A/N: Here's that second update:) Tell me what you think in the comments!<3
"Ash, if I die, you get to have my stripper pole," Harry stated, sitting up slowly in the white bed.
I smiled slightly. "Harry, you're not gonna die. In fact, the nurse said you could've left three hours ago. But thanks, anyway, for the thoughtful gift."
Harry reached over to the table besides him and grabbed a cup of water, bringing it to his lips. I leaned forward on my thighs, trying to find a comfortable position in the plastic chair that sat besides Harry's hospital bed. Once he finished drinking, he smirked, and said, "Well, then, to what do I owe this lovely visit? I figured since you hate my guts, the only time you'd come and see me willingly is if I was dying."
"Well, if you were dying, I'd be planning a party instead of talking to your corpse," I stated.
"You wanna know something? That hurts," Harry said, trying to hide his smile, but his dimples giving it away. "Just because you beat up a guy who beat me up doesn't give you the right to be mean."
I giggled, then caught myself. I couldn't fall in to his trap again. It was just so hard becuase you could get lost in his green eyes and when he smiled it just made you feel at home. I knew he wasn't a good person, but whenever I was around him, I couldn't help but laugh at his jokes and want to hear every single one of them. He gave me a sense of stability in a world that was constantly changing.
But it was all a lie. An act.
I blinked, dragging myself out of my thoughts. Clearing my throat, I said, "Look, there actually is something I need to tell you."
When he didn't reply, I realized he was staring at something on me. I looked around, but had no idea what was so interesting. Frowning, I asked, "What the hell are you looking at?"
Suddenly, Harry's lips curved in to a goofy smile, and he pointed at my wrist. "You're still wearing the watch I gave you that night we had dinner at my house!"
My face bloomed red as I glanced down at the beautiful, diamond-encrusted watch. Flustered, I tried taking it off. "Oh, I didn't . . . I mean, I just forgot to take it off--"
Harry interrupted me, grasping my wrist and grinning at me. "No, keep it on. It looks nice."
His warm hand rested on my wrist. I honestly had completely forgotten about it, though I don't know how. I bit my lip and sighed, pulling my arm away from his touch. "Har--Mr. Styles," I corrected myself. "I just wanted to let you know that when I go in to Modest! tomorrow for our meeting, you will be reassigned to a new manager."
Harry's smile dropped. "Wait, what?"
"C'mon, you really thought we could still work together after what you did? We can't even be in a car together without blowing up at each other," I explained.
He stared at me, his green eyes searching mine. "You're kidding, right?" he asked, his voice shaking slightly.
His reaction was throwing me off. "Are you really this surpirsed? Mr. Styles, we can't function together! It's just . . . it's best for both of us. We'll find you a new manager you can screw with."
"But I don't . . ." he started to say something, but stopped himself. "Ash, you're the best manager I've ever had."
"Well, you should've thought about that before you lied to me," I responded, sighing, and slowly rising out of the chair. I nodded at him, smiling sadly. "Well, I can't really say it was nice working with you because, well . . . yeah. And I'm sorry for any danger I put you in with all the Jackson stuff. I'll help your new manager clear all this up because I'm sure it's going to be in all the newspapers. So, yeah . . . bye, Mr. Styles."
I turned around and walked out of the hospital room. I heard Harry protesting, and after a moment, he appeared behind me. "Ash, wait!" he called out. I slowly turned around to face him, not sure what to expect. His face was screwed up in concentration, as if he was desperately searching for words. "Ash, I . . . I don't . . . I don't know . . I need to say . . . It's just . . ."
"Spit it out, Harry," I sighed, just wanting to be out of this hospital and away from Harry.
"I love you, okay?" he blurted out. I stared at him, stunned. "At least, I think I do. Like . . . you remember when we were in the bathroom? After the VMA's? And I told you that I really liked you, but not in a 'I want to get in your pants' way? Well, that was one of the times that I really didn't lie to you. I really did like you. And I think I still do. Because I just . . . I want to spend time with you? And I don't really know what's going on and I tried to, like, pretend it was nothing and that's why I kept trying to sleep with you becuase I wanted to convince myself that I really didn't like you that way, but seeing you this upset has been one of the hardest things I've ever seen and I don't know what to do. And I think the scariest thing is that . . . I don't want to sleep with any other woman when I'm around you. It's like . . you're enough for me. I don't want to be around anyone else. I just want to be around you . . . like, all the time, and I've never really . . . I don't know," he paused, taking a deep breath. My head was spinning.
"Okay, let me try that again," Harry said sheepishly, his cheeks going red. "I . . . um, I love you. And I love . . . I don't know, the way you eat your fortune cookies. And I love the way you love the Breakfast Club. And I love . . . I love the way you play with your locket when you're nervous, which is what you're doing now," Harry grinned, and took a few steps closer to me. "And I love how much you care about your job. And . . . I love how you totally beat the shit out of a guy who I couldn't even beat up. And I love how you always want to go to the beach when you drink. And I love the fact that you have a boy's name. And . . . I don't know, Ash. I just love every stupid little thing about you. And I don't really know what to do about it because I know you're right and we're so toxic for each other, but I don't know what I'm feeling because I've never felt it before."
"Mr. Styles, I--" I tried to speak, but he interrupted me.
"And I know I'm not looking too hot in my hospital gown," he said, gesturing to the papery material that hung on his body, making me smile. He took another step closer to me, and suddenly, our noses were almost touching. I could smell the mint on his breath. "And maybe you don't feel the same way. And if you don't, then this is really awkward and embarrassing, but I just . . I love you, Ashton Winter. And I'm sorry for breaking your heart, but if you leave me, I think you'll break my heart."
Our lips were milimeters apart. Harry slowly closed his eyes. I was about to close mine too, but instead, I rested my forhead on his. "I can't," I whispered, my voice cracking. Harry's eyes fluttered open. I struggled to get words out. "I . . . I think you might actually be sincere, but . . . but I just, I can't. I'm sorry."
Before I could change my mind, I turned around and walked out of the hospital, leaving Harry Styles behind.
