Twist Of Fate

Time For Secrets

"No more secrets, okay?" Harry whispers in my ear. His lips trail down my ear, and dip into the crook my neck. I shudder at the contact.
"No more," I whisper. There will be no more when you tell him that, someone yells in my head. I turn my neck away from Harry's lips, and place my index finger on his lips. "I have to tell you something." Noting my serious tone, Harry sits up on my bed, and wipes off the smile on his face.
"Go ahead, Bump. You know you can tell me anything." Harry takes my hand in his and rubs soothing circles on the back of it. I swallow and take a deep breath.
"After what I'm about to tell you, Harry, you might want to break up with me and that's fine. It'll hurt, but I'll understand because I've gotten used to this world's racist ways." I pause and inhale another deep breath. "Have you ever wondered about my religion?" Harry shakes his head and smiles.
"It doesn't matter to me, Bump. You can be a Sikh, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, or anything else, but I don't care. I love you for who you are; a very nice human. My human." Harry pushes a stray strand of hair away from my face, and trails his finger down my cheek, onto my lips.
"I'm a Muslim," I whisper. Harry's finger pauses, and he moves his head back a little.
"Why're you scared about it? Are you ashamed?" Harry asks, furrowing his brow. "Because it's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Harry, I understand if you want to break up with me because my last boyfriend broke up with me for this particular reason." I'm too cowardly to meet Harry's gaze. I don't want him to break up with me. I don't want to go through the same situation again. Harry tips my chin up with his finger, locking his eyes on mine.
"Do you think I'm that shallow? I have nothing against any religion, Bump. For God's sake, I have a lot of Muslim friends. Zayn, himself, is a Muslim, and that doesn't and shouldn't affect anything." My heart opens up even more at Harry's word. Warmth spreads through my body in tendrils. This man is...a dream come true. On our one year anniversary I broke the news that I'm a Muslim to my last boyfriend and he left our dinner date, and never called, or showed me his face again. Kate heard from his friends that he had a problem with my religion and that hurt. A lot. So, today, sitting here in front of a man who speaks so nicely of a religion that has made me the target of racism, fills my heart with hope and warmth. Hope for the fact that a lot of people out there - like, Gregg, Kate, and Harry - don't care about colors, or religions; they care about the person's personality. "Don't be ashamed of your religion. Be proud, and never, ever, think I'm that shallow." Since I have no words to express my happiness and since I'm feeling so light after revealing this to Harry, I lean into him, and kiss him with all my might.
"Whoa, Bump, someone's charged up today." Harry says, as I pull back. I nod my head, my cheeks hurting because I'm grinning like an idiot.
"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I yell, throwing myself on the bed. My head lands on Harry's lap and he pushes some loose curls away from my face.
"I've done nothing to deserve your thanks, Bumper." Harry says, laughing.
"Marry!" Liam yells from downstairs. Marry? What the hell? "Marry! Come downstairs!"
"Why're you yelling 'Marry?'" Harry yells, grinning.
"Come downstairs, Marry!" Liam yells again. "Harry and Mus, Marry!" What...
"Let's head downstairs before his voice goes out," I say. Harry and I get off the bed and make our way downstairs, hand in hand.
"We're in the lounge!" Liam yells, again.
"Stop yelling, asshole!" Harry says, as we enter the lounge. Liam's sitting on the floor, near the foot of the couch on which Kate, and Niall are seated. There's a laptop on Liam's lap, and he's grins at Harry and I.
"Ah, you're here, Marry." Liam says, as we both take a seat on the couch opposite the three of them. Harry tugs me onto his lap and I oblige. Harry's lap is my favorite place in the world, and it's the most comfortable.
"Marry? What the heck is that?" I ask. Harry's hand travels down my back and toward my southern region. I would've minded this gesture before, but not anymore. I actually like the feeling of it.
"Harry plus Mus, equals Marry. It's a ship name, get it?" Liam looks too excited about this. Realization dawns on me and Harry.
"Oh, I like it." Harry says, a satisfactory smile on his face. I slap Harry's leg playfully.
"Harry, we're sure you not only like it, you love it." Kate says, a mischievous glint in her eyes. He nods his head vigorously. I think Harry's grin is glued to his face.
