How To Love Again. (Sequel to 5YIN)

-twenty three-

   It's been a solid three months since Niall came to see Ali and me. And from what I could see, he was pretty damn happy. Happy to the point of not wasting any time at all. He really loved the girl he had only met recently, and from what he told me, he planned on marrying her. Hell, if Niall could feel this way about a girl he hardly knows, why couldn't I feel the same about a girl I've known for this long?

  "I'm going to work." Ali had recently gotten a job because she felt that she "owed" it to me to help pay rent.. When pretty soon, we wouldn't be living in this damn apartment anyway. Ali was sick of NYU she was sick of this city and I felt the same. Things had been tense. She figured she would go back to South Carolina to start with community college. While she's been arguing with me nonstop, I've been planning basically our lives. 

I watched her grab her keys before heading for the door. I ran for the door and shut it as she opened it.

"No you aren't."

"Harry yes I am. What are you doing? This isn't funny I'm going to be la-"

"I have the whole day planned out for us."

"And you're telling me this now because?" 

"Because it's spontaneous and I'm an asshole." I smiled at her and grabbed her hands. She half smiled.

"You got half of that right." 

                                                                              *Ali*

"Soooo. Where are we going?" All I knew was that he had instructed me to pack a bag with a swimsuit, and everything that I would need for the beach. Even though according to him, we weren't going to the beach.

I looked up at him as we walked to the car. He stopped to look at me and I grew more confused as the smile on his face expanded.

"I rented us, a boat." 

"A boat?" I hated boats. I hated the idea of being in the ocean with no land around to return to at any point. I hated the idea of huge damn fish swimming underneath me. 

"Yup." 

"Harr-"

"Don't say anything about it. Don't be bitter. Just try and enjoy it." 

"You're telling me not to be bitter? Are you kidding? This is nothing compared to your everyday mood. Why the hell would you even rent a boat? You can't control a boat. You don't have a license."

"I actually do." 

"Since when?"

"Since about a month ago." I put my head in my hands and tried to process what it was he was doing. Things had already been pretty rough between us. He just loved to piss me off I suppose.

                                                                        +++

  It took us nearly two hours to drive to Jersey due to the ridiculous amounts of traffic. All because Harry wanted to visit a lake with the boat he rented. Which was now attached to the back of our car. When we got there, it was about five o'clock. And the sun had just started to set. Harry pulled blankets and pillows out of the trunk and threw them into the boat with the rest of our stuff. 

"We're not sleeping out here, are we?" I rubbed my arms. I was already starting to get cold. It was only early June. Which you'd think would be nice.

"Okay, Al. I love you. But you need to stop being a bitter asshole." He grabbed my arms and kissed my forehead.

"Yes. We're sleeping out here. And possibly staying here for a few days. Only if you like it though." My head began to ache. 

The sun was setting lower as he finally got the boat in the water and drove us out into the middle of the lake. I sat in the bean bag chair Harry had brought for me. I wrapped myself and looked up at the purple sky that had slowly been changing to night. It was silent. Besides the sound of the thousands of crickets around us. I was close to falling asleep, before familiar arms scooped me up and put me back down. Harry had taken my seat and set me in his lap.

"Having a good time yet?" He kissed the side of my head.

"It's nice, I'll admit." 

"Are you feeling relaxed?" He asked.

"Yeah I guess." I leaned into him further.

"Okay good."

"It's nice not to be stressed out entirely."

"Well before you really relax, I have something to tell you." He picked me up and put me back in my chair while he stood up. The boat wavered.

"I sold the apartment. And while we are here, people are packing up our things so we can leave as soon as possible." My stomach dropped.

"Harry what the hell? Why would you do that? I'm not even finished with the semester yet I can't just leave the city? Why in God's name would you do something like that without even telling me?" He smirked he just kept smirking. My face burned.

"Wellllll." He turned around so his back was to me, and he reached into his pocket.

"Close your eyes." He instructed.

"Wh-"

"Alison Elizabeth close your damn eyes." I closed my eyes and stayed put in my seat. 

"Open." I heard Harry instruct again. When I opened my eyes I didn't know what I thought he was going to do, but I didn't expect what he actually had planned. Harry was on one knee infront of me with a box holding a gorgeous oval shaped ring.

"Al, would you mind putting this on, and agreeing to spend all of eternity with the asshole on his knee infront of you?" I stood up with my blanket wrapped around me. My eyes were welling with tears. I was crying because never had I imagined that he would want to spend his life with me. I had hoped. But I had my doubts. While I was only 19, I knew I wanted this. And I knew it would last because we always found our way back.

"Yes."