One. || h.s.

Thirty Two.

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"Can we meet up after work?" I mumble into the phone, not really wanting to think about having this conversation.

"Uh, yeah sure, I guess we could," Niall replies, sounding a bit surprised.  "Want to go for coffee at Zayn's?"

"Not exactly. I thought maybe you could come to Harry's and we could talk," I tell him, hoping to sound casual.  I don't want him to think I'm asking to see him for a reason even though I am.  Being at Zayn's isn't the right place to talk about this.

"Okay, I can do that.  I'll see you around six then," he says, the smile evident in his voice.

"See you," I smile, hoping I sound happier than I am.

I put my phone back in my bag and let out a sigh, my breath turning white in the frigid air.  The sun is shining brightly, reflecting off the snow and making it look like every snow flake is a crystal.  It's so white and pure, it always stays the same and looks just as you would expect it too.

I lean against a tree in the courtyard at Parker, making note of all the changes in the small area since the snow started falling.  The trees are bare, the pond frozen and the grass is nowhere to be seen.

No one is out here as it's below freezing, but I needed some space.  This is, after all, my new spot to be alone since I lost my park bench.  It's so quiet even though the street is just on the other side of the building.  I can finally hear myself think, sort out my thoughts and maybe even not worry about anything for a little while.

It's been a few days since I saw Peter and besides Harry it's been all that's been on my mind.  What bothers me is that Niall is friends with him and never told me.  They never knew each other before I moved, so Harry must have introduced them.  It couldn't have been Zayn, he said he met Peter through Niall.  It's hard to believe that Niall never said anything about Peter, I always assumed he wasn't in New York anymore but evidently he is.  Niall is always so worried and caring about my well being and wanting me to be happy that I thought he might warn me about Peter before I ran into him on accident.

I know I won't be able to put my mind to rest until I talk to Niall and find out why he never told me.  I can't help but feel like it's something I don't want to know, but I know I need to know.

"Skylar?" I turn around to see Harry poking his head out the big glass door of the building.  He's looking around the courtyard with his eyebrows furrowed before his eyes land on me.

"Hi," I smile and give him a small wave.  "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you.  What are you doing out here?  It's cold."

"Thanks Harry," I say sarcastically and laugh, clearly it's cold.  He smiles cheekily and comes out to join me, pulling his blazer tighter around him.  "I just called Niall, he's going to swing by after work if that's okay."

"Of course that's okay, do whatever you need to," he says softly, leaning against the tree as well.  He watches me with his soft green eyes for a minute before lifting his hand and brushing some hair out of my face.  "You're not angry with him, are you?"

"No, I could never be," I sigh moving closer to him.  He pulls me into his arms, rubbing my arm gently with his thumb and I rest my head against his chest.  He's extremely warm as he always is and goose bumps form on my arms from the difference in temperature.  "I just want to talk to him about it."

He nods and rests his chin on the top of my head.  "I'm sorry," he mumbles.  "I should have told you that night when I took you home from the bar, that was stupid of me."