"What the hell are you guys doing here?"
Niall sat down beside Gabbie in the empty waiting area for terminal 52 and dropped his carry-on by his feet. He glanced over at Cat, who was looking at her feet as she kicked a plastic cup between them. She'd been this way with all the boys since Zayn and her broke it off a few weeks back. Niall kinda missed her smile. A lot.
He glanced back at Gabbie, expecting an answer to his question. Gabbie just shrugged her shoulders, gripping the seat tightly.
Niall rolled his eyes and settled back into his seat. He took a deep breath, realising that while both girls were excited to see him before he left, they weren't here for that and they really didn't want to tell him why they were. As if it wasn't obvious already.
"They won't be here until later tonight." Niall offered, watching as both girls looked at him in confusion. "I'm catching a connecting flight to Ireland from London. My flight leaves from the terminal next door in...," he glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes."
Cat nodded, standing up. "Well, I'm going to go get something to eat from the food court down there." She jerked her thumb over her shoulder. "Also, I owe my Mother a phone call. She expected me home hours ago." She rubbed her temples before shuffling off down the crowded hallway.
Niall watched her go, perplexed. Cat was a social butterfly. It was so totally unlike her to want to be out of a conversation. Gabbie too looked amazed that she'd left.
"She never gives up a conversation for food!" She excalimed, glancing at Niall, her face plastered with amusment.
Niall chuckled. "Yeah, well, I suppose it is a bit awkward, her being here."
Gabbie shook her head, raking back her honey coloured hair with her fingers. She sat around in her chair, hooking her left leg up so it moulded around her large belly. "How so?"
"Well, you did just drag her on a nine hour drive to see the man you love, who also happens to be friends and band members with her ex-boyfriend. She knows that when Harry turns up, so will Zayn." Niall shurgged again, knocking his shoes together. "Maybe she's just....I don't know- depressed."
Gabbie nodded, suddenly seeing it, plain as day. Cat may have been as supportive about Gabbie's freak trip to Sydney as anyone possibly could, but she still had the raw break in her heart from her break-up. And seeing Zayn was like adding salt to the wound. Gabbie couldn't for the life of her wonder why Cat had even agreed to come if she knew she would be seeing him. Gabbie knew for a fact Cat wouldn't be one to give an over-emotional speech about how much she loves him, and she certainly wouldn't put everything on the line to beg for him to stay.
Cat wasn't like that. Cat had one belief that ruled over everything she did: it will be alright in the end and if it isn't alright, it isn't the end.
Pretty good rule, if you think about it.
Maybe that ment that Cat had figured if her and Zayn were ment to be together, they would be in the end.
Gabbie looked up at Niall and smiled. "Yeah." She gazed down the hall where Cat had gone. "I don't think she's depressed, I just think she already knows how this is going to play out and she probably thinks it won't be in her favour."
Niall nodded again, a loud vibrating sound drawing his attention to his carry-on. Quickly, he bent down and unzipped it, fishing out his phone.
"Louis." he rolled his eyes, opening the text message. Letting out a chuckle, he turned the phone around to show Gabbie the text. "He's crazy."
Gabbie leaned closer to read it.
Have a good flight. Don't eat all the food. And, remembering that there are other people on the plane, don't chuck a Harry with the blanket ;) xxx
Gabbie shook her head. "Wow, those fan sites weren't kidding about your text messages, were they?"
Niall laughed. "Well, if you listened to everything they wrote, you'd realise Harry's pets have about sixteen different names."
"Actually, only my Cat is having an identity crisis."
Gabbie's eyes snapped up, fixing tightly on the blue eyes that gazed back at her. He looked like he'd just stepped out of wind tunnel. His hair was blown back from his eyes, his clothes rumpled around his body. The only thing that made you realise he was just dishevled naturally was the dark circles under his luminous eyes.
Gabbie stood up shakily, her hands ringing tightly together in front of her. She felt her mouth go dry and everything she had planned to say to Harry flew out the window. Her mouth trembled slightly and she couldn't even form the word 'hi'. She licked her lips and just stared at him.
Harry stared back for a moment before his eyes flicked down to Niall, who was getting up.
"Well, this is awkward." Niall said breathily. He checked his watch, aware that everyone was watching him. He picked up his carry-on. "I think my flight is leaving... like now."
Harry nodded stiffly and pulled him into a tight man-hug. "See you." He whispered, clearing his throat as he stepped back.
Niall nodded, clapping him on the back before he leaned down to embrace Gabbie. "Fight for what you want." He whispered in her ear.
As quickly as his warmth had engulfed her, Niall was gone and Gabbie was left stanidng there, Harry's eyes burning a whole in the side of her face. She cleared her throat, a question burning in the back of her mind.
Why did you leave me, Harry? Why did you have to go?
Cat leaned up against the pileon that supported the end of terminal 51. From here she could see Harry as he loomed near Gabbie, a dark presences that seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the air. Gabbie looked like she was soffocating. Thankfully, she wasn't literally suffocating. Cat sighed, watching from a far was hard for her, but the last thing Harry and Gabbie needed was to be interrupted.
Instead, Cat turned away, heading back to the food court. The only reason she'd been there so long was because she'd gotten a text from Niall telling her to stay away for another five minutes. So she did. And then she came back to find that.
