She Can Hear Us - COMPLETE

Chapter Fourteen

*It's short, but it's a good fucking chapter.*

*Haylie's POV*

My dad nodded. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to visit you, and Haylie of course." She said. 

"Come in Claire," I said stepping aside so she could enter. We all walked to the living room.  

When we sat down Claire looked around. "I can't believe it's been thirteen years since I've stepped foot in this house." She looked at me. "You've grown up to be such a pretty girl."

I smiled and thanked her. "You're really pretty too Claire. I can see why Uncle Harry was so in love with you." I nodded. I wasn't lying. She was really pretty. I'd seen pictures of her from before I was born and she looked like she hadn't aged at all. Her hair was still the bright blonde it used to be and she was still super skinny with no wrinkles in sight.

"Well, thanks." She said.

"Can I uhm, can I talk to Claire for a moment sweetie?" My dad said. I gave him an annoyed look. He knew how much I liked meeting my mom's old friends. "Please?"

"Fine." I said. "It was nice meeting you Claire," I said before I left the room. I stood to the left of the door way against the wall. I wanted to hear everything she was gonna say. I'd just accepted a few years ago that I was never gonna meet her. So I wanted to know everything I possibly could about her. I wanted to be just like her.

"Claire, what'd you come here for?" My dad said as I took a seat on the floor.

"To apologize." Claire said. She was quiet for a little while. "What I did was wrong, I know, but it was in a moment of high emotion and I couldn't help myself. I really had fallen in love with you, and I know it was so wrong of me to even think of you like that while Bailie was in that coma, but you can't help what you feel." She said. Her words had shocked me.

I'd heard the story of him kissing her before, I didn't know she was in love with my dad. By how silent he was being, I don't think he knew either. 

"Claire I... I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything I just wanted you to know,"

"Have you been to see Harry?"

"Not today,"

"What do you mean?" My dad asked.

"Well, you remember when Harry first disappeared, well, every few months he'd come back to London and stay with me. No one knew of course, but I was always in contact with him. He always made me promise not to tell anyone," She paused and I heard her sniffle. I think she was crying, but I didn't want to risk peeking and getting caught. "I wanted to tell you guys, but every time I saw him, he was a mess and I truly felt so bad for him. Bailie's death hit him hard."

"It hit us all hard."

"I know," She cleared her throat. "But there are things Harry never told you guys. Well, I don't think he told you."

"What is it Claire?"

"I don't know if I should tell you. I don't think it's my place." She said. It was obvious she was crying. 

"You can trust me Claire, I just want to know." My dad said.

She exhaled. "He was trying to kill himself Niall, or at least that's what it seemed like. All those places he'd go, he would find all these exotic drugs and he got so strung out at times. He'd come to my house and not even remember my name." She paused. "Niall I didn't know what to do. So I would just let him sleep it off and when he would wake up, he would make me promise not to tell." He was crying more now. "When he'd leave again, I'd be so worried and not know what to do... so I just did nothing." 

I realized, I had started to cry too. I didn't like hearing sad stories from when my mom had died. Sometimes it became to much and I'd start to blame myself for her death. 

"It's okay Claire he's better now." My dad said, trying to comfort her.

"I know, I know, but I hate thinking about it. Because I blame myself. I could've stopped him from leaivng one of those times. I could have stopped him if I tried hard enough."

I heard my dad switch chairs, probably going to sit beside her. "No, there was nothing you could do and you know that. Harry is stubborn. He wouldn't have stopped."

She sniffled. "I told myself the same thing for a long, long time."

I was still listening, but after a while I stopped hearing them talk. I peeked around the wall and they were kissing.