Savannah woke up with a start with Niall cuddling up to her in the bed and flashbacks of the night before ravaged her mind – Harry waking her, Harry kissing her, Harry loving her. What the hell happened? Something changed with Harry. Honestly, everything changed with Harry. He was talking about feelings and… and… gahhh. What the hell was happening? Harry could not fall for her. He just couldn’t.
“Morning, pretty girl,” Niall said, kissing her cheek.
“Hi, babe. What are you doing in here?” Savannah asked, giving him an airy smile.
“I came in here at about six this morning. I missed you,” Niall told her as he sat up, running his hands through his tousled hair.
“Oh. But… the rule…” Savannah stammered as she sat up next to him.
“You’re naked,” Niall said, smirking at her as she came into view.
“Oh,” Savannah said, looking down at her body. She was so broken up after Harry left her room that she didn’t even bother getting dressed.
“I uh… I was warm, I guess,” she lied as she tugged the blanket up over her chest. But Niall had other plans.
“Well, I think it’s sexy,” Niall said, wrapping his arms around her, coaxing her back onto the bed.
His lips were on hers immediately and her mouth automatically moved against his. Somehow he worked his way on top of her and pulled the blanket up over his shoulders. He was advancing pretty fast with his kisses, getting Savannah worked up, but when she felt him push inside of her, she almost smacked him.
“Niall!” She yelped, pushing her hands against his chest.
“What?” He said, smirking mischievously as he started moving slowly inside of her.
“No! We can’t,” she said, swatting at his arm.
“Why not?” He asked, not stopping even a little.
“Because we already broke that rule last night,” Savannah told him, still not believing what was happening.
“Yeah, it’s broken. We already broke it,” he told her, still going for it.
“Fuck…” Savannah breathed when she felt the pleasure race through her.
“Niall, we shouldn’t,” she breathed lowly as her manic tone died down and she closed her eyes, feeling every bit of him inside of her.
“Yeah, we shouldn’t,” he breathed against her lips before he kissed them.
Savannah wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeper, completely lost – all protest out of her mind.
“Mmm,” he moaned against her lips.
That was when they were both startled by the loud knock on the bedroom door.
“Savannah, breakfast!” Niall’s step-dad bellowed through the door.
“Shit,” Niall chuckled against her collarbone.
“O-okay. Thank you!” Savannah shouted, hopefully loud enough for him to hear. She didn’t need him opening the door to see if she was awake.
The two sat frozen for a moment with Niall suspended above her until they realized the coast was clear.
“I told you we shouldn’t be doing this,” Savannah giggled quietly to Niall.
“Just a little bit longer,” he said as he began his rhythm again, speeding up exponentially.
“No, Niall… come on…” Savannah said, pushing up against him.
Niall let out a sigh as he stopped his movements and pulled out.
“Blue balls,” he grumbled as he shook his head.
“Poor boy,” Savannah said sarcastically, even though she knew how he felt because both of her last sexual conquests ended before a real ending.
“Maybe you shouldn’t get yourself so riled up,” Savannah giggled, noticing he only pushed down his boxers just enough to get himself out to fuck her.
“Can’t help it. Not when you’re naked in bed,” he said, pulling up his underwear.
“Yeah, right,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“Come on. Get dressed. I’m going to sneak back to my room,” Niall told her as he got out of the bed.
“Alright,” she said, getting a quick kiss from him before he slipped out of the room.
Savannah pulled her fingers through her hair a few times and then covered her eyes with her hands, letting out a deep breath. Her life was entirely too complicated. She should never have started sleeping with her boyfriend’s god damn brother. She was the biggest idiot on the planet and she knew it.
.
.
When Niall and Savannah walked into the kitchen for breakfast, the whole family, even Greg and Denise who weren’t even staying at their parent’s home, were around the table waiting for the two of them.
“Oh, you didn’t have to hold up breakfast. We had to get dressed and stuff,” Niall told them as they took their seats around the table. Even though everyone else were already dressed and managed to get to breakfast in a timely fashion.