Walking back through the hurrying crowd with huge suitcases and tons of children, Cat found herself sitting alone at a table, her face in her hands. She was thinking about everything and nothing.
What if Harry didn't come back?
Would Gabbie fall to pieces or would she be okay?
Would anyone ever be okay again?
It was out of the question that Cat could walk away from this and let Gabbie deal with her Baby and her life herself. She was in too deep and she definatly wasn't that type of person. She'd stick around, maybe pick up a third job or something to help support her friend until she was back on her feet. Of course, Gabbie's mum, Rachel would help out, but she too would have children she had to look after, and she was really in no position to fully support Gabbie and a baby.
Cat sighed and sat back in her chair, suddenly greatful that she didn't have to catch a plane and that she didn't have any boyfriend drama to deal with. Her and Zayn's break up may have been drawn out, but it was a smooth, clean cut. She knew it was over, He knew it was over and there was no one trying to cling to what they had. Unlike Gabbie and Harry's relationship, hers had just.... ended.
Her mind was drawn of topic as a young couple passed her. The Dad had to be no more than 23, while the Mum looked to be 19 or 20. In between them was a young girl, about two years old, hanging onto both her parents hands tightly as she followed them threw the crowded food court.
Cat cocked her head to the side and watched them disappear. Would Harry even acknowledge his baby after he left?
Or would it come out in some werid magazine atricle that the great Harry Styles has a love-child back in Australia?
"Its rude to stare, Cat."
Cat turned away from the young couple and looked up at Louis, who slid into the seat across from her. She smiled at him, glad for the company. "I've been told I look really creepy when I do it."
Louis laughed. "Who ever told you that was totally right. It kinda looked like you were debating on whether or not to track those people down..." He shook his head and leaned over the table to embrace her tightly. "How have you been?" He asked as he pulled away.
Cat tapped her nails against the fake marble table top. "Lou, you saw me literally two days ago. I'm fine."
"Well, something could have happened between now and then. Duh." He rolled his eyes, pushing his hair out of his face.
"Oh, yeah. Did I mention this crazy girl made my drive all the way to Sydney Airport just to plead her love to her ex-boyfriend, who is also her baby daddy, and who is best friends with my ex, who I really don't want to see right now?"
Lou leaned on his hands. "Oooh, its like a soap opera! Tell me more!"
Cat chuckled and waved him away. Suddenly, her head snapped up. "Wait, where is everyone else?"
Louis sat back. "Someone had to accompany Harry here otherwise he might just do something stupid. The other boys will be here soon. Zayn still hasn't packed yet."
Cat grinned. "Classic Zayn." She shook her head, pushing her hair behind her ears.
They both fell into a calm silence, watching as people rushed about around them. Somehow though, it felt like the world stood still, like Cat and Louis were in their own little bubble. And they sat there and waited. Waiting for what.... no body knew exactly. Harry to come back? A tear-stained alone Gabbie? The boys flight?
Gabbie slipped into her chair, her head bowed.
Harry had been standing there for a good minute, just looking at her. Niall's plane was boarded and was heading down the runway, all the other boys were either here or at the hotel and Cat was no where to be seen. Gabbie hugged her arms around her belly. She felt alone and exposed.
All she really wanted to do was reach out and touch Harry. Hug him? Kiss him? Shake his hand maybe? She could feel an electric current pass through her skin and into his, despite the fact he was a metre away from her. Every time she moved, it made her increasingly aware of where he was standing and the fact he was still looking at her.
"I think we need to talk." Gabbie said her eyes never leaving the stained airport carpet under her feet.
Harry grunted, possibly in argreement. "About why you're here or something else?"
Gabbie almost flinched at his tone, keeping her head down. She felt like a little girl, getting scolded for something. She couldn't bare to look up into his face, but she did wrap her hands around her belly. At least this baby was a part of him as much as it was a part of her.
The baby kicked her hand lightly and she let out a breathing giggle, moving her hand. The baby's foot followed and kicked her hand again. Maybe he or she would be a good soccer player. She reached up unconciously and grabbed Harry's large hand in hers. She pulled it down and spread it across her thin T-shirt.
"Ready?" She laughed, placing her hand on top of his. He didn't pull away until he felt the baby kick.
Gabbie felt hurt when he did and looked up at him. He was staring at his hand, like something had burned him when it wasn't hot. She watched him for a moment, until he knelt down in front of her and placed both hands along the sides of her stomach.
"Thats amazing." He whispered, his voice catching slightly. He chuckled as the baby kicked his hands again, one on each side, like it was dancing. He looked up into Gabbie's eyes, his reflecting her own love and adortion for the baby inside her. "So beautiful..." he whispered.
She nodded, feeling her lips quiver and her eyes water. She just wanted to freeze this moment and stay there forever. In this moment, she felt like Harrys still loved her; still wanted to be a part of her life; wanted this baby as much as she did.
Without warning, Harry leaned forward and caught Gabbie's lips with his.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I just realised how depressing the story has gotten!
Not to worry, it will get happier and better! :P
Okay, so I have decided there are TWO more chapters to this story. So enjoy it. Also, can you please go back and vote for any chapter you haven't voted for?!
Until next time :P