Orphans | Larry

10

(Dedicated to Mr_skittles5 // itsloulou03  // yourmycanvas for all of the support on previous chapters, it's very much appreciated !!)

HARRY POV

I felt the bed rise beside me, indicating that Erika was now awake. I sighed, remembering the tension between us.

Since I got released from the hospital a couple of days ago, she hasn't spoken to me much. Whenever words are exchanged, they're short and filled with no emotion.

I kept trying to pin-point the section in my mind with any illustration as to what I had done, but each time I came back blank.

However, it was clearly having an effect on the woman that I apparently loved. And so for that reason, I made it my mission to reach the root of the problem and pull it out, before it could fester.

The duvet exposed my chest slightly as I sat up, the breeze causing goosebumps to spread like wildfire on my pale skin.

"Erika." I said, morning voice evident, glancing over to where she now stood at the foot of our bed.

She looked over for a brief moment before continuing to pick up the clothes that were scattered around the room, "Yes Harry?" Her voice came across as agitated, it wasn't laced in sweetness like it usually was.

My eyes met hers for a brief moment before I looked away, nervous all of the sudden, "Can we u-uh maybe, I don't know, maybe talk?" I motioned for her to sit next to me, but she shook her head instantly.

"I can't really talk now," She sighed, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I have a meeting to get to." She continued pacing around the room, now stuffing necessities into her handbag in a rushed manner.

I looked up at her in confusion, "A meeting, for what?" I questioned, before looking back down, rubbing the back of my neck nervously.

"You see Harry," She took a deep breath, as if she were having an internal battle with herself on how to word the next sentence, "Maybe if you hadn't been so focused on your own pain, you would've remembered that I was fired, and that I in fact have a meeting to try and get me into a new modelling agency." Her bitter voice rang through my ears, but her tone of voice stayed soft, causing a shiver to creep up my spine.

I began to conjure up scenarios in my mind as to why she had been fired, however I came back with nothing. As far as I could remember she was sweet, hardworking and loyal. Then again I wasn't sure if I could trust my mind at this moment in time.

An unknown emotion then spread throughout my features. I would've remembered something that important, I'm sure of it. But I didn't. And it left me wondering what else I had forgotten.

"When did this happen, babe?" I asked. Not only had I been genuinely curious, but I was attempting to spark realisation in my memory to remember something...anything along the lines of Erika's job. But the spark in my head never lit.

"Last week," She ran her hand over her head in frustration, "How could you forget?" She sighed before continuing, not seeming angry, just disappointed. She shook her head once more for emphasis, "Really goes to show how much you care about me." Her voice trailed off at the end, a level of underlying guilt surfacing.

Our eyes met once again, and her's depicted a look of hurt. It was an expression that I'd grown all too familiar with causing.

"Erika I do care, so much," I began, not knowing where I was going with the conversation, "I honestly can't remember much other than the accident itself. I feel as if there's pieces of my memory missing. It's irritating for me, but I know it must be nothing compared to how you feel. I can only hope that this is temporary, not only for my sake, but for our sake. I just need to figure out what those memories are. Whether they're simple things with little relevance, or things of great significance; life changing things." I felt my eyes sting after my declaration, but I blinked back the evidence before it was even there.

"It's okay Harry, I understand. I do. You hit your head, hard, and I can't blame you for memory loss, it's normal. This is just difficult for me," She paused before continuing, "And I don't really know how to act around you anymore."

I knew what she was implying, but I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let her get away. The words that came out of her mouth were exaggerated, it was clear to see that she was over-reacting. She acted as if forgetting a couple of minor details in my life changed me as a person.

They didn't... did they?

And that was when I took into account how I was feeling inside. Since the accident I felt as if an imaginary weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. I no longer felt an emotional pain that was soul crushing within me. But at the same time my body missed that weight, it burned a hole in my heart and every cell in my body ached for that feeling to come back. I didn't know what that feeling was, or to what memory that feeling linked back to. And that in itself, was far more soul crushing than being aware of the cause.

"Erika please," I begged, "Please don't give up on us."

She smiled, but it was filled with sadness, "Of course not," She averted her gaze from mine, "I just need some time for you to remember us. It's important to me. Do you even remember how me met? Our first date?" Hope filled her features for a brief moment.

I scanned my brain for any trace of the memory, but I came up with nothing. "Uh-I, sorry," I struggled to get my words across. The hope in her features visibly shattered. I was so angry at myself for forgetting something so simple. Erika was one of the only things that I had left, and with every passing moment she was slipping further and further away from my grasp.

I may not remember the things that she deemed important, but I remember her being there for me through Robins death. She would stay by my side when I was too haunted by my own thoughts to even sleep. She would make me food, even though I'd refuse it. She sat by me as I watched Titanic on repeat, wiping away the tears that would form in my eyes. She would run her fingers through my hair, repeating how much she loved me over and over. She loved me, and I couldn't even remember how to love.

I had to learn again, if not for her, for someone.

She glanced at her watch. It was filled with crystals and represented her perfectly, "We can talk about this later, I really need to get going," Erika gave me an apologetic look before turning to the mirror that was situated by the door.

I watched as she added pins to her hair and added a final layer of lipstick. She was beautiful, and I knew that I had to make the effort if I wanted things to work. But I wasn't sure if I had the energy to make the effort.

"What time does the meeting end?" I asked.

"It should finish at around 1:30pm." She replied, not paying much attention to me. Only answering because she felt it a necessity to do so.

"I could pick you up then, and u-uh we could catch some lunch if you'd like?"

"Yeah that's fine babe," She turned to give me a small smile, "I'll let you know." Erika made her way over to the bed before leaning down to give me a chaste kiss. It was filled with nothing, no emotion, no love.

She walked over to the door, giving me one last glance before leaving. I had two hours to prepare for this, and I was going to make sure that I won her affection back, I just wasn't sure how.

-

(A/N sorry if this chapter is kinda trash but I've been ill with a throat virus so I've been a little under the weather.

Also hopefully these fillers are starting to help piece the story together?

I know you all want some larry action and trust me so do I, but I'd prefer it to be a slower process personally (make it more realistic) than it being rushed which is what I had done in the first few chapters.

Let me know what you thought of the chapter and anything I could do to improve?

Anyways love you all, and thank you for taking the time to read x)