Don't Let Me Fall (A Liam Payne Fanfic)

CHAPTER EIGHT: Sanctuary

OVER 400 Reads! You guys are so amaZAYN! As Liam would say: A massive thank you to all of you! I know, I know... I promised an update soon but I was feeling really lazy and wasn't sure if I wanted to put this scene in or not. But here it is! And I already have ideas for the next two chapters, so they should be written pretty quickly. I make no promises though... ^_^ However, I'll reveal that they're more happier than this one... Enjoy, comment, and vote! Love you all! <3

-Elaina

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CHAPTER EIGHT: SANCTUARY

The cold shower got rid of my nausea but my head was still threatening to explode. I slipped into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and opened the bathroom door. And was met with a wave of noise. Kristie and Harry were dancing again and Louis was filming them. My head pounded harder and I almost wanted to cry from the pain. I gritted my teeth, trying to fight the will to cuss them out. Somehow the music seemed to get louder and I lost it “WILL YOU FUCKING SHUT THE HELL UP?" I screamed. And instantly regretted it as a wall of pain slammed into my head. I whimpered, cradling my head as I was met with four pairs of very shocked eyes. Louis and Harry mumbled apologies and quickly scrambled out the door.

Kristie raised her eyebrow at me. "Regretting last night much?" She asked with a smirk, which told me she had planned all this knowing I had a hangover. I glared at her. I'm gonna kill her, I promised silently.

"Why?" I groaned.

"Punishment!" she grinned.

"For what?" I moaned.

"Drinking!" Kristie wagged a finger at me. "It feels bad, doesn't it?" she smirked again. I shot her a murderous glare. "How's the head?" she asked sweetly. I took a deep breath to calm myself. And instantly longed for the only place that could calm me down and let me think clearly. And maybe even get rid of this straight-from-the-depths-of-hell monster of a headache. I reached into my suitcase and grabbed a practice suit, cap, and goggles.

LIAM’S POV

"Isn't there a pool here?" Elaina asked.  Without waiting for an answer, she headed for the door. "I'm going swimming."

"I can come wi-" I blurted before she cut me off.

"No!" She almost yelled; there was a panicked look in her eyes. She sucked in a deep breath and composed herself, "No, I mean thank you," she muttered "But that won't be necessary," she said slowly. She closed the door after her.

I shot Kristie a quizzical look, silently asking her. After all, she did know Elaina best. Kristie sighed. "The pool is like the only place for her where she can think and escape." Kristie said.

"Escape from what?" I asked curiously.

Kristie smiled sadly "Life," she answered. I must've still had a confused expression on my face because Kristie sighed again. "Everyone has something that comforts them, you know what I mean? Like when someone is upset or stressed, they usually go to a place or do something that makes them feel better. To Elaina, it has always been the pool. The pool is the only place where she can think clearly and escape from everything for a little while, you know?" She explained. "Basically, the pool is Elaina's therapist." I nodded.

"What could've happened to her?" I murmured, mostly to myself. I couldn’t help but wonder what other things made Elaina so broken, so guarded.

A mixture of expressions flickered across Kristie's face before she became guarded. "She's led a hard life, Liam," she murmured. "Not like the difficult life I've had but it was still a struggle," she shook her head. "If you really want to know I can't tell you anymore... You have to ask her for that. I'm not the one to say. You have to ask her yourself." She said apologetically. I understood immediately and couldn't help but feel a pang of pain for her. Oh babe... I sighed mentally. The rest of the lads ventured back in and we just relaxed, chatting about random things. "Liam, you should go get her," Kristie told me after about two hours. "Elaina tends to lose track of time when she's got a lot of things on her mind and I don't want her to overexert herself." I agreed and headed to the pool.