Eve's POV
I didn't mean for a week to go by, but with work and school and Liam's constant disapproving interventions, I couldn't find the time to see, let alone call Harry. I figured I'd just bite the bullet and go and see him one afternoon, making sure to bring along the cupcakes I prepared at Niall's house since my parents still hadn't bothered to replace our broken mixer at home.
Alice had told me months ago that her favourite cupcakes I make were the ones with the oreos in the middle, so I thought it ought to be a nice thank you present for the card she made me last week which Harry sent over with his last bouquet of flowers. The card had a messy drawing of what looked to be her and I on the cover, a scribbled out message saying that she hopes I feel better, and a neatly printed joke on the opposite side, courtesy of Harry.
It was Friday evening when I knocked on his door, a lingering weight on my shoulders and a container of freshly iced cupcakes in my hand. It wasn't that I was nervous about sorting things out, because Harry and I both knew that we would end up back together one way or another. I was more nervous about how we would continue on. We hadn't been together in nearly a month, and I don't think I was ready to pick up right where we left off.
If we were going to start over, we might as well do it right, a clean slate for the both of us with no more secrets or worries of insecurities that either of us were hiding. I wanted to try and take everything at a pace that we could both agree on, hoping that Harry would be up for the same idea.
"Eve," he said, apprehension evident in his actions once he shut the door quickly after opening it to reveal himself, squishing his body between the door and the frame. "What are you doing here?"
I frowned, a little upset at his uptight tone, "I, um, thought we could talk... You know, about everything."
Harry's face softened at that, the space between us suddenly filled with everything that had happened over the past month. But before I could say anything to sway his mind, he furrowed his brows and stood a little taller, "Now's not a good time, Eve, I'll give you a call tomor-"
"Harry, who's at the door? What are you doing?" He was cut off by a familiar sounding voice, Harry's eyes widening at the realization of his sister yanking the door open so I was able to see past his own body.
"Eve!" Gemma gushed, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me into a tight hug, her protruding belly poking me in the stomach in the process, "I haven't seen you in so long! How have you been?"
Gemma hadn't changed at all since I had last saw her, save for her hair which Harry had told me she was famous for changing colours nearly every week, "I've been good, and you? Congratulations by the way," I smiled, glancing down at her stomach. She beamed at my words, placing a hand over her tummy and rubbing it gently.
"I've been alright too, the pregnancy has been treating me well so far, let's hope it keeps up!" She grins, hip-checking Harry who's still wide eyed and staring at the both of us. "Come in, come in, I'm sure Alice would love to see you."
She walked back into the warmth of the house, and I quickly looked up to Harry to see if he was alright with me coming in after the invitation from Gemma. He nodded quickly, whispering an "I'm sorry," to which I squeezed his arm in forgiveness and followed him into his house. What I wasn't expecting was Harry's usually empty living room to be filled with a whole lot unfamiliar faces.
"This is Gemma's fiancé, Elliot," Harry started, , "And that's their little one, Oscar. And um, this is my Mum, Anne, and her partner, Robin."
I raised my eyebrows at the newfound information, Harry hadn't mentioned that he was going to be seeing his parents, let alone that they were coming to town. I guess it would make sense as we hadn't spoken in a month, but all I was worried about was how he was handling this. I knew how much of a touchy subject his parents were, and that's probably why he seemed a little anxious at the door.
Before I could even introduce myself, Alice was running across the room to attach herself to my legs, making grabby hands at the container in my palms once it was revealed that the cupcakes were for her as a thank you present for the card she made me. The Styles family watched on with fond smiles and crinkled eyes, a chorus of laughs stringing through the air when Harry had told Alice that she was going to have to share the treats with the rest of the family.
"It was really nice to meet you all, but I should probably head off, I don't want to impose on your family time," I announced, suddenly feeling a little out of place.
"Nonsense," Robin spoke up, "The way Harry's been talking about you for the past hour seems to sound like you're just as part of the family as we are."
Harry squeaked with embarrassment from behind me, pink flushing through his cheeks at the piece of information that wasn't supposed to be shared in my presence. Gemma laughs at that, sprawling herself across the couch and over Elliot to stretch out her legs, Oscar groaning when her foot accidently kicks the phone he's been tapping away on.
