"Congratulations!"
Hana looks up from the documents on her working desk and finds Harry smiling down at her. She looks rather confused, so without waiting for her to ask, Harry continues anyway, "I just ran into Daiki by the coffee machine and he said you were going to New York on Wednesday."
"Daiki who?"
"The marketing guy."
"Ugh I hate the marketing department!" Hana pinches the bridge of her nose and asks him to take a seat.
Harry pulls a chair and sits down in front of Hana, seemingly confused by her reaction to what's supposed to be good news. "What's wrong? The CEO picked you for this trip to New York and you're here looking like you just won a oneway ticket to hell."
"Because it's the same thing." Hana sighs, resting her chin on her knuckles. "Do you know who's coming with me?"
"Who?"
"Rei."
"Oooh, I like her, she's nice!" Harry exclaims, smirking as he tells her, "she gave me a donut yesterday."
"She did that to get your attention, Harold. Someone gave you a donut and you assumed she's nice." Hana exhales a laugh as she watches Harry furrow his eyebrows. "That girl hates me."
Harry squints his eyes in response. "And that would make me change my opinion about her because...?"
Hana's eyes grow wide as she snorts, grabbing an eraser on the table then tosses it at Harry but he successfully dodges it in a flash. As the two of them burst into laughter, a man walks up to Hana's desk to greet her with the first great news of the day.
"Good morning Hana, Harry."
"Hey Mac!" Hana looks up, smiling at her colleague and so does Harry.
"I need to tell you something," says Mac. Harry immediately stands up when he hears that but Mac stops him midway. "It's fine, stay, I'll be quick."
Harry sits back down, then Mac begins, "so I was supposed to book a hotel room for you and Rei for the trip but she just called me this morning. Unfortunately she got into an accident last night, she's fine but has to stay in the hospital for at least two weeks."
"YES!"
Hana's excitement causes the two men to stare at her, so the girl quickly clears her throat then lowers her voice. "I mean...I'm glad she's fine."
Mac lets out a sigh. "So you want to pick someone else to come with you or let the boss decide?"
"Well..."
"Hey, can I go?" Harry volunteers unexpectedly, making Hana exchange looks with Mac before turning to face him.
"Harry, I'm not sure an intern can go," she says.
Harry's face falls at the answer he receives, that frown, however doesn't get to stay for long.
"It's okay, the boss said H was better than most employees here, I'm sure H can go. I'll ask him for ya. Don't worry." Mac gives Harry a small smile, making the boy's heart topple over as he hears the news.
"Thank you!" Harry rises from his seat and shakes the man's hand with both of his, then happily shoves them into his pockets as he watches Mac walk away.
Hana giggles a bit at the intern's reaction. "You seem to like New York."
"Not New York," Harry replies. "My girlfriend is there until Friday. If I can go I'll get to see her again, maybe surprise her."
Just the thought of how happy Y/N will be when he shows up unannounced can already make Harry start grinning like an idiot. So now all he has to do is hope that his boss will let Hana bring him along.
...
Niall is at New York's Central Park with his friends when he receives a call from Harry. Because Harry's currently in Tokyo so he usually just texts Niall if he wants to talk. Therefore, if he calls, it's probably an emergency.
Niall falls behind as the group walks ahead just so he can answer the phone.
"Yeah, H?"
"Mate, I'm coming to New York tonight!"
"Haha, funny."
"I'm not joking Niall. I'm at the airport."
It takes Niall a moment before he starts squealing excitedly, holding a fist to his mouth as he exclaims, "holy shit I've got to tell everyone! Y/N's going to be so happy!"
"No! Don't tell Y/N! I want to surprise her!" Harry chuckles when he hears how happy his best friend sounds. "Just text me your hotel's address."
"Sure!"
"Horan! Hurry up!" Louis calls in annoyance since everyone else has to stop to wait for only Niall. The boy doesn't want to get in trouble so he hurries his feet in order to catch up with his friends.
"Hey, are you and Layla talking again?"
"Nope." Niall purses his lips. "It's been nearly a month since her birthday and not a single word. I'll tell you when you get here."
"Okay, have fun."
"Alright." Niall chuckles then puts his phone away just in time he gets to where his friends are waiting.
