10 HOURS AWAY | Harry Styles AU
chapter 13 - broken promises
Mia showed up at my apartment an hour after we got back from the supermarket. We hadn't talked about Harry on our way home, but I knew she wasn't going to put it aside.
After I heard a loud clicking noise behind me, Mia appeared in the reflection of my dirty bathroom mirror – there were some toothpaste splatters on it I forgot to wipe away this morning.
She rested her slim body against the white tiles while looking at me. "Do you want to tell me what has happened?" she asked in a silvery voice.
Slowly I put my mascara wand down. "Harry and I kissed." I said to her.
"Oh." Mia mouthed.
"Yeah." I breathed out and continued to apply make-up.
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"I feel like I've made a mistake." I admitted gingerly. "I should've known better. I should've said goodbye when he dropped me off at the end of the day."
"Have you talked to him yet?" she questioned me cautiously.
"No. There's just silence between us." I told her as I searched for a Q-tip to remove the mascara underneath my eye. "After he said he was sorry for kissing me, I told him to leave my apartment. Once he was gone, that was it." I explained in a mirthless voice.
"Now I feel horrible for saying yes to Dylan's invitation." Mia said. "I'm sorry." she looked up at me.
"You didn't know." I waved her off.
"I should've known." she objected promptly. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"In all honesty, I felt ashamed and stupid. I didn't understand we kissed. It was like a daydream that had turned into a nightmare, and I was only waiting to wake up."
"Does someone else know about this?"
I pulled at the zipper of my make-up bag before putting it in the wooden cupboard underneath the sink. "I told Carter." I let her know. "He came by not long after Harry left. We talked about it and then we ended up playing cards." I said, turning to her.
"I'm glad you talked to Carter." Mia pointed out. "I'd have hated it if you had kept it all to yourself."
"I think I would have if it wasn't for him knocking on my door."
"Really?" she lifted an eyebrow at me.
"Yeah, I mean, I didn't want to make a fuss about it." I explained shortly. "I prefer to keep a lot to myself." Quickly, I smoothed down my denim skirt.
"I've noticed that since the day we met." Mia confirmed softly – clearly trying not to hurt my feelings by her choice of words. "But why?" Mia wondered as her eyes narrowed.
I bit on the inside of my cheek – maybe too hard. When Mia entered my apartment, I thought we were going to briefly discuss what had happened. However, right now, I acknowledged we weren't going to forget about it so easily. She wanted to talk about it in-depth because both the situation and my feelings were extremely relevant at this point.
"It's a long story." I warned her. Perhaps it would make her think twice about it.
"I've got time, Liz. You've got time, too. Hell, we're in New York for eleven more months so we can talk about this long story of yours." Mia said emphatically.
Since day one, Mia had been blunt with me. She wasn't the type of girl to shove her emotions aside and run away from it. Mia confronted me with my own issues and forced me to speak up. Truthfully, I felt more or less apprehensive about where this was going.
Then I walked past her into the living area. I sat down on my couch and tugged my hair behind my ears. I tilted my head when I noticed Mia taking a seat on the coffee table in front of me. She was close and held strong eye contact; her eyes flickered with agony.
"I used to talk so much, people often had to shut me up." I shared and a nervous chuckle fell from my glossy lips. Memories of conversations with friends around the dining table popped up in my mind. "It seems like that characteristic has disappeared." I pondered and leaned back against the couch.
"What made you stop, Liz?" she questioned. "You can be frank with me."
"I know, I know." I spoke quietly. Despite being beyond grateful she cared so much about me, it wasn't always easy to open up. "You see, I had this best friend. She was great. We were two peas in a pod." I carefully started.
Mia was going to be the first to know why my former best friend and I weren't on good terms anymore.
"Honestly, it was a miracle to find us separated from each other. However, at the beginning of summer, she broke up with her boyfriend. A few days later he reached out to me and said she was talking behind my back and giving me a bad name." I continued. "Then more followed. As if so many people felt sorry for me being completely oblivious about what she was doing." I said tremulously.
"What did she say, Liz?" Mia asked – disbelief written on her face.
"Where do I start?" I tried saying with a playful tone.
"Gosh." she pressed her fingers against her pink lips.
Immediately, I stood up and started to walk around the living room. My arms were wrapped against my chest as I reminded myself of the text messages I had received from both friends and strangers – telling me she wasn't worthy of my friendship and explaining in great detail what she had said.
