Ghost Writer [Harry Styles][H.S. Fanfic]

7 - EVER SINCE NEW YORK

REMEMBER TO VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, & ADD TO READING LIST TO GET UPDATES!

<<<>>>

(SUNNY'S POV)

I melt into his emerald green irises as they pierce through mine, while I wrack my brain, searching for the appropriate words to say to help shed some light on the heavy discussion we were having before Mitch walked in.

"Harry..." I whisper painstakingly.

"Sunny?" he replies in the same tone, knitting his brows together.

"You didn't do anything wrong," I murmur under my breath, feeling extremely out of my element by admitting that to him.

"What?" He cocks his head to the side, the confusion still evident on his face.

I'm not one who's very good at reassuring people to make them feel better about themselves because I've never had that myself. It's just kill or be killed... do what you need to do in order to survive. Darwinism at its finest. If someone hurts me, then I cut them out and move on with my life—not sit and fester, wondering what I did wrong.

But he does. I can't fault him for that. It's just who he is and one of the many things I admire about him. He is gentle, and sensitive, and kind... the polar opposite of me. So, in this moment, I will do my best to comfort his archaic mind.

"My avoiding you wasn't because of something you did. It had to do with me. Yes, I was a little hurt that you didn't know who I was, but I didn't want to meet with you because of something going on within myself," I pause, sitting my drink on the table before running my hands over my face and then resting my chin on the knuckles of my clasped hands. "And I stopped giving nicknames a long time ago because I was grievously let down by a town full of people that I used to call family."

I avoid going into too much detail but give him enough so that he understands that I'm being truthful. When I ran into him again, he stirred a lot of feelings inside me that I forgot existed. Feelings of happiness and potential. But right now, I'm still mourning the girl I used to know. I'm still trying to find my balance again, and I need to do that on my own without depending on someone else to help me stand tall.

He nods slowly, and his eyes scan every inch of my face in deafening silence as I wait for his response. It's almost as if he knows there is something bigger that I am keeping from him. But that's not possible, right?

"I may not have recognized your appearance, but I recognized your talent, Sunny. I noticed that you were a different person than the girl I met that first night. I could tell you went through something so immensely painful that you resorted to changing yourself. You are significantly more guarded, and I see in your eyes, the torment you're suffering with. I also know that something forced you to quit surfing because you made it quite clear that you never wanted to be a part of this industry because it would get in the way of your career... your dream."

I bite my lip and nod, dropping my head forward to signal to him that he's right. Something did happen. More than one, in fact. I was hurt and betrayed and broken beyond my wildest nightmares. So, I changed.

"I don't know what happened and I don't want to know... not until you decide that you trust me enough to tell me yourself. Just as I'd hope you'd have the same courtesy to do for me," he finishes, his voice low and genuine.

My head shoots up at his declaration, reading his face for any signs of deception, but I come across none. How is there so much kindness living in one man? Does he even get angry? He should be pissed at me for never calling him or avoiding him for no other reason except for my pride and self-preservation. I wouldn't be here consoling him if the roles were reversed. I'm narcissistic, stubborn, cynical, and a major pain in the ass if I'm being utterly transparent. So why did he insist on staying here with me?