Last One Standing
Chapter Five
*Flashback*
I remembered school. I remembered the first time that I had met Hannah. I don’t remember much of my early childhood, but I remember that she had the 64 pack of Crayola crayons, so she owned that classroom, and she owned me. I remember the day that my mom questioned the ‘property of’ stamp on my arm. We were both first years in primary school, and we were best friends.
From then on, we owned each other. All through primary and secondary school we were attached at the hips; inseparable. We were the couple that wasn’t a couple, but little did she know, that every time she wore leggings and the sweater that I bought for her when we were tenth years, my heart fell faster. Whenever she tucked her hair behind her ear when we were getting lunch, I melted. I was tripping over my words, and getting nervous when she was around.
We had our fights like all friends do, and they sprouted over a couple’s issues. There was a time when Nicholas Darwin gave her a black eye. They were at the end of the night, and she refused to give in, so he slapped her. I was livid, and ready to come out swinging. Our voices boomed over each others’ until we were in a screaming match, but they always ended the same way. One of us would break down and then the other would surrender, comforting the other. There were only two times when she didn’t surrender, and nearly ripped my heart from my chest.
One of these times was when prom came around. I had spent years letting myself get close and attached to her. Gemma had given every possible way to ask her, and now I had my choice; I came to this conclusion. She walked into the building that morning, and over the intercom:
Your hand fits in mine like it’s made just for me,
But bear this in mind. It was meant to be,
And I’m joinin’ up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks,
And it all makes sense to me.
I know you’ve never loved the crinkles by your eyes,
When you smile. You’ve never loved your stomach or your thighs.
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine,
But I’ll love them endlessly.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if I do, it’s you (oh it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all these little things.
You can’t go to bed without a cup of tea,
And maybe that’s the reason that you talk in your sleep.
And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep,
Though it makes no sense to me.
I know you’ve never loved the sound of your voice on tape.
You never want to know how much you weigh.
You still love to squeeze into your jeans,
But you’re perfect to me.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if it’s true, it’s you (it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all these little things.
You’ll never love yourself half as much as I love you,
And you’ll never treat yourself right darlin’ but I want you to.
If I let you know I’m here for you,
Then maybe you’ll love yourself like I love you. Oh.
And I’ve just let these little things slip out of my mouth,
‘Cause it’s you, oh it’s you, it’s you they add up to,
And I’m in love with you and all these little things.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if it’s true, it’s you (it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all your little things.
I stepped forward, reaching for her hand. First, seeing the tears in Hannah's eyes made me think that she was joyful, but when the tears didn’t pass, and her hand didn’t reach back, the whole essence of the room shifted.
“Harry, someone’s already asked me…” The tears were now mine, as I watched her walk away.
The night of prom was interesting. Although the girl of my dreams was not my date, it was almost the best night of my life, under strange circumstances. I found Hannah in the corner, her head in her hands. What else was I supposed to do? I went over and let my shoulders slide down the wall to sit next to her. We shared apologetic looks, and that was all it took; she was in my arms in the next instance. Before I knew what was happening, she was dragging me across the parking lot. We passed her date’s car, and I instantly understood; the windows were just a little too foggy for anyone’s likings.
She hopped in my car, not patient enough to let me open the door, or grant her permission, not that I would have said no.
“Do we need to talk about this?” I said, climbing in next to her.
“Drive.” Well guess not then.
When we pulled up to her house, she charged out of the car. Hannah has always liked to slam things when she’s angry, and she’s very good at it. I caught up to her at her opened door. I cupped her face and pulled her chin up to face me. There were tears in her eyes. I hugged her, pulling her tightly to me as her arms wrapped around my neck. I pulled away as she hesitated slightly. I could feel the look of hurt on my face. She looked up at me, and it was all so sudden after that.
She suddenly closed the space between us, smashing her lips to mine. I was startled at first, but then leaned into the kiss. I was surprised when her tongue brushed my lip, begging for entry. I wanted her. Why now? Restraining myself, I pulled away from her. She looked at me pleadingly. There was something in her eyes; something had clicked.
