Kryptonite ;One Direction;

Chapter Forty-Three: Sick Little Games

"It's a much better upgrade," he teased. "Come on, we're gonna grab some drinks at Starbucks and then head out to the stadium."

"I still can't believe none of you had the decency to tell me," I huffed as I grabbed my phone. He offered his hand to me in a friendly manner. I smiled and took ahold of it. Sure, Zayn had a great body, but it didn't have the affect that Harry's did. I didn't get butterflies when Zayn touched me, or even locked eyes with me. I missed Harry's large, warm hands more than ever. And it killed me to only have to look up and see his fingers interlocked with Elizabeth's.

As we all crammed into the elevator, the others finally joining us, a small silence passed. Elizabeth was looking lovingly at Harry and he returned the look. Louis's eyes flickered back from Elizabeth and Harry, then finally me. Niall, Liam, and Zayn however, kept a steady gaze on me just to make sure I was okay. I flashed them a small smile as we descended floors. At last we reached outside and Harry let go of Elizabeth, whispering something in her ear. I rolled my eyes in disgust, pushing past the love sick couple without a second thought only to be tugged on by Liam. "You're Tina, remember?" He said lowly, lightly shoving me in Harry's direction, who was now thankfully disconnected from Elizabeth.

No words were exchanged as he wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pulling me close as I made a performance of being cold. I shivered like a cold puppy, breathing and rubbing my hands together as Harry and I walked together. Photographers appeared out of nowhere, catching me off guard momentarily before I turned to Harry and mustered up the fakest smile I could give. Questions were shot back and forth, most about Elizabeth but Niall did the smart thing and shouted she was one of many cousins. They all quickly believed him, not giving her a second glance as she fell into step with us. 

The door was held upon for us, Harry letting me in first before hopping in the back with me. I clenched my jaw as Louis slid in next to Harry, sending me an apologetic look as the rest of the boys climbed in, and finally Elizabeth. As chatter emersed between them, I found myself left out. Even Niall was talking to Elizabeth with a smile on his face. Zayn and Liam were joking about something while Louis and Harry were in a deep conversation. What happened? Everyone was leaving me. Little did I know everything would spiral down from here.

We pulled up to Starbucks in no time, everyone filed out to get some. When I didn't budge, Louis turned around, his eyebrows pulling together. "Aren't you coming?"

"I'm not really in the mood." I stated dryly, looking away from his crystal blue eyes. God only knows it would only take me a couple of seconds looking into those deep orbs before breaking down completely. 

"Harry," Louis called. "Get me my regular," he said like a princess before he hopped into the van and closed the door behind him. "Chris," he spoke softly as he slid in the seat next to me. "You know you can tell me what's really bothering, even though I have an inkling of what it is."

I let out a shaky breath, glancing up for only a second before ripping away my gaze. "I just wish I never said yes to this girlfriend thing. I hate myself so much, Lou. I hate myself because... because I want to be selfish. I want Harry to ditch Elizabeth, the girl that obviously makes him so happy that he can't fucking contain that smile of his, for me. Someone whose just a filler. I just-" I got caught on my own words. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to trap the already falling liquid that ran down my cheeks. "I'm so sick of it, I jus-jus-"

"Shh," Louis finally cut in as he scooped me into his arms. "Calm down, breathe," his voice danced in the air. "I know you're hurt, Chris. We all are. It kills me to have to watch this and the battle your having... and it's only the second day. Things will get better, I promise you." Louis's hand reached up and stroked my hair as I cried into his neck. As much as I loved Louis, I wasn't satisfied. He didn't hold me the way I wanted to be held. His body didn't fit with mine perfectly. Everything felt so wrong and it was all my fault. "Take a deep breathe, Chris. Just try to forget about Harry for the next few days. He isn't... himself right now." Louis pulled away, taking my face in his hands and rubbing my cheek. He swipped his thumb under my eyelids, smiling all the while. When he opened his mouth to say something, the door swung open to reveal a giggling Elizabeth, scooting back into her original seat. Zayn, Liam, and Niall all piled into the middle again, Niall sending me a cautious look. Harry was the last one in, balancing two drinks and closing the door. He sat next to Elizabeth, turning around to hand Louis his coffee. Our eyes met for a second, an unreadible expression crossing his features before he turned back around to pay his girlfriend more attention.