67.
●•Harry•●
Even though it made no sense at all, since now Lana knew about us as well, Scarlett didn’t want Angel to find out about me and her yet. She hadn’t said it out loud, but it was implicit by the way she pulled away quickly when the little girl unlocked the bathroom door. Lana seemed to understand as well, and didn’t ask for further information as she stood up and walked silently to the kitchen.
When Angel came back, Scarlett was slumped over the arm of the couch, eyes focused on the TV screen and face shut, lacking any kind of feeling. She was good at that, actually; pretending to hate the whole world. The way she ignored me made me feel like it was real, like I should try to push her buttons again. Staring at her I felt like I had to fight for her once more; back to zero, and that scared me so freaking much. I didn’t want us to go back to what we were.
I had her now and I wanted to keep her.
Angel cut me off of my thoughts when she jumped next to me on the couch, eyes pitiful and a coy smile I quite couldn’t understand. That until she moved her head towards Scarlett and voiceless said “I’m sorry”, when the truth was that I was the one supposed to feel sorry for her; for wanting something to happen when it already had and she had no idea of it. Poor girl.
“Kirs!” she cheered then, patting her leg and making the big one turn around with that priceless smile she had specially for Angel. “What’s wrong with you today? You’re so quiet.”
Scarlett sighed, shaking her head dismissively and squeezing Angel’s hand, still resting on her thigh. “Just thinking, love. Tyler’s still at the plane by now; I’m worried about him, you know?” the girl nodded, squeezing the hand that was holding hers back with that assuring smile that everything would be just fine. “He’s gonna stay long away, and it’s just a bit different.”
Despite the clear sadness and the concern in her voice, I could tell she was fighting back a smile, trying her best not to look at me because I was sure I was beaming like an idiot by now. My stomach was turning at the thought of those two weeks ahead, especially now that Tyler was physically out of the country, nowhere near to make Scarlett worry about anything. I simply loved the thought.
Before I could get any suspicious, though, I stood up, leaving the two of them alone whilst excusing myself and going after Lana at the kitchen. I could still listen to the girls talking in the living room, and could still see them as well, but I felt like I was giving them more privacy, so I didn’t bother.
Lana smiled at me when I reached her; she was busy with dinner, yet, so I silently took a seat on the small table that unbelievably was able to fit in the tight room, watching her do her job rather satisfyingly. For a few minutes, silence was all we shared, and it was okay, really, but Lana was starting to get uncomfortable with it, apparently. I gave the first step.
“So, why do you think she doesn’t want to let Angel know?” I asked, watching as she kind of sighed in relief, letting the pot on the stove as she walked over to me and took a seat across the table, eyes closed for a moment and face falling for a bit in what I thought was disappointment. She shook her head.
“Kirsten is complex,” she explained, looking at me now, almost the same pitiful look her daughter was giving me. “She wants to be with you, and that’s obvious, always has, but she genuinely thinks she’s going to mess it up eventually.” And Lana was so sure of those words I couldn’t help but arch a brow. How could she possibly know that? “I’m not a psychic, Harry,” she then pointed out as if reading my thoughts “but I know Kirsten well enough to know she’s not able to see a future. She’s kind of blind when it comes to anything else besides Tyler. She can only see a future with him, because she’s attached to him God knows why,” I do, I added mentally, but stayed quiet “and it’s hard for her to let go of everything, you know?”
I nodded, just admiring how caring Lana was. Whatever Scarlett didn’t have with her real parents, she was having it with Lana now. She was probably the best person that got into her life.
Suddenly, I felt the need to blurt out, “She told me about how you met,” and then Lana’s face was stagnant in sheer shock; eyes widened, pupils blown, lips half parted in an “O”.
“She did already?” and I nodded again, pride taking over me. Pride of knowing her, pride of knowing more about her than Lana did herself. Maybe Lana could read her mind perfectly, but she didn’t know half of what I knew about Scarlett.
And that was something I would keep to myself for two simple reasons: 1. Scarlett had trusted me not to let anyone else know. She trusted me and I would not break her trust; and 2. It was something I shared with her; just me and no one else. I knew all the parts of all stories, not the ones just related to her past, nor the ones related to her family only, or Tyler, but I knew everything as a whole. She’d let me in. And I wanted that to be ours.
“I’ve always known you were special, Harry,” Lana whispered, my smile only growing wider at her words. I’d become fond of that woman as well as her daughter, and also the troubled girl she gave her life as protection if she had to. I couldn’t see myself anymore without any of those women; both Lana and Angel with the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen. Those were priceless people I would keep inside my life forever, if I could.
“Why, thank you,” I finally said, letting the small fade gradually, sighing once the playful environment was gone. “Do you really think she can’t see a future with me?” the question left my mouth half-heartedly, wishing I could have a “no, I was just kidding” as an answer. Though I knew what the real one would be, since Scarlett had told me from the very beginning not to expect huge things out of whatever is going on between us. And yet, I wished Lana could tell me she was lying to me, when, really, inside her head she can picture both of us still together even after so long.
I can definitely see myself with her.
“I do,” Lana said with a sad smile, stretching her arm across the table to reach for my hand, squeezing it in an attempt to comfort me. It helped a bit. “Don’t get it the wrong way, though. It’s not about you. She’s like that about everything in life. She tends to think she’ll ruin everything she touches; tends to think she’ll disappoint everyone who likes her. I don’t have a clue of why she’s always that self-conscious, but I can tell you something: she’s had a tough past. By what she told you I think you can understand a bit of it. There must be more behind whom she is now, but she won’t let me see it, so.”