As Savannah settled herself at the table, she looked up to find Harry’s eyes staring into hers. His expression was anything but happy. He had a scowl on his face that really tore through her. She had to look away. Throughout the rest of breakfast, Harry did his best to ignore her completely, which actually gave her a bit of peace. He didn’t look at her, he didn’t speak to her, he didn’t do anything. He just ate quietly and quickly excused himself when he finished. After breakfast, Savannah told Niall she still wasn’t feeling well from the night before and went to lie down in the guest bedroom. She was incredibly tired having spent the better part of the night crying into her pillow.
Things with Harry took an unexpected, unbelievable turn over the short time they knew each other. His whole entire demeanor toward her changed and she couldn’t recall when it happened. She was so blindsided by it, that it made her go crazy trying to pin point the moment. Maybe it was the night of Niall’s car accident or maybe it was just the night before. Who knows? He could have had feelings for her all along. It drove her insane analyzing it.
She knew she loved Niall and nothing was going to change that, but there was definitely something going on with Harry. Harry made her feel so many things, but she wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. He was an arrogant, self-centered, womanizer – the complete opposite of her ‘type’. The whole thing was illogical and extremely nerve-wracking.
Savannah fell asleep after dealing with her worried thoughts for far too long. She didn’t wake up until Niall was in the room coaxing her to get up. He was calling her down for lunch with his family.
Harry was nowhere in sight during lunch. Apparently he and Gemma had gone out. It was a relief to not have him there looking at her or not looking at her. She couldn’t tell what was worse, his piercing stares or his inner struggle to keep his eyes off of her. Savannah ate lunch in peace, being able to actually enjoy the company around her without the nagging voice in the back of her head screaming at her to notice Harry Styles.
Harry’s presence wasn’t made again until the Christmas Eve dinner later that night. Maura and Denise had really gone above and beyond to prepare an amazing feast for their family. It was incredible. Harry sat across from Savannah once again, ignoring that she was even alive. She sat quietly, only speaking when spoken to even though the whole family was in high spirits. There was a lot of playful banter going back and forth around the table that included extended family – aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents.
Nearing the end of the Christmas meal, Niall stood up, clanking his fork to his glass to get everyone’s attention. Savannah’s gaze shot up to him, realizing he must have been about to make a toast. Everyone knew how great Niall was with words and how he captivated an audience with them, so it really was no surprise. Savannah gave him a smile when he looked down at her and he smiled back.
“As most of you know, I invited my beautiful girlfriend Savannah with me to be here with all of you tonight,” Niall began to speak. His family excitedly nodded and let out a few “yeah’s” and “woo’s”.
“I have just been so blessed in this life and to have her by my side means the world to me,” Niall continued, smiling down at Savannah again. She tried to give him a genuine smile, but she was certain it came out forced. She never like to be the center of attention.
It may have been because she had a heighten sense of what Harry Styles was doing at all times, but she could have sworn she heard him scoff at Niall’s words.
“Savannah, for the past eight months you have been by my side through everything. You have been the glue that keeps me together when I come home after a long day of recording…” Niall said, speaking strictly to her.
There he went again, scoffing at his brothers words.
“You were there for me when I was in the hospital. You took care of me afterward. You’ve been there for me through thick and thin. You’ve been my friend and my lover…” Niall continued.
Scoff.
“…and my light at the end of the tunnel,” Niall said smiling widely at her. Savannah abandoned smiling all together. All she could do was look up at Niall with a shocked expression. Why on earth was he making his Christmas toast about her?
Without another word, he reached into his pocket, while getting down on one knee and held out an open ring box to her. Her heart was pounding so hard that she could have sworn it could be seen and heard by all. The crowd around the table gasped at Niall’s display. Savannah’s face had grown significantly hotter and she could only assume it had also turned ten different shades of red as she sat in front of Niall and his diamond ring. She wasn’t breathing. She couldn’t breathe.
“Savannah Lynn Blake, will you marry me?” Niall asked confidently.
Savannah wanted so badly to look Harry in the eye at the moment. She didn’t know what she would be looking for, but she wanted to see him. She knew she couldn’t look away from Niall though. She knew a decision had to be made right in that moment as everyone’s eyes were on her.
“Yes,” she croaked out.
“Oh, baby. I love you,” Niall said, wrapping his arms around her, placing kiss after kiss on her temple.