"Of course you can stay, Eve. Mum and Rob are here for the whole week, plus we haven't caught up in a while so it'd be nice to have a chat," Gemma tries to convince, and I nod my head once I feel Harry place a hand on my back, tightening his fingers in a silent thanks.
A shallow outbreath rattles my throat once I notice Anne's stance, she's sitting up straight and sending me a tight-lipped smile, and it's palpably clear that she doesn't want me here at all. I try to ignore the feeling of her shooting daggers at me with her eyes, Gemma's voice bringing everyone out of the silence that's settled over the room.
"Would you mind putting the kettle on, H? I could go for a bit of ginger tea, I'm feeling a little nauseas," she rambles.
"Don't you dare throw up on my couch, Gemma," Harry deadpans.
Gemma narrows her eyes at her brother, grinning shortly afterwards, "Elliot will help clean it up, don't worry."
"Excuse me? I think you're on your own there Gem," Elliot chides.
"What a supportive family I have, eh?" She scolds, whacking her fiancé on the arm.
"Everyone want a cuppa then?" Harry asks, shaking his head in amusement. The whole family nod their heads in agreement, Harry stalking off to the kitchen before calling me to bring the cupcakes.
I excuse myself from the living room and hurry after Harry, finding him bracing himself against the counter once I make my way into the kitchen. His biceps bulge underneath the sleeves of his t-shirt, body angled away from the island and his head bowed down towards the countertop, a stream of steady breathes forcing their way out his chest.
"Harry, are you okay?" I ask softly, dropping the container onto the bench to stand beside him.
"I can't do it, Eve, I just... I can't," he strains, his palms clenching around the edge of the counter, the muscles convulsing shakily in his arms.
"Hey," I try to calm him, lifting my hand to rub it along his back. He jumps at the contact, quickly melting into my touch once my hand wanders up and down his back a few times, "What can't you do?"
My arm retreats back to my side from his sudden movement when he pushes himself angrily from the counter, raking a hand through his hair and pulling harshly at the ends whilst his jaw clenches from the pain.
"She hasn't even apologized. I can't just sit there and pretend like nothing ever happened. I can't do it. I'll never forget what she did to me."
I take a little time to figure out how to comfort him, taking into account where we are and what's going on between us. It seems hardly appropriate to wrap him up in a hug, because we're supposed to be on a break and I don't know if I'd be able to let go of him since we haven't been that close in so long.
I think about taking his hand, uncurling it from the fist it's clamped in and slipping my fingers between his, perhaps even rolling onto my toes to press a kiss to his cheek to give him just a tiny bit of strength to go back out there and face the family he hasn't seen for 6 six years. I don't know what to do, for once I'm lost for a thought and I don't know if I'm able to help him this time.
"Please Eve," he whispers, and all my morals dissolve from my mind once his pleading tone rings through my ears.
I grab his hands and wrap them around my hips, pulling him forward in the process and tugging him down so I can fit my arms around his neck. He obliged almost instantly, a sigh of relief fanning across my skin from his lips once he had nestled his face into the crook in my neck, hiding away from the reality he didn't want to face.
"You'll be fine Harry, okay? She might not apologize today, but she's probably just as nervous as you are about everything that happened. Give it some time, yeah?" I encouraged, Harry nodding against my skin yet making no attempt to let go of me.
"Peach, they're expecting some tea, time to let go," I reprimanded, trying to wiggle out of his grasp once we had been standing there for a tad too long.
***
The night went as smoothly as it possibly could. Harry had situated himself next to me the whole time, his knee touching mine for the contact I knew he desperately needed. Gemma tried her best to reconcile the two whilst I sat with Alice in between my legs, listening to Robin whilst he recounted teenage stories of Harry.
Anne didn't talk to me once throughout the whole night, and once everyone left, Robin had apologized on her behalf about the way she treated me. I wasn't too phased since I understood why she was angry, but I was starting to see why Harry was having a hard time trying to reconnect with her.
Harry wasn't too bothered either, after our little talk in the kitchen he knew that he probably wouldn't be getting anything out of her tonight, so he did his best to try and not be affected by the woman who had left him to fend for himself when he needed her most. I knew Harry was itching to bring it up, he was antsy and all he wanted to know was why she did it, but he held himself back for the sake of her not being ready yet, gracefully respecting her decision.
"It's late," Harry stated once I emerged from the hallway after putting Alice to bed.
