by Theresa Jane
“It’s done now,” he answered, guilt flashing through his golden eyes before he got to his feet, dragging me with him. “I’ll take you home.”
“It won’t fix anything,” I couldn’t help but mumble as he dragged me through the thinning crowd. He hurried me through the ballroom, and I didn’t miss the jealous looks the rest of the females in the room were shooting me as we passed.
As soon as we were in the lobby, Daryl was by our side, and I could only assume Martin was waiting in the black SUV outside. Liam placed me inside first after Daryl opened the door and then he followed quickly behind me.
I caught a few camera flashes, but there weren’t many. I could only assume the people that were behind the lenses might actually be human and were at home with their families for Christmas Eve.
As soon as Daryl had taken his seat beside Martin, the car rolled into motion. Liam held my hand tightly in his as we moved easily through the now deserted streets of New York City. The first flakes of snow started to fall on the winter’s night.
* * *
Neither of us had dared to say anything on the car ride back to Liam’s apartment, but that didn’t mean that we had nothing to say. My mind was filled to breaking point with all the things I wanted to say to Liam, to yell at Liam.
I had shifted through so many emotional states on the ride over that I was struggling to string together even one coherent thought. I could only assume Liam was suffering the same inner turmoil. Every few minutes, he would clasp my hand a little tighter and move a little closer.
When we finally came to a stop outside Liam’s apartment building, he made sure to tuck me neatly and securely under his arm in an attempt to keep the chill out.
Again, we were silent on the elevator ride up, leaving Daryl and Martin behind in the lobby with Christmas wishes and false smiles.
Once inside Liam’s apartment, the tension between the two of us only seemed to gain momentum. When the door was closed, I slipped my hand from his and stopped in the center of his apartment. Liam gave me a perplexed look before he sighed heavily and moved toward the kitchen.
“I’ll make you a coffee,” he announced, his voice slicing through the tension, the catalyst that sparked the anger inside of me to ignite.
“Do you even care, Liam?” I asked in a low growl.
“What?” He frowned, turning back to me as the coffee machine flashed green.
“Do you care about me at all?” I demanded, my voice was dripping with the emotions I was feeling. I knew deep down that my tears weren’t far off. “You never asked me if I was okay. Not once.”
“Freya-”
“I was attacked, Liam. Don’t you get that? That man last night could have killed me, and you…you have nothing to say about it.” I paused for a moment to gather my breath, but I began again before I gave him the chance to start. “Where were you? Not only were you not there for me, but I waited for hours…hours, Liam. I sat in that police station, making excuses for why you weren’t there. I kept telling myself you were coming, but you never did.”
“I came,” he argued, and I could only laugh humorlessly. The coffee machine beeped loudly, signaling it had finished, but we both ignored it.
“You were too late. You’re always too late.”
“That’s not fair, Freya. If I had known, I would have been there."
“That’s the whole problem,” I shouted, my arms flailing in exasperation. “You didn’t know because you were too wrapped up in yourself and your friends to notice.”
“You don’t get it, Freya,” he started, his own anger and frustration bubbling to the surface to meet my own.
“You’re right I don’t, and guess what? I don’t want to understand it because I shouldn’t have to. You should understand that I was your girlfriend and you should have cared no matter the circumstances.”
“Was?” he asked in a voice I had never heard him use before and for a moment, my heart stopped.
“What?”
“You said was,” he breathed, his eyes wild as he took several steps toward me. “You said you were my girlfriend.”
“Was? Is? What does it matter?”
“It matters,” he answered firmly, his eyes filled with an intensity that had my heart beating an irregular rhythm as I tried to force myself to breathe normally. “So, what is it? Is or was?”
“Is,” I answered. “Was…I don’t know. You hurt me, Liam. Everything hurts.”
“You need to know, Freya. I need to know that you still want me.”
“Liam, how can you ask me that after everything you have put me through?” I whispered, my eyes burning with unshed tears. Why was this so hard? Why couldn’t I make a decision?
“I need to know I’m your everything, Freya. I need to know that I consume all of you, that I own all of you,” he finished desperately, his stride swallowing the distance between us until there was barely a breath of air separating us from one another.
“Why are you so desperate to be a god? Are you so fame-crazed that you need to know that every person on this planet is owned by you? Adores you and you alone? Am I just another person you need to convince of your god-like status?” I hissed, stepping up to his challenge until our noses touched.
“No, Freya,” he frowned in frustration. “I don’t care what the rest of the world thinks of me. I don’t care if the whole world fell out of love with me tomorrow. I only care if you love me. The only person who matters is you.”
“Why am I always the one who needs to offer up everything I have to you?” I whispered, the heat of his body stifling my words and clouding my thoughts. “Why do I need to lose myself so you can have what you want?”
“Because I’m already lost in you. You already own all of me.” And in that moment, I believed him. I believed everything he was telling me was nothing but the truth. I was his world in that moment. For a beat of time, I was his and he was mine. In that moment, I wanted him. I wanted all of him, because I knew after this moment was over, after the wave of emotions crashed into the shoreline, my moment would be up and he would be my ruin. I could follow him all the moments after this, but this one moment in time was mine, was his, was ours. So, when his lips pressed against mine, I rode the wave.
