Truly, Madly, Deeply (Book 2 of the Summer Love series) || 1D

TWELVE: Don't Want To Be Seen

CW: slightly NSFW

Briley's POV

    "Hm." I mumble, waking up. I turn over to wrap my arms around Harry who is facing away from me. As I pull myself closer to him, I notice his breathing feels very shallow. I sit up a bit and open my eyes. Is he okay? "Harry?" I ask quietly. He doesn't respond. I sit up some more and glance over his shoulder to see him scrolling through Twitter. "What are you doing?" I ask him. He still doesn't respond, just sniffles. I gently turn him towards me and realize he's crying. He averts his eyes and won't look at me. I grab his phone, lock it, and set it on the other side of me. I quickly turn back to him and wipe his tears, resting my hands on his face. "My love, why were you looking?" I ask him. He moves away from me and puts his face in his pillow, still crying. I pull him closer to me and hold him as tightly as I can. "Come here. It's okay. I've got you. I love you so much." I whisper in his ear.

    "I don't know why." he mumbles into his pillow. I turn him over so he looks right at me.

    "Harry. Look at me. Don't say that. I love you, and I'm with you. I'm here for you. I'm not going anywhere. You're my everything, and nothing is going to change that." I remind him, pushing his hair out of his face. He just keeps sobbing. He latches onto me, intertwining his legs with mine and burying his head in my shoulder. "How long have you been looking?" I ask, holding him tightly.

    "I-I couldn't s-sleep." he stutters through sobs.

    "You were looking all night?" I ask. He nods into my shoulder. "Oh, Harry..." I say reaching up and playing with his hair. "It's okay. You're okay. You're safe." I comfort him quietly. He just keeps sobbing. It breaks my heart. It's like he can't focus on anything outside of his head. "Do you want me to go get Lou?" I ask him.

    "N-no. He's-he'll be... upset with me f-for look-ing." he chokes. I sigh.

    "He loves you." I tell him.

    "No, please. I don't want to see anyone... I don't want anyone to see me... ever again." he cries.

    "Okay, then just lay here and let me hold you." I respond. He nods and keeps crying. I continue twirling and twisting his hair around in my fingers as I hold him. I've never seen him so small. 

    God dammit, why are people so fucking mean? I wish I knew how to fix this. All I know to do is what he does for me. I start humming quietly. I'm not nearly as good a singer as he is, but feeling him hum always helps bring me back down to earth. He pulls himself closer to me and places his ear to my chest. He stays close until he calms down a bit. Finally, he looks up at me, still crying silently. I wipe his tears and he closes his eyes, leaning into my touch a bit. It's so obvious how much he's hurting. It's written all over him. My poor baby. 

    "I'm so sorry. Please don't leave me." he whispers, his eyes still closed. 

    "You have nothing to be sorry for. You didn't do anything wrong. I'm not leaving. I'm not. I couldn't. You're my soul mate. I love you so much." I whisper back. He sniffles and opens his eyes. His eyes are so red and his cheeks are puffy. He's exhausted, emotionally and physically. I run my hands over his face lightly and give him a small, sympathetic smile. He doesn't feel good, I know it. He must have a terrible headache from crying and not sleeping and I'm sure he feels a little nauseous. "What can I do for you, my prince? I know you don't feel good. Do you want anything? Coffee? Tea? Something to eat? A nap?" I ask him quietly. He closes his eyes again and nods.

    "Tea and a nap." he responds. 

    "Okay. Are you going to be okay for a minute while I go make you some tea?" I ask. He nods and loosens his grip on me. I kiss his forehead and stand up. "I'll be right back. I love you." I say quietly, grabbing my phone and his phone and laptop on my way out the door.