Beyond Me. {Haylor}

Chaptet Twenty-One.

The doorbell rings and it takes everything in me to pull myself together and welcome Ali who was already an hour late. I pick myself up off the floor and attempt to fix the mascara that had ran down my cheeks. With a deep breath, I turn the door handle to see Ali and Liz making their way back to the living room. "Hey Ali." I say with an incredibly fake smile, following the both of them.

Ali turns and embraces me in a tight hug. "How's little Ellie doing?" She asks, rubbing my belly and I pull her to the couch.

"Good." I mumble. Ali sits down beside me, tugging at the long sleeves of her sweater. "It is September though," I laugh.

"Oh! The sweater?" I nod. "I'm just really cold." She plays off with a shrug. I don't believe her though. There's something else.

I tug at the arms of her sweater until she's given in and pulled it off. I was expecting to see a drunken tattoo or a sunburn. Something of the sorts. Instead, I see bruises lining her wrists and against her collarbone. My eyes go wide and Liz gapes at the discolouring. "Ali!" I gasp and she immediately shoves her hands in her laps. "What the hell?!" I try to pull her arms from lap but she stays stubborn as ever.

"Rough sex." She looks down with a small smile, pulling back her bottom lip. I look to Liz who is just
as taken back by this as I am. Rough sex? That didn't seem like Ali, but then again neither did a drunken tattoo. Her cheeks flush pink and she looks up with a smile. "So, what movie shall it be?"

For the next three weeks Ali seems different. And there's not really a place to point my finger. There not really a specific thing that's different. It's just her in general. And I don't know whether I should be worried or not, if I should dig deeper. Since the tour I've had nothing to do but hang around Nashville and write songs. Ali comes and goes every once and awhile and I can't help but notice there's something off about her. I've tried talking to Harry about it, but it's hard to explain and pin point. He keeps assuring me that it's about the baby and how time is flying by. Two months and she would be a mom. And I guess that would influence a person but I'm nervous for her and I have no idea why. To add even more on top, and make me even more uneasy about it all, Rob has been distant. And I hardly hear from him or even of him. I chose the both of them as a team. Not just Ali... Maybe in just worried about her flaking out on me, them flaking it on me.

"She canceled... Again?" Harry's voice falls through the phone as I'm cuddled up in bed.

"Yes. Again, Harry. What on earth is up with her? I'm worried."

"Don't be.... Worried." He yawns mid sentence. I've had him on the phone for the past two hours and it's getting late where he's at... Wherever he's at.

"What if they cancel Harry. What would we do."

His breath is hot even through the phone. "Then we figure it out." He sighs and I know he needs to sleep but I can't bring myself to hang up.

"Sometimes it's just nice to know you're there, Har."

"What?" He seems more awake after my last statement.

"I know I'm clingy, and I call you like everyday and we talk for hours and you pretend your interested, when you're really not. I know you get annoyed and I'm sorry for that. Through this whole process I just feel so... Alone. Especially lately since you've left and the tour has ended. I'm flooded with people everyday with calls and friends who want to catch up and I mean, Claire and Ashley are insisting on a baby shower when it's really the last thing I want. I get midnight cravings for the weirdest things and I have to call Liz or Caitlin or Grant or someone who is around and I feel so dependent on people all the time and I don't know... I feel like it should be you. You're on the other side of the world, so I guess I just like to know you're there." I finish with a gasp for air. I listen for a response and sigh when I hear nothing back. "I'm sorry." I whisper.

"Is that really how you feel?" His voice aches. I huff and goto say something but nothing comes out. Tears fall down my cheeks. "Look, don't worry. You've done enough for the night. Just... Turn off the lights and pull the blankets over your shoulders. I'll sing to you."

"Really?" I say, turning giddy. It used to be something we did early in our relationship. Sing each other to sleep. Then it kinda slowed down to every other night, and then only when the other wasn't feeling up to par.

"Of course, now get comfortable and relax yourself. I'll sing you to sleep babygirl." I did we he said and put my phone to speaker, curling up under the comforter. The light from my phone lights up the room. "Ready?" He asks.

My smile explodes and I nod my head. "Absolutely."

"Your hand fits in mine
Like it's made just for me
But bear this in mind
It was meant to be
And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks
And it all makes sense to me

I know you've never loved
The crinkles by your eyes
When you smile
You've never loved
Your stomach or your thighs,
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine
But I'll love them endlessly

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if I do
It's you
Oh, it's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all these little things"

I get so consumed in his voice that I can hardly set my thoughts straight. He does this to thousands, even millions of girls. But I'm lucky, because I get to call him mine. Why I ever even denied his proposal was up in the skies. He loved me...

My eyelids fall and I sink into the bedding. Harry's voice swirls around the room as I fall in love with his voice over and over.

I won't let these little things slip out of my mouth
But if it's true
It's you,
It's you they add up to
I'm in love with you
And all your little things

"It all adds up to you too, Harry." I mumble as I'm taken away to dream land.

***
"Mummy!" The way too familiar voice wakes me up, followed by a pain to my stomach. My eyes shoot open to see little brown haired blue eyed Ellie, grinning ear to ear, sitting on my stomach. "Wake up, come on! Please!" She pleads, putting her hands together and squeezing her eyes. "I want to goto the beach please!"

I sink back into the pillow, laughing. "Beach? Who said anything about the beach?"

"Daddy said we had plans today!"

"Since when does and mean beach?" I peak at her shocked face.

"But... The beach!" She let's out a frazzled remark, pulling back her bottom lip.

I turn to my side where Harry lays embedded in comforters. His nose sits above the covers and I drag the hair from his eyes. "I don't know, Harry do you remember anything about the beach?"

He moans and Ellie jumps from me to her father. "Oh daddy, please!" She begs and whines. Harry is awake now, I can tell. But he's nearly pushed her to her boiling point. "Daddy, if you don't wake up..." She starts to threaten with narrow eyes, "... I'll tell mummy what you got her for your anniversary!"

And suddenly, within seconds, Harry's gone from dead 'asleep' to cradling himself over Ellie, tickling her to the point of no return. Ellie's giggles ring to the house, and I don't know if it could ever get better than this.
***


A/N


Sorry these take so longs to update. I suck. I'm sorry. It was my moms birthday today though so I kinda have a reason lol. Btw tomorrow/today/the 25th is BROOKES BIRTHDAY OMFG. BABYGIRL TURNED FIFTEEN AND YEAH. SO EVERYONE GO VOTE FOR BROOKES FANFICS at FanficsbyBrooke. She's such a sweetie. I love her lots.