Friend Zoning Harry Styles

can i come home?

---Harry's POV---

"I think it's best if I go back." Her eyes had grown watery. Bright brown eyes now twinkling from the tears that formed at the corners. Biting her bottom lip, I knew she was using every strength in her body to keep from falling into pieces.... as was I. She wrapped her arms around my torso. Her hair smelled of fresh coconut from her shampoo. A lump formed in my throat. The thought of the one woman I have fallen in love with... in the arms of the same monster that had bruised both her body and soul.... it crushed me into millions of pieces. 

If she went back to Brandon, all the fighting I had done for her, all the words I sweetly whispered into her ear, all the love we had exchanged... it would all have been for nothing. I would never be able to hold her again, never be able to tell her exactly how she made me feel. How her smile brought warmth to my heart. How her laugh assured me that I was doing something right. How her kiss made me feel like I was this amazing guy that deserved the world. She did that for me... and her going back to Brandon would deteriorate any happiness that I had built in the past few months. 

I couldn't hold her anymore without knowing the truth... I couldn't keep her in my arms until I knew she wasn't going back to the monster that had almost destroyed her. Looking into her eyes, I searched for the truth. Her glossy eyes exposed no truth. I had to ask. My eyes began to water, afraid that her answer might be the exact one I had guessed... that she was going back to Brandon. 

"To him?" My throat tightened, making the words hard to escape.  

She began to shake her head. No... she was not going back to him. Relief flooded over me. My eyes tearing up more than before, now that I knew she still loved me. Eyebrows furrowing, confusion blanketed my face. Her pink lips spread into a light smile. 

"To my family." 

My eyes widened... she was going back to America. The other side of the world would soon house the love of my life. My heart felt as though it disconnected from my body entirely and dropped to the floor.

"W-What?" my voice coming out as a whisper. Hurt and sorrow masking over any other emotion possible. "Y-you're leaving?"

I knew the past two weeks had been Hell for her... but I didn't think she would leave London entirely. I thought this was her home now... I thought I was her home. The thought of never seeing her again caused my heart to ache. I had just won her heart and made her mine... now she was leaving and dropping everything we had worked so hard to build.

Her hands gently cupped my face, her skin smooth against mine. She scanned my expression. She could easily tell that I was upset by the idea of her leaving London and going back to America. I didn't want to seem selfish... but I wanted her here with me. I wanted to come home everyday and see her there. I wanted to wake up every morning, with her sleeping by my side. Seeing her there, laying in bed beside me. I wanted to go to bed every night, her wrapped around my arms securely. I didn't want her on the opposite side of the world.

"Don't leave me." I whispered, my eyes closed. I exhaled. Her hands continued to cup my face. Despite the situation occuring, the contact comforted me.  

Her next move surprised me. I stood there, infront of her. Eyes closed tightly, afraid of opening them and letting the tears fall out. I suddenly felt soft lips gently touch mine. The gesture was both surprising... yet calming. 

"I'm not leaving you Harry." my eyes shot open at her words. I didn't understand. Her smile was soft, but assuring. Everything was okay, everything IS okay. "When we were friends... I admit, I wanted to be more. I wanted to be everything.... your everything. I was so torn between two different worlds. The one I had been in... with Brandon, where I was unappreciated, treated like dirt, and never loved... but it was familiar, something I had grown to accept about my life. Then I met you Harry. You showed me to love myself. You showed me that I am beautiful and that I deserved to be loved back. You came around and opened my eyes to this whole new world where I was much more than what I was lead to believe. You are my rock Harry. My support." Her eyes were tearing up. The brown irises that surrounded her pupils had began to twinkle again. Her quivering lip was clasped gently between her teeth. She was crying, but this time, I knew it was from happiness.