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My Heart Skips A Beat

Chapter 27

HARRY’S POV:
“Dammit. I have to tell her. Damn it, I have to tell ZAYN! How the hell did this even happen?!” I yelled, kicking the side of my dresser. Louis was sprawled out on my bed, his hands resting behind his head, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“I guess you’re just irresistible, Haz.” He said, smiling like an idiot.
“You know, you’re REALLY not helping here Lou. And she’s gonna be here any minute. Should I tell her now, or after the party? But, shit! Poppy’s going to BE at the party, so what if SHE tells her. Fuck!”
“Now, there’s no need to curse.”
You know, sometimes Louis could be a real pain in the arse.”
I gave him an angry look that I’m pretty sure let him know that I was serious. So he quickly dropped the comedian act and sat up.
“You’ve got to tell her yourself mate. If this Poppy is as crazy as you say, who knows what she’ll do. Anna’ll want to hear it from you first.”
“I know, I just – she’s leaving TOMORROW. We had ONE night, and now it’s fucking ruined.”
“This sucks, it really does. But just think about it this way; How much worse off would you be if you didn’t tell her, and then she found out some other way and then who knows what would happen, all hell would break loose. Trust me, you’re doing the right thing.”
“Thanks, Louis. Seriously.” He stood up and I pulled him in for a quick hug. Sometimes I think I forgot that I was lucky to have friends like Louis. Well, all the boys really. I knew that they had my back and they knew I had theirs. I guess it was just during things like this that I was reminded of that.

A few minutes later, when I was dressed and ready for the party, there was a knock on the door that I knew for sure had to be Anna. My heart was pounding and I felt dizzy. But I walked out of my bedroom and opened the door.
“Hey.” I said, smiling.
“Hi.” She said. She looked upset, like she’d been crying.
“What’s wrong?!” I asked, suddenly less nervous about what I had to tell her, and much more about what had happened.
“We need to talk.”
“Yeah – Come in.” She stepped in, not uncrossing her arms or taking off her jacket. “Do you wanna go in my room or sit –“ I motioned towards the living room, but she didn’t move. She just turned to face me.
“Who did you tell about what I told you that night in my room – about my past back home.” Her voice was hard, but quiet.
“What? No one. I mean, Louis, but –“
“Who did he tell?”
“No one! I swear he didn’t tell anyone. He would never do that. Why, what’s happened?”
“ I just got a call from Hello! Magazine asking if I wanted to make a statement about the situation.” She sniffed, looking down at her black leather boots.
“Oh my god…” I whispered.
“I just need you to tell me the truth.”
“I promise you, Anna. I am telling the truth. I didn’t tell anyone else.”
“Why did you even tell him?!” She looked at me, her eyes red.
“Because I felt terrible. You had opened up to me that night, and I felt like shit because I hadn’t done the same. I just, I needed some advice from my best mate.” I was wracking my brain, trying to understand how this had happened. Suddenly, I think I knew. “Poppy.” I said, barely a whisper.
“What?” She stared up at me.
“Poppy. She was here – with Zayn – when I was talking to Louis.” Anna’s face fell into her hands, her small shoulders shuddering. “ I don’t – I don’t understand why she would do this…”
“Because she hates me!” She said, a bit more force in her voice. “ – That’s something else I wanted to talk to you about. At the party last weekend, she, I don’t even know, she told me to ‘watch myself’. Whatever the hell that even means.” She began to pace a little across the hardwood floor. “This is what she was talking about. THIS is what she had against me. Damn it, I KNEW it!” She said, whispering more to herself than to me.
“Anna!” She stopped, turning on her heels to face me.
I had to do this. Now.
“She kissed me.”

