part 20

Liam didn't even flinch. He just pulled a crushed pack of cigarettes from his parka pocket and started looking for a lighter. 'Yeah, I'll fuck off in a minute..a simple "thank you" would have been nicer though' he finally found his lighter, sparking it twice to check if it worked.

Noel let out a long, weary sigh, his shoulders dropping. The fight seemed to drain out of him, replaced by a dull ache of regret. 'Just get out, Liam. Please, you go smoke your cigarette, but do it outside and leave it be.'

Liam lingered by the door, the cigarette tucked between his lips. He looked like he wanted to say something else, something biting, or maybe even something apologetic, but the Gallagher pride wouldn't allow it. 'Fine. Yeah, I'll go..but..one more thing about her, about Caro.' he turned toward the door, his parka rustling. Noel stiffened, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. 'Liam..' he growled his name as a warning.

'Don't you Liam me' Liam snapped, spinning around. The lighter that was clutched tight in his hand, now forgotten. 'Look, you think you're being subtle and all, hiding behind the work and the 'professional' bullshit, but I see the way you look at her, and the way you practically get a heart attack when she walks into the room.'

Noel opened his mouth to deliver a scathing rebuttal, but Liam talked right over him.

'You're neck-deep in it,' Liam continued, his blue eyes piercing. 'And you're so terrified of making a mess here that you're letting the best thing that's probably happened to you in a decade just... rot away. Why don't you stop all that 'martyr' bullshit, Noely and do something about it, get your fuckin' act together' he huffed as the door clicked shut behind him, a surprisingly quiet sound for a Gallagher exit.

Noel didn't move, but deep down he wanted to whack another cricket bat on his brother's head. He wanted to chase Liam outside and tackle him for having the audacity to say out loud what he had spent months burying under mixing a new record, high flying bird tour schedules, and technical riders.

"Neck-deep in it."

The phrase echoed, cruel and accurate, Liam was a lot of things, a loudmouth, a loose cannon, a pain in the absolute arse, but he had a terrifying knack for spotting a fracture before the break actually happened.

Noel finally let out a ragged, shaky breath, his hands trembled as he unclenched them. He could do with a cigarette as well right now, or a whisky, or two or maybe even the whole bottle. He looked at the door, 'daft prick,' Noel whispered to the closed door but he wasn't sure if he meant Liam or himself.

On the other side of London, Caroline had finally managed to take off her clothes, stark naked, she looked at herself in the mirror, the bruising was already starting to show, and her entire body hurt like a motherfucker.

In the harsh and unforgiving light of the bathroom, Caro's fingers traced the angry blossoms of purple and blue blooming across her skin. The bruises were fresh, vivid marks that told a story she wasn't ready to talk about, would she ever? Would she ever be able to face Rob again? Did she want to? What he did to her physically was one thing, but the fact that he had fooled her all these years into letting her believe that he was her best friend, was another, and right now she didn't know what hurt most, the physical damage or his betrayal?

She moved her hand to a particularly tender spot on her ribs, 'fuckin'ell', she cursed, the pain was sharp, like a blade scraping against her skin. Once her fingers traced the outlining of a dark, massive mark on her throat, she couldn't hold back any longer and stepped underneath the hot spray of the shower, letting her tears mix with the water.

She turned her face directly into the spray, hoping the heat would burn away the memory of Rob's hands and the terrifying weight of his body.

In the heavy silence of his bedroom, Noel moved with practiced caution. Every little sound, the rustle of his sweater, the metallic clink of his belt, seemed amplified in the dark. He glanced toward the bed, where Sara was sleeping, the last thing he needed was for her to wake up, he was so done with the emotional blackmail and snarky remarks.

He studied the silhouette of his wife laying there in the dark, and his mind drifted off, back to years ago when this room had been a sanctuary. Now, as he climbed into his side of the bed, it felt like a waiting room, a prison almost.

