Ripped Away (A Harry Styles Fan Fiction)

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The woman standing before Harry had cropped black hair and darker-looking eyes, as opposed to the blonde-and-blue combo he remembered all too well. But it was her. It was Crystal.

The stunned silence lasted for light-years, or so it seemed. Neither could will their voices to function. The idea of their situation was so unthinkable it took their breath away.

A look of sudden panic flashed across Crystal’s face, and she whipped around and began walking away in a hurry.

The same panic bubbled at Harry’s core as he sprinted forward impulsively. “WAIT!” The word escaped his lips in a terrified cry, which made her freeze momentarily before continuing her stride.

He took advantage of her pause to run in front of her and grab her by the shoulders to prevent her from slipping away. “How? How is this possible?”

Tears collected in her widened eyes. “I… I have to go.” she whispered, and tried pulling herself away.

“No!” Harry pleaded, keeping his grip on her shoulders. “I already lost you once, you’re mad if you think I’ll let it happen again!”

Crystal’s heart was beating out of her chest. She needed to get out of here. If they saw her…

Before she knew it, Harry was pulling her into a tight embrace. It was as if he believed she’d fade into the night if he let go. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his tall figure, taking in as much of him as she could. God, she missed this. His voice, his scent, the way his curls felt in her fingers…

Harry buried his face in her hair, breathing her in and crashing hopelessly like an addict failing rehab. He needed her like he needed air, and having her back in his arms was a miracle he wasn’t about to lose.

His tears fell more freely than ever. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I thought so too,” she murmured. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

He loosened his arms slightly to look her in the eyes. “You were dead.” Crystal gazed at him through tormented eyes. She couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain Harry went through. “You bled out in my arms, I… I spoke at your funeral…”

“I’m sorry…” She whispered, her now-closed eyes shedding tears. “Believe me, if I had known-”

“Known what?” Harry interrupted her. “Known everything I went through? All the nightmares? All the tears? I didn’t even know it was humanly possible to cry that much!” Crystal let out broken sobs, flinching at Harry’s words. “And then I go and almost kill myself because I can’t manage to live in a world where you don’t exist, yet here you were all along…” Harry couldn’t contain the frustration than suddenly arose. “I mean…didn’t you love me at all? How could you let me go through all this?”

“Harry, you don’t understand-”                                                       

“Then explain it to me. Because I don’t think you quite understand just how much damage this has caused.”

Crystal grew visibly irritated and utterly shattered. “Look, this wasn’t my decision, okay? You know I love you more than anything and that’s exactly why I had to leave!”

Harry’s eyebrows pulled together in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Taking in a deep breath, she continued softly: “What I was about to say, was that if I’d known they’d go this far, I would’ve done something about it long before any of this could’ve happened.”