10k on crumble??? wtf??? that's crazy. i love you all.
hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Harry Styles
We were all sitting and waiting for Eliza and Liam.
I think we were all going stir crazy, waiting for something to happen.
But while all of this between Liam and Eliza was going on, I was struggling with my own conflict.
I've caught Lydia staring at me a grand total of 5 times since we've been here. I'll make eye contact with her, and then she'll look away.
She hasn't said a word to me, and it was starting to piss me off.
It's been over an hour since the hospital, where I kissed her, told her I loved her and she said it back.
I knew she was being distant now because I suggested that she come back to the gang with me. I know that I was asking a lot of her, and I know she's moved on...but there was a time where we did anything and everything for each other.
A year later and I'm still not used to not having that.
"Why did Louis and I have to come here, again?" Niall asks, lying on the ground next to the couch and staring at the ceiling.
"We have to support Liam." I say. It was also because I thought he might try to walk out after seeing his son in the flesh and we'd have to stop him.
"They've been in there for ten minutes. What the hell could they be doing for ten minutes?" Louis complains as he scrolls through his phone.
"I can't believe how annoying you two are." I mumble, rolling my eyes at them. It felt like I had to step away for a moment, just to get my head clear and be alone...even if it was only for a little.
"Where's the bathroom?" I ask openly, mainly directed towards Lydia considering she was the only one out of the four of us that knew her way around the apartment.
"Uhm-" she starts, awkwardly tucking her hair behind her ear. "Here, I'll show you." she says. I furrow my brows because it would have been enough if she simply pointed me in the direction.
I follow her out of the living room area and down the hallway, where she continues straight to the end of the corridor, stopping at the open bathroom door.
"Thanks." I say, starting to walk in.
"Wait." she says suddenly, snapping a firm grip on my forearm. I look down at her in confusion before she literally pulls me into the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" I question her actions as she shuts the door behind us.
"Are we gonna talk about what happened earlier?" she stands in front of me with her arms crossed.
"The kiss?" I stick my head forward for clarification, making her nod. "What about it? We've kissed tons of times." I respond nonchalantly, even though it was just as big of a deal for me.
She shoots me an offended look. "Okay, but this is different. Look at the circumstances."
I press my lips together. "I'm gonna need you to clarify." I say, causing her to huff in frustration.
Was I being petty and trying to push her buttons? Yes.
There was no real reason for it, really...other than knowing I couldn't get angry at her for not agreeing to come back with me from the get go.
"We kissed because you wanted me to run away with you. Actually, you expected me to run away with you. You expected me to drop everything. And then, on top of that...you tell me you love me." she spiels.
"You said it back." I point out as we argue.
"Yes! Because I meant it! Okay? Are you happy? I meant it." she raises her voice slightly.
A small smirk crawls onto my face. "I know you did."
"God dammit, you piss me off." she shakes her head, rubbing her temples simultaneously. I just continued smirking, knowing I was successful in ticking her off.
I somehow forgot how cute she was when she was annoyed.
Her nose scrunches up in the most non-threatening, almost mouse like, adorable way possible. Her face sometimes goes red and her eyes pinch shut as if she's trying to hold herself back from punching you in the face even though she's envisioning it in her mind quite vividly.
Her eyes return to my face, noticing my still, satisfied smirk on my face.
"Would you wipe that stupid smirk off before I do it for you." she 'threatens' in a pissed off tone.
There was a very very very small voice inside telling me to stop pushing her and just hear her out...but again, very very small.
It was actually being overshadowed by the much larger voice telling me to keep going as far as I can.
"Why don't you show me how to wipe it off." I put my arms behind my back and stand tall in front of her.
She looks at me, eyes narrowed and dark. It seemed as if she was trying to decide between breaking my nose or gagging me dead with a hand towel.
But, what she proceeds to do completely knocks me off my guard.
She steps right up to me, grabbing the back of my head and stepping up on to her toes. It wasn't even a matter of 2 seconds before she kissed me...hard.
I exhale sharply through my nose as my eyes close slowly after being wide open from surprise.
Her hands move from around my neck to my cheeks, while mine move from behind my back to her waist and lower back. I pull her in closer as I take it upon myself to deepen the kiss. She pulls away for a split second just to catch her breath, but then comes back harder.
I bite down softly on her bottom lip, tugging it as she pants softly.
Her scent intoxicated me and the way her lips felt definitely wasn't helping. I was trying so hard to hold myself back from having sex with her right here on Eliza's bathroom counter.
