leave, please.”

His brows furrowed at her request. “We had a nice time yesterday, right?” He couldn’t really be that oblivious, could he?

“No, we did not.”

“Can I come in or not? I’d like to take this soaking jacket off.”

“No, Louis. You can’t come in.”

Louis let out an irritated sigh. “Listen, about what I said last night...”

“Oh, please don’t. I understood completely. And I want nothing to do with it anymore.”

His eyes were filled with that look again, and it broke her heart. “Can we just talk?” She wanted to say yes. She wanted to hug him, to hold him close again. But she knew she had to stand her ground.
“No, Louis. We can’t,” she said as she dropped her eyes to the floor. She knew if she looked at him too much longer, she would break.

He stared at her, baffled. “I... don’t understand.”

“I’m not doing this anymore,” she explained. “I’m not your... plaything. I’ll see you at practice, and that’s it.”

“You’re... rejecting me? You’re rejecting me?” He let out an astonished laugh. “This has never happened to me before.”

“Well, it just did.” With that, she slammed the door one final time and locked it. A breath she had been unknowingly holding escaped her lips. Why did he have to be so beautiful? So heartbreakingly, painfully beautiful...

Fallon made it a point to try to stay away from Louis the rest of the week. It was hard, but she set her mind to it. She was not going to be drug around like his little toy anymore. What was ridiculous was that they had only known each other for a little less than a week, and she had to make an effort to keep herself away from him. It was easier during the day when she only saw him in fleeting glances across the campus. However, practice was tough. Louis only spoke to her when they had to say their lines. What was even tougher was when they had to hold hands to fly. Neither of them could deny the connection they felt when their hands touched, but they had to try.

Finally, Friday rolled around. Fallon planned to hole herself up in her dorm room again like the previous weekend. Arlie, on the other hand, had different plans. Harry had invited her to a big Frat party across campus, and she refused to go alone. Fallon tried to fight against it, but in the end, she lost. After the fact, she felt a little excitement. This would be their first college party, and they had both heard horror and success stories about them.

Fallon pulled out her tightest pair of black skinny jeans and combined it with a black, one shoulder shirt. She had lined her eyes with the black eyeliner that she never used that sat in her bathroom cabinet, and she was wearing the black heels that she never wore that sat in the back of her closet. She hardly ever dressed up, so when she walked out of the bathroom with her dark, wavy hair flowing around her, Arlie was speechless. “Good lord!” she finally exclaimed.

“Do I look ok? Honestly? Please don’t let me leave here looking like an idiot.”

“You look AMAZING! What about me?” Arlie spun around, showing off her outfit. She was wearing a cream colored, flowing dress with lace trim and a pair of brown ankle boots. Her hair was pushed back with a headband, and she accessorized the outfit with a long necklace and a few dangly bangles on her wrists.

“You look great! By the way, I’ll be stealing that dress after tonight.” The pair laughed as they gathered up their phones and wallets.

“Are we ready?” Arlie asked, to which Fallon nodded briefly. “Alright then, let’s go!” They walked out of the dorm, and started across campus towards the frat house. It was obvious which building it was. The party was supposed to start at eight, and by nine, there were already people stumbling onto the lawn, drunk out of their minds.

Fallon grabbed Arlie’s arm to stop her for a moment. “We need a plan.” Arlie nodded. “If you start to feel tipsy, we find each other and head home ok? We need to be safe. If we split up, we will check on each other regularly.”

“Ok, sounds good,” she said as they both entered the party.

The stale smell of beer surrounded them and Fallon wrinkled her nose. Mixed with that smell was the odor of sweat and too-close bodies. It attacked her nostrils, and she wanted to turn around and leave. However, Arlie had a grip on her arm. She felt her release as they moved a little farther into the crowd, and she had eventually lost her.

Bodies were clustered together, grinding and groping at anything they could. Fallon suddenly felt sick at her stomach and didn’t want to be there anymore. She wanted to be back in her dorm room, huddled on the bed, watching a movie and eating the rest of her ice cream. She turned to find Arlie and tell her they were leaving, but all she saw was a glimpse of Arlie’s grin. She was enjoying herself too much to leave now. Fallon sighed a little and pushed herself through the sea of people and into the kitchen. When she finally escaped the crowd, she leaned against one of the counters, taking in a deep breath of fresh air. She grabbed a plastic cup and filled it up with beer from the keg on the table. At least it was cold. After taking a small gulp of it, she sat it down on the counter behind her and rubbed her eyes.

“Well hello there!” She quickly opened her eyes and saw Liam standing in front of her. On his arm was a girl that Fallon had English class with in the spring. “What are you doing here?”

Fallon shrugged. “Harry invited Arlie and she dragged me along.”

Liam nodded, and then motioned towards the girl. “Fallon, this is my girlfriend Laura. Laura, this is Fallon, the girl who is playing Wendy.” They both mouthed a greeting politely.

“What’s it like working with Louis?” Laura asked in a hushed tone. Liam laughed knowingly as Fallon rolled her eyes.

