Darling || h.s. au {Completed}

T h i r t y F i v e

Visiting Liam was different than it used to be. Now that we don't have the excitable, irresponsible, conversation starter. He would used to tell us about the times he would wonder the streets as a kid, how one time he actually tricked some kids into gambling away their allowances away while their parents weren't paying attention.

Just thinking about him now made my stomach retch, so I distracted myself. I stood from Liam's couch and looked around at the room, it hadn't changed much since the last time I was here. The only difference was that the picture frames that once held memories of all three of us were now empty. I picked one up and sighed, was it the best option to get rid of any pictures I had as well.

"They...reminded me too much...of him" Liam spoke softly, folding his hands in his lap.

I set the picture down and nodded, glancing around.

"Harry, there's...there's something I have to tell you." he said, his voice somewhat shaky.

I turned around to see him glance at the spot where I was sitting. I walked over and sat down, furrowing my eyebrows.

"Yeah?"

He took in a deep breath and sighed, not meeting my eyes. What could be bothering him, other than the loss? Had Sophia gotten in some kind of trouble? Had Liam gotten in any trouble? Was he afraid he was going to end up like Zayn?

"I'm...Sophia and I are thinking about, about moving back to Wolverhampton." he sighs, meeting my eyes for the first time since he started talking.

He's leaving? Is it because of Chris? Is it because of me? So many questions to be asked, but I of course chose the wrong one.

"How could you?" I blurt out, shaking my head slightly.

"Harry-"

"How could you do this? You're leaving me? What the Hell Liam? I've already lost Zayn and probably Drew too?" I yell, standing up.

"Losing her isn't on me! It's on you! You're the one not talking to her so don't try to pin that on me!"

I shake my head and push past him, his yelling becoming a dull buzzing in my ears. I burst through his door, out into the open air. The night had come much quicker than I had expected. I walked off, down the street, too distracted by my anger to know where I was going. Where was I going?

...

The door opened slowly to reveal a tired, very tired, looking Drew. Her straight, light brown hair was tied up in a ponytail. She wore a white, slightly over sized shirt, long enough that it covered her thighs, but short enough that it hadn't looked like a dress. Her slender arms were crossed over her chest, her pink bottom lip caught between her teeth, her facial expression unamused.

"Hi." I say sheepishly.

"So, you don't answer my phone calls for weeks, but you decide it's okay to show up at my house at eleven o'clock at night?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

She's right. Did I really have the right to show up here unannounced like this?

"About that..."

What about that? What was I supposed to say? My friend died so I didn't want to talk to you. That sounds like I'd get a door in my face if I had said it. She does deserve an explanation though. But how do I say it.

"Can I come in?" I ask, shrugging.

She gives me a cold glare and I sigh. Why was this so hard? It should be just like telling anyone else, so why wasn't it?

"My friend, Zayn, he..." I sigh again, looking away. "I had to go to his funeral." I whisper.

From the corner of my eye, I see the features on her face soften. Her eyebrows relax from their furrowed position, her mouth forms a small 'o' shape, and her jaw unclenches. She looks down at the ground for a moment, then steps aside.

"You...you can come in." she says softly.