Just as she grants my tongue access into her mouth, a loud knocking occurs from the other side of the door, making our lips disconnect and our heads snap towards the sound.
"You two almost done in there?" Louis' voice echoes from the opposite side.
I groan and wipe my mouth. "We're just talking. Give us a minute." I excuse.
"Mhm." Louis mumbles. "Well we'd like to leave so if you could hurry up with your conversation, that would be fantastic." he mocks.
I roll my eyes as I take my hands off of Lydia's hips. I look down at her as she bites the inside of her cheek and adjusts herself.
"Sorry." I say, referencing the sudden stop.
She shakes her head. "No it's okay. It was probably a good idea for us to stop considering we're in my best friends bathroom." she says.
I nod in agreement. We probably would have gotten carried away if we weren't interrupted.
I go to open the door, but she puts her hand over mine, making me stop and turn towards her with our hands still on the handle.
"Please stay." she whispers. She looks at me with genuine, bright eyes.
We weren't being petty, jealous, or even angry anymore. We just wanted each other.
I realized, if she loves me, yet she's asking me not to go back...then there must be real meaning behind it. She doesn't want to leave her life behind again, she wants me to be apart of it.
The gang hasn't been in any trouble recently. The Phantoms were being quiet, and they have been for a year. There really was no reason for me to go back right now.
I was the leader, and the rest of the elite members were up here with me. Louis still receives every piece of information that comes through for the Kings.
We could handle it from up here.
I wanted Lydia more than anything.
I nod. "Okay." I say quietly, making her stand up straight and her eyes widen.
"Really?" she perks up, teeth showing and eyes twinkling.
A small smile appears on my face as I nod again in confirmation.
Seeing her face light up at my agreement to stay here was one of the most rewarding feelings in the world. I knew I made the right decision.
She hugs me tightly, whispering a 'thank you' in my ear.
When we walk out into the living room, we see everyone standing around...including Liam, Eliza, and the kid.
I pause for a moment, looking at Liam standing next to Eliza with the baby in her arms. I couldn't believe how much that kid looked like Liam. It was uncanny.
"What took you guys so long?" Niall questions Lydia and I.
I look at each pair of eyes that were staring back at us...including the baby's.
"Uh." I clear my throat. "Boys, I gotta talk to you quickly." I announce.
The three of them look at each other suspiciously. I step out into the hallway because there was really no space to talk in private here. The guys all meet me outside within seconds.
"What is it?" Louis crosses his arms as we all group around in the hallway.
"I've made the decision that we're staying here. We're not going back to the hideaway...not yet at least."
This causes them all to give me shocked looks of confusion and criticism.
"The gang needs us." Liam says.
"But they don't." I protest. "We haven't been threatened for a year, and the members who are underground are thriving. There's no reason for us to go back right now." I explain.
Louis scoffs. "I know why you don't think we should go back." he says. "Lydia's making you stay, isn't she?"
"She's not making me stay." I knit my brows together. "I'm staying on my own terms."
Not one part of me thought Lydia was 'making' me stay here. Ultimately, if I had to leave, then I would. But I wanted to be here for now, with her.
"She's got you wrapped around her finger." Liam speaks, causing me to glare at him.
"And Eliza doesn't have you wrapped around hers?" I respond, making his face fall. "C'mon Liam, you have a kid. You can't abandon them." I push.
He didn't respond. He only looked at the ground, frowning.
"We can stay in the cabin a little longer. It's not that bad." I keep defending my argument.
The guys look between each other as if telepathically debating among themselves, even though-in all reality-they didn't have a choice. I was the leader and they listened to me...it was an unspoken thing between us.
"She's changed you." Niall smirks.
"What do you mean?" I tilt my head.
"The pre-Lydia Harry Styles would have jumped at the opportunity to be with his gang, ripping apart Phantoms." he states, causing me to throw my head back and roll my eyes.
"I might not be with the entire gang, but I have you guys. And as for the Phantoms, if one of them so much as looked at us you know they'd be dead."
Knowing I was right, they hesitantly comply to my suggestion of staying here.
"Glad we could come to an agreement, lads." I smile with an exaggerative tone while turning around and opening the door to Eliza's apartment.
When I walked in, I only saw Lydia standing in the centre of the living room, holding Elijah and balancing him on her hip as she swayed back and forth. Her bouncy movements kept the kid smiling and looking at her adoringly.
