You Only Want Me When I'm Taken

Chapter 57

Emily’s POV:

  2 months went by quicker than ever, and every day, Harry’s wedding became closer and closer. I reconnected with the rest of the boys shortly after I’d seen Harry. Zayn was a bit hurt that I hadn’t put a lot of effort in keeping in touch with him. He had every right to be, but being around Zayn reminded me of Harry too much, but it was all good in the end. They all didn’t recognize me at first because of all the major changes, which was utterly weird for me. I didn’t see the boys as regularly as I used to though. I’d see them once every two weeks, two times tops. It saddened me to see how much had changed, but it’s been 3 years. A lot could fit into 3 years, I just didn’t imagine that I’d become so distant from the people who were like my family.

  Danielle and Liam were still going strong. They’ve been together for like, 6 years now? It was unbelievable, and they were still closer than ever.  I always wondered why Liam hadn’t proposed yet. If Harry could get married after 5 months of being with a girl, then what was stopping Liam?

  As for Harry and I, we were on friendly terms. I’d met Madison, officially, and she was more than happy for me and Harry’s “friendship”. She treated me as if I was her long lost BFF. I know that this is probably the green eyed monster within me speaking, but something wasn’t right. Underneath her perfect, pearly smile, Madison was hiding something. No one would be happy to have her fiancé’s ex back into his life; I know I wouldn’t. I think she went by the motto “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”. It was either that or that she was an overly laid back and chill person, but for some reason, I hoped she wasn’t. I couldn’t stand the thought of Harry marrying someone else; let alone someone who was literally perfect.

  Unlike Madison, Caleb wasn’t the least bit happy about Harry and me reconnecting, even if we spoke to each other once a week or something. He was unbearable to be around when he got jealous of Harry, which was terrible since I’ve been practically living at his place ever since I found the letters.  I didn’t even go near the letters. I just stuffed them somewhere out of my sight. If I read them, I’d just grow angrier at Jasmine and my emotions would just be intensified which would make everything a hundred times worse. I decided I’d read them when Harry is happily married, so that I could restrain myself from doing something stupid that will wreck his wedding. He seemed genuinely happy with Madison, and who was I to ruin that for him?

  But stopping myself from telling Harry everything was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. I wanted so bad to tell him that Jasmine hid the letters from me. As far as Harry knew, ‘Jasmine and I simply grew apart for no particular reason’.  I’d considered calling Harry endless times, but every time I grabbed my phone to do so, I’d imagine him at home with Madison on his lap watching reruns of F.R.I.E.N.D.S just like we used to, then I’d just throw the phone away with frustration. Not having Jasmine as my best friend anymore sucked more than anything. I miss having her to talk to at 3 AM, but what she did was beyond unfixable. I’d also wanted to call Zayn, Niall, Louis, and Liam to hang out more often, but Caleb kept me glued to his side as if he was afraid I’d run off to Harry or something. I wasn’t comfortable around Caleb’s friends. They were all junkies who intimidated me. They reeked of alcohol at all times. Amanda, who is now happily married, was also out of reach. She and Daniel took off to the USA about a year ago, and they’re expecting a baby boy in about 3 months. It was like everyone was busy with their own thing and I didn’t fit into their lives anymore. The only person I had was Caleb, and even he was busy for me. I was always around him, but I wasn’t really with him. His friends and family weren’t like Harry’s were; they weren’t welcoming or friendly.

  “YOU PRICK, YOU TOTALLY CHEATED!” Toby, a friend of Caleb’s, yelled as he threw the deck of cards all over the floor lighting another cigarette. It was just another day at Caleb’s with his friends.