Never Again (Harry Styles)

Chapter 2- Summer Home

A WEEK LATER

I laid across my couch. I had finally given up and turned up the heat and I was wrapped in a blanket and was listening to music softly. It was all I was doing. Was listening. Letting everything sink in. I don't know what I wanted to sink in. I was listening to Through The Dark by One Direction of course. I had put that song on repeat on a ten hour loop. The lyrics were so powerful and meaningful that I was always listening to it.

I was more than surprised when my phone suddenly started going off. I looked to see that Harry had texted me.

I leaned over scrambling with my phone. Then I saw that he had written, 'hey, what are you up to?'

I texted quickly back, 'sitting at home doing absolutely nothing. why? what are you doing?'

He didn't text back but not even a minute after I texted back there was a knock at my door. I stood and walked over to see that it was Harry. I had the blanket draped around me.

I raised my eyebrow at him. "Hi!" he said happily with that stupidly beautiful grin on his face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" I asked carefully.

"Well, I'm bored. entertain me won't you?" he asked looking at me.

I looked at him again. "Come on in." I opened the doors more for him and he walked in.

Harry shivered. "Wow it's cold in here."

"Sorry. I like it like this." I answered.

We walked into the living room and Harry sat on the couch. "Where are your band mates?" I asked.

He shrugged, "They all left me." he pouted.

"O you pour baby?" I cried over dramatically. I grabbed his head and pulling me into my chest and I gave him a big fake sob.

Harry let out a laugh. Then I let him go. "Well, I've been stuck here for the last few days. Let's go out." I decided.

I stood. I was dressed in jeans with a white jumper and a sleeveless vest and boots. Harry stood following me. I decided to hail a cab this time because where I was taking Harry wasn't exactly in walking distance.

I whispered the address to the driver and got in next to Harry.

"So where are we going?" Harry asked.

"You'll find out in about 45 minutes." I answered careful not to reveal anything.

Harry whined at me. "Why won't you tell me where we are going?"

"Because it's a surprise." I let out a small grin.

Harry huffed at me and turned to look out the window. I stuck my tongue at him when he wasn't looking causing the driver to chuckle at us.

Harry broke the silence about four minutes later. He turned and started to talk animately to me through the entire ride and it was the first time in years that I felt normal. I didn't have a single thought about my addiction, my depression, or anything of the sort. I loved the new feeling of it.

When we finally got there I got out first. I paid the driver and he thanked us and pulled away. From what Harry thought we were in the middle of the woods. But I knew exactly where we were.

Harry kept looking between me and the woods incredibly.

"Well," I asked already halfway into the tree line. "Come on then."

Harry stumbled after me, "Where are we?" Harry asked.

"Somewhere special." was all I said. I paused at a tree a few miles in. I looked the tree up and down.

"It's only another mile." I answered. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

Harry nodded, "Ok. Lead the way."

I let out a small smile and Harry followed me carefully. We arrived at the cabin. It was near a cliff that over looked the lake about fifty feet below us. It was rocky and more towards the edge the rock would start to crumble under your feet. Closer to the cabin the rock turned into grass that soon deepened back into the trees.

"This was our families summer cabin. My mom would drive us up here for the summer. We would jump off the cliff into the water." This is also the place I tried to commit suicide. I thought to myself but I refused to say it aloud. I wanted to seem at least a little normal in front of Harry. The boy who I was stupidly developing a crush on.

"I haven't been here in years."

"Well it sure is beautiful." Harry whispered softly. The sun was just beginning to set and the cliff looked over the lake. I could almost feel the tears coming to my eyes. I can't cry. Not here. Not in front of him.

He would ask why and then I'd have to explain. I couldn't do that. Harry deserved someone perfect and normal. Not suicidal and broken.

The opposite of me.

"I think we have some extra blankets in the closet." I said seeing that Harry's teeth were starting to chatter.

"That would be nice." He hugged himself and followed me inside. I turned on the heat when we walked in and then I looked into the closet.

"Do you want to watch the sunset with me?" I asked piles of blankets in my arms.

"Of course m'lady." Harry smirked taking half of the blanket load without even asking. When we got back out the sun was already starting to set. We laid the thickest blanket down on the grass as the snow had already melted. Then we set up the pillows so we could lounge comfortably and then we laid down layering ourselves in several blankets.

We sat super close together to keep warm. "Why do you like writing?"

"Why do you like singing?" I shot back looking at him as he had turned to look at me.

"Because I enjoy it. I make people happy. It makes me happy. And to know that doing something that I love has changed people's lives is just so humbling to me." Harry explained and not once had we lost eye contact.

I blew a raspberry. "Wow. My love for writing is so much more self centered than that."

Harry laughed, "I doubt it."

"I write for myself. I don't really care about the people who read my stuff, and honestly I do love my fans because they are the ones that keep me going but I started to write to get away from everyone really. I'm sure Liam has been talking about me." I paused when I saw the guilty look on Harry's face. "No it's fine. I knew you guys would be curious. So I'm assuming that he told you that I was heavily bullied. Well, I would write to get away from everything. It's just a good thing that I'm a brilliant writer. So that I could make my own world. Make everything happen the way I wanted it. Liam was the first person I had told about liking to write. Now it's pretty much all I do. " I started to whisper at the end.

"I think you are a really strong person. For being bullied like that and still standing." Harry told me softly. "And that's not very self centered."

I huffed amused, "I'm nowhere near strong. If I told you the things I've done, that I do because of them. You wouldn't think I'm strong at all, and I'm not standing on solid ground yet."

"I think I have a pretty good idea." Harry told me sternly. Then it was quiet for a few moments as I stared at the lake and I felt Harry's eyes burning into the side of my head.

"What else happened here, Cassie?" Harry asked.

I turned to look at him. His eyes were full of what looked like remorse. He knew something had happened here. And I think he had a pretty good idea of what.

I looked at him and we met eyes. I was unable to keep contact and looked away back towards the lake. "This is where I attempted suicide."