Arcane [H.S AU]

THIRTY FIVE

I'm sitting outside a small coffee shop in London, waiting for Harry. Our phone call two weeks ago helped both of us.

Apparently he got clean, we've been texting a little. He told me he was trying his hardest to stay clean and keep it that way.

I'm scared to see him, I'm sitting here petrified as to what he has to say and what I'm going to say.

I'm twenty minutes early, Z was surprised that I was up and ready early this morning.

I've been doodling, little drawings of bodies, and other little drawings. A lot of them are inspired by Harry but I'm trying to push that in the back of my mind, this little journal comes with me everywhere.

I take a sip of my coffee, carrying on my doodles. Then I hear the doorbell jingle and I nearly break my neck to look at the door to see if it's him but it's not.

I get back to my journal, not bothering to look at the door anymore. I'm early and Harrys never been one for meeting people early. He is always precise when it comes to timing.

I have no idea how today going to go, I need to make sure we stay in a public area as I know if it's me and him in an isolated area, I'll be tempted by him, I do miss his touch, not in a sexual way, it was more the little hair strokes, back rubs and stolen touches every now and then.

I miss him entirely, I've spent just over a month processing everything, I think I can do this, help him get out. I want him to get out, there's more to this story then Niall let on, but I need Harry to tell me the full story.

As I'm in my own little world, a ring-clad hand covers a page in my journal. I know it's Harry, the initial rings and the tattoo, he's painted his nails purple, he's never painted his nails in front of me before.

"Cherry?" I shut my eyes, taking in a deep breath, then I look up at him, he looks beaten literally. What happened to his face, he has faint bruises and a cut lip.

"What happened?" On instinct I go and touch his face but pulling my hand away at the last second, I can't touch him.

"Niall lost it on me, but I deserved it." Did Niall tell Harry what he told me? Or did something else happen.

"Over what?" I have a slight clue over why he lost his shit on Harry but he doesn't need to know that.

"Alicia cheated on him and some other things but I don't know the full story. We haven't spoken since it happened."

"Makes sense."

"Anyway, what were you doodling in this thing." he points to my closed black journal. I know he saw what I was doing, he's trying to figure out why there were two people in each drawing.

"Just little things from my brain."

"You wrote our initials underneath a sexual drawing?"

"Just stop, this is not what we need to talk about." he smirks then his face falls when I tell him he needs to stop.