When I got home, I was shell-shocked. I simply could not believe that somebody could do something like that.

Once I had a few days to get out of my stupor, and realise that potentially - Harry could come back to me - I had a buzz in my stomach that I couldn’t explain. I was stupid, staring at my phone. Wondering whether to call. In hindsight I guess I should have called straight away, but part of me knew he wouldn’t answer and the other part of me was terrified to tell him.

I knew, once I had told Harry, it would take some persuasion for him to not kill Will. The Lord knows he deserved it, but all I could think about was just having Harry back.

How would I go about it, though? I had sat stiffly in the kitchen of my family home, knowing that he was coming back that day. He would be back here, and we could work things out. I hoped I wasn’t kidding myself. I hoped when he heard how we had been set up, he’d want me just as much as I wanted him.

---

Harry’s POV “Good Evening passengers. I just wanted to let you know that our expected landing time in London, Heathrow Airport is 7.48 P.M. We should be touching down in less than ten minutes."

I looked across to both sides of my booth. Louis was clearly excited, jumping in his seat knowing Eleanor would be meeting him at the other end. Liam and Zayn, the same. All with girlfriends. Louis must have recognised the sour expression I wore, because he leaned over and spoke quietly.

“Come on mate, you must be looking forward to going home?” He asked.
I nodded my head. “Just not looking forward to facing it."

The swarm of paparazzi that met us definitely reassured us we were back on home turf. I felt like a hero returning from war with all the flashbulbs, but I was far from that. Inside I felt small, nervous, and heartbroken, still.

“Are you going to call Annie now you’re back?” Niall asked, when we were in the car that would take us to our homes. I paused. Nobody had brought up the subject since I had returned to the U.S.
“Why would I?” I eventually said.
Niall shrugged, knowing this was not a good conversation topic. He dropped it completely.

As we got back to my house and I made my way inside, it was painfully empty. I had never really felt like this when I returned from tour, but then again I’d never experienced loving and missing someone this badly. I poured myself some icy water, trying to numb my mind. She cheated on me. She made a choice. I needed to get over it.

The next few days went by slowly. More out of sheer boredom than anything, I had agreed to heading out clubbing every night. I didn’t plan on it, but some of my old ways must have seeped through my depression, because I ended up bringing someone home every time. I just needed that presence. I was scared to be alone. I knew in the back of my mind I was trying to replace Annie. I knew I was forcing any girl I could into an Annie shaped hole, and it wasn’t working at all. Their presence, around the house, by my side in the car, or even out at dinner, was not the same. Conversation flowed, but sometimes not easily. They were lovely girls, but not the one I had gotten so used to.

I couldn’t quite get used to sleeping with someone else. I managed to excuse myself every time, blaming it on my bad sleeping habits. My dates were often confused, even disappointed, but let it go. I sat in the kitchen downstairs one night. It was late. I twiddled my phone in between my fingers, praying for the strength to not call her. I stared down at the phone, and by some holy virtue it started to vibrate on the table. Annie was calling me. I looked from the clock, to the phone in a stupor. I quickly grabbed it as it was about to ring off. My throat dry, I brought the receiver to my ear.

“Hello?” I whispered.

There was a pause in which I thought the line had gone dead. Then, finally, I heard a shift, and a tired, saddened Annie, replied.

“Hello Harry..”
I swallowed. “It’s three in the morning, Annie. Why are you calling?” I tried my best to sound stern, but I probably sounded more concerned.
I heard the lump in her throat when she spoke. “Harry, I-I couldn’t take it anymore, I have to see you, I have to tell you-“
“Stop, Annie.” I sighed, my eyes closing feeling the tightness in my chest. “Just stop this."
“You don’t understand, I have to tell you what Will did..”

My stomach flipped.

“Are you trying to irritate me even more?”
She raised her voice. “No! I’m not talking about.. Please, Harry, just, please give me five minutes. Can I come to you?”
I looked at the clock again. Then, I glanced in the direction of the stairs, where my latest female companion slept metres away.
“It’s not really a good time.”
“Is someone there?” She asked, her voice flat and colder.
I sighed. “Annie.."
The lump in her throat disappeared in a way that I knew she was now fully crying. I held my face in my free hand, the sound of it making my heart heavy. I waged a war in my head. I hated her, but I needed her so much more.

“Okay, Annie. Five minutes. We can talk in the outbuilding.” I think I said it more to try and soothe her cries, than anything. The sounds were like knives in my chest.

---

“Frankie! Frankie, wake up!” I jarred my brother in his sleep, trying my best to stay quiet. I was thrilled, sick with nerves, and crying. Understandably, he was more than confused when he woke up. “I need to borrow your car."
“What the-“
“Frankie, keys!”
“Alright, alright, jesus, take the fucking car.” He rolled back over and put his pillow over his head.

