Thursday, February 20 (three weeks later)

"Harry?"

"I'll be down in a minute!"

I shut his door behind me and walk over to the kitchen, getting myself a banana and hopping up to sit on the countertop. Normally we don't see each other during the week anymore, just weekends, but today he left me a strangely cryptic note in my locker. As I'm finishing peeling back the skin of my banana Harry comes down the steps dressed in grey sweatpants and a loose t-shirt.

"Hi." He comes up between my legs and pecks my lips. "How are you?"

"Confused." I take a bite and offer him one, which he takes. "What did you want to tell me?"

He swallows, a smile growing on his face before be speaks. "I have a surprise for you."

"Ooh, what kind of surprise?" I ask, hooking one arm around his neck.

"Well, it involves you. And me. And possibly another trip," he says, taking another piece of my banana.

My mouth drops open and I just stare at him for a moment. The idea of going away with Harry is even more appealing than the last time since we've barely gotten to spend time together. The rumours at school have died down, but we're still being really careful for a while just in case. If we could go away and actually spend time together, I think I would probably die.

"Are you okay?" he asks, laughing a little.

"Yeah, sorry." I shake my head a bit and he places his hands on my legs. "Are you serious? When?"

"Well winter break starts tomorrow..."

"You want to leave tomorrow?"

"It's the only time we'll be able to go away for a week without suspicion and without missing school," he explains. "We can't exactly go to England just for the weekend."

His smile grows and my mouth once again hangs open. I put my hands on either side of his face and he laughs a little.

"Are you serious? Harry, don't screw with me, it's not funny."

"I'm not screwing with you."

"England?!" I shout. He nods and I wrap my arms around his neck, legs around his waist. "Holy shit! That's amazing! i've never been there. Oh my gosh, this is so exciting I can't believe it!"

"So you want to go, then?" he asks. I roll my eyes and release my hold so I can look at him.

"Yes, you loser. What made you decide to want to go?"

"I skyped with my sister so I could see the baby," he says, smiling fondly at the memory. He shrugs. "I miss her and my mum and I want to see Jackson and my friends. It's just time to go back."

"I'm happy for you." I hug him tighter and rest my forehead against his.

"I'm a little nervous," he admits quietly. "What if they try to convince me to testify?"

"You don't have to, they can't force you. You'll be fine. And I'll be there the whole time, I promise."

He nods and buries his face in the crook of my neck, wrapping his arms tight around me. He's probably nervous as hell to go back to the place that caused him so much pain, but he's willing to try and I'm so proud of him for that. Not a lot of people would be ready to face that after just a few months. He releases me and presses a gentle kiss to my lips.

"What time is our flight?" I ask when he pulls away.

"Tomorrow at nine."

"In the morning?"

He shakes his head. "No, I figured there wouldn't be anyone we know on a flight to London that late."

"We're flying to London?"

"Yeah, I figured you might want to see a few things before we head to Holmes Chapel. I got us a hotel there for two nights and then we can drive to Cheshire on Monday. Have you been to London?"

"No." I giggle a little and bounce in my seat. "This is so exciting! Promise you'll take me on the London Eye? I don't care if you're afraid of heights, we're doing it. That shit is romantic."

"Okay," he laughs. "I promise."

---

"I am so jealous," Kylie says, following me through my closet. "I've always wanted to go to England."

"I'm really excited for the London part, but this also mean meeting his family. I didn't really think about that last night when he asked me."

"Are you nervous?"

"Meeting my teacher slash boyfriend's family for the first time. Yeah, I'd say I'm pretty nervous."

She laughs. "You'll be fine, Sav. You need to pack some warmer clothes, though. They get winter there and it's always raining I'm pretty sure."

"Right." I take some sweaters and warmer tops from their hangers. "So how are things with Mason?"

"Good, I guess. He's been acting weird lately, ever since your parents left."

"Really? That's weird."

"Yeah, it's really freaking me out."

I stop what I'm doing so I can address her insecurities. "Kylie, that boy loves you. Trust me, I can tell. So whatever is going on in that dumb little head of his has nothing to do with the way he feels about you."

"You think?" she asks, fiddling with her fingers. I nod.

"I'm sure. Don't worry, okay? He's just got a lot on his mind, you know how much my parents get to him."

"Yeah. Okay, I'm done with me. Let's get you packed."

---

Going through security and waiting in the airport proved to be a bit of a challenge for Harry and me. We didn't want someone we know to see us so we went through separately, but once again Liam's connections came through for us and he managed to get us a private lounge while we waited to board the plane so we could at least sit together. Harry wore a beanie and sunglasses when we boarded the place and I dressed nothing like I usually do just in case someone happened to see us. He also got us seats in first class so there would be less people around us when we were on the plane.

As we waited for everyone else to board our 'disguises' remained in place. Finally we were pulling away from the gate and both of us managed to relax a bit. We were finally out of the dangerous part and for a whole week the only thing we needed to think about was spending time together and seeing Harry's family.

"Harry?"

