Harry's POV
I felt a strong hit on my face and I quickly flinched, "What in the hell?" I said turning and sitting up.
"The fuck you doing Harold?" Niall yelled whispered at me.
"What do you mean mate? I was sleeping obviously!" I yelled whispered back.
"Why are you in bed with Macie?!"
"What?" I said completely confused, feeling my eyes widen, and when I turned around Macie was still peacefully sleeping, "Mate, I honestly don't know? I don't remember jack shit."
He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged, "Will you both shut up." We both turned to look at Macie, "Niall you knocked out taking up all of Harry's bed. So he slept here, over the covers I might add. Now shut up and go back to sleep."
She turned over in bed, both Niall and I looking at each other before bursting out into laughter. I got up and switched beds with Niall. I turned away from them and took a deep breath, hoping that when we finally did tell Niall about us, it wasn't anything like the start of this moment.
—
Maggie's POV
We made our way into the Anne Frank house. I kept trying to keep distance between Harry and I after this morning. Niall sounded so upset when he saw Harry in bed with me. Even if it was innocent. Even if he laughed about it after, I felt so guilty.
I looked at all the displays, listening to the audio through the headphones. It was so touching, all of it. I read this book more times than I could count and every time I wished it would have ended differently.
We finally made our way up to the bookcase door, and the empty annex. I teared up a bit at the site and took a deep breath as the boys finally caught up. I took the headphones out, "Thanks for coming with me guys."
"You would read the book so much, I knew it would mean a lot to you." Niall smiled putting his arm around me.
"Yeah, at least once a month. Did you see the actually diary on display?" I said up at him and he nodded.
"Was the diary what you pictured it to look like?" Harry said quietly, not making eye contact with me. I know he had noticed my distance, every time he tried to get close, I would push further away.
"Well I had searched up pictures, but, no, not at all." I smiled small at him, and eventually his eyes met mine.
They looked sad, and I hated it. I didn't want him sad. I just felt the guilt of lying to my brother. I hated every part of it. I wanted nothing more than to stop lying to him and just come clean, but it would never work, and there was so much tour to go.
"Well imma start heading down, take your time Mace. Hazza you coming?"
"In a sec, just gunna take it in a bit more." He said at him and Niall nodded disappearing down the stairs. Once he was gone he moved closer to me, and said softly, "I know it's not the place, but, are you upset with me? About going out last night? I don't remember getting home...did I say or do something?"
"Hazza, no, it's not that. It's just, how upset Niall got this morning. The guilt has been eating away at me." I took a deep breath crossing my arms in front of me.
"I'm sorry Macie. We can....we can try and tell—No Haz, there is too much of the tour left. You all already have Zayn to deal with. Just, no." I bit my lip, "It's fine. We will figure it out later, okay? Not the time or place."
He nodded and we both turned and started making our way back down and out.
When we reached the area out side of the museum, I walked out and pulled out my camera, taking a quick shot down the canal.
I turned to where Harry and Niall stood taking a quit shot of them. They turned and looked at me and I took another of them, "Come here, I want one of the three of us."
They made their way over to me, and Harry having the longest arms took one of the three of us, "You want one with Ni?"
I smiled and nodded, "Oh please, mum would love it. Take two for good measure."
Niall and I posed in front of the canal and smiled as Harry took the photos. He walked back over handing me the camera, "Still the best present Haz, thank you."
"Oh, he got you that? Didn't even know you wanted one." Niall said looking at the camera then at me.
"Niall, I've been talking about it all break, but it's fine. Point is, I got it." I smiled looking down at my camera and admiring it.
"Hazza, you gotta help me out, now I just look like a mug." Niall hit Harry's arm softly and Harry shrugged.
"I felt like being the best gift giver this birthday." He chuckled and Niall rolled his eyes causing me to laugh.
"Alright, well, I, promised a nice young lady I would meet her for a late lunch, so I must leave you both." Niall said hugging me again.
"Ni! We still have the Van Gough museum." I pouted.
"That's why I have a best mate who's an awesome babysitter." he joked and I pushed away.
"I don't need a babysitter thank you very much." I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
"Mace, I'm just teasing, but really, I figured you could just go with Haz. If he wants, if not then I guess I'll reschedule."
"No it's fine, I don't have anything else planned."
"I know, it's been glorious, Styles cuts out women, my game suddenly increases." He hit Harry's chest playfully and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Can we just stop it with the women thing already. I get it, I gave up women, let's move on from it shall we." Harry said, obviously frustrated.
