Existence Of Love [Harry Styles Fanfiction/A Mermaid Tale]

34. The Volley Ball Game

After Zayn had told me Harry had feelings for me as well, excitement built up in my entire body, making me smile stupidly.

The boys continued to play in the water while Zayn and I talked about how he found his love as well, in Perrie Edwards who is from the place he is, England. It sounded like a nice place to be.

Zayn said it was larger and louder and more crowded than Australia, I couldn't even imagine that.

"Hey, Zayn! Evanjaline! Wanna play volley ball?" Liam asked, jogging up to us from the water.

I quickly got to my feet to shuffle away from the water that flung out from his shorts as he ran.

"Your ankle looks like its doing better." Harry commented, walking up behind Liam with his hair wet and slick back over his head.

"It feels a lot better." I mumbled, looking down at it.

"So, how's about it? We're finally even and we can all play." Louis said. "Now Zayn doesn't have an excuse to want to be score keeper."

"Har-har, Lou." Zayn scoffed.

"It's okay, Zayn. I'll take you on my team." Liam suggested.

"Then we get Evanjaline." Niall said.

I guess that Niall and Liam are the team captains.

"Harry." Liam said and I pouted softly. I was playing against him. He saw my face and sent me a quick smile.

"And I get Louis." Niall threw up his hands, seeming to call Liam's team out. "You're going down."

"Team captains has to go get the net, and don't forget the ball." Zayn snickered and Niall pouted, jogging away with Liam, back in the direction of the house.

Harry walked up to me, but I took a step back and he stopped his advance. "I hope you didn't mind that I told them you knew how to play."

"I don't mind. It will be fun." I smiled and he quickly returned the gesture, his white teeth gleaming.

Harry chuckled, placing his hands up on his hips. "Think you can manage running around in the sand on your ankle?"

"Are you trying to get me to sit out so your team can win, Styles?" I taunted.

"Of course not, but if you'd like to sit out, that'd be cool, too." He winked quickly.

"Well, as Niall had said it; you're going down." I sent him a wink of my own, turning around to see Louis and Zayn drawing lines in the sand with two huge sticks.

"Prepare to lose, Moon." Harry hotly whispered close to my ear.

I turned back towards him to see that he was leaning in close, drops of water still trickling down his face, chest, torso, and legs. He never looked more beautiful to me.

Niall and Liam walked back quickly, trying to unravel the net before they got back to the spot where the sand was drawn in. Liam dug the nets posts into the sand as deep as he could to keep it up, and before we knew it, we were all in position to kick butts.

I stood in the front, on the left. Louis was to my right and Niall was in the back. We had first serve.

Louis had quickly explained the simple rules of what to do. I just had to help our team hit the ball over the net and hope it touches inside of the boundaries on their side, without hitting the ball twice in a row. Then it's our point.

I readied myself, but Zayn and Harry switched sides so now I was staring at the person I had rescued. His green eyes wild and intimidating as he smirked at me, curls sticking out all over the place now.

"I got you, Moon." Harry said, his boyish cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Niall sent the ball flying over the net with a satisfying hit and Liam ran forward to bump it back upwards and Harry jumped up in front of the net to spike it over, but I had jumped as well to stop the ball from advancing over and it ended up hitting the ground on their side.

"Yes!" Niall screamed, throwing a fist in the air. "She is a keeper!"

I smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I looked at Harry's shocked expression and giggled.

"I got you, Styles." I said, stepping back into place.

* * *

Our skin was glistening with sweat and we were all out of breath, but we weren't gonna give up until we won this match point.

It's been a half hour in the sun, the game becoming more of a harsh competition than just a friendly game.

Liam doesn't like to lose, Harry is taunting me with every chance he gets, Louis is sassing the others, and Niall just wants to be the captain of a winning team. Zayn isn't in it for the win, he just seems to be having fun in the action.

I was having fun scoring points.

"Evanjaline, Louis," Niall calls for us, but we focus on the people ahead. "Game!"

The ball is sent flying over the net and I'm back into action at protecting it from hitting the heated sand on our side. Zayn bumped it up into the air towards Harry and Harry launches up for a spike over the net, but with quick actions before the ball could touch the sand, my forearms catch the ball and send it up towards Louis who sets it back to me and I jump up high enough to spike the ball down, on the other side of the net.

I didn't expect it to hit Harry where it did.

He landed on the ground, groaning in pain as the sand collected on his skin from the sweat he had built up from the game. He held his crotch in both of his hands, eyes shut, teeth clamped together. I covered my mouth as soon as it happened, then I apologized as I quickly made my way over to him.

"Harry, I'm so sorry- I didn't think it'd hit you there."

"No pain, no game, right Harry?" Louis said, patting Harry's shoulder.

"Just give me a minute." Harry's voice forced out.

Everyone moved away from him, except for me. I stayed next to him, feeling guilty that I had hit the ball so hard, that I didn't think of the outcome of letting a game get me so fired up.

Harry's breathing started to slow and his eyes fluttered open. I moved my figure a bit to my left, closer to his head so I was blocking out the sun so his face, along with his shoulders, were out of reach of the suns rays.

He looked up at me and a smile appeared on his slightly reddening face. "Wow."

"What?" I asked with a tilt of my head.

"It's just like the first day I saw you. You were blocking out the sun and all I could see was a shadowed face and a lovely silhouette. With the halo of light around you."

My cheeks flushed. "You remember small details."

"Yeah. I also remember you wearing less clothing."

"What did you think about that?"

"That maybe you lost your top in the water while helping me." He said innocently.

I giggled quietly. "You might not want to lay in the sand for much longer, it's sticking to you." I said after a moment.

"I can always rinse off in the water. Wanna come for a swim?"

"Not today." I sighed, really wanting to take him up on that offer. "Some other time."

"Promise?" He chided, getting up from the sand. I raised to my feet as well and dusted off my legs.

Did I want to promise Harry for a swim on another day? I have only a few of them left and I need him to fall in love with me so I can show father that the feeling is existent and he will allow my happiness.

Some other day.

Some day.

Harry is bound to know about who I really am.

"I promise. I will swim with you some other day."