Mended Hearts

Chapter 2

"S-Sophie..." He said again. His voice was so faint it was almost a whisper.

I stood there not knowing what to do or say. I haven't seen Harry since I left 4 years ago. Seeing him now standing in front of me, well lets just say I wasn't ready for that. He looked the same, though his hair was quite a bit longer and his frame was a bit more broad, but he was still just as handsome as I remember.

You could feel the tension between us. It was so thick you could have cut it with a knife. Niall must have seen the panicked look on my face because he immediately came to the rescue.

"Harry, Mate? What are you doing here? I didn't think you would be back until sometime next week?" Niall questioned.

Harry never answered Niall's question. He just stood there staring at me. He never took his eyes off of me and I swear I could feel them burning a hole through my soul. It was almost unbearable. "Umm... Niall I think I'm going to go inside. I'll let you two talk. Harry I hope you're well and it was lovely to see you again."

I made my way past them and into Niall's flat. "Shit! this is not how I wanted this night to end up." I sat down on the edge of the bed trying to regain my composure. I haven't seen Harry in 4 years, and if I'm being honest, he was the only reason for my hesitation in coming back. I knew that I would be seeing him sooner or later. We had the same circle of friends after all. I just didn't expect that it would be this soon. Niall had assured me that he wouldn't be back until just a few days before the wedding.

I heard the door open and shut pulling me from my thoughts. I knew it was Niall coming in so I made my way back to the lounge. "Niall, what the hell? I thought you said..." I stopped mid sentence when I saw Harry standing in the doorway. He just stood there staring at me with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh, H-Harry hi. D-Did you need something?"

"What are you doing here Sophie?" Harry asked. His voice was low, the shock evident on his face.

"I-I was invited for the wedding. I'm sorry it was so unexpected. I honestly didn't think you would be here." I shifted awkwardly on my heels, nervous didn't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

"I haven't seen or heard from you in 4 years Sophie. You left without so much as a go to hell and the only thing you can think to say to me is "It was lovely to see you!" How did you think I was going to react? I didn't even know you were coming."

"I honestly don't know what to say to you Harry. This isn't quite how I expected this would go." I laughed nervously.

He took a step towards me. I swear that my heart was beating so loud and so hard that I was sure he could hear it. I knew seeing Harry was going to be a challenge. I had given myself a pep talk the whole flight here but I guess I never expected our first encounter after so long to be this intense. Nor did I think that is would be so soon. I know he's angry, it's written all over his face but there was something else there. Hurt maybe? I don't know, Lord knows I was dying inside. My whole body was trembling.

He opened his mouth to speak when a still ever so drunk Niall stumbled through the door. "Well, well am I interrupting something here?" A smile plastered on his face.

"No!" Harry exclaimed quickly. "I was just leaving. I guess i'll see you tomorrow Niall for a round with the lads." He turned to leave but not before turning to me. "IT WAS LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN SOPHIE." He made sure to emphasize his words with the most sarcastic tone I believe I've ever heard. "Oh yeah, and Happy Birthday."

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as he walked out the door. I stood there stunned. "Happy Birthday? I cant believe he remembered it was my birthday." I must have been thinking out loud because Niall started to laugh.

"Well that was awkward. Talk about one hell of a birthday surprise. I'm sorry Soph, I didn't know he was going to be back this soon. If I had known, I would have given you fair warning." Niall said. His features had softened, I guess he could tell by the look on my face that I didn't find it amusing.

"What the hell Niall? What was he even doing here in your building, on your floor? Birthday surprise? That's one surprise I could have done without. I cant believe this." I scoffed throwing my hands in the air.

"Um, well I might have forgotten to mention that Harry bought the big flat at the end of the hall." He said.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME NIALL? How could you just forget to mention that to me? You know how I felt about coming back here and seeing him and you didn't think something like that was worth mentioning? I mean you could have thrown it in somewhere in the conversation."Hey, Sophie just thought you should know that the guy you were head over heels in love with and then abruptly left and haven't seen or talked to in 4 years is living in the only other flat on this floor. So you might want to prepare yourself." I sat down on the sofa with my head in my hands. "I knew this was a mistake. I should have never come back."

I could feel the tears welling up and I knew there would be no holding them back this time. Niall sat down beside me and pulled me into his chest. I couldn't hold it back any longer and the tears started to spill from my eyes. It had been ages since I had cried. I couldn't tell you the countless times I had cried on Niall's shoulder but he was always there to make it better and too often he was the voice of reason. We stayed like that for awhile before Niall finally spoke.

"Soph, I know this isn't want you want to hear right now, but as your friend, I'm telling you that I think it's time you talked to him about what happened between the two of you. It's been 4 years and you claim that you've moved on but deep down we both know you haven't. I see it in your eyes when his name comes up and I saw the way you looked at him tonight. You at least owe him an explanation. I know why you left and, don't get me wrong, I understand why you did it. I know that it seems like you did the right thing but Harry is a different person now and so are you. You guys aren't the same people you where then. Just promise me you'll think about it"

"I don't know if I can Ni, but I promise I'll think about it."

I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up I was in Niall's bed. He must have carried me in here. My head was pounding so I drug myself out of the bed and changed clothes. I made my way to the kitchen. Niall, of course, was sprawled out on the couch. I made myself a cup of tea and took some medicine. Niall's words echoed through my head. I know I needed to talk to Harry but it wasn't as simple as that. I needed some fresh air and a place to think. I slipped on a pair of Niall's shoes and made my way out the door and up to the roof. The sun was about to come up so I figured what better place to be. I sat down facing the city. I always loved coming up here as it had such a lovely view. I was taking it all in when I heard that raspy morning voice. It sent chills down my spine and made my heart race at the same time.

"You always did like coming up here in the mornings. I guess some things never change." He said causing me to turn around.