Trial and Error

Harry

I frowned as I walked into the gym that day. Last night's events were still playing in my mind like a slideshow and I felt a bit frustrated knowing that I had just pushed Rosie away from me without having her with me in the first place. 

This was the best thing for the both of us though. This needed to happen.

"Oi! Styles," Oliver called, "over here."

I found him by the dumbbells, blonde hair messy and all over the place as he smiled at me brightly. I snorted, shaking my head and walking over to him with my gym back hung over my shoulder. 

He dyed his hair the other day, saying that he wanted to try going blonde because "blondes have more fun," or whatever. I didn't say much but looking at him now...

Let's just say he'd be able to pass as Cody Simpson for Halloween.

"You look like a douche," I said, putting my bag down. 

"Fuck off, man," he said, "do you have a fight again? If not, how about we go out? We haven't been to a club in a while."

I rose my eyebrow and looked at him pointedly. 

"I haven't been in the best shape to go out clubbing, Oli. Plus, I saw Rosie last night and-"

"What?" he said, "you actually went?"

I nodded. 

"What happened?" Oliver asked, sitting down on a bench and looking up at me as I opened my gym bag.

"What else? I told her to never contact me again."

Oliver stared at me.

"What," I said, "look, I can't have her near this okay? Especially not her. I fucking ruined her life, Oli. She dropped out of university because I left. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be working at a god damn diner right now and trying to balance school. I don't even know if the poor girl is still in touch with her parents, for fuck's sake. And then imagine if we get back together?"

"You're acting like you're part of some secret terrorist group or something," he chuckled, "you're just a fighter dude."

"A fighter that got stabbed the other day," I fired back. He bit his lip and nodded. 

"Why don't you just quit and come back to university here? My parents are loaded man, we can get you into NYU without a problem. Especially with your old high school transcripts." Oliver said. Oliver wasn't a part of the fighting like I was. Instead, he was just a kid I might the first night in New York. I had lived with him for a while before I started making money from the fighting and made enough to buy my own apartment. His parents owned some huge publishing company and so he was pretty well off. That didn't stop him from helping me whenever I needed it. 

His parents knew about my fighting too; they didn't approve, for obvious reasons, but they also said that if I ever needed help, to ask them. They're like my new family in a way. Which is nice. 

I shook my head, sitting down next to him.

"I'm in too deep. The people I'm involved with are risky, you know that. I'm also a liability, and an asset. If I leave, they'll lose all the money they make from their bets. I might as well die if I want to quit," I mumbled. 

"Can I ask you something though?" he asked. I looked at him. 

"What makes me different from Rosie," he questioned, "I'm not a fighter. I'm not involved with the people you're involved with, yet I'm allowed to hang out with you and see you on a daily basis. Why can't Rosie do that?"

I looked down at the floor in front of me as I thought. My eyes darted to my hands that held bandages to wrap around my hand for my boxing practices. I inhaled and looked back at Oliver.

"Because I'm not in love with you," I replied, causing him to smirk, "I don't have feelings for you, like I have for her. She's my weakness. You know as well as I do that I haven't been able to find someone like her and I don't want to. If I let her back in, she'll get hurt, I will, or we all will. I can't risk that."

"You have her now. She's literally a phone call away. And it's not like these people stalk you, Harry."

"And what if I want to leave?" I asked, "what's the guarantee they won't use her as a bribe or some shit?"

He shrugged, "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. But right now, you need to go and talk to her. Because she's too important for you to run away from for a second time."

I looked at Oliver and frowned. 

"I can't."

"Sure you can," he replied, "just make sure you keep her safe when you start dating again, that's all. Also, you said that the people you work for are nice. Like your trainer, Jacob or whoever?"

"Jackson, but yeah," I replied, "and that's only if I'm doing what they want."

"Well, Jackson seems like a nice guy. He watches out for you, there's no reason he wouldn't do that for Rosie?"

"What are you trying to get me to do, Oliver?"

"Go. To. The. Diner."

I looked at him and he smiled, giving me a thumb's up before clapping my back and standing up. He looked at me and smiled before he laughed.

"Just go get your god damn girlfriend back man," he chuckled, shaking his head and walking away, "fucking extra ass..."

I sat there for a bit, watching him walk away before I thought. Everything in me was yelling at me to get up and go to the diner and talk to Rosie. 

I wasn't going to ask her out or anything, but I could start by taking back what I said about never seeing each other again. 

I got up and grabbed my gym back, shoving everything I had pulled out, back inside before I ran past Oliver and patted his shoulder.

"Thanks man!" I called, as I ran out the door.

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I am very excited for this book. I need to plan it out though LOL.

Hope you enjoyed!

S.