—Amber—
"Harry?"
My heart was pounding rapidly. I can feel the rush of returning emotions between us. I almost forget about my dropped coffee cup as I stare into his green eyes, remembering how strong the urge to kiss him was when I did that; how he would look at me intently with such love interest. His curls were flopping lazily over his forehead, reminding me of how much I'd grown to love them. I had to blink twice and make sure that it was indeed Harry who was standing right in front of me. I don't think either of us knew what to say. Surprisingly, the silence was calm. It wasn't deafening. It wasn't awkward. It was relaxed. It made it easier for me to bring up the courage to speak first.
"How are you?" I spit out, my breath visible in the cold air. As he speaks, his familiar voice sends shivers throughout my body.
"Brilliant." He says. I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but a part of me told me he has been a lot better. "How about you?"
"Brilliant." I reply the same, unable to look away from him. "Brilliant..." We continue to stare, the calm silence once again making its way between us. Harry's hands are shoved in the pocket of his trousers, the faintest of smiles barely visible on his perfect lips. I bite my lip, struggling to tear my eyes away from him. When I manage to, I begin to kneel down to pick up my now-empty coffee cup, but Harry beats me to it.
"I've got it." Harry takes it in his large hand before standing back up. He motions past me. "I think I owe you another coffee."
I shake my head, waving off his idea. "No, no. It's not your fault. You don't have-"
"Amber." He smirks, an amused glint in his eyes. "Please. I want too. Walk with me?" I hesitate, about to open my lips and protest but end up pursing them instead. Giving in, I drop my hands to my sides and he motions for us start walking. Harry smiles sheepishly at the sidewalk as we do, glancing at me a few times from the corner of his eye. Passing a trashcan, Harry tosses my coffee cup into it before we continue walking. I find myself looking away from him, taking in the surroundings. There wasn't a topic I was brave enough to bring up. What did this mean for us? He was just buying me another cup of coffee. That's all, right? The simple thought brought on a sense of deja-vu. Maybe it wasn't it. Maybe there was more.
Harry comes to a stop. I'm about to ask why, but then I see the familiar front door of the shop right in front of me. Oh.
Harry reaches for the handle and pulls the door open, allowing me to step inside. The cashier - Ella- raises an eyebrow in my direction, probably wondering why I was back, this time with a boy. Harry approaches the counter, flashing Ella a polite smile and tilting his head toward me.
"What-" He starts to ask but I cut him off, turning to Ella.
"The usual." I inform her. Harry chuckles to himself, facing the counter once more.
"How about you?" Ella asks him, already beginning to fix up my coffee. Harry glances at the menu, his forehead scrunching up. After a few seconds pass, he points to a certain item on the menu. "I'll have some Yorkshire tea."
Ella nods, turning away to finish my order and make Harry's tea. Harry leans against the counter, folding his hands together and simply staring at me.
"What?" I blurt out before I can catch myself, quickly regretting it. Harry's amused, but all he does is shrug.
"Here you are." Ella places my coffee and Harry's tea on the counter. "That will be seven pounds." Nodding, Harry reaches into his back pocket for the money. I turn away, walking over and taking my usual seat beside the window. Once he's done paying, Harry comes and joins me, handing me my coffee. After a few sips, I decide to start up a conversation. The silence was getting us nowhere.
"How was the tour?" I question, resting an elbow on the table.
"It was fun." He tells me. Once again, I couldn't figure out if it was a lie or the truth. I decide on the latter.
"That's nice." I take another sip of coffee.
"How's your father?" Harry asks, taking me by surprise.
"He's great actually." I admit. "Struggling to get back on his feet, but that's all."
"That's good." Harry lifts his tea to his lips. "That's really good." I can't believe I was sitting here having small-talk with Harry. After everything we've been through, I'd expect more words from the both of us. What was going on? Why were incapable of bringing up our past? A part of me wanted him to mention it. I wanted him to apologize for absolutely nothing like in one of those cheesy romantic movies. He didn't. Instead, he rises from his seat and takes his last sip of tea before tossing it in the trash.
"It was nice seeing you again."
"What?" I almost choke on my coffee. That was it? That was all he had to say?
"I'll see you around." Harry throws me a small smile before pushing the door open, stepping out into the cold London air. My jaw drops slightly and I stumble to my feet, leaving my coffee sitting on the table as I rush after him. Things can't just stay this way.
