| When We Were in Love | |H.S|

| 32 | Multiverse |

"Somewhere in the multiverse,
there's a you and me that works.
We never fuck it up.
We're out there still in love.
Somewhere in the multiverse.
Maybe that's enough."

-Multiverse. Maya Manuela, 2022.

| Lily |

Jared and Harry ended up cooking for Lucy and I. It was quite an experience having my ex boyfriend with my current boyfriend make dinner for my friend and I. Dare I even say, best friend.

I hate to admit that Lucy has made an impact on me. Unfortunately, I love her and she is my best friend because it felt like besides Jared, she was the only one I had in my life consistently caring. It felt strange but I was also glad I had her.

And obviously after telling her what has happened between Harry and I, and tiny bits and pieces between me and my family, she of course, made her way into my heart.

As Jared and Harry cooked, I began showing Lucy around Jared's house, per his request, of course.

"Oh my goodness, this place is amazing!" Lucy said as we made our way up his stairs.

I nodded in agreement as I couldn't help but agree while being proud of Jared.

"Believe me, I know. But it's such a hassle getting water at night," I said. Lucy laughed a bit as we continued walking. We made it to the first room and I had opened it up to show Lucy the first guest room.

"Wow, his designs are so nice," she said as she looked around. She then turned back to me genuinely impressed.

"You think he'd notice if I just moved into one of these rooms?" She asked. I laughed at her comment and shrugged.

"Probably not. He's always at our house anyways," I answered. She smiled at me and nodded.

"You know you're right.. speaking of, how are you guys?" She asked now leaning against a dresser. I was taken back a bit due to her random question but I also didn't mind answering this one.

"He told me he loved me recently..." I admitted. Lucy's expression then became ecstatic. She quickly stood up and grabbed my hands.

"He did?! Congratulations honey!" Lucy said smiling.

"I know, I'm so lucky," I said smiling with her. I couldn't lie. I should be thankful to Lucy. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't even be with Jared now.

"Thank you for this.. seriously," I said now squeezing her hand a bit.

"You played a big part in this and I can't even begin to tell you how happy I've been ever since Jared came into my life," I said.

"Sweetie, I should be thanking you.." she said. I frowned my eyebrows a bit confused. I didn't know why she would be thanking me? I've done nothing like this for her.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Honey, if you weren't okay with this, I don't know where I would be without Harry," she said. My face relaxed and I then realized, she found Jared for me and I gave her Harry... It was quite an unusual experience. But I'm happy she found happiness.

Before I could get a word out, suddenly Harry came up the stairs with his hands in the air as if they were dirty. Lucy and I looked at him, wondering what was happening.

"Where's the restroom?" He innocently asked. Lucy and I looked at each other amused. We both then turned back to him.

"It's down the hall, second door on the right," I told him.

"Thanks Lily," he said now rushing to the bathroom. Lucy and I looked at each other and laughed a bit.

"That's the guy you gave me?" She said.

"That guy," I answered with a soft smile.

I couldn't help but think of Harry at this moment. We went through a lot but he was still there for me through it all.

He had my back when nobody else did. He took care of me when nobody else wanted to. He loved me when nobody else would, including myself.

Lucy was lucky. She wasn't just getting a boyfriend. She was getting a friend. A best friend.
A man who will love her through thick and thin. A man who will take her shoes off when she falls asleep. A man who will water her flowers when she forgets to. A man who will put her clothes in the dryer when she gets in the shower. A man who will kiss her tears away when she cries.

He'll love her until his last breath and my God, she was lucky.

She didn't just get a friend or just a boyfriend.

She got Harry.

I shouldn't be thinking this. He shouldn't be here.
But I am and he is.

I love Jared. I love Jared with all my heart.

But the things Harry did for me are just things I'll never forget.

The amount of times he rubbed my head when I got a migraine. The flowers he brought for me when a character in a tv show I was watching died. The kisses he gave to me to wake me up when I was sleep. The foot rubs he gave me after a long shift.

And although, he did so many great things for me, it still doesn't take away the hurt, the stress, or the pain  he gave me towards the end of our relationship.

He was amazing but he also wasn't.

The nights he came home drunk. The nights he would argue with me about nonsense. The days he wouldn't talk to me because of a problem the day before.

It was so much.

Was he worth it? Maybe.

Would I do it again? Yes.

Did I love him? More than I should have.

Despite all the bad things that happened between us, I loved him. And maybe I'll always love him. He had my heart for a long time and maybe he still had a piece of it. But Jared was taking control and I was totally okay with that.

But sometimes I think, maybe somewhere out there, Harry and I never lost. Maybe we had our happily ever after. And even if it wasn't in my lifetime, maybe just knowing that we had a happy ending somewhere at one point was good enough.