Of The Darkness (h.s)

forty five

"I lost my keys," he tells me, my hand holding his tightly.

"We'll get you a new one," I smile, sitting at the kitchen table. He sits across from me and I hand him a glass of water, his lips thanking me.

"Okay, um, where should I start?" he asks, my hand taking the ring off my finger.

"Stallone and what happened after that," I say, his head nodding.

"So, after Liam took you, you heard the gunshot right?" he asks, my head nodding. I hate that memory.

"It went into my shoulder and then Stallone collapsed from the fumes. I struggled to put pressure on my shoulder and I shot the son of a bitch like twenty times, then ran into the capsule as quick as I could. It survived the bomb and I struggled to see. I woke up in Ed's room and he told me I had to leave because of your state. It pained me to think that you were upset and that you thought I was gone, so I hid in my old mate's house. I grew a beard and wore dark clothes so you wouldn't recognize me. I watched over you all the time because I needed to make sure you were okay."

His hand runs through his long hair and he shrugs off his coat and hoodie, lifting his shirt to show me his recent scar.

"The stitches just came out. It was so deep and the doctor had no idea how I lived."

It looks horrific. Absolutely painful to look at.

He sits back down. "While I was getting the stitches out, you were wheeled in on a stretcher. I was scared shitless and I asked the nurse to see you. I saw your father. I faked an American accent and made my voice higher to ask if I could see you. He said you've barely talked in a month so I walked back to see you. It broke my heart to see you that way. You had a heart attack and I just sat there for a good hour, looking at you and holding your hand. I wished I could see your smile."

My lips part and I recall my father saying he saw someone familiar. Then Zayn and Niall were freaking out. Everything makes sense.

"You talked to me and I was so afraid you'd recognize me. I didn't want you to see me yet. I wasn't prepared," he says, my lips smiling.

"Oh, yeah, Mr. No Name," I smile, his lips releasing a laugh.

"I was so nervous. You have a dog," he says, my head nodding.

"My father got him to protect me. He likes you. He hates men but you he likes."

He nods and runs his fingers against his beard, my eyes glancing at his pink lips.

"I can't get over how different you look," I say, his eyes meeting mine.

"I can't believe you didn't recognize me."

"You were practically hidden. The accent you portrayed did you justice since you were hiding."

He smiles and I stand up, his legs moving up as well. I nearly collide into him and he looks down at me, my eyes looking away from him.

"Leslie, I want to come with you," he says, my hand taken in his.

"Okay," I whisper, his green eyes looking down at me.

"I'm not ready to talk to them. I just want it to be us. Like how it used to be," he says, my heart beating quickly.

"Then be with me," I whisper, his eyes meeting mine as he stares at me. He smiles and we walk out of the apartment hand in hand. I lead him down the street and he surprisingly still smells like his musky cologne, his long hair shoved into a beanie again. We enter the hall and Harry stays behind me, multiple stares on him. But he ignores them, my head turning to look up at Harry.