“I understand,” I assured with a nod, not wanting to hint I knew she’d had a tough past, but not wanting her to think I was taking the whole situation into something personal either. It had indeed nothing to do with me; Scarlett did tend to think she was the problem about everything, so I knew what she was talking about, really.
“I really mean it when I ask you not to give up on her. She may be hard to deal with but she’s an amazing girl once she lets you in. Just don’t push her buttons too much and always give her time. With her everything takes time.”
For the thousandth time that evening, I nodded, squeezing Lana’s hand back and shooting her a dimpled smile. “Don’t worry, Lana. I have all the patience in the world for her.”
I do.
“Linda just called me and I gotta go to the hospital now. I won’t take long, though; you won’t have to go home too late, okay?” Lana asked already sinking into her coat and shoes and grabbing her purse all at once. Scarlett and I just muttered an “okay, no problem” as she left out through the door, and then it was completely silent.
The smile was already spreading through my lips when I turned around to face her, lying on the carpet with one of Angel’s photo albums between both her hands. Quickly, I climbed off the couch and lay next to her, watching as she stared at the pictures with a fond look of longing inside her blue eyes.
“Look at her in this one,” she pointed a finger to a lot younger Angel, cuter than what I thought was even possible “she was like this when I first met her. A lot chubbier and cuter. It was definitely love at first sight.”
The thought of her smiling at Angel for the first time made me beam immensely, but soon enough I was taking the album off of her hands and placing it on the coffee table.
“Yeah, okay. Adorable but that’s enough of that for now, don’t you think?”
She chuckled, slapping my shoulder playfully but pulling me down by the shirt once my hands were free. I didn’t oppose to her actions, going down willingly until I was back on her side, burying my face on her hair whilst she tugged at my chest, head resting right below my chin.
“What do you have in mind, then?” she breathed out, yawning, sock-y feet going up and down my jeans before she shoved one of her legs between mine, coming impossibly closer. “Just remember not to be loud, because we don’t want to wake Angel up, now do we?”
Shaking my head, I ran my thumb over the small of her back, pouting. “But where does the fun goes, then? Being quiet is so boring.”
She looked up briefly, eyes sparkling in the dark, the colors of the TV dancing on her face. I would never get over how absolutely stunning she was, how fragile and yet tough she looked all at the same time, how she had this hypnotizing effect all over me, impossible to get rid of.
“Well, obviously being quiet is not your thing,” she winked, smirk on her face, fingertips brushing the curls at the back of my neck “but you’ll have to bear with it until we get to your flat, yeah?”
My eyebrows went a bit high. “Are you auto-inviting yourself to spend the night at mine?” she shrugged, not bothering to fake embarrassment, just smugly smiling instead, her eyes lowering to my lips and that was it. That girl. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” I huffed out, steering my head down to meet her lips, but she pulled away.
“You’re probably right,” she agreed, pouting so I would go to kiss her again, and then pulling back. I was not liking that game of hers one bit. “What?” her voice was teasing, challenging “Can’t get what you want?”
“Scarlett…” I growled, leaning in once more, getting the same reaction. “Let me do it properly, Jesus!” she chortled at my apparent despair, contorting on the carpet to flinch away from my touch, unluckily having her legs still trapped between mine, so I got to stop her from going any further. “Do you want me to scream? Because I could right here and right now, wake Angel up. I’m not having a hard time assuming our relationship.”
Her eyes widened for a sec before squinting. “You wouldn’t,” she pointed a threatening finger at me, but I ignored it.
“I so would,” I retorted almost immediately. “Wanna see?” the dare was up, and I was taking in air before opening my mouth to do what I said I would, but she stopped me, her tiny hand coming into contact with my mouth, muffling whatever the sound threatening to come out.
I licked her palm to make her pull her hand away. It worked.
“Ew! Ew, Styles! Ew! Don’t lick my hand, you jackass!” she whispered-shouted, rubbing the wet streak on her palm against the denim of my t-shirt, making faces and repeating ew ew ew a few more times. I laughed uncontrollably at that, stomach aching, even, until she glared at me. “You’re the worst, you know that, right?”
My turn to shrug. Yeah. Who really cares about that?
“Am I getting my kiss or what?”
“After licking my hand, I shouldn’t give it.”
“But?”
“You’re gonna scream if I don’t, won’t you?”
I grinned widely, nodding.
“Well, I guess I must shut you up, then.”
And as she did so, we didn’t hear a door slowly cracking open.
Nor did we feel the pair of eyes happily watching us silently.
●•Author's Note•●
dedication goes to: @lalala_kiara_lalala why, thank you! I try to make this as realistic as possible, taking into account how dreamy fanfics out there are. And thanks for being here since the beginning, and for appreciating what I've been doing. Means a lot to me love!
note: 1. Well, obviously you know who was watching them, so. What do you think about Harry & Lana's conversation? Can you see Harlett in the future like Harry can? Or are you like Scarlett? Do you think there even is a future? Let me know. I just want to make you guys think a bit. Hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
next update: Friday (November 8th)
900 votes for early update. Best comment gets a dedication :) Love you lots, really. - Dani xx