"Sometimes you're drowning yourself in your own words." ― Steve Maraboli


Lucy's POV


"Harry," I began to whine as he covered my face in tender kisses. We were laying next to each other on a rather large quilt, tanning in the bright sun. He brought me to Brightlingsea Beach after work, but I had no intention of swimming despite his constant pleas. "Enough with the kisses," I said sternly, but the blush colouring my cheeks made the demand sound less convincing.

"Oh, but I think you like my kisses," Harry seductively cooed in my ear before kissing the spot underneath.

Plump lips lingered on the skin for awhile until I winced from the mixture of pleasure and pain his actions were giving my body. Within seconds a purple mark had appeared over my flesh, and Harry was onto the next location. My collarbone. I could feel him smirk against my skin while I trembled under his touch. He played a dirty game. A strangled moan left my lips as soon as I felt him start to suck. I couldn't take it anymore. I surrendered with no protest; I was at his complete mercy. Harry gently grazed his teeth along the fresh bruise before wetting the hickey with his tongue, causing goosebumps to form over the area. This man knew exactly how to make me weak.

"Let's try again, yeah?" Harry grinned. "Lucy Elizabeth Grayson will you go swimming in the ocean with me?" His green eyes peered up at me in a dimpled smile.


There was no way I could say no.


I sighed in an overly-dramatic fashion before saying, "I swear to god, Styles. If you let me drown, I'll haunt you forever." Harry must've thought I was joking because he started laughing at my words, but I was absolutely serious.

"C'mon love," He said upon rising to his feet. Harry offered me his hand and pulled me up from the ground as well.

I was reluctant to approach the shoreline, but with Harry tugging me along I had no say in the matter. The deep blue sea sparkled under the warm rays of sunlight and, though it did not change the fact that the ocean still felt like negative one-hundred degrees, I was hypnotized by its beauty. The sea drew Harry and me in like magnets―a force so powerful neither of us could keep away even when we saw the waves.

"Don't be afraid. I won't let anything bad happen to you," Harry assured me before slowly releasing my hand.

The waves were small in comparison to the ones crashing further down the beach, but the feeling of worry never escaped my thoughts. The deeper we went into the ocean, the stiffer my body became. I could turn back around if I want to. It's not too late. I thought to myself as I weighed my options, but then I got distracted by a glimpse of something I had never seen before in the eyes of the man beside me. Deep pools of emerald bored into my eyes with an overwhelming intensity that made my knees wobble. Harry never looked at me in such a way before, and I didn't know what to make of it.

Too focused on his keen features, I failed to notice the huge wave rushing toward us and was unsuccessful in staying afloat. It threw off my balance entirely, wiping me out in an instant. The sudden turn of events caused my heartbeat to accelerate as I struggled to resurface. I swam to the top, gasping for air and rubbing my eyes so I could see clearly. But what it was what I didn't see that frightened me even more.


Oh my god.


"Harry!" I yelled, searching everywhere for his mop of curls.

"HARRY!"

I called his name once more and waited for a reply, never losing hope. Then out of nowhere he appeared before me in the same breathless manner I had been when I first resurfaced. Harry shook the damp curls out of his face before smiling at me, dimples indented in his cheeks. I was speechless, unable to come up with any words to form a coherent sentence.


Smiling, he's actually smiling right now.


"That was amazing. Let's go again," Harry said to me while squeezing my hand.

"A-are you joking?" I nearly choked on the air. "You could've died―I could've died. I want us to go back to the beach Harry. Now," I stated firmly, holding my ground.

"Baby, I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Don't you trust me?" he questioned and, of course, he knew I did.

"I don't want anything to happen to you either. Please Harry," I pleaded desperately, but instead of replying in words he planted a sweet kiss on my lips.

His lips were damp and salty with the ocean water but glided against mine effortlessly. He did it again. I became so engulfed in his presence that I almost forgot why we had been arguing in the first place―almost. I involuntarily tore my lips away from his, separating our bodies with a hand pressed to his chest.

"Stop..." I breathed. "You know I can't think straight when you do that to me," I said breathlessly. Harry just laughed and shook his head.

"Alright, alright. If my safety means that much to you, we can go back to the beach," He finally gave in. A small smile etched it's way onto my face.

"Thanks ba―"

"Last one there is a rotten egg," Harry interrupted me to say before swimming back.


Who knew this twenty-three year old man could be so childish?

---

Harry parked his Audi across the street from my apartment before removing the key, killing the engine. Our day of fun was short lived, and now it was time for me to face reality. Today Anya had the day off from work, and I wanted to reconcile with her. The two of us have been best friends since I was a freshman in high school. She was the older sister I never had, the girl whom I could come to for anything, but these past few days have taken a toll on our friendship. I never thought we would become this estranged.

"What are you thinking about?" The curly haired boy sitting next to me asked, breaking the silence.

"Everything." I frowned. "What happened last week, my friendship with Anya―all that stuff," I sighed while playing with my thumbs.

"I don't know why you guys can't just make up already. What's the problem?"

"You don't understand Harry. Anya took this lie personally. She thinks I don't I trust her enough, and that we're drifting apart. I want to tell her that she's wrong, but―" I shook my head, leaving the thought incomplete.

"But what?" he pressed on.

"What if she isn't?" I finished my sentence. "Let's face it, Harry. We're not as close as we used to be. Our friendship was going to collapse one way or another."

"So you're giving up? Just like that, huh?" Harry crossed his arms. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, the only thing I could do was nod my head.

"Stay here," He told me while unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door.

"Wait―Where are you going?" I asked him, copying his actions but, before I could join the man outside, he clicked a button on his car keys and activated the automatic lock.

I was trapped. No matter how many times I tugged on the handle, the door wouldn't open. The green eyed boy left me in a mental state of shock. I couldn't accept the fact that he chose to lock me inside of his fucking car instead of bringing me along. He couldn't―no he wouldn't―do that. I tried to convince myself. But the truth was that he did, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Notes

Merry Christmas my lovelies! Special Thanks to Brianna J for uploading this for me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Your thoughts, votes, and subscriptions are highly appreciated. Next update will be in Harry's POV.

Love
-M