The One That Got Away

Chapter 37 [Part 4/4]

Chapter 37 [Part 4/4 of the Last Chapter]

ONE WEEK LATER

                Four boys of One Direction never thought they'd find themselves in this position, in this place, at this time. They never thought they'd be seated at the front row of their band-mate's and his girlfriend's funeral. They never thought they'd be this young, at least.

                The casket was placed at the front of the Church, as if it was mocking everyone. Reminding everyone of everything they'd done wrong. Reminding them that there was something they could have done to stop this day from occurring. Reminding them of everything. Good and bad.

                Zayn, Niall, Liam and Louis sat in tuxes on the first bench, watching with mournful eyes. They're gazes never left the wide casket that held both of their friends. It was like some force was keeping their attention on that, and only that. The shock hadn't set in yet. The emotions hadn't set in yet. The boys were basically corpses of their own, walking around like they had never had a touch of life. Like this was really the end of the world. To them, it did seem that way.

                Danielle, Eleanor, Nina and Fatima sat beside their boyfriends, the same expressions painted on their faces. Their minds were like a movie, playing all of the good memories over in their heads. They were growing sick of it. They didn't want this to be true. This couldn't be true.

                This couldn't be happening.

                Anne, Harry's mother, was sat across the aisle from the boys and girls, a tissue held to her face as if it was her life-line, and the leaflet of the couple's lives in the other hand. Her baby boy was gone. Her only son. This was not how she pictured his life to turn out. Something went wrong. No. This isn't reality. This is a dream.

                She repeated those words to herself constantly, hoping, wishing, they would turn into reality. But her wishes were left unanswered, as she remained in her seat, watching the priest finish up and the mourning faces around her weep at the unfortunate event.

                Delilah and Kaylin, close cousins of Harry sat in the second row. Kaylin wore a stone-hard expression, grasping onto her sister's hand as she sobbed into her shoulder. Kaylin was always the stronger one of the two. She ran a hand through her blonde hair and peered down at Delilah, whose green eyes were squeezed shut and coffee brown locks sprawled out everywhere. She was a right mess, but she didn't care. The only thing she could think about was the death of her beloved cousin, Harry Styles.

                Gemma Styles was seated next to her mother, sporting a dazed look and clammy palms that constantly rubbed against her black satin dress. Her gaze was locked on her platform heels as her mind drifted to the 'old days', when her brother and she would play outside without a care in the world. No one was watching them, just the two would play.

                She also though back to the days where Roxy and her were best friends, whispering all their secrets to each other and swearing their trust to the other. Roxy had always been there for her when Gemma needed her, and she couldn't help but wonder if she was the same to Roxy.

                Sat in the third row was Gabey, the sister of Roxy. Silent tears trickled down her cheeks and onto her lap as she gazed at the white wood that held her friends. She couldn't believe this happened. She refused to, but here she was anyway. Watching as everyone was forced to bid farewell to the couple with only sad thoughts running through her mind.

                "Would anyone like to say anything before we disperse? We have time for one person." he spoke into the mike, the only words that anyone actually listened to.

                Louis and Nina raised their hands in sync. Once they realized what had happened, Louis smiled bravely at his former love and held out his hand for her to take. She grasped it firmly, walking up with him to the podium and quickly straightening up once they reached their destination.

                Louis, being a gentleman, let the lady speak first. She inhaled a deep breath and arched the mike to her lips.

"Roxy Mc'Kartney was a charmer, that girl. Literally, whenever she walked into a room, she lit it up. Despite whatever she was feeling or whatever that was happening in her life, she managed to put on a brave smile and hold her head high, something I always admired about her. She was and forever will be my inspiration in life. I look up to her for so many reasons, and I will always keep her in my heart." She could no longer go on, since her throat was clogging from the tears she choked out. She stepped aside for Louis to speak and he kissed her temple before ushering her to go sit back down, which she did.

He sighed. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to bid my best mate good-bye. Not yet." He looked around, his eyes locking on Eleanor. She smiled encouragingly at him, somehow granting him a glimmer of hope. He licked his parched lips before continuing. "But, unfortunately, I have to. We all do. Harry was a man of intelligence. He knew when to be serious, and he knew when to be perfectly cheeky, and those times seemed to always combine into one. But somehow, he always managed to pull it off, something very unique and something that no one I knew could do. I will always refer to him as my brother, my best friend. Even if he's gone, I know he will always be right by my side. And I will always try my hardest to make him proud, until the day I draw my last breath."

The funeral was now over, the bodies of Harry and Roxy now reconnected with the earth and the gang were all sitting around the fire that they'd made outside, roasting marshmallows and deep in thought about everything that had just happened.

The funeral was a good thing for them. They finally felt closure, and they could finally think about the future without their friends without breaking down. They were finally accepting it.

A loud ringing sounded from Louis' back pocket, making all of them jump and turn their distracted gazes towards him. He smiled sheepishly and rushed to turn off his phone, but stopped once he saw the caller ID.

He raised the metal to his ear and spoke into the receiver. "Hello?"

"Good evening. Is this Louis Tomlinson?"

"Yes, this is he. May I ask who's calling?"

"This is the General Hospital of London, Mariam speaking. I'm calling to remind you that Darcy Styles is still here, waiting to be picked up."

"Excuse me?"

"The daughter of Harry Styles and Roxy Mc'Kartney. They left her to you."

This is the end. Thank you so much for reading and making it to the final chapter. Your support means the world to me. There is no sequel.