Chapter 44: Whispered Words
He was angelic as he lay beside me, a look of peace and contentment on his features as if his world was exactly as it was meant to be. He was beautiful both inside and out, but I knew in the back of my mind that the lights would draw out the beast in him. In their beauty, they cast everything else as a beast.
This Liam, the one without the lights, was the Liam I wanted to remember. The one who held me gently and loved me slowly. The one who looked at me as if I was the only girl in the world and held me like his most precious treasure. He was the man I wanted to remember, and I knew that if I left now, he would be.
The predawn light caught his features as he slept on, worn out by a night I would never forget. A night I now could have held in my heart forever.
I closed my eyes against the memories of only hours before where his every kiss and his every caress made my body sing, but I could never hear that song again. I would never have his body so close to mine again. So close, it felt as if his heart were beating within my own veins.
He would now remain safely locked away in my memories, a reminder that sometimes we cannot tame the beast. I could never compete with the lights of his world. I had allowed myself to get lost in the shadows of his light and at some point, I lost focus of who I was, who I wanted to become. I knew if I remained, I would never be more than the pathetic girl I had become, and that was my fault, not his.
Opening my eyes, I took one last look as Liam’s sleeping face, his arm wound tightly around me, holding me close. I had fallen asleep the night before to the soothing beat of his heart after we had been joined in the most intimate of ways. Neither of us spoke a word, both consumed by emotions. We were too overwhelmed to understand.
Now, in the gray light of a new day, I needed to leave him. I couldn’t stay.
Gently, I unwound myself from our entangled limbs, only pausing for a moment when he groaned in protest. A pained expression spread across his face as he reached for someone who was no longer there.
Terrified that he would wake, I leaned across and cradled his cheek in my hand, all too aware of the sting of tears in my own eyes. Instantly, he calmed at my touch, and I felt a watery smile spread across my face.
“I love you, Liam Henderson,” I whispered, pressing a ghost of a kiss on his lips before I pulled away again. He reached for me once more, but he didn’t wake, a small smile on his lips as he rolled over to his stomach.
I watched him for a moment longer, several tears escaping my eyes before I turned my back on him, knowing if I didn’t leave now, I never would. I knew if he saw what I was doing, he would stop me and I would let him. He had always held that power over me. People I loved always had.
Silently, I gathered my scattered clothing from last night, slipping into Liam’s discarded shirt before escaping his room.
Once in the corridor, I shut his door gently, resting my forehead against it as I tried to control my breathing. I felt as if my heart was still inside the room, calling for me to return, or maybe that was his heart. I couldn’t tell anymore, they felt like the same thing.
Heaving a tired sigh, I turned from his room and headed to my own. It was time I moved on. It was time I remembered who I was and returned to reality.
* * *
I lingered in Liam’s living room once I was packed. My phone was out to call the cab, but my attention was on the mural I had painted on his wall. It was our story, but now it was over. I knew when he woke he would be hurt, but I also knew he would be strong. He had to be. I had to believe that he could be strong, otherwise I might never leave. He had Lucy and Harri and Ant and all his other friends. He was going to be fine.
Yet, each time I had that thought, the memory of his tattoo flashed across my vision, and that hurt and desperate look when he spoke about his mother and his sister and his father. I didn’t want to be another person that left him but if I stayed, I was at risk of not being a person at all.
It was time for me to start putting myself first. It was time I became more than what I had allowed myself to become. I was done trying to fix others when I refused to fix myself.
Frowning, I set my bag down and took out some white paint and the largest brush I had. He didn’t need any reminders. He needed to move on. It was best if I just disappeared.
Chapter 45: Escape!
Spotted!
December 25 8:12 amNY Chatter
Freya Coleman, the controversial girlfriend of our beloved rock star, has been spotted at an airport without her leading man. Is she leaving him? Or did he kick her out? Either way, it appears the bad boy we all love to hate may just be on the market again, ladies. So break out the short dresses and overdone make-up because I’m sure our boy will be on the hunt again very shortly for a new woman to share his extravagant life with.
What would trigger such a break-up? Maybe it’s a case of separate worlds being just too far apart. We all know how Romeo and Juliet ended. I’m just glad our notorious playboy chose a less lethal route than our famous star-crossed lovers.
A man like Liam Henderson should never be held hostage from his adoring fans, either by death or dare I say it, a committed relationship. We all knew Freya Coleman’s time with our rockstar was limited. I’m just glad it ended sooner rather than later.
Comments
Rabble_rouserI’ll take him!
Henderson4evaFree at last! Free at last!
The_way_is_clearShe was growing on me and she had been through so much. Did anyone else hear about the stalker?
Hello_world_94@The_way_is_clear Did you hear that Jazelle Ericson might be involved. Why is no one writing about this?
Jazelle4eva@Hello_World bite your tongue. My Jazelle would never be involved in something as tasteless as a stalker.
* * *
Is This the End?
