Perfect | Harry Styles

Chapter Twelve

Me: can you please come back and talk to me?

Me: I don't wanna fight with you

Me: Please

The typing bubble danced on and off the screen. I imagined he wrote and erased message after message. It gave me a little solace to know he was at least reading my texts.

Me: Please??

Me: Whatever, I did...I'm sorry

Me: I'm fucking sorry

Me: I shouldn't have kissed you again

I stared at the door wishing it would swing back open. Hoping I could rush into Harry's arms and have him tell me he didn't mean he anything he just said. In a perfect world, he would wrap me up in the throes of his love and tell me that he's always felt something for me. But this wasn't a romance movie, this was reality. A reality that was sinking in quickly and pulling me under.

He wasn't coming back.

I checked my phone one last time before powering it down and shoving it in my waistband. I used the sleeve of my flannel to dab at the tears still pooling in the corner of my eyes. A few teardrops escaped before I could wipe them away. They tasted salty with a bit of anger and a touch of despair. 

My feet carried me down the dark hallway. Every door knob I jiggled was either locked or a bathroom. I was never going to find Zayn's room at this rate. I just wanted to sleep and wake up tomorrow hoping this was all a sick joke in a bad dream.

"Whoa," Zayn's raspy voice caught me off guard. Apparently the last door I opened was yet another bathroom and Zayn walked out of it.

"Sorry," I quietly squeaked, frantically trying to wipe away the remnants of a late night break down off my face.

"You alright?" He reached out to touch my arm, sensing the shakiness in my voice.

"Yeah," I tried to keep it together. "I just, um. I couldn't sleep."

Your oldest friend ripped my heart out and took it with him.

"Me either," he rubbed his eyes. "Harry stormed out of here and slammed at least three doors. I've been trying to fall back asleep for 20 minutes."

The mention of Harry's name unraveled the tiny thread that barely held me together. I kept trying not to cry because I'd already done too much of it in the past week. It was useless to keep pretending. I couldn't stop the tears this time.

"El," Zayn sympathetically called out my name before wrapping me in his arms.

He was silent as we stood there in the hallway, my eyes drowning in tears.

"I...just," I said in between breaths and sobs. "I just...need to sleep."

"Let's get you to bed then, love."

Zayn snaked an arm around me as he lead me into his room. He quickly pulled the dozens of unnecessary throw pillows from the bed and threw the covers back.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked cautiously.

I slid under the covers and pulled them as far over as my head as they'd go. I shook my head no. I only wanted to close my eyes.

I heard him hesitate in the doorway before clicking the light off.

"Zayn," I called out before he left. I couldn't have someone else leave me. "I don't want to be alone tonight."