Lost in Different Cities // H.S.

Chapter 2: The Voicemail

HARRY POV

August

"Harry!" Liam pops his head out the back door looking around before spotting me near the edge of the deck.

"What's up?" I ask him when his gaze finally lands on me.

"We need your help with the ending of this verse," he says nodding his head towards the open door where everyone is still sitting around on couches. We have been at this same song nearly the entire day trying to get it right.

I clutch my phone a little tighter in my hand taking a deep breath. "Yeah just give me a second. I'll be right there." I tell him.

Jesus can't I have just one minute to myself?

Liam nods at me sending me a sympathetic smile before heading back inside and closing the door behind him.

I release a heavy sigh resting my elbows on the railing of the deck. The sun has finally set, leaving the beach out in front of me dimly lit by the moon. The sound of the ocean should be calming but honestly it hasn't been doing much for me lately.

Turning my phone on I watch as the light of the screen glows and I wait for all the messages to flow through. I sigh, my head hanging low as I see Anna's name continue to flash across the screen from the insane amount of missed messages.

She has to know it's better this way. How could she expect me to go and see her for two days just to leave her again. I just couldn't do it. I sat there at the airport this morning trying to get myself on that plane, but I just couldn't and it kills me to disappoint her. I just couldn't stand the thought of seeing her, kissing her, and then leaving her again. I have barely made it through the last three months. Just getting a small dose of her would make the next three unbearable.

My phone finally stops vibrating and I scroll through all the notifications. Clicking on the most recent voicemail she left just thirty minutes ago I bring the phone to my ear.

"I love you," her soft voice cracks through the tiny speaker and my heart breaks hearing her choked cry.

"And I know you love me, Harry. But I don't want you to love me anymore. I want you to walk away. I want you to tell me that you can live without me. That you are very sorry, but I am not the love of your life." With every word her broken voice whispers, my chest tightens a little more.

"Because the thing is, I'm not strong enough to walk away. I know how bad you are for me. But I have no control over it. There is nothing I can do. I wish that the look on your face didn't control my mood, and the feeling of your presence didn't both calm my soul and race my pulse. We are bad for each other. I know this in the pit of my stomach now, but I am selfish. I can't unlove you. You have to be the one who walks away. You have to be strong enough for the both of us because I can't take much more of this Harry. I just can't." I hear a sniffle on the other end of the phone followed by a hiccup and I can picture her blue eyes filled with tears, then the voicemail cuts off.

I clench my jaw tight holding in a frustrated scream as my hand tightens around my phone. I have to keep myself from throwing the device against the wall of this beach house.

Her words are ringing in my ears and I feel like I can't breathe.

How could she just give up on us like that. I know I've been shit lately. Not returning her calls and only texting here and there. But it's just so hard to hear her voice now, the longing and ache grows at the sound of her voice. Plus everyone has been breathing down my neck trying to write these songs like I'm the only one who is responsible for them. It feels like I am drowning under the weight of everyone's expectations.