Trace

Chapter 40

I sit in my bedroom alone with my phone in hand. I have just sent Niall a message apologising for both the behaviour of Harry and me this afternoon.

I hear a small knock on my bedroom door.

"Yes?"

The door creaks open a tad. "Cae, sweetie? May I come in?" my mum peeks her head in the door.

I nod, "Of course."

She enters my room slowly with a worried look on her face. "Everything okay?" she wonders.

I sigh and fall back onto my pillows. "I'm not sure," I admit.

She joins me on my bed and puts a hand on my knee.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Harry and I got into our first big-ish fight."

Her eyes are wide. "First??"

"Yeah," I mutter.

She laughs. "Cae, you have been dating him how long? Almost four months? I would have expected you to have had several fights with him already!"

I sit up. "Well, I mean we do argue from time to time. But we were yelling at each other today and..." I trail off.

"Cae, honey, look at me."

I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear and look at my mother.

"It's all going to be okay; Harry is a sweet, sweet boy," she tells me.

"I should have known what I was getting myself into," I groan.

She looks at me quizzically and I remember that I have not informed her much of the real Harry Styles.

"Nevermind," I quickly brush it off.

"Well if you ever need someone to talk to, I-"

She is cut off by banging on the front door.

"Who is here at nighttime?" she questions with a hint of irritation as she stands up from my bed.

"I dunno," I say, falling back into my pillows.

"I'll be right back," she promises, and flees down the stairs.

More banging.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" she shouts, and I can hear her slide to the front door.

"Who is i-"

"Where is she?"

My heart falls at the familiar deep tone.

"Harry, I do not think now is a good time."

"Please," I hear him plead, and I quietly get off my bed and tiptoe to my bedroom door.

"Sweetie, I know you're upset, but El is-"

"You don't understand. I need to see her right now, please let me in," I hear him beg.

With his pleading tone of voice, I picture Harry rubbing a hair through his hair in the way he does when he's stressed.

"How about you come back tomorrow?" my mum offers.

I hear Harry make a muffled noise. "I can't! Ms. Harris, I'm leaving to go back to University now and I need to see El before I go," he almost demands.

"I'm sorry, love. But Cae is upset right now," she returns, adding extra emphasis on 'Cae'.

I close the door carefully and try my best to shut out the conversation from downstairs. I know if I were to hear his voice again I would just run down the stairs and into his arms.