"I know, Liam's going to have a fit."
"How'd he take the news?"
"Not too well. Yelled at me for a full 2 hours."
He smirked, trying doubtfully to hide it from his features, "I'm sorry."
"No you aren't," I laughed, slipping my jacket over my shoulders.
Harry shrugged, huffing out a breathe before meeting me at the door. He fiddled with the rings that decorated his fingers, furrowing his brows out of uncertainty of what to say to me before I left. He opened his mouth several times, only to snap it back closed and roll his lips together in angst, skin reddening from constant friction.
"I want this to be over, the break, I want it to be over." I cut the silence, my eyes fixed on the floor.
"Eve," I heard him start, but I glanced up to meet his hard gaze, willing him silently to let me finish.
"I had no right to be angry at you about something that happened when we weren't officially together-"
"You had every right to be angry, Eve, God stop playing this off like I didn't do anything wrong," He interrupted, raising his voice ever so slightly.
"It's not all your fault, Harry. I kissed someone too, I was in the wrong as well," I persuaded, trying to put some of the blame onto myself. It was my fault that he went out and slept with someone, so really the only person here to blame was me.
"I'm so sorry, Eve, I promise you I'll never do anything like that again. Please, please just give me another chance." He begged, taking a step forward, essentially trapping me against the front door.
"It hurt so much these past few weeks, Harry, not being with you," I whispered, the words floating seamlessly through the small space between us.
"I've missed you so much," he murmured, dropping his forehead down to press it against my own, his hands latching around my hips to steady himself, "Please don't leave me again, please."
I tilted my head up, our noses bumping gently in the process. I lifted my hand to push the hair back from his face, a shaky breathe wafting against my skin as my fingers tucked the long ringlets behind his ear, "I'm right here, Peach, I'm not going anywhere."
A sound of relief vibrated against his throat, and it seemed like forever until he finally brought our lips together, slotting them gently between my own. He stayed like that for a moment, not moving, just breathing and feeling, squeezing at my hips to make sure this was real. I didn't move either, it felt so unreal, so afraid to shatter whatever dream I thought I was having.
I didn't know how deprived I had actually been feeling until he pushed his lips back onto mine, the force causing me to groan when the back of my head hit the door behind me. I couldn't even comprehend that we were finally touching, that I was finally feeling him after so long.
I wasn't sure how long it lasted, the taste of tea and chocolate mingling between our mouths, warmth flooding me all over as he continued to pin me against the door. The gentle nips of his teeth soon turned into sharp tugs along my bottom lip, the ferocity of the kiss building up second after second, both of us finally getting what we needed from each other after all this time.
"Jump, baby," he growled into my neck, skating his hands down to my thighs. I followed his command, jumping swiftly to wrap my legs around his body, Harry catching me and pushing me back against the door, the air whooshing from my lungs from the strength.
His lips were back on me as soon as I'm off the ground, Harry babbling I'm sorry's and Please don't leave me's every chance he gets. The words sink through my skin, and it's sweet and it's heartbreaking all at once, his wrecked voice throwing nonsensical pleads into the air around us. It's so clear how broken he still is, how much more broken he's become because of what I put him through, and I just want to hold him together until he's fixed again, but we both know that isn't the case.
"Harry," I sigh, pulling back from the comfort of his mouth. He whines in response, chasing my lips for another few pecks before finally meeting my gaze, his cheeks flushed and his eyes a little glassy. My hold around his neck tightens considerably.
"Don't leave me, Evie, please don't do that ever again." He mumbles.
"Well then," I reason, pressing my lips to his nose, "Next time, don't let me leave."
*****
i'm so sorry. literally so f.ucking sorry.
idk what happened, but whenever i tried to write this chapter i just couldn't do it. idk whats going on but i just haven't been feeling the story lately, and i'm so sorry this chapter is so s.hitty. idk whats gotten into me. writing isn't the same for me anymore and i have no clue what to do.
i'm also aware that my writing changes tenses a few times throughout the story, but i really cbf changing it so yeah im so sorry
but thank you all so much for your kind words in the last chapter. i recieved so many messages and i'm so grateful that all of you are so so so lovely.
if you could vote/comment that would be really nice too. this chapter doesn't deserve it but yeah idk
i'll see you all next time.
-zara x