Falling

Chapter Twenty

SO MANY READS NOW. Wow. And it hasn't even been a week :o that's crazy. Or at least, I think it is.

Anyway WE LOVE ALL OF YOU :D

To 1DEFME: here's a bit of Zarry, we hope it's what you expected :)

Chapter 20 is kinda short, sorry :( Does being early make up for it? :/

21 will be longer, we promise!

CHAPTER TWENTY
(HARRY POV)

Seeing Zayn here was just odd. I know he said that his friend was in here too, but I couldn’t help but think that it was too much of a coincidence. A voice in my head said “Harry, maybe his friend really is in the hospital. Stop suspecting.”

I listened to the voice and pushed that to the back of my mind. I liked that Zayn and I were friends again. I needed someone there to comfort me and just have my back. I smiled at that thought.

“What are you smiling at, Styles?” He asked, grinning. I missed that grin of his. I hadn’t seen it in years. “Nothing much actually, but anyway, about five years ago, I’m really, really, sorry. It was partly my fault, but it partly wasn’t. I don’t know. I’ll just get on to it now…” Zayn’s grin fell, and his expression became one of seriousness as he nodded slightly.

Taking a deep breath, I started my story.

“Well, do you remember those mornings before the incident when I didn’t go to school? That was because I was genuinely sick. But that morning, when you came, when I told you I was supposed to go to school… I did hit your parents. And I’m terribly sorry about it.” I watched as Zayn’s expression hardened, and he shut his eyes, resting his head on the canteen table.

“I was hurt pretty badly too, and when you came knocking on my door, I was lying in the hospital. That day, when I was driving home after a night over at my friend’s, it just happened. I wasn’t drunk or anything, but the car malfunctioned. The brakes wouldn’t work. I don’t remember much about it, but I know that I was afraid.

I kept slamming my foot down on the brakes, but the car didn’t slow down at all. I panicked, and I sounded the horn, but they couldn’t get out of the way in time. It was dark, and I didn’t really see them until I got closer. I remember the impact, the feeling of it. It felt like I was being flung in all directions and my body couldn’t decide which way to go. It really hurt… And then after that, I hit a lamp post and the car finally stopped… But yet at that time, I could still get out of the car window…” I paused, trying to hold in the tears. Zayn’s breathing was becoming more and more labored. I could tell he was crying but I continued anyway.

“I squeezed out of that window and got cut by the shattered glass. By then I was bleeding so badly I couldn’t even see straight. But I managed to stagger over to the victims. I didn’t know who they were at first, but then I saw their faces and recognized them instantly after that…

 I panicked again. I was eighteen, and I didn’t know what to do, so I asked them if they were okay. Kind of a stupid question, but I wasn’t thinking straight. Your mother was completely unconscious, but she was breathing. I tried to call for help, but there was simply no one, and my phone was broken. Your father though, he was still conscious…” I paused again to regain my breath. By now Zayn was shaking, and tears were streaming down my face.

The next part was going to break him so badly. But I had to let him know because he had the right to know. Those were his parents. He deserved to know what they had done.

“He grabbed my arm just as I was about to run and get help. And he told me… Some things that I-I thought you had the right to know… If you don’t want to know, I-I can j-just stop here…” I struggled to speak coherently. Guilt and fear were now overwhelming me, and it was too much to take.

Zayn looked up and nodded; a signal for me to continue.

“You know how you used to be rich, and that day, you lost everything almost instantly? Have you ever wondered… Where you got the money? I know they told you that they were running a business, and they were… But what they didn’t tell you was that… It wasn’t legal.

They were kind of like loan sharks. They lent money to people illegally at extremely high interests, and when they couldn’t pay… They… Got rid of them…” I paused and I could see Zayn crying silently as he forced himself to process the information.

I probably shouldn’t have told him that, but I felt like he had a right to know. After all, no matter what, they were his parents.

“Zayn… I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell you this earlier. I didn’t want you to have to deal with that, even after their death… I didn’t want to load more onto your shoulders…” I was trying to comfort him, but I don’t know if it worked.

Zayn took a deep breath before speaking, his voice surprisingly calm.

