Have Faith in Me ( A Louis Tomlinson Love Story)

Chapter 25

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A time bomb, ticking waiting to explode. I was scared to put it simply. I was scared of Sloan, but more so scared of what he would do, who he would hurt in order to get to me. I would not let him hurt my friends, I can't let him hurt my friends.
I sat down at the nearest table trying to steady my breathing when a concerned Louis grabbed my hand . I snapped out of my trance and looked over at him. His eyes were narrow and his expression cold.
"I will not let him hurt you Callie" he says, I nod a bit because I know he will do everything he can to keep Sloan away, but is everything enough?
"But what if he hurts you or Niall or Zayn.. I would never be able to forgive myself" I whisper softly . He shakes his head dismissing the idea . He wanted to appear big and strong, but I could see that this had been taking a toll on him . He had dark circles under his eyes and he had lost a bit of weight . Nothing too drastic, but as his girlfriend I noticed these things .
I started rubbing circles on his hand to let him know I was ok . I could be brave or so I thought .
"I highly doubt he will do anything in such a public place" I wave off the red flags filling my mind . "Let's grab a drink and try to enjoy ourselves". I nodded standing up and brushing off my dress. I stood up straight squared my shoulders , I had the perfect mask to make everything seem ok.
We walk hand and hand to the bar exchanging hellos and how are you doings to anyone that approaches .  The party was going well despite the unexpected and uninvited company. Things were finally falling into place and getting better. The good times never last long unfortunately. Louis excused him self just for a brief moment to go grab his coat, but that moment feels like forever. I survey that room and I see Eleanor a seemingly familiar face that I'm not too disappointed to see, I look next to her and see her date . He is tall, dark and handsome and oh so familiar looking, but I can't quite put my finger on it . She laughs and he smiles and it's like the world stops.
It's him.
He's the guy..
The guy who..
"Good evening Callie, how are you doing?" Marcus Lenode, a dear old college pal of my fathers says as he is  pulling me in for a tender embrace.
I'm struggling to swallow let alone respond  as huge lump forms because of my new revelation. I try to hug him back back, but any effort seems to fail. My vision is clouded with him. He's everywhere.
That's him that's the guy the guy who I couldn't even bring myself to utter so horrid words.
"I'm fine Mr. Marcus" I say trying to take deep breath and calm my nerves. "Earlier someone almost knocked over that beloved painting over there so I'm having a bit of an uneasy night. I don't want anyone or anything getting hurt". He releases me from his grasp and nodded sympathetically as if he knew more, but he couldn't could he?
"Mr. Marcus, I have a question and forgive me if it is too brash and brazen for public discussion, but the last time I spoke to my father. He mentioned that in his youth specifically in college and right after he graduated..he got involved with some bad people. Could you elaborate?"  I whispered softly. I just want answer, no I need answers. He coughs visibly uncomfortable. He tries to speak, but no words come out. I shake my head in defeat, even if he did know something he can't say it. "I-" he starts, I cut him off with a wave of my hand " I'm sorry if I put you in an uncomfortable position. Don't worry about it!" I say dusting off my outfit. "It was great seeing you" I start to walk away when he says "wait.. Here.." He grabs a spare pen and a napkin. He scribbled on it and hands it to me. "It's not much, but it's all I can say. Sometimes knowledge isn't always power Callie, be careful." He says giving my arm a soft squeeze and walking away. I look down at the napkin and it reads..

Pentos..

"What?" I say confused I have no idea who or what Pentos is. This is just great my only clue and I can't even decipher it .

"Attention it is time to sing happy birthday and do presents" an older gentlemen announces as he grabs a champagne flute. I feel my phone buzz as a text comes through. I quickly stuff the napkin in my bra and look at the screen. It's Sloan.. Again.

"Time for presents, I have one for you. It'll be a night you never forget"

I feel my body start to shake. I start to look for Louis as the light dim. I spot him and a breathe a sigh of relief. I start to walk toward him when I heard a loud crash as fire works soar into the sky.

"I need to leave now" I whisper, he nods. "Louis" Eleanor squeals"come meet my new boyfriend" I start to feel nausea and shake my head. " I can't El, I'm sorry but Callie is feeling shit and we need to bring the car around". Eleanor nods sympathetically "Well thanks for coming you can meet him another time then". We smiled, hugged and exchanged goodbyes. We grabbed our coats and made a quick exit sending a message to the group chat that we were leaving early.

"Gone so soon, it was just about to get interesting" I sucked in a breath surveying my surroundings. The unsettling feeling of being watched was overwhelming.