Don't Give Up on Me

Chapter 1: Deployment

"I am getting deployed. I leave in two weeks." Harrison's words were loud in the silence that fell in his room.

"You—you're w-what?" Y/N could barely get the words out.

"I found out today. I'm technically on leave now to spend time with family and friends before I go." Harrison said flatly, not looking at Y/N.

"But... how? Where are you going? Do you have to go?" Y/N asked rapidly while trying to wrap her head around the news.

"Y/N, I have to go. If I don't, I'll be in deep shit." Harrison finally looked at Y/N.

"Does your family know? Where are you getting deployed to? How long will you be gone again?" Y/N's worried eyes looked at her best friend's broken ones.

"I haven't told anyone yet; you're the first to know. And I'm headed to the Middle East. I can't really say where I'm going or what I'll be doing. I'll be gone for 8 months." Harrison's eyes never broke away from Y/N's.

Y/N felt her body turn to lead as the news of her best friend going to a foreign country began to sink in. How could this be happening? He's only been in the Corps for a year and a half; wasn't it too soon for him to get shipped off? Y/N didn't know what else to do or say as she was processing the news, so she pressed play on the movie again. She simply stared off into space while Harrison looked at her. The movie playing in the background became the soundtrack of the night as he noticed her blank stare. He noticed how her eyes were begging to release the tears that were pooling in them. He noticed that her breathing was on the brink of hyperventilation. He was the cause of all of this, or rather, the choice of joining the Corps of Royal Marines began this snowball effect that led to today's news.

–

Y/N and Harrison barely spoke for the remainder of the night and just let the movie play, neither of them paying attention anymore. Y/N barely looked at Harrison since he broke the news to her. Harrison barely looked away from his best friend. He memorized her eyes, the curvature of her lips, the strands that made up the locks of her hair. He took in every feature of his best friend because he truly had no idea if this would be one of the last few times that he would see her in his lifetime.

His lifetime. He was only 21, just a couple months shy of his 22nd birthday. What had he done with his life? He did alright in school. He failed at acting. He was a semi-decent friend (though his friends believed that he was a great friend). He joined the military. Would being in the military be his last act? He hoped that it wasn't.

–

As Harrison walked Y/N to the door so she could return to her flat, Y/N turned around to face her best friend.

"I don't think I should drive home." Y/N told Harrison in a quiet voice as their eyes met.

"Do you want to stay here? You can take my bed." Harrison offered.

"I don't know. It's been years since I've slept over here. What will your parents say?" She asked as her heart sped up at the thought of spending the night near Harrison.

"They know I'm an adult. Plus, they see you as family. I don't think they'd really care; they know we're not together." And as those words passed through his lips, he immediately regretted them.

"I guess if it's not a bother, I'll stay. Or I could just walk to my flat; it's not a big deal." Y/N looked away with a pain in her heart.

"Please stay. I really just want you to stay." Harrison pulled Y/N into a hug.

"I'll stay." Y/N mumbled into his chest as she hugged him back.

They walked back to Harrison's room in silence. Harrison walked in silence because he felt like a div for the things he said. Y/N walked in silence because she had no words to communicate. She was consumed with fear, worry, anger, and even a bit numbness. How could she live with the fear of losing her best friend at any given moment? Would she be able to live life at all? While he was away at training, she had Tom for most of it and she knew that Harrison would come back. But now, she had no inkling that Harrison would come back alive.