"Who was that on the phone with ya?" Liam asks.
Trix immediately jumps in, "your girlfriend?"
Layla doesn't say anything but Y/N can see the sadness in the way she's staring at the ground. She wraps her arm around Layla's shoulder, rubbing the girl's arm while acting casual so nobody will suspect a thing.
Niall's girlfriend was supposed to come with them on this trip but for some reason she couldn't. That's why Ethan came along, to take her spot so they wouldn't have to waste a plane ticket.
"It's Harry," Niall responds. "He called to check on Y/N."
Layla simply rolls her eyes then walks ahead as soon as she hears that. Y/N, on the other hand, smiles happily as she grabs Layla by the arm to follow the girl, asking her to slow down.
"Look at you, being loved and shit, I cannot relate." Layla smirks, taking a quick glance at Y/N who's grinning from ear to ear.
"When are you gonna talk to Niall again?"
"When I want to, right now I don't."
"Layla—"
Layla stops and turns to face Y/N. Everyone else have stopped to buy ice-cream so nobody really pays attention to them.
"You can't change my mind, Y/N. Niall deserves this, I've known him for the longest time but he told everyone, all the boys, even Trix, about his new relationship before telling me! Harry's in fucking Japan but he was the first to know!"
"Layla! Y/N!" Ethan shouts out, waving his hand in the air to get the two girls' attention.
Layla turns her head and accidentally makes eye-contact with Niall, who's already staring at her, so she turns away quickly, then tells Y/N they will not speak of this again until they leave New York.
...
Harry and Hana arrive at the hotel in New York at around 7PM, both exhausted after many hours on the plane.
"I can't believe we didn't get first class seats!" Harry complains, dragging his suitcase behind him out of the lift, to their room.
Hana uses the key to open the door as she gives him a look. "We have to share a room and you expected them to put us in first class? I'm not the damn CEO."
"But aren't you representing the CEO on this trip? At least they should—" Harry stops in the middle of his sentence once he finally sees the room. At this point he really hopes they got the wrong key because...
"Why is there only one bed?!"
"Shit...Mac!" Hana exclaims as she swings her arms in the air. "He booked this room on purpose! He knew how much I hated Rei so he wanted us to share a bed!"
"But he knew I was coming."
"The room had already been booked by the time Rei said she weren't going, sweetie."
Hana rolls her eyes then drags her suitcase inside anyway. She takes off her coat before sitting down on the edge of the bed while Harry stays near the door.
"We're here for only two nights, it's okay." She chuckles, leaning backward with both hands on the mattress to support her weight.
Harry eventually closes the door behind him, scanning his eyes around the small hotel room before announcing, "I'm gonna ask my girlfriend if I can stay with her at her hotel tonight."
"Suit yourself. I'll get the whole bed to myself." Hana gives him a shrug, afterwards rising from the bed.
While Hana is taking the shower, Harry sits on the bed, checking their schedule for tomorrow on his phone while waiting for Niall to text him the address. He can't believe he's going to see Y/N again tonight and after one month apart they can finally fall asleep together.
Of course, she may not be happy to find out about Hana, but he thinks telling her about all the crazy stuff that's happened in person is better than on the phone.
Harry's train of thought is derailed by Hana's loud scream from the bathroom. As an instinct, he runs to the bathroom door to check if she's alright but just as he gets there, the door flies open without warning!
Hana, in nothing but a towel rushes out, trips on her own feet then collapses suddenly, knocking Harry down on his back on the floor with her full weight on top of his.
They both look at each other for a second before screaming out loud!
All of a sudden, the front door is opened wide, there stands Y/N, his girlfriend with shock on her face and her mouth agape at the scene she has to witness by accident.
Hana wastes no time to stand up and quickly secure the huge towel around her bare body before running back into the bathroom. Harry gets back on his feet right after that. He opens his mouth, about to explain, but Niall pops up out of nowhere, looking inappropriately joyful as always.
"Y/N! We're on the wrong floor! Our rooms are upstairs!" That's when Niall finally sees his best friend. "Harry?! You're staying here? What a lovely coincidence!"
The gleefulness on Niall's face is soon washed off when Hana walks out, wearing the shirt Harry lent her a while ago. In that event, Niall immediately takes a step back because he knows shit is about to go down in that hotel room, and he doesn't want to be a part of it.
