Harry Styles
As I lay in my bed, my ears were unwillingly filled with the muffled screams coming from downstairs. I shoved my head under my pillow, in an attempt to drown out the sinister sounds.
My thirteen year old mind couldn't even comprehend what was happening. I woke up to my mother's blood curdling scream, followed by my father's.
I remained in my bed...because I had learned over these past years that I'd be punished if I left my room at night. I'd be hit, or burned, or forced to sit on my knees for hours on end...because that's what my father saw as discipline. My mother would watch as she drank whiskey straight from the bottle.
When my mother screamed, I immediately thought that my father had come home drunk and was having one of his fits. But the screaming began to sound different. Almost desperate. Pained.
Not just from my mother...but my father as well.
I remained stiff in my bed, with my hand cupped over my mouth to keep myself quiet. The screams had died down. All that could be heard was whimpers from my mother. My father's voice was silent. Dead silent.
I heard footsteps. Loud ones.
I heard my mother begin to scream again, which made me cover my ears with my hands so tightly until I couldn't hear anything at all.
I kept my hands cupped over my ears for what felt like forever. I tried to focus on my breathing. I looked down at my chest as it moved up and down.
A sudden light filled my room. My breath hitched as I slowly turned my head to the side.
Standing in the doorway, was the figure of a tall man. It seemed like he was dressed in black, holding a knife in his left hand.
I shook silently in terror. I didn't know who this man was or what he wanted with me.
He took a big stomp closer to me, causing me to yelp instinctively. The moment I made noise, he launched himself next to my bed and gripped my mouth tightly. His rough fingers pulled on my cheeks as I panicked into his palm.
"Shhh." he muttered.
Now that he was close to me, I could see that he had a ski mask on so his identity was hidden.
I pinched my eyes shut, hoping for everything to end...or for him to kill me quickly.
"If you come with me, you'll be okay." he whispered, making me open my eyes in confusion and shock.
He looked into my eyes and waited for me to respond. I nodded slowly and he cautiously took his hand off of my mouth.
I let out a shaky breath before he grabbed my upper arm and brought me to my feet. He threw me in front of him and told me to walk. I obeyed and headed for the front door as he followed behind me.
I made the mistake of turning my head to the side. I could see my father's dead, bloody body sprawled across the floor.
I immediately whipped my head forward again with wide, scarred eyes. I felt sick, my stomach in my throat as I walked out of the front door.
The man opened the passenger seat of his car door and told me to get in. What choice did I have? I couldn't go back into my house.
He got into the driver's seat and sped away from my house.
I sat in my seat, trying to steady my breathing.
I had no idea who this man was. I had no idea where he was taking me.
I was petrified.
Lydia White
"What happened!" I panicked as I ran down the stairs and saw Harry laying on the couch with all the boys surrounding him. I had woken up to the noise of a loud thud, and when I realized that Harry wasn't in bed next to me, I instantly started to freak out.
He looked unconscious, and when I got closer...I could see blood running from his head. My eyes widen at the sight of him.
"I think he fainted." Niall states as he was knelt next to Harry's head.
I crouch down next to Niall in front of Harry and examine his face. His eyes were pinched together tightly rather than relaxed, and his forehead was wrinkled as his brows knitted together.
"I think he's waking up." I indicate. I gently rest my hand on his cheek and rub my thumb lightly along his cheekbone.
His eyes begin to flutter and he lets out a groan.
"Harry, it's me." I say softly. His eyes open and land directly on me. He lets a breath leave his lips and begins to look around, seeing the four other people staring at him as well. He furrows his brows and starts to shift himself up into a sitting position. But the moment he sits up, his hand shoots up to the spot where his head was bleeding. He keeps his hand over his wounded temple and makes a pained grunting noise.
"What the fuck happened?" he says through clenched teeth with his eyes pinched shut.
"You fucking passed out." Louis explains.
Harry's head falls into his hands and he groans in pain. I suck in a breath through my teeth and sit on the couch next to him and rub circles on his back.
"Do we have...fuck...painkillers or something." he murmurs while rubbing his throbbing head. He must have fallen pretty hard if he needed to take something for the pain.
"You're not taking painkillers." Louis states firmly with his arms crossed.
I furrow my brows in puzzlement. "Wait, why not?" I ask, looking up at Louis. His face falls when our eyes meet, and he immediately snaps his gaze away.
Harry lifts his head up and looks at the boys with wide eyes. The boys exchange looks, yet remain silent.