"I called her out on it because I couldn't pretend I didn't know. But, till this day, I don't know where I found the courage to do so." I looked up to the ceiling when I took in a sharp breath. "Sometimes, it's quite difficult for me to know if what I am about to say is either going to be discussed with numerous strangers or stay between myself and the person I trust. Many times, there's this big question mark after every conversation I have with people. Will they talk about me behind their back? Will they drag me through the dirt? Will they make fun of me? She was my best friend. Or, at least, that is what I thought for years."
When I looked back at Mia, she gave me a weak half-smile. Her eyes seemed smaller than usual and they glistened. "I'm so sorry." she said. "You shouldn't be doubting others just because she fucked up."
This time, Mia got up. She walked over to me and wiped a tear from my cheek – I didn't know one had rolled down whilst talking. "We don't want your make-up to be ruined." she whispered and chuckled faintly. "What happened after you confronted her?" Mia asked.
"I left for New York two days later. We didn't have time to sit down and talk about it properly. To sum it up, we haven't talked after I told her I knew what she was doing." I told her and rubbed my forearm.
"From what I understand, the friendship ended too abruptly." Mia stated. "There was no time to process because you had to leave so soon." the look that was written on her face showed me she felt sympathy for me. "Your best friend betrayed you while you trusted her whole-heartedly and it ruined a part of you. Trust me, I get it hurts to know this friendship didn't last a lifetime but there are so many people around you who wouldn't take your wonderful friendship for granted. Carter, Isaac and I are unbelievably lucky to know you - we're like your little family in this city. Please, Liz, don't let her selfish behavior stop you from talking. If you ever need to get something off you chest, please know you can tell us everything. We aren't like her. We aren't going to be like her."
...
After Mia and I talked, we still decided to text Dylan and ask him to send us the address. First, Mia told me it was no problem to stay home and watch a movie together. However, I didn't feel like staying in. So we left my apartment after I grabbed my purse and collected my keys.
Our Uber stopped in front of the building where both Dylan and Harry lived. As I looked heavenwards, it only confirmed I was extremely close to seeing him again. Then I felt Mia grabbing my hand protectively and giving it a tight squeeze.
"Let's have some fun, eh?"
I nodded at her words and we buzzed ourselves inside.
While walking up the stairs, I heard music combined with laughter coming from the second floor. The door was wide open; as if everyone could just get inside their home if they wanted to.
I asked Mia to go first because I didn't want to bump into Harry straightaway. When she gestured me to join her, I did.
Instantly, I checked the room too. Even though I trusted Mia thoroughly, I needed to see it myself. But, thankfully, he wasn't present in the living room. We were surrounded by a great deal of strangers who, I assumed, had filled their bodies with alcohol and played several games of beer pong.
A smile appeared on my face when Dylan and I locked eyes. He walked over to me to give me a warm hug. This time, he hugged Mia too.
"I'm glad to see both of you again." he said sincerely. "Just so you know, around the corner you'll find the kitchen. We've got free booze, so please drink whatever you want." Dylan told us.
"We'll get ourselves a drink, only if we play a game of beer pong later tonight." Mia suggested enthusiastically.
"Are you sure?" Dylan asked.
"You're afraid to lose, aren't you?" Mia asked as she cocked her head.
"Let me tell you one important thing: I never lose." he spoke with assertiveness.
"We shall see." Mia said before she walked to the kitchen and pulled me with her.
For Mia, it was a piece of cake to talk to complete strangers. She would always find a way to start a conversation without making it awkward. This is why it was astonishingly easy for her to challenge Dylan.
When we were in the kitchen, I saw they had ordered pizza earlier since it was laying on the counter in greasy cardboard boxes. We grabbed a red cup and got ourselves a mixed drink. I scanned the room multiple times to see if it was safe to walk around because I wasn't ready to face him yet.
Because Mia could talk to everyone with so much ease, she approached multiple people at the house party. I need to admit, I was jealous of her social skills. I wish I could talk to someone and not make myself or someone else feel uncomfortable. Luckily, Mia was nice enough to involve me in social interactions.
At one point, we started drinking more because a friend of Dylan wanted us to play a drinking game. At first, we weren't sure if we should give in, but we figured it wouldn't cause any harm.
When we had finally gotten tipsy, Dylan came up to us. He reminded Mia of the game of beer pong they still had to play, so they walked over to the table and filled the plastic cups.
