"Harry was on stage and completely just slipped.. fell right on his back," Niall laughed loud enough to clear the birds from the surrounding trees. His unique and contagious laughter had Clementine giggling along with the drunk men as she grabbed her sides. She had not laughed this much in a long time, the ache in her stomach felt new and welcoming.
The group of men had been telling embarrassing stories about Harry for the last hour. Clementine couldn't pin point if Harry was red from the sun or the embarrassment running through him. "I didn't know you were so clumsy Harry," the blonde nudged his side while he scowled back at her.
She had been laughing a little too hard at everything Niall was saying, and they were having such a great time building the tent together. Harry longed to be Niall as he watched the blonde giggle uncontrollably. He wondered if he ever made her laugh this hard.
"You alright?," her gray eyes flashed with concern as she looked him over, arms crossed like a child with a frown. He was jealous of his own mate talking to a girl that wasn't even technically his. Harry was uncontrollably jealous and he didn't know why, Niall wasn't flirting he was friendly like this to everyone.
Harry nodded shortly with a tight smile on his lips, he was being completely ridiculous.
"You got a keeper mate, she's great," Niall leaned over to whisper to the curly haired man, the alcohol clear on his breath. Harry peaked over at Clementine talking to Zayn who was laughing gently at a story the blonde was telling. "Zayn usually doesn't warm up that easily to people, you know his anxiety is really bad with new people."
It was true. The dark haired man had trouble getting to know new people or even just trying to interact. Being in One Direction had taken the biggest effect on him, he rarely slept and was continually bullied by the management.
"Well it seems as if you aren't having trouble warming up to her," Harry's words were backhanded and completely uncalled for. But he couldn't help himself, when Mitch had tried to force himself onto Clementine it left a bad taste in his mouth.
Niall immediately stopped smiling and gave Harry a stern glance, "Harry...," the blonde irishman gives his friend a warning before turning back to look at Louis.
"We're your best mates think about what you are trying to say," Louis spoke in a hushed voice as Clementine spoke to both Liam and Zayn. Blue eyes connecting with green as Harry realized the hurt that he caused Niall.
He didn't want to accuse Niall and have him acting odd toward Clementine or even himself. "I'm sorry Niall I just...," he glanced over at the small blonde as she threw her head back in laughter at Liam.
"I don't want anyone to take her away from me again."
Niall and Louis gave each other a glance before the blonde clasped a hand on his shoulder firmly. "I don't think anyone could take her if they tried," he nudged his head to the right and Harry looked over to find her gaze already on him.
Clementine's gray eyes shined with adoration as a smile grew on her plump lips. She had been watching his expressions change as he spoke to the two men sitting beside him. His face changed from anger to guilt to sadness and she loved watching each one. Each expression held its own quirks, whether it was a raised eyebrow or an indent popped out from his cheek. She loved to watch him.
A small heat took over the bridge of her nose as she turned back to look at Zayn. Clementine wasn't sure the past couple week whether Harry was the right path in her life. But as she spent more time around him she realized she never had a choice.
Her path was always leading her right back to him.
——
Harry had disappeared into the tent fairly early in the evening, Clementine sitting at the fire with Eleanor as they spoke to the boys.
"Where is Harry?," the blonde looked up to Niall as he stood, the rest of them doing the same. It was getting late and the traveling it took to get here took a toll on all of them.
Niall smiled as he patted the small blondes head, "He resides in his tent where he can be grumpy freely with no repercussions," Clementine chuckled gently before rolling her eyes.
"Why would he be grumpy?," the question made Niall's smile drop and immediately he shrugged his shoulders.
"Just make sure you tell him how funny I am."
Clementine gave him one last laugh before moving toward the large tent that they built together. She unzipped the fabric and plopped down on the floor as she looked at the man laying flat on his back.
"You having fun?," his voice was deflated and slightly tired as she zipped up the tent behind her.
She placed a smirk on her lips before speaking, "Yeah Niall is absolutely hilarious," Clementine watched as horror crossed Harry's features before sitting up.
The look on his face was priceless and Clementine immediately crossed her arms, "If you wanted me to meet them why would you get jealous and hide away when I try to get to know them?," she didn't understand Harry's intentions and she most definitely didn't understand why he was acting like a child.
Harry let out a huffed breath while avoiding her eye contact, "I just want to make you as happy as I can...It just kind of makes me uneasy to see other guys doing what I want to be doing," his explanation made sense but left her even more confused.
"Niall isn't just some guy...he's on of your best friends and he would never hit on me right in front of you."
Harry laughed, "Well I thought that of Mitch too," Clementine felt her cheeks heat slightly at the scene that made her uncomfortable.
The blonde crawled slightly closer to Harry as she spoke, "There is no one who can make me feel the way you do...and I've tried to convince myself I don't need the feeling you give me to be happy but..," she bit the inside of her cheek as she looked up at him from under her eyelashes.
"I don't know if I want to live without it," Harry's stomach hopped as she admitted to the same feelings he felt whenever she was around. A feeling no one else could give him.
He had things reserved for Clementine just as she did for him.
Harry lent forward on his hands as she stayed frozen, noses touching as he let a smile pull onto his lips. She was terrified.
"Don't be scared...I have you...you're safe," Harry's lips brushed hers as she took in a deep breath of air, her heart banging against her chest. Was she ready to surrender herself into him?
Clementine's eyelashes fluttered as she relaxed slightly, his hand reaching up to caress her sunburnt cheek. He never wanted to feel anyone else's touch but hers, nothing else in the world mattered.
"Kiss me," her whispered words were feverish and timid as she figured out just what she wanted. Him.
Two words caused more happiness than anything in his life time, head moving forward to connect their lips for the first time in years. Her fingertips running up his chest to tangle into the curls she's longed to touch for years.
Harry's hands burned holes on her sides as he pushed her to lay backward, his lips never daring to leave hers. Her kiss was intoxicating and she was breathing life into him without even knowing it.
They both had never wanted anything more in that moment than each other. And for the first time in three years they finally got exactly what they desired.
