"DON'T YOU FIND IT THE slightest bit strange how we both came here with other people and we ditched them for...what? A walk in the middle of nowhere?"
Harry laughed beside me, his hair bouncing on his shoulders as he did so. His hands were shoved in his pockets and I wished they were not. I liked the fact that he was wearing the ring I bought him. Honestly, I thought he was going to get rid of it the moment he found it. I was obviously proven wrong and I was grateful.
"Oh, please. I bet they haven't even noticed our disappearance."
"Because we're so irrelevant?"
"One hundred percent."
"Sweet."
"Besides, we can enjoy the moon and the stars. Think of it as a romantic outing type thing."
I bumped shoulders with him and he almost fell off the sidewalk. It was hard for me to hold back my laughter; therefore, I just let it out. Harry wiped his shoulder as if he obtained some kind of deadly disease from my touch. This made me laugh even harder. He chuckled but his eyes remained on me the entire time I laughed.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Styles, but I don't have romantic outings with people I just met."
He turned his head to look at me and scrunched his nose, "You know you love me."
My lips parted at his words. Did I know I loved him? Yes, yes, I did. Was I going to tell him that? Of course not. We were starting over but keeping the memories of our past. I was not going to ruin this by allowing my heart to take full control. Instead of letting him know his statement got to me, I laughed and bumped hips with him this time. Once again, he almost fell off the sidewalk.
Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you hips of steel at their finest.
"You've got to stop doing that," he groaned, crossing his arms across his chest.
"Well, you've got to stop coming onto me," I looked at him and placed a hand over my already aching heart. "I can barely remember your name, Henry!"
"We're not friends anymore."
I decided to use his earlier statement against him, "You know you love me."
"Sorry," he said. "I can't love someone I just met."
He laughed but behind those emerald eyes of his, I saw the pain and regret. We both regretted coming out here by ourselves but we were not going to turn back. Olivia and Greysen were enjoying themselves back on the dance floor and I wanted them to have fun. I did not mind being out here with Harry. He was slowly turning back into the Harry I loved.
The Harry who laughed at almost everything I said.
The Harry who made smart remarks on the littlest things I did.
The Harry who showed how much he loved me.
"I think we should sit here," he said, gesturing to the bench outside one of the small shops.
"I'm sorry but I don't sit on benches with strangers."
He yanked me down on the bench with him.
It was too quick of a movement for me to react. Once my bottom was on the bench, I remained seated. Harry's attention was toward the sky and I followed his gaze, looking at both the moon and the stars. The streetlight flickered on and off constantly and I wondered if the light was going to blow before we headed back to the club.
My lips parted and I looked down at my lap. Why did he want to stop here? It gave us a perfect view of the moon but the location was unearthly. The hairs on the back of my neck stood with fear but I did not want to ruin this moment. How was I supposed to tell Harry I was afraid without accidentally telling him the truth?
Rubbing my hands on my thighs, I puffed the air out of my cheeks in a slight pout. How was he able to sit down with me and have a normal conversation when today was Jillian's funeral? I found it to be extremely odd. How was he even able to look at me right now? A light bulb lit in my mind and I almost wanted to laugh at myself.
Of course.
We were just in the club. It all made sense now. He had too much to drink and he was not thinking clearly. If he was sober, he would not be out here with me on a bench. Then again, he was acting very sober. I only saw him with one drink and even then, he messed it up by squeezing the lemon into it.
That meant he was sober.
And he wanted to be out here with me.
"So," he leaned back against the bench. "What are your plans for tomorrow?"
"My plans?" I raised my eyebrows. "I haven't really thought about it."
"Let's meet up for coffee."
"Coffee, eh?" I laughed. "We're always drinking coffee."
"I'm sorry but I don't recall ever having coffee with you, Sydney." I shoved him and he grunted. "Okay, ouch."
"I'm not sorry."
"Meet me for coffee tomorrow morning," he pressed on. "We can pretend to have mild hangovers and coffee is our only solution."
I rubbed my chin as I thought about it. Tomorrow was going to be my first day at my new job but I did not have to be there until four. If I met Harry in the morning and got back home by two o'clock, I would have enough time to get ready for work and look somewhat presentable.
"Am I allowed to wear sunglasses indoors and look like a bum?"
"As long as I'm allowed to flirt with the waitress even though I won't be interested."
"What if it's a waiter?"
