Similar Differences (Harry Styles Fanfiction) (CURRENTLY EDITING)

Chapter 47

Bethany's POV

I woke up from my nap around dinner time and tiredly made my way downstairs. From the moment I opened my eyes, I began to think once again how everything with Harry finally began to connect. Hearing all of that news from Niall both broke my heart and shocked me all at once. Somehow though, it also made everything so much clearer; the way he was so distant, the reason why he acted the way he did.

I entered the kitchen, putting on the most collected expression I could manage while my mind continued to buzz. I helped Liam set the table, but as I did so him and my mother eyed me down. "Everything okay?" Liam asked eventually. He could read me like a book.

I faked a confused look. "Yeah, why?"

"You just look troubled."

"No, I just woke up from a nap and I'm still groggy. Everything's fine though." I plastered a smile on to my face. Distractedly, I ate some of my dinner, but mostly fiddled around the plate with my fork. I wasn't hungry and couldn't eat much. I didn't want to force myself either because although I was mostly on an average diet at this point of my recovery, if I ate too much or even a little more than I was used to, I'd feel it later on. Recovery was going steady for me, but it had only been a few months that I'd been on a standard calorie diet, so I knew not to push my boundaries. Getting back to normalcy was a long process.

Liam eyed me down from across the table, noticing that I was shoving the mashed potatoes (214) to the corner of my plate.

"Did I make them too lumpy?" He asked suddenly.

I looked up. "No, no. They're fine." I said. "My stomach's just kind of upset." I wasn't lying when I said that. The knowledge that Harry had been pushed to attempting suicide on more than one occasion, and still probably was dealing with thoughts like that made me feel sick. I knew he wouldn't let anyone help though, so there was nothing anyone could do. That made it even worse.

"Why don't you go lie down?" My mother suggested. I nodded in relief and cleaned my plate in the sink before going into the living room.

I grabbed a knit blanket from the basket behind the couch and turned on the TV, but didn't actually watch it. I just needed something to drown everything out. After staring absentmindedly for a while, I heard my mother tell Liam she had to go call a client back. Then, I could hear Liam moving around and probably tidying up the kitchen. Once he finished, he came into the living room and sat on the opposite end of the couch.

"You okay?" He asked with a concerned expression.

"Yeah. Just thinking." I told him.

"If you want to talk, I'm here." He smiled warmly. I smiled in return, appreciating the offer. But talking about it wasn't really going to do anything. Then again, neither would obsessively thinking about it. It wasn't a situation to take lightly, I knew that. But Harry wouldn't let me in, and worrying about him wouldn't change that. I had to let Harry get through this by himself, because I couldn't kept fighting him.

I decided that for now I would keep my mind off of it by having fun with Liam. The past few days had been so busy that we'd barely spent time together.

"So," I said, ready to change the subject.  "Who's the girl?" I asked, remembering the goofy look on his face that left my mother and I curious toward its cause.

He let out a fake laugh and suddenly his cheeks turned fifty shades of red. "What girl?"

I gave him a knowing look. "You're a horrible liar, Li."

"I don't even think it's like that."

"You were smirking like an idiot every time she texted you. It obviously is like that. Now tell me!" I demanded, being the annoying, nosy sister I am. Neither one of us were great at covering up these sorts of things, so these interrogations weren't unusual.