The Fortune Teller (One Direction)

Chapter 16 - Forgiven?

Last and probably the longest chapter! Enjoy!

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Breathe, Issy, breathe, I tell myself. Okay, maybe not that much – I don’t want to hyperventilate. My chest is heaving and I’m getting a headache. Perhaps if I stopped looking at Harry, I’d calm down.

But I can’t seem to do that. The last time I saw him I was barely conscious, and now he’s stood right in front of me. I can’t help but gawp at every part of him, hungrily taking in the sight. I dare not look at his face again, and focus instead on his slightly slumped posture and worn-out tour clothes.

It looks like Harry was doing the same – not looking at my face but darting from my shoes to my sleeves to my knees to the top of my hair.

Our eyes lock suddenly, and before I know it Harry has wrapped his arms tightly around my body and I’m burying my head into his chest.

I’m overcome by an amazing sense of warmth, and I grasp the back of his jacket harder, as if making sure I never lose him again. I let the tears fall, too; tears of joy, of happiness, and in hope that I won’t soon be weeping tears of sorrow.

Harry is crying too. Not as much as me, however, but all the same I can hear his shuddering breaths and feel the tears drop onto my hair. He’s cradling me like I’m the one who’s been breaking apart, when we both know I should be comforting him and apologising for everything.

I take my chance.

I slowly loosen my grip on Harry’s jacket, not letting go entirely, and raise my head to look at him properly. He sniffs hard and awkwardly wipes his face on the shoulder of his jacket, his arms still clamped around my back.

“Harry I’m so sorry!” I sob. He just shakes his head.

“No, Harry, let me finish,” I instruct, sighing firstly, “I regret not replying to you after I heard about you and Darcy. I wish I had, and part of me knows if I had, this whole thing would have been sorted weeks ago. All that rubbish I said about one mistakes...it means nothing! Even the best of people make mistakes. I know I'm not one of those great people, but I do know I made a huge mistake running away from you that day.

“At one point I thought I'd wasted my time worrying over you and Darcy! No. Once I woke up in hospital I realised I'd wasted time not making it up with you. I hated that I'd missed our chance to speak to each other again.” Somehow, I had managed not to cry at all. I sigh before finishing my speech, “Now it's my turn to say 'I want you back', and I'm giving you the chance to turn me down as I did you. I expect nothing less.”

I finish with a loud sigh, looking away from Harry and expecting him to push me away and begin shouting.

…

Nothing.

Looking back, I see he’s smiling.

“Harry? Are you OK?”

“Of course I’m OK!” he laughs, “You’re here, you’re safe,” he smiles. Then his grin turns to a frown, “You know, I once told myself that when you said you'd be my girlfriend it was the second best thing I'd ever heard - the first, obviously, being told I was in the band - but I was wrong. Hearing that you want me back, actually beats them both.”

I smile now, and my eyes begin to water once more.

Harry panics then, “Issy, are YOU alright?”

I don’t reply. I pull Harry closer and kiss him, something I’ve been longing to do for weeks. It seems as if we’re like this for ages, but all too soon we pull apart. Both of us are smiling now.