A Moment Like This - Harry Styles Love Story.*ON PERMANENT HIATUS*

~37~

Harry gaped at me as I continued to stare down at my hands, about to start sobbing. Immediately I was grateful of the huge thing of chocolate ice cream, which I dug into, drowning my sorrows. After finishing the sundae, I had nothing left to use to drown out all the pain. Where had I gone wrong?

I'd practically raised Nate. My mum worked long hours as an underpaid secretary, and my dad worked even longer hours as a mechanic. From about the time I was 11, I'd raised my sibling almost single handedly, giving him advice about girls, homework, everything. I loved him unconditionally, but his decision to go into that world was not one that I would have let him enter, if I'd been more watchful.

He'd been coming home acting loopy, constantly scratching himself raw, getting paler and thinner. He'd dyed his hair, even ransacked my room to get his fix of the chemicals he was breathing into his body. I knew all the signs, I'd been to seminars, and watched people I knew in high school go to rehab. And yet I'd had no idea. I had failed. And with that final ounce of certainty, i set my head in my hands and began to sob.

Immediately harry was in the booth, next to me, warm arms pulling me into his chest as i cried. His hand went to my hair, stroking it, consoling me with hushed whispers as my feelings poured out of my eyes. I kept my head in my hands, softly wailing as he consoled me.

"Shh, sh, sh," he looked up. "Can we get another chocolate sundae over here?" i took the opportunity to grab him by the collar, burying my head in his chest as i continued to cry.

"You're (hic) the-the (hic) sweetest." i hiccupped as the next sundae was placed in front of us. Harry reached for his wallet, but our server shook her head.

"No, it's on me. Feel better, darling." she gave me a sympathetic smile, walking away. I smiled weakly.

"God, the people in Minnesota were never as nice as the people in London are." Harry chuckled, removing my hair from its messy bun and letting my curls fall down my shoulders. He combed it back from my face with his fingers, pecking my cheek as my tears slowed. I began to dig in once again to my delicious frozen cow juice, overjoyed by the heavy chocolate pieces floating in the chocolate syrup. Clearly, I was going to have to go to the gym or something later. But it could wait now. Suddenly, there was a flash, and I winced.

"Paparazzi..." Harry sighed, picking me up and out of the booth.

"Harry, they'll think-"

"Let them think what they want. I'm your best friend (he muttered the word boyfriend under his breath.) I will not just stand here and let them shove their microphones in your face just to get a quick story out of your pain." I shoved my face in his shirt, now hiding my face from the inevitable swarm of cameras and pushy people. As soon as we were outside the doors, the screaming began to infiltrate my ears.

"Allison, Allison! Are you and Harry together, are you his secret girlfriend?"

"Allison, Allison it true your parents also abused you as a child?"

"Allison! Is it true that your brother hates you because you slept with his best friend?" I bit down on my lip as Harry forced his way to his car, putting me in the front. Even with the darkly tinted windows, it was easy to tell that I was still crying. I shielded my face with my hands as more and more painful questions we yelled through the glass as I quietly sobbed. Harry was eventually able to force his way through to the other door, shutting it and shoving his keys into the ignition, the loud music of his Audi's stereo drowning out the yells of the paps, who had obviously noticed our adorable matching T-shirts.

Harry backed up, nearly hitting people, and pulled out of the parking lot, speeding towards a secluded spot for us to talk in private. He gripped my hand loosely, his thumb running soothingly over my fingers. He parked near a playground, alone and empty in the middle of a thicket of oak trees. Turning down the music, Harry sighed.