“Not as great as you would think.” As they were talking, a few guys walked into the room, staring intently at the two girls. Liam reacted by pulling Laura towards him protectively. One of the boys tripped over one of the table legs and fell into Fallon.

“Oops,” he said, pushing himself away. “Sorry.” A wicked smile grew on his face, causing Fallon to retreat back a few inches uncomfortably. She grabbed her drink from the counter, gave a goodbye to the couple, and headed out towards the dance floor. She sipped on her drink a little while she looked around at the crowd. She spent a few minutes watching the swaying crowd before she started to get the urge to join them. Slowly, she fell into the beat of the dance music and began to shift back and forth with it. The lights were pulsing all around her, changing from blue, to red, to green, all in a few seconds.

A face coming through the door caught her eye, and there was Louis, the lights bouncing off his face. His eyes found hers quickly, like she stuck out in the crowd. She took another drink of her sloshing beer and closed her eyes. She was feeling more relaxed in the crowd and began to move faster. The lights had begun molding into one altogether. Louis had moved slightly to her. For some reason, there was fear in his eyes, but Fallon ignored it. Her legs started to wobble underneath her and she thought this odd since she had only took a few sips of her drink. But she also chose to ignore that.

She opened her eyes only when she felt a pair of hands on her hips, meeting Louis’ bright blue eyes. “Louis, go away,” she slurred.

“Come on, we’re leaving.” His words were hot in her ears, his breath fanning her cheek. She tossed her head side to side. “Yeah, we are.” She pushed her hands into his chest and tried to get him away from her, but her muscles didn’t seem to work like they should. Instead of pushing him away, she pressed her body up against his and started to dance close. It wasn’t so much as dancing as it was grinding her hips against him, eliciting a low hum of satisfaction from him. He started to give in to her, but snapped himself out of it quickly. “Fallon, we’re leaving now.” His voice had no trace of humor in it whatsoever. She pulled back and looked at him.

“Why?” she giggled, trailing a finger up his chest.

“Because you’re really messed up. How much have you had to drink?” She held her cup up in front of his face.

“Just thisss.” Her legs felt more unstable, and she began to slip towards the floor.

“Ok, we’re leaving now.” He wrapped an arm under hers and supported her weight.

“But Louisssss,” she whined. She protested, but didn’t give up a fight. He took the cup from her hand and sat it down on a table as they walked through the people. “I’mmm tired.” She started to feel like dead weight in his arms.

“Fallon, come on. Stand up, please.” Her head flopped from side to side as her eyes began to droop. “Hey. Hey, wake up.” Suddenly, her knees gave way under her, and she started to fall towards the ground. “Fallon!” he cried, catching her before she hit the grass of the lawn. Louis anchored his arm tightly under her back, slipping his other arm underneath her knees. He picked her up with ease, trying not to show that he was terrified. He had never been in a situation like this before, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do.

All he knew was that he needed to get her somewhere, and quick. He needed her safe.

The rain that had lasted all week slowly started again. It had laid off for a while during the party, but it was coming back with a vengeance. It was soaking him to the bone, but he didn’t care. Even though this girl had given him one of the worst weeks of his life, he still cared about her.

Sometimes, he may not show his true feelings. He lets his reputation get in the way of it. But he does care for this girl, and if it wasn’t obvious by him carrying her in the rain across campus, he wasn’t sure what it would take.

Right now, he wasn’t thinking about how to make it up for her. He wasn’t thinking about how to make her feel better or how to get her running back to him. He was only thinking about keeping her safe from harm.

In his arms, she shivered slightly. He tightened his grip on her, staring straight forward. He could try to hide it all he wanted, but he was simply terrified. He had never been in a situation like this before. He had never taken a wasted girl back to his dorm with any other plans than the obvious, and he wasn’t really sure what to do once he got her there.

He saw his dorm coming into view, finally. His dorm advisor was never at his office, so he would be able to sneak past easily with a girl in his arms. Also, he was the golden student. As long as he wasn’t involving himself in a murder or something like that, he would never be questioned.

As Louis made his way up to his dorm, Fallon began to stir slightly. “Shh,” he reassured her. He got into his dorm room, shutting and locking the door behind him. Harry was his roommate, and he wouldn’t be coming home tonight. If he didn’t stay with Arlie, he would be passed out in the frat house somewhere.

Louis had planned to do the same. He had planned to meet a girl who was willing to go home with him, and take her back to his dorm. But the way he got this one home was not what he was expecting.

He laid her down on his bed, cradling her head on the way down. “Louis,” she whispered, gripping the front of his shirt.

“I’m right here.” He took her hands and pulled them from his shirt gently. “I promise, I’m right here,” he murmured. As he spoke, he pushed her hair out of her face, caressing her cheek as he did. He pulled away from her and stared down at her body. “Please, please don’t be mad at me,” he begged.