"Why can't he take painkillers?" I ask again.
"I'm...uh...allergic." Harry states. I look at him and examine his expression. He had his lip between his fingers and his eyes were looking at my forehead rather than my eyes.
He's lying.
"If you're allergic then why did you ask for them in the first place?" I shake my head in confusion.
"He's just out of it. He hasn't come to his senses yet." Niall excuses.
"Well he's in pain. There has to be something he can take." I say, excusing the whole painkiller conversation. I knew something more was going on, but we didn't have to get into it right now.
"I'm fine, Lyds." Harry says, resting his hand on my leg.
"Harry, your head is literally bleeding." I point out.
"Baby, please. I'm okay." he reassures.
I look at him with slightly widened eyes for a moment. I don't think he's ever called me 'baby' before unless we were doing stuff or he was drunk. It caught me off guard, and something told me he knew that.
"Just put some ice on it." Liam says.
"I'm fine." Harry repeats. "I think you guys should go." he says.
They all look at him before nodding and following each other out the door without another word shared.
Harry watches them leave and then turns around to face me.
"So, I have questions." I say with raised eyebrows.
He inhales sharply through his nose and nods.
"First, why were all the guys here? At one in the morning?" I ask. I wasn't trying to interrogate him or anything...I was just trying to figure out this extremely weird situation.
"They wanted to have some drinks, but I didn't want to go to the bar downstairs...so they came here." Harry shrugs.
"Why did you faint? Were you drunk?" I net my brows together.
"I wasn't drunk. I...I don't know why I fainted." he replies, looking at the floor.
I tilt my head. "Do you faint often?" I ask.
"No." he answers.
"That doesn't make sense." I say, shaking my head.
"I don't know why, Lyds. It was a long day at work and I didn't sleep that well last night...that might have something to do with it." he defends.
I sigh and slump into the couch. Something told me that there was more going on, and it really worried me. Things have been really good lately and I didn't want that to change.
"Did something happen at work?" I pry.
He swallows as if there's a lump in his throat before answering. "Nothing important." he hesitates.
I don't know what's going on with him, but I don't like it. I especially don't like how he's trying to hide it.
"It's really late. We should go up to bed now." he says, looking down at his watch.
"Is your head okay?" I ask.
"Yeah." he responds, starting to stand up.
The moment he stands upright, he loses his balance and stumbles back on to the couch.
I catch him before he can fall completely, holding onto his arms. "Harry you can't even stand up."
"I'll be fine." he excuses.
"You need to take something." I explain, guiding him back to lay on the couch.
"Lydia I'm fine." he repeats.
"Stop saying you're fine when you're clearly not." I say sternly while propping a couch cushion under his head. "I'm not buying the whole pain killer allergy thing, so don't even try it"
He rolls his eyes and throws his head back on the pillow with a huff.
"Lydia-"
"Why don't you tell me the real reason why you can't take pain killers." I cross my arms. Deep down, I felt like I knew why. I had a feeling that he's abused them in the past, and that's why he can't take them now...because he'll relapse.
"Can we not do this right now? My head is fucking pounding." his deep accent speaks as he rubs his temples.
I let out a frustrated sigh and spring off the couch and walk into the kitchen. I grab a dish cloth and run it under some cold water before heading back into the living room where Harry laid.
"Put this on your head." I say. He moves his hand away and allows me to place the cold, damp fabric across his forehead.
"Thank you." he says in a softer tone than before.
"You're sleeping down here. You can't walk." I say, crouching begins his head and running my hands through his curls.
He nods and shuts his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest.
I slowly stand up and look down at my tired boyfriend who passed out without any explanation and refuses to take any medication to help him.
"Harry." I say quietly.
"Mhm." he mumbles.
"Just know, that if you were...addicted...to pain killers before..." I start. "That doesn't change the way I feel about you." I finish softly.
He doesn't open his eyes, but his brows knit together at my words, and his eyes look pained even though they were shut...they were pinched tightly together.
I begin to walk away, but he reaches his arm behind his head and grabs a hold of my wrist, making me turn around.
"Please sleep down here with me, baby." he says, his raspy voice just above the volume of a whisper.
I pout my bottom lip in sympathy for him. Something told me that I hit the nail on the head with the painkiller addiction. I understood that it might be a touchy subject for him, much like his childhood...so if sleeping with him on the couch would take his mind off of it all, then I'll do it without hesitation.
