Hope (Harry Styles)

44.

Gotta Be You- One Direction

Harry's POV

Reluctantly we break apart but I keep my forehead pressed to Abby's, looking deep into her eyes as I try not to freak out because I'm so happy. Hearing her say those things to me, to tell me that she never got over me was everything. I felt my heart swell and my body buzz with happiness and relief. I have been waiting for this moment ever since things between us ended. I know I never stopped thinking about her, I was a mess over losing her and it only seemed to get worse when I saw her a couple weeks ago. Knowing she was so close yet still so far drove me crazy. And finding out we were both trying to mask our feelings was just silly to me and made me realize how much of an idiot I've been and how stupid I was for not telling her how I felt sooner.

Finding out what Evan did to Abby made my blood boil and if I ever saw him again he better pray that there's people around, otherwise I won't hesitate to break his jaw. How could someone do that to someone, especially someone like Abby who is so sweet and kind, who always puts everyone's needs before her own. I will admit though, it made me a little nauseous knowing she slept with him but then again, I'm sure she feels the same way about Michelle and I. It's just something we have to get over, we had sort of moved on, trying to have a normal relationship with someone else, intimacy was expected.

I can't believe she was standing right in front of me, looking up at me with those big, beautiful brown eyes and a small smile on her face. She looks happy, at lease happier than I've seen her lately. I'm hoping it has to do with us. I know I'm happier than I have been in almost a year. I cup her face with both of my hands, covering her lips with mine in a gentle kiss, pulling back and smiling at her.

"I've missed you so much," I tell her, running my thumbs along her cheeks. She looks so beautiful tonight, like every night, and I've missed her smell. The flowery, sweet scent that's intoxicating.

"I've missed you too, you have no idea," she chuckles, her cheeks tinged pink. I tuck some hair being her ear, placing a small kiss on her nose before reaching for her hand and leading her back to the couch. I sit down and before she can sit next to me, I grab her waist and pull her towards me so she is sitting on my lap, her legs draped over the sides of mine. She wraps an arm around my neck while her other hand rests on my chest. She giggles as I pull her close to me, keeping one hand on her hip and the other on her back.

"I've gone far to long without having you next to me, I'm not letting you go," I whisper in her ear, nuzzling at her neck. She laughs lightly, clearly effected by our closeness. Glad I wasn't the only one. Her presence always had that effect on me.

"Good, because I don't want you too," she whispers, snuggling in closer to me. I couldn't help but smile. This is everything I have ever wanted for months and months, how could I not be happy.

"I'm really sorry for what Evan did to you, it wasn't right," I say, pulling back to look at her face. She looks away from me, looking ashamed and a little angry.

"It's not your fault, it was inevitable. All the signs were there, I was just too blind to see them. You would think when someone tells you that they get bored easily and that they've had like dozens of girlfriends, you would start to question things. Or when they blatantly check out your best friend right in front of you," she says, voice full of disgust and shame.

"He did that? I'm so sorry. He is a manipulator, a very good one at that. You shouldn't have had to deal with that." I tighten my arms around her, savoring the warmth of her body.

"It's my fault. If I wasn't so distracted with trying to figure out my feelings for you, I probably would have seen it coming. I was just so determined to get over you and try to have a normal life. I saw you with Michelle and figured you guys were happy and I wanted that too. But it was impossible. You clouded my mind, took up every thought. There was no point in trying to fight my feelings." She absentmindedly played with my hair on the back of my neck and picked at the fabric of my shirt, still looking ashamed.