sign of the times | h.s.

chapter nine

MADILYN HOLLEY

At the sound of a knock on my door I put my journal down on the coffee table and stood up, walking over to the front door. I figured it was just Liam, but as I opened the door Layla was standing there with a big smile and two bags of takeout food. My heart warmed at the sight and I felt so loved by this new friend of mine.

"I brought brunch!" She shouted happily, walking past me and into the kitchen.

I shut the door and followed after her saying with a chuckle, "Good morning to you too Layla."

"Don't you good morning me, I haven't heard from you in three days so I think it's time we brunch!" She said, pulling out several takeaway boxes and opening them to reveal all the goods: French toast, eggs, bacon, hash browns, and to top it off, she had brought her own mimosas. The thought of drinking honestly wasn't appealing to me right now but I loved the gesture Layla was making, so I decided I'd just have one. I didn't deserve a friend this sweet, but I was so glad that I had her.

"So in all honesty, how have you been?" Layla asked, taking a seat on the couch and stuffing a bite of French toast into her mouth.

"I've been alright." I replied, shrugging my shoulders. From what I had seen so far, Layla was very intuitive and I didn't want us to push into the topic too far because I knew she would be able to tell that I was hiding something.

"What's been going on the last few days? I asked Liam but he said he hasn't heard much either." She questioned.

"Just missing Alex is all. It's hard not to have the person who you always went to you know? I miss him a lot." I mumbled.

"What would you want to talk to him about? I know it's not the same but I'm a great listener and I care about you." Layla said sincerely, placing a hand on mine and giving me a gentle smile.

"Everything, there is so much I want to say but I can't." I whispered, hanging my head as the tears formed in my eyes.

"You and Harry should start a club for sad people because this shit is depressing." She joked as she leaned back on the couch and eyed me.

My head snapped up at the mention of his name. Sad? I had hoped he was okay but I didn't know. I felt even worse hearing that because I knew it was my fault.

"I knew it. Alright come on, what happened." She prodded.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You have both been holed up and sad for the past few days and I know that's not a coincidence. I know that I have been friends with Harry for awhile and that my boyfriend is his roommate, but I am here for you Madilyn. What happened?" She asked, and I could see how genuine she was in her eyes.

That broke me and I began crying, telling her all about how I had woken up to find that he was in my bed and how horrible I felt. I told her all about the guilt and shame I had been feeling and about how I had only had sex once before and that hadn't been a good experience, and how I couldn't even remember a thing about what happened with Harry. The whole time I talked she nodded her head and listened, giving me the time I needed to let everything out. She really wasn't lying when she said she was a good listener. I had been so afraid to say anything because they were all Harry's friends and I didn't think they would be there for me the same way but Layla proved me wrong in every way imaginable. It was like we had been best friends for years.

"I'm sorry Madi, I know it's a tough situation. From the way Harry has been acting the last few days I'd guess he wishes he could change it too. You should talk to him and clear the air. I think you both need it." She said, pulling me into a hug. I thanked her for listening and we only discussed it for a few minutes more, deciding to change the subject and finish our brunch. Layla had to leave for a fitting after we ate since she had a show coming up that she was walking in. After she left, I decided to go to the main house and see if Liam wanted to hang out for a bit since I felt bad for ignoring him the past few days, and I was feeling better now.

I closed the glass door behind me as I walked in and started exploring the house for Liam. As I walked down the hall I heard not one, but two voices coming from the room at the end. I paused to listen for a moment, hoping to figure out who he was with. I sucked in a deep breath and took a step back as I heard his voice from the other side of the door.

"Is Madilyn here?" He asked.

"Yeah I think she's home, I haven't seen her leave but I haven't exactly seen her at all so I'm not that sure." Liam sighed.

"How is she?" Harry questioned.

"She's okay, it's just hard for her. I think the move is a lot more difficult than she is letting on, and I know it has to be hard not to have Alex. They really were best friends, I've never seen siblings with such a close relationship like theirs. Alex always spoke so highly of her, and it was always really sweet to see how much he loved his sister." Liam replied.

"I can't imagine what she's going through." Harry said, sniffling.

I took another step back from the door, not wanting to hear any more of their conversation. I began making my way back down the hallway when I heard the door open, and I turned to see Liam emerging from the studio room.

"Madi!" He exclaimed, a smile breaking out onto his face.

"Hey Lee! What are you up to? I was just coming to see if you wanted to do something." I replied as I wiped a tear from my eye and plastered a huge smile on my face, pretending I had not been in the hall listening the entire time.

"Sure! I'll run upstairs and get dressed." Liam said.

"Harry, Madi is out here!" He called as he began making his way towards the stairs, leaving me alone in the hallway. Just as I was about to turn around, Harry entered my line of sight, stepping into the hallway. He was hiding his face from me, looking down to the ground. This must have been what Layla was talking about. He didn't seem like himself. I took a few steps toward him as his gaze moved from the floor to my eyes and I saw the sadness behind them.

"Hi Harry." I whispered, standing directly in front of him now.

"Hey Mads. How are you doing?" He asked nervously.

"I'm alright. What about you? Are you doing okay?" I responded.

His eyes lightly glazed over and I could see how upset he was as he replied, "I've been better."

I slowly moved my arms around his waist, burying my head into his chest as I ran my hand up and down his back. I could see the guilt all over his face and I wanted him to know that I was in no way at all upset with him. I think I had been so caught up in my own emotions and regrets that I hadn't thought of how this may be affecting Harry as well. He stood stunned for a moment before wrapping his arms around me as well, letting out a long sigh.

"I'm not upset at you Harry, I hope you aren't upset at me. I just want things to go back to the way they were." I mumbled into his chest.

"I could never be upset with you Mads. Never." He replied.

"Can we just go back to normal then? I liked being around you." I said, removing my head from his chest to look up to him.

I found his green eyes already awaiting mine as he smiled softly, "I'd love for us to go back to the way things were."

He didn't seem fully there, but it was a step in the right direction and that was all I could ask for. I pulled away from the hug as I heard Liam coming down the stairs and we walked down the hall together to meet Liam. I hoped he would be okay. I hope he would return to his normal self. I looked over at the boy next to me for a moment, taking in his beauty. I'd do anything to have him as my friend, he was so kind, caring, and funny. He was one of the best people I had met and although my feelings for him were growing, I was determined to keep him as a friend, because I couldn't risk losing someone again.

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A/N: Hello loves! I'm sorry for the short and choppy chapter that is a few days overdue, I'm really sick right now. I hope you'll enjoy this small chapter until I can write another one, thank you as always for reading!

XOXO