Clutch.

|eleven|

Zoe's POV

The reminder of my things coming just made the whole day seem to drag on longer. But thankfully, my luggage arrived later on that day and it was a legit blessing from the gods. I felt like a real human again with all my items. It was like a part of me was missing every time within those three days that I didn't have my Ray Bans, you know the feeling, don't you?

Harry decided to run a few errands and let me unpack some things and just take it easy. I brought my entire luggage into my room and went through all of it, getting out a lot of things that I desperately missed and needed. It was nice to have a little time to myself as well. I took a break from unpacking and went to the kitchen to make some tea.

Now, I'm not one to be a sneaky, creepy type usually, but I was curious about something that caught my eye on Harry's fridge almost instantly once I walked in. I went to the cupboard above the fridge to grab the tea and I saw a picture of Harry and Louis, but this was a weird looking picture, it was like, part of the picture was missing? From the left side, it went Louis, Harry and then it was torn down the middle. It seemed like a strange picture to have up on a fridge, let me tell you.

My tea was finally all ready and steaming after the kettle squealed and signaled it was done. I took it to my room and sat the warm cup on the night stand beside my bed. I was just about done going through all my stuff and it felt really nice. I was oddly comfortable in Harry's flat when I was by myself. Like, it almost felt like I was supposed to be there, for some reason. I liked it. A lot.

It was nearly two hours before Harry returned home again, carrying groceries and heavy looking shopping bags. I heard the door screech open and hurried out to help him.

"Hey stranger." He said, huffing softly as he blew some hair back from his face and entering the kitchen.

"Hey there. Got enough stuff?" I teased, walking behind him to the kitchen so I could help unload things. He set everything on the table and counters, almost overflowing them.

"I think so. Let's just say, we're eating well tonight!" He laughed, jogging back out to grab the few remaining bags from the car.

Ha... Buddy, take it slow. We just met.

Wow, even my conscience was embarrassed by that downright tacky fucking remark.

Awkward.

I helped him unpack all the chicken, potatoes, salads, sauces, and many many other random foods I didn't even think he needed, he had a pretty full kitchen already.

"So, how were your errands? Fun as ever?" I asked quietly, putting the packages of chicken breasts into the fridge.

"More fun if you came." He replied, setting some apples and oranges in a bowl on the counter, smiling to himself.

Well, there's that infamous blush creeping its way back up the sides of my face. "I'm sure.." I put all the rest of the cold things in the refrigerator and chuckled quietly as I stood up straight again, hoping the stupid blush would fade away quicker before he noticed.

"Hey.. What happened to this picture, Harry?" I pointed at the picture on the fridge that was torn down the middle. Harry lost all the color in his face and turned to walk mindlessly towards the living room.

"Oh, nothing really, Louis tore it from my hands and... yeah." He shrugged, waltzing out now as he sat at the end of the couch.

That seemed like a kind of sketchy answer, if you ask me. "Really? Weird." I said simply, not wanting to force anything if I didn't have to. It's his business, I guess. I was just curious.

"Yup." He said fairly blankly, looking up at me as I sat down right next to him. Something was off here, I could definitely feel it.

"Are you okay? Like, do you want me to leave or something? I feel something's strange here.." I said quietly, looking at him now to try and gauge his reaction. Fuck, why I couldn't I have just let it slide and not bring it up again. He obviously didn't want to talk about it and now I was being a pushy bitch.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath.

"Okay, maybe it didn't happen exactly like that.."

Harry's POV

I wasn't sure if I was ready to tell Zoe what I've been trying to hide from her since we met, but the time is now, no turning back.

"Well.." I said, hesitantly. She sat so near to me in the living room, fear and worry filled her eyes and the space between us as she wasn't sure what to expect, I assume.

"Harry, I-"

"No, I need to tell you something. Please just let me talk." I said softly, clearing my throat a bit as she stopped talking and gave me her full attention.

"That picture... it's more than just a picture." I mumbled, blinking a few times as I looked at my lap then back at her. She looked horribly confused.

"It's a picture of me and Lou, yeah, but the missing half... It's my ex-girlfriend and her best friend. It didn't end well between us at all, but I love the picture, and the tear down the middle always reminds me of what I never want to go through again. Ever." I felt my face getting red, like I was aware and very ashamed. I definitely was, but it was not comforting to me to feel so damn vulnerable in that moment.

"Why? What happened? Please tell me." Zoe placed one of her warm hands on my shoulder, rubbing gentle circles around my back. All my worries and anxiety seemed to subside at her small gestures.

"I was really, really drunk that night. I wasn't even aware of what was going on, truly.." I shook my head, the memories of how raw and broken Cara was when she found out and confronted me. I made a promise to myself that I would never hurt someone like that again. "I brought another girl home with me that night."

"Another girl other than your girlfriend, I assume?" Zoe dropped her hand slowly. I didn't blame her.

"Yeah. But that's not even the worst part." She scooted away from me just a bit, dreading whatever was coming next. Why did I ever fucking do this.

"I got really drunk, really often. Sometimes for days on end. I would sit around here and not do anything except drink and drink and drink. Countless bottles. I wouldn't let anyone come in, not even the boys. I wouldn't answer my phone, I wouldn't eat on top of it so my system was pretty fucked up for awhile afterwards. It wasn't just the cheating that made her leave. I took a little time to myself after that night and realized what was happening in my life and what I needed to fucking change. I was bound to lose everyone and anyone close to me if I kept that up. I'm a recovering alcoholic, and I know this is a lot-"

"You're a what?" She widened her eyes a bit, eyebrows raising too.

"Zoe, I-"

She suddenly got closer to me again and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her hair tickled the side of my cheek as she just held me, strong but sweetly and comfortably but tightly with her arms. Her head rose from my shoulder and she looked me in the eyes, like there was a force between us, getting tougher with every inch that disappeared amongst our noses. She leaned in and slowly, her lips grazing over mine very delicately, like it didn't even happen, almost. Definitely not the reaction I was expecting from telling her something like that.

"Are you mad I didn't tell you sooner?" I finally spoke in a hushed tone, wrapping my arms gently around her waist to pull her closer to me.

Zoe's face gradually backed up to look me in the eyes again. "I understand why you didn't. It's not an easy thing to tell someone. Especially because we haven't known each other for the longest time. I'm happy you trust me though. And I'm really proud of you for coming this far, Harry."

I smiled a little wider and nodded then before I knew it, I leaned back in to kiss her soft lips for a kiss that lasted what seemed like, forever. At least, in my books it did.

I never wanted her to leave. I never wanted this to end. I never ever wanted things to change from this, again.