"Don't worry Haz, it's just Niall's way of deflecting what a who—hey little lady watch it!" Niall interrupted me and I couldn't help but laugh, Harry joining in.
"Alright, alright go, don't keep your lady waiting." I waved him off and he laughed, pressing his hands together in front of him, pretending to bow to us, mouthing "thank you".
He turned and walked off, I bit my lip shaking my head. I turned to Harry, and he turned to me. Both with serious looks on our faces, that slowly turned into smiles. I chuckled softly and he soon joined.
"Mace, I can't. I simply cannot stay away from you now. I understand the guilt you feel. I do, I just, I can't go back to square one with you. I just — Harry, I know. I don't want to either. I just got scared a bit today, and probably will continue to get scared a bit when things like this morning happen. Just, imagine if we would of noticed we were holding hands?"
I shook my head and looked away from him, watching people walk past the canals. He stepped towards me, and pushed my hair behind my ear, "I know. We will be more careful."
"This isn't being more careful. Out in public and you doing this." I said, looking up at him and stepping back a bit.
"You're right. Sorry. I just....let's just go to the museum." He pressed his lips together, starting to walk past me.
"Haz." I turned to where he was walking off.
"Yeah Mace?" He stopped and turned to me.
"It's this way." I pointed behind me with my head and smiled, and soon we both laughed.
As hard as this situation was, I couldn't be mad at him. I couldn't be any different with him. I didn't know how to be anything other than myself with Harry, and that was the best part of this. I never had to change anything. He had seen me in my horrible teens. Braces, acne. Yet, he still looked at me like I was something brand new everyday.
He made his way back over and as he started to walk past me I reached for his arm quickly, wrapping my hand around the bend of his elbow, "Don't walk so fast, long legs, but slow walker." I smiled as I caught up walking next to him, never moving my hand.
—
Harry's POV
Macie sat on the couch, sniffling. I could here it clear as day when I walked in. I walked over and sat in front of her, folding up one leg on the couch.
"Hey, you okay?" I said softly.
"Ummm, I will be." She said wiping her nose on the back of her hand.
"What happened Mace?"
"It's just. Before we graduated, my friends and I, we planned a big trip you know. All of us together to celebrate never going back to that place. Well, they are all on that trip, and I guess I wasn't included." I watched as more tears fell from her eyes. She quickly reached up to wipe them looking away from me.
"Please don't tell Niall. He'll make a scene as if this isn't already his fault for sleeping with my friends." She cried softly and I reached up, turning her face to me and then placing my other hand on her other cheek. I wiped away her tears with my thumbs, her gaze still avoiding mine.
"You know I never tell him what we talk about Mace. I'm sorry about this situation, it must feel horrid, but shame on them. They also chose to sleep with him. They can't punish you for that."
Her gaze finally came to mine, and I hated how sad her eyes looked. She nodded softly and I reluctantly let go of her face.
She reached up and wiped her face more, "God I'm such a mess." She sniffled and smiled small at me.
"A beautiful one. So that counts for something right?" I half smiled at her, and her already pink cheeks grew red.
"If you say so." She said with a slight squeak to her voice.
I chuckled and bit my lip, "So I'm going to stay in tonight, and I have a plan."
"No, Haz, don't stay in cause of this, Niall is going to be so upset if you bail again."
"He'll be fine, I know for a fact he's meeting up again with a girl from yesterday's outing. So shhhh, and let me explain my plan."
She laughed and nodded, hugging her legs to her chest. She rested her chin on her knees looking up at me.
"So we are going to plan your dream trip. From start to finish, even if it isn't real. The flights, the hotel, the events, and pretend we are booking everything."
"What?" She giggled, sitting up more straight.
"I do this on tour all the time, when I can't explore a place I wanted too, it wish I had more free time, I plan out what I would do if I did. It makes me feel so much better for some reason."
She bit her lip, narrowing her eyes at me, and then a small smile played on her lips, "Okay, let's do it!"
We ordered food in, Chinese, as we did most times. We sat on the floor, and planned her trip. An early morning flight to New York so she arrived in time for check in. She of course chose the most expensive hotel, on the very top floor. We picked out restaurants, Broadway shows, museums and mapped it all out on a fake calendar we made. She kept bursting into laughter when I told her there wasn't enough hours in a day to realistically do some of the things she wanted to do, followed by her saying, "Well it's my trip Harold, I'll make the time."
I found so much joy in how her face slowly lit up, the blue twinkle in her eyes quickly appearing again. Her laugh filled my ears and it would take a complete idiot to deny how hard I was falling for her.