ANNA’S POV:
I couldn’t say anything. I mean, I physically could not. I felt like I was going to throw up, or faint. Or both.
“Anna please say something to me.” Harry was looking at me with pleading eyes.
“When?”
“Earlier today. She came over, saying she was looking for Zayn, and then she was going on and on about how, at the party, you threatened her or something-“
“What?!”
“- But I knew she was lying. Of course I did! I know you Anna; I’m not going to let her play me. So I guess she just, wasn’t getting what she wanted, so then she kissed me. I pushed her away, I made her leave, and I was going to tell you when you came over. But now this happened and I just – I knew I had to tell you now before it was too late and you found out some other way.” He took a step towards me, and I instinctively took a small step backwards. “Please” I heard him say, so quietly I wasn’t sure if I had made it up.
He took another small step, reaching his hand to touch my wool-clad elbow.
“What am I going to do, Harry?”
“I’ll help you. I’ll fix this. I promise. Whatever it takes.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask, I offered.”
“I know but-“
“No. No buts. Just, please tell me that you can forgive me. Please.”
I stopped for a second, remembering when we had been in a situation extremely similar to this. I had remembered feeling so guilty about Oliver kissing me, like Harry was going to hate me. So how could I do that to him now? Especially when he was moving in closer and closer by the second.
“Of course. Of course I can. I just – I hate the thought of it.”
“Hey, I wasn’t too fond of it either!” I giggled, sniffling, trying my best not to ruin my makeup with tears.
“You’re such a liar.” I said, shoving him lightly. Harry could say whatever he wanted to make me feel better, but even he couldn’t deny that Poppy was hot.
“I’m serious. I don’t want to kiss anyone else. Just you.” He took the last step it took for his arms to wrap around my body, his chin resting on the top of my head. “We’ll get through this babe, I promise.”
“I know we will.”



By 8:45 the party was in full swing, and it actually seemed like it was going pretty well. I had never actually hosted a party before, so I wasn’t even sure if people were going to show up. But so far, so good.
Also so far? No sign of Poppy.
I wouldn’t have even invited her if Zayn hadn’t called me a few days ago and asked if it was okay if she came. Clearly, that happened before I found out about what she had done.
“You doing alright?” Harry asked, handing me a drink. I smiled, taking a large sip to try and loosen up a little. After tonight, I wasn’t going to see Harry for 2 weeks. I wanted to be able to enjoy this.
“Great.”
“You’re a terrible liar.” He joked, wrapping his arms around me from behind and placing small kisses along my neck.
“I don’t want to ruin the night.”
“You wouldn’t be! Plus-“ He lowered his voice a little “- we still have later tonight.” I giggled, my cheeks flushing.
“True…”
“So go and figure all this out. I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
“Okay. I love you.” I gave Harry a quick peck. Then, I made my way over to where I saw Zayn and Niall.
“Hey guys.” I said, kissing them each on the cheek. “Having fun?”
“Yeah, good choice with the chicken kababs.” Niall said, his tiny plate piled high with finger foods.
“Zayn, can I talk to you for a second?” He looked confused, but got up from where the sat.
“Yeah, for sure.”
We made our way out onto the tiny patio, which was thankfully empty.
“What’s going on?” He leaned against the railing, taking a swig from his beer.
“I need to tell you something important.”
“Alright…”
“Poppy, um-“
“Look, Anna, I know she’s sort of a handful but she’s really not that bad, and I really lik-“
“She kissed Harry.” He stopped at that.
“What?”
“She came here and tried to convince him that I had threatened her at her party last weekend. Then she made a move on him. He pushed her away and made her leave but- I still thought I should tell you…” He looked shocked, angry, and upset, all in the span of about 7 seconds. Then he took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles.
“I should’ve fucking known.” He finally said.
I wish this were the worst of it. But I couldn’t hold back now, so I continued.
“Um, there’s actually something else.” He just looked at me, so I took that as a signal to continue. “I had told something to Harry, about me and my life back home. It was private and um, he told Louis. Then, somehow, it got out to the press. They called my today, asking if I wanted to make a statement. And I mean, I don’t want to jump to conclusions or anything, but Harry said you and Poppy were here when they were talking and I just – I don’t know how else it could’ve happened. I mean, I assume you didn’t-“
“No! Of course I didn’t.”
“I know. So, that just leaves Poppy.”
What about Poppy?” I turned around to see none other than Poppy, standing in the doorway.
And she looked pissed.
“What’s going on here?” She asked, stepping out onto the porch.
“I know what you did.” Zayn said, his voice harsh and angry.
“What do you mean, babe?” She placed her hand on his arm, but he shook it off.
“Don’t play dumb with me. I know what you did. I know everything. And honestly, I can’t say I’m that surprised.”
“Baby, calm down. You’re making a scene.”
“I don’t fucking care! You kissed one of my best mates! And then you eavesdropped on his conversation andsold what you heard to the press? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
She just- I-“ Poppy was trying to gain her composure, but Zayn was even scaring me a little. He was fuming.
“I’m DONE.” He stormed off, through the door, and back into the party.
“You bitch!” Poppy said in her high-pitched voice, pointing a finger at me.
“You had to have known we would tell him. Even you’re not that dumb.” I turned around, this time to see Harry leaning against the doorframe.
“Oh, please! I don’t need the lecture. Just do your bloody job and save your little girlfriend.” Poppy said, storming past both of us, stomping through the flat and slamming the door as she left the party, leaving a trail of awkward silence behind her.

