This chapter was all @autumnstars ! Basically I just told her what I want to happn in this hapter and she wrote it, and did it better then what I couldv'e written! I swear I should just collaborate this story with her because she always helps me with ideas and writes a few chapters! I love this chapter and I hope you all do to :)
Louis' POV
Mine and Harry's date had been moved to Sunday, because of something Harry had to do with his mum, and the extra day had done nothing but cause more anxiety for me. I was panicking - pacing back and forth in my room, nervously straightening my clothes and fixing my hair. It had been so long since Harry and I had gone out on a real date, and to say I was freaking out was an understatement. I wanted this to be perfect, I wanted me to be perfect.
My Mum called me downstairs about fifteen minutes before Harry was due to show up. I jumped at the sound of her voice calling me from the kitchen, and made my way down on shaking legs.
"Yeah Mum?" I asked, leaning against the doorframe that led to the kitchen.
"When do you think you'll be home tonight?" she asked me. She was preparing some sort of meat for dinner, and it already smelled amazing. I love my mum, but there are only a few dishes she can cook really well, and this is one of them. Everything else usually turns up burnt or something.
"Not too late," I told her. "We do have school tomorrow."
She smiled at me over her shoulder. "Good, I was just checking." She pulled a knife from the knife block and I took that as my cue to leave.
I wandered into the living room, fiddling with the buttons on my blue button-up as I went. I checked my hair in the reflection of the TV, pushing a few hairs back into the purposely messy arrangement. The clock above the mantel ticked loudly, inching closer to two o'clock and making my heart race.
Four heavy knocks on the door nearly sent me into heart attack mode. I jumped, and bit my tongue so hard I yelped.
"Lou, Harry's here!" Mum yelled.
I rolled my eyes. "I know!" I rolled my tongue in my mouth a bit, trying to get rid of the taste of blood, and made my way to the front door on wobbly knees. I pulled the door open, and felt nearly every breath in my lungs disappear.
Harry was standing in front of me, looking as amazing as he always did. His t-shirt dipped low and showcased his glorious collarbones, and the skinny jeans on his legs left nothing to my already wild imagination. His hair was almost golden from the way the sunlight was hitting it, and his sparkling eyes made me forget how to basic things - like talk.
"Hi?" he said slowly, giving me an odd look.
I blinked. "Hi..." I managed. The word felt weird on my injured tongue.
"You okay?" He was smirking at me, as if he knew how distracting he was.
I blinked again. "Yeah, fine." I grinned and stood aside so he could come in. "Perfect."
"Good." Harry leaned down and kissed me, one of his hands sliding around my lower back and pulling me closer.
I smiled against him and then pulled back. "Mum wants to say hi, then we can go."
He nodded. "Alright." We went into the kitchen, where my mum was still chopping up some vegetables. She said hello to Harry, then mentioned something about some ridiculous curfew, and then we were making our way out the door again.
He held the door to his car open for me, and I rolled my eyes at the chivalrous gesture. He really was trying to win me back. I just hoped he would realize soon that I loved him as much as always, and there wasn't much he needed to do to make me his. Sure, he had seriously hurt me in the past, but he seemed more willing to change. I was ready to forgive him.
We were quiet in the car. It wasn't awkward, just nice and peaceful. Harry was humming something under his breath, and it made me smile. Everything he did made me want to giggle like one of my younger sisters: the way he flicked his hair back from his forehead, or when his eyebrows scrunched when someone cut us off on the road, or even just how his long fingers tapped the steering wheel. It was a little ridiculous.
"Here we are," Harry announced, after about ten minutes of driving across town.
I looked up from where my eyes were trained on how the chain of one of his necklaces dipped into his collarbone. We were at a park - there was a huge field of green grass, a small playground for children, and a grove of trees on the crest of a nearby hill.
"Are we going on a picnic, Harold?" I teased, raising one eyebrow.
Harry chuckled and blushed a bit. "Maybe." He opened his door and slid out, and I followed behind him.
It was a nice day for a picnic. The sky was mostly clear, it wasn't too hot or too cold, and there weren't many people around. We would have some privacy, and no one would be around to make either one of us uncomfortable.
Harry pulled a backpack from the trunk of his car, along with a folded up quilt. I took the quilt from him, smiling and nudging his hip with mine, and then followed him across the field of grass. We were going to the grove of trees, still not saying much, only enjoying each other's company.
Underneath the trees, it was shady and cool. The leaves provided a green canopy above our heads, and the mossy ground was soft and comfortable. Harry and I spread the blanket out, and then kicked our shoes off before sitting down on it.
"You know," I said thoughtfully. Harry was pulling baggies of food from the backpack, and laying them out carefully on the blanket. "If I was with anybody else, this would be cheesy as hell."
Harry paused his movements, looking slightly offended. I leaned over the food on my hands and knees and pushed our lips together. "But because it's you, the cheese is perfect," I whispered.
