That Summer (One Direction Fanfiction)

**SEQUEL** Part 2

I woke up tangled in the duvet of my own bed. I had no idea how I had gotten there. As a matter of fact, I didn’t remember anything after Harry began to sing to me. How did I get home?

I slowly stumbled out of bed and stretched. I was still wearing Harry’s jumper but whoever had put me to bed had taken off my jeans. I wondered why they had left the sweater on. I grabbed a pair of shorts from my dresser and pulled them on, debating whether or not to take off the sweater. I decided to leave it on.

I tied my knotted hair up into a messy bun and pushed out of my room. I had no idea what time it was; heck I didn’t even know what day it was.

“Mum?” I wandered downstairs, yawning as I padded into the kitchen.

“Hello dear,” she looked up from the sink where she was watching dishes. “Did you sleep all right?”

“How did I get here?” I grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet and sat down at the table, grabbing a handful from the box and dropping it in my mouth.

“Harry brought you home,” she dried her hands on the dish towel and joined me at the table. “He said you cried yourself to sleep in his arms last night. He carried you here from his house.”

He carried me all the way home? Why didn’t he just call someone to pick me up?

“He actually just left.”

“What?” I spit some cereal out onto the table. How very ladylike of me. “He spent the night?”

 Mum nodded, her eyes boring into my soul as she slowly stirred her tea.

“Does Riley know?” I tried to stop the nervous tapping of my leg but I couldn’t. Riley was going to be pissed. He was still mad at Harry for hurting me, even though it was the reason I was now his.

“Yes,” she answered shortly, her eyes still looking for answers on my face. “He knows.”

“Why did Harry stay over?” I was so confused. “Why didn’t you make him leave?”

Her face softened, “I didn’t realize how much I missed that boy until I saw him standing on the doorstep with you bundled in his arms. You were both crying.”

“Wasn’t I asleep?” I rubbed my temples, willing myself to remember something.

“You were in and out of consciousness. He carried you upstairs and tried to put you to bed but you wouldn’t let go of him,” Mum gave an embarrassed cough. “You kept muttering for him not to leave you and you had a death grip on his neck. You might need to go smooth things out with Riley.”

Of course Riley would witness that. “Did he say anything?”

“No,” Mum reached out a brushed a stray piece of hair away from my face. “Hon I know you still love Harry and it appears that he loves you too. I know he hurt you, but I see the way you look at Riley. It’s as if you expect to see someone else. “

“No,” I shook my head violently. “I want to be with Riley.”

Mum stood up and disappeared from the kitchen. When she returned she was holding her digital camera. She silently handed it over to me and I glanced down at the picture on the screen. It was one of me and Riley in my bed, both of us asleep. Riley had an arm draped over my waist but no other parts of our bodies touched. I was curled into myself, scrunched up against the wall as I avoided his snuggling in my sleep.

“Go to the next picture.”

I did as she said. The next picture was one of me and Harry. I recognized that it was from last night, due to the fact that I was wearing Harry’s chunky white sweater. I was curled into him, my bare legs tangling with his. He had his arms around me and my head rested on his chest. There was a slight smile on my face as I slept. It would have been impossible for the two of us to get any closer.

“That doesn’t mean anything,” I shoved the camera back at her. I didn’t need her encouraging me to forgive Harry. It was hard enough as it was.

There was a knock on the front door and I bolted into the hallway, using it as an excuse to get away from my mother’s all-knowing eyes.

I pulled open the door.

“Hey Mrs. J, I forgot to…” Harry stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that I had opened the door, not my mum. “Oh hi Brittany,” he turned bright red.

“Hi Harry,” I shifted from foot to foot. “What do you need?”

“Umm it was nothing,” he gave me a small wave and turned to leave.

“Wait Harry!” I tugged off his sweater and held it out to him when he glanced back at me. “This is yours.”

“You can have it,” he rubbed his hand through his curls. “See you later.”

“I don’t want it,” I tried to shove it at him but he refused to take it.

Embarrassment flooded his face, “I can’t take it back. It will remind me of you and that would hurt too much. So you keep.”

“Why did you stay last night?” I switch topics as I dropped the sweater on the bench in my front hall.

Harry’s sad green eyes met mine, “Because I wanted just one more night with you in my arms. I didn’t know I would never get to hold you again when I woke up on that day last summer. I just wanted to pretend you were mine again, even if I knew it was all a lie. I miss you more than you know Brittany.”

I was saved from answering by Riley appearing behind Harry on the front steps. Harry must have seen the change of expression on my face because he turned and ducked his head, moving to push past Riley. Riley stuck out his foot and tripped him, causing Harry to tumble down the stairs. He didn’t let out a sound as he crashed to the walk, his hands accepting most of the impact. Harry quickly picked himself up and started to run towards the road, not looking back at me or Riley.

“What the hell Riley?” I hissed before chasing after Harry.

I reached him just before he pushed open the gate leading to the street. “Harry,” I grabbed his bloodied hand and spun him around. There were a few tears threating to spill out of his green eyes and he avoided my gaze as I tenderly lifted his palms. He had a cut on his left hand but his right appeared to be fine. “Come here.”

I led him back up the path as he protested under his breath. I noticed the paranoid glances he kept sending Riley’s way. I wondered what that was about.

“What are you doing Brittany?” Riley blocked the front door, his jaw clenched in anger.

“Don’t be a jerk Riley,” I kept my hand tightly wrapped with Harry’s and pulled him past Riley’s stiff form. “He’s hurt.”

“It’s a stupid scrape Brittany. He’ll survive,” Riley followed us into the house.

I shot an annoyed look over my shoulder towards Riley. He was starting to get on my nerves. “If you weren’t being an asshole he wouldn’t be hurt.”

“I’m the asshole?” Riley let out a sarcastic laugh. “No babe, he’s the asshole.”

I didn’t know what had gotten into Riley, but I sure as hell didn’t like it. All I wanted to do was give Harry a band-aid so he could be on his way out of my life. But Riley was being a prick and I felt the need to spite him, “Harry would you like to stay for breakfast?” I knew it was a bad idea. The more time I spent with Harry the more I wished he could slip seamlessly back into my life.

“No,” he shook his head tightly. “I need to leave.” He removed his hand from mine and gave me a stiff goodbye before heading back down the hallway. I heard the door slam as Harry walked out of my life for the final time.