Stars in Your Eyes

Shay wasn’t exactly sure where she and Harry stood with each other after what was said. She just knew she could move on from feeling the pure and constant shit she’d been feeling for the better part of a month. Harry’s reassurance that he still loved her calmed her more than she would ever care to admit. Yet, she still went home feeling sad and confused that night.

He told her he was going to fight for her. But she was still unsure of when the supposed battle would take place. She hated not knowing. She just wanted to scream in her brother’s face that he was the biggest asshole on the planet and that she and Harry didn’t care what he thought – that they were going to be together. And if he didn’t like it, then he could fuck off. But Shay was afraid of Harry going with what Louis wanted once again, disregarding their relationship altogether. Once bitten, twice shy – so they say.

…

Shay watched as Harry walked into school the next morning as she stood by her locker. She felt okay. It was a big contrast to what she felt before when she would see his face at school. His eyes caught hers and a smile turned up his lips. Shay couldn’t help but smile back at him as he walked toward his own locker.

“What was that?” Rachel asked, startling Shay out of her revelry.

“What was what?” Shay asked, looking over at her friend.

“You and Harry. What was that?” She asked again.

“I don’t know,” Shay shrugged.

“You were smiling at each other,” she pointed out.

“Yeah,” Shay said, opening up her locker.

“Oh my god,” Rachel said, dropping her jaw.

“What?” Shay asked, giving her an odd look.

“You two are seeing each other again, aren’t you? Behind Louis’ back?” She asked.

“No,” Shay said, shaking her head.

“Yeah, right. You can tell me,” Rachel assured her.

“We’re not,” Shay said evenly.

“Shay, do you really think I would tell anyone?” Rachel asked with her hands on her hips.

“Yes,” Shay said bluntly.

“You’re my best friend, Shay. I wouldn’t do that to you,” she said.

“I know,” Shay said, sending her a sneaky smile.

“So…” She said.

“So, nothing. We aren’t seeing each other,” Shay told her.

“So tell me what happened to make you smile at each other,” Rachel said, really demanding the details.

“I don’t know. We talked. He told me he still wants to give Louis a little bit of time and then he told me he would fight for me if Louis didn’t like it,” Shay explained, and she couldn’t help the smile tugging up her lips.

“You know what, Shay?” Rachel said.

“What?” Shay asked.

“He should have been fighting all along,” she pointed out.

“I know,” Shay said, letting her face fall.

She knew it, yet she didn’t have it in her to hold it against him anymore. All she wanted was to have him back. Everything she went through, she bottled up and now she was waiting it out. She was waiting to have him again. She just hoped she wasn’t waiting on something that would never come.

…

Damien and Shay worked so diligently on their presentation that they were almost done with half a week to spare. Shay was super excited about that fact. They both had their little role to play in the presentation – specific things to talk about, and they were pretty confident they were going to do pretty well. Shay still hated the whole concept of speaking in front of people, but Damien was a natural. A project like this never even phased him.

“Do you… do you want to like… hang out… with me?” Damien asked as they sat at his kitchen table after they just put the finishing touches on their presentation.

“We are… hanging out,” Shay said, looking at him oddly.

“Well, I mean… I’m mean, not working on our presentation,” he said with a shrug.

“Oh. Ohhh. Uh…” Shay stammered.

“Like… as friends,” he told her.

“Yeah. Uh, yeah. As friends,” she nodded.

Shay watched Damien out of the corner of her eye as his cheeks blushed rapidly and she realized he only said ‘as friends’ because of the way she reacted. He liked her. The disappointment on his face proved it.

“I-I don’t think I am looking for anything else though. Not that, you know… not that you… I don’t know… not that you wouldn’t be a candidate, I guess. You’re a good guy, Damien,” Shay said awkwardly and felt entirely stupid for even saying anything.

“Oh, no. Oh. Yeah, just… you know… friends,” he said again. But again, Shay could see the look of disappointment on his face.

She felt bad. But she just couldn’t. Not with Harry’s little brother. Not when she was still in love with Harry – when she was still waiting for him.