"Y/N, I can explain—" Harry begins but Y/N doesn't want to hear his reasons.
She looks at Hana, eyes burning with anger. "Are you wearing my boyfriend's t-shirt?!"
"No. I mean yes! But it's not like that! He lent me this shirt when I slept over at his—"
"Hana!" Harry shouts, making the older girl jump in shock.
"Okay, I'll shut up..."
His eyes softens when they switch back to Y/N who seems so enraged and at the same time downhearted.
"You. Me. Outside. Now."
Harry swallows hard, because he knows whenever she uses that tone he's in so much trouble. Exchanging looks with his best friend Niall, Harry walks out of the room and closes the door, leaving Hana behind. Now he's facing his angry girlfriend with his head hung low, and Niall just awkwardly stares at them, wondering why he has to be here now.
"It was nothing like what you saw!"
"You've got three seconds to explain."
Harry takes a deep breath, then starts talking immediately, "she's my instructor at work we're on a business trip and they gave us a room with only one bed and she was in the shower when she screamed and I came to ask if she was alright but she ran out and knocked me down on the floor that was when you showed up and thought we'd done something but we didn't do anything."
When Harry finishes, almost breathless, Niall burst into laughter. He's immensely impressed by his friend telling the whole story in only one breath, but when receiving a glare from Y/N, Niall shuts up immediately.
"Why did she say you two slept together then?" Y/N inquires, still looking unconvinced.
"We didn't sleep together! Hana's my neighbor, she was locked out of her flat so I let her stay in mine and lent her that shirt so she could change. I slept on the sofa that night I swear!" Harry raises one hand, frowning at the way she's squinting her eyes at him.
"Let me get this straight." Y/N states while laughing but Harry doesn't think she actually finds this funny. "You're living next to a girl, who's also your boss, who slept over in your bed, who came here with you on the business trip you did not tell me about, and you've never mentioned a word about her to me?"
"I planned on telling you when I met you tonight. I told Niall I was coming here to surprise you!" Harry turns to Niall, eyes pleading for help. "Tell her Niall!"
"It's true he—"
"Niall can just lie for you! He's your best friend!" Y/N nearly shouts at Harry.
Despite having done many stupid things before, Harry swears he's never seen her this angry. For this reason, he doesn't say anything else when she storms away, to the lift at the end of the hall. He intends to come along, but she warns him not to go after her.
"I don't want to look at you right now," Y/N announces before leaving, and Harry, being too afraid to act against her words, is left with no choice but to watch his girlfriend go.
Hana shows up at the door soon after that, now fully dressed in her own clothes.
"Harry, are you okay?"
"Why did you fucking run out of the bathroom naked?!" Harry raises his voice which startles the girl.
"I saw a rat!" She reasons, looking slightly annoyed because he pins the blame on her.
"And you had to put on my shirt later?!"
"I thought you gave it to me."
"No I didn't give it to you I forgot to take it back!" Harry squeezes his eyes shut for a moment, trying not to think of the worst before he declares, "just don't talk to me for now."
Without looking at her, not even once, he walks towards the lift. Hana rolls her eyes in response then finally notices Niall, who's already looking at her.
"I'm Niall."
"Hana."
They share a smile and shake hands, then immediately breaks apart when Harry calls for Niall to come along.
...
"Why are we sitting here? Shouldn't we be out there looking for her?" Harry asks, walking back and forth in the girls' room with his hands on his hips.
While Layla and Trix are searching for Y/N and Ethan everywhere in the hotel, Liam and Louis are sitting on the bed with Niall, trying to calm Harry down.
"She's going to be fine. Would you just please sit down?" Niall begs his friend, who brushes that off and continues pacing still.
Layla and Trix burst through the door not so long later, looking elated as they tells everyone they know where Y/N is.
"I was just on the phone with Y/N, she's safe. She's in Times Square."
Harry rushes to the door as soon as he hears, yet Layla blocks his path. "Where are you going?"
"To Times Square."
"I mean, she was there when I called, I'm not sure if she's still there now! I told you she's fine! Ethan's with her."
