The Only Exception | W2S

FORTY FOUR.

2 missed calls from Arthur. 

99+ unread messages from HAG (+HJ)

"Concerned friends?" Harry asks, obviously peering over my shoulder. 

"Yep. To be fair, I did disappear yesterday morning and just...didn't come back. I'd be going insane if one of them did the same," I admit, clicking on the group chat. 

"You gonna be straight with them?" He asks, and I can tell he's asking for himself, too. He needs to know if he is going to have to lie to his friends. 

"I...I don't know," I answer him truthfully. "Things are still...crazy, at the moment. I kind of just want to lie low. Love you quietly. Privately."

"You can love me any way you want to," he replies, squeezing my hand.

Our moment is interrupted by my phone ringing, George's contact coming up on the screen. 

"Probably saw that I was active on my phone," I grumble, my finger hovering over the answer button. 

"You gonna answer?" 

"Yeah. Otherwise he's going to think I've killed myself, or something."

I accept, and George's face pops up on the screen. 

"Jesus Christ. You're alive," is all he says, and he breathes a sigh of relief. 

"Oh," I say, sounding surprised. "You actually did think I killed myself."

"Huh?" He asks, obviously not getting the joke. "I mean, shit, Holly, you just disappeared. Didn't tell us where you were going, or reply to any of our messages. So yeah, the thought did cross our minds," he says hotly.

"I'm sorry," I say sincerely, realising that I'd actually fucked up. "Truthfully, I genuinely forgot to let you know I was okay."

"Well - don't do it again. And, come home, yeah? We're all here, and - where actually are you?" He asks, his face coming closer to his camera, taking up more of my screen. 

From beside me, Harry is trying not to laugh, and ends up having to look away. 

"I stayed with a friend," I tell him, and it's a half truth. Not entirely accurate, but not a wild lie either. 

"Which friend?" He asks, still persisting. 

"Tobi," I lie, praying it holds up. 

George shakes his head. "Nuh-uh. Tobi is filming. All of them are filming, except for Harry because I got a message from Simon asking if I'd heard from him lately," George explains, and I blow my cover by looking over at Harry and glaring. 

He shrugs. "Couldn't leave you alone in my apartment, could I?" 

"George - I will explain everything when I get home later. Don't tell anyone else. Not yet," I ask, and he nods his head. 

"Just glad you're okay. And I will still hurt Harry if you want me to," he adds on, and I quickly hang up before he can say anything else that will incriminate me in front of Harry. 

"You wanted George to hurt me?" Harry asks, a wry smile on his face. 

I raise my eyebrow at him. 

"Fine. I deserved it."

"You definitely did," I mutter, locking my phone and setting it aside.

Harry watches me, his smirk lingering, but there's something softer in his expression now. Like he knows that, despite everything, I'm still here. Still choosing him, even if it's complicated.

I sigh, leaning back against the pillows, my hands wrapped around my mug of tea. "I really did freak them out, didn't I?"

He hums in agreement, sipping his coffee. "Yeah, but can you blame them? You went completely off the grid. If one of them did that, you'd be leading the search party."

I groan, tipping my head back. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

Harry nudges my knee with his. "So... you're really not telling them? At least not yet?"

I glance at him, chewing my lip. "I just... I want this to be ours for a little bit. No outside opinions, no speculation, no drama."

Harry studies me for a moment before nodding. "Okay."

I blink. "That's it? No argument?"

"No argument," he confirms. "You want to love me quietly, privately? I'm fine with that."

I exhale slowly, relieved. "Thank you."

He shrugs, setting his coffee down on the bedside table before turning towards me properly. "Though, for the record, you're shit at lying. That Tobi excuse was embarrassing."

Before I can retort, a thought suddenly hits me, and I shove him back with a glare.

"Wait. Why the fuck aren't you at your shoot, Harry?"

He groans, flopping onto his back. "Oh my God, you sound like Simon."

"Good!" I snap, sitting up properly now. "Simon messaged George asking if anyone had seen you! You were meant to be filming hours ago!"

Harry sighs dramatically, running a hand through his hair. "I think they'll survive one shoot without me."

"That's an awful attitude to have," I scold, hitting his arm. "You can't just not turn up to work without letting anyone know, you absolute idiot."

He smirks, stretching his arms out lazily. "Well, it was for a good reason."

I groan, burying my face in my hands. "Simon is going to kill you. TP is going to kill you."

Harry grins, catching my foot before I can move it away. His grip is warm, his thumb brushing against my ankle absentmindedly, and just like that, the tension shifts.

My stomach flips.

I know that look in his eyes.

I pull my foot away, sitting up straighter. "Don't."

"Don't what?" he asks innocently, but he's already moving closer.

I narrow my eyes. "You're insufferable."

He smirks, leaning in until his face is only inches from mine. "And yet... you're still here."

I open my mouth, a scathing reply on the tip of my tongue, but before I can get the words out, he kisses me.

It's slow at first, almost careful, like he's testing the waters. But when I don't pull away, when my hands instinctively reach for him, the carefulness disappears entirely.

He shifts, pressing me back into the pillows, his weight warm and familiar as his hands slide under the hem of my jumper. I sigh against his mouth, my fingers tangling in his hair, and just like that, I forget why I was even trying to resist him in the first place.

Because we may still have our problems, we may still be figuring things out...

But right now, I don't care.

Right now, all I want is him.