"Don't test me, woman."
"Deal," I smirked.
We both laughed and he laid his head back down on my shoulder. I enjoyed this and I never wanted it to end. I stroked his hair, missing the soft touch of it. Of course, I was probably dreaming and I was probably going to wake up in my bed back at Olivia's apartment. I would not have minded, though. This dream was remarkable and I loved every second. Although it seemed nearly impossible, I had Harry back and I was never going to let him go. He was stuck with me and I was stuck with him. We were glued together with the toughest glue out there. It would take a lot to rip us apart.
"I don't want to be selfish," Harry said.
"What do you mean?" I wondered.
He lifted his head off my shoulder and looked at me, "I know being selfish isn't right but I can't help but be selfish when it comes down to you." I raised my eyebrows. "Jillian is gone but here I am spending my evening with you. I'm supposed to be with Greysen but instead I'm sitting on a bench with you. Somehow, it's always you. Something about you is constantly pulling me in your direction and I've learned not to fight it anymore. I've learned to just let it pull and see what happens.
"I've come to realize one simply cannot put a price on such a beloved jewel. You're a priceless jewel, Sydney, so precious that its value cannot be determined. If I could, I would keep you all to myself and never share you with the rest of the world. See? There I am being selfish with you when I shouldn't be. I don't deserve you and I think we both know that. After everything that's happened, it's obvious you shouldn't be with me."
I placed a finger against his lips and shook my head, "You shouldn't say things like that, Harry. You don't get to tell me who I should and shouldn't be with. Now, I know we aren't together at the moment but at some point, I'd like to believe we will be. Saying things like this to me will not change my mind and there is nothing you can do about that. You're emotional right now; vulnerable, even. I refuse to take advantage of you, okay? Let's just enjoy the night."
He looked shocked by my response but removed my finger from his lips, "I have to admit, when I found out you moved in with Olivia, I was a little bit hurt. However, it gave me an excuse to go visit my friend."
My eyebrows rose, "You came to visit?"
"I never actually made it inside of the apartment. I either stopped and just stared at the window I knew belonged to your bedroom or got sent home by Olivia before you even noticed I was there. I understood why she sent me away, though. I hurt you and I will never forgive myself for how I treated you that day."
His eyes glistened in the moonlight and he was absolutely beautiful. Pieces of his hair moved in the wind and he reminded me of an angel. Whenever I was with him, he pulled me away from reality and took me to our own little world. The world Harry and I so carefully carved consisted of fantasies and magical substances that this reality was unable to handle. We made a world where we could be free of our problems together and not alone. Slowly, I reached forward and grabbed Harry's hands. They were cold just like mine but together, we would make them warm. He tightened his hands around mine and I had a feeling he was never going to release them.
I smirked, "I didn't know you were stalking me."
He laughed, realizing what I was doing and winked at me, "A beautiful woman such as yourself should be stalked by the best."
"Okay, now that's just creepy."
"You're creepy."
"We're creepy."
"Yes," Harry ran a thumb over the top of my hand. "Yes, we are."
"I know you aren't ready to hear it right now but I'll tell you when the time is right." I grinned. "And when that time comes, our lives will be perfect and nothing horrifying or chaotic will happen, yeah?"
"I'm curious," he leaned forward a bit. "Tell me now."
"No way."
He opened his mouth to respond but the wind blew, causing bumps to form on my exposed arms, and I shivered. Out of instinct, I removed my hands from Harry's to rub my freakishly cold arms. He took off the blazer to his suit and wrapped it around me. I playfully rolled my eyes at him and he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. The touch was so simple but it had so much meaning. His touch started a bonfire in my stomach, the heat rising to my cheeks. Even in the darkness, I was sure he saw me blushing.
"Am I dreaming?" I wondered aloud.
"Possibly," Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I could pinch you if you want me to."
"No, but thank—Ow!"
"Oh, my bad," was his only response.
"At least I know this isn't a dream now," I muttered with a slight smile.
I tightened the blazer around me to keep my body warm and I constantly checked to see if Harry was getting cold himself. He seemed perfectly fine and I left it at that. His blazer smelled like the cologne he always wore and I was selfish enough to hope some of the smell would rub off on me. I wanted to go home smelling like the man who could have easily been mistaken as a god. Slowly, I reached for his hand and held onto it. Surprisingly, he did not pull his hand away from mine and I smiled. Things were going to go back to how they were. It was going to take some time but I could be patient. I could wait.
