Wednesday, June 1st

Harry's POV

"No, I'm not ready to get rid of it. It's paid off, just have them take the property taxes out of my account every month like they have been," I hear Adie say as I walk in the door. I look around the corner to see her sitting at the peninsula, my mother making dinner.

"It's your decision of course," mum says. "It just seems like a waste to have it sitting empty."

"I'm just not ready," Adie continues. Mum sighs and nods her head in agreement. I walk over and take the stool next to Adie.

"Hello ladies," I greet. I kiss Adie on the cheek and she smiles half-heartedly at me. They must have been talking about her house.

"How was school?" my mum asks me. I shrug.

"Fine I guess."

"Oh I almost forgot. Adie, Gemma called me today to say that the place is all ready, so you will be able to move in this weekend."

Adie smiles and I do my best not to frown. The landlord for their new apartment had called saying they had a wasp problem in their building. It needed to be fixed and they weren't sure how long it would take, but I was so excited since it meant having Adie home a little longer. Now apparently that isn't happening.

"He also said that they had to rip out the carpets because of the chemicals and they've all been replaced with hardwood floors," she continues.

"That's good for us," Adie says. "I'm going to go pack, I want to finish tonight." She smiles at me and walks away to her bedroom. I watch her go with an obviously sad expression.

"You okay?"

I slowly look back at my mother and shake my head. "No, I'm not. I don't want her to go. I can't believe you think she's ready for this."

"Harry, I'm not having this argument again."

"She shouldn't be leaving."

"I told you already, I talked to her therapist and to Dr. Stanson and they both agree that getting her out of the house and doing things on her own away from her old life would be a great step. They also said that was only if I thought she seemed ready, and I do. Gemma will be with her and we'll go visit plenty. She's going to be fine."

I get up without another word and walk towards the hallway. She doesn't get it. No one does. Everyone has been telling me that this is so good for her and she'll benefit so much from it, and maybe she will. What about me? I know that's impossibly selfish, but this is the girl I love we're talking about. I'm going from having her across the hall to three hours away from me. It's depressing.

I walk to her room instead of mine, my heart dropping when I see all the boxes on her floor. I hate this. Adie is sitting on the floor in front of her wall unit, opening the drawers and taking things off of the shelves. The room looks so empty, lifeless. It's going to suck seeing it empty after she's gone.

"Need any help?" I offer, trying my best to smile at her. She looks up and nods her head with a smile. She really does seem excited about this. I walk over and sit beside her.

"Everything okay?" she asks, taking some books down from the shelf. I swear, half of these boxes are filled only with books and drawings.

"Not really," I reply honestly. She sighs and faces me.

"Harry, come on. Don't do this again," she pleads quietly. I know that every time I ask her to stay it hurts her, but it's going to hurt both of us much more when she leaves.

"Just for the summer, Ads. Just another month or two, please. It won't make a difference."

"Harry," she warns. She looks back at the shelves and continues working. "I can't. We've been over this I don't know how many times. It's just time."

Over the last two weeks there has been something different about her. Ever since she almost broke up with me there's this...distance between us, especially when we talk about London or about our relationship after she leaves. She gets closed off and she doesn't give me real answers. We still haven't figured anything out. I need us to figure it out. I'll go crazy if she leaves without us having some sort of plan for how we're going to make this work. We have to make this work.

"I'm sorry." She looks back at me with a sigh. "I know you want to go, I just hate it that you won't be here with me."

"I know," she says with a sad smile. I reach out for her and pull her body between my legs so she's half turned towards me.

"I love you," I whisper in her ear. She closes her eyes and I kiss her cheek, slowly down to her neck. Her head falls to the side and I leave slow kisses along her jaw.

"I need to pack," she says shakily. I sigh and press my lips to the corner of her mouth.

"Fine. I'll help you."

"You don't have to do that," she says with a sad smile. "I know you don't want to."

"I want to spend time with you," I counter. She bites her lip and looks away from me. Okay?

