Hunter's Knife

Chapter Four

How can something so well put together be so torn apart?

Liam did not understand. He also did not understand how he was still able to love Harry Styles even after all this time, after everything they had been through. He supposed that guilt played a large factor. He was afraid that Harry would hurt or kill himself, and the thought scared him to the extent of staying with his psychotic boyfriend. There was flaw to that reasoning, however. Staying with Harry didn't necessarily mean having to love him, but Liam did love him. Harry was one of the only things he loved. 

Liam began to believe that there was flaw to himself. He was certain that the way he loved Harry, in spite of everything he had done, was a bad thing. Maybe there was something wrong with him, and maybe, just maybe, he was more dependent on Harry than he had originally thought. He had not spoken with any of his friends since his agreement to marry Harry, as they had left town straight away, but there was no doubt in his mind that they would disapprove of his decision. That was probably fair enough - everyone could see that Harry was not in the right mind. On the other hand, however, Liam was of the opinion that everyone else should really mind their own business. They didn't know Harry like he did, and they never would.

After the incident back in Bradford, they drove all night long (more like Harry drove, rarely even taking the time to blink), and ended up in Brighton by morning. The four hour drive seemed shorter than Liam had remembered, and he never once complained - he held Harry's hand the whole time, trying without success to calm his boyfriend down. Harry only began to breathe properly when they found a motel room and were able to lay down for the night, and only after he had assured Liam that Brighton didn't have to a permanent residence if he didn't want it to be.

Liam liked Brighton, though. Though it was frequently raining and windy, he liked the beach and the pier. The city had a decent population, and even when they ended up in a small apartment complex, their neighbors were inviting rather than bothersome. Liam's parents were still wiring him money, which he had used to pay for his apartment and other living expenses in Bradford, but his apartment was even cheaper in Brighton, so he was able to live there with Harry in secrecy. He knew they couldn't stay hidden forever, but it helped knowing that they were stable for now - hopefully long enough for things to blow over.

Liam didn't really know what he was expecting at this point. Ideally they would be able to keep up their charade in Brighton long enough for things to calm down in Bradford. They had no updates on Louis, obviously, but hoped that they would live through the whole ordeal. If he did, maybe he could be spoken to long enough to not want to press charges against Harry. 

Maybe it was all just wishful thinking.

Either which way, Liam was having a hard time distinguishing the difference between right and wrong recently. The thought of turning Harry in crossed his mind a few times, lest he be convicted an accessory to murder if Louis died. He knew that it was (probably) the morally correct thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to betray Harry in that way. Even if his boyfriend was a potential murderer, he literally couldn't bring himself to let him go. 

He knew that if he could see his friends (Niall, Ed, Josh...) they would help him make the correct decision. He didn't wish any harm on Louis, but as he was Harry's best friend, would still probably find a way to defend him and make it out to be anyone else's fault. Liam was sick of his attitude, to be honest - there was no doubt in his mind that being around Louis was only harming Harry whilst on his way to recovery. Two wrongs do not make a right, after all.

Liam could not help but wonder what Harry would have done had he not agreed to run away with him. Harry probably hadn't even considered that as a possibility - he knew Liam well enough to know that he would agree with just about anything. Drastic moves could have been made, Liam and Harry were good as broken up at the time of the incident, but Liam was dragged right back into the drama of Harry's problematic lifestyle in less than a week.

So, as he watched his asleep boyfriend, he couldn't help but wonder what Harry's thoughts on the whole fiasco were. Did he regret what he did? Liam wished he could read his mind, because it was truly unnerving for him not to know. He hoped Harry felt at least a sliver of remorse for hurting his best mate, but he couldn't really be sure on that one.

"Liam," his thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt when he heard said boyfriend say his name, in that appealing, raspy morning voice. "You've been staring at me the past five minutes and it's getting uncomfortable."

Liam restricted himself from laughing at the irony, and instead reached over to push some of Harry's hair out of his face. "Sorry, beautiful. Think I zoned out there."

"I'll say," Harry snorted, rolling out of bed and stretching his shoulders - effectively cracking his back. Liam watched as he made his way to the closet, snatching out a shirt to cover his bare torso. "Do you wanna go out today for breakfast? I don't think I wanna cook."

Liam pulled himself out of bed, with some immense difficulty, before making his way over and wrapping his arms around his younger boyfriend's waist - getting an instantaneous reaction as Harry pressed back into his touch. "Sure thing, sweetheart. Wherever you wanna go."

Harry leaned in and they shared a kiss, and for the first time in a long time Liam thought that they could work.