Fists and Knives (A Harry Styles Fanfiction)

Chapter 12

Liam was a talker, almost like his father, but worse.  Don’t get me wrong – he was a sweetheart.  I would just rather have dealt with his sweet personality when I wasn’t having a mid-life crisis.  Clark cheating on me was nothing I hadn’t known about before today, but seeing that strange girl riding him hit me like a knife in my gut.  It was like a part of my mind wasn’t believing it until I saw it.  I also couldn’t believe that I was on my way to Harry’s again, but it’s not like I had anywhere else to go.  Maybe I could just sneak in past everyone and hide away in my room.

If only my plan had worked.  When Liam and I pulled up into the driveway, three additional cars were parked beside Louis’.

“Who is here?” I asked quickly, glancing around at the large windows of the house.  No one was walking through the house that I could see. 

“I’m not sure,” Liam said, jumping energetically out of his side and grabbing my bags from the trunk.

“Kennedy!” Louis called from the front door as I stepped out of my seat. He rushed to me and hugged me. “Harry told me all that happened.  I'm so sorry.  I'm so glad you're back.”

My eyes widened. “He told you what happened?”

Louis nodded and put his arm around me.  “He doesn’t really mean it when he says things like that.”

I hesitated.

“He’s just super critical of everything, I swear,” Louis continued. “I told you before, you’re lucky he even touches the plates that your food is on.”

So Harry lied to his best friend.  He must have told Louis that I left because of a harsh comment on more of my food.  Sneaky, little-

“Liam, thanks for getting Kennedy!”

Liam grinned at Louis and pulled at the bottom of his suit jacket. “No problem, mate.  She’s a swell girl.”

“We love her around here,” Louis laughed, kissing me on my forehead.  “Come inside,” he told Liam. “Come hang out with us.”

Liam’s eyes lit up and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets. “Really?”

“Yeah!” Louis said, putting his arm around me and leading me into the house.  "We'd love to talk with you."

Liam grinned and followed.

Louis and Liam dropped my bags by the front door.  When we stepped into the living room, the fourth wall (what I just called “the glass door”) was completely open to the backyard.  Near the pool, a small bar had been set up with drink bottles of all different shapes and colors scattered across it.  I heard laughter and multiple voices coming from the grass where white wicker chairs had been placed in a circle around a small fireplace.  The fireplace was lit despite the sun being out.  It was early in the afternoon still, so the fire seemed stupid to me, but I didn’t complain.  When I could finally see all of the people sitting in the yard, I recognized the blonde from the fight (Niall Horton?), Arnold, Harry (who had his hands and lips all over me not even an hour ago), and a dark figure standing at the back of the yard.  It took me a few moments to realize that he was the door man from the fight a few nights ago.  He stood with his body rigid, smoking a cigarette and admiring the hedges, although his eyes would occasionally flicker to the group like he thought one of us was about to attack him.  Finally, I spotted a tan, leggy woman across the yard from all of us, speaking harshly into a phone and pacing back and forth. She was struggling to keep her black stilettos from sinking into the grass and spazzed out when a leaf fell from a tree in front of her face.

“Kennedy, thank heavens,” Arnold said, standing from his chair, reaching his arms around the fire, and pulling me to him for a hug.  It was an uncomfortable embrace, especially as my hair dangled over the fire.  Over Arnold’s shoulder, Harry’s eyes flicked to my face and away again before he took a drink from his small glass.