Until That Time {h.s au}

chapter seven

~Harry Styles~

I walked through the hospital halls with one hand holding the most beautiful work of art the world has ever seen, while the other held tightly onto the painting she had made.

Her fingers were locked in mine as she tried to keep up with my strides, causing me to slow mine down and hope that she wouldn't notice. Her hand was cold, feeling as though it had been dipped into an ice bath as we continued our journey back our rooms. But for some reason, her ice cold hand only made me feel warmer than ever before as she smiled watching Matty run through the halls.

He ran his fingers through his hair, stopping his motions when he saw the small lock of hair that had fallen into his hand. He stared down at his hand as we reached him, Greyson sighing softly as she gripped my hand a little tighter.

"He's going to be okay," I whispered softly, pulling her closer to me as she sighed once more.

"I know," she hummed, leaning her body closer to mine. "I just wish I could do something to make it easier for him."

She stayed quiet for a moment, her gaze falling onto Matty as he looked out of the window and onto the court yard in front of him. He looked so small, so helpless as the thinning of his hair was held tightly in his hands.

"I wish I could be here for him through it all," she whispered softly, closing her eyes as she sighed. "I'm afraid of what he'll think when I'm gone. First Addie, and now me. What if all he thinks about is the fact that everyone he is close with is gone, and that the cancer is going to take him too?"

I moved my body to stand in front of her, my heart breaking at the words as she ran her fingers through her hair. When she pulled her hand back down, I don't think she noticed that I saw the few strands of hair that were woven through her fingers too. But I decided to ignore it, because something inside of me was telling myself that she wasn't ready to tell me just yet what it meant.

"I won't let that happen," I promised her, meaning every single word leaving my lips as she opened her honey brown eyes that made my entire body feel warm.

"Pinky promise?" She asked quietly, holding her small pinky in the air as I smiled.

"Pinky promise," I said, locking my pinky around hers as she flickered eyes back at them tangled together.

"Okay then," she smiled, grabbing the ends of her hair to twirl around her finger before she stopped in her tracks, her face coming consumed with thoughts as her eyes met mine. "But I have an idea on how to make it easier for him."

Her eyes lit up suddenly, turning to look at me with a smile on her face when she saw Stevens at the nurse's station in front of us. She let go of my hand, the skin immediately becoming cold as she walked towards the nurse. I followed behind her instantly, hot on her trail as she picked up the pace, making her way over to the station as she leaned her body over the counter.

"Isn't it a great day, Stevens?" Greyson questioned suddenly, raising her eyebrow in the air as the lady sighed softly.

"Depends on why you're over here," she grimaced, laughing slightly to herself when Greyson placed her hand over her heart and pretended to be offended.

"Why do you always assume I need something?" Greyson teased, playing innocent as I tried to hide my smile. But it dropped when I saw the way her arms were starting to shake as she tried to hold her body weight on the counter.

I never did tell her that I noticed the way she had become weaker as the days passed on — instead I would simply find myself always standing a little bit closer, my arms holding onto her a little bit tighter... just to be there if she needed me. Maybe it was because apart of me had thought that if I never said it out loud, it would mean that she would get to stay for just a little bit longer.