stay forever; harry styles

8

Mabel stirred her spoon in her tea, her mind going about a thousand miles a minute. It had been a week since she and Steven had gotten into that argument. They'd had a few short conversation since then and things were relatively back to normal between them but she still wasn't sure of what to do. Although she knew that she needed to make a decision as soon as possible to avoid hurting Steven even further, it was much harder than it seemed. 

The last two years with him had been nothing short of amazing. She had been content and comfortable with him. They rarely ever even got into arguments and when they did, they would make up within the same hour. Their life together was peaceful and simple. It was what most people waited decades for. She felt so ungrateful for even considering letting all of that go. 

But, then, there was that other part of her that recoiled when she thought of marriage. That part of her that wanted nothing more than to see the world and experience all the things she had been imagining since she was a little girl. Although she knew anyone else in her position would be jumping with glee after finding the engagement ring, deep down she knew it just wasn't the right time for her. She wanted to push herself to be that person and settle down with a guy who was more than worthy but she wasn't sure if she would ever find happiness in that decision.

It all made her feel so ridiculous like she was some immature child who was unable to let go of her dreams and do what adults are supposed to do. She also feared she would make the choice to pursue her ambition and then regret it later on. Although she didn't want to be married anytime soon, she couldn't say she wouldn't want it in ten years from now. She was scared that if she turned him away now, she would never find someone that was as good as him and she would be a woeful old woman who lived in regret until the end of her time. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by someone approaching the table she was sitting at. She looked up, away from her tea, to see Harry standing over her. She gave him a slight smile, she hadn't really been in the mood for hanging out so they hadn't seen each other since they'd left Athens. She had missed spending time with him but she was too distracted to do anything other than think about the problem that was currently consuming her mind. 

"Have you been avoiding me?" He asked her with a quizzical look on his face and she immediately felt terrible for causing him to even think that. "No, not at all." She assured him, shaking her head. It definitely hadn't been anything personal, she didn't really think her taking some time to herself was something he would've noticed. He took the seat across from her, still looking at her with the same expression stuck on his face. 

"So, where have you been? You haven't even been coming around with Ingrid all week." He told her and she let out a sigh. She had told Ingrid about what was going because she needed someone to vent to about it all. Ingrid understood how much it was bothering her and had been providing with her the proper space to allow her to deal with her personal issues until she was ready to start being social again. 

"I've just been thinking, I kind of have a lot going on." She told him honestly. It wasn't something she was trying to hide but she also didn't want to burden anyone with her problems because they were only her's to deal with. "So, tell me about it." He responded. She pressed her lips together, she had confided in him about a lot of personal details about her life but there was something about her relationship problems that made her feel hesitant. She wasn't sure if it would be something Harry would even be interested in hearing. 

"My boyfriend's going to propose to me." She told him and his expression immediately changed. She couldn't read what he was thinking, but it didn't seem like it was a positive reaction. There was silence between them and she looked at him as she waited for him to say something, or anything at all. "Wait, so, you're getting married?" He asked her, furrowing his eyebrows. He seemed genuinely concerned by this, surprising Mabel, but she figured she'd just caught him off guard since she hadn't mentioned it previously.