Fool's Gold [Completed]

22: Tell Her You Love Her

I was frozen in place, eyes wide as I stared at the man in front of me in disbelief. This wasn't him, not the Harry I knew. He looked so different. His hair was now long enough to spill across his shoulders and embrace his neck, there was what looked like stubble pebbling his jaw, and his upper body was more toned and adorned with more tattoos and less fancy clothing, a simple white t-shirt and black jeans taking the place of the button downs I had gotten so used to before.

For a split second, I fooled myself into believing that this was a figment of my imagination, a trick my eyes were playing on me. There was no way that Harry was standing in front of me after nearly a year and a half of no contact. That couldn't be possible. He'd forgotten about me, moved on with his life, and acted like nothing ever happened.

'He isn't really here,' I thought to myself. 'I'm dreaming.'

I blinked hard a few times, but each time I opened my eyes again, he was still there, silent. Was he observing me? Why wasn't he saying anything?

Better yet, how did he even find me? The only people who knew where I was were mom, Chester, and Shaina. Harry didn't know any of them. At least, not to my knowledge.

My question was answered as I heard the tapping of shoes against the stone sidewalk leading to the patio. Looking past Harry's shoulders, I saw Shaina darting up the steps with her bag in hand and heaving a sigh when she finally reached the top.

"You were supposed to wait," she grumbled, her words catching Harry's attention and thankfully pulling his gaze away from me and Delilah.

"Sorry, I... I had to see her," he spoke, his voice as deep as I remembered and sending a shiver down my spine.

I still hadn't fully comprehended what was unfolding before me or pieced together how --or why -- Shaina and Harry were acting like they knew each other. The emotions building up in me were unmistakeable though: a combination of anxiousness, heartache, and most of all, rage.

"What the hell is he doing here?" I finally spoke. If looks could kill, there was no doubt Shaina would be a pile of ashes on the ground in that instant.

"Mikki, I can explain everything, just give me a second before you--"

"I don't want him here. He's not welcome in my home."

"It's our house, actually," she corrected me, brows furrowed as she looked at me incredulously. "Watch the attitude, Mikayla."

"I don't have to do anything when you bring the one person in the world I didn't want to see ever again right to my door step," I bit back.

"I... I'll just go. Somewhere. Anywhere. Over there." Harry motioned to the other side of the patio, then walked away quickly.

Shaina watched Harry for a minute before looking to me again, frustration clear in her face. "See what you did?"

"What I did? This is a joke, right?" I laughed bitterly. "I didn't do anything. I was minding my own business, waiting for my family to arrive to spend Christmas with me, and I open the door to find him. What the fu--hell did you expect, Shaina?"

"Now now," Chester's soothing voice cut through the tension like a knife. He slipped past Shaina and plucked Delilah from my arms, propping her onto his waist. "Let me take my granddaughter, she doesn't need to hear any of this. You two, separate corners until you cool down enough to talk like adults."

I huffed and then stormed off into the house, heading to my bedroom. What nerve. Who did Shaina think she was, bringing Harry here? And during the holidays, no less. I had been looking forward to seeing them again since the last time Shaina came down by herself over the summer, but this put a damper on the whole evening.