He reached down to her feet and pulled her heels off. He began to undress her, stripping off her soaking wet jeans and shirt, trying not to stare. Once he had gotten all her outer clothes off, he walked over to his closet and pulled one of his t-shirts out. He walked back over to the bed and lifted her forwards, making her sit up in front of him. She flopped forwards into him. Louis pulled the t-shirt over her head and then laid her back down. She moaned quietly, turning over on her side.

This was such a peculiar moment for Louis. He knew what he would usually do when a girl was in his bed. He knew how to handle a situation like that, but he wasn’t lying when he told Fallon she was different than the others.

All he wanted to do was hold her close and make all the pain go away.

He walked to his dresser, stripping off his shirt as he went. He pulled his jeans off and grabbed a pair of pajama pants out of the drawer, pulling them on. “Louis,” she whispered again causing him to turn around towards the bed. Her eyes were barely open and she was watching him closely.

“Yeah?” he responded as he walked back over to her. He sat on the bed side, placing a hand on thigh. She didn’t say a word. Instead, she grabbed his bicep and pulled him forward towards her. “What are you doing?”

“Lay with me.” Her words were still slurred and her voice was just a whisper. He thought about it for a few moments before crawling into the sheets beside her. She let out a happy sigh as he lay down. He laid on his back and crossed his arms over his chest. “What are you doing all the way over there, silly?”

“I’m lying here,” he said, shrugging slightly.

“I said lay with me. Not lay beside me.” He let out a frustrated breath. He was trying to keep his distance from her like she told him to, but it was hard. She was too much for him. He rolled over onto his side and wrapped his arms around her. “There ya go,” she giggled. He pulled her into his chest, nestling his head into the crook of her neck, and closing his eyes.

“You told me to stay away,” he whispered against the skin of her neck.

“Screw what I told you.” Her voice was foggy. She was slowly starting to drift back to sleep in his arms. “I bet I told you not to kiss me too, didn’t I?”

“You didn’t tell me not to.” She rolled over to face him, their heads just inches away.

Her eyelids drifted open and closed a few times before she said, “Then do it.”

He wanted to. He wanted to pull her as close to him as was possible, kiss her so hard, and take her breath away. He wanted nothing more than that, but he knew it wasn’t right. She was drunk. He wanted her to remember that moment, and never ever forget it. “Get some sleep,” he replied, placing a hand on her cheek. He rubbed the skin with his thumb and smiled gently at her.

“But I... But I want you.” Fallon poked her bottom lip out in a fake pout. Her hand trailed down his bare side and down to the waistband of his pants.

He grabbed her hand swiftly, intertwining their fingers. “Fallon, no. You’re drunk. We are not doing this. Not now, at least.” She began to protest, but her eyes drifted shut completely, and she was knocked out again.

It took him a lot to resist her. He wanted nothing more than the give in to her wishes, but he knew better. He cared about her too much to do that to her.

He slowly fell asleep as well, enjoying the feeling of her body curled up around his side.

The next morning, Louis woke up before Fallon. His eyes flickered open as he stretched, and he was startled when he saw her wrapped around his waist. Then, he remembered what happened last night.

He settled back down as she snuggled in closer to his body. She looked so small cradled against his chest, so vulnerable. He couldn’t believe that he had hurt someone that looked so helpless. All he knew in his mind was that he needed to make it up to her, somehow.

A rumble in his stomach reminded him that although he wanted to lie there forever, he was human, and had certain needs. He carefully pried himself from her arms and pushed himself off the bed, dressed quietly, and exited the room to go get coffee from the café down the street.

The sound of a shutting door woke Fallon up. She slowly opened her eyes and glanced around at the room she was in. It wasn’t a room that looked familiar to her. Obviously, it was a guy’s room from the mess lying around and the clothes that were strewn over various pieces furniture. It suddenly dawned on her that she didn’t remember how she got into this bed. She also didn’t remember why she was half naked.

She threw the covers from her body as her heart raced. Her mind struggled to create some sort of time line as to what happened, but there were very large pieces missing to the puzzle.
All of a sudden, an image of Louis grinding against her body flooded her memory. Was this Louis’ dorm room? Had he brought her back and managed to get her to sleep with him?

“Oh god,” she whispered as her stomach turned. “There’s no way I slept with him. No way.” She tried to force herself to believe what she was saying, but her heart knew otherwise. She had slept with him, or at least that’s what she thought.

She caught a glimpse of her clothes lying in the corner. As tears pricked her eyes, she grabbed them and pulling her jeans on quickly. They were still wet from the rain. She pulled the t-shirt off of her body and exchanged it for her own, and quickly slipped on her shoes.

Fallon felt sick to her stomach, like at any moment everything that was on her stomach would come up viciously. She swallowed hard to keep the contents down.

She scrambled to the door, flinging it open, and didn’t even bother shutting it behind her. That was the last of her problems right now. Fallon knew Louis wasn’t a good person, but she didn’t think that he would stoop to that level to get what he wanted. Had his friends put him up to it? Had they gotten her as drunk as they could and gotten her to bed?

She wasn’t sure what had happened. She just knew that whatever it was, it wasn’t anything good.