A/N: Gif of Harry to the side :) Enjoy the chapter!
CARTER'S POV
The next morning I woke up with my head pounding. After the events on my front lawn last night, Liam and I had go back inside only to deal with my own overbearing parents. Well, mainly my mother. She got all shrieky and flustered, saying my father wouldn't let her interrupt us outside, and that Liam needed to leave if he was going to bring trouble or whatnot. I had eventually snapped after about five minutes and told her that if she wanted Liam to leave then I would leave too and she could go another three years without a word from me.
That shut her up pretty effectively.
My dad had left about an hour later with an awkwardly emotional hug to me and a clap on the back to Liam. It was good to see him again, but he seemed really...off. I feel like Shawn being in the chair really took a toll on him. Which is ludicrous, because it's taking a much bigger toll on Shawn himself, so my dad has no right to act like his own son is a burden.
I glanced to my right and saw Liam sprawled out beside me, mouth slightly open as he snored lightly. I chuckled at the sight, leaning over and gently pushing some of his hair back. He looked so peaceful, so calm. A sharp contrast to last night, which was painful to think about. He had been so distraught, so hurt by his father. Not to mention that for the past few months I've only really been focusing on why I went to Teller's that night, not even bothering to think about why he was there. I had never once asked him. And now that I know, I almost wish I didn't.
It broke my heart as I continued to rake my fingers through Liam's hair, thinking about him as a little boy, watching his father smack his mom around, or scream at him for just being a kid. No one showing him any sort of compassion or love. I have an image in my head of an adorable little brown eyed boy, cowering away from the monster in the suit and tie raising his hand. My own parents weren't always the best, but I was never afraid of them.
My chest tightens as Liam subconsciously leans into my touch when I trail my fingers down his cheek, feeling the light stubble there. Everything he said to me last night, it was everything I had needed to hear. That someone saw the light in me that I didn't even believe I had left.
I looked behind me at my alarm clock, seeing that it was eleven in the afternoon. I sighed, knowing that I needed to get up and see if anyone was home. Quietly as I could, I got out of the bed and tiptoed downstairs and into the kitchen, where I saw a note on the fridge.
Carter - I had to go to work but I'll be back by 5. Shawn is at school, the bus brings him back home around 3:30. You better be here when I get back, love you! xoxo - Mom
I sighed, putting the note back under the magnet on the fridge and pouring myself a glass of orange juice. I hopped up on the counter and thought about what I needed to do for the day.
You should go see Harry.
I bit my lip, thinking. My subconscious was right, I did need to go see Harry. Talk everything out, ask him what the hell happened to him when I left. I learned last night that I was being way too selfish lately, putting all my issues before everyone else's. My leaving had to have taken a toll on Harry, and he deserves to know that I do care about his well being.
Finishing up the orange juice, I placed the glass in the sink and bounded back upstairs, going into my room to see Liam still asleep. He was probably exhausted from the encounter with his father and all the staring at the ceiling he did last night. I managed to quietly grab some clothes and go into tge bathroom to brush my teeth and make my hair look semi presentable. I put on just a little bit of makeup so my face didn't look so splotchy, changing into jeans and hoody, throwing on a white beanie as well.
By the time I left the bathroom, it was 11:30 and Liam was still out cold. I padded over to the bed and shook his shoulder.
"Liam." I whispered. "Liam, wake up."
With a deep breath, he blinked his eyes open and stretched his arms out wide. I didn't even bother trying to hide the fact that I checked out the sliver of skin that showed from his tshirt riding up.
"Hey." He said in a sleepy voice, smiling at me. "What time is it?"
"Almost noon."
"What?" He asked incredulously, starting to get up.
I laughed, putting my hand on his shoulder to push him back down. "Chill, it's fine. You were up all night, just relax. I'm actually going to go into town for a little bit, but I should be back in like an hour."
"Well give me just a minute to get ready and I'll go with you."
I hesitated, biting my lip. "Actually, I'm going to go talk to Harry." I said meekly. "Just to clear the air or whatever, I'm going to his work. Not his house or anything."
Liam blinked at me a few times before sitting up in the bed, rubbing his palms over his face. "Oh. Uh, alright."
