Meanwhile| HS

twenty-one

Opal

"Hi Liv." Harry says closing the door and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Harry, can we just skip the dramatic bull crap and get to the part where we just talk about what you heard." I say with a sigh. "It's exhausting and I'm over it all."

He chuckles, showing off a dimpled grin. "Okay, so umm, Liam?" he says shrugging. "Why Liam?"

"What? No. Not Liam, you!" I say groaning. "If you're gonna listen in on other peoples conversations at least get it right, Harry."

He freezes looking at me with wide eyes.

"Me?!" he says point to himself as if he were a turd on the sidewalk.

"Harry you are not an idiot, think back over the past year and tell me it wasn't obvious." I say giving him a dirty look.

He begins to think back on what's happened in the past year nodding his head slowly. " I suppose that does make sense." He says.

"Yeah it does." I say biting my lip. "Okay so now what?" I ask.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"Well Harry, I have just confessed my undying love to you and we live together. Am I gonna have to move out or what?" I ask crossing my arms over my chest.

"Oh umm oh.." he mumbles with flushed cheeks. "You love me, right."

"Harry, we have been a lot, and I mean a lot of things that have led us to this very moment. Just over a month ago you wanted to be my husband.. unless that was a joke. Yanno all fun and games in the name of friendship- oh my god, fuck do you see me as like your little sister like Zayn."

"I do love you." he says shutting me up immediately. "I do mean it, too."

"Really?" I ask still in a bit of shock.

"Yeah."

I try and fight back a big grin. Biting my tongue I speak again.

"This isn't, like just for my benefit right? You're not just coddling me to spare my feelings or anything?"

"What do you mean?" he says scooting closer.

I let out a puff of air before speaking

"Okay, umm so when I was in high school I had this boyfriend, Really early into the relationship he told me that he loved me. And I didn't love him, but I told him that I did... because I loved him."

"But I thought you just said you didn't."

"No, no I didn't but I knew that it would make him feel so good and I did love him in the 'I'm your friend and I appreciate' you sense, but he didn't love me that way. He loved me in the 'you are in my heart and I would go through everything with you and you are a part of me'... And I just didn't feel that way and if I told him that I knew I would break his heart." I say. I look up to meet his eyes again. "Harry I would rather be hurt a little now than be hurt a lot later. If you don't love me then just say it."