Pride {l.s.}

11- Fever

I haven't seen Harry in a couple days. Every once in awhile, I'll see Niall or Liam. Liam likes to visit Zayn a lot. Niall and Liam just give me sad smiles. Neither of them mentions Harry. It's nice that we're all friends now, but it's hard with the bad blood between Harry and me.

My headache has gone down, but now everything hurts. I ache and I barely manage to get food down. Zayn has been doing my paintings for me since I can barely function. He forces me to stay in bed. He tries to take care of me, but I continue to push him away. I'll fight through this on my own. I don't need someone baby feeding me.

I've been so cooped up indoors, and I decide to attempt to take a walk outside in the rain. Maybe it will help clear my head.

I forget to bring a jacket, and I shiver in my long sleeve shirt as I slowly become soaked from my walk. I find the rain mixing with my tears that roll down my cheeks from frustration. I've been stuck in between this state of sleeping and crying for a week. I sleep to hide from the pain, and I cry for being so mean to Harry and for letting down my family. They tried so hard to fix me, but I failed them.

My headache returns stronger than ever, but it might be because of the crying. I stumble as the rain turns into a heavy downpour. My legs ache from walking, and I haven't even gone that far. I stumble over an uneven part of the sidewalk. My knees hurt from the fall. My hands sting from catching me. The pain that goes throughout my body feels worse. I lean my body up against the nearby brick building and curl into a ball.

I cry. I know it's weak of me, but these memories are coming back. I just want to be left alone.

And that's the last thought I thought before I finally just fall asleep. I'm not sure if I sleep from exhaustion or just wanting to escape the pain. I wake up when I hear shouting and the pounding of feet. It's hard to see anything with the rain falling, but I feel familiar arms pick me up. The tattoos on the arms are ones that I know.

"Zayn," I mumble.

"Don't talk, Lou. You've come down with a fever. We're too far away from either of our places. I'm going to take you up to Harry's."

I simply nod my head. I lean into Zayn's body as he carries me down the street quickly. I feel safe in his arms. It's times like this that I'm happy I'm on the smaller side.

My headache won't leave me even as the rain stops as we step into the apartment complex. Zayn doesn't wait for the elevator. He runs up the stairs. I try not to groan as the boggling makes everything hurt.

Zayn struggles but manages to knock on the door. The door swings open. I look up to see that green eyed boy. He looks at me for a moment before swinging open the door and allowing us in.

"He's been just generally sick ever since we had that dinner. He went on a walk and collapsed. I think he came down with a fever, and our places are too far away. You were the closest," Zayn explains, and Harry doesn't even reply as he takes me into his arms.

"Grab a towel from the bathroom," Harry commands Zayn. Zayn immediately runs to the bathroom. Harry carefully carries me over to a bedroom. I look around to realize that this is his bedroom, not the guest bedroom.

"Hazza, I'm sorry-" I try to say, but my throat hurts when I speak.

"Shhh," Harry simply says as he sets me on the edge of my bed. "We just need to get you out of those wet clothes."

Zayn and Harry dry me off once we remove the soaking wet clothes. I'm still shivering as Harry helps me under the heavy blankets of the bed. Harry rushes off to make soup while Zayn stays with me. He turns on the TV in the room as a distraction for us. Zayn sits beside me, and I can't help but lean against his chest. He wraps his arm around me.

"I didn't know you felt this bad, Lou," Zayn says quietly. "You just need to ask for help."

I nod my head. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't let it happen again."

Harry comes in with the soup before I can reply. He sets some sort of tray on the comforter. I look at the tray to see a bowl of soup, a glass of water, and a single flower laying on the tray. Neither of us comments on the flower as I begin to eat my soup. I don't have much of an appetite, but I do it for them.

"When did you last eat?" Zayn asks. Harry hops up on the bed on the other side of me. He leans against the headboard also and looks at me for my reaction to the question.

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. I just haven't had an appetite."

"Well once you're done with this, you're taking a nice long nap. Got it?" Zayn asks, and I nod my head. I feel so small as I lay in between these two boys who are taking care of me. It's not the worse feeling in the world to be taken care of either I suppose.

"You can stay as long as necessary," Harry adds on. "You two, Zayn. I have a guest bedroom also."

"Where will you sleep?" I ask as I look up at him. He looks almost as tired as me.

"I can take the couch."

The shame and guilt of needing help come back. I sit up. "I think I can make it back to the studio like this. I'll get out of your way."

Harry pushes me back down onto the bed. He does it much gentler than the other week when he pushed me down onto my bed in the heat of the moment.

I push the thoughts away.

"You're staying here, and that's final," Harry says sternly.

"I'll head back to close up the shop. Do you mind if I leave you two here and check on you in the morning?" Zayn asks and Harry nods his head. Once my soup is finished, Harry takes it to the kitchen and leaves Zayn and me to speak.

"I'll be fine," I tell Zayn. I can see the worry in his dark eyes.

"I know, but I also don't know what happened between you and Harry. You haven't been the same since, and I want to know that you'll be okay here with him," Zayn says. I understand his worry, and I also know that I shouldn't leave him in the dark. I just need more time to come clean with everything to Zayn. He doesn't know anything about the subject yet.

"I'll tell you soon, Z. I just need to figure it all out."

Zayn nods his head in understanding. He gives me a gentle hug goodbye before he walks out of Harry's apartment, leaving me with the green eyed boy that I kissed a couple days ago and then kicked out.

A/N

Yay more chapters! Random question: best Larry fanfic? (*cough* confessions of a gay Disney prince *cough*)

Love to all of you. Thank you for so many reads.

xoxo raindropkiss1