"Yes, love."

"What...how are you going to tell your family about me?" I ask carefully.

"I don't know. I wanted to ask you that," he says, running his fingers along his bottom lip. "We could tell them the truth. My mum and sister know how happy I am and it's not like they'd voluntarily ruin my career."

"Wouldn't they hate me?" I whisper. He turns his beautiful eyes towards me and wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards him without the restriction of an arm rest that we already raised.

"They're not going to hate you, trust me," he says gently, lips brushing against my forehead.

"What if they do? What if they think I'm some slutty little child trying to get a better grade and I'm lying and I'll just break up with you when the year is over and I could never be in love with-"

"Savannah," he laughs, interrupting me. I let out a large sigh and bury my face against his chest. "Relax, love. If you don't want me to tell them then I won't, but I really don't think it'll be an issue."

"Really. You don't think me being your student is going to be a problem for them?" I ask sarcastically. He laughs a little. "I seriously doubt that anyone is that open-minded."

"They may not be that enthusiastic, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

"How are you so calm about this?"

"Because I know my family. I've been through hell, Savannah, I don't think they're going to take away the one thing that has been able to make me happy since everything happened."

My heart melts at his words and I pull back slightly from his embrace so I can see him. He smiles adoringly at me and I place one hand against his cheek.

"You've made me feel things I never thought I would ever experience," Harry says quietly. "I'm so happy with you. My family isn't going to ruin that for me, trust me. They want me to be happy."

I'm not sure what to say to that, so I just kiss him and cuddle up against his side. He kisses the top of my head and turns on the screen in front of him so he can watch a movie. He offers me one earbud, but I shake my head and decide to try to get some sleep. I want to be able to explore when we get to London.

"Are you excited to be going back?" I ask, my eyes closed.

"Actually, I am," he says. "I didn't think I would be, but it'll be good. Mostly to see everyone, it's not the place that I miss."

I just hum in redponse and he laughs a little.

"Get some sleep, love."

---

"Harry, take a picture!" I call, running away from him and posing in front of a fountain. He laughs and shakes his head, snapping yet another photo of me.

We've been in London for about four hours now, just walking around the area our hotel is in. We'll do more tomorrow since we're both exhausted from the flight, but that doesn't mean I can't see everything in a fifteen-block radius. Harry doesn't even seem annoyed. He just follows me as I tug him along by the hand, pointing out everything and taking an endless amount of photos. Having photo proof of our relationship probably isn't smart, but I really don't care at this point.

"Here, let's get something to eat," he says, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand.

"You're sleepy," I note, wrapping one arm around his torso. He just smiles and holds the door to a small cafe open.

When we're inside and seated he takes his beanie off and runs his fingers through his hair; it's flattened out from the hat and there's little bags under his eyes from the lack of sleep. A waitress with a charming accent comes to take our order and when Harry tells her he wants coffee I notice something.

"Your accent is stronger here," I tell him. He raises one eyebrow.

"What?"

"Yeah, it's more obvious. I like it."

He laughs and pulls his phone out of his pocket. As he answers the call a waitress comes back and I order each of us a sandwich to eat. By the time she's gone he's finishing up with his call.

"Louis and Eleanor want to meet us tomorrow," he says. He reaches across the table and intertwines our fingers. "They offered to show us around a bit."

"Don't you know your way around?"

"I'm not from here, love. I've visited a few times, but Lou and El actually live in the city."

"Right. Okay, that sounds good," I agree, sipping my hot drink.

"Eleanor is really excited that you're here," he tells me. "She was practically screaming at me on the phone. She's going to talk your ear off tomorrow."

I just laugh and the woman brings our sandwiches. Harry immediately starts eating and I laugh a little at how eager he is. He smiles, his mouth closed and cheeks full; he looks like a little kid.

After we've finished eating we decide to go back to the hotel, Harry's arm around my shoulder as we walk through the cool night air.

"This is nice," I tell him, linking my hand with his.

"It is," he agrees. "I hate having to hide you. You don't deserve that."

"What I don't deserve is someone as amazing as you," I say quietly.

He smiles down at me and pecks my lips. I could not be any more content than I am in this moment. I want a life time of this.

"I love you," he says, pressing his lips to the top of my head. A massive smile spreads on my face.

"I love you, too."

---

Harry was completely right about Eleanor; she was far too excited about us being here and she literally talked the entire day. I thought it was sweet though, and I can honestly say that she never annoyed me once. She's too sweet to be irritating. Louis and El took us around the whole city; thankfully they have a car so we didn't have to walk or cab the whole time.

They took us to see the palace, Big Ben, the bridge, and all kinds of other tourist stuff. Now we're in a small shopping district with such cute little stores I could just die. The fashion here is amazing and Eleanor's taste is impeccable. She's helped me find at least four new outfits that will have everyone at home drooling.

"You guys seem like you're doing well," she says. Louis and Harry have grown tired of our browsing, so when we go into stores now they just take the first chairs they can find. When I look over my shoulder at him he winks at me.