"I'm almost done actually," she says, standing up. "Just these shelves here," she points down in front of where I"m sitting, "And the rest of my clothes." She puts her hands on her hips and look around, examining the boxes and other places in the room. I look around as well, saddened by how empty everything is and the depressing tone the boxes have instilled.

"It's going to be so weird not having all your stuff in here," I mumble. She nods and pulls her hair back into ponytail. "Anyway, we should do something fun tomorrow."

"You have school."

I shrug. "I'm going to skip it. I have Friday off, anyway. It's not a big deal."

"Harry, your mum isn't going to like that," she warns. I get up and smile at her, a crooked one I know she can't resist. Pink tinges her cheeks as I get closer to her.

"She'll get over it. I want to spend the day with my girl before she leaves me," I say lowly. I lean down and kiss her quickly. "Besides, it's supposed to be really nice tomorrow and I have somewhere I want to take you."

"Really?" I nod. "Where?"

I wag my finger at her. "I don't think so. It's a surprise."

"Why?" she whines, putting her hands on my arms. "Is it somewhere I've been before?"

"Nope."

She frowns and her eyebrows pull together in thought. I just smile down at her. She's so adorable when she's thinking hard about something. Tomorrow is going to be surprisingly warm and ever more surprisingly sunny, so I've decided to take her somewhere special. When we're there I'm planning on trying to have us stay the night, but when my mother figure out that we're gone that might be kind of difficult.

"Actually, we should probably make sure you haven't packed the things you need," I remember. I take her hand and lead her into her closet to see what's left over. This will sort of give it away, but oh well.

Adison's POV

"What will I need?" I ask curiously. It's amazing that Harry wants us to spend the day together tomorrow and I'm honestly so desperate to spend that time with him. Guilt starts to eat at me though, knowing that he thinks it's simply a send off, a 'good-bye for now' kind of thing. It won't be. Maybe spending the day tomorrow in this secret location will be the perfect way to spend our last day together together.

"This," he says, reaching into a basket and pulling out my bathing suit. He winks and hands it to me. He looks through more stuff and pulls out a pair of shorts, a tank top, tshirt and the plaid shirt of his that I sleep in. He opens the drawer where my bras and underwear are kept but I put my hand on it and push it shut again.

"Nice try," I laugh. He laughs and shrugs.

"Worth a shot. I'm going to get some other stuff you might need, but I'm not going to show you what it is so just...go hide in the bathroom or something."

"What?" I ask, laughing a little. He spins me by my shoulders and pushes me into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I just laugh and wait patiently while he does his thing. Might as well let him have his fun, right?

A minute later he comes back and lets me out of the bathroom, a proud smile on his face. He's so cute sometimes. He jumps onto my bed and lays on his back, staring up at the ceiling. I consider joining him, but I need to start getting used to not being able to do things like that. So instead I just go back to my packing. Harry remains silent for the time while I unload the shelves and put my belongings in boxes. When it's finished I stand and examine the unit, once filled with all my things and now completely empty. It's weird. Really weird. Now the only thing left to pack is the clothes still in my closet. Most of it is packed though, so it's not very much.

I walk past the bed and smile at Harry's sleeping form, sprawled out on top of my bed. He looks years younger when he's asleep, his curls automatically more messy and any lines on his face completely disappeared. I start folding and putting the rest of my clothes in boxes and as I'm about to finish up there's a loud knock on the front door.

Harry shoots into a sitting position and looks around with alarmed eyes. I laugh and walk out of the closet, taking his hand and pulling him with me while I go to the front door. Anne has already answered and is welcoming in mine and Harry's friends. We exchange a skeptical look as we approach them.

"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asks, holding tighter to my hand when I try to release his.

"Well, your mother has arranged a little going away party for this one," Louis says, putting his arm around my shoulders and messing up my hair with the other hand. I swat him away and he laughs. "Couldn't send you off without one last time, could we?"