"Don't think about it too much, okay?" I reassured him. "He was my best friend, Liam. I owe it to him to be civil at the very least."
"I know, I know." Liam muttered, taking my hand in his own and playing with my fingertips. "I don't know, I'm just worried. All that stuff you told me about him when we were in your apartment that night, how he's such a good guy and all that. So...not like me." He shrugged, staring down at our hands. "I just don't want you to change your mind about me."
I chuckled, leaning closer in towards him. He finally looked back up at me, brown eyes wide.
"After everything you said to me last night, I think it's going to be really difficult for you to get rid of me."
He laughed at that, shaking his head. "Trust me babe, I don't want to get rid of you."
"You say that now, but just wait until you hear me singing in the shower. You'll be trying to kick me out the door yourself."
I got a heartier laugh at that, his eyes crinkling at the corners adorably. He wordlessly closed the distance between us, placing his lips on mine, smiling into the kiss. I was startled at first, it was so unprecedented, but then I melted into his touch. He raised his hand to my jaw, tilting it slightly to deepen the kiss. I very embarrassingly moaned into his mouth when his tongue ran across my bottom lip. That just made him smile even more, repeating the action.
All too soon, he pulled away from me and I had to keep myself from whining. His face was still close to mine, staring into my eyes.
"I need to take you on a proper date."
I raised my eyebrows at his statement, chuckling. "A proper date?"
"Yeah, like a dinner or something. Or a movie, I don't know."
I rolled my eyes without thinking. "That's so cheesy and cliche though." I said. "Dates are supposed to be fun, about spending time with each other. Not doing the mainstream thing just because it's the norm. And I don't mean anything expensive or difficult, just something fun you know?"
Liam looked at me with an amused expression, not saying anything. He startled to chuckle and I pushed his chest, which did absolutely nothing because he's rock solid.
"Don't laugh at me!" I told him with a smile. "I feel very strongly about this, dating has turned into a social convention of mediocrity and not what it's intended to be which is spending time with someone to get to know them!"
That just made Liam laugh even harder and I started to get up from the bed, but he pulled me back down beside him. "No don't leave, I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at what you're saying, I actually really agree. You were just so passionate about it, using big words and all that. It's cute." He teased with a smile.
"You're damn right it's cute." I muttered under my breath as I stood up, making him laugh even harder.
***
Somehow, I had miraculously convinced Liam to let me drive his Ferrari and I had to hand it to him, she was amazing to drive. I feel bad for teasing him about it so much, but I can't tell him that.
Growing up, Harry and I had spent a lot of time at his stepdad's auto shop further into the city. He had started working there when he was 15, always having been quite savvy with cars. I would sit on a stool and watch him work, chatting with him over pointless things. It sounds boring, but just spending any time with him was nice back then.
The drive was only about ten minutes and I couldn't help but smile at the familiar route. It felt like I hadn't even left. But one look in the mirror, seeing my short hair and thinner face reminded me that things had changed after all, there was no use trying to tell myself otherwise.
I parked right outside the garage, smirking as a few of the workers stopped what they were doing to stare at the Ferrari. I'm starting to really understand why Liam loves this car so much. Once I was parked and out of the vehicle though, I took a deep breath. The nerves were starting to kick in.
The second I stepped into the garage, I heard a low wolf whistle and I froze in my tracks.
"A pretty lady getting out of a pretty car, it must be my lucky day." A familiar voice (that was not Harry) said, and I turned around. I laughed loudly when I saw who it was, covering my mouth with my hand.
There in all his glory was Alfredo, a guy who had been working at the shop since I could remember. He had to be in his late 30s, a terminal bachelor. He used to tease me all the time growing up, saying he would marry me one day and I would cook him dinner every night. It was all in good fun, he wasn't a creepy pervert or anything. Just a normal pervert.
"Fredo!" I cried out with a smile.
"Uh, do I know you?" He asked seriously, looking me up and down. "If I slept with you and didn't call you back, don't take it personally, I do it to every girl."
I scoffed, rolling my eyes and walking up to him, slapping his arm.
"You're such a freak Fredo, don't you remember me?"
He paused then, squinting his eyes and staring at me. I could tell the exact moment he recognized me, eyes going wide and jaw dropping.