"Yeah," I agree, smiling like an idiot. She giggles and nudges me with her shoulder.

"He's so smitten. I've never seen him like this before."

"What do you mean?"

"So happy and carefree," she explains. "He's always had so many dark secrets and he never let anyone in before. Now he seems...lighter somehow. That's definitely your doing. Plus, he used to hate doing all this tourist stuff. The first time he visited me and Lou I wanted to show him around, but he refused. They spent the whole weekend playing video games."

I laugh at her disgusted expression and take another look at the boys. They're like brothers, they're so close. It makes me sad that he can't see these people more often.

"I'm really nervous," I tell her quietly. "To meet his family, I mean."

"Don't be, they're amazing. Gemma is just like Harry and Anne is the sweetest woman you'll ever meet. They're going to love you."

"I hope so."

"Harry told me that he's really excited about it," she says softly. "He really loves you."

"Thanks, Eleanor."

After another hour of shopping we all go out for dinner together. Louis and Harry are two of the funniest people I've ever met, and by the time we're leaving the restaurant my stomach is aching from laughing so hard. We pull up not in front of our hotel, and for a moment I'm completely confused. When I get out of the car, though, I immediately understand.

"You wanted romance," Harry says. He takes me hand and I stare up at the London Eye.

It's lit up so beautifully that it's impossible not to stare. I never imagined it looking this way, and as Harry pulls me closer I get more and more excited. When I turn around I expect to see El and Louis joining us on the ride, but they're still in the car.

"They've been on a bunch of times," Harry explains. We get shut into a car and go up a bit while more people get on. I just stare out the window onto the river as we get higher and higher. Harry just watches me from the middle.

"Come see," I beckon, holding my hand out. "Wait, are you actually afraid of heights?"

"No, he laughs, shaking his head. He comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist. "I was just admiring a different view."

We stay silent as we start moving in a more consistent circle, going lower and then back up to the top to see the whole city. The view is breathtaking and I can't help but be thankful for the man behind me that I'm experiencing it with.

"I love you," he whispers against my ear. My eyes flutter closed as he kisses down the side of my neck, slow and torturous. I spin around in his arms and wrap my arms around him, deepening the kiss and melting my body into his. After a moment he pulls back and spins me around.

"What are you doing," I whine.

"You came for the view. Enjoy it. We have a hotel room we can do this in later."

---

"We should come here more often," I tell Harry as he drives us further from the city. Louis actually loaned us his car for the week so Harry wouldn't have to rent one. I offered to pay for it, but apparently that would be absurd.

"We can do that," he agrees, lacing our fingers together on the console. "If you'd like."

"We're definitely coming back," I confirm. He smiles and I look out the window, watching as we pass by houses and other things.

My head swarms with thoughts about what's about to happen when we get to Holmes Chapel. Meeting Harry's family is a big deal anyway, but with our situation everything becomes more complicated. I wish I could be as relaxed as he is, but I just can't. It's driving me crazy. I just an't stand the thought of them hating me.

Harry tries to distract me while we drive, but I think he knows it's an impossible task. when we're about thirty minutes away we both fall silent. The weight of his situation is on both of us, and while I know we're going to be okay I can't help but wonder if his family's opinion will change everything. It may finally be the voice that gets through to him and tells him he's crazy for wanting me.

He pulls onto a side street and my heart starts thumping in my chest. He squeezes my hand in comfort as he pulls onto a driveway in front of a quaint house. We both just sit there in silence for a moment. I don't know if I can do this.

"Everything's going to be fine," he says gently. He puts his free hand against my cheek to make my look at him. "I love you, okay? The rest doesn't matter. Whatever happens is not going to change that."

I nod and he kisses me quickly before opening his door. I watch, completely frozen, as he walks around to my side. When he opens the door my heart almost stops beating.

Here we go.

Notes

so...you guys are probably going to hate me for this, but im not sure if i can do a sequel to this story. im just not as committed to it as i was before. im starting two jobs and im going to be insanely busy and im also writing a novel, so this story just wont be getting as much attention from me. i dont want to start a sequel that i only update once every two weeks, because i know how annoying that is when people start stories and they never update.
so here is what my solution is. if you guys reeeeeally want a sequel, i will let someone else continue the story for me when im done with Against All Odds. message me if you're interested. you need to have another story on the site, though, so i can see what kind of writer you are. i dont want the story to be a completely different style that i wouldn't be happy with if i read it. if someone volunteers and i feel like they're a good fit, then they can write the sequel. i would also like a little bit of input in the story line, but just minimal. i just dont want the person to completely change my story lol.


also i know this chapter was just random scenes put together but its the next one thats improtant so i just wanted to get to it :)
im so sorry i havent updated in so long! ive been so busy and this is the first chance ive gotten to write a whole chapter. thanks for being patient with me :)
and thanks so much for all the new votes and subscriptions!!!!! they amke me so happy!!!!!

keep commenting, voting, subscribing :)
love you guys!!!