HARRY’S POV:
No one really seemed to know what to do after the Poppy drama. It all seemed to be left fairly unresolved, but at least everyone knew now.
I felt terrible for Zayn. Not because he lost Poppy, but because he had been played. And he didn’t deserve it.
But instead of overanalyzing the situation, he went for a different route;
He got pissed drunk.
By 11:30, he was passed out on the couch.
And by the time the party was over, Liam and Niall were carrying him out the door.
“Well, I would call that a success.” I told Anna as we picked up plastic cups and crushed chips.
“In what universe?” she said with a small laugh. But I could tell she was disappointed.
“I know it wasn’t what you wanted, but it was still fun. And now at least Zayn, and the rest of the world, knows.”
“Yeah. I guess. I just feel terrible. He’ll never admit it, but I can tell Zayn’s a lot more upset then he let on. He really did want to believe that she was good for him.” She kept herself busy, cleaning the coffee table, putting the half-empty bottles in a cabinet.
“Anna.” I tried to get her attention, but she was on a mission,
Anna.” I took her hand, pulling her to face me. “Just stop for a second. Please.” She finally looked up to me.
“I handled it all wrong.” She sighed, falling into my arms.
“There was no right way to handle this.”
“I could’ve waited until your house wasn’t filled with people. I could’ve thought more-“
“No. No, stop. You were fine. This isn’t your problem anymore. This is her problem. All we can do is try and let it go.”
“I guess. But Zayn-“
“-Is going to be fine. He put’s up this tough guy front because he doesn’t want the world to know that all he really wants is a girl to like him for him. Poppy isn’t that girl; she never was and was never going to be. He would’ve figured that out with or without our help.” She still didn’t say anything, just kept her arms wrapped tight around my neck. “You know I didn’t even get to give you your Christmas present yet.” I finally whispered into her hair. She looked up at me, a small smile on her face.
“That is very true.”
“Come here.” I took her hand and we walked into my room. “Close your eyes.” She covered her eyes with her hands, her smile growing. “Alright, hold your hands out. But keep your eyes closed!” I gently placed the small box in her hands. “Okay, you can open now.” She opened her eyes, and they widened when she saw what she was holding.
“Wh-“
“Just open it.” I couldn’t help but smile as she unwrapped the package and then lifted the lid of the light blue box.
“Oh my god.”
“It’s an emerald.”
“That’s my birthstone!”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Harry, it’s gorgeous.” I moved to help her put on the necklace.
I had actually had help from my mom to pick it out. She was dying to meet Anna and was so excited to be of assistance in my first real relationship gift. It was a small gold chain with an emerald stone set in the center and two diamonds on either side of it.
Anna moved her hair out of the way as I clasped the necklace around her neck, my hands resting there when I was done.
“Thank you, Harry.” She turned around and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me, pulling away much quicker than I would have liked.
“Part one your gift can’t exactly be wrapped…” She said quietly. She began unzipping her dress, finally letting it fall.
“Oh dear god.” I breathed, feeling like I was going to pass out. Under her dress, she wore a lacey red bra and matching panties. That, her heels, and the necklace I had given her moments ago are the only thing she wore as she gently pushed me backwards onto the bed. She crawled on top of me, pushing my blazer off of my shoulders.
“Tonight’s going to need to last you a while, so I wanted to make it memorable.”
“I think you’re doing pretty well so far.” I said as Anna unbuttoned my shirt, running her nails across my bare skin. Strangely, this caused me to get, um, well, excited.
She moved up so we were face to face, but she still didn’t kiss me. She moved her lips across my collarbone, up my neck, my ear, and my jawline. Then, finally, she met my lips with hers. Her one hand knotted in my hair, while the other was interlaced with mine. Then, I felt her gently bite down on my lower lip, and then that was my undoing. I groaned, subconsciously arching upwards a little, which Anna responded to with pressing against me a little more. I finally couldn’t take it any more and flipped around, so I was now above her.
I stopped for a second, looking down at Anna; with her messy blonde hair, her flushed cheeks, perfect body, and sparkling eyes.
“I can’t imagine not loving you.” I said, not really thinking about it before the words came out of my mouth. Not that I regretted them, but it just sort of made me feel, vulnerable, I guess. “Whatever happens tomorrow, if the story gets out, isn’t going to change anything. And I’m going to protect you.” Anna’s eyes looked glassy, and her bottom lip was quivering a little.
“You have no idea how much I needed to hear that.” She said, her voice breaking.
I leaned down, kissing away her tears.
“Harry?”
“Hmm?”
“For tonight, can we just forget about all of that and just, be together?”
“That sounds perfect.”

