66.
●•Scarlett•●
It was not any warmer than what it’d been all week; it was maybe a bit colder, actually. The temperature kept dangerously going down, the sky numb, dark and filled with heavy clouds, snow getting thicker by the moment. Every single touchable surface was a block of ice, and the gloves I was wearing didn’t help much when it came to the warming purpose.
“You sure it’s safe to get into that plane?” I murmured to Tyler, waiting for his flight to be announced, sitting by his side and watching as people ran around, desperate, cursing the whole world because their flight had been canceled. Which didn’t happen to Ty, for the records. “I’m not sure the sky is good, and, you know.”
He chuckled softly, patting my back and running his fingers gently through my hair. His arm looped loosely around my shoulders and brought me closer to press a warm kiss to my forehead, the feeling lingering there for a while more before the cold hit my skin again.
“S’all fine, K. I’ll be fine, don’t worry,” he assured, not letting go of me just yet. “If it wasn’t safe they would’ve warned us. It’s going to be just fine.”
And, well, yeah. But I was a bit freaked out, if I’m honest. I’d never travelled by plane and the mere thought just scared the hell out of me; being a billion feet away from the ground and all that sh–t. Disaster movies didn’t help either, and I’d watched a fair amount of those next to Tyler and sometimes even his friends. It was pathetic, maybe, but I couldn’t bring myself to care right now.
“K. I’m serious,” Tyler laughed again, squeezing me tight. “I’m gonna be fine. Promise I’ll call you as soon as I land, okay? Gonna keep you updated, yeah?”
“You know I know nothing about that,” I clarified, hoping he’d understand that whatever he told me, it wouldn’t make a difference. I literally knew nothing about how boxing was supposed to work. Not my thing.
“I do,” he agreed then, just shrugging as if it wasn’t much, anyway. And of course, I knew he’d call me. Not to keep me updated, nor to put me at ease, but because this was going to be the longest period of time in years we’d stay without seeing each other. Actually, it was the first time we were going to be apart at all.
I wasn’t worried much about that; I would be fine – better than fine, because. –, and I firmly believed Tyler would be just fine as well. Or at least, that’s what I hoped. I’d coddled him a lot during the years we’d spent together, but I still believed he could take care of himself, act like a grown man, because he was. The only problem, I feared, was dealing with the mere thought of having no one to come back to at the end of the day. This scared him. A lot.
And, okay, there was Zach, probably sleeping at the room right next to his – or maybe they’re even going to share a room, who knows –, but it’s not me. And it’s just not the same.
And speaking of which, Zach suddenly came back, a fond smile gently placed on his lips as he watched Tyler with his arms still around me, whispering something in my ear I didn’t really pay attention to as I stared at the numbers on my phone screen. It was almost his time to go, get into that damn plane.
Before I could voice my thoughts, a woman announced the number of the flight, making my boyfriend stand up quickly, not bothering to offer me a hand to stand up as well as he bent down to grab his bags. Zach did just the same, and I rose to my feet, sighing, fixing the hem of my shirt before offering Tyler help with his hand baggage.
Before long, he was kissing my lips one last time (I swear I did my best to not act like I didn’t want to feel his lips on mine, though I really didn’t), and then he was fading between all those bodies, countless ones, organized in a row to get into the plane. Both he and Zach waved me goodbye when I could still briefly see their heads peaking out of the crowd, and then they were gone.
The last thing I saw was the plane taking off through the huge glass window.
I turned the key on the ignition and right away the engine went quiet. I simply let my head fall to the steering wheel and loudly sighed, rubbing my eyes. It was still freaking cold and now I felt kind of empty inside as well, because Tyler was gone and my house was empty and I was free of the fear of maybe getting caught, but it felt lonely.
You can’t blame on me, though. For eight years I hadn’t had to think about going back home and finding no one, realizing I was all on my own. And even if that’s what happens most of the time whether Tyler is here or not, it’s still worse somehow because I know he’s not coming back at night. It’s not the same as getting home and finding it empty and silent and knowing he will be there by the very end of the night, or the very beginning of the morning.
It’s just not the same.
So, like, I couldn’t go back there now. It was like I was going to panic if I did, so I drove to Lana’s, and the crashing feeling was still nudging inside my chest. When I looked up again, though, I didn’t find the empty street I usually would. Well, it was still empty, snow starting to form a not-so-thin layer over the sidewalk, but my car was not the only one there.
There was also a black Range Rover.
Okay.