He laughed. "Thank you." He kissed me quickly, then pushed me back so that he could pull out the rest of the food.
I crossed my legs and waited patiently, eyeing the ham sandwiches and potato chips hungrily. He smirked at me and pulled out a plastic container full of what looked like brownies, and I nearly squealed with joy.
"You made brownies?!" I gasped happily.
Harry laughed and tossed me a sandwich. "Yep. But you gotta eat the healthy stuff, first."
I pouted and glared at the brownies. "Why?" I whined.
"Because I said so." Harry bit into his own sandwich and smiled at me, his mouth open a bit and exposing the meat and cheese in his mouth to the world.
I rolled my eyes and copied his actions. We cracked up at our immaturity, before settling in and devouring our small meal.
Harry finally opened the container holding the brownies and looked up at me from underneath his eyelashes. I felt something in my chest stutter, and slowly made my way over the blanket and to his side. I sat by him, our knees knocking and heads turned to face each other. His eyes were bright and shining in the sunlight streaming through the treetops.
"Thank you," Harry whispered.
"For what?" Something had shifted in our mood, had gone from happy and carefree to heavy and wrought with things that needed to be said.
Harry swallowed. His eyes drifted down to my lips. "For giving me a second chance."
I wanted to tell him that if he had come to me sooner, I would have jumped on the opportunity even faster. I missed Harry. He was like my lifeline, one of the only things that kept me sane. I wanted him to know how painful it had been, hating and ignoring and forgetting him.
I wanted him to know how much I loved him.
Instead, Harry dropped the container holding the brownie and kissed me hard. I breathed out harshly through my nose, reaching up and grabbing fistfuls of his hair to tug him closer. He pulled me into his lap, gently prying my mouth open with his tongue while my thighs settled on either side of his hips. I smoothed a hand down the side of his face, cradling his jaw and trying to savor everything about him.
The kiss was powerful and slow, more than I could ever have hoped for. Harry held me close with strong arms around my waist, and whenever we broke away for a short breath of air I was desperate to touch him again. It was like we were making up for all of the time we had lost.
Harry pulled away slowly and ducked his head to nose at my neck. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into the skin there. "I should never have done what I did."
I kissed his hair, breathing in the scent of his shampoo. It was apples and cinnamon, like it had always been. "I forgave you a long time ago," I told him.
He pressed closer and squeezed me to the point that it was almost hard to breathe. I didn't care though, it was more important that we stayed close, to me.
I'm not sure how long we sat like that. It was long enough for me to forget what anything except Harry smelled like, and the only thing I could feel was his presence and warmth all around me. Our chests pressed together when we breathed, and the slight breeze ruffled our hair.
"Are we going to eat that brownie?" I whispered into Harry's ear.
He laughed quietly. "Of course." He reached around me and grabbed the container, pulling the lid off and then taking the square of chocolatey goodness between his fingers. "Here." He held it to my lips, smirking, and waited.
I opened my mouth and slowly took a bite, staring into Harry's eyes as I did. He bit his lip while I chewed, his cheeks flushing a little when I swallowed.
I took the rest of the treat from him and used my free hand to cradle his face again. My thumb caught on his bottom lip, and I gently opened his mouth to give him the rest of the brownie.
He kissed me again after he swallowed. We both tasted like chocolate and it made us giggle, brushing our noses together and basking in the way that we could be so affectionate towards each other.
We spent about an hour in the park. We didn't do much more than laying together on the blanket and finding naughty shapes in the clouds above us, but it was the most perfect date I had ever been on.
Until we started walking back to the car.
More people had come to the park, parents taking their kids on afternoon playtimes, teenagers our age taking advantage of the sun. I didn't think anything of the new company, but apparently Harry did. He looked slightly jumpy, and I could see the hand that was gripping his backpack strap was tense.
"You okay?" I asked as we made our way down the hill.
He flashed me a smile. "Fine, babe. Don't worry."
Don't worry. Right. I smiled back anyway, and reached out to take his hand. Our fingertips brushed, and I was about to link them, when his hand jerked away.
My heart thudded and I stopped walking. Harry had shoved his hand in his pocket and continued on, his head down and steps increasing in speed.
"Harry?" I croaked after him. He didn't turn.
I felt sick. Everything that had been accomplished in the last couple of weeks had vanished. Harry was still embarrassed to be seen with me in a romantic way; he had proven that just now. I didn't know what to do, because he had promised me that he had changed, that things would be different this time...
I tried to breathe and quell the sadness in my heart, and followed him to the car.
The ride back home was silent again. Except, about ten times more awkward. I stayed pressed against my door, curled in on myself and trying to be small. Harry wouldn't look at me, just kept both of his hands on the steering wheel while staring straight ahead. His jaw was clenched and eyes narrowed, in the way that meant he was disappointed. Most likely with himself.