She jumped, wrapping her legs around me pressing her lips to mine once more, and I stepped through the threshold of her house, closing the door behind me. Her back pressed to the wall and my hands wandered her thighs. All too suddenly, she grabbed my hands and move then to her sides on the underside of her shirt, not breaking our kiss. No. Not now. This wasn’t the time; at least not when she was in pain, not when it was out of heartbreak. I removed my hands and put her feet back on the floor. We stood there, slightly breathless, before her eyes started to tear again.
“I wish I would’ve chosen you. How could I have been so idiotic?” Her arms threw themselves around me and my hands wrapped around her waist. I felt her soft sobs on my dress shirt. I didn’t care; I would be whatever she needed me to be to make her feel better, but a lover was not what she needed.
“It’s not your fault… Ssshhhhhh… It’s going to be alright, Hannah…” I rubbed her back soothingly. We sat on her couch until she fell asleep on my chest. I remember carrying her bridal style to her room as her unconscious head leaned in the nook between my neck and shoulder. I tucked her in and kissed her forehead.
*End of Flashback*
*Start of another Flashback*
How could it have been the same girl? I felt terrible when I couldn’t make our date. We hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and had decided that it was time. When I got home we were going to give this whole ‘love’ thing a chance. It was the worst time that I could’ve gotten sick.
I remember yelling to her that I loved her over the line. I remember going to her Twitter page so that I could publicly message her that I was sorry, and what did I see? “All dressed up and nowhere to go -_- #WasteOfMyTime” So now I was a waste of her time? What made her think that I would just be her play toy, that I would just show up when she wanted me and disappear when she didn’t? I checked again a little bit later to find, “A night with just the girls! Lol thought I’d never see one again! #GettingSmashed” So she didn’t actually want to see me, she was just dealing with me. Thanks. There was nothing better that I could think of than to be spiteful. I called up Amber, and we went to the club. Sick or not, I was done with letting her run all over me. She didn’t have the 64 pack of crayons anymore. No matter how much I wanted to spite her, I can’t describe the pain that I felt when I saw her walking away. Why did I even leave the house? I should’ve gone to bed as she had told me, but I didn’t. I dishonored her and lost her… I couldn’t believe that I lost her. She broke my heart.
*End of Flashback*
The sound of my phone snapped me back into reality. Okay Harry, follow the sound. The sound led me under the bed, where my jeans had landed. I slid my phone from the pocket and answered just before I registered who was calling.
“Where are you man?”
“Don’t ask dumb questions, Lou.”
“I’m only asking.” Louis’ voice sounded excited, but the silence told me that something wasn’t right.
“Louis, what’s going on?” He sighed deeply before answering me. I prepared myself for the worst.
“It’s Zayn,” my head dropped into my hand that wasn’t holding my phone to my ear as I exhaled onto the line. “He’s pissed, Harry.” Louis’ voice had come down to a low whisper. “He threw a bottle at the wall when he figured out where you two had run off to last night. It chipped the paint and everything.” Bloody hell, this was bad.
When we were still on the X Factor, I was the one that had introduced her to the boys, and they all fell head over heels for her, but Zayn fell harder than the rest of them.
“I’ll take care of it, Lou. I’m a big boy. I’ll see you later, alright?”
“Whatever you say, Harry.”
“Alright, bye Louis.” I hung up and scrolled to my missed alerts. There were missed calls, voicemails, text messages, and emails all based around, “You killed my chances with the girl of my dreams.”
One thing that Zayn never did was hand out threats. If you’ve got him mad enough to threaten you, then it’s not a threat anymore; it’s a promise. If there was one thing that was for sure, it was that I was in for it when I got back to the guys.
I remembered school. I remembered the first time that I had met Hannah. I don’t remember much of my early childhood, but I remember that she had the 64 pack of Crayola crayons, so she owned that classroom, and she owned me. I remember the day that my mom questioned the ‘property of’ stamp on my arm. We were both first years in primary school, and we were best friends.
