HARRY
Somehow, I managed to sleep that night without nightmares riddling it. I sat up and rubbed my eyes, and for a few blissful seconds, I thought I was still at home with Chelsea next to me. But she wasn't there, the sheets were empty and cold. I checked my phone, seeing a long list of missed calls. Eleven from Louis, a few each from the other boys, a few from Paul, and even a couple from my mom. I knew I should've replied, especially to the one from my mom, but I was definitely not in the mood. Besides, the boys were flying out in a few days, they could talk to me then. All I wanted to do was sleep, and so I did. There was no one to tell me not to. I curled back up under the sheets, snuggling up to a pillow and listening to the man on T.V drone on and on about something. Cars, maybe? The large wall clock hanging above the bed kept ticking and ticking, until I lost sense of time. I heard people's footsteps down the hall, and the humming of the air conditioner as it turned on and off, but everything else was silent.
Soon, I woke up. The curtains were still drawn over so I couldn't tell what time it was. Good. The T.V was still playing, now showing clips of people tripping over fake bananas. It wasn't funny to me though, it seemed nothing was. I resisted the urge to grab my phone and call Chelsea, she didn't deserve that. It would be the best for everyone if I just disappeared off the face of the earth, but since that couldn't happen, I would stay away from her. I would stay away from everyone.
***
My plan only lasted for two days. Pathetic, huh?
Maybe that was a good thing. I was safely stowed away under blankets, with the door locked and curtains drawn. I didn't answer any calls though I did tweet a harmless little 'hi' so no one worried about me too much. Because that would make them think of me, and that didn't help my staying away plan. Everything was going swimmingly. The boys had stopped calling, my mom resorted to a text every night, no one was looking for me. And although it hurt that they didn't keep trying to contact me, I knew it was for the best, and I knew it had to be done. It was all perfect, until someone knocked at my door.
That had happened a few times before and I simply kept quiet until they left, but this person wouldn't stop. Over and over they knocked, and knocked, and knocked. They would laugh occasionally, and say "We know you're in there," but they didn't leave, until I felt like the knocking would drive me crazy. But maybe I was already crazy.
"What the fuck do you want!?" I finally yelled, swinging the door open.
"Took you long enough," a familiar face said. It took me a few seconds before I realized they were Tyler and Dylan, they looked different. Their hair was longer and messier than the baby quiff they had before, they were a lot tanner, and Dylan had a small amount of stubble. Without an invitation, they stepped in and closed the door. I sighed and ran my hands over my face, knowing that there was no way I could physically force them out. First off, there were two of them, and they were both taller and probably stronger than me.
"What do you want?" I sighed, feeling as though they had defeated me in some way.
"Listen up. When I let Chelsea move in with you, I expected you to take care of her, and watch over her. I expected you to make her happy, keep her smiling, and love her. And that was all going well, until recently. How fucking stupid are you?" Tyler yelled. "You go to your ex's apartment, after agreeing to get lunch with her."
"I... She..."
"Grow a pair of balls, and say no!" Dylan growled, leaning forwards threateningly.
"I..." I had no words to defend myself, because they were right.
"And after that, you have the nerve to dance with her, and come home drunk? Fuck no! No one gets to treat her like that and get away with it."
"I... I'll stay away..." He shoved me into the wall behind me, none too gently.
"No, you listen up. She is not a toy to play with, and leave after you broke it. You're going to fly back and make this right, or god help me, I will make your life miserable. I will find you." Then I was mad. Who was he to talk to me like that? He wasn't Chelsea, he was only her best friend.
"And why should I listen to you?" I snarled. He stepped back, looking at me darkly.
"Because I have been in love with her for seven years. And if you don't fix it with her, guess who's turn it is?" He pointed at himself. "Mine." He shoved a book in my hands, and with a dark glare from Dylan, they left. I looked down, seeing the small book Chelsea had given me for Christmas. I left it at my apartment... How did they get it? I sighed and flipped to the first page, seeing a picture of us at Nando's that time we went out for lunch, and a small note next to it.
He's talking more, which is good, right? He's like a puzzle. I flipped a few more pages in, and saw a picture of me curled up in bed.
He wasn't thinking about anything today, just laying there happily. It was the first time I had seen that happen. The next one was a picture of me on the beach.
That was the day he had a panic attack. I was so scared, but he was fine. It didn't happen again as far as I know. There were so many pictures and memories, some happy, some not so happy.
"Seven years, huh?" I mumbled under my breath, letting out a deep sigh. He was right, I needed to go back, and fix things up. I grabbed a bag and put a change of clothes and my phone, before heading out again, flying back to London.
CHELSEA
"Ow, ow ow ow!" I said, pushing Louis off me with my unwrapped hand.
"Sorry, sorry sorry!" he said quickly, forgetting about my wrist. Turns out, it was broken.
"Don't worry about it. Maybe I should get a different coloured cast so you can actually see me," I mused.
"Or you could get a boyfriend who won't break your wrist," he muttered under his breath. I pursed my lips and smacked him.
"You said you wouldn't give him a hard time about it."
"But I don't see him here, do you? How can you just... forgive that easily?" I bit my lip and looked down.
"Because when you love someone, you forgive them."
"I... You're just too good of a person," he sighed, fixing his hair unnecessarily. "I'm gonna miss you. Are you leaving tomorrow or the day after?"
"Tomorrow. I'm off to Japan!" I couldn't stop the grin that took over my face. "Liam said he'd take care of LaBoom right?"
"Yeah."