"I'm sure that bloke's been waiting for an opportunity like this to get in line!" Harry combs his fingers through his hair in frustration then marches his way back to the bed, sitting down next to Niall.
"You can't blame anyone but yourself. You didn't tell her about the girl!" Layla remarks, but she's staring at Niall instead of Harry.
Niall, who apparently notices that, has to fire back right away. "Maybe because he knew she was going to overreact and stop talking to him?"
"She isn't talking to him now so what's the point?"
"Are we still talking about Harry and Y/N?" Trix speaks up, but everyone decides to ignore her.
Abruptly, the loud 'ding' of the lift pulls all of the attention in the room to the hallway. Harry pushes past Layla to go out but then bumps into his girlfriend and her friend Ethan at the door.
"Baby, I was so worried about you," he says, reaching out to hold her hand but she shrugs him off then walks into the room.
Ethan passes by Harry, each of them gives the other a hostile stare but neither says a single word.
"Was everyone waiting for me? I told Layla I was fine." Y/N smiles at her friends, standing with her back facing Harry like he doesn't exist, and it drives him mad.
"We thought you were out there alone," Harry breaks his silence. "It's not safe to walk around New York at this hour! What if something had happened to you?"
Y/N faces him at last. "But I wasn't alone. Ethan was with me. He would've saved me like he did last time when you weren't there."
"Are you seriously doing this right now?" Harry puckers up his forehead as he questions, making everyone stand up all at once then automatically head out of the door.
Ethan is the last one here. He touches Y/N's shoulder and asks if she's alright to which she answers with a simple nod.
Watching the guy shut the door on the way out, Harry clenches his fists and thinks to himself, I'm going to punch you in the face if you touch my girl again.
"Was that a payback? Because congrats, you won!"
"Won? This is not a competition Harry!" Y/N crosses her arms, her eyebrows knitted together. "Is our relationship just that to you? A competition to see who can hurt the other more?"
"No! Of course not!"
"How would you feel if I slept over at Ethan's, wore his shirt and landed on top of him with only a towel that barely covered myself?!"
"I would be very upset..."
"Yeah. So you have no right to be jealous!"
"You're right...I'm sorry...Can you just calm down and we'll talk this through?"
"I am calm. If I weren't you wouldn't be alive to talk to me right now." She breathes. "Have you two kissed?"
Harry's frozen for a second, and Y/N's eyes almost pop out of her head when she sees the look on his face.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!"
"We didn't kiss! She kissed me!"
"What's the difference?! Oh my god you cheated on me!"
"I didn't! I would never!"
"Kissing someone else that's not your girlfriend is considered cheating, Harry!"
"I can explain if you'd just calm down!" He begs but she already has her face buried in her hands.
Her shoulders start trembling and a look of terror crosses Harry's face as he quickly approaches Y/N. Harry wraps his arms around his girlfriend's shoulders, pulling her in and gets surprised when she doesn't tell him to stay away.
They stand in utter silence for a little while, until she slowly withdraws herself from his embrace. Her eyes are watery and red, the sight of which makes Harry's stomach clench for he knows this is his fault. They hadn't seen each other in a month and when they did, he made her cry.
However, what Harry doesn't expect, is Y/N pulling off the promise he gave her at the airport and handing it to him. Because he refuses to take it back, she grabs his hand, puts the ring inside his palm, and closes his fingers into a fist.
"I want you to leave."
"Y/N—"
"Don't let me say it twice Harry. Leave!"
Harry feels a lump in his throat. His mouth drops slightly as he's about to say something, but he knows no matter what he says next, she's still too angry to hear him out. Therefore, he holds the ring tightly in his shaky fist then heads towards the door like she told him to. Harry's heart breaks at his every footstep.
His friends are all waiting in the hallway, and they look shocked when he comes out of the room, looking defeated.
"Did you guys hear all of it?" He asks.
Trix nods her head and Layla violently elbows the poor girl, making her squeal in pain.
"Don't worry. She's just angry. I'll talk to her," assures Layla as she gives Harry a small smile.
Harry mumbles his thank. Then just like that, forsakes his friends to return to his room.
...
Hana went out to buy some midnight snacks and when she returns to the hotel room, she finds Harry sitting on the floor with his back against the bed, staring desolately at the silver ring between his fingers.