"Harry, wait!" He's already a few feet down the sidewalk, his hands once again in his pockets. At the sound of my voice, he turns around slowly, raising an eyebrow as if to say, 'what?'
I swallow up my fear, whatever fear it was. I take a few steps closer to him, closing my eyes for a while and inhaling deeply.
"I've said and done a lot of things I regret." I begin. "We both have. Not just this year, but even back in the past. I know we can't erase those things. As much as I wish I could, we just can't. I don't think they can be forgotten either. We can't change what happened, but we can change what will happen." I pause, looking at Harry to see if he wanted me to go on. When he doesn't say anything, I proceed.
"I used to be so sure that things wouldn't work out between us. In the end, it wasn't that I was worried. I just didn't want to get hurt again. That's been it all along. The fear of getting hurt is what caused me to end things between you and I. It was stupid really. I've done a lot of thinking these few months. I never thought I'd end up in the position I am now; spilling my guts to you and just taking a thousand risks I would have never taken before." I chuckle softly. "The thing is, Harry. I'm more in love with you than I've ever been. There's not a single doubt in that. It's impossible to rid myself of these feelings because they're strong; they're permanent; they're real. What I'm trying to say, Harry, is that I'm willing to give us another chance. I'm willing to give us every chance because I know things will work out. I know we can leave the past in the past and just live in the moment we're in now because...because there's nothing more perfect than now. My father's taught me a lot of things and one of those things was that life is about trusting our feelings and taking chances, losing and finding happiness, appreciating the memories and learning from the past." I search Harry's eyes for some kind of emotion. When I find none, I sigh. "I love you, Harry." There comes the silence again, drifting between us and making me impatient to know what Harry had to say. Whatever it was, I didn't regret what I said. I was meant to say it. I had to.
I couldn't live the rest of my life without telling him those things. I did love him. Aside from my mum and dad, Harry meant the world to me. I can't imagine a life without him. Our fate was now in his hands.
After minutes and minutes drag on, I begin to come to the conclusion that Harry wasn't going to say anything. Exhaling, I force a smile up at him.
"I understand if you want nothing to do with me anymore." Turning my back, I can feel the tears threatening to come out as I go to take my first step away from him. All of the sudden, his hand takes my wrist and he pulls me back, keeping me from walking away any further. I keep my back to him, my breathing becoming more rapid.
"Amber?" He speaks for the first time. His breath tickles my ear, his lips faintly brushing against it. "I love you too." I had to restrain from jumping madly into the air and from allowing my stupid grin to appear on my face. I turn to him once again, chewing my lip to keep some self-control. Harry's smirking, his hand not leaving my wrist. We began to stare again, our eyes melting into each other. Was that it? Were we just going to stand here and stare at each other after confessing our undying love? I clear my throat.
"I really need to drive back to Cheshire." I begin to say. "My dad's probably worried sick."
"Alright." Harry drops my wrist. "I'd offer to drive you, but the lads are expecting me at the studio."
"I've got a car."
"Alright."
"Alright." There's a pause. "See you."
"See you." And we both turn away, about to head in our different directions when I come to a stop, a frown forming on my lips. "Wait. Harry?"
"Yeah?" We both turn back around. I hesitate, but go for it anyways. Running back to him, I throw my arms around his neck and crash my lips against his. The feeling was wonderful; wonderful and perfect. It was all there; the sparks, the love, everything. His hands take my waist, holding me closer. It was a soft, chaste kiss. I could have stayed this way forever. Here on the sidewalk, our lips mended together, I couldn't ask for a more perfect moment. As we kiss, I feel his curls brush against my own forehead. I kiss him a bit deeper, but keeping the softness the kiss possessed. I never wanted this moment to end; not now, not ever. This was only the beginning to another chapter of our story.
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Author's Note (Updated August 2021): Thank you all for tuning in to my story! I wrote this when I was 13 and I'm nearly 24 now. SO crazy. So... I've decided to rewrite it. WHAT. Yep, you heard that right. A new reimagined version of this story is being written RIGHT NOW. Disclaimer: New version will contain mature themes. New version is not a fan fiction, but Harry is still my inspiration.
New story and details regarding this can be found here: https://www.wattpad.com/story/280291804-lights-camera-action