Falling | h.s

seventeen

HARRY'S POV

I woke up with regret weighing heavily on my chest and a pounding, yet well-deserved, headache. I did the one thing I have been trying to avoid; making Janie uncomfortable. 

I know I'm a touchy drunk but I wasn't thinking. When she practically ran from me, I was worried that I had been too forward, too invasive. But I couldn't help myself. I had never seen her dressed up like that before, and when I first saw her from across the room, I felt my mouth go dry. 

She was stunning, there was no way around that. It was one of the first things I noticed about her and an ever-present thought in my mind while we are working. The way her eyes light up when we talk about music. Her full lips were always pulled into a friendly smile. Her hair, which she always pulled back into a clip so she could play guitar without it getting in the way. She was effortlessly and gracefully beautiful. 

Dancing with her, watching her move her hips to the music with a blissful smile on her face, I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. It was the first time in weeks that I completely forgot about my broken heart. I completely forgot about everything else in the world except her. 

But she had a boyfriend. A very serious boyfriend. A piece of shit boyfriend, but still a boyfriend. When I saw how upset she was over what he said to her, I felt my hands instinctively morph into a fist. How could someone so good, so pure-hearted, be with someone who didn't see who she truly was? 

But most importantly, she was leaving tomorrow. 

I had been dreading today since the first night I brought her back to the studio. I knew this was all temporary, but I couldn't help but become a little attached to her. She was smart and witty and her eyes were always filled with a childlike wonder. I knew she was leaving, but despite only knowing her for a week, I can't imagine walking into the studio and not seeing her there waiting for me. 

A cloud of disappointment covered me as I got ready for the day, taking a quick shower and pulling on jeans and an old Pink Floyd tee shirt. I wasn't in the mood for anything fancy today, I just needed to figure this out.

When I arrived at the studio, Tom and Mitch were waiting for me, eating sandwiches I presume Rosie brought for lunch. It was noon, after all.

"Bout fuckin' time, Styles," Tom says with his mouth full. "Been waiting here for almost an hour. We thought you weren't gonna show." I walk over to the couch where they sat and flopped myself down, kicking my feet up on the coffee table. 

"Sorry, just took me a little longer to gather my bearings this morning," I say and they both give me a suspicious look, eyes raking over my appearance. 

"Where's Janie?" Mitch questions. 

"I gave her the day off," I explain with a sigh. "It's her last full day here."

"Oh, shit. Already?" Tom asks and I nod solemnly. Tom whispers another shit under his breath. 

"Yeah. She's going to come in tomorrow morning to see if there are any more edits we want to make to the three songs we've done, and then she's off." I exhale deeply, trying to relieve some of the stress bubbling in my chest. 

"She's leaving tomorrow," I state the obvious as if saying it out loud would help me process the concept. "I don't know what to do," I sigh, unable to hide my distress as I comb a hand through my tangled hair.