baby love (h.s.)

ten

how long is that bathroom line?? mum's friends won't shut up. save meeee

ur taking so long. are u in there waiting for me? are we finally going to have a continuation of the other day? ;)

ok i already regret sending that winky face. felt creepy. how is it 2020 and we still can't take back texts...

gemma just checked the bathroom and said u weren't there. where are u? why aren't u answering my texts?

grace ur starting to scare me. none of us can find you anywhere. please just let me know ur ok.

i called niall but he said he hasn't heard from u either. said he's gonna call ur mum. please call me.

i just need to know ur ok.

+++

My phone had just lit up in the charger when I heard banging at the door. I didn't have to look through the peephole to know who it was—judging by the stream of messages filtering in from Harry, I had a lingering suspicion he was my visitor.

I didn't make any effort to move.

I couldn't open the door. I couldn't face him—not just because of what his father had said to me, but because of the overwhelming sense of guilt I was harboring over disappearing without a word. I hadn't planned on ignoring his texts, but then my phone had died in the Uber, and well...

"Grace, I know you're in there!" he called from outside. "Open the door. Please."

Another voice joined in shortly after, and I was surprised to recognize it as my neighbor, Tommy. He was a few years older than me, and although we'd only ever had a few conversations, we exchanged hellos every time we saw each other.

"Why are you banging her door down, mate?" I heard him ask Harry with his sharp Northern accent. "If the girl doesn't want to speak to you, she doesn't want to speak to you."

Harry scoffed loudly. "You don't know what you're talking about, mate."

"You know, why don't you—"

I quickly swung open the door before Tommy could finish the rest of what he was going to say—judging by the scowl on his face, it probably wasn't going to be all that nice. Harry was wearing a similarly angry expression, but it immediately faded when he looked at me.

"Grace," he breathed. "Where the hell have you been?"

Tommy glanced back and forth between the two of us, his eyes still narrowed. "Is this guy bothering you, Grace?"

"Are you fucking kidding—"

"It's fine, Tommy," I said quickly, cutting Harry off. "Everything's fine, I promise."

He nodded slowly, before his gaze dropped down to my stomach—and, presumably, my bump. His eyes widened momentarily before he glanced back at Harry, who was looking more agitated than I'd ever seen him. "Uh...alright, then. I'll see you later, Grace."

My entire face was burning red, but I was grateful that he hadn't outright asked me about it. "See you."

The second he was gone, Harry stormed into my apartment, practically slamming the door shut behind him. I winced. I had never been more desperate to get out of a conversation before. All I could focus on was the memory of his father in my mind, telling me that I was ruining Harry's life.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he exploded. "Are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack? Why would you just leave without telling anybody?"