Lush Corruption | Harry Styles AU | BOOK 2 ✓

16

"I know, I know." Harry said faintly, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles into my hands. "I understand, Vicky. It's okay for you to be cautious around me; you have every right after everything I've done. So what happens now?"

"We'll be friends, and our lives will continue as they always have. I need you to be honest with me, and I will do the same. I want to know what you have been doing since we broke up, and I will return the favour." I spoke honestly. "I don't want any mistakes this time, lack of honesty is what got us here in the first place. If we're to have any hope of getting between William and Carmen, we need to divulge anything that might allow them to get between us."

"I'll tell you everything, but I need you to hear me out, okay? No running." Harry asked me, and I nodded, encouraging him to continue. I mentally braced myself for the worst. "I promised you, back in my office, that I hadn't slept with anyone else, which is the truth, but I have been lying to other people."

"W-what did you lie about?" I lowered my head, hoping to avoid the sharp slap of reality I was about to receive.

"Us," Harry answered. I swallowed the lump in my throat; ready to hear the horrible lies he had told his friends about me. He put his hand under my chin, pulling my face up so my eyes could meet with his. "I pretended we were still together."

"I never told my parents that we broke up." I blushed, ashamed that he had thought I would be mad at him when I was doing the exact same thing.

"Your parents know about me?" He smiled proudly.

"Of course they do," I chuckled. "Continue, Harry."

Harry quickly took a sip from his glass, clearing his throat before continuing. "I told Louis we were still together, so him and Alexus were still expecting you at the wedding. Niall, the Irish guy you met on the plane to New York, still thinks we're together. I just couldn't face the reality of what I had done, they wouldn't look at me the same - I don't even look at me the same, but Louis figured it out."

"Oh," I whispered, trying to figure out what he planned to do about Louis.

"I told him everything, Vicky - from the shit with William, to the fact that I'm still crazy in love with you." Harry told me, his complete honesty was baffling to me - he had never been so open, his thoughts weren't something I heard often. "I was so mad at you when I saw you with Liam last night, part of me was jealous of course, but I was just trying to protect you - Liam isn't who you think he is."

"He's a sweet guy, Harry. I know you see him as competition but-"

"That's has nothing to do with it, Vicky. If I thought for a moment, truly thought you'd be happy with him, and that he would treat you right, I would leave you alone. You deserve to be happy, even if it's not with me; Liam's just not the guy to do it; he's shady. I-I, God," Harry stopped talking for a while; I could tell he was getting frustrated with me, but I still didn't understand anything. He was having a hard time with this, but I appreciated that he was trying.

"Harry, please talk," I encouraged him. "I deserve to know the truth about Liam; if you think he's no good, or that I should stay away from him, then you need to give me a reason because as of right now I don't have one. Remember when we were sitting on your couch and you came clean about your past? It's just like that, just you and me here - now continue." I smiled.

"I sold sex tapes, my dancers always knew about it and they didn't care - I never forced them, they made that choice on their own. I- I filmed you, Vicky. I have a tape from your first audition at Moulin Rouge."

I was silent. My hands were slowly letting his go, recoiling from his touch.

"You... you wanted me to turn out like them, didn't you?" I asked him in disbelief.