13 Days Of Us - Larry Stylinson

Chapter 2

I fought the urge to interlace my fingers with Harry's as we walked into the airport. My eyes burned with tears, but I refused to let them fall. I have to be strong, I thought. It had become increasingly hard to be strong without Harry, but I was tough. Ish. We'd walked into the airport, where he'd be getting on a plane that would take him away from me. I know that Harry is incredibly strong, and brave. And although I trust that he'll come back alive, there was this voice in the back of my head telling me that after today, I'd never hold his hand again.

Harry had already said goodbye to his mother and sister, who had come down to our flat in London last weekend and spent the night. It was fun; I loved Harry's family. The other boys had already said goodbye as well, each pulling Harry into a huge hug and not letting him go until his skin turned blue. So now it was just me and him, which his family and the others didn't quite understand. It was fun hiding our love from them sometimes; it sort of felt like Romeo and Juliet but without the dying bit. But it was hard to imagine going through this without telling anybody.

I sniffled and wiped my eyes with my sweater sleeve-- well, actually it was Harry's. I may have stolen about half of the clothes in his suitcase because they smelled freshly of him; a wonderful combination of lavender and vanilla. I figured I needed all the reminders of him I could get until he came back. He had noticed, of course, but he'd just chuckled and pressed his lips to my neck. It wasn't until I got back home that I realized he'd taken my clothes with him.

Once we were out of the cameras, he turned to me and looked me in the eyes. "Alright love, one rule. No crying. If you cry, then I cry, and I have too much dignity for that." The sound of his voice was comforting, and I tried to ignore the fact that it'd be months until I heard it again. Maybe even a year. Or maybe you never will, the douche-y voice in my head whispered. Fuck off, I told it. I could feel a lump in my throat and took Harry's hand, not trusting myself to speak. My eyes welled up with tears and Harry shook his head, putting his suitcase down. "No crying," he said firmly, pulling me into a hug. "I'll be back soon. I promise."

"That's a big promise, Harry," I whispered.

"And I'm a big boy. I've gotta go now, Lou. My flight leaves soon and security takes forever."

I clenched my jaw, speaking through gritted teeth. "No, Harry, it's not too late to just--"

"You're right," he said. "But I don't want to stay."

I pulled him into a hug tighter than I thought possible, breathing him in, then took a solid three steps back. "Be brave for me, Haz," I said, grinning at my old nickname for him. "Because I don't know if I can."

Then he and his suitcase were gone, leaving me standing in the middle of the airport.