Similar Differences (Harry Styles Fanfiction) (CURRENTLY EDITING)

Chapter 38

Shockingly, after my coaxing he gave in and joined me. We laid down next to each other and I wrapped my arms around his hard chest. He stared at the ceiling for a while and then I heard his breathing come to a steady rhythm. As he drifted into sleep, he muttered a barely audible, "Thank you."

It always surprised me when he would thank me or apologize. He would always say in such a soft and unsure tone. I didn't know if it was embarrassment or if he just didn't know how to say such things, but nonetheless I found it very sweet whenever he did.

I looked up at him, and his face looked so peaceful. The crease in his brow had eased and he wasn't frowning, for once. But, he still looked so unwell and pale. I was glad that he was able to fall asleep, and thought that maybe it'd help him feel better. Distractedly, I traced his tattoos with my pointer finger through his thin shirt.

*****

Harry had been asleep for over an hour and I didn't want to wake him, but my mother texted me because she wanted me home so we could go see Liam. I was surprised she hadn't called freaking out, but I didn't question it. Anyway, Liam was going to be leaving the hospital today. They decided that he was healing well, and he wouldn't need surgery. That made me so relieved.

"Harry," I whispered to him, not intending to wake him fully. I just wanted to say goodbye quickly because I couldn't bring myself to leave him without doing so. As I waited for some bit of acknowledgement, I mindlessly ran my fingertips over his shoulder.

"Mhhh." he groaned and rolled over, burying his face into the pillow adorably.

"I've got to go. I'm visiting Liam at the hospital." I said in the softest voice.

"Okay." he murmured, not bothering to move. I rolled my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

"Don't I get a goodbye?" I said with a giggle and poked at his side. He jerked sideways a bit.

"Oh, yeah. Bye." he replied sassily, turning over to smirk at me. His low and raspy sleepy voice was the sweetest sound. And, although I know I hated his sarcastic attitude at first, it was beginning to grow on me.

I began to get up from the bed, telling Harry to call me later if he wanted to.
"Oh, and Bethany?" he said as I began to reach for the door. "Come back for a second."

I figured he'd probably do something sarcastic and cheeky like say "hi" or something. But, when I returned over to him, he sat up in the bed and looked into my eyes for a moment. He grabbed my hands and pulled me a bit closer. My heart fluttered in my chest, and then he kissed me gently while running a thumb over the back of my hand. For the moment everything just seemed to fall into place once again. I smiled into the kiss and he pulled away a moment later, leaving me longing for more. I loved the feeling of his lips on mine, and the high that accompanied it.

He gazed at me for another minute, and I took advantage of the chance to stare back into his lovely green eyes. I couldn't tell what his expression was of, as usual, but I hoped he was feeling the same way I was. I desperately hoped this wouldn't be some sort of game. "Goodbye." he then said with his famous smirk.

"Yeah, um, bye." I mumbled awkwardly as I left, almost walking into the door.Why couldn't I be as collected as he was about these things? Ah, yes. Probably because I had absolutely no experience with any sort of intimacy, and Harry most likely did, judging by his actions. The way he always got so close, and breathed on to my neck, and those sorts of seemingly casual actions of his proved the fact that Harry knew how to make a girl get flustered. I tried to avoid the clawing feeling in my chest when I thought of Harry with other girls as I padded down the hallway and texted my mom back. Then, I looked up and saw Zayn on the couch, watching TV.

"Hey, do you think you could give me a ride home? If not, it's okay, but-" I began.

"Yeah, of course." he insisted kindly and stood up. He grabbed his keys from the hook by the door and we got into the car. "So," he spoke as we drove along. "You and Harry..."

"What about us?" I asked, wondering what Zayn thought we were.

"You're together?"

I scoffed. "No. I don't know what we are. But I'm okay with that for now, I guess."
I wasn't going to push Harry for any sort of commitment, because I wasn't even ready for anything like that myself. I liked the pace we were at.

Zayn nodded, and the rest of the ride was pretty quiet.

When I arrived at my house, I thanked Zayn and waved at him when I reached my door. I walked inside, expecting some sort of interrogation from my mom about why I hadn't texted her all day, but that wasn't the case. I think she had finally accepted that I was wise enough to make my own decisions, and was actually beginning to hand over the reigns of my life that she used to hold with a death-grip.

"Hi honey!" she chirped as she entered the room. "Are you ready to go or would you like to eat something first?"

I shook my head. "I'm not hungry."

We got into the car and made our way to the hospital.

"So," she began. "I know it may seem odd, but Liam's doctor advised that he stay with someone for a week or two to make sure that his lung is healing well. Liam asked me if it'd be okay if he stayed with us because you know how his parents are... is that okay with you?"

"Of course!" I replied. I was actually happy that Liam would be staying with us again. I'd be able to make everything up to him by helping him.

When we got to Liam's room, he gave a small hello. He was wearing a loose tee shirt and sweat pants, rather than the hospital gown he wore just a few days ago.

"How are you?" I asked.

"Sore and exhausted, but I'm okay." he said. I could tell he wanted to get out of there.

"The doctor just came in and said that he's free to go. We were just waiting for you guys to arrive." his mother said to us.

"Okay, I'll go pull the car around." my mom said and exited the room.
Mrs. Payne handed me a bag that she had packed for Liam with stuff that she had retrieved from his house, and then we all left the room. As we walked, I kept a slow place next to Liam to support him in case he started to feel tired. We made our way out of the hospital, and Liam said goodbye to his father and then hugged his mother.

As we got into the car, him in the passenger seat and I in the back, I asked "How did you tell them you want to stay with us?"

"I was honest. I told them it'd be more comfortable for me."

I nodded. My mom began to drive, and the drive was quiet. I looked out the window at the trees beside the road. As I zoned out, exhaustion engulfed me and I fell asleep again.

~A/N~

Eeeeep. Harry's being so cutesy. I love writing those bits so much. I hope you love reading them!

How is everyone?
I'm cold and sooo tired. It's super late so there might be typos but I really wanted to update this tonight!!

As you may have seen, I've changed the cover for the story! I know it's not the best, but compared to the last one, I think it's a lot better! Let me know your thoughts!

Also, my friend started writing a Louis fanfic, so you should go check that out :) It's called "Can I Trust You Again?"
[[I forget her user, but on the cover of the story, her name is Colleen!]]

Also alsoooo, 1.9k reads and 96 votes- AHHHHH! Please help me get to 2k reads and 100 votes! 💖 I love you allll.

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-Noelle💕