"Carter!" He shouted, wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the ground, spinning me. I laughed loudly, a grin taking over my face. Alfredo was a douchebag, but a lovable douchebag. He set me down, looking at me in disbelief. "I, you, how did you - what happened to you, girl?!" He asked me, still grinning. "You...damn Carter, you grew up."
I scoffed, pushing his chest. "Yeah that happens Fredo. It's been three years after all."
"And your beautiful hair, it's all gone!" He cried, touching my short locks.
I rolled my eyes, slapping his hand away. "I'm a new me, Fredo."
"You can say that again." He mumbled, looking me up and down again.
"You're a pig."
"Have I ever claimed to be anything different?"
I laughed loudly at that one. "Good point, I'll give you that one."
"Carter?" I whipped my head around at the sound of Harry's voice, remembering why I had come here in the first place.
My breath caught in my throat as I took in his appearance. He was wearing the same blue one-piece mechanic outfit Fredo was wearing, but he had the top half pulled down and tied around his waist, a white wife beater donning his muscular torso. His tattoos were visible, and he had a red and black bandanna wrapped around his head, pushing back his curls away from his face.
He looked like a badass. A really, really hot badass.
Get it together, Carter.
"Hey." I said, sounding much more confident than I actually felt. "Uh, you said we could talk. Figured now is better than never."
Harry didn't say anything at first, just stared at me with an unreadable expression. "Yeah, sure." He finally spoke. "Follow me." He turned on his heel and started to walk to the other side of the shop, and I looked back at Alfredo.
He whistled lowly, shaking his head. "You did a number on that boy, Carter. Never seen a kid so heartbroken."
"Was it really that bad?" I asked quietly.
Fredo nodded. "Yeah. He's been so..." He struggled for the words. "Well let me just say this, Harry has been acting a lot like yours truly here lately. And that's not a good thing."
"Oh Fredo." I wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tightly. "You're not a bad guy. You just need to sort your priorities out."
He laughed, letting me go. "I'll work on that. But first, go talk to that boy. Get his head on straight, because you're the only person that can do it."
I gulped, nodding my head before turning around and going after Harry, who was leaned over an old green car's engine. Taking a deep breath, I sat on the stool beside the car as he worked. It was quiet, awkwardly quiet.
"Just like old times. Me on the stool, you with your head in an engine." I finally spoke, my voice small.
Harry scoffed. "Yeah. Just like old times. Except you've got short hair, I've got tattoos, and oh I forgot, you've been gone for three fucking years."
He stood up then, tossing his wrench to the ground, which clattered loudly. I sighed. He was in a typical mad Harry mood, which meant he was going to be overly dramatic. Proving my point, he slammed the hood shut and walked over to the tool bench, grabbing a towel and wiping his hands and face with it.
"Why are you here Carter?" He asked bitterly, leaning back against the car.
I rolled my eyes, laughing humorlessly. "Harry, you specifically asked me to come here and talk things out with you. Do you want to talk, or do you want me to leave? Because you can't have it both ways."
He chewed on his lip a moment, looking down at the ground.
"Alright fine. What do you want to talk about?"
"You." I stated bluntly. He looked shocked.
"Me? What about me?"
"How have you been?" I asked sincerely, afraid of the answer.
He laughed bitterly, throwing his hands up in the air. "Oh I've been just fine and dandy, Carter. Living life to the fullest, all that stuff. Having the time of my life, never been happier, I -"
"Harry." I interrupted. "How have you been?" My voice was much softer.
He looked at me expressionlessly for a moment, then blinked slowly before letting out a deep breath, shoulders slouching. He ran his hands over his face before speaking.
"I've been shit, Carter. Complete and utter shit. I'm so dead inside, nothing's the same. I go to parties, I sleep with girls and never call them, I'm such a dick. This isn't me, Carter, I'm a nice guy!"
"I know you are." I reassured him. "So why do you do it?"
"Because of you!" He shouted, pushing himself off of the car. "When you left, I realized that if the one person I thought loved me couldn't stick around, I must really be terrible!"
My jaw dropped, all the air leaving my lungs. He really thought that about himself when I left? It was silent for a moment, the familiar sounds of the auto shop the only noise between us. Finally, I got up off the stool on shaky legs and walked over to him. He had his hands on the back of his head, looking around the shop, not at me.