"You're all here for me?" I ask softly. They all nod and A few of them laugh. This is so nice! I look at all of their faces and try not to be disappointed when I don't see Caroline. I went to school once to get Harry and spoke with her shortly about everything, but it was cordial at best. She didn't seem to want to talk to me for some reason. Aren't I the one that should be angry? Anyway, she knows I'm leaving and she's still not here. I don't get it. Tyler is here though, and the rest of the boys.

"We brought cake!" Tyler announces, holding up the box in his hands. "Cheesecake, actually, since it's your favourite."

"Dinner is ready, let's everyone start eating," Anne says, ushering them into the kitchen and shutting the door. Harry kisses the side of my head and I beam up at him, ecstatic that everyone is here. I'm excited to be able to start over, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forget my friends. That would be impossible. I also feel glad that I remembered to change out of my pajamas today.

Everyone gets a plate full of pasta and salad, spreading out over the living area to eat our food. I sit in the living room with Louis and Tyler, Harry quick to claim his spot next to me. Tyler is finally okay with all of this, although it's really irrelevant at this point. After tomorrow there won't be anything to be okay with.

"Are you nervous?" Tyler asks. I shrug.

"I guess. It's a good kind of nervous, though. More excited than anything else."

"When are you actually leaving?" Louis asks.

"Friday morning."

"Maybe I should just come with. I'm strong, I can carry all your boxes."

"Don't take my job, mate," Harry says. I laugh and look up at him, earning me a wink.

"I'm just saying I could help. I've arm wrestled Harry and I'm definitely stronger than him."

"Ha!" Niall sits on the other side of Louis and Lou glares at him. "What? Lou, you're the only one out of all of us that doesn't work out. You're definitely not the strongest."

"I didn't say that, did I? I said stronger than Styles."

"You're not," Niall and Harry say at the same time. Louis frowns and I just laugh. I'm going to miss them so much. I absentmindedly lean further into Harry's body and he kisses my head. We never really got back to where we used to be on the physical side of our relationship, but I guess now that's a good thing. It'll make it easier to miss him.

We spend the whole night just sitting in the living room, laughing and eating the entire cheesecake that they brought for me. The boys have me laughing so hard that my stomach aches in the best way. Harry keeps his arm around my shoulders or on my leg the whole night, never more than an arm's length away from me. It's really nice, to be honest. Soon we won't be able to do that at all. I'm starting to feel desperate for him, even though I know I should be doing the opposite and distancing myself.

"Why don't we go outside? We can make a fire," Harry suggests. I nod and get up quickly, pulling him outside so I can help. "Well apparently that was a good idea."

I laugh and help him get some firewood. "I've never done this before. Will you show me?"

"Of course," he says softly. I smile and he leans down to kiss me a few times. The kisses are quick and it makes me giggle whenever he does this. He starts my putting in some really thin pieces and twigs. He disappears into the house for a moment and comes back out with some recycled newspaper and a lighter.

"Okay, light this and put it in the centre there," he says, pointing to a little whole in what I've been told is called kindling. I look down at the lighter and press the button, but it doesn't go. It's one of those long ones that you have to use two fingers for to press and pull both switches.

Harry chuckles. "Need some help?"

"I got it," I mumble, staring at the thing. Apparently I don't have it and Harry knows that, so he steps behind me and puts his hand over mine.

"Do it like this," he says in my ear, adjusting my fingers. I shiver slightly. "Are you cold?"

"No," I say quietly. He smiles against my skin and kisses my temple once, knowing he's the reason for the reaction. He moves his fingers over mine and instantly a flame appears at the end of the stick. I hold the paper to it and step away from Harry slightly to put it where he said.

"Well done," he says proudly, even though he basically did it himself. I turn my head and he catches my lips without warning, more passionately than I was expecting. He cups my face with one hand and parts my lips with his only slightly, his tongue grazing mine before he pulls back.