ANNA’S POV:
My alarm went of at 5 AM, the loud ring waking me up. Harry and I were intertwined in a giant mess of arms, legs, and sheets.
I didn’t want to get up; I didn’t want to leave him.
“Babe?” I heard Harry whisper. I kept my eyes closed for a second longer, not wanting to open them because I knew what it meant when I did.
I felt Harry’s lips on my temple, “time to get up, love”.
Finally, and unwillingly, I opened my eyes. The first thing I saw were Harry’s eyes, which were sort of the same color as the stone on the necklace he had given me last night.
“Morning.” I mumbled, snuggling into his shoulder, which I bet was completely numb from my lying on it all night.
“Good morning.” He kissed the top of my head, playing with a lock of my hair. “I hate to ruin this, because trust me I don’t want to. But if we don’t leave now you’ll never make your flight.” I sighed, sitting up in bed. He was about to get up and change when;
“Wait!” I said quickly, before he did.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, clearly confused.
“I said that last night, you got Part One of your gift. Now it’s time for part 2.” I reached onto the floor, grabbing my clutch from last night, where I had stashed Harry’s gift.
“Anna, you don’t have to-“
“Are you freaking kidding me? Of course I do! What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t get you a proper Christmas present?”
“Trust me, Part One was better than any gift I could’ve asked for.” He said, a cocky half-grin on his face.
“Oh, just shut up and close your eyes!” I said, hitting him on the arm. Thankfully, he humored me, and closed his eyes and I placed his gift in his hand.
“Is it a piece of paper?” He asked.
“Okay, open your eyes.” He looked down at the picture in his hand.
“What’s this?” He said, a smile growing on his face. I think he was beginning to catch on.
“That is the brand new TaylorMade R11 Iron Set of golf clubs!” I said giddily, silently thanking the guy at the store for helping me memorize the name.
“Are you SERIOUS?!” he said giddily.
“The guy at the store said they were the best kind.”
“You’re damn right they are! Wait- So why do I have a picture of them?”
“Well, they’re being sent to your house. They had to get them shipped here and I didn’t get them in time. But you’ll have them in the next few days.”
“Oh my god, this is PERFECT, you have no idea. Thank you.” Harry said, kissing me, the smile still on his face.