When we pulled up to my house, I unbuckled my seatbelt quickly, anxious to get out of the car so that I could break down in private. But Harry reached out and touched my shoulder, stopping me.
"Lou..." He gulped. I couldn't look at him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
"I'll see you at school, Harry," I said sharply. "Have a nice evening." I pushed the door open and hauled myself out of the car, slamming the door shut behind me before stomping up the walkway.
I'm pretty sure Harry didn't leave my driveway until I was upstairs, but I was too busy trying to keep myself from breaking something to notice or care.
Harry's POV
I screwed up. I screwed up big time.
That was terrible, I can't believe I did something as stupid as that. I was just gaining back Louis's trust, had nearly convinced him that we could make it work again, and then I did something like that. What's wrong with me?
Zayn was a good enough friend to tell me that I was an asshole. He told me exactly what I needed to hear: if I don't do something to prove to Louis that I am willing to be out and proud for him, then I've lost him forever.
Only, what the hell am I supposed to do to prove it? I don't want to do something boring, he won't appreciate that nearly as much. I can't do something that might make him hate me even more, that is definitely the opposite of what I'm going for.
Maybe...
Oh.
I went up to Zayn during our first period of the day to tell him my plan. He kind of laughed at me, but then he said something about how Louis wouldn't be able to resist and I knew I was doing something right.
For the few periods until lunch I was jumpy and impatient. I had to do this, and it had to work. I needed Louis, and I wouldn't let the fear of what other people think of me get in my way.
Lunch finally came, and Zayn was sending me funny looks across the classroom to rile me up. I stuck my tongue out at him, and shot to my feet when the teacher excused us.
"You ready?" he asked while we walked to the cafeteria.
I nodded. "I have to do this."
"Okay..." He pulled his phone out of his pocket before we got to the cafeteria and started pulling up a song on YouTube. I flexed my hands nervously and scanned the room for Louis, Liam, or Niall.
The three of them were seated in the back, and even from a distance I could tell how sad Louis was. My heart ached a bit, but I pushed it aside so I could focus on the task ahead.
"Where are we doing this?" Zayn asked me.
I swallowed. "Come on." I pushed through the crowds of people, closer to where Louis was sitting, and when I was a few tables away I climbed on top of the nearest one and waited.
People started shushing each other quickly, recognizing me and waiting for me to say something. Louis was staring at me, while Liam and Niall just glared.
"I think," I said loudly, looking Louis right in the eyes and trying to keep my voice from shaking. "I think the person this song is for knows who they are..."
The students below me whispered amongst themselves, until Zayn hit play on the music he had pulled up for me, and the quiet sounds drifted up to me.
"There's a shop down the street, where they sell plastic rings, for a quarter a piece, I swear it." Louis blinked and bit his lip. I blinked back and kept singing. "Yeah, I know that it's cheap, not like gold in your dreams, but I hope that you'll still wear it."
People had stopped talking and were now just watching me. I ignored it, too busy trying to get Louis to understand what I was trying to tell him.
"Yeah, the ink may stain my skin, and my jeans may all be ripped. I'm not perfect, but I swear, I'm perfect for you." I stepped forward, off the table and onto one of the chairs next to it. Zayn stayed in place, and it got a little harder to hear the music, but I knew the song by heart.
"And there's no guarantee, that this will be easy." I stepped off the chair, and slowly started walking towards Louis's table. "It's not a miracle ya need, believe me. Yeah, I'm no angel, I'm just me..." I was standing almost directly in front of him, now, and I could see the tears shining in his eyes. "But I will love you endlessly. Wings aren't what you need, you need me."
"Yeah, your friends may think I'm crazy..." Liam smirked at that line, and clapped Louis on the shoulder gently. "Cause they can only see, I'm not perfect, but I swear..."
I knelt in front of him and placed a soft hand on his knee. Louis blinked and a tear fell down his cheek. I reached up and brushed it away. "I'm perfect for you."
I stopped singing, not sure I could finish the song, and the cafeteria erupted into impressed and confused applause. Louis covered his mouth with his hand, staring at me with wide, shiny eyes.
"I love you," I said quietly under the cover of cheering and whooping. "And I swear, I can be perfect for you."
"You already were, you idiot," Louis said, dropping onto the floor and holding my face. He was smiling.
"I'm so sorry," I told him. I meant it with every breath in my body and every heartbeat in my veins.
"I love you too," he said in lieu of forgiveness.
I grinned. Everyone was still clapping and looking at us, so I leaned forward and kissed him, right in front of them all.
~ ~ ~
How good was it?! :) Endlessly by The Cab is one of my favourite songs and I thought it was perfect for Harry to sing :) Though Harry is an angel and is perfect haha
Please go check out her stories because they honestly are amazing, I love them, especially the Ziam ones! Sorry I haven't been updating much, I've just had a lot on, so thank you for still reading and sticking by this stories and my other ones too x