Lie To Me

Lie To Me-Chapter 100

Harry held me, his arms wrapped around me tight as I fought to control my racing heart.

"Riley..."

At the sound of his voice, my breath caught. I hadn't meant for this to happen, for everything to spill out of me all at once... But, now that it had, now that I had poured my heart and soul out to him, I didn't know if I should feel relieved, or terrified of his coming response.

Finally loosening his grip, Harry pulled back, his hands moving up to tilt my head, his fingers gently cupping my cheeks. He pressed a kiss to my lips, so soft and sweet that my heart nearly broke in half.

He was being too quiet...too gentle with me, as if he expected me to fall apart at any moment. And, God help me, I was about to. If he didn't say something soon, if he was holding back because he didn't want to hurt me with his coming rejection...

Pulling back again, he kept my head tilted, forcing me to keep my gaze locked on his as he took a deep breath. Tears welled in my eyes. This was it. He was going to break my heart. I could feel it.

"Riley... I don't even know where to start..."

My lips parted, shaky breaths rapidly leaving my mouth as pain gathered deep in my stomach.

"You have been my roommate and best friend for a few years now, and yet it feels like I've known you forever. Every day, every moment with you is better than the last. It doesn't matter if you're irritated, being cute, driving me out of my mind, or making my heart skip a beat, there is not a single part of you that I don't love."

He smiled down at me, his thumb swiping away a tear that had escaped down my cheek.

"I don't know why it took me so long to realize it, or why it took me so long to act on it, but I think I've loved you ever since the first moment we met. You were different, strange even...but, you intrigued me. Of course, I thought you were beautiful..."

I scoffed, and Harry paused to give me a look of warning before continuing. "Scoff all you want, I did. But, you were also funny, a bit sarcastic, and you talked to me like I was just a normal guy you ran into on the street. And do you remember what I did?"

I nodded as best I could with his hands still keeping me immobile. "Yes. You asked me for my twitter handle."

He smiled, "Yep! And how long did it take before I'd found you and sent you a message?"

I giggled at him despite the emotions bubbling up inside me, the memory of how we'd met as fresh in my mind as if it had happened just yesterday. "About five minutes."

"Exactly. Because even then, even after knowing you for just a few minutes, I knew you were someone I wanted in my life. I knew then that you were special."

His face turned serious again, and my breath caught. "And you are special, Riley. You are everything to me. One smile from you can brighten my day, just a second of your laughter can lift my spirits, and a single look from you can make me feel more alive than I've ever been.

This isn't just a crush, Riley. This isn't just lust and desire. This isn't some sort of friends with benefits situation. This is love. The real thing. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you. No woman from my past could even try to compare to you, and no woman on this earth could ever replace you. I love you, Riley, more than I could ever say..."

Wrapping his arms around me yet again, pulling me close so that my head rested against his beating heart, he took another deep breath as my fallen tears stained his shirt.

"But, I know you're scared... I know people have hurt you in the past... And I know my own past hasn't made me look the most reliable when it comes to relationships... I know I've made a lot of mistakes..."

My heart broke at the self-deprecation in his voice, the way he blamed himself for his past, and I pushed against his chest in protest, moving him back a step and separating us enough so that I could see the sadness in his eyes.

"Harry..."

But, before I could really interrupt, before I could stop him, he shook his head and reached for my hands. "So, let's take things slow... We'll go day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. We'll be honest every step of the way. No more hiding how we feel, no more lying. Okay?"

"But, I..."

He tilted his head forward, scolding me with his eyes, "Don't lie to me, Riley... We've both been lying to each other for a long time now, and you know it. That stops now. I'm in love with you. And now that I know you love me too, now that it's more than just my hopeful heart..."

Pausing for a moment, Harry pulled my hands to his chest, holding them against the rhythmic beating of his heart. His eyes remained locked on mine, seeing straight into my soul, the love I felt for him shining back like a beacon in the night.

"You're mine now. And no matter what happens, I'm never letting you go. I need you too much. I want you too much. I love you too much, Riley. I just..." He shook his head.

"I love you."