She knows he's going to flip if she starts talking to him, but he didn't leave her alone the last time she was sad. She shouldn't leave him like this now.
"Was it bad?"
He doesn't answer her question. Hana silently joins him on the floor by his side. That's when she notices how puffy and red Harry's eyes and nose are. He must have been crying before she came back. She doesn't see Harry at someone who would easily shed tears, so this girl must mean a lot for him to be hurt this way.
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't...Fuck, this is all my fault."
"No, it's mine. I'm a terrible boyfriend." He shakes his head slowly from side to side. "I promised a lot the day I left, but I couldn't keep my word."
Hana frowns as she stares at him.
"I don't know what I'll do if I lose her." He sniffs, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. "But if she wants to leave me, I'm gonna let her go...I've never been good enough for her anyway."
"No! Don't!" Hana suddenly protests and Harry turns to look at her, confused by the sudden change in her tone.
"You're stupid if you think you should let her go!"
Harry swears he's never seen Hana this serious before, even at work.
She takes a deep breath, then lets it all out before telling him, "I lost my boyfriend to cancer two years ago."
Shock flashes across Harry's face as he hears what she just said. He parts his lips to speak but she goes on before he's got a chance, "the night you found me crying was the anniversary of his death. I was just going through our videos and the next thing I knew I was crying so hard I couldn't stop..."
"I—I'm sorry."
"It's fine...," she tells him, smiling sadly. "When we first met I was shocked by how much you reminded me of him. You didn't look like him but the way you talked was exactly the same...I might have felt something for you, maybe now I still do...but at the end of the day, when I'm alone, I still cry myself to sleep thinking about him and the fact that maybe I'll never be able to love someone as much."
"Hana—"
"Harry, look, there are certain people in your life you just can't replace no matter how hard you look for them in someone else." Hana gives his hand a squeeze as she asserts. "I'm going to have to move on at some point, but it won't be the same. So if this girl means so much to you and she's still not out of reach, you do whatever it takes to keep her. Understood?"
Harry thinks for a moment while trying to steady his breath.
"Yes," he eventually tells her, eyes glued to the promise ring.
...
"We're going to miss the flight because of her!" Y/N complains as she checks her watch and finds out they have to leave in less than an hour. She hurries her feet, following Niall to his room.
"I don't know what's wrong with Layla!" Niall rolls his eyes. "She came to talk to me and she got mad then kicked me out! Now she refuses to leave the room!"
They both stop in front of the door and Niall shoves his hands in his pockets as he takes a quick glance at Y/N. "She would only speak to you."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll handle this."
Y/N opens the door and casually walks in. But the person she finds in Niall's room isn't Layla. It's Harry.
He immediately stands up from the bed once he sees her. Confused and surprised, Y/N turns around to question Niall but he's already disappeared behind the closed door. She desperately turns the knob several times but it's now locked from the outside.
"Niall Horan! What do you think you're doing?!" Y/N bangs on the door as she raises her voice. "And what kind of door that can't be unlocked from the inside?!"
"I won't let you out until you talk to Harry!"
"If you don't let me out we're going to miss the flight!"
"Then you'd better hurry up!"
Y/N groans out loud. Given no choice, she has to turn around to face Harry. He's wearing that cute little smile on his face and that makes Y/N wish she didn't love it that much.
"Don't be mad at Niall. This is my idea."
"Well you and Niall are two six-year-olds."
"I had no choice. You wouldn't talk to me..."
Y/N inhales deeply, eyes turned to the floor to avoid meeting his. She seems a lot in control of her emotions than last night so Harry assumes it's a good sign.
He rubs his sweaty palms on his pants and nervously speaks up, "I only ask for two minutes, no more."
"Okay." Y/N finally agrees, crossing her arms in front of her chest like she's putting up her guards. "Two minutes. Go."
...
The lift arrives and the door opens for Layla to walk out. She quickens her pace down the hallway only to find Niall standing outside his room with his ear pressed against the door.
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Jesus! You scared me!"
"Where's Y/N?!"
Niall immediately shushes the girl then grabs her by the arm and drags her away from the room. When they reach the end of the hall, Layla pushes him away, clearly annoyed and startled by his strange behaviors.
