baby doll // narry

chapter forty. ➸ lies.

❝ chapter forty. ➸ lies. ❞

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The air in the lobby shifted, the atmosphere suddenly losing its slight warmth. The fact that it was midnight slipped my mind until I noticed how vacant the place was now.

I had deceived Darren into believing that Harry and I were nothing but strangers that crossed paths at a time, unwilling companions. My deepest wish at the moment was for Harry to be lying as well. But there was something in his tone that made me assume otherwise.

I carried myself closer to him, but stood far enough so he wouldn't take notice of my presence. I wanted him to continue his conversation, the conversation he was having with the thought that I wasn't around.

"Yeah, I know, man," A dark fog of cigarette smoke rose as he spoke, drawing the attention of more of the hospital staff as they gathered and watched him in frustration, "My dad's going to lose his shit, but hey, atleast the bitch is gone. You should've seen her face when I pulled the ring off her finger. Priceless,"

My knees began to lose their strength, every word seemed to be having an effect on me. Kaylee wasn't a likable person, maybe she was even miles away from the word itself, but the way Harry was talking about her was just horrible. The exposure of this side of him was crying my trust in him to wither, my sense of security shattering at an equal pace.

"What? God, could we drop that subject already? He's a Baby Doll. That's it," His small laugh at the end was heartbreaking.

All of a sudden, it was painful to breathe. Yet, I still clung to the hope that he was lying, like I had. If so, he had quite the talent for it. He was much better at it than I was, as he didn't falter once. But what really bothered me was the way he had referred to me as a Baby Doll. With just those words, he had gone against his promise to never hurt me. He knew very well how big of an effect that word had on me. And yet, he had used that to his own advantage, to clear his name, to get rid of any suspicion that posed as a threat to damage his reputation.

"I'm definitely taking a break from girls. Too much drama. The party scene's been missing me for too long, might get into that again," The cigarette which has shortened greatly was dropped to the ground before it was crushed under his boot. The action reminded me of Allison. Allison.

I shuddered as I recalled Harry's history with her. It was very clear that Harry's top priority was keeping Gus social stance intact. I wondered what made me think that it had changed now. To think he'd give it up for me. My stomach churned at the remembrance that I had given him all of me.

"Yeah, see you soon," The phone finally left his ear. He swiftly turned, still swiping on his phone. I emerged, and stood infront of him, uncertain what to do or think. I was hurting, and all I wanted right now was some reassurance from him, as sad as that sounded.

When his eyes left the phone, his face grew slack as he took in the sight before him. He gently tucked the object into his pocket, his nervous gaze still fixed on me, "Niall," He cleared his throat, "How long have you been there?"

"Did you mean it? Everything you just said?" I was embarrassed by my own voice, it came out a lot more shaky than I intended.

"No, no. You weren't supposed to hear that..." Harry voice softened as he moved toward me, hands reaching to hold me. My vision fogged, and my lips pressed into a line. I didn't want to appear so affected, but it couldn't be helped.

"I'm sorry you heard that, but you need to understand that my life is complicated. Every single thing I just said was for us. These people are difficult, and if we just went out with the truth, they're going to make things terrible for us," He cupped my face in his hands, his fingers wiping it clear of tears. His reason was sensible, but the things he had said on the phone got in the way of my judgement.