"Harry Edward Styles." I said softly. "You are a wonderful person. One of the most wonderful people I know, actually."
"Better than your little boyfriend?" He scoffed.
"Don't bring him into this, we're talking about you." I said quickly. "I left because I felt like I had to. And it killed me inside to leave you. I thought about you every day for the first few months, but then I couldn't think about you anymore because it hurt so bad. I almost called you a million times. I even took the box you made me to Kingsville, and I used to take it out and just stare at your name."
"You never opened your box?" He asked with wide eyes, an almost scared expression.
I shook my head no. "No, I couldn't do it. I was scared, to be honest. Scared to think about how much I had hurt you."
He didn't say anything for a moment, his hands falling to his sides. I couldn't help but stare at all of his odd tattoos. Yet they somehow fit him. They were a part of him now.
"You mean all that?" He asked. "About wanting to call me and stuff?"
"Of course. Harry, you're my best friend."
He smiled lighty, making eye contact with me. "You used the present tense."
"I know." I grinned.
Neither of us said anything then, the tension still thick. I played with the hem of my shirt before looking up at him again.
"Did you open your box?"
"Yeah." He nodded, holding up his right hand. I looked at it curiously before gasping.
There, on his wrist, was the brown leather bracelet I had put in his box as part of our 'secret gift' deal. Without thinking, I grabbed his hand and pulled it closer to me. I grinned, looking at the bracelet. It was just plain leather, with my initials messily carved into it. He had given it to me when we were just 8 years old, on my birthday. Well, our birthday. It had always been special to me, and I couldn't think of anything more special to give him as a 'secret gift'.
"You wear it?" I asked quietly. He nodded.
"Everyday."
I bit my lip, slowly letting go of his hand.
"I'm sorry about last night." I finally said. "I didn't mean to be that rude to you."
"Yeah you did." He laughed. "But it's fine. I actually...I'm actually glad I showed up when I did. To hear that Liam bloke say all of that stuff to you." He paused, taking a deep breath and looking up at the ceiling. "You know, I want to hate that guy so much, but I just can't. He saved your life, he brought you back here, he said all of those things to you that I never could have said. I don't want you to move on, but if you're going to then he's a good person for you to be with."
I was shocked at Harry's words. Completely shocked, quite frankly. "Th-Thank you." I stuttered. "And you should move on too, you know." Harry laughed. "No, I'm serious. Quit messing around with girls, you hate guys that do that. Go on dates - real dates, not just parties."
He laughed, shaking his head. "Carter who's going to want to go out with me?"
"Harry have you seen yourself lately? You're really hot." I said bluntly, the tension finally escaping between us. It felt just like the old days.
He chuckled, giving me a flirty look. "Carter Davis, are you saying you like my body?"
"Hell yeah!" I joked, making him cackle. "Dude look at your biceps!" He mock flexed for me and I pretended to swoon.
We laughed a little bit more but then it got quiet again.
"I better go, so you can get back to work." I said softly.
Harry nodded, walking me to the door. I called out a goodbye to Fredo, who was actually working for once, and he winked at me before making a kissy face. I just flipped him off, to which Harry chuckled to.
Once I was at the car, I turned back to Harry. "You know, any girl would be lucky to have you. But don't settle for just any girl, okay? Make sure she's good. Great, even."
He looked down at the ground, smiling lightly. "Okay."
With that, I grabbed his hand and leaned up, pressing my lips to his cheek briefly. I got into the driver's seat, but before I could close the door, he stopped me.
"Hey, can you promise me something?" He asked.
"Yeah, anything."
"Open up my box on your birthday." He told me, to which I just cocked my head at him. Our birthday was only about a week away.
"Why?"
"Just...do it. For me." He pleaded, biting his lip as he waited for my answer.
"Alright. I will."
He smiled lightly, looking right into my eyes. "Don't be a stranger anymore, Carter."
And with that, I drove off. Leaving my best friend behind me, yet again. But this time, my conscience was much more clear.
A/N: This chapter was hella long, holy guacamole. I haven't been getting many comments lately, so maybe change that for me? And don't forget to vote! Love you all!