Liam was right. He was neck-deep in it. And there was no way back.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling, perfectly still so as not to wake Sara, he had everything, the fame, the money, and yet, he felt like he was starving emotionally.

Somewhere across London, the water was running cold on Caroline's skin, reluctantly she turned the shower off, silence returned in the steamy room, the only sound was the rhythmic drip-drip-drip of the faucet. Slowly she stepped out onto the cold mat, wincing softly as she reached for the towel.

She forced herself to look in the mirror again. The steam had cleared just enough to reveal the truth once again, the bruising on her ribs was somehow turning darker already, and the handprint on her throat, Rob's signature of ownership, was undeniable. By now, she was starting to fear the imprint might be permanent. She touched it, a fresh sob catching in her throat. She felt used, broken, and dangerously alone.

Back in the silent luxury of his bedroom, Noel's hand crept toward the nightstand where his fingers brushed the cold screen of his phone, don't..just leave it be..she's probably sleeping. He pulled the phone closer, the light of the screen blindingly white in the darkness. No messages. No missed calls. Just a void where her name should have been.

His thumb hovered over her name in his contacts. He didn't type a long confession even though he wanted to, but he didn't want to make things more awkward than they already were. Instead, he typed a pretty straightforward shorter message, his heart somehow hammering against his ribs:

"Are you okay? talk to me, I can be with you in half an hour."

Caro was putting on her robe as her phone vibrated against the cold marble of the sink. She looked down at the screen. Seeing his name, Noel, pop up in the middle of the night felt like a lifeline being thrown to a drowning person. But then she looked back at the mirror. She looked at the thumbprint on her windpipe and was quickly reminded once again of what had happened yesterday and last night. She had dragged her former boss and even his family into something that was not their problem and it had clearly caused some serious havoc between him and Sara.

With trembling fingers, she picked up the phone. She just held the device against her chest, it felt like a digital heartbeat, it made her feel not so alone all of a sudden, there was someone in this endless dark night that cared, and that was more than she could ask for right now.

She didn't reply. She couldn't..'I'm a mess,' she whispered to her reflection. She couldn't be the reason he lost that peace. She couldn't let him see the mark on her throat and turn his life into another tabloid scandal, there had been plenty of those over the years.

Back in the bedroom, Noel didn't put the phone down. He watched the screen, waiting for the "typing..." bubble that never appeared. The silence from her end was louder than a shout. 'Come on..' he heard himself whisper but no answer came, he ran his hand through his hair, he couldn't take this any longer, he couldn't just lay here in a bed next to a woman that no longer felt like his, he sat up, the duvet sliding off his chest 'fuck it'.

Noel grabbed his jeans and started to dress again in the dark, he was halfway to the door when a floorboard creaked. Behind him, the bed shifted.

'Noel?' Sara's voice was thick with sleep, but sharp with suspicion. 'What are you doing? Where are you going' Sara's voice was clearer now, the rustle of the sheets indicating she was sitting up 'at three in the morning?'

Noel froze, his hand on the doorknob.

He was staring at the wood, realizing that this was the exact moment his married life finally hit the point of no return.

'Noel?'. 'I asked you a question. It's three in the morning. Where the hell are you going?'

He finally turned. The moonlight filtered through the expensive curtains of their North London home, catching the sharp lines of his face. He looked older, tired, but remarkably certain.

'I have to go out,' he said, his voice a low, rough gravel.

'Oh really? at this hour? Or is this about her? Is this about Caroline?'

'It's about someone who needs me,' Noel said, his eyes meeting hers. 'And for once in my life, I'm not going to sit here and pretend I don't care, just to keep the peace.'

'You're going to walk out of here for your former employee?' Sara's voice rose, while he turned the handle of the door. 'I'm warning you, Noel, if you walk out that door now, then there will be consequences,' she called out, her voice trembling with anger.

'I know..I'll take my chances' he said quietly as he stepped out, the door clicking shut behind him.