The Art of Fake Dating // h.s.

Chapter 21

A/N: Unedited, sorry! It's late and I'm really tired but I wanted to get a chapter out before the school week started and I wouldn't get a chance to. We were just one vote shy of the vote goal so I'll give you this chapter anyways. Enjoy and vote :)

Christina's POV.

"So how are you and loverboy?" Louis asked, playfully punching me in the arm. I gave him a small, unconvincing smile, not meeting his eyes.

"We're fine." I said, simply. He narrowed his eyes at me, and laid further back in his seat.

"Now you and I both know that's not true. He's not returning any of my calls which is completely abnormal and you look like living hell, no offense. Something is obviously wrong. Talk to me." He said, sitting up and placing a reassuring hand on the folded hands in my lap. I sighed. I guess I could tell Louis of my actual Harry problems, but the biggest one that is eating at my mind he hasn't the slightest clue about. I couldn't talk to Lou about the contract and that's what was worrying me most.

"So you know how Harry has been on a sort of jerk rampage lately?" I began, looking up a Lou. He scoffed, dramatically falling back into his chair again and looked at me with an obvious look.

"Don't even get me started on that. Remember when he flipped the tables at that restaurant? I could have sworn the lad had gone mad." Lou exclaimed. I chuckled at his speech, but the memory held nothing but bad results, since a huge fight had broken out after the incident.

"Yeah, well he was getting better after that, but last night..." I sighed, hesitating before I continued. Louis looked at me expectantly as I tried to formulate the events in my mind. I couldn't explain to him the context of the situation entirely but maybe I could graze past the issue.

"What did he do?" Louis asked seriously, folding his hands under his chin as he stared at me, waiting for an answer.

"He asked me about my family. Where they were and why they weren't here with me. I answered him, telling him of my life story. I haven't opened up to many people about my family before, Louis, and I take the risk of telling him and he just shuts me down. Instead of understanding, somehow out of all I had said he derived that I am using him for his money which is not true at all. The things he said, Lou..." I paused, looking at my blue-eyed companion who continued sitting there, listening to every word I said, "His words hurt. It hurt that he would actually accuse me of what he did when I have done nothing but love him. He tried apologizing this morning, but I'm just not ready to forgive and forget. It really hurt, Louis." I told him, my voice cracking at the end as tears began to cover my vision.

Louis got out of his chair, and came over to sit on the couch I was seated on, wrapping an arm around me and enveloping me in his embrace.

"Something else must be bothering him, Christina. He's my best friend and I know him well enough that he does not think this irrationally on a normal basis. When he's with us boys, he talks of nothing but good about you. You should see the way his eyes light up when he talks about you," he chuckled, looking off as if remembering a specific incident, "you would have thought you were in the very room. I know he meant no harm. Just give him another chance. I'm not saying you have to forgive him now, but don't leave him over something I think it's obvious he regrets." Louis said, giving me a gentle squeeze.

I shook my head. "No, no I wasn't planning on breaking up with him. I'm just hurt. I don't want to go back to my apartment right now because I know he's there, but at the same time I do. I want to avoid to him, but at the same time I just want him to wrap me in his arms telling me that everything is going to be alright. I don't want these types of fights to become a regular thing, but the way his actions have been going lately, I just don't know anymore."