Broken Misery (H.Styles Fanfic)

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elena's POV

My phone alarm goes off at six thirty in the morning, and just as I try to reach for it on the bedside table, I realize that the bedside table isn't there. In fact, it's a plush material that welcomes my hand instead and blocks the way. Opening one eye first, I creep through the blur but am faced with dark. The second eye confirms my assumption: I fell asleep on the sofa. But my face feels dry and the pillow isn't wet, so I stopped crying a long time ago.

With the alarm still going off, I quickly jump to my feet and pick up the device from the coffee table to turn it off. I fold the blanket that I've probably reached for during the night before I stretch and walk to the kitchen to make myself a large cup of coffee, which I pour in a transporter cup, and walk quietly upstairs sipping on the hot drink. I glance at the guest room door, closed and silent, just to remind myself that last night wasn't a dream. He is back. I sigh and walk to my bedroom, close the door and jump in the shower.

The night brought me to think about what could happen. Throughout the past few months, I have fully forgiven Harry for what he's done to me, even though I haven't forgotten. It's all about moving on, right? But not a single time have I considered that if he ever came back, he could do it all over again.

His anxiety from the night before has made me realize that deep inside, Harry has always had a sensitive side. I've known that for a long time, but he's always hidden it behind a strong façade. He's shown me love and pain, but there's only a fine line between the two of them. So even if I have moved on and healed, it doesn't mean I've moved on from him.

And because of that, I've mentally decided that this time, I'm here on my own accord. I wasn't kidnapped and I wasn't brought here against my will, and I've grown stronger after everything. So there isn't any reason that I should be afraid of Harry, right?

By the time I meet Alfie at the classroom, slowly sipping on my coffee that I've brought with me, I've repeated all of this in my head about a hundred times, probably to convince myself. "Bloody hell, El-belle. What in the world happened last night?"

Oh. "Oh God, Alfie. I completely forgot to call you back!"

His eyes narrow. "That doesn't answer my question. What happened?"

Alfie doesn't know anything, I tell myself quickly so I wouldn't drop the Harry bomb on him. "Remember that roommate of mine that was out of town? He came back for the holidays and, um, didn't call first. So I completely forgot he was coming back last night and it scared me."

He watches me skeptically but doesn't press further. With forced ease, he switches the conversation to how Lewis was late last night but surprised him with doughnuts and they stuffed their faces before bed.

As soon as the class starts, I'm lost in thoughts on what I'm going to do when I get home tonight. Class ends at noon and Alfie and I have a studying session for two hours, and then I have to go to work until seven, which leaves me several hours to prepare myself to whatever I will be welcomed with when I get home, whether it's an angry Harry or a happy Harry.

Unless there's no Harry at all and this was all a dream, but the way I could hear him snore through the bedroom door before I left for school told me I hadn't been dreaming.

When class comes to an end, I gather my books and laptop and shove them messily into my bag since we're going directly to the library. Alfie, however, takes his time placing the extra notes for the test that the teacher distributed at the beginning of the class into a special folder, where they wouldn't be crushed or torn by our heavy class book and his laptop.