Ditched (a Harry Styles love story)

Chapter 42

***Harry's P.O.V.***

Elizabeth was going through Final Exams. It seemed to be dragging her through hell and back. I don't think she had gotten any sleep since she started them. I was starting to worry because she looked like a zombie as she maneuvered through the flat and it couldn't be healthy for her. Everyday after she came back from her classes she would sit down at the table and open a textbook before reading. All. Day. Long.

She only had two more days to go but I was afraid that she was about to fall apart right in front of me. So, I sat down in front of her at the table and waited for her to look up at me. She was too engrossed in her textbook to notice me, though.

''Elizabeth,'' I called but she still didn't look at me. Her finger wove through her brown, wavy hair while she read and she would mumble something every so often. She was so focused, kind of like when we had first come across her in Nandos. ''Elizabeth!'' I called loudly and her head snapped up to look at me.

''What?'' she asked in surprise and panic as if the flat was burning down and I had just woken her up to a smoke filled room.

''You need to get some rest,'' I told her calmly.

''I'm studying,'' she mumbled back before looking back down at her textbook. I reached across the table and pulled it away from her before she could even flinch. ''Harry!'' she scolded as she tried to grab it from my hands.

''No, you need to get rest,'' I shook my head while keeping her textbook from her reach. She made another feeble attempt to grab it from me only to end up inches away from my face. I wanted to lean forward and kiss her so badly, but I knew that that would just cause more trouble. She didn't seem to notice our near proximity, however, because she just kept trying to get the textbook.

''I need to study,'' she argued.

''You've studied enough,'' I insisted. She let out an exasperated huff before falling back into her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. I smirked in victory while she gave me her best puppy dog eyes. I almost gave her the book back. Almost. ''Nope, that's not going to work again,'' I shook my head and she sighed in defeat. I could tell that she was beyond tired by the way that her perfect posture had become slumped and she was fighting to keep her eyes open. ''Let's get you to bed,'' I said as I put the textbook on the highest shelf of a cabinet, the one that only I could reach, and then walked over to her.

''I'm not going to bed until you give me back the book,'' she challenged.

''That's not happening,'' I persisted before grabbing her forearms gently yet firmly and pulling her up. Her back was to my chest and she had froze slightly.

''W-what are you doing?'' she stuttered out and I cringed when I realized that she was afraid that I was going to try and force myself on her again. We were kind of in a position that would imply that, but that wasn't at all what I was doing.

''Making sure you get the rest you need,'' I answered while walking towards the hallway. Once she figured out what I was actually doing she tried to stop me by anchoring her feet to the floor so that they were dragging.

''I'm not going,'' she protested through her struggle. We were already half way to her room so I was winning so far.

''Yes you are,'' I replied plainly while still dragging her. Once we got to her doorway she spread her legs out so that if I wanted to get her through the doorway I would have to break her legs. I wasn't going to do that so I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifted her up and away from the door, and then went in backwards so that she couldn't grab the door. She groaned in frustration when I managed to get her to her bed and as soon as I laid her down I could tell that she knew she had lost. ''Go to bed,'' I instructed.

''No,'' she defied.

''I'm not leaving this spot until I know you're asleep,'' I told her and she pouted again, ''don't try it; it's not going to work.''

''You're so mean,'' she pouted.

''I'm just worried about you,'' I explained and he sighed, her eyes fighting to stay open.

''You don't need to be,'' she muttered.

After waiting a few minutes and seeing her still awake, I sighed, ''what do I have to do to get you to sleep that doesn't involve giving you your text book back?''

She seemed to think for a moment before smiling lazily at me, ''tell me a story.''

''A story?'' I wondered in surprise. She nodded. She was so tired that I doubted that she could even process what her or I was saying. So, I began the story with a swish of my lips while I thought, ''there once was a prince named Harold.''

''Was he you?'' she giggled tiredly. Her whole attitude had changed to one of giddiness which showed me that she was bound to fall asleep soon.

''Shh,'' I scolded jokingly which made her shake with giggles, ''no, there are no similarities between Prince Harold and I whatsoever.'' She settled down and I sighed before continuing. ''He had everything; money, friends, and women. He wasn't happy though; he was really lonely even though he tried to make it seem like he wasn't.''

''Why was he so lonely?'' she mumbled sleepily.

''He was lonely because he didn't have anyone with him to tell him that they loved him. He wanted someone to show him that he didn't have to change for them,'' I answered with the ghost of a smile on my lips while I gazed down at her slowly closing eyes. ''He went down to the village one day and he saw a peasant who was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen,'' I played with the tips of her hair while I spoke and she let out a small hum before I continued, ''he brought her up to his castle to live there until one day he messed up and the peasant girl ran away from him. He had to find her because she was the only thing that made him happy. When he did find her he brought her back to his castle.

''She didn't trust him anymore, though, and he couldn't be with her until she did, so he made it up to her,'' I added even though I couldn't figure out quite how he managed that, ''she finally trusted him again and, like all the other fairy tales, they lived happily ever after.''

''I like that story,'' she smiled with her eyes finally closed and her smiling lingering before slowly slipping away.

''So do I,'' I smiled down at her and one of her eye peeked open to look at me before the smile returned to her lips and she reached up to run a hand through my hair. I leaned into her touch and her smile grew.

''You've kept your hair down for months now,'' she stated softly as she referred to the way I swept it to the side instead of gelling it up in the front.

''Someone reminded me that I didn't have to change for anyone.''

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So, what'd ya think? It's longer than most of my other updates from today so I hope you guys are happy with it. Tell me you thoughts below, and I'd like to hear what you guys think Harry will do to make Elizabeth trust him again. What's going to happen? Only I know :)

-cow_queen