His family erupted into cheers and applause in response to her answer. She was completely shell-shocked by the whole thing. As Niall placed the diamond ring on her finger, she took the opportunity to look around the room. Maura was busy blotting the tears from her eyes with her napkin, while Des looked on proudly. Scanning every other face, she saw smiles, smiles and more smiles, until she hit one.
Harry was slumped in his chair with his arms across his chest wearing a mask of anger. Their eyes connected and he glared into hers, telling her how angry he was and how big of a mistake he thought she was making. She didn’t let the look linger. All eyes were on her and Niall, and she didn’t want the topic of conversation to turn into why she was gazing sadly at his brother or why his brother looked like he wanted to murder her.
Through the rest of the dinner, Harry’s eyes bore into Savannah and Niall. He was mainly staring maliciously at Niall, who was completely oblivious to it, but Savannah saw it all. She didn’t know why he was directing his angered glares at Niall when she was the one who rejected him. It was her who chose Niall. And besides, she was Niall’s before any of this started with him. He seemed to be forgetting all of that.
That night the family exchanged gifts with the extended family while Savannah watched on loyally at Niall’s side. Harry was brooding in the corner in an armchair, out of the way. Everyone was ‘oohing’ and ‘awwing’ over Savannah and Niall, and frankly it made her a little uncomfortable. After several rounds of pictures of the ‘newly engaged couple’, their relatives dispersed, leaving them to head off to bed.
“Come here,” Niall said, grabbing her hand before leading her into his bedroom.
“Niall, no,” she shot at him. Were they really about to go through this again?
“I talked to my mum. She said it’s okay if we sleep in the same room,” he said excitedly.
“Niall, no,” she said, shaking her head. She knew he must have done a lot of begging for his mom to go against her beliefs and allow something like that.
“What? Savannah…” He said, dropping his smile immediately.
“Just… no,” she said again.
“Why not? She said it was okay,” he told her.
“How much badgering did you have to do?” Savannah asked, eyeing him skeptically.
“Not… much,” he said slowly.
“No. I’m not going against her rule,” she said, shaking her head. How disrespectful. She knew if she were to actually sleep in Niall’s room, it wouldn’t look good and she was trying to do everything in her power to make a good impression on his parents.
“Savannah, she said it was okay,” Niall retorted with a scoff.
“I don’t care. You know she didn’t mean it. She just wants to make you happy,” she told him. She couldn’t believe he couldn’t see that. Niall was her pride and joy – of course she would give in to her baby.
“Well, it would be nice if you’d want the same thing,” he scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
“Excuse me?” She shot at him. Where did that come from?
“I’m sorry. Look, just please. Come on,” he said, grabbing her arms gently.
“Niall, I am not sleeping in your room with you. No,” Savannah said, pulling my arms away from him as she turned toward the door.
“Savannah!” He yelled, causing her to flinch. But she kept on going.
“Have a goodnight,” she said without even turning back to look at him.
She heard him growl under his breath as she closed the door behind her. If he was going to get angry with her for not wanting to disrespect his mother, then she didn’t even want to be around him. But deep down, she felt a tugging of sadness inside of her. She didn’t like that they were upset with each other, especially on the night they got engaged.
Savannah stared at the engagement ring for hours while lying in bed, weighing the pros and cons of this lie that had become their relationship. She was feeling extremely guilty over her affair with Harry. It was eating away at her and she spent another night crying herself to sleep.
At two in the morning, there was a light knock on the guest bedroom door, waking Savanah from her fitful sleep.
“Come in,” she called out quietly. She was certain it would be Niall coming to apologize or perhaps to try to get her to have sex with him again. Somehow with his relentless sexual drive lately, she was thinking it was going to be the latter.
But it took her by surprise when it was Harry. He looked like he was in shambles. His face was still sullen, but less angry and more morose. And once again, something Harry did was tearing at her heart. She didn’t understand how he was effecting her so much. They didn’t even know each other.
“Harry… what are you…?” Savannah said, sitting upright in bed.