"I'm sorry but can't you just wait? Y/N and Harry are talking in there...well, or so I hope."
"You fooled her into doing that, right?"
"How do you know?"
"Y/N was really mad at H. She wouldn't want to be in the same room with him," Layla answers with her eyebrows furrowed. "I can't blame her though. He brought it upon himself."
"H is our friend!"
"So? Y/N is also our friend! Why is it okay for the guys to break the girls hearts?!"
"Please! We both know you're not mad at H! You're mad at me!" Niall accuses, but then he realizes he's being too loud and these walls echo, so he lowers his voice. "Well, we're here alone now so say what you want to say!"
"I have nothing to say to you!"
"My girlfriend broke up with me because of you so I think I deserve the truth!"
Layla is taken aback by those words. Her green eyes soften for a moment as she looks at him questioningly. "Wait, what?"
"She broke up with me after reading our old texts. She said she couldn't accept us being so close and told me to choose between you and her."
"And you chose me?" Layla feels her heart wanting to burst when Niall says nothing at all and just nods his head as a yes.
"Well then..." She breathes, trying to not show that she's happy when in fact she is elated by the news. "She's an idiot."
The corners of Niall's lips curve into a gleaming smile, but he's quick to remember their biggest problem is still unresolved. The voice inside his head tells him not to leave this hallway until the conflict is no more.
"Mind telling me what's up with you in the past month? It wasn't just because you were the last to know, was it?"
"Why was I the last to know then?"
"I was afraid of how you'd react when you found out. I mean, c'mon, you got really mad when I told you I'd gone on a couple dates with her."
Layla looks down at her feet like a guilty child who just broke her mother's favorite vase. Seeing her like this nearly makes Niall laugh. Even so he keeps a straight face because he cannot give in, no matter how cute she is.
"Layla I don't know how you feel if you avoid me every time I do something that upsets you. I wanted to talk to you at your birthday party but you disappeared, making me think something bad had happened to you!"
She finally lifts her face up and locks eyes with him.
"What if something bad had happened to me? What would you do?"
Her voice is quiet and soft, which is nothing like her usual self but Niall doesn't know why he's not surprised. It would normally take his brain a while to process and find the appropriate thing to say, but now he's temporarily done with using his head to express how he (should) feel.
"I would never forgive myself," he confesses, not breaking his stare with her.
And Layla smiles.
This moment in the hallway is no doubt the happiest this girl has ever been.
...
Harry finishes his story about all the things that have happened to him in the past month including what Hana told him last night. Nevertheless, there's no reaction from Y/N.
She just stares at him with the same indifferent expression on her face, which somehow scares him to death. His palms are getting more sweaty as he doesn't know what to do next or if she's understood and forgiven him. He's also too afraid to even ask.
"Was that everything?"
"Yes, I didn't leave anything out, I swear," he guarantees.
Y/N nods her head slowly then lets her arms, which are crossed, fall back down to her sides. Her body language says she's no more in defense and finally lets him back in. Harry's no psychologist but he knows his girl better than herself sometimes.
"I didn't cheat on you, love. I know just hearing me say it isn't a solid proof, but I would never cheat on you."
He thinks he should stop now because the more he speaks the more guilty he sounds. But he cannot stop, he's too afraid of losing her to shut the hell up like his mind is telling him too.
"I haven't laid eyes on or even thought about any other girl. I would never do such a stupid thing so you would leave me."
"Harry, stop."
And he does, his heart also stops with him.
"I believe you."
Harry's heart rate goes back to normal thanks to those three words. He presses his palms to his chest and heaves out a sigh of relief. For a moment he really thought she was gonna break up with him.
"But you're still an idiot," she says, slowly approaching him.
"I know I'm an idiot...um...such an...idiot."
She stops right when she's only a breath away from kissing him. Harry hasn't been this close to her for a month now. To have her so near, innocent round eyes looking at him like this makes his breathing go out of control and his mouth dry. Yet he doesn't know if he should make a move, she may still be mad.
Y/N starts talking, her voice is soft and slow, "you had the audacity to get jealous with Ethan when you had a naked girl in your room that wasn't me."
"Love—"
She shushes him and notices how he's had the promise ring back on his pinky. So she grabs his left hand, slides the ring off and puts it back on her ring finger, where it belongs.