From then on, we owned each other. All through primary and secondary school we were attached at the hips; inseparable. We were the couple that wasn’t a couple, but little did she know, that every time she wore leggings and the sweater that I bought for her when we were tenth years, my heart fell faster. Whenever she tucked her hair behind her ear when we were getting lunch, I melted. I was tripping over my words, and getting nervous when she was around.
We had our fights like all friends do, and they sprouted over a couple’s issues. There was a time when Nicholas Darwin gave her a black eye. They were at the end of the night, and she refused to give in, so he slapped her. I was livid, and ready to come out swinging. Our voices boomed over each others’ until we were in a screaming match, but they always ended the same way. One of us would break down and then the other would surrender, comforting the other. There were only two times when she didn’t surrender, and nearly ripped my heart from my chest.
One of these times was when prom came around. I had spent years letting myself get close and attached to her. Gemma had given every possible way to ask her, and now I had my choice; I came to this conclusion. She walked into the building that morning, and over the intercom:
Your hand fits in mine like it’s made just for me,
But bear this in mind. It was meant to be,
And I’m joinin’ up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks,
And it all makes sense to me.
I know you’ve never loved the crinkles by your eyes,
When you smile. You’ve never loved your stomach or your thighs.
The dimples in your back at the bottom of your spine,
But I’ll love them endlessly.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if I do, it’s you (oh it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all these little things.
You can’t go to bed without a cup of tea,
And maybe that’s the reason that you talk in your sleep.
And all those conversations are the secrets that I keep,
Though it makes no sense to me.
I know you’ve never loved the sound of your voice on tape.
You never want to know how much you weigh.
You still love to squeeze into your jeans,
But you’re perfect to me.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if it’s true, it’s you (it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all these little things.
You’ll never love yourself half as much as I love you,
And you’ll never treat yourself right darlin’ but I want you to.
If I let you know I’m here for you,
Then maybe you’ll love yourself like I love you. Oh.
And I’ve just let these little things slip out of my mouth,
‘Cause it’s you, oh it’s you, it’s you they add up to,
And I’m in love with you and all these little things.
I won’t let these little things slip out of my mouth,
But if it’s true, it’s you (it’s you) they add up to.
I’m in love with you, and all your little things.
I stepped forward, reaching for her hand. First, seeing the tears in Hannah's eyes made me think that she was joyful, but when the tears didn’t pass, and her hand didn’t reach back, the whole essence of the room shifted.
“Harry, someone’s already asked me…” The tears were now mine, as I watched her walk away.
The night of prom was interesting. Although the girl of my dreams was not my date, it was almost the best night of my life, under strange circumstances. I found Hannah in the corner, her head in her hands. What else was I supposed to do? I went over and let my shoulders slide down the wall to sit next to her. We shared apologetic looks, and that was all it took; she was in my arms in the next instance. Before I knew what was happening, she was dragging me across the parking lot. We passed her date’s car, and I instantly understood; the windows were just a little too foggy for anyone’s likings.
She hopped in my car, not patient enough to let me open the door, or grant her permission, not that I would have said no.
“Do we need to talk about this?” I said, climbing in next to her.
“Drive.” Well guess not then.
When we pulled up to her house, she charged out of the car. Hannah has always liked to slam things when she’s angry, and she’s very good at it. I caught up to her at her opened door. I cupped her face and pulled her chin up to face me. There were tears in her eyes. I hugged her, pulling her tightly to me as her arms wrapped around my neck. I pulled away as she hesitated slightly. I could feel the look of hurt on my face. She looked up at me, and it was all so sudden after that.
She suddenly closed the space between us, smashing her lips to mine. I was startled at first, but then leaned into the kiss. I was surprised when her tongue brushed my lip, begging for entry. I wanted her. Why now? Restraining myself, I pulled away from her. She looked at me pleadingly. There was something in her eyes; something had clicked.