I come back around to the front of the couch. Harry opens his arms for me to tuck my self into his side, and then proceeds to wrap his arms around my upper body. I laid my head on his chest and rested my hand on the side of his neck underneath his jaw.
My eyes slowly began to shut as being in his arms was the most comforting feeling in the world.
His fingers slowly traced the skin on my arms, drawing random patterns and running in random directions.
I was pretty much completely asleep. My eyes were heavy and shut completely. My breathing was steady and still. My head moved up and down slightly with the pattern of Harry's breathing as it laid on his chest.
If you saw me, I would've looked fast asleep...and that's probably how I looked to Harry when he whispered three words that made my heart beat so incredibly fast against my chest.
"I love you."
I kept my eyes shut and didn't say anything in return because I knew he thought that I was asleep.
But on the inside...I was reeling. I could feel my cheeks burning and my stomach doing flips.
He might not have said it to my face, but it didn't matter.
I couldn't help but smile as I laid on his chest.
Harry Styles, the man who thought he was incapable of love, just told me that he loved me.
Harry Styles
I woke up with Lydia's head resting in the same place it was when we fell asleep.
Her soft breathing was synced with mine. Her long blonde hair was sprawled across my chest.
"Lyds?" I say softly while rubbing her back. She gave me no response, she was dead asleep.
I managed to tuck my arms under her knees and her head. I positioned myself so that I was sitting up while holding her bridal style in my arms. I gently stood up and turned back to the couch. She must have been exhausted, because she didn't even move a muscle. I slowly laid her her body back down on the couch and removed my arms from underneath her.
I looked down at her and frowned, knowing that we might still be in danger, yet she had no idea. All I could ever want is to keep this girl safe.
I was in love with her...and if anything ever happened to her, I wouldn't be able to live with it.
She had found out about my painkiller addiction. It was something that I never wanted her to find out about, because I thought she would resent me for it.
But she didn't. She told me that it wouldn't change how she feels. It's times like these that make me think she was an angel sent to me from above...because who else would be so accepting and caring of someone like me? I'm starting to realize that she's exactly what I was looking for, and what I've needed my whole life.
I had to handle a lot of shit today, but I didn't want to leave her here without saying goodbye first. The worst thing for her would be waking up without me here after what happened.
I crouch down and kiss her forehead and shake her body very gently to try and wake her up.
"Baby." I say, my voice low and soft.
She begins to stir, and then blinks her eyes a little before opening them completely.
"Morning." I say as her eyes land on me.
She rubs her eyes and runs a hand through her messy hair. "Good morning." a smile crawls upon her face, making my stomach flutter.
"I have to go to work, but I'll be back in time for dinner, okay?" I tell her.
She shoots me a toothy smirk and nods. "I'll be counting the hours, Styles." she says cheekily.
I exhale a laugh and look at the ground, shaking my head.
"I'm gonna go get ready." I say, planting my hands on my knees and pushing myself up so I'm standing up straight.
I go to walk away, but I hear Lydia's bare feet plant onto the hardwood ground.
"Wait." she squeaks, making me turn around.
She jumps into my arms and wraps her legs around my torso, causing me to widen my eyes but smirk at her.
She wraps her arms around my neck and looks at my lips, smiling.
"What has gotten into-"
I'm cut off by her lips passionately connecting with mine. I smile against her warm, familiar lips.
She glides her soft lips with mine and it's like she's put me under some sort of spell.
With her legs wrapped around my torso, I walked back towards the couch and laid our bodies on top of it. Our lips did not disconnect once as her back flopped onto the soft leather of the couch.
I positioned my arms on either side of her head. I pulled away from the kiss to catch my breath, and she did the same.
She was being weird this morning. Not in a bad way...just more different than usual.
I looked down into her eyes, and she looked into mine. Her eyes looked different. They were big and bright, like she was trying to say something to me. They had a tinge of desire that made me absolutely weak.
I passionately attacked her neck with my lips, causing her to grip my hair with her hands.
"Harry." she pants. I hum into her neck as I kiss her warm skin.
"Harry wait." she says, making me pull away from her and look back into her eyes.
"What is it?" I ask with worry.
She bites her lip and looks at me with those big blue eyes. "What time do you have to be at work?" she asks.
"Well, I am the boss...I can technically go any time I want." I reply, making her lips curl into a smirk.
"Good." she says, pulling my head down to connect our lips again.
-
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