Canon | (Harry Styles AU)

[twenty nine]

I didn't press Annette for information about her brother. I wanted her to tell me on her own.

And she did.

Day by day I could feel us getting closer. With each conversation we shared she'd shed a little more light on things about herself without me needing to pry. I even opened up to her about me, and my life.

And when the conversation got too heavy we always found a way to make light of the situation. With us there was never ending friendly banter..we could go back and forth all night.We'd eat junk in front of the tv, some days we'd even go outside..everyday was different. A good different.

It was nice getting to know her..really know her.

I felt like the more I knew of her the more I thought about where I was taking this. Some days I figured the easiest route was friendship, other days..okay majority of the days I wanted to be with her. I wanted her to be mine. I wanted to kiss those pouty red lips that allowed so many smart a** remarks that left her mind and into my ear ways, I wanted to feel her warm tan skin on mine after feeling a real passionate connection.

It wasn't just something quick and aggressive. We took things at our own slow pace. We both seemed to be in sync..she just knew or I just did, as to what was appropriate. Things went gradually. We hadn't even kissed and to be completely honest it was something I was rushing to do..it would just happen natural. And it would be perfect.

With Annette I wanted to spend every waking hour with her, and she seemed to too. We would text and talk on the phone all night, finishing our discussions that seemed to never end. She made it seem like she just couldn't get enough of me..and I knew I couldn't get enough of her.

She was a breath of fresh air. She helped blow the death gripping darkness of a whirlwind that came with Jo.

I hated Jo for making me feel so stupid, yes. But there would always be a piece of me that was grateful to her. She showed me that "my friends" weren't my friends at all. She gave me an enormous contrast to what I didn't want.

I wasn't cut out for all that drama..all those games.

Annette brought me back to my reality. Thanks to her I had a friend, well two if you count her as well. Annette and Louis were a constant fun time to be around I could only imagine the the fun they'd had when her brother was still alive.

Rich. That was his name. Rich was Annette's older by half a minute twin brother. They were very close. So close in fact his death and drug usage completely blindsided her. She never noticed anything off about him..no one did, not even Louis.

Louis had known Rich and Annette since the seventh grade, they were the best of friends.

"Louis probably took it just as bad as I did," Annette said to me one night as we sat out in my backyard watching movies projected onto my fence.

"He almost killed himself.." Her words sparked that memory of the first time I had met Louis. He had said that Annette was the reason he was still here despite her own bad year.

She continued on elaborating. She said she caught him climbing to the top of the highest mountain on that trail they found me on, ready to jump to the rocky bottom. She talked him down..she talked him back into sensibility. Annette had a way with words..she really did, she just knew what to say to connect to your heart..your soul.

"Seeing your body motionless really did it for Louis you know," Annette went on to add,"After we left home he said that he just had flashes in his mind of that day that he almost jumped..he knew it could have been him."