Runaway ( A Harry Styles Fanfiction)

Chapter 41: Lily's POV

Where do I begin?
Mia.

A beautiful name for such a beautiful girl with the purest heart of gold. Her looks are the definition of beauty, no mistake there. Her brain is a galaxy of knowledge and with that comes with her marvellous cleverness. But she isn't all brains and beauty...that girl has a sense of humor like no other. And talented as hell.

This may or may not come as a shock to you but when we first met, I was envious. I mean, what isn't there to be envious about? If I could choose my favorite out of all of her many traits, I'd say probably her caring nature. It was like it came naturally to her and I admired that so much about her. For a while, I thought that she was the most perfect person on the planet because it was what she portrayed to people. It was only when the band got started and she was juggling school at the same time did we notice a difference in the way she acted.

Blake, Aaron, Mia and I became such good friends because we bonded over two things: being forced into med school by our parents and music...and so we started a band. Anyway, back to the story...from an outside perspective, you wouldn't have noticed the little changes here and there but Blake...man! that boy really loved that girl...he picked up on them...like the way she slowly became less excited about singing and being in the band or how she'd suddenly get frustrated when we sat down for hours songwriting when before she absolutely loved it or even when she skipped practice and said she had to study.

Aaron and I didn't notice until Blake brought it up. It was only then did I realize that she wouldn't be eating sometimes, especially when she was studying. I knew things were way more serious the day I walked in on her chopping off all of her hair. It took some time but when she told us about what happened with her sister and then Mari soon after, everything suddenly fell into place.

I was no longer envious but I didn't take pity on her either. Instead, I looked up to her. She has got to be the strongest person I know. To go through what she went through? I feel sick just thinking about it. I always wondered what she felt, what it was like to carry the world on your shoulders and still have a steady backbone.

Mia telling us her story brought us closer together, in some twisted way. Especially her and Blake...let's not even talk about Vegas! But things started looking up and I was so pleased for her. Her mother stopped torturing her once she married Simon and so she was free. She finally quit med school, like she always wanted to and moved to England and to top it off, Blake followed her there. She adopted Mari. She moved out from her grandmother's house and got her own apartment. Things were looking up.

I watched her become happier and brighter and carefree...she wasn't hiding herself anymore. I guess you could say she was free from her demons. Her long flowing straight hair that she cut off flourished into what could be counted as thousands of gorgeous bouncy curls that had a mind of their own. Which, when you think about it, describes Mia entirely. She wasn't being held down by the heaviness of her past anymore.

She was living.

But a banana doesn't stay ripe for long. Blake's unexpected death took a toll on all of us but Mia took it the hardest and Aaron and I understood why but we didn't know what to do to make it better. It didn't help that just two weeks after he died, she was being rushed to the same hospital and placed in his same room.

She wasn't the same after that day. I tried everything I could but with Aaron back in LA, I just felt...helpless. Sometimes she'd lock herself in her room for hours. She wouldn't eat, she wouldn't sleep. She's my friend, my best friend and I let her wither away into self-destruction. But she put herself back together, much quicker than I expected because she has a growing child to raise and she needed the money to do it.

But inside, I know that she hasn't gotten any better. I know she hasn't and she probably thinks that I come across as over-protective and overbearing, always breathing down her neck to continue going to therapy and to take her medication because I know she doesn't but truth is, I'm scared.

I'm scared of what might happen to her when I'm not there. I'm scared of what she might do to herself when I'm not there. I've seen Mia harm herself in many ways and she doesn't even know that she's doing it. Like this habit that she's developed of forgetting to eat when it comes to school work or afraid to show her emotions and tell people what she's feeling, hiding away her tears because of that stupid mantra that her mother drilled into her head about crying shows weakness or agreeing to do anything for anyone who asks for her help because she doesn't want to feel like she let them down.

That's why I'm hoping, praying that Harry does a better job than me. She didn't talk much about him but from what she did tell me, I could tell that he played a major part in her life. Of course, it saddened me to learn that they weren't as close as they were but it also planted a seed in my head.

What if I could get them in the same room together?

At the time, I knew it was a long shot so I roped in some help. Simon was easily persuaded and went as far as setting up a meeting as a decoy to get them to meet. It was easy to see that he would've done anything to help as long as he thought it was best for her.

We all want what's best for her and want her to be happy and I wish she'd see that.

Getting Harry and Mia to reunite was the plan. Them falling for each other was completely a force of nature and something I should've foreseen.

He's good for her and she knows it but there's still so much inside locked up inside of her that she can't find enough room to fully let him in...to fully let anyone in.

Sometimes I feel jealous...but not for what you think. I've had my fair share of relationships and I think it's time I took a break.

But anyway, Harry knew her before me. He knew what she was like before her life turned into a shit show and I can't help but want to know what my best friend was like before everything happened. I wish she'd knock down that high wall and let me see what she's been hiding.

But then I start to think that maybe Harry feels the same way. Maybe he wants to bulldoze those walls as much as I do. There's so much he has to learn and so much that I know she wants to tell him but she doesn't know how and it isn't my place to tell him either.

I really want to believe that he will be as understanding as he seems when she finally tells him but I can't say for sure because there's no doubt in my mind that whatever she tells, is going to hurt him, in more ways than one.

But one thing I do know, is that coming on this tour wasn't a mistake. Seeing them together only reminds me of how she and Blake were together. It makes my heart fill with joy and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much but it also ignites the flame of determination in my chest to make sure that they see it through.

Mia has had a lot in regrets in life and as her best friend, I will ensure that she doesn't make Harry one of them.