Between Us [Spaces Sequel]

t w e n t y

The crowd was already going wild when the boys got ready for the show.
I had already met Louis, Liam and Zayn and Niall was just on his way over to me.
"You must be Scarlett," he said, smiling. "I'm Niall."
"I know," I said. "Nice to meet you."
"Seems like I already know you. Harry has been talking about you all the time. Lad is obsessed with you."
I giggled. The fact that he was talking about me with his friends meant that he was serious about this relationship.
"Anyways, I gotta get ready. Hope you guys enjoy the show!" He said, quickly waving goodbye.
"That was cute," Kaya commented.
"Yeah," I replied.
We took our seats by the side of the stage and waited for the show to start. "This is insane," Kaya exclaimed. "I mean did you think this would ever happen?"
"Nope," I replied.
"Why did you guys even stop talking in the first place?" Kaya asked.
"I already told you," I reminded her. "My dad was just very strict and I had to stop talking to him."
"Yeah, I know. But he's the love of your life, isn't he? You always knew that. Why would you stop talking to him? You didn't have to tell your dad."
"Well, there might be more to the story than you know," I mumbled.
"Wait... What?"
"The reason I was at the hospital recently," I mumbled.
"You told me you fell down the stairs," Kaya remembered.
I stayed silent. Maybe it was about time she knew. Then I wouldn't have to keep my past from her anymore. I trusted Kaya more than anyone, she was like a sister to me and I loved her. She deserved to know everything about me and I would tell her.
"Scarlett. Say something," she said, sounding worried, her eyebrows furrowed slightly.
I sighed and took her hand. "Don't worry about me, okay? Harry has some recording to do after the concert, so we have time to talk at the hotel. I'm gonna tell you everything, but for now, don't worry, alright?"
Kaya nodded slowly, but the worried expression didn't leave her face.
Maybe now was the perfect time to tell her. Now that I had finally stood up to my father, the man who had oppressed me all my life, I could finally put it all behind me. I was over it, at least that's what it felt like. I had the perfect boyfriend who I could imagine spending the rest of my life with. I had the best friends, who were like family to me. Who cared if my father was still out there. If I stood up to him once, I could stand up to him again.

After the show, Harry ran up to me. He was wearing a white shirt and a flannel, his face was sweaty, but the smile on his face was blinding.
"Hey, babe."
He gave me a quick hug, before he kissed me softly.
"You guys did great," I complimented.
"Well, that was probably because you were there watching us," he said. "Did you have a good time?"
"Are you kidding?" I replied, making him grin.
"I'm sorry, I have to leave, but I'll see you at the hotel, yeah? There's someone outside picking you up."
"It's okay," I said, pecking his lips. "I'll see you."
"Love you," he said, before running off with the boys.

When we arrived at the hotel, Kaya and I took our make-up off and got dressed into our pyjamas. We sat down on Kaya's bed and I took a deep breath before I could start talking.
"When I met you and we decided to move in together, I was running away from my father. My mom left, because he was abusive. She left me with him. So he continued abusing me, which has influenced my life pretty badly. I was depressed. And then Harry accidently texted me... We became friends. One day I got home from school and somehow he had checked my phone and saw that I was texting a stranger. Well, to him, Harry was a stranger. He told me to stop talking to him. I tried standing up to him and he almost beat me to death. He made me tell the doctors I fell down the stairs. When I was 18, I got into college and in the middle of the night, I ran off. I lived with my aunt for a while, but I knew she couldn't keep it from my dad forever, so I had to move out."
"Scarlett," Kaya said, tears streaming down her face. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I wanted to leave my past behind me. And I didn't wanna bother you."
Kaya sighed and gave me a tight hug. "Scarlett, no matter what it is. You can tell me. Always. You're not bothering me and you could never."
"Thank you," I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. I pulled out of her embrace and looked at her.
"The story goes on," I added, wiping my tears. "My dad found me, because I was all over the news with Harry. When it was dark out, I took a shortcut home and he somehow found me and beat me up. I ignored it for a while until Harry brought me to the hospital. He almost killed me again. And well, a few weeks ago, he showed up in front of our door. And he wanted to apologize. I didn't let him. For the first time, I stood up for myself. I don't want to see him again. You're my best friend and I want you to know everything about me."

An hour later, I was back in our room when the door opened.
"Scar?" I heard a familiar voice echo through the room.
I walked into the hallway and stood in front of my boyfriend. "Please tell me you're done for today."
"I'm all yours," he said, taking his jacket off. I smiled as he stepped up to me and wrapped his arms around my body. He was wearing a white shirt and grey sweatpants and he smelled like newly washed laundry. I smiled into his embrace, enjoying his warmth.
When we pulled out, I cupped his face with my hands. "You look tired."
"I am. But definitely not tired of you," he mumbled.
"How about we get into bed and you tell me everything about tour and that new album of yours?"
"Sounds good," he smiled. "I'm so happy you're here."
"Me too," I replied and pulled him towards the bed.