I walked up to her and stood in front of her and the baby.
"Where's Eliza?" Liam says from behind me.
Lydia looks up and over at Liam. "She's in the kitchen making little man some food." she responds, making her voice slightly higher when she said 'little man'.
Liam left towards the kitchen, followed by Niall and Louis who were probably trying to scavenge and mooch for some food of their own.
I watch Lydia as she looks down at the kid that was still staring at her in awe.
"You hungry bubba?" she asks him as if he could answer her. All he does is smile and drool all over his fingers that were in his mouth.
She looks up at me with a smile on her face as I stand next to her with my hands behind my back.
"He likes you, huh?" I gesture towards the baby.
"I mean I was there from the moment he was born, so." she says while lifting the child off of her hip and holding him up to be level with her face. "Auntie Lydia, his favorite." she smiles at the child brightly, causing him to chuckle from being held up in the air. She brings him back to rest on her hip while running a quick hand through her blonde locks.
"He's a duplicate of Liam." I say.
She nods. "I know. It's kind of scary. He definitely has some strong genetics."
I look down at the child. "I cant believe this innocent thing came from him. Doesn't feel real." I mumble.
The kid's eyes look up at me, and he just stares.
It was actually kind of intimidating.
"That's Harry." Lydia points to me in a soft tone, talking to Elijah once again.
He nibbles toothlessly on his fingers as his wide brown eyes stay locked on my face.
Not knowing what to do, I stick my pointer finger out towards him. He responds by wrapping his small hand around it.
"Hey bud." I say as he tightly grasps my finger.
Lydia looks up at me and smiles. "Someone likes you." she says.
"I don't know about that." I respond, gently taking my hand away from the kid.
Eliza walks out of the kitchen with a small blue plastic bowl in her hand with a green spoon inside, accompanied by a baby bottle in the other hand.
"Okay baby, we're gonna try solid food again today." she says to Elijah, taking him away from Lydia.
Liam follows Eliza like a lost puppy, while Louis and Niall walk out of the kitchen each with a granola bar in each hand.
They really were mooching off Eliza for food.
"We should probably get going." Lydia says, glancing at the time. "I have work." she says.
"I'll drive you home." I offer, making her smile and nod.
"Uh Harry." I hear Liam say, causing me to turn around. "I think I'm gonna hang out here for a little." he gestures towards Eliza and the kid.
I give him a nod of approval. It seemed like he was really going to try to be a present father and help Eliza. I was proud of him.
"We'll catch up later then." I say.
Lydia and Eliza say their goodbyes, and we head to the car.
Lydia sat in the passenger seat with her elbow resting on the car door and her forehead resting in her palm as she glared down at her appearance while I started the car.
"I can't wait to get out of these stupid clothes." she huffs. She was still in the little pink dress from the party. She had taken her heels off because her feet were 'in agony'. I thought she was exaggerating a little. I mean heels can't be that bad. Yet, I would never actually tell her she was being overdramatic because that would be asking for trouble. Instead, I just let her complain.
I had taken my suit jacket off so now I was just in the black dress shirt and black dress pants.
I pull out of the parking lot and drive out onto the main road.
It was really foggy today. But that was normal for the month of October here. It was warmer at night than it was in the day time because there were no clouds at night.
Lydia's phone rings in her lap, making her pick it up and look at the screen. Once she does so, I glance over and notice her face has turned pale.
"Who is it?" I ask, flicking my eyes between her and the road.
She swallows. "It's Cody." she states.
I feel my heart drop when she says his name. I honestly had almost forgotten about the piece of shit until now.
"Let me answer it." I say, taking my hand that wasn't on the wheel and holding it open for her to put the phone in.
"What? No!" she protests, clutching the phone into her chest.
"Why not?" I ask.
"Because you're going to start something that doesn't need to be started." she explains, looking back down at her screen.
"He cheated on you." I state.
"I know." she mumbles. I look down quickly at her phone screen. The contact picture that came up for Cody was a photo of him and Lydia kissing.
"Well are you gonna go back to him?" I ask patronizingly.
"Harry, I wouldn't have asked you to stay if I was going to continue to be with him." she explains. "Also, I kissed you so technically, I cheated too. I guess we're even." she shrugs as if it were no big deal...but her eyes said otherwise.
"Well he deserved it. You didn't." I say, keeping my focus on the road.
She gives me a small half smile while letting the phone call go to voicemail. "It just sucks. I thought he was a good guy." she shakes her head.
