Three Floors Down (W2S)

what a day

four months later:

"Del?" I whisper, my eyes open despite my surroundings being dark.

"Mhmm?" She mumbles back, she facing away from me and towards the door.

"Are you awake?" I whisper in to the darkness.

"No." She chuckles, turning over and moving closer to me.

I run my hand through her hair, it being smooth and having a silky-feel to it. She smiles contently, her eyes landing on mine as the light from the window hits half of her face.

"What's wrong?" She asks.

"I dunno." I meekly reply, watching as she watches me.

"Something's up, tell me." She reaches her hand up and rubs her thumb against my cheek, the connection comforting.

"Do you think I'm a failure?" I whisper, biting my lip.

"Do you think you're a failure?" She asks back.

"I dunno-sometimes." I mumble.

She sighs, sitting up and leaning over, turning on the bedside lamp. She turns back to me and I sit up with her.

"Where are you going?" I ask her, as she gets up and walks towards her desk.

She doesn't reply, but returns with a book and her laptop, she takes a seat back next to me and I push the duvet over her body, she only being clothed in a pair of shorts and one of my t-shirts. She flips open the book and I realise it's a photo album, she flips the pages until she gets to one containing her and I.

"Look," She points to a photo of me grinning, "that's when you reached eight million subscribers."

"I didn't know you took a picture of me." I chuckle.

She points to another photo of me, Freezy, Simon and Josh, "you have friends that love you and care about you."

"Yeah..." I trail off, smiling at the photo.

"This one," She smiles, pointing to a photo of my brother, me and Del when she visited my family, "your family is so lovely and kind."

"Sometimes." I mumble, smiling.

She closes the book, "you're not failing Harry-you're doing so many things and achieving so much, never think that-because no-one else does."

I lean forward and place a delicate kiss on her lips, the smooth skin making my arms tingle slightly.

"Thank you." I whisper, my lips lingering before hers.

"For what?" She whispers back.

"Being you." I mumble, making her smile, as I place another kiss on her lips.

I sigh, leaning against the railing in the elevator as I make my way down to Delilah's flat. I step out of the lift and notice her straight away, she being difficult to miss as she tiredly leans against the wall opposite her door. I furrow my eyebrows in confusion as I walk towards her, she seems to be panting and breathing erratically and as I reach her I feel my eyes widen in horror as she slides down the wall and begins coughing an insane amount. Her hands flurry in panic and I reach her, leaning down and watching as her eyes blink in constant fear. Everything seems to go in slow motion from then on. Calling an ambulance. Watching as she struggles to breathe. Watching as her lips faded in to a blue-ish colour that turned my stomach. Carrying her towards the gurney that the workers had brought up. Feeling as the tears slithered down my skin as I watch her panic. Nothing feels right as the ambulance drives down the street and I am left in the pouring rain. 

I sit with her as the doctor talks to her, her eyes avoiding mine in obvious embarrassment and discomfort. She nods in sync with what the doctor says and as he leaves, he said she is alright to go. She doesn't talk on the way back, her eyes never leaving her lap. As I park the car, she doesn't get out and we sit in silence for about thirty seconds.

"Are you okay?" I mumble.

"Yeah." She mumbles back.

"So, it was an asthma attack?" I ask.

She nods.

"You don't have to be embarrassed." I reach for her hand, it being cold.

"I'm not embarrassed, I-I just don't like hospitals very much." She sadly replies, her voice low and hoarse.

I realise why and watch as she bites her lip, probably holding back the sobs she desperately wants to let out.

"It's okay to cry, y'know? Crying doesn't make you weak." I reply, watching as she nods and tears escape her eyes.

She wipes her eyes but I grab her hands, forcing her to look at me.

"It's okay to be sad Delilah, don't be afraid to cry in front of me-feelings aren't stupid." I watch as she thinks over what I said and finally lets the barriers down.

I quickly get out of the car and walk around, opening her door and pulling her out carefully. She wraps her arms around me, I copy her actions. Her tears sink in to my shirt with such quickness that I soon find the top right-shoulder of my shirt drenched. Her sobs are painful; they sound so desperate and like she has held them in for so long that letting them out is actually a relief to her.

"This is so stupid, I don't even know why I'm crying." She tearfully laughs.

"It's not stupid Del, it's human." I whisper, her eyes meeting mine.

She nods, taking my hand and walking towards the lift. The journey towards her flat is quiet and our hands stay entwined as we enter the cold flat. I watch as she changes, not in a weird way; in a mesmerised state of infatuation. She chooses a pair of black leggings and a hoodie of mine I gave her a few weeks ago. She looks towards me and I open my arms out, she crawls on to the bed and towards me, collapsing in to my arms.

"Do you know what today is?" She whispers.

"No?" I reply, as more of a question.

"It's my mum's birthday." She mumbles.

"Oh." I simply reply, not sure how to.

"It's the first year I've forgotten-and I think that's 'cause you're here, y'know? You take my mind off so much that I think that if you weren't here I'd still be refusing to ask someone in a shop for my size in a t-shirt or would put off meeting new people and would definitely not still have a college placement and wouldn't be as happy as I am right now, you have changed me so much." She snuggles close in to my body as she says her speech, silence consuming the room until I reply.

"You never needed me to do any of that; you did it on your own and if, in some strange turn of events we end up not together, you should know that you are capable of so much Delilah and you can achieve anything you want, you're so clever and funny and talented and are capable of everything, you're the most wonderful person I've ever met." I reply.

"I love you, Harry." She says in hushed tones, her voice winding in to the sound of the wind outside.

"I love you more, Del." I mumble back, placing a kiss on her head.

A/N what a cringey chapter, LOL

sorry, this is a bit of an ew chapter, apologies for that-I'm struggling a little as to where I wanna go with this but I don't think it's gonna be a super long book, I'm not in to them lol

also, apologies for the (seemingly forever) length of time it has taken me to get this chapter out, I have been so incredibly busy and have been deciding on my path for next year, since I leave school and will have to actually work towards my career for real, VERY SCARY STUFF AND I AM CURRENTLY PUTTING IT OFF BY WATCHING CLUELESS AND EATING CUPCAKES

I hope this book isn't declining in, like, goodness? What a terrible way to put in and ANYWAYS, have a great day and yeah, eat some ice cream and watch some YouTube because that's what life is all about:)