Corruption™ (Punk Harry Styles)

Chapter Eighty-six

As soon as I walked into the sitting room, I was attacked with a tight hug, catching me off guard a bit before I wrapped my arms around her small frame.

“Where were you last night?” Gabby whispered against my chest after a few minutes of our silent embrace.

“I was just staying with a friend, baby,” I told her.

I wasn’t lying to her at all by saying that, I just didn’t tell her everything that happened.

“What friend?”

“Her name is Brittany… We were neighbours when I was younger and we got pretty close.”

“She’s just a friend, right?”

“Yes.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

“One more thing… Are you still angry with me?”

I shook my head, “No, I’m not.”

“Good… I’m really, really sorry… I swear I didn’t plan on doing it… I-it just kind of happened…”

“Let’s just not talk about that, okay?”

She nodded.

“There’s something I need to tell you, though…”

She looked up at me, “Oh?”

“Yeah…so…it’s about last night…”

Her body wiggled its way out of my arms, distancing herself from me. Great. This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen.

But at the same time, I know I have to tell her what happened. If I don’t, it’ll just come back and bite me in the ass later on when everything seems to be going perfect.

“You slept with someone else… Didn’t you?” she asked, the anxiety obvious in her tone.

I shook my head, “No, no I would never do that to you…”

“Then what did you do?”

“I went to a bar… And I got really drunk… Wasted is a better word for it, I guess… But I went home with a childhood friend that was there. I’ll tell you anything you want to know about her.”

“What’s her name, how old is she, and how do you know her? That’s all I have to ask.”

“Her name is Brittany Connell and she’s the same age as me; twenty-two. I know her from back before the accident… She was my neighbour before it happened. We were pretty close, but she moved away after everything that happened to my family. I did date her at one point, but it was nothing serious – we were only, like, fourteen, give or take.”

I couldn’t really be sure of how she was taking this new information; the face she held was just… blank, really.

It wasn’t blank like she didn’t understand what I was saying, but more like she was trying to cover up any sign of emotion.

“We didn’t sleep together, I swear it. I even asked her to be sure and she said that I got sick in the bathroom… I even woke up in the tub because I was so fucking drunk that, that somehow became the most comfortable place to sleep.”

Please believe me… Please, please believe me… I don’t know what else I can say other than offer for her to ask Brittany, but I’d really rather not get into something like that.

“I know you were drunk… But how in the hell did your mind come up with the idea of sleeping in the tub as comfortable?” she asked with a serious face.

“Um…”

“I’m joking,” she smiled, “I believe you.”

A smile spread across my lips and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her back into a hug again, relieved that she believed me.

“Thank you for believing me… I don’t know what I would’ve done if you didn’t.”

“I trust you, Harry… Of course I believe you.”

A pang of guilt hit my chest. I know I didn’t sleep with her, but I also know that I did go as far as making out with her.

“Gabby…” I sighed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking up at me.

“I know I said I didn’t sleep with her, and that is true, but…”

“But? But what?”

“I…I kind of, um, made out with her…”

“O-oh…”

“I’m sorry, Gabby…”

She nodded slowly and pulled away from me, going upstairs. Another sigh fell from my lips as I shut my eyes tightly, frustrated with myself.

Why the hell am I such an idiot?

I shouldn’t have gone anywhere…I should have just cooled down in another room or something. Now I royally fucked up again. Just wonderful.

Making my way upstairs and into the bedroom, I sat down on the bed beside Gabby.

“Are you angry with me?” I asked in a quiet voice.

She shook her head, “No… I’m a bit hurt, but then again I don’t really have any right to be after what happened with Zayn…”

“As much as I’d like to agree with you, that’s not true. No matter what happened, you still have a right to be hurt or angry. This doesn’t mean we’re “even”, if that’s what you’re thinking. It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like?”

“It’s just me being an idiot.”

“Well then, yes, I am angry with you. Maybe you should go back to school and come back if you ever realise that relationships aren’t about being even.”

“Baby, I know that they’re not…”

“No, obviously you don’t. Even though you were drunk, that was just an excuse for it to be okay for you to fuck up and get away with it without me being as upset about it as I could be.”

“No, it wasn’t-”

“Really? If that’s true, then maybe I should meet this Brittany and she can tell me exactly what happened.”

Sorry for the really long wait. I've had lots of work and concerts (I'm in chorus). Plus I've been helping my mum and all that kind of stuff. I'll try to update sooner. xx