My own head was all over the place as I tried to straighten myself out enough to avoid getting a speeding ticket or committing any other traffic felonies. I knew this route like the back of my hand. The usually thirty-minute drive across town was cut to fifteen, a mixture of the lack of traffic and my reckless driving, I assumed. I had nothing prepared to say to Harry. I hoped I would just see him and know the right thing to say.

But when I got to those gates, I knew I would completely fall apart.

I drove in and made my best attempt to park, knowing that he was standing outside watching me. I turned the ignition off and rested my head on the steering wheel. Trying desperately to regain some composure. I stepped out of the car, feeling insecure in what ever I had rolled out of bed in to drive here, and carefully tried to walk over to him.

When I saw him, all I could do was try and touch him. I stepped in for a hug but he stepped back, and it broke my heart. He nodded towards the small games room that the outbuilding housed. I followed solemnly.

“What was so important that you had to drive over here and tell me at three in the morning?” He said, avoiding my eyes. I tried again to walk closer to him and he moved three paces away.

“I-I.. Will. I saw him.. he told me everything.” I said, making no sense.

Harry’s face became visibly agitated. “Have you come here to tell me how you’re back together? Living happily? It didn’t take long for you to move on.” His tone was spiteful.

“I could say the same to you.” I spat, indicating to the house. His eyes hit the floor. “Harry, Will and I never slept together."

Harry looked at me like I had two heads. I tried desperately to think of a way for this to sound feasible, real, truthful. But I knew I looked like a desperate cheater.

“I bumped into him, he told me everything, he drugged me, he set it all up, somebody called him and told him to break us up.. but mostly he did it because he wanted me back, and, well.. to screw you over.” I burst into my explanation and Harry still stood there. “Please, Harry. You can ask him.” I regretted my last sentence. I definitely did not feel confident to let Harry around Will.

It seemed like minutes later when his eyes darkened and he looked up from the floor.

“Are you lying?” He asked, pleadingly.
“Harry, no! For Gods sake, he marked bruises on my thighs! He undressed me, I could have been raped!” I was losing my temper, just so badly wanting him to understand. He stared away from me.
“Who would call him and say those things?” He asked, reflectively.
“I don’t know, Harry.” I sighed. “I doubt anyone even did. It was probably something he said to shift the blame from himself.”
“But Eleanor, she would have known something. She would have seen something.” He said, trying to find floors in my argument.
“El lost me, and she didn’t see me again. Will took me home and staged everything.”
“How can I trust you?” He said, his voice hoarse.
“You just have to.” I sighed, placing my hand on his. I expected him to pull away, but he lingered there before his hands clenched into fists.
“Why were you sore the next day?” His voice was like stone, and lower than usual.
I grimaced, knowing that he would lose it when I told him.
“I wasn’t. There were just.. bruises on my thighs.”
“Bruises?” He said, moving closer to me.
“From falling down..” I swallowed. “And.. I guess, Will grabbed me a few times."

Harry was dead silent. I didn’t expect him to leap for the door and when he did I had to react quickly. I placed my hands on his chest, trying to restrain him. There was no emotion in his eyes. He looked animalistic.

“No, Harry.” I said, sternly. “You can’t do anything to him. Please.”

Harry stared straight through me. “Move, Annie.” His grip was much stronger and I nearly stumbled out of the way, but I willed myself not to. If Harry got a hold on Will, it would be a bloodbath. The mixture of possessive protection would not bode well with extreme anger.

“Please, Harry, please. Listen to me.” I tried to move his head, get him to look at me. "Think about what this would do to everything, to your career.” I was begging him now. I desperately stroked his face, kissed his fingers, did anything I could to get him to come back to me. He brought his eyes back down to my level, his breathing slowing. I inwardly gave a sigh of relief.

“Why did this happen to us?” He breathed.
I shook my head, a sigh of relief as I felt his heart slow down, my hand still on his chest. “I guess there are just some bad, fucked up people in the world."

His head bowed, and he rubbed his eyes. There was another brief silence before I felt him wrap a thick arm around my neck, pulling me into an embrace. We stood there for what seemed like minutes, silent and shocked.

Harry brushed his hand through my hair. “I’m going to fix this, Annie. I will fix this.”

Notes

There will be more of a what happens next in the next chapter. I hope this was okay! I don’t really like it..
I saw I lost a subscriber so was feeling disheartened, sorry for not updating quicker! I’m also back at university and have exams this month so I will take longer to update.. but i’ll try my best.
thanks!