Chapter 26 ~ The Best
[Louis]
A second later, a familiar curly haired lad showed up around the corner, a guard following him. However, it didn't seem like the lad was paying any attention to him. The only thing he was focused on was... me.
His appearance made my heart stop beating in my chest. There was no way he was here. I must be dreaming or mistaking this person for him. It was just not possible that he had come all the way back without answering me for my sake. There was just no way.
Though the second he was standing in front of me, his green, beautiful eyes looking into my own and his hands cradling my face, I was starting to realize that it wasn't a dream. A dream couldn't possibly feel so real. His touch couldn't be so intense if it had just been a dream. It must be real.
And the second he leaned in to press our lips together, I knew for sure that it was not a dream. It was real. Harry was here, kissing me as if it was our first kiss all over again. I could even picture us together in the lake behind my eyelids. It was surreal.
Even if it surely didn't feel like I was dreaming anymore, it still felt like a dream. I mean, this was a dream come true. For two years, I had pictured myself in this situation, kissing the love of my life once again, and to be honest, I couldn't be happier. How stupid could I be to think I could possibly go on without him? He was my everything, and even if he hurt me, I would forgive him. I was just too head over hills for him.
After about ten seconds, I reacted and started moving my lips against his, reaching up to wrap my hands around his neck and playing with the curls at the back of it. God, I'd really missed this.
I could tell he had as well considering the tight grip he now had on my hips and the quiet moan that escaped his lips, vibrating against my own. I forgot everything about my surroundings, that I was still in the hallway with my friends around me. All I could think about was Harry and his perfectly plump lips that were kissing my own.
After another few seconds, we slowly broke apart, none of us wanting to separate from the other. I could still feel his breath against my mouth when we slowly opened our eyes, gazing into each other's souls.
Right then, someone cleared their throat, making me take a step back. I looked behind me and saw Zayn raising his eyebrows at me. Looking back at Harry, I bit my lip.
"You came back," I noted, not daring to look into his green eyes anymore.
He gave me a small smile. "Of course I did."
"Y-you saw my message?"
He nodded his head slowly. "I've seen all the messages you ever sent to me. I was just too much of an ass to reply to any of them," he admitted, looking down in shame.
"I thought..." I trailed off, inhaling a deep breath. "I thought you would ignore this one too since you did with the other ones."
He shook his head, taking a step forward to reach up and cup my cheek in his hand, caressing my skin with his thumb. "I meant what I said when I left you. I... I love you, Lou, and I can't describe how sorry I am for treating you so awfully these past two years. You didn't deserve any of it."
I looked down at my shoes, not saying anything for a while. "I think," I began, letting out a deep breath. "I think I might love you too."
The only thing I could hear was how he immediately stopped breathing, and if it weren't for the fact that I felt myself being pulled into a tight hug, I would've looked up to make sure he was okay. However, there was no doubt I was embraced by him.
I pressed my nose against his neck, inhaling the scent that I had missed so much. It was like every fiber of my body relaxed by it. It was the best feeling I'd experienced during the past two years. It was weird how I didn't realize just how much I missed him until he was back in my arms.
It wasn't until then that it finally dawned on me that we were standing in the middle of the hallway and that people other than my friends and Harry's bodyguard were surrounding us. Instantly, I took a step back from Harry, clearing my throat.
"People are staring at us," I pointed out, motioning towards the crowd.
Harry let out an amused chuckle. "One day you'll have to learn to live with that," he winked, leaning in to press his lips against my forehead lightly.
Once the crowd had dispersed, I turned to my friends, all of a sudden feeling nervous about their reactions. What if they would tell me to stay away from Harry?
To my surprise, their facial expressions told me otherwise. Hannah was smiling, and so was Niall. Zayn, on the other hand, had a scowl on his face. However, that was just expected.
The second I stepped away from Harry, Zayn took one forward to jab his finger into Harry's chest, his face red with anger and his jaw clenched tightly.
The bodyguard who had followed Harry immediately stepped forward to push Zayn away, giving him a warning look.
"If you so much as dare hurt him again, I swear I'm gonna kill you, and I don't give a fuck about these bodyguards of yours. I'll kill them too," Zayn snapped even if he was still in the man's hold.
Harry flattened out his button up, a frown evident on his face. He didn't say anything though, which I think was the best way to tackle the situation. I was sure Zayn would only get even angrier no matter what he said anyway.