I ignored the loud thumping of my heart, suddenly, trying not to hear its echo on my ears, knowing exactly whose Range Rover was that and also wondering what the actual hell he was doing there today. Not like I bothered much – I was actually gladly surprised –, but it was a Sunday for God’s sake and who’d like to spend their Sunday with a 10-year-old girl when you are 22 years old and have friends who like to party and a family who apparently cares enough about your life to even make a surprise birthday party to a friend of yours?
No one. No one with a life like that rather spend their weekends playing nanny.
Either way, I stepped out of the car, locking it before finally going to the door and ringing the doorbell, waiting for someone to pull the curtains away and check who was it, but none of that happened. Instead, the door opened quickly, an excited Angel standing in front of me, but not staring at the one who was at the door; she was still looking to the side, her hair messy, laughing hard at something that bastard had done. She cracked up even more when he did something else, and I bit back a smile of my own. He could be so stupid and childish at times.
“Hey,” I whispered, smiling warmly as Angel turned around, wrapping her arms around me and squirming something that sounded like “Kirs!”, then pulling back, holding my hand and pulling me into the warmth. As soon as the door was closed behind me, I felt as if the cold had just completely gone.
And maybe it had something to do with the lit fireplace, maybe it was the way she was holding me, warm, a bit sweaty, definitely energetic; or maybe it had something to do with those warm green eyes, that shy smile directed towards me and so private and intimate. But no one had to know.
“Look who’s here!” Angel murmured on a teasing tone, poking my sides and smiling at me warily, as if studying my reaction, waiting for me to admit I’d loved the surprise, which I had, but, well. She was still into that whole thing of putting me and Harry together, a whole fond of the idea of both of us dating, but I couldn’t let her know now. I couldn’t bear with the thought of letting her down once everything or whatever is between us went downhill. And it would, so.
I rolled my eyes, still biting the inside of my cheeks to stop myself from grinning, sighing loudly and nodding respectfully at Harry.
“Styles,” I said droningly, sounding a lot more annoyed than I believed I could. That felt so natural, though, and so real, I could tell Angel was disappointed, if her sad sigh was something to go by.
“Kirsten,” Harry joined the game, grinning like he always does, the amusement showing in his eyes, but not giving Angel a single reason to suspect anything. He’d always been flirty; he’d never hidden he wanted me and he wanted me bad.
“Where’s Lana?” I asked then, dying to leave the room, because Harry was still staring – I could feel him staring – and that was giving me goosebumps, the way he looked at me. His emotions were all there, his intentions, his thoughts. I could feel the fire burning my skin, wanting him to touch me, just do something, but wanting nothing but to keep that as a secret as well.
God, it was going to be such a damn long day.
Angel was showering. Lana was making dinner. She could still see us.
Harry rested his feet on the coffee table, his hand gripping the remote as he smoothly traced his digits up and down my wrists with the free hand, staring at the TV but not really paying attention at all; it was just a façade, just something to disguise the fact that he was actually touching me, just trying to seem casual, go unnoticed.
I couldn’t quite bear it though, knowing he was next to me, acting casually, being all controlled when I was keeping that same façade as well, holding myself back and just wishing he could lose control and take a step further. We hadn’t exchanged more than ten words during the whole afternoon and early night, not besides cold ones, anyway. We just tried to keep it as normal as it could be, acting just like we would have if I still hated him like a while ago.
It was driving me crazy, though.
Because I didn’t hate him anymore, didn’t want him to be away from my life and away from my boyfriend and away from my little girl, but wanted him close, wanted to enjoy every second of those two weeks with him. And okay, I wanted to spend time with Angel, a lot more than what I’d done recently, but Harry was there, his long fingers teasing me and the knowing grin showing off, telling me he knew exactly what he was doing, that bastard.
For a second, he stopped moving his fingers, pulling them away silently, and I was about to turn around and glare at him, ask for some kind of explanation, but then Lana was walking in an throwing herself at my side on the couch, leaning her head back as I kept staring at the TV with my face shut, looking as tired and annoyed as I could.
She sighed, closed her eyes for a long while until she opened them again, stared at both me and Harry and glared. He was still looking at the screen distractedly, this time actually paying attention to what was going on and laughing at whatever the joke the character had made. I didn’t bother to do so.
“You don’t fool me,” Lana blurted out, still glaring, head still against the back of the couch. That until she straightened herself, shoving her foot under her other leg and crossing her fingers over her lap, her eyes following mine and Harry’s head as we turned to look at her all at once. “None of you,” she said again. “You two are pathetic, really. The way you want each other is palpable, please.”
