SIX - One Direction

69

The days that followed that night at the pub seemed to stretch on, each one passing in a haze of work, nostalgia, and quiet reflection. Alex found herself back in the studio, the hum of the city outside her windows more a constant presence than she had ever realized. The rhythm of the city was a world away from the frenetic energy of the past, but somehow it felt just right. She had grown into the woman she was now—stronger, wiser, more settled in herself—but every so often, she'd catch herself thinking about the night with Harry. The soft smiles, the shared glances, the unspoken understanding. It lingered in her mind like a familiar song, one she couldn't quite shake off.

They had continued texting, of course. Harry would message her about a song idea or ask for her thoughts on something he was working on. It was a casual thing, just like the friendship they had promised each other after everything had settled down. But Alex could sense the shifts in their conversations, the unspoken longing behind his words. She'd reply with something lighthearted, something to keep it from becoming too much, but in the quiet moments of the evening, when the lights were low and the streets outside had settled into their familiar hum, she couldn't deny that a part of her was waiting for something more.

It wasn't that she hadn't moved on. She had, in many ways. She had found peace in her own skin, in her own music, in her independence. But Harry... Harry had always been something more. And perhaps it was the years of silence, the years of running from what they'd once had, that had allowed her to see it more clearly now. They had always been in sync, like two melodies that flowed together effortlessly. But for whatever reason, the song had stopped, and it was only now, in the quiet spaces between their words, that she realized how much she had missed the rhythm they had once shared.

A few weeks passed after the pub night, and then one day, Harry sent her a simple message:

H: "I'm in town this weekend. Fancy a coffee?"

The question was so casual, yet it struck her like a bolt of lightning. The time had finally come. There were no more distractions, no more excuses. It was just them. She could feel the weight of it before she even typed her reply.

A: "I'd like that,"

she wrote, her heart suddenly racing.

They agreed to meet at a small café in Soho, a place Alex had always loved. It wasn't too busy, and it had that quiet charm that made it the perfect spot for a long conversation. She arrived early, as she always did when she felt nervous, and found a table by the window. The rain outside had begun to fall in light sheets, creating a soft, soothing rhythm on the glass. Alex's fingers tapped lightly on her mug, her mind racing with what she wanted to say. The last time she had seen Harry, things had been light, carefree. But today? Today felt different. There was an unspoken tension, like the air before a storm.

When the door opened, she looked up and found Harry standing there, his eyes immediately landing on her. The smile that spread across his face was warm, but there was something behind it—something deeper, something that had always been there, lurking just beneath the surface. He made his way over, slipping into the seat across from her with ease, like no time had passed at all.

"Alex," he said, his voice soft but full of affection. "It's good to see you."

"You too," she replied, her voice almost a whisper. She took a sip of her coffee, unsure of what to say next.

For a few moments, they both sat in silence, the quiet hum of the café wrapping around them. Outside, the rain had picked up, but inside, it felt like time had slowed. She could feel the weight of the unspoken words between them, the things they had both been too afraid to confront. The silence wasn't uncomfortable; it was... understanding. But the more she sat there, the more she realized that it was time. Time to address the elephant in the room.

"So," Alex started, her voice suddenly stronger, "how have you been? Really?"

Harry met her gaze, his lips curving into a small smile. "I've been... alright. Busy, you know? But good." He paused, his eyes searching hers. "I've been thinking about our last conversation a lot. About what we said... or didn't say."

Alex's heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it too."

He looked down at his hands, as if gathering his thoughts. "I don't want to make this weird, Alex. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I think—" he paused, taking a deep breath, "I think there's something between us that we've both been ignoring."

The words hung in the air between them, raw and honest, like a confession that had been buried for too long. Alex could feel her chest tighten, her mind racing as she tried to process what he was saying.

"I've never stopped caring about you, Alex," he continued, his voice low, almost vulnerable. "I think I've been running from it, to be honest. I've been so caught up in everything else, trying to make sense of who I am now, but... you were always there. Always in the back of my mind."

Alex's heart pounded in her chest as she listened. She had never heard Harry speak like this before. There was no bravado, no walls—just him, stripped down and raw. She swallowed hard, her fingers curling around her cup as she tried to steady herself.

"I've been running from it too," she admitted, her voice shaky. "From us. From everything we were. But... Harry, I think we've always known there was something there. We just never—" She stopped herself, unsure of how to put the words into something that made sense.

"We just never had the chance to explore it properly, did we?" Harry finished for her, his tone gentle.

"No," Alex whispered. "We didn't."

A soft silence followed, the weight of everything they had shared—the music, the tours, the laughs, the heartbreak—filling the space between them. It was as if all the years of distance, of confusion and uncertainty, had led them here, to this moment. And in that silence, Alex knew what they both needed. They needed to stop pretending that they hadn't felt the pull toward each other all this time.

"I've missed you, Harry," Alex said, her voice quiet but certain. "I've missed us. I think... I think I've been afraid of getting hurt again, you know? But I don't want to live with that fear anymore."

Harry reached across the table, his hand resting gently on hers. The touch was soft, tender—an unspoken promise. "I don't want to hurt you, Alex. I never have. I just... I was scared too. But I think we can make it work. Whatever this is, whatever we are now, I think we can try. Together."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she looked up at him, her eyes searching his for any sign of doubt. But all she saw was sincerity, and something else—something she had always recognized in him: trust.

"Do you really think so?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Harry smiled, his thumb brushing the back of her hand. "I know so."

And with that, everything seemed to shift. The years of uncertainty, the time apart, the fear of losing each other—suddenly, it didn't matter. What mattered was the now. The present. And in that moment, Alex felt a wave of relief wash over her, like a weight lifting from her chest. She had always known deep down that they would come back to each other eventually. It had always been them, even when they didn't know it.

"I'm ready," she said softly, her smile matching his. "For whatever comes next."

Harry squeezed her hand gently, his eyes lighting up with a quiet happiness that was reflected in hers. "Me too."

They sat there for a while, just the two of them, letting the words settle between them. There was no rush now, no need to put labels on things or force anything. It was just them, finally allowing themselves to feel everything they had held back for so long.

And as the rain continued to fall outside, Alex couldn't help but smile. This, she realized, was where she was meant to be. With Harry. With someone who understood her, who had always understood her. They had come full circle, and it felt like coming home.

Later that night, as Alex lay in bed, the sound of the rain still pattering against the window, she couldn't help but think about the way things had changed. But for the first time in a long while, she felt at peace with it all. The past was behind them, and the future? Well, it was theirs to build together. Step by step.