“I’d like to hang out though,” Shay told him.

“Okay,” he said, smiling over at her.

“Okay,” she smiled back.

…

By the weekend, Shay and Damien were bumming around the mall like two old friends. They shopped a little, talked a little, ate ridiculous amounts of food at the food court, and of course did what any amused person would do at a mall – people watched.

“Look at that guy’s shirt. Oh my god. That’s like a naked lady on it,” Damien pointed out, laughing as they sat on a bench slurping on a couple Icee’s.

“Oh my god, it is,” Shay giggled with her hand over her mouth.

“That’s crazy,” Damien chuckled.

“Stop staring at it, pervert,” Shay giggled, smacking his arm.

“I can’t help it,” he laughed.

“Stuff like that should be banned. I mean, come on. There are little kids here. What are you like, fourteen?” Shay joked, elbowing him lightly.

“Shut up. I’m almost fifteen,” he snapped, giving her a playful glare.

“You know I’m kidding,” she said, ruffling up the curls on his head.

“Mm-hmm,” he hummed, looking out at the people once again.

They sat there silently for a little bit. Damien really seemed to have some things on his mind. But then again, he always seemed like that. At fourteen, he was quite the introvert.

“Something is going on between you and Harry, isn’t there?” Damien asked her seriously. Shay sat frozen next to him. How did he know?

“Wh-what do you mean?” Shay choked out. Damien hesitated, but then looked over at her.

“I can tell,” he said quietly.

“Nothing is going on,” she told him. And it wasn’t a lie.

“But it did,” he pointed out.

“Wh-what are you talking about?” She asked, feeling a sense of fear and she didn’t know why.

“Just the way you act around each other. It’s… it’s too formal,” he told her.

Well, shit.

“No,” Shay said, shaking her head, a last ditch effort to convince him.

“I saw a picture of you in his room. In his nightstand,” Damien pointed out.

“What?” Shay asked wide-eyed.

“I thought it was really weird at first. I mean, right. That’s weird. But then I put two-and-two together,” Damien said.

“Uh…” Shay stammered. Harry kept a picture of her in his nightstand?

“You can tell me. I won’t tell,” he said, looking a little more ashen than normal.

“Uh…” Shay stammered again.

“Your denial seems to have ended. I think I have my answer,” Damien said, facing out toward the crowd again.

Fight or flight. Shay sat there for a long moment contemplating running straight out of there and never looking back. But Damien had become a good friend.

“We… we were seeing each other… from September through December,” Shay admitted. Damien looked up at her, his eyes a little wider than usual.

“What happened?” He asked.

“My brother didn’t like it when he found out,” Shay told him.

“What?” Damien asked, scrunching his face up in confusion.

“Louis. He didn’t like it and stopped being friends with Harry over it,” Shay explained.

“Stupid. So, what? Harry broke it off because of that?” Damien asked, giving her a confused look.

“Yup,” she said awkwardly.

“Idiot,” Damien said under his breath as he shook his head. Shay smiled to herself. Harry was an idiot.

“I guess Louis was more important,” Shay shrugged.

“Louis would have gotten over it. Those two… those two are best friends. What an idiot,” Damien said, shaking his head again.

Shay didn’t know why, but just hearing those words out of Damien’s mouth made her so entirely happy. She finally had someone on her side – an ally.

“Wow. That’s just… that’s just stupid,” Damien chuckled, continuing to shake his head.

“Thanks, Damien,” Shay smiled.

“For what?” He asked.

“For saying that,” she told him.

“Well, it’s the truth. I know if you were my girlfriend I wouldn’t be so easily manipulated. You’re… you’re a catch, Shay,” he said and Shay watched as his normal rosy cheeks grew even pinker.

“Thanks, Damien,” she smiled, feeling her cheeks grow hot and knew they were just as pink as his.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to focus his attention away from her.

“I’m glad you’re my friend,” Shay told him honestly.

“I’m glad you’re my friend, too,” he smiled.

Notes