Harry's POV
Hails and I sat there for hours until the sun started to dip down behind the trees, the sky changing colors as it began to set and night began to fall. We were in complete silence, neither of us saying a word as she just let me hold her, both of us lost in our own thoughts.
I held her as tightly as I could, knowing she needed it and wanting her to feel my strength. I wanted her to know I was there, that I wasn't going anywhere, and that no matter how much had happened between us I would be there for her like I'd always promised. She was still my best friend, and I knew that without Gram she would need my friendship now more than ever.
It was a little surreal to be sitting there again, holding her as we stared out at the town below us. I'd spent every single day for the past year and a half dreaming about what it would be like to have her in my arms again, but I wished it had been under different circumstances. At the same time, no matter how much grief was hanging over us, she still felt like home. We were together, I knew she was safe, and I was thankful for that if nothing else.
I thought back on my own experiences with Gram, all of the things we'd talked about and everything she'd taught me over the time I'd spent in Lily Ridge. I'd truly cherished all of the time I'd gotten to spend with her, and I genuinely had looked forward to my weekly calls to check in on her. She was always so happy to hear from me, telling me all about things she'd seen me do or asking me to confirm things she'd read in her tabloids. She never failed to bring a smile to my face, and I felt my own eyes well up with tears as I thought about how much I already missed her.
She had been the biggest champion for Hailey and I to get it together, never failing to tell me to pull my head out of my ass and just make her my wife so we could have babies, and I knew her well enough to know that she wasn't letting Hails just skate by either. She believed in what we had as much as I did, and she was the first one to point out that we were made for each other, long before either of us realized it ourselves.
I thought about the promises I'd made her, about how I would never let Hailey feel alone after she was gone, that I would always be there to take care of her when she needed me, and even though those were things I would have done anyways, I found a bit of peace in the idea that I was there and doing my best to honor her wishes. She was one of the most amazing women I'd ever known, and heaven had truly gained an angel when she'd passed.
Once darkness fell, I knew I had been out there at least eight hours, and god knew how long it had been since Hailey had eaten or drank anything. I looked down at her as she stared blankly ahead of us, obviously lost in her thoughts, before I gently leaned up and pressed my lips to her forehead.
"I'm so sorry, Bear." I whispered softly, really looking at her for the first time since I'd arrived.
Her cheeks were pink and rosy from the cold, some of the salt from her tears had crystalized around her eyes, and some of the skin on her face almost looked chapped from the wetness of her tears combining with the cold air. I knew it was only gonna get colder the later it got, and as much as I just wanted to let her sit and sort through her thoughts, I didn't want her to get sick.
Before I could say anything, she shifted her eyes to look at me for the first time since I'd arrived, and I watched as they glazed over with tears that pooled in her eyes. She gazed up at me, almost like she didn't really believe I was there, before she opened her mouth to speak to me for the first time since she'd left my dressing room in Toronto almost six months earlier.
"She's gone." She said, barely above a whisper as her voice croaked from not being used.
My heart broke as I looked down at her, so fragile and vulnerable as she laid against my chest, looking up at me like I had some kind of answer or something to say that could make her feel better.
YOU ARE READING
Through the Lens
FanfictionAfter six long years of constant touring and working as one of the world's biggest pop stars, trying his hand at acting and about to embark on a new solo career, Harry finds himself needing a time out. All eyes have been on him since he was sixteen...