Black Leather, Red Lipstick

Chapter 31

I was underwater. Surrounded, I knew I was drowning. I tried swimming to the surface, but I was only falling deeper, and it was getting darker. It felt like I had weights on my ankles, weighing me down, and I knew I was drowning. They say in these moments your life flashes before your eyes, the good, bad and ugly. You see your best friends, the time you won that game, the love of your life. All these things crash over you, before everything goes black...

I woke up in a cold sweat. Breathing quickly, I rubbed my eyes, swinging my feet over the side of my bed and standing up. I throw on sweats and a hoodie, slipping on sneakers. I run to the bathroom and pad my face with a towel, cleaning my face of the sheet of sweat I had worked up.

I hussled down the stairs and grabbed my keys off the hook. I heard a door open upstairs and a quiet, "Liam?" but ignored it. i needed to. I got to my car and jumped inside, turning on the engine and driving off quickly. It was aimless at first, but then I figured out where I wanted to go.

It had been a few weeks since Harley's accident, and Jett and I's talk, and so many other things. She was home, but staying with Perrie and Zayn as Jett had gone back to the city. I drove her home from school each day, making me late to practice. It was my senior year and I was the only decent arm on the team, so they wouldn't cut me.... at least I hoped.

I was going through the motions of a 'good' boyfriend. Getting her food, medication, anything she needed. We avoided talking about the whole thing too much, enough had been said during her time in the hospital. It was amazing; even though she had almost kissed death, she still was herself. She was still Harley.

The phone rang for a while, almost enough for me to want to turn around and go back home. "Hello?" a groggy voice answered, and I smiled. "Harley? It's me. Get dressed, and bring a jacket. I'm picking you up... See you in a few." I said, hanging up before she could answer.
It was stupid, and there was a chance she wasn't going to come... But it was worth a shot.

The streets were dead, so getting to Zayn and Perrie's place was a breeze. I honked once, letting her know I was here. She stalled, but eventually came out, jogging to my car and getting into the passenger's seat. "Sorry, I was writing a note to them incase we didn't get back in time and-" I shut her up with a kiss to the lips.

She giggled, and I pulled away, smiling. "You brought your sweatshirt?" I asked, and she smiled, holding it up. I nodded, as she started playing with the radio and I pulled away from the house.

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The drive was long, but it felt short. We drove in comfortable silences, but also laughing and talking at other times. It never felt awkward, and that was what I loved about Harley and I... nothing ever felt out of place. Even those beginning moments of our relationship; I always felt at home with her.

She asked periodically where we were going throughout the ride, but I never answered. When we pulled up to the beach, she smiled, shaking her head. "What's this?" She asked, and I parked the car in the deserted parking lot and turned off the engine.

"This... this is the place we went on our first date." I said, and we both got out of the car. We met at the front and grasped hands, swinging our arms and walking towards the water. "Really? You're counting this as our first date?" She said, and I threw my head back in laughter.

"Just... okay?" I said, and she snorted a laugh. "Okay Li." We walked towards the beach, finding a large rock that we climbed onto. She sat between my legs, leaning back into my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, we snuggled into each other, watching the waves crash onto the sand the sun peak up behind the horizon.

Sitting in silence, with her in my arms and this view in front of us, I had never felt more at home. I never felt more like I belonged. No championship title, no acceptance letter, no gift on Christmas morning... nothing could ever replace this moment.

The sky exploded in colors... Red, orange, yellow, pink. It was beautiful. "I could sit here forever..." Harley mumbled, and I kissed her forehead in response. It was like falling in love all over again.

We got up and walked to the ocean's edge, and stepped into the water far enough for it to reach just above our ankles. Harley ran back on land, and stripped off her clothes, down to her bathing suit. I looked at her, my eyebrows raised. "I had a hunch..." She said, and I laughed.

Even with the water freezing, Harley ran out into the ocean, screaming the whole way. I was nervous, her still being injured. But she appeared fine, and I trusted her to know herself. She was breathtaking, glorious; she looked like the girl you dream of, but never think is real.

I myself walked up to the beach and pulled off my hoodie and top, leaving me just in my sweats. Slipping out of them, I remembered I had left the gym shorts on I slept in, and laughed at how things have a habit of working out.

I ran into the water and she turned, jumping into my arms. The freezing water fell into me, and I was numb to the feeling. We both shivered, laughing at the stupid decision we had made.

"I love you." I said, and she kissed me hard. I kissed her back, and we were like that. The ocean in the background with the sun on top of us. It was something out of a book. If someone was to spot us at this moment, they would see two people who loved each other more than life itself.

"I love you." She said, and I let her drop to her feet. We held hands and walked back up to the sand, grabbed our clothes and raced to the car. She jumped into the front seat, drying off and changing as I did the same at the back of my car.

Opening my trunk, I grabbed a towel I kept inside for emergencies and dried off, before throwing on my sweats and tying up my sneakers. I knocked on the window and she held a thumbs up, so I got into the car and turned on the engine.

We drove away and after a while, I laughed and looked over at her. "So.... Can I call you Bunny too, or....?" She pulled her gaze from the window, her cheeks turning a beet red. Laughing, I leaned over and kissed the top of her head, before turning back to the empty road.