We both frowned when Harry's phone started ringing in his pocket. With his free hand, he pulled it out to see who was calling. I was curious and tried to look at the caller ID but the screen was tilted away from me. My lips parted when Harry rose to his feet, his hand untangling from mine.
"I have to take this," he said before walking off.
"Where are you going?" I called after him.
"I'll be back!" he shouted.
"You're just going to leave me here?" I asked but he was already too far away to hear.
My hands sat firmly on my lap and I looked up at the night sky. I could not help the fact that my body was shaking and the hairs on the back of my neck stood. How could he just get up and leave me here? The streetlight continued to flicker and that only added more stress to the moment.
I was not angry with him, though. Not too long ago, I realized it was impossible to be angry at him. He had made a lot of decisions since he met me and he had every right to be mad at me; however, he was not. The only thing I held against him was the night he kissed me in his house for the very first time. I believed that was the beginning of our downfall.
I looked in the direction he walked off to, hoping he would miraculously come rushing back, and heaved a hand through my hair when there was no sight of him. It was hard enough walking on the same sidewalk as him, let alone sitting on the same bench with him, but it was even harder just sitting here alone in the dark not knowing how long his phone call was going to last.
It took everything in me not to stand up and go looking for him. As much as I did not want give it to him, I had to give him his space. Whoever called made him walk away, letting me know the call was probably important and personal. If I walked up on him during the conversation, it would be rude and inconsiderate of me.
Looking down at his blazer, I realized what I was wearing. If I had known I would be with Harry tonight, I would have worn something else. Compared to him, I looked like I simply did not give a care in the world about how I looked—which was the absolute truth. I guess I was so shocked Olivia wanted to go out that I did not concern myself with how I looked.
The wind blew and I shivered, the blazer losing its purpose at keeping me warm. I pulled my knees up to my chest and laid my head down on top of them. How was I going to be patient with Harry when I was growing more and more impatient with every passing second? I put my feet back on the ground and stood up. Taking a few steps forward, I hesitated and took a few steps back. If I went looking for Harry, would that make me look desperate? I laughed. No, it would show how worried I was. He did not tell me where he was walking off to; therefore, he could not have been very far.
Still, I was very hesitant when it came to hunting him down. I bit down on my bottom lip to the point to where I almost broke the skin. The pain distracted me from looking for Harry and I decided staying put was the best idea. I went to go sit back down when I heard footsteps behind me. A wave of relief washed through my body.
"You know, I thought you weren't coming back," I said, turning around to face him.
I immediately frowned when there was no one standing behind me. My eyes narrowed with confusion and I looked all around me. What the hell? There was somebody walking behind me. I heard them! Or perhaps I was so obsessed with Harry's whereabouts that I imagined it all together. Was I really that concerned? Shrugging it off, I went back to the bench and sat down. I decided if Harry did not come back in five minutes, I was most definitely going to look for him.
My entire body cringed because there was no way someone else was out here with Harry and I. Sure, it was a public place and people tended to be in the most unexpected places, but this area was dark and quiet. Who else would be out here? I suddenly felt as if I was going to be sick and I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing.
Everything told me to get up and run but how could I? Harry was still out here and I was not going to leave him. Once he returned, I would tell him I did not feel well and we would walk back. I just had to persuade myself everything was going to be fine in the meantime.
Just as I opened my eyes, I heard something fall to my left.
It sounded as if a can of some sort hit the pavement and rolled off until it was no longer heard. A lump formed in my throat and I rose to my feet, my hands balling up into fists. I continued to stare in the direction of the noise and the silence was taunting me. Was I finally losing my mind? I doubted it; however, the possibilities were still there.
My feet moved backwards and a shriek escaped my lips when I made contact with someone's chest. I started to turn around to see who it was but an arm wrapped around my neck, nearly making it impossible for me to breathe. The sudden action sent a wave of panic through my body and I tried getting the arm off me. It did not budge, only tightening around my neck. I wanted to scream but it was a hard task to do.
As my airway began to close, my attempts at fighting back came to a halt and a cloth was placed over my mouth. I tried turning my head to the side but it was no use. My eyes constantly fluttered and I felt my body giving way. A hand stroked the top of my head and there was a soft chuckle.
"You were a very difficult one to find, Gwen."