He walked slowly to the bed and sat down on the edge of it, propping one of his legs up, keeping the other on the floor so that he could face her, even though he wouldn’t look her in the eye. They sat in silence for a few moments. She couldn’t pull her eyes away from him. His heavily lidded eyes were looking down at his hands. What was happening?
“I’m sorry,” Savannah whispered and wasn’t quite sure why she felt the need to apologize.
“Don’t marry him,” Harry breathed, finally looking up at her, his eyes looking almost pained. Her heart broke a little from the emotion in his plea.
“How can you just come in here and say something like that, Harry?” Savannah asked, her voice choppy with emotion.
“Because…” He started, but stopped himself, letting out a heavy sigh.
“Because?” She asked, feeling incredibly annoyed.
“Why don’t I get a say in this? Van, I know you feel something for me,” Harry told her confidently, even though the look in his eyes was anything but confident. Savannah immediately hung her head, unsure of what to say.
“Van, look at me,” Harry said, grabbing her hand in his. She didn’t know if she should, but being in the habit of obeying Harry, she did.
“I feel it too,” he breathed. Her breathing hitched in her throat as her heart felt like it was collapsing inside her chest. She immediately felt the unmistakable sensations of a panic attack enveloping all of her senses.
“I am ready. I am. I’m not exactly sure what for, but I have an idea,” Harry added – which completely threw her. Oh, God.
Savannah was unsteady and she wasn’t entirely sure, but she kind of felt like she was going to pass out. Her tears started flowing as if on cue. And as much as she’d really love to punch that pretty face of his for putting her in such a predicament, she also wanted to throw her arms around him and kiss him.
Her sobs were coming out hard and fast and Harry was doing his best to try to soothe her, pulling her body to his chest. When he felt her start to pull away from him, his body tensed and he grabbed her by the arms, forcing her to look him in the face.
“Just admit to being human and making mistakes, Savannah! Yes, maybe it was a mistake in the beginning that you and I got together, but look what it turned into. We have something and I know you can feel it. Let your heart open up to it,” Harry pleaded – a terrible sadness in his eyes. He was rivaling every single stereotype she developed about him. This was so unlike the man she met the first day in Niall’s kitchen.
Misery ached throughout her muscles as her sobs ripped through the stillness. It was unflattering, but she didn’t care. She had no one left to impress.
It wasn’t as easy as Harry made it out to be. There was so much that needed to be considered. There was an inner struggle waging war within her. Head vs. Heart – Niall vs. Harry. It was brutal and there would be casualties, no matter what.
Savannah began to realize that love could hurt a person as much as it can make them happy. And then she found herself wondering why out of all the people in the world, that she fell for someone who could never be hers, because she already loved his brother. And in the end, she knew that the Head had to win – even though her Heart was screaming a thousand times louder.
“Harry, I’m sorry,” Savannah whispered.
“You’re going to marry him?” Harry asked, looking distraught. Savannah stared at him blankly, not knowing what to possibly say as he waited for her to answer.
“You… you don’t have feelings for me?” Harry choked out.
Another sob fell from her lips as she covered her eyes with her hand. How could she lie to him? How could she lie right to his face when he was being so completely honest with her? But she knew she had to. She knew she had to lie to save face, to salvage what she and Niall had.
Reluctantly, she shook her head ‘no’, unable to look him in the eye.
“Say it! Say it out loud, Savannah!” Harry demanded in a sharp, hushed tone. Her startled eyes finally looked up at him.
“I don’t have feelings for you, Harry,” she told him and broke down once again.
“The truth may hurt me, but your lies are what are killing me,” Harry seethed as he stood up from the bed.
Without another word, Harry moved quickly to the door of the bedroom. Savannah’s face was in her hands and she thought for sure he left until he spoke again.
“You deserve better, you know,” he said finally before he left, leaving her with even more questions.
Every word he spoke to her replayed in her mind as she laid down against her pillow and cried. She cried for feeling things she couldn’t express and denying things that would always be true and trying not to care when she knew she did. If it taught her anything, it was how to fall in love then hit rock bottom. She figured it wasthe definition of the ‘fall’ part of falling in love.

Notes

Well, that escalated quickly. What did you think about Niall's impromptu proposal? Or of Harry's feeeeeeelings? Let me know what you think! :)