Tension Like This

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

*Harry's POV*

It's been almost two weeks since Joey has been in the hospital, and he still hasn't shown any signs of waking up. The doctors took him off of the medicine that was keeping him in a coma almost a week ago, and now we're just waiting for his body to decide that it's time to wake up.

I need him to wake up. I need to know who did this, and I need to know if it was my fault, if there was any way I could've stopped it. I should've been able to keep this from happening. We had spent about half of our time together for a couple of weeks. You'd think I would know if anybody was threatening him.

I didn't ever think about it before, but he never really talked about himself. We mostly talked about me, about how I felt. Or we were just having sex.

I'm such a selfish friend. And now I'm a bad 'boyfriend' or whatever it is that Niall and I are to each other, I've been in a bad mood constantly, I've even snapped at him a couple of times, even when he has just been trying to help. He's been trying to get me to open up to him. Half the time I feel like I HAVE to be touching Niall in some way, but then the other half of the time I don't want to be around ANYBODY. I know I'm sending him mixed signals, I just can't control my emotions right now, I don't know how too.

I've been at the hospital a lot. I just need to talk to Joey as soon as he wakes up, so that I can help him fix his own problem, whatever it is. We tried to contact family members, but we couldn't find anyone. It seems as if he cut all contact with any life he had before moving to London.

The only person who has been here more than me is Liam, I'm thinking he might feel as if it's his job to look after Joey, Liam always has kind of had a protective personality. That's just who Liam is.

"Harry?" Niall comes up from behind me, sounding timid.

"Yes Niall?" I don't even look up from the blank point on the wall I'm staring at. He's probably going to break up with me. I've been a dick of a...boyfriend?... well I've just been a dick.

"Harry. If you don't want to be with me as anything more than friends just tell me. I can't handle this in between shit anymore. Honestly, this is worse than being just friends, because at least then I knew where my boundaries were. I couldn't kiss you, friends don't kiss each other. I couldn't slip into your bed in the middle of the night, just wanting to cuddle. But now I don't know what I am or am not permitted to get away with!" He sounds exasperated. And annoyed. And angry.

I look up from my hands in my lap and into his eyes. He's crying. I don't say anything for a moment.

Niall sniffs before he adds, "Harry, I know Joey got hurt and you're upset. I understand why you're upset, just..." he snuffles again, "just don't use me as a replacement for him."

I'm such a dick. I stand up and go over to the crying blonde. "Niall. Ni-baby. You're not a replacement. Joey and I, we were never an actual relationship, ever. And we never will be anything more than friends." I open my arms up to him, and he quickly comes in for a hug. "I'm sorry for being such a asshole. I promise, we're going to go on a real date, just me and you. I'll forget about everything except us for an entire night. Just." I stop and let out a long sigh. "Just don't give up on me yet. We're going to figure this out, together, just like we promised."

A date. A REAL date.

With Niall and me.

Holy. Fuck.

~End of Chapter Twenty-One~

A/N: Surprise middle-of-the-week update! sorry it was short. But this is where this chapter NEEDS to be cut off.

And wtf?!?! This story has 7.7k reads?!?! When did that even happen?!?! I love everyone's comments!!!