“You don’t have to be… It’s okay, at least now I know that I should stop blaming you… I mean, I know you still hit them, but at least I know that you tried saving them… And it’s not your fault that they did all that shit. Actually I kind of knew what they were doing. Not exactly, but my dad once asked me what I’d do if I found out that he was not the person I thought he was…

And when I said that I’d still love him all the same, he just shifted awkwardly in his seat, giving me a forced smile… That was when I found out he did something bad… I was only sixteen then, but I knew these things. So I came to terms with it, secretly praying that no one would ever find out and arrest them. But they died…”

Not once did Zayn trip over his words. He just went on and on, explaining to me. I admired him for being able to handle such a harsh truth. It wasn’t easy to accept your parents for who they were, especially not when you found out that they were doing something illegal. To me, Zayn was strong. He was able to take all this, even though it was linked to the most sensitive issue; his parents’ death.

I smiled at that.

For the next few minutes we just sat in the canteen of the hospital in silence. The whole place was empty except for us, and the only sound present was Zayn’s uneven breathing and sniffing. But as he controlled himself and stopped crying, the whole place was silent. It was comfortable. I liked just being here with an old friend, even if it was because we were settling some old scores.

“Harry,” Zayn suddenly spoke, and I looked up at him.

“Get back with Louis. Your leaving won’t protect him or blondie, Niall I think… Yeah him. You have to go tell Louis you’re sorry and try with him again. Trust me; when he regains his memory, everything will be a whole lot easier if you have him by your side…”

I grimaced. I know Zayn was trying to help me, but he didn’t understand Louis. He didn’t even know Louis! Louis wasn’t the kind of person to just forgive you so easily. Especially not when he gave you a chance but you just ripped his heart right out of his ribcage.

“Zayn… It’s not going to work. He hates me now, I swear. I just broke his heart into a million pieces; he’s not going to forgive me,” I was being a stubborn mule and I knew it. But I also knew that Louis would never forgive me. What was the point of apologizing when he wouldn’t? And anyway, he wasn’t ever going to remember… Why not just give up now, and save the pain?

“Styles, you fool, do what I say, and it will all work out!” Zayn replied, suddenly a lot happier.

And that was how I ended up walking sheepishly back into Louis’ ward.

~~

“Oh, so you just break my heart like, half an hour ago, and you come back half an hour later to apologize? Seriously what kind of a person are you? Do you really think that I’ll forgive you? After you so hard-heartedly just told me you didn’t like me anymore? What, are you here to ask me to forgive you and give me all that crap about staying as friends?!” Louis shouted, and I realized that I’ve never heard him shout before.

“Lou, I was trying to protect you, but now I’m really sorry I did that. It was foolish of me,” I tried explaining once more, hoping that he’d just calm down and accept my apology.

“Protect me?! Protect me from what?! You’re probably the only thing or person right now that I need to be protected against. Seriously Harry, I gave you a chance. I tried, but you didn’t. That’s it, there’s nothing more to talk about, just leave okay? Don’t even think about trying to use Niall to help you get my forgiveness or something. Just leave now.”

“Bu-“

I was interrupted by Louis’ phone ringing. As soon as his phone rang, his face softened a little, but he still grabbed his phone grumpily and held it to his ear.

“Hello?!” He demanded.

The ward was dead silent, and I could hear the voice from the other end of the line. It sounded like Joe. I couldn’t make out exactly what he said, but I heard him ask where Louis had been for the past week. Gee, what a concerned friend. Louis hadn’t been to work in a week and Joe only bothered calling now.

“Oh hi Joe, how nice of you to call and ask how I’m doing after a week!”

He paused as Joe spoke.

“I’ve been in a car accident you idiot! Are you telling me that you didn’t once think about where I was in the past week, when I’m normally the one who goes to the Frozen Ice early?!” Louis shouted back into the receiver and I heard Joe say something like, “OH MY GOD” and “WHICH HOSPITAL ARE YOU IN?!”

“Yeah Joe, oh your God. I’m at the General Hospital…” Louis spoke, a lot more calm now, for some reason. I stood there quietly, waiting for their conversation to end, and thinking of how to apologize better to Louis so that he’d forgive my stupidity and idiocy.

“Oh you’re coming? Okay, I’m in ward 461 by the way… Yeah bye, see you later!” Louis smiled at the end and hung up. As he put his phone down, he looked up, the smile still plastered across his face. But as he saw me and remembered that I was still there, his face fell into an angry one as he waited for me to speak.

