Inside Those Eyes

The Threat

I make my way to the deserted part of the house that Harry is usually in. "Harry, are you here?" I call out. I hear the clicking sound of a handle turning and a door opens. Harry walks out in a white t-shirt and blue basketball shorts, and his hair is disheveled like he just woke up.

"Hey April, sorry I haven't come to see you all day. I was busy putting something together all last night, and then I fell asleep." He smiles at me but I keep a straight face.

"It's alright. Harry we need to talk."

I see the happiness from seeing me drain from his face. "Oh okay. There's a couch in the other room if you want to sit."

He leads me inside his current bedroom littered with clothes and other miscellaneous things. Harry removes some inside-out shirts that were strewn across the sofa to make a place for me to sit. He then motions for me to join him on the couch.

"So... what is it that you want to discuss?" His eyes penetrate me with questions, most of them I can't answer.

I take a deep breath. "Harry, I care a lot about you."

Harry quickly interjects. "And I care a lot about you too, April."

Stop it here, April. You have to. "But... I can't let this go on."

"What?" I can hear the pain in his voice.

"I can't keep anymore secrets from Liam. I'm sorry, Harry."

He reaches for my hand but I quickly pull it away. "But I don't understand, I thought you loved me. When you kissed me on the beach... I thought that meant something."

I resort to my nervous habit of pulling on my hair and biting my lip. "Maybe it did at the time but I can't leave Liam, he loves me and has been there for me. It's not fair that he has been so truthful to me and all I've done is feed him lies."

"Do you love him?"

Now it's me who is at loss for words. "What?"

"Do you love him?" Harry looks at me, searching for words.

"Well, we've been in a relationship for a while now."

"That doesn't answer the question." He reaches for my hands, this time I don't have enough strength to pull them away. "Come away with me. We could leave everything behind, all I need is you. Marry me April, I promise I will make you happy. Please."

I feel like I have been punched in the side. "Harry, it can't be that simple. Not for us."

"Why can't it be?" His voice is filled with desperation.

"You know you can't just pack up and leave like that. People are counting on you." I pull back from him and stand up, anxious to leave. "I'm sorry Harry, but I can't. It's over." At this point, I am on the verge of breaking down right in front of him. But I can't let him see my weakness; he has to realize what I have to do, for the both of us. I run out of the room before he can see the tears stream down my face.

"April, wait!" I hear Harry call. He stumbles after me, but I run faster. When I get to my room I slam the door shut and launch myself onto my bed. Once there, I feel numb. I am not able to even process what Harry said. How can Harry be so reckless, why won't he think about the future? Maybe he is and I'm the one who's blind.

I sit through the night, the darkness being my only comfort. My dreams are filled with longing and desperation. They are fleeting; I don't allow them to go on. I sit and stare out my window; there is a full moon tonight. I watch as it passes across the night sky. I don't think about Harry or Liam or Niall or Richard. I think about nothing. I let the world go on around me, when I get close to feeling something, I quickly kill it off.

When I see the sun slowly rise in the pale morning, I know I have to get up and face things; I have to set things right with Liam. As I get dressed, I think about Harry's offer: to run off with him, to make a life with him, to grow old with him. I definitely feel something for both him and Liam, but the feelings are very different. Liam gives me with warmth and comfort; he makes me feel like I can be at home. Harry fills me with a burning desire; it grows inside me and makes me feel like I can do anything, like I am good enough.

No matter what I do, I will break one of their hearts. After I decide on a plain maroon dress, I walk over to my vanity. Sitting on the desk is the glittering necklace from Liam and the plain ring from Harry. In truth, the gifts tell a lot about the person who gave them. Liam is classy but caring, always telling me what's on his mind. He hangs from a fine chain of good qualities, and you can see his caring heart from a mile away. The voice of the band, he always has the right words to say. He truly has a heart of silver and diamonds. Harry on the other hand is just as valuable to me, but in a different way. He is plain and simple, enjoying the little things in life. Harry is strong, and withstands the test of time without tarnish; true and faithful. He sees things as they are, but he still likes to dream. Not as noticeable or flashy as many other people, but with each moment we are together, he becomes all I ever see.

I finger the necklace in one hand and the ring in the other. Putting them both down, I sigh, finding it hard to even make style choices today. I then make a decision: until I decide for sure who I love, I will stay true to the person who provides for me, and the person who got me this job. After all, if it weren't for Liam, I wouldn't be here right now.

I go into Liam's room and make the best apology I can. To tell you the truth, he loves me so much that I could give him the worst apology ever, and he'd still accept it with open arms. He hugs me and I hug him back, happy to have him close to me once again.

The next few days are filled with me repairing my bond with Liam and avoiding Harry. I try to convince myself that he doesn't exist, that Harry was just a dream to distract my thoughts and play with my emotions, nothing more. It doesn't work.

One day, as Liam and I are having tea in the drawing room, Richard comes in. With a confident step and a deceiving grin, he walks over to us, making my stomach turn.

"Hello Richard." Liam greets him with a smile that could fool anyone into thinking that they were the best friends in the whole world.

"G'day, Liam. I was wondering if I could have a word or two with you in private." He looks over to me, with that plastered smirk on his face, and I get the urge to slap him.

Liam notices the way he's staring at me, and he can tell that if he doesn't do something quick, he may not be able to stop the fight that's coming. He quickly answers to get Richard's eyes off of me. "Sure, why not. I'll be back my dear."

Liam and Richard quickly go into the other room to talk. They shut the door so I can't hear what they are saying, but the talk is so brief, they couldn't have said much. Once I see the door open, they both walk of the room without a word to each other, Richard leaving us alone as he walks down the hallway.

"So how was it?" I ask when I no longer hear Richard's heavy footsteps.

"He asked if I had stayed silent about the whole money situation. Of course I told him yes, and he suggested that I should keep it that way. Done with dealing with him, I walked out of the room."

"Liam, I'm worried about you. What if he decides that you are too much of a risk? What if he finds out that I know?"

I am paralyzed with fear as I see Richard re-enter the room. "Sorry, I forgot my cell phone." The look he gives me tells me all I need to know. He heard out conversation. He knows that I know.