Everything after that is like a movie scene fast-forwards.
In a blink of an eye, Y/N has Harry pressed down on the bed with her sitting on his thighs as she pulls his t-shirt over his head. Harry lets out a helpless groan, reaching out to help her unbutton her blouse but she swats his hands away and does it herself.
Once her shirt's been tossed somewhere on the floor, she hurriedly unbuckles his belt. Harry, now has his fingers digging into her hips, just stares down in shock at her hands pulling down his pants.
"Baby, slow down." He chuckles and catches his girl by surprise when he sits up unexpectedly. His arms secured around her waist as he slams their hips against each other, causing her breath to hitch in her throat.
"Behave yourself! Niall's outside!" He whispers hoarsely, with his lips brushing against her lips. He's really just teasing her, she can misbehave however she wants because he's all on board for this.
"It's not like Niall doesn't know we fuck."
"Language, young lady!" Harry gasps slightly, furrowing his eyebrows as he stares at her in surprise.
Y/N says no word, fingers turn to fists in his hair as she forces his mouth on hers and he returns the kiss with the same level of enthusiasm. She's always been so shy in bed and it'd be a lie to say he's not turned on by this. They fall back on the bed and not soon later strip each others' naked, leaving their clothes lying all over the floor.
That's how they both end up like this, two orgasms later, Harry lying on his back while holding Y/N, whose head is on his chest. Her lips are nibbling at the flushed skin of Harry's throat, as if the hickeys she's given him aren't enough already.
The couple are still trying to catch their breaths, even though they've come back from their highs for about five minutes now.
"I'm going to pull a Steve Jobs and wear a turtleneck to the meeting." Harry lets out a tired laugh, making Y/N laugh along.
"Why? I want her to see these," she replies, running her fingertips across the marks she made on him.
"Fuck, you jealous little thing!"
Harry growls as he holds one of her knees then flips them over so she's now on her back and he can take a better look at his girl. He brushes hair out of her face, lays a kiss on her nose, her cheek, her forehead, her lips. She looks so cute like this, and she's his and his only.
"You weren't nice baby, you were very rough with me." Harry fakes a pout, which makes Y/N giggle.
"I'm sorry I pulled your hair."
"I didn't say I didn't like it." His smirk makes her blush. "I'm going to get you jealous more often."
"Don't you dare!"
"Poor Niall must be terrified from hearing you shout my name like that."
Y/N swats him on the arm. If Harry hadn't mentioned, she would've forgotten about Niall, though it's unlikely that he's still waiting outside after all the sounds they've made.
Y/N brushes her fingers gently through Harry's chocolate locks then stares into his eyes as she finally admits her fault, "H, I want to say I'm sorry too, for not being honest myself. If I hadn't been drunk, maybe you wouldn't have found out about Ethan."
"Can't blame ya. I would've flew back just to murder that asshole for hitting on you. I nearly did when you came back with him last night, then I thought about how he saved my girl, so I let him get away with it." He gives her a toothful grin and pecks her on the lips. "But you...You need to be punished."
"As much as I'd loved for that to happen, I don't want to miss my flight."
Disappointment drowns Harry's face as she pushes him away to sit up. Though neither of them wants to leave this bed, they still have things to do other than each other.
Once they've put their clothes back on, Y/N comes knocking on the door to call for Niall.
"Hey, open the door Niall! We've got to go now! Niall?!" She bangs harder on the wood but there's no answer from the outside.
"Niall, mate!" Harry raises his voice. "Let us out! We're good now."
"I don't think he's still out there."
"I'm going to call him." Harry brushes his messy hair out of his face and pulls out his phone.
Now, as Y/N cannot take her eyes off him, she starts thinking about saying goodbye for the second time and having to wait five more months to see him again. It hurts her to even remind herself that.
"He doesn't pick up," Harry says.
Suddenly, Y/N wraps her arms around his waist with her cheek pressed against his chest, and tells him how much she loves him as if he didn't already know.
"Aww, I love you too, angel."
"Come to the airport with us. I don't want to say goodbye now."
"I have a meeting later baby. And you know it'd be harder to watch you leave if I came to the airport." He holds her face and kisses her forehead. "Call me when you get home safe, okay?"