December 25 9:33 amTRG
Leaving? Where is she headed and, more importantly, why would she dare to leave Liam Henderson? The golden boy, the poster on every teenage girl’s wall, the one we all fantasize about being with. And yes, I say leaving him.
Reports are coming in that she has left our poor little rock star heartbroken. Images of him distressed and brokenhearted are circulating through the media as he visited his longtime friend Anthony Watson early this morning only half an hour after it was reported that Freya Coleman was at JFK Airport. Messy break-ups are made for front page news, and there’s no doubt this one appears to be particularly brutal.
One can only assume that our notorious party boy and self-proclaimed lover of women fell off the wagon right into the laps of many other beautiful women. I guess it’s true what they say about the great Liam Henderson’s attention span.
Comments
KittyKat_89Why would she leave him? I would never leave that slice of heaven if I got my claws into him.
Sweettalk_90I can’t believe he cheated on her. What a prick?! I applaud her for putting up with him for so long.
In_Liam_we_loveYou don’t know anything about what happened @Sweettalk_90. For all we know, she cheated on him and is trying to get out of town after he found out. The poor baby.
Sweettalk_90@In_Liam_we_love you’re delusional.
* * *
Headed to Paradise
November 13Pop Watch
It’s over. The most publicized relationship of the past few months has finally come to its inevitable end, but who’s leaving who is a bit of a mystery. Did Freya leave Liam or did our favorite player finally grow tired of one flavor of ice cream?
All we are certain of is that Freya hopped on a plane to Europe with no return date. That does not bode well for a relationship that no one, and I do mean no one, saw seeing out the year.
I guess a lot of teenage girls woke up this morning with the only present they were hoping for written all over the Internet. Happy holidays Henderson fans, and happy hunting.
Comments
Poprocks_123Guess some of us won’t be having a very Merry Christmas.
* * *
A Relationship on the Rocks
December 25 9.43amThe Squeeze
This relationship isn’t just on the rocks; it has crashed into them headfirst, and the debris is floating in the Atlantic. Or at least, Freya is flying over it.
It is rumored early this Christmas morning Liam’s now former girlfriend hopped on a plane to the continent without our leading man, and we can only assume the end has finally arrived. As far as we know, she doesn’t have any family across the ocean. That can only mean one thing. She will not be returning.
One thing’s for certain, neither of them escaped this unscathed. Images are surfacing of a heartbroken Liam knocking down the door of his longtime friend, Anthony Watson, early this morning, seemingly unaware that his girlfriend was boarding a plane for another country. The romantic side of me wonders if he’ll chase her down, but the selfish part of me is eager to have our favorite player playing again. Life has been dull since he announced his commitment to Freya, and now we have our favorite game back.
(Comments
Liamhenderson4everI kinda hope he catches her. They looked really happy together.
Fireflies456@Liamhenderson4ever what movie were you watching, because the one I saw was nothing but yelling matches and steely glares. They were never in love.
* * *
‘X’ Marks the Spot
December 25th, 9.53amThe Scoop
It appears there is an Amazing Race of sorts happening in our very own city. Unfortunately, the only participant is a certain rock star, and he doesn’t seem to be winning.
He has traversed much of the city in the early hours of Christmas morning but seems no closer to finding what he has be
en searching for. He’s been spotted at his girlfriend (or maybe ex) Freya Coleman’s brother’s apartment and then again across town at his publicist Lucinda Reid’s house. From there, he moved on to his best friend Anthony Watson, brother of Lucinda.
It seems no one has the clue he needs.
However, if he asked us, we would definitely send him in the wrong direction. No one wants to see this volatile relationship continuing. Especially after the rumors of a stalker following Freya not only all over New York City but also all through Europe during the first leg of his world tour. No one needs that kind of negativity hanging around. This girl has been bad news from the start, (which is why I begrudgingly reveal the only clue Liam needs. JFK Airport, although by now I’d say she was halfway to anywhere.
Comments
Real_lives_of_NYCIf someone was running away from me, the airport is the first place I would look. He is terrible at this game.
Chapter 46: Empty Walls
Liam
As consciousness started to interrupt my dreams, I felt a smile spread across my face, knowing she would be right beside me when I opened my eyes. I couldn’t believe she was finally here in my bed. I could only hope that I hadn’t tired her out too much last night and she would be up for round two.
Not opening my eyes, I reached out to where she would be and felt my stomach drop and my heart stutter in my chest. My eyes shot open to find the bed was empty. The sheets were cold and devoid of my green-eyed beauty.
“Freya,” I said, trying to keep the worry from my voice. Maybe she was just in the bathroom or making breakfast. I loved it when she cooked for me.
Trying to settle my frantic heart with the thought that she was only a few steps down the hallway, I pushed up from the bed, eager to confirm my theory. However, I couldn’t shake the undeniable coldness of my apartment. It was the same coldness that had plagued it for years before I had tricked her all those months ago into staying with me.
Taking deep breaths, I walked down the hallway, fighting with myself not to break out into a run. I kept repeating to myself that she would be there, she had to be there.