But I didn’t know what to say, so I just stood there for a minute or two, before finally regaining my courage to apologize some more.

“Lou… I’m sorry… Please forgive me. I still love you, more than you’ll ever know. I don’t have another person. Hell, I don’t even think I have other friends besides you and Niall!” I was desperate. I had to have him take me back. I wanted to work with him and help him remember me again, and help him fall in love with me again. I wanted to be able to live with him forever, even if he’d never remember me. I needed him.

Louis frowned and sighed. “Seriously Harry, just leave me alone okay? I need some time to cool down,” as he said this, his voice a lot softer than it had been at first, he looked up at me with almost pleading eyes.

“But Louis… Plea-”

Louis interrupted me. “Look, Joe’s coming in like, five minutes. Just leave… I want to talk to him in private…” He sighed again, looking down at the white sheets, tugging at them.

And suddenly the door flung open behind me, hitting my back hard. I winced and yelled out a bit.

“LOUIS! OH GOD HOW ARE YOU! ARE YOU OKAY?! WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO BE DISCHARGED?! WILL YOU BE COMING BACK TO THE FROZEN ICE?! OH MY GOD!” Joe was yelling at the top of his lungs.

Louis jumped slightly at Joe’s loudness, and smirked at me. I suppose it was because I was in pain. When Joe followed Louis’ line of sight, he found me rubbing my back, trying to ease the pain after I had been so rudely attacked by the door.

“Hey! It’s Louis’ lover boy! How’ve you been?! Or more like, how’ve you and Louis been huh?” Joe asked suggestively and winked. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, and Louis glared at us both.

“Joe, how did you manage to get here in six minutes?” Louis directed the question at Joe as he tried to change the subject.

“Simple, I was just round the corner and I took a cab here for you! Now anyway, don’t try to change the subject!” Joe replied cheerfully, and he didn’t seem to realize that Louis and I were not talking to each other. He turned back to face me before speaking again.

“So… If I remember correctly, your name is Harry right? Yeah I know it is. Okay anyway, how have you been! The last time I saw you was when I caught you and Louis making out in the middle of my little ice cream shop! My, was that embarrassing, whew…” Joe winked again, and I smiled slightly after being reminded of our first kiss. It felt so right, but now I wasn’t sure if I’d ever have that feeling with Louis again…

I looked at Louis, and his eyes widened as his jaw fell open.

“WHAT DID YOU SAY?! WE WERE MAKING OUT AT THE FROZEN ICE?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” Louis practically screamed.

“Yeah, you don’t remember?! God, how could you forget your kiss with lover boy here! It was such an embarrassing moment! Well for the both of you at least, I was having fun!” Joe grinned and I found myself grinning back.

Suddenly my mood fell again as I spoke quietly. “Yeah Louis lost his memory and he doesn’t remember me now…” I felt tears pricking at the corners of my eyes and I turned around to face the wall so that they wouldn’t see me crying. That was weak and stupid. Crying wouldn’t solve the problem at all.

“Oh…”

And suddenly I could sense the mood in the ward became quite tense.

“Well, it was adorable actually, Lou. I was just outside the shop and I saw you sitting on one of the chairs and I walked in yelling out your name. And then I realized you were kissing Harry and that I completely ruined the moment for you. You were both quite embarrassed, that’s for sure because your face was just burning red… I teased you endlessly after that…” Joe suddenly became quieter and after making sure that I wasn’t going to cry, I turned back around and saw Louis’ expression soften as well.

“And do you remember the time when he asked if you could have the day off to go out with his cousin, but actually wanted you to go out with him? That was cute too… I don’t know what I’m doing here, but I’m just trying to help you regain your memory I guess…” Joe faced the floor as he spoke and I did too.

And when I looked up, Louis seemed to be thinking really hard about something, and he was biting on his lower lip. Maybe he was trying to remember that. And suddenly, he was clutching at his head as he fell from his sitting position. “It hurts…”

With that, Joe and I were rushing over to his side. “Lou! Are you alright?! Louis, can you hear me?!” I put my hands at the sides of his face as I turned his head to face me. His eyes seemed cloudy, and he seemed to be somewhere else… Joe repeatedly hit the button to call for the nurses.

Louis took one glance at me with his cloudy vision and went unconscious.