"Okay..."
Without a warning, Niall bursts into the room with Layla behind him, both look so frantic, trying to catch their breath.
"Sorry we forgot about you two."
"Excuse me?!" Y/N pulls away from Harry, raising her eyebrows at both Niall and Layla. "You locked us in here and forgot?"
"Look I'm sorry but we must hurry up! Louis said he would just leave us behind if we made them wait for longer than five more minutes."
"Jesus!" Y/N rolls her eyes, turning around to kiss Harry one last time as Layla and Niall flee first.
"Is it me or are they holding hands?" Harry asks in doubt so Y/N pokes her head out of the door and finds Niall and Layla hand in hand waiting for the lift.
"Nope, definitely not you."
Harry nods then leans closer to whisper into her ear, "keep me updated on that when you get home."
"Absolutely."
"Y/N! The lift's here!"
"I'm coming!"
Y/N parts from Harry and hastily catches up with her two friends. Before the door closes between Harry and Y/N, there's just enough time for her to mouth one last 'I love you' to him.
In that moment, Harry knows he's going to miss her even more than he did before.
...
[2 months later]
Y/N stops in front of her flat then uses her free hand to fish out the key from her bag. She's on the phone with Layla, who, once again is in an argument with her boyfriend Niall, because they couldn't agree on a topic in class. Two months into their relationship and these two still argue on a daily basis, but Y/N knows they're happier than ever, which is kind of weird but also lovely.
"No, Layla, you are not right. Niall is! Listen to Niall! Bye, love you!"
Y/N sticks the key inside the hole as she ends the call before Layla can continue her rambling. That's when she realizes the door is not even locked. Weird. Y/N remembers doing it when she went out and even checking it twice to make sure she didn't forget!
Carefully, Y/N opens the door and steps inside without making a sound. She hears noises coming from inside the kitchen, and she assumes she's got an intruder.
Y/N thinks to herself, if she screams right now it's unlikely she can outrun this person, what if they attack her and rape her or worse kill her and dump her body somewhere?! She cannot call the police either, because what if she just forgot to lock the door and the noise in the kitchen is just a mouse digging through her rubbish?!
At the end, Y/N decides to grab the umbrella by the door then dials her neighbor's number.
"Hello? What is it darling?"
"Ben," she whispers, slowly approaching the kitchen. "I think someone broke into my flat. Are you home?"
"Oh dear, no, I'm at work! Do you want me to call the cops for you?"
"No, just—"
Y/N shuts up abruptly the moment she enters the kitchen. The person in there immediately turns around just in time she drops the umbrella to the floor.
Harry's face lights up once he sees his girlfriend again. She stares at him in shock for two seconds then screams at the top of her lungs and literally jumps right on him with her legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his neck. This time, unlike the last, he catches her impressively.
"I knew you were gonna do that," he mumbles into her hair, holding her close as if it was still possible.
On the phone, Ben freaks out when he hears that scream. "Y/N! Are you alright?! Oh no, I'm going to call the police! You hold on and fight for your life!"
"Ben, it's alright, it's just Harry!" Y/N says on the phone, giggling and showering Harry's face with kisses all over.
"He's home? Well congrats! Wow I nearly thought I would be the last person who got to speak to you!" Ben laughs, making Harry laugh as well. Y/N presses her phone to her boyfriend's ear so he can greet their neighbor.
"Hey Ben, how are you?"
"I'm great! We'll catch up when I get home. You kids enjoy each other! I mean...You know what I mean!"
"Okay, thank you Ben we will!" Y/N replies gleefully then ends the call, burying her face back into the crook of his neck. "Baby, you're home. Why are you home? When are you leaving again?"
"I'm not."
She pulls away, mouth agape.
"I finished half of my internship and asked them to transfer me back to their office in London. Should've done it in the first place but I wanted to go to Japan so bad." He pauses and strokes her cheek with one hand. "Then I learnt the hard way that all I'd ever wanted was you. I'm not leaving you again, angel."
Y/N squeals and kisses Harry again. "Pinch me! I don't believe this!"
"Hmm I have something else in mind." He chuckles, shifting her a bit in his arms to get both of them comfortable. "Now, let me show you how much I've missed you."