"Zayn, calm down," Niall sighed, taking the man's hand in his own while giving the bodyguard a reassuring look.
When the bodyguard thought Zayn was calm enough and also realized that Niall had him under control, he let go of the black haired boy even though he stayed close to him.
I turned back to Harry and gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't listen to Zayn. I'm starting to realize you won't hurt me like that again."
He gave me a nod, a small smile creeping to his lips even though the frown never left his face.
"So, the song was about Louis, now wasn't it?" Hannah interfered, raising her eyebrows at the curly haired boy.
Harry took his eyes off me to nod to Hannah. "Yeah. I started writing it a few weeks ago," he said, looking back at me to see my reaction.
A blush covered my cheeks as I looked away. "That was really the way you felt?" I wondered.
He nodded his head and was just about to open his mouth to reply when the bell cut him off. I rolled my eyes at the coincidence. Of course it had to ring at this moment...
Harry let out a laugh, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Seems like someone has somewhere to be." He leaned back to give me a wink, making me roll my eyes.
"I hope for your sake that you'll be here when the lesson's over. Otherwise, I might have to call your mom again," I empty-threatened.
"I promise, Lou," he grinned, pressing a feathery light kiss on my lips, barely even touching them before taking a step back to walk back the way he came, his bodyguard in toe.
I turned back to my friends, only to see Zayn glaring at me while Niall was grabbing onto his arm. "See you after class," Niall said, giving me a forced smile before dragging Zayn away from us.
I let out a sigh, turning to Hannah who gave me a sympathetic look. "Come on, let's go."
She followed me to my classroom but didn't say anything until we were standing outside of it. "Don't think about Zayn. He'll get around it," she reassured me.
I nodded slowly, averting my gaze. "It's just still hard, you know? I don't even know myself how I'm supposed to react to all this. All I know right now is that I'm so happy that he is back, that he actually saw my text and listened to me."
She gave me a smile. "I know, and you should be. This is what you've been waiting for. Don't let Zayn make you overthink it. Harry is here because he loves you, and he won't hurt you again. I can see it in his eyes how much he adores you."
Grinning, I shook my head in amusement. "Now you're just talking bullshit. He does not look at me like that."
"Uh, yes he does. Didn't you see him on the television the other day? I mean, that song was intense! And the way he sang it... There was no doubt he was in love with the person he was singing about."
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. I'm just happy that you're on my side on this," I told her genuinely.
"Of course, Louis."
With that said, we separated, and I finally entered the classroom. The lesson had begun five minutes ago, but thankfully the teacher let it slip, so I just sat down in an empty seat quietly and opened my books.
The lesson seemed to go on for ages. I kept looking at the clock, waiting for the hour to pass. To be frank, I couldn't wait to see Harry again. Every fiber in my body wanted to be close to him again. It was so bad that I was stamping my foot against the floor frequently in impatience.
I don't think I even listened to a word the teacher said during the entire lesson, but eventually, the bell finally rang, and I was the first one out. I practically sprinted through the hallway to my locker, so when I noticed he wasn't there, I could feel my heart sink to the pit of my stomach.
Where was he? He promised he would be here when my class finished. Had he left anyway?
All these thoughts started running through my head, making me start sweating. I opened my locker and shoved my books into it to help myself calm down, but it didn't really work.
The second I felt tears building up in my eyes, I could feel a warm presence behind me and fluffy hair tickling the side of my neck. I got goosebumps by the feeling, and it didn't help to hear the sound of his angelic voice.
"Welcome back, love."
Instantly, a smile formed on my lips, and I turned around to look at the person I'd longed to see again for the past hour. "I actually thought you'd left," I admitted breathlessly, looking into his sparkling, green eyes.
An amused smile crept to his face as he shook his head. "Of course not. Didn't I tell you that I would be here when you came back?"
He reached out to wrap his arms around my waist, leaning in close to my face so only I could hear what he said. "But I understand why you're doubtful," he sighed.
I didn't say anything but only looked away from him. I wanted to trust him like I had done in our relationship before, but even if he had shown that he still liked me despite his actions the last couple of years, I was sure it was going to take some time for me to fully trust him again. Only time would make things better.
"Alright, how about you skip last class and I'll take you to the lake?" He suggested, raising his eyebrows at me hopefully.
