better now > sequel to neighbours. [HS]

eighteen

A few months later.

"Oh my-oh my god, Harry." I laughed uncontrollably at the talk drunk man trying to do the splits on the bar. Eventually he was pulled down, by Aria, kill jooooy.

"You're embarrassing me." She seethed into his ear. He only smiled, in his own little world while she dragged him back to his seat. Jordan and I followed along and I leaned forward in my seat to get Harry's attention.

"I'll give you five pounds to go hump the-"

"Mae!" Jordan and Aria both snapped. Ok, maybe I was a little drunk too. But fuck it, it was my birthday.

"Stop betting him to do things you know he's gonna do." Jordan growled. I snickered and leaned back into my seat. I felt so happy.

The past few months of Harry and I being sort of friends was actually amazing, more than what I could have asked for and he was an amazing friend too. We were like each other's therapists.

After realizing we both fucked up we put the arguing aside, mostly for the kids. No, I still haven't forgiven him for what he did and it'll be a day for the history books when I do but all I knew was he was trying his best.

"Wait," Harry slurred. "Mae it's your birthday."

"Yeah no shit, curly." I laughed. Jordan's grip tightened on my hip and I winced. I wish I could say everything stayed the same with Jordan, but it hasn't.

Ever since Harry and I became friends again he became annoyingly possessive. When Harry's name popped up, he got defensive and mad.

"Babe let go," I whined to him. He continued to dig his fingertips into my hip and I hopped off the seat, fuming.

"I'm getting some air." I announced.

They all watched me in amusement as I stumbled to the exit and I took a deep breath of fresh air once I got out, followed by a shrill scream as I felt someone's hand creep onto my shoulder.

"Hey," Harry yelled. He put his hand up in defense and I relaxed.

"I thought you were Jordan." I confessed.

"I'm Harry," he informed me. I stared at him dumbly, "I know."

I took a seat on the window ledge and Harry did too from beside me, both of us locked in an intense stare off before we began laughing.

"Wow I missed you." He admitted.

I turned my head, a small smile on my lips as I basked in the memories we shared with one another.

"Mhm." I replied.

"I tell you this all the time and you still don't believe me." He chuckled. I shrugged, he already knew the answer to that.

"Are you enjoying your birthday?" He asked. I nodded, turning my body towards him.

My eyes trailed up from his ring clad fingers to his handsome face and I fell flustered. Being friends again wasn't all good- sometimes bad. I was still completely attracted to him which I knew I shouldn't be but I couldn't help it, and the way he looked at me sometimes made me want to jump his bones.

No, Maelyn, he's a married man.

My thoughts trailed back to Harry's wedding to aria last month and I felt pained. He was actually married now, and to Aria.

"Why do you look like that?" He asked.

"Like what?"

"Like you're about to cry..oh, you're crying." He hiccuped, a bit perplexed.

I sat there ugly crying while he stared at me until eventually I was pulled into warm arms. I continued to cry onto his shirt even though sober me would punch drunk me for letting Harry see this side of me.

"I'm not a weak bitch," I cried out.

"I know, I know." He patted my back and I pulled away. Wiping my face with the back of my hand.

"Everything is just so hard." I explained to him.

He pressed his lips together and looked off to the side, watching Aria and Jordan laugh together at the table.

"Well then I doubt you want to hear what I'm about to say next." He blurted out.

"What?" I asked, worried.

"Your boyfriend has been fucking my wife for the last two months...happy birthday." He casually told me.

"What?" I asked, mouth gaping open wide as I looked through the window to look at them. They were sitting beside each other, laughing away and acting all cute for one another.

"That's..that makes so much fucking sense." I yelled out.

Harry only laughed and I immediately gasped, "oh god, Harry I'm so sorry- I know you love her and you just got married-"

Harry cut me off from my apology and shook his head. "I don't care. I stopped loving her a long time ago." He explained

My brows furrowed. "Why'd you get married then?" I asked him.

He shrugged his shoulders and looked out at the sky, like from one of those dramatic films and crossed over his arms. "Sometimes things just happen for a reason."

"Everything happens for a reason." He repeated, now looking at me instead.