Forever and Always (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

CHAPTER 8: Then

The day Harry left for England, I was afraid he’d forget me. He wouldn’t be back until Christmas Eve, which, for me, meant four months without seeing him. Harry promised he’d call as often as he could, but I knew he would be extremely busy with recording One Direction’s new album.

The first month without Harry was difficult for me, even though we talked on the phone almost every other day. School started again, and, as a senior, I became preoccupied with the SATs and college applications. When I had time on weekends, I would go out with Sarah, Maddie, McKenli, and Bekah, and our outings helped all of us get our minds off missing our boyfriends.

By November, I had fallen into a routine. My nights were filled with homework and studying. If I was lucky, I’d receive a call from Harry before midnight, when he would wake up in England. He told me the first thing he tried to do every morning when he woke up was call me. We always ended our calls with “I love you”, but it just didn’t feel the same without his physical being beside me.

Until then, I hadn’t known what it was like to truly miss someone—the ache that seemed to always be present in my heart.

On the first day of Thanksgiving break, I woke up with the slow realization that it was my 18th birthday. Smiling, I decided to start off the day with a short run. Being outside during the sunrise always made my day seem a little bit brighter. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and changed into a light gray hoodie and sweatpants, since it was often chilly in the morning. I opened the door quietly, so as to not wake up my family, who was still sleeping.

It was still somewhat dark outside, and as I stepped out, I almost didn’t notice the package on the ground. Sitting in front of the door was a small brown box, with a label addressed to me. I carefully picked up the box and opened it, pulling out a piece of paper.

“Everything is better with music. Happy birthday, Jenny. Love, Harry.”

Smiling at the familiarity of Harry’s handwriting, I slipped Harry’s note into my sweatshirt pocket and reached into the box again. I pulled out a brand new iPod Touch with a set of earphones wound neatly around it. I turned the iPod over, seeing the words engraved on the back: “Forever and Always”. I gently ran my finger over the lettering, my warm breath fogging up the cold, sleek metal.

I set the box in the house and closed the door behind me. I unwound the earphones from around the device and placed the buds in my ears. As I walked out to the sidewalk, I opened up the music player and saw that there was already a file loaded on it—“For Jenny”.

I couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, I knew that this was Harry’s real gift to me. I tapped the screen to select the song and put the iPod into my pocket, starting to jog.

The air was chilly and the sun was barely peeking out from the horizon, an orange haze just appearing. I could still see the moon glowing faintly in the dawn sky, ready to depart as the sun took over.

Suddenly, Harry’s voice filled my ears and, for a foolish moment, I believed he was right next to me.

“Hey, Jenny. I hope that you’re doing well.” I swallowed and prepared myself to hear the rest of his message, breaking into a steady running pace.

“I don’t know if the last three months have been as hard for you as it has been for me. Even though I still get to hear your voice when we talk on the phone, I miss seeing your beautiful face and hearing your laugh. I would never have thought that I would be able to miss someone so much. It’s not easy for me to go through each day without you. You can’t imagine how many times I think of you from the time I wake up to when I go to sleep. Even in my dreams, I can see your smile and I only wish I could reach out and hold you in my arms. While making our album, I’ve had some free time to record a cover of a song for you. So here it is. Happy birthday, Jenny. I love you.”