"Haz, we can get tickets for tomorrow. Tyler wants me to check with you before we book them. I mean, the sooner we leave, the better." Liam says, chewing on his bottom lip. Kate's eyes sweep over to Liam, and he winks at her. Oh, I know that expression that Kate's wearing right now. She's smitten. But Liam has a girlfriend, yet I have a feeling that he, too, feels something for her. I think he's leading Kate on, and if so, he's doing something very wrong.
"Um...n-no, tomorrow's not good." Harry stutters. When I look at Harry, his face is clouded with panic and fear. "Let's not discuss this right now. I'm not in the mood."
"Harry, we need to get back to work." Liam's eyes sweep over the laptop's screen, before latching back onto Harry. "We can book a night flight tomorrow. Is that good?"
"Bump, can you get off, I need to go to the bathroom?" Harry says, and I oblige immediately. He marches out of the room, bumping his shoulder into the door-frame, as he turns.
"What's up with him?" Kate says, puzzled.
"I don't know," I murmur. "Let me go and check up on Harry." Liam and Kate nod their heads in unison and then Liam joins Kate on the couch. Their thighs are in full contact, and I can see Kate's eyes turn dreamy. We're having a talk tonight. But right now I need to check up on Harry. I turn the corner, and almost step on Harry. He's sitting on the floor, back against the wall, knees drawn to his chest, his arms caging his legs. When he hears my feet, Harry looks up.
"What's wrong, Haz?" I ask, walking to the other side and taking a seat beside Harry. He shakes his head, grimacing.
"Nothing," Harry mumbles.
"You're obviously not okay. Hey, no secrets, remember?" I take Harry's hand in mine. "Come on, spill!"
"I'm scared," Harry whispers. He keeps his eyes trained on the floor. "I'm scared that something will happen to us while we're in the plane. Last time we got lucky and you saved us, but what about this time? Or the time after that?" He scoffs, and shakes his head. "I mean, I know I'm behaving in a foolish manner because my whole career revolves around travelling, but still. I can't get this feeling out of my body that something will happen to the four of us, while we're in a plane." A shudder passes through Harry's body and I squeeze his hand comfortingly.
"Hazza, just because it happened once, doesn't mean it'll happen again. People whose relatives die in plane crashes still travel. Because they have to and so do you. Don't let fear dominate you, Harry. You're stronger than that." By the fear in Harry's green orbs, I know that I haven't done a good enough job to convince him. "What can I do to convince you that nothing will happen?" Harry's head jerks sideways to face me.
"You know, Bump, there is one thing." Harry says, smiling. I raise my brow. Oh, I hate that look in his eyes.
"What?" I ask, already hating the answer.
"You could come with us. Just for a a few days, and then you could travel back."
"You've really lost it, Harry! I can't just take a break from college, and the world around me. I have Nef, college, and a life." The smile on Harry's face turns upside down.
"The problem is, Bump, you're my weakness and my strength." Harry moves closer and turns his whole body toward me. "I've fallen in love with you and I don't even know how it happened, because we've not even known each other for a month." He cups my face in his hands, and leans his face closer to mine. "Nowadays, my every action is influenced by you. I wake up and I think of ways to make you happy. I sit in the lounge and while I'm channel surfing, I spot a movie that you've told me you like and I call you. And honestly, half of the movies you like are horrible. Flops, in my mind." I laugh and Harry chuckles. "When we're ordering food, I make sure that the cuisine we order is your favorite. I've never gone out of the way for anyone, as much as I have for you and I love doing it. Bumper, I don't even feel like I'm your slave, as Louis puts it. I'm just happy that you're happy." Tears brim the corners of my eyes. No one has ever been so nice to me. Kate, and Gregg, are really nice, but Harry and I share a different connection. He gives me the love that I've yearned for all my life. He makes me feel wanted and safe. "I'm scared of traveling for two reasons. Firstly, because I'm scared the plane will crash. Secondly, I know that the flight I get on will take me away from you. Thirdly, if I go to heaven how will I serve you, m'lady."
"Hey, you said two!" I say, giggling.
"I've never been good at math." Harry chuckles and wraps me in a tight hug.