Harry grinned (I could hear his lips stretching, awk) as my eyes widened only, staring at her in disbelief, still trying to keep some of my decency and failing terribly. She just chuckled, smiled the way a mom would when her daughter came home with her first boyfriend, and I felt that stupid. Lana was a kind of mother to me, and Harry was kind of as second boyfriend (?) and it was ridiculously ridiculous. Just like that.
“What the-” I tried to protest, being cut off by Harry’s hands around my shoulder, pulling me down to his lap so quickly I barely had time to blink, let aside taking all in. What was even going on?
Styles laughed, nodding at Lana and leaning down to kiss my forehead, brush the hair off my face and massage my temples as I still tried to fight something up and get to sit again. I was deprived of doing so. “Tough one, she is,” he mused, leaning down again and this time Eskimo-kissing me. The angle was odd and our noses brushed messily, but I still let out a huff of breath and Lana laughed this time.
“She really is,” she agreed, fully smiling now, visibly out of words. “How did you even get to her?” Apparently “the way we wanted each other” was not the only palpable thing, taking into account how curious the woman in front of us was. Really, what’s so big about this, anyway?
“You know, just a mix of charm, good jokes, curls, dimpled smile and instruments, then- bang!”
I did roll my eyes at that. “Good jokes,” I scoffed sarcastically, not really wanting to mention the other topics because he had used a bit of those, yeah.
Lana was cracking up by now, gently leaning further and patting Harry’s thighs where my head wasn’t resting on, seeming so fulfilled and glowing I dared to outline some kind of smile, unnoticed as I did my best to not let her see how I loved to see she was happy for me, almost as much I felt happy next to Harry. But that would only get her hopes higher, and she was another one I did not want to let down when absolutely I f–cked everything up.
“Oh, thank God, Harry, Nathan asked you a favor. You’re probably the best clown that came into our lives,” she breathed out rather thankfully, meaning each word.
Harry frowned. “I’m taking it as a compliment, I suppose? Or you’re calling me a clown on the not-so-bright side?”
He had the gift to make Lana smile, basically. She couldn’t seem to stop. “It is a compliment, of course.” And then seriously “Thank you, Harry. Angel needed someone to be nice to her. I needed someone else to help me with the young one. Kirsten needed to not feel like the responsibility was all over her shoulders. She’s needed someone like you for so long.”
Harry nodded, just taking in, not bothering to reply. He was smiling. He knew it. I knew it. Lana knew it.
Not that I would admit, though.
“Oi! Stop talking as if I wasn’t here!” I complained, pouting just because it seemed right at the moment.
Harry kissed the pout away, letting all his inhibitions fade, catching me off guard, not giving me enough time to put up some boundaries and push him away, keep him away from me in public. Lana awed a bit, but not the teasing way, just really glad she was seeing that, while I blushed fiercely and tried to pull away as quick as possible.
What did he think he was doing?!
“Don’t let her go, Harry. That’s all I’m asking you.”
He nodded, tangled our fingers as I fought to catch my breath, get rid of the scarlet color and sit straight, letting go of his hand as soon as the bathroom door was unlocked, the fog spreading all over the hallway and a bit into the living room until Angel was into view again.
Harry nodded at Lana again, smiled shyly at her, and it was an unspoken agreement, then. None of us would mention what’d just happened. Not yet.
The other unspoken words were just mouthed by Curly, brushing the tip of his fingers against mine and squeezing lightly, practically invisibly, saying “I won’t,” and it was a promise, then.
●•Author's Note•●
dedication goes to: @LetsWriteIt okay, so, um. First, thanks? Means the world that you like how I'm taking and planning things. Second, don't worry about Charlie. But I won't let Harry be that close to her, because it actually hurts more, she might unconsciously think she has a chance, and Harry knows that, so he keeps it cool. He likes her, just not like she likes him. Third, I will start posting OOS once I have the whole plot figured out. I'm still having blocks about that fanfic, so. Fourth, people voted for Scar, and Harry was going to make a comment about it anyway, so, I'm really sorry. That's what most of my readers want. Anyways, thanks. I really don't bother reading long comments :)
note: 1. I AM MELTING, YES I AM! This should be not legal, shipping your own couple this hard, you know? I really, really hope you're liking those stupidly simple Harlett moments, 'cause to me, they're the best. 2. SORRY ABOUT POSTING SO LATE. I've been out literally all day and just came home and here I am. Still November 1st on my country, so, yeah. I kept my promise. Hope the wait paid off. I just love you guys so much, thanks for being so patient.
next update: Tuesday (November 5th)
900 votes for early update. Best comment gets a dedication :) Love you lots, really. - Dani xx