Recovery / / h.s

Chapter Seventeen.

The police station was busier than usual, the phones were ringing loudly and it seemed to be never ending.

Lily had started school earlier in the week and she only came in for a few hours in the afternoon. Her replacement wasn't half bad, but she wasn't Lily so I automatically disliked her. Her name was Blair and the first thing I noticed about her was her long blonde hair.

I had decided to stay at the police station even though the summer was over. Even though Lily was with someone else, seeing her everyday was the highlight of my day and I wasn't ready to give that up. I needed to see her. Plus, it wasn't like I had anything better to do with my time.

"Are you sure you don't mind staying here for a bit?" Lily asked Louis. He had tagged along with her today and it angered me beyond belief. One of the officers had requested bagels and she was quick to get them.

"I'll be fine, baby," he said smoothly. I rolled my eyes and tried my hardest to suppress a scoff. He wasn't calling her baby to be sweet, it was a territorial thing. He wanted me to know that Lily was his now. My point was proven when he pulled her in for a longer then necessary kiss before she left.

"Is this whole broody thing just an act or is it really how you are?" Louis asked, sitting down on the edge of my desk. The innocent action bothered me more than it should have. I didn't want to talk to him and it bothered me that he couldn't realize that.

He sighed. "Lily really is something else, isn't she?" He said it on purpose. He knew how I felt about her and he was fucking using it against me. The only thing keeping me from swinging my fists was the fact that we were in a police station.

"Yeah," I sighed. "She's great." I did my best to keep monotone, to let him know that he couldn't win but he was ruthless. No wonder why the other guys basically worshipped the ground they walked on. No wonder why they worshipped the ground I walked on, Louis was who I used to be.

"And my friends. They're pretty great too, don't you think?" He said slyly. I knew what he was getting at. I was right, he was a prick.

"The greatest," I said with an eye roll.

"They seem to like you too. You're the new me, Styles."

He got his friends the moment he came back into town. Why the hell was he acting so bitter?

"Fuck you," I said simply. I tried my hardest to ignore him and get back to work, but he was just so persistent.

"You took my friends, I'm taking your girl. Consider us even." That was the final straw for me. The chair flew behind me as I stood up, the stupid smirk on Louis face growing bigger.

"You don't even fucking like her!" I practically shouted.

He shook his head calmly. I wanted to punch the smirk right off his fucking face. "Of course I do. She's fucking hot, everyone in their right mind can see that. Seeing you get all worked up is just a bonus."

"If you hurt her, I swear to god-"

"What?" He asked. He was fucking amused. "You'll kick my ass?"

Honestly, that's exactly what I had in mind. I could easily take him.

"I thought so. You wouldn't hurt Lily like that. No matter how much you want to kill me, you can't. "

He was right about that too. As much as I hated this asshole, he seemed to make Lily happy. I wanted it to be me instead of him, I wanted to be the one making her happy.

Lily walked in just as I was about to retort. She set the bagels down and then leaned against him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her waist and hold her close. The sight made me sick to my stomach.

"How was it?" She whispered before she place a kiss on his cheek. Jealousy surged through my veins.

"It was fun. I think Harry and I will be great friends," he said with a smile.