I took a seat on the barstool while I watched them play. It was hilarious to hear them throwing remarks at each other the whole time. Mia was definitely better than Dylan, but he wasn't going to give up any time soon.
Due to the fact their game was so entertaining, there was going to be a second round. A new game also meant more people who wanted to see them play. Therefore, it wasn't a big surprise to see Harry entering the living room with a girl by his side – a familiar brunette.
Within a second, there was a lump in my throat. We hadn't locked eyes yet, but I knew it wouldn't take long before he'd notice me.
I saw his eyebrows being pulled together when he looked at Mia. Perhaps he recognized Mia what made him aware of the fact I could be here, too.
Before he could find me in the crowd, I grabbed my drink and ran for the hills.
There was no one outside the apartment. The balcony was empty and I was glad to be on my own. I sat down on a plastic chair and drew in a long breath. The view from Harry's house was stunning and I loved to see the lights from billboards, buildings, and cars.
A few minutes passed by and I found myself searching for my phone I had put away in my bag. After I unlocked it, I scrolled through the phone numbers I had saved over the years. I spotted names of people I had only talked to once, family members, and close friends of mine.
But I also saw her information. I had frequently looked at her name and number after my arrival. I often wanted to message her and explain how I was feeling or share what had happened so far. Back in the days, it had become normal to discuss everything with her.
Fortunately, I had Mia's words burned in the back of my mind. This friendship wasn't meant to last a lifetime and I had to let it go.
So with a heavy heart and a clear mind, I pressed on her name. A couple of taps on the screen made it feasible to delete her number from my phone, so I wouldn't be tempted to call or message her ever again.
Somehow, by erasing her phone number, alleviation hit me. By doing this, I stepped away from our friendship. An erstwhile friendship I once cherished.
"Is this seat taken?" a girl with dark brown hair said. A black dress was wrapped tightly around her body; showing her curves perfectly.
"No. It's all yours." I replied.
A warm smile crossed her features before she sat down. "I'm Elena."
"Liz." I said kindly.
In her hand was a pack of cigarettes and she offered one to me. "It's no fun to smoke alone." she said. I thanked her, placed one between my lips and Elena gave me her lighter.
"You know that you're missing out on the world's greatest game of beer pong, right?" Elena commented.
"Yeah, I know. But I watched the first round, so I'm good." I said and smiled. "What about you then?"
"Well, I'm not the biggest fan of getting stuck in a group of people." she let me know. "I also needed a smoke real bad." Elena said before taking a long drag. "So how did you end up here?" she asked while the smoke left her mouth.
"Dylan invited me." I found myself saying.
"Oh." she breathed out airily. "I thought Harry did."
I went blank at the mention of his name.
"No, he didn't." I replied. I had no idea why she thought Harry was the one who had invited me over. "Why would you think that?" I questioned her in a civil tone.
"It's none of my business, but I couldn't help but notice the way you looked at Harry." Elena said.
"What do you mean?"
"When I was looking for a friend of mine, I saw you staring at Harry. There was something about the way you had your eyes on him." she explained.
I tapped on my cigarette and let the ash fall on the ground. "Was it that obvious?" I wondered.
"Only for people who've been in the exact same position as you." she pointed out. "The third night I hung out with my current boyfriend and his friends, his best mate was the one who told me I couldn't get my eyes off him."
I sighed. "I thought I was amazing at hiding it."
"You wish." she said and a chuckle escaped her mouth. "Does he know?"
"What is he supposed to know?"
"That you've got a little crush on him?"
"Oh, God, no!" I replied louder than I had anticipated. "He's in a relationship anyway."
"What makes you think he is?"
I scratched the back of my mind. The alcohol in my veins was the only reason that made it easier for me to talk about this with her. "Because when I was at Dylan's book launch and we were looking for Harry, we saw him with a girl. Then Dylan said he was talking to his girlfriend."
"Maybe it was a joke?"
"I don't think it was."
"Is she here?" Elena asked.
"If you saw me staring at him when he entered the room, then you must've seen the brunette next to him." I stated. "She's the exact same girl who was at the book launch."
"But has he confirmed this himself?" she asked me. "Did he ever say he's in a relationship?"
"He never-" I couldn't finish my sentence because, out of nowhere, Mia showed up outside. We locked eyes and she walked over to me in a rush.
"Harry is looking for you."
..
A/N: hii friends!! I hope y'all liked it. Please leave a comment and your vote :)
Btw, what is your favorite song from the album fine line?