❁

[ʜᴀʀʀʏ]

Louis had asked to sleep with me after he had confessed, obviously shaken. He wasn't really in a good state to be left alone, so I agreed and scooted over, taking him in my arms as soon as he gave me his puppy dog eyes.

I listened as his breathing evened out, indicating he had fallen asleep. I tried to fall asleep as well but it just didn't seem to be happening, no matter the number of hours I spent trying. I kept thinking about Louis' question; do you want to leave?

It was a tough question. On one hand, I wanted it more than anything. I wanted to see my family again. I wanted to see Niall and hear him blab on about his loverboy with those brown puppy eyes. I wanted to get back to my clients, because helping people is what I'm good at.

Louis doesn't want help, he just wanted someone to listen. I listened, now what good am I to him?

On the other hand, as much as I hate it, I was sort of falling for Louis. As messed up as it is, it's kind of hard not to. With his stupid feathery hair and soft eyes and sarcasm. He's the complete opposite of me, and I love it. It sucks.

So, did I want to leave?

Yes.

No.

It'd be so much easier for the both of us if I could just get free myself. I wouldn't have to say goodbye, but I also wouldn't have to live with the fact that maybe I want to stay with my kidnapper. Maybe that's it, maybe I'll just run away; yes, I'll run away.

I finally fell asleep with a plan already forming.

✵

I woke up with empty arms and a cold bed. Louis must have woken up before me. He did, after all, go to sleep much earlier than I did.

This was a good thing, it gave me time to plan. With that, I grabbed the notebook that Louis had brought down one night to play hangman on and a pencil, writing my goodbye letter. I erased multiple times before I got it right, and once I finished I turned to the next page, mapping out different ways to escape.

As soon as I got everything I needed down Louis walked in with breakfast, causing me to jump and shove the notebook under my pillow. Smooth, Styles, real inconspicuous. I smiled tightly as he raised an eyebrow at me, handing me the plate of pancakes he had made.

"What was that about?" Louis asked, to which I gave him a confused look.

"What was what about?" I mumbled through a mouthful of pancake, shoving them in my mouth so I didn't have to answer.

I got two down before I stepped back toward the connected bathroom.

"I'm going to take a shower real quick, thank you for breakfast."

I closed the door behind me, pushing my back against it as I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. I ran a hand through my hair before stepping toward the shower and turning the handle, trying not to worry about Louis.