"You should go now, it's getting late and Niall's back soon anyways."
"Are you sure?" I nodded. I had been staying at Niall's apartment for the past few days, it felt weird to stay at Harry's. And instead of going to Manchester and moping around for weeks, I thought it'd be good to go to Japan and get my mind off him. "Okay. I'll see you soon right?"
"I... I don't know Louis. I don't think I'll go visit while you're on tour, but give me a call if you're ever back in London and we'll see, okay?"
"But why can't you visi-"
"Louis, we talked about this already. I'll miss you." I got up and showed him to the door, squeezing him in a tight hug because I wasn't planning on seeing him again anytime soon. "Take care of him for me, please?" I whispered. He nodded reluctantly, knowing who I meant. "Promise?"
"Promise." He waved, sending a tight smile and a little shoulder shrug. I closed the door and sank back into the couch with a sigh. It didn't feel right, it was too stiff, not soft like the one at Harry's place. A knocking on the door startled me. I opened it, thinking it was probably Niall forgetting his keys. I froze in shock at who was there, before slamming the door in his face and leaning against it.
"Chelsea?" Harry called out softly. "Can you open the door again?" I took in a deep breath before opening the slightest sliver. "Can I come in?"
"I... I guess." It wasn't the most welcoming hello, but I didn't care.
"I... So are you living here now?"
"Why should I tell you?" He looked down sheepishly.
"I don't know, really. I'm sorry, Chelsea," he mumbled. "I want you back."
"First of all, you never even broke up with me because you were a coward and ran." Biting his lip, he looked down. I could tell tears were rimming his eyes, making me feel more than guilty. "Second of all, sorry doesn't do a thing." I grabbed a ceramic plate from the cupboard. "Here," I said, putting it in his hands. "Now drop it."
"What?"
"Drop it." He let go, making it shatter into large, jagged pieces.
"Now say sorry to it."
"Sorry plate," he said, a small amount of humour lacing his voice.
"Is it fixed? Can you eat off it now?" The humour in his eyes left when he realized what I was getting at.
"No... But I can fix it. With some glue, and some time, I can fix it," he mumbled, before wrapping his arms around me quickly and kissing the top of my head. "I'll fix this, I promise," he cried, running out the door.
"Not exactly what I was thinking," I mumbled, returning to my spot on the couch.
"Chelsea? Chelsea, ya gotta see this!" Niall said, shaking my shoulders gently.
"What time is it?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.
"1:34," he replied, as if it was a totally normal time to be awake. He set his MacBook on my lap and pressed play on a video. Harry's face showed up on the screen.
"Chelsea, I need you to go up to our flat. On our bed, there's a note and I would love for you to read it. Please, please do this. I know it's late, but I really need you to do it." I sighed, but I knew I needed to give him a chance. I grabbed a hoodie and changed into a pair of jeans. I did as he said, finding the note. Immediately, I knew it was ripped out of his little brown journal.
I'm thinking about ending it. I mean, there's no point to keep living. No one loves me, no one will love me as much as Michelle did. I don't feel anything, I just want it to be over. I just want to be awake without thinking of her, but I don't know if that'll ever happen, and I don't have the patience to wait. So maybe there's just no point in living anymore. Right? I let out a shaky breath. I never knew he had ever even thought of suicide. There was another page underneath it.
I met this girl only a few days ago, and now she's staying with me in England. Sometimes I still think of Michelle, but when I'm with her, she's what I think about. It's such a relief. She makes me feel like I'm okay just being myself. I never feel like I need to dress up or take her out to dinner. But I guess we're not dating, so that's normal. There was one more note, this time it was written on black paper with a white marker.
Go to the kitchen, I have a surprise for you. H. xx I headed down. There was a latte with a beautiful heart design from the cream poured in. I smiled and sipped it while reading the next note.
I think I love her. Well no, I know I love her. I feel the same way I used to about Michelle, but more strongly. Does that make sense? I just want her with me all the time. I love waking up next her, and I love cuddling, and I can tell her anything. Even when there's nothing else to do, we can still talk for forever. And I'm happier now too. I don't think I'm back to the way I was, but I know I'm happier. When I'm alone at night, I don't think about killing myself, or hurting myself. I just think of her. A salty tear dripped down my cheek. There was a gorgeous picture of the two of us standing in front of the sunset.
Maybe all this has convinced you enough to meet me at the park? The one we were at on our first date. H. xx I set out to find him. I had thrown his leather jacket on over my hoodie and put on a warm toque, but it was still cold. I didn't see Harry, but I did see a white table set in the middle of the snow, with red Christmas lights strung around it. On the table was another note, freshly written.
The last two, or was it three days, have been hell without Chelsea. I knew I shouldn't have left, but she didn't deserve to have to deal with me for any longer. I didn't feel anything but sadness, just like after my breakup with Michelle. I thought it'd be best to stay away from her, until someone showed up at my door. He told me what I was missing out on, and he told me what I had to do. So I did it. That was all it said.
"And that's why I'm here now," Harry said, sitting beside me on the little bench. "And I'm so sorry. I was a coward and I ran because I thought it'd be easier. I was stupid because I thought you didn't want an apology. And I want you back so badly Chelsea, it hurts. I never stopped loving you, and I know you still love me."
O.O I just saw the weirdest Herbal Essences commercial... Yeah. Anyways, almost to the last chapter! I'm thinking of doing a few one-shots at the end... maybe. Who knows? Please vote and comment if you enjoyed the chapter!
Next Chapter will be on Monday, September 9th.