She jumped, wrapping her legs around me pressing her lips to mine once more, and I stepped through the threshold of her house, closing the door behind me. Her back pressed to the wall and my hands wandered her thighs. All too suddenly, she grabbed my hands and move then to her sides on the underside of her shirt, not breaking our kiss. No. Not now. This wasn’t the time; at least not when she was in pain, not when it was out of heartbreak. I removed my hands and put her feet back on the floor. We stood there, slightly breathless, before her eyes started to tear again.
“I wish I would’ve chosen you. How could I have been so idiotic?” Her arms threw themselves around me and my hands wrapped around her waist. I felt her soft sobs on my dress shirt. I didn’t care; I would be whatever she needed me to be to make her feel better, but a lover was not what she needed.
“It’s not your fault… Ssshhhhhh… It’s going to be alright, Hannah…” I rubbed her back soothingly. We sat on her couch until she fell asleep on my chest. I remember carrying her bridal style to her room as her unconscious head leaned in the nook between my neck and shoulder. I tucked her in and kissed her forehead.
*End of Flashback*
*Start of another Flashback*
How could it have been the same girl? I felt terrible when I couldn’t make our date. We hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and had decided that it was time. When I got home we were going to give this whole ‘love’ thing a chance. It was the worst time that I could’ve gotten sick.
I remember yelling to her that I loved her over the line. I remember going to her Twitter page so that I could publicly message her that I was sorry, and what did I see? “All dressed up and nowhere to go -_- #WasteOfMyTime” So now I was a waste of her time? What made her think that I would just be her play toy, that I would just show up when she wanted me and disappear when she didn’t? I checked again a little bit later to find, “A night with just the girls! Lol thought I’d never see one again! #GettingSmashed” So she didn’t actually want to see me, she was just dealing with me. Thanks. There was nothing better that I could think of than to be spiteful. I called up Amber, and we went to the club. Sick or not, I was done with letting her run all over me. She didn’t have the 64 pack of crayons anymore. No matter how much I wanted to spite her, I can’t describe the pain that I felt when I saw her walking away. Why did I even leave the house? I should’ve gone to bed as she had told me, but I didn’t. I dishonored her and lost her… I couldn’t believe that I lost her. She broke my heart.
*End of Flashback*
The sound of my phone snapped me back into reality. Okay Harry, follow the sound. The sound led me under the bed, where my jeans had landed. I slid my phone from the pocket and answered just before I registered who was calling.
“Where are you man?”
“Don’t ask dumb questions, Lou.”
“I’m only asking.” Louis’ voice sounded excited, but the silence told me that something wasn’t right.
“Louis, what’s going on?” He sighed deeply before answering me. I prepared myself for the worst.
“It’s Zayn,” my head dropped into my hand that wasn’t holding my phone to my ear as I exhaled onto the line. “He’s pissed, Harry.” Louis’ voice had come down to a low whisper. “He threw a bottle at the wall when he figured out where you two had run off to last night. It chipped the paint and everything.” Bloody hell, this was bad.
When we were still on the X Factor, I was the one that had introduced her to the boys, and they all fell head over heels for her, but Zayn fell harder than the rest of them.
“I’ll take care of it, Lou. I’m a big boy. I’ll see you later, alright?”
“Whatever you say, Harry.”
“Alright, bye Louis.” I hung up and scrolled to my missed alerts. There were missed calls, voicemails, text messages, and emails all based around, “You killed my chances with the girl of my dreams.”
One thing that Zayn never did was hand out threats. If you’ve got him mad enough to threaten you, then it’s not a threat anymore; it’s a promise. If there was one thing that was for sure, it was that I was in for it when I got back to the guys.
Notes
This chapter is pretty much background and when I finished, I realized that it was ridiculously long... oops :) lol hope you guys loved reading it as much as I loved writing it :D Things will start to look up for them soon.xoxo Hannah <3
so in love with this one !!! update soon!!!
10/20/16