I inhaled a deep breath as I bit my lip, thinking about it. I usually never skipped class, but was spending time with Harry worth it? Who knew for how long he would stay until he had to go back on tour again?
"Sure."
He grinned, taking his hand in mine. "Come on. Let's go."
I grabbed my jacket and backpack from my locker before walking with him through the hallway. Unfortunately, everyone had a break now, so a lot of students followed our figures as we walked towards the exits. Harry didn't seem to mind at all, and I guess that was because he was so used to people staring at him by now, but I still wasn't even after all those times it had happened.
I was sure I was never going to get used to the fact that Harry was famous and people looked up to him. He had fans for crying out loud.
Once we were outside, Harry pulled me towards his Range Rover where the same bodyguard that had followed him into school earlier was sitting behind the wheel. Harry opened the backseat door for me, and I hopped in.
He sat down beside me before shutting the door behind him again. "Paul, can you drive us to the same place I asked you to drive me last time?"
The man who I now understood was named Paul nodded his head obediently, turning on the engine. During the entire ride, Harry kept massaging the back of my hand with his thumb while staring out the window. We were quiet, but it was comfortable. No words needed to be said right now. We were just enjoying each other's company again.
Five minutes later, the car came to a halt at the lake, and Harry and I got out of the car. "I'll call you when to pick us up," he said before closing the car door.
Together, we walked out on the bridge, sitting down at the exact same place we used to sit when we were young. The thought made my heart swell with happiness, and I couldn't help but smile wide. I couldn't believe this was happening.
"I have to say that you haven't changed," I chuckled, leaning my head against his shoulder.
He turned his head to me so I had to retract my head once again. "What do you mean?" He asked, a confused look on his face.
"You're still stubborn as hell," I said, the smile never leaving my face.
He rolled his eyes, hitting my shoulder with his playfully. "You should know how I react when you say that to me as well then."
Grinning, I shook my head. "I don't think you'll tickle me like that right now, though."
Raising his eyebrows challengingly, he turned his entire body to me. "You don't think I'm capable of that?"
I snorted. "You don't want to ruin this moment, that's what I mean."
He let out a defeated sigh, looking out on the lake. "Maybe you're right about that."
I didn't say anything, just followed his gaze and looked at the beautiful view. The snow was disappearing now, and so was the ice, making it look almost like it did all those years back.
"Remember when we used to climb that tree?" He asked, pointing towards the tree that had repeatedly shown up in my dreams during the last two years.
"Of course. How could I ever forget? You almost fell down from it once."
He nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, if you hadn't been there to save me."
"Mm."
"It was also in that tree I gave you the bracelet," he said, looking down at our wrists that still were still wearing them.
When I didn't say anything, he turned to me with a sad look on his face. "I can't believe how stupid I was... How could I ever think I could live without you? You've been there my entire life. I'm not even whole without you. You... You're the love of my life. How could I be so fucking stupid?" He said frustratingly, shaking his head.
I placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Harry."
He looked at me as if I were insane. "It's okay? Of course it's not okay! I hurt you so bad, Louis. You really should never forgive me like you've been trying to tell yourself. I don't deserve you. But you know, this time I am actually willing to agree with you. I am stubborn. When I know I want something, I fight for it until it's mine. I... I know you shouldn't be with me, but I'm too selfish to let you go."
I gave him a small smile. "Maybe you're right, but I don't think I shouldn't forgive you anymore. I've figured I really can't live without you. It doesn't matter that you hurt me. You mean too much to me, and I know I'll be able to trust you again even if it'll take some time."
He reached up to cup my cheek in his hand. "You know you're too good to be true?"
I let out a small chuckle, shaking my head. "I'm really not."
The smile never left his face as he leaned in to close the gap between us, his lips capturing my own in a sweet kiss. It was so soft and loving that it caused goosebumps to erupt on my skin. Harry really knew how to kiss to make it meaningful.
His hand moved down to my neck to get a better angle, his lips never leaving mine. It felt like it lasted for ages, and I loved every second of it. This was what I had been waiting for ever since he left me.
Once we separated, he still stayed very close to my face, his nose rubbing against my own.
"You are the best."
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Awwww!!! He came back! I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter, but I've been quite busy the last few weeks... and still am. However, this chapter was so much fun to write! And it's not the end hehe :)
Pauline .xx