I purse my lips to the side, letting her vent.
"I feel so stupid." she says in a sigh.
"You're not stupid. You're the smartest girl I know. Him, on the other hand, he's a fucking idiot." I say, making her breathe out a small chuckle.
"Well thanks." she shrugs.
I drop her off at her house and then rush back quickly to the cabin to change. I had to get this suit off before I went insane. Once I changed into black jeans and a black pullover, I drove back to Lydia's apartment to take her to work.
She had changed into a beige knitted cardigan with a black tank top underneath, and blue jeans. Her hair was in loose curls. She looked professional and ready to work.
Her shift ended at 7 pm, and I promised I'd drive her home as well. So, until then, I spent the day at the cabin relaxing.
I haven't gotten to relax in so long since I was always so busy with the gang...and it felt incredible. At first, I almost didn't know what to do with myself. I started to clean up every thing I possibly could but then forced myself to stop.
It wasn't until I actually googled 'How to Relax', that I actually got some peaceful downtime.
I took a hot ass bath. I read a book. Then I made myself a good, huge lunch that I didn't share with any of the boys.
When 6:45 came around, I drove to the library Lydia works at. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, so I parked in an open stall right in front of the doors.
I decided that I would go in there and meet Lydia so she didn't have to walk out alone. I got out of my car and began walking towards the door.
I was looking down at my phone unaware of my surroundings, and it was dark, causing me to bump into someone just a few feet from the door.
"Shit my bad." I say, looking up from my phone. However, my blood runs cold when I see who I bumped into.
Cody.
I look at him as he immediately recognizes who I am as well.
"You." he mumbles.
I glare at him, wondering what the hell he was doing here and why he was going inside.
"If you're here for Lydia then I suggest you change your plans." he states.
I scoff at his words. Does he really think he's gonna help himself with her by showing up here like some stalking lunatic?
"Actually, I'm her ride home. It's you who needs to fuck off before you ruin her night." I shove him slightly backwards.
"Fuck off, mate. I'm her boyfriend." he spits before trying to push past me.
"You fucking cheated on her."
"I was drunk."
"Seems to be a pattern with you." I say, making him pause and look me directly in the eye.
"What makes you think you're in any position to be talking to me like this? To be the judge of our relationship?"
I bite my tongue, because little did he know, I had her first.
I look behind me through the glass doors and see Lydia walking out from a separate section of the library with her bag. I turn back to Cody, my patience wearing thin. He needed to leave before he caused something big.
"If I were you, I'd get back in your car and get the fuck away right now before your teeth are in the pavement." I threaten with my jaw clenched, getting really close to his face.
He looks at me angrily, then past my shoulder into the library. He huffs and mumbles something under his breath before he turns and storms back to his car.
I let out a breath of relief as I watch him zip out of the parking lot.
In perfect timing Lydia walks out of the library, looking up at me and smiling.
"Hey." she says.
"How was work?" I say, walking back to the car with her.
"It was surprisingly busy, but it was good." she nods, hopping in the passenger seat.
I was so relieved that Cody fucked off before she got here because she seemed to be in such a great mood. He would have messed that up.
"Okay, I have a question." she announces as I put the key in the ignition.
"Shoot." I say, waiting for her to ask.
"So two of my coworkers invited me to this club tonight..." she pauses. "Would you and the guys wanna come?" she scrunches her nose as if she was hesitant to ask.
I bite my lip in thought. Honestly, I was slightly worried about partying in public with Lydia and the guys again. Last time we did, there was a shooting that we were almost killed in.
"Well..." I start.
"I get why you're hesitant about it, but nothing bad has happened to either of us for a year. I mean, besides the incident with the one Phantom outside Cody's party...but you stopped him. So, with all the guys there, there should be nothing to worry about." she explains diligently.
I look at her as I weigh the options.
We could go out and have a good time, which is something we haven't done in a while...
Or we could stay in and avoid any threat of danger.
But the thing is, I kept Lydia hidden from the outside for so long when we were together and there were threats everyday. Now, we aren't being threatened or targeted at all and we could be missing out on the chance to be normal and have a fun night.
I don't wanna take that away from her again.
"Let's do it." I say, making her light up.
"Hell yeah." she exclaims in excitement. "I'll text my coworkers." she smiles as she pulls out her phone.
I reverse out of the parking lot, praying that this night went smoothly.
//
this should be interesting...