I try to slow my breathing while I watch Harry blow on the small flame that almost died because of his little distraction. The flame grows bigger and he starts adding bigger pieces of wood until it's a full frown campfire.

"You didn't really teach me," I tease, wrapping my arms around his middle. He laughs.

"Right. Sorry. Maybe another time."

My smile falters and I feel the sadness on my face, Harry noticing before I can fix it. He frowns and tucks a windblown hair behind my ear.

"Is everything okay? You've been-"

"Is it safe?" Louis yells, sticking his head out the door with one hand over his eyes. He slowly parts his fingers so he can look through with one eye.

"Yes," I laugh. I look back at Harry and try to smile, but it doesn't take the worry off his face.

We all gather the chairs around the firepit, conveniently short one. I insist on going inside to get one from the kitchen, but Harry pulls me onto his lap instead.

"You two are awfully cozy tonight," Zayn says from beside us. My face flushes and Harry puts his hand on my leg.

"Let's go camping!" Niall shouts suddenly. We all look at him with confused expressions. "What? I'm not saying right now. This summer sometime, we should all go camping together. Or to Harry's beach house."

Harry stiffens under me and I quickly look at his face. He's shooting daggers a Niall with his eyes. Beach house? Since when? He slowly meets my eyes and scratches the back of his head.

"Beach house?" I ask. He glares at Niall once more.

"Shit, sorry," he mumbles. Harry shakes his head and looks back at me.

"Yeah, we got it before last summer," he explains. How did I not know about this? And why did Niall apologize? Was I not supposed to know?

Harry's POV

Seriously? Fucking Niall. I specifically told them not to tell Adie about the beach house or my plan. It was perfect because she had no idea that we have it. Adie stares at me and I just start fiddling with her bracelet, the one I gave her that she I never see her without anymore. It makes me smile.

"Do you ever take this off?" I ask quietly so no one else can hear.

"No," she says simply. Her fingers brush through the hair at the top of my neck.

"No private conversation," Louis shouts from behind Adie's back. She looks over her shoulder and laughs a little. "You guys can be all cuddly and coupley and stuff tomorrow when we aren't here."

Screw that. I'm going to be as affectionate as I can with her until the minute she's out of my sight. I'm her boyfriend, that's my right. Adie turns a bit so she can talk to him about something. Louis makes her laugh so easily, something that I love about their friendship. I make her laugh too, so it doesn't make me jealous or anything. I love that they're so close since he's probably my best friend. I think he's replaced Caroline in Adie's life.

Speak of the devil.

The back door opens but I'm the only one who notices, Caroline's platinum blonde hair obvious from the light of the fire. I tap Adie's leg and point at the door. She follows my direction and sees Caroline standing there. Something like sadness flashes in her eyes before she stands and runs over to Car, hugging her tight. I smile to myself, knowing this is something Adie needs before she leaves. Everyone goes back to talking and Adie and Car stay over by the door to have a private conversation. After about ten minutes they both come back, wiping tears off their cheeks. Adie crawls onto my lap and Caroline plants herself in Niall's. No idea what's going on with them anymore.

"You okay?" I whisper, reaching up to wipe away a few stray tears. She nods and smile at me.

"Yeah. We're good."

"Good." I bring her hand to my lips and kiss the back of it before we both go back to our conversations. Our two groups of friends get along so well, like we've been friends our whole lives. Adie is the reason for that. Now she's leaving. It's going to suck so much not having her around for stuff like this.

Notes

wah this is legit so depressing to write. mostly because of whats coming but also because the story is going to end soon :(
i have a plan for the rest of the story and im pretty excited about the next chapter. so hang tight :D should be up in the next day or two if i have time.

no sequel. just to remind you. cuz people seemed confused after my last post. i can wrap up the story without one so yeah. sowy :(

comment :) i love the feedback i get from you guys its amazing :)
thanks so much for reading and for being so dedicated to the story. you guys are the best.xx