I changed back into my clothes from last night, while Harry opted for a pair of jeans, one of his old Jack Wills sweatshirts, and a beanie. He had insisted on driving me to the airport. But first, I had to go back to school to change and grab my luggage.

“Should I just stay here?” He asked, still in the drivers seat, as I got out of the car when we reached the black iron gates.
“Might be the best option. We don’t exactly have time for an autograph signing in the dorms.” He laughed and nodded, keeping the engine running.
I was quick to change into a pair of black leggings, my black boots, and one of Harry’s navy cable knit sweaters that I don’t think he knows I stole.
Well, he would now.
Thankfully, my huge suitcase and carry-on were already packed and ready to go, so I was back at Harry’s car in about 15 minutes.
“Is that mine?” He asked when I slid back into the passenger side. I just smiled innocently.
“Eh, it looks better on you anyways.” He said, shrugging. I smiled.

We drove in a semi-comfortable silence on the way to the airport. I say ‘semi’ because there were a few things I couldn’t help but think about;
1. The fact that the story revealing things about myself that my best friends didn’t even know could be released today.
2. I wasn’t exactly sure if everything with Poppy and Zayn was settled or not.
3. (In reference to #2) It seemed like I was sort of running away from all of my problems.
And then, most importantly;
4. I wasn’t going to see Harry for the next two weeks.

He kept his hand gently cupped around mine as he drove with the other until we reached the airport.
We got out of the car, and almost immediately there were a few paparazzo following us across the street.
“HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE STORY JUST RELEASED? IS IT TRUE? WERE YOU REALLY MENTALLY UNSTABLE? HOW ARE THINGS NOW?” I felt like I could cry right there when they said it.
So, that was it. It was out, everyone knew.
Harry kept his arm securely wrapped around my waist until we got safely inside.
“Are you alright?” He asked, looking at me with concern.
“I don’t know. I mean, no, but-“
“I’m calling our PR today. We’ll fix this.”
“That’s not the only reason I’m not okay.” He stopped and enveloped me into a hug.
“ I know it’s only two weeks. But I’m really going to miss you.”
“I’ll mss you too.” I felt the tears coming and I didn’t even bother trying to hide it, I just let them fall.
Harry brushed them away, the way he always does. “Shh, don’t cry.” He said. But as he did, I swear for a second, he looked a little misty-eyed himself. “Don’t forget about me.” He whispered in my ear, causing goose bumps to arise on the back of my neck just from the closeness.
“I thought it was ‘only two weeks’.” I said, trying to lighten the mood a bit.
“Still…”
“You know it would be impossible for me to forget about you for many reasons. One of them being the fact that you’re on the front page of every magazine.”
“I’m serious though. If anything happens with your parents, or you need to talk-“ He was rambling, trying to fit everything into the last few minute we had. But instead of filling these moments with talk, I just shut him up with a kiss. It most likely lasted a little too long for PDA in the airport, but I tried to justify it to myself which seemed to work pretty well.
“Have a safe flight, call me when you land.” Harry said, still not letting go of my hand until he absolutely had to.
As I walked away, I turned around to see him watching me. I waved and smiled, he did the same.
“I love you” He mouthed, right before I turned back around.

Comments

@notarealhipster Who do you imagine anna as?

@iceskatez

I'm from the US, outside of Philly :)
Where are you from? My side of the pond (United States) or the other one?
I love this story it's my favorite one I've read so far! :)