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Harry finally drove home after Claire's, put his phone on charge and headed straight for the shower. He didn't know how long he was in there for but the steam from the hot water had become so thick he could barely see how wrinkled his fingertips were becoming.

He stepped out and threw on some warm clothes, chucking his jeans in his hamper and the tattered tank top straight into the bin remembering how he lost one of his good shirts, and for what? He shook his head angrily thinking about how much effort he went through for Claire while she'd been busy digging her knife deeper into his back.

"I was just there as her friend..."

"...it was 2 in the morning and she was hysterical"

"She was upset about how you guys ended things..."

"People do stupid things when they're in love..."

"...actually she agreed it was probably a good idea"

"Dad's going to want me to take over the London branch, so it's sort of a permanent thing..."

"...he's gone Harry, he's not coming back."

"It was a mistake..."

"Who is she?"

"...do you think you'll ever forgive me?"

"I'm really sorry, Harry..."

His brain was in overdrive as he fell onto his couch face first into a pillow and screamed out his frustration. The anger was coming back. He hated thinking about all of this. It was causing him too much stress and pain he didn't want but his brain wouldn't stop.

He never thought of Claire as someone who could cheat. He never expected her to lie to him like this, and that too − with his best friend.

He reluctantly turned his head out of the pillow so he could breathe, ironically thinking to himself that he didn't want to breathe anymore if it meant the pain would go away. He sighed miserably and sat up, reaching for his phone that had finally switched back on. Usually when something was bothering him, the first person he would call was Claire. But he couldn't exactly call her now. The second person he'd usually call if she wasn't available was Liam...

He lowered his phone sadly before deciding to call Louis. However when he unlocked his phone he saw several missed calls, text messages and voicemails on his screen from last night and this morning while his phone was flat.

There were a few from the guys after midnight which was when he stormed out of the party right after punching Liam. Several were from Liam in the morning a few hours before his flight. The guys had also tried texting and calling a couple of times in the morning.

He checked his voicemails.

12:21am
Zayn: "Harry, fuck I'm sorry man. Louis told me what just happened. I don't really know what to say... Just don't do anything stupid until you're sober, alright? Call me when you get this."

12:35am
Niall: "Harry man, where are you? Give us a call, we're worried."

12:49am
Louis: "Hey Harry, call us. We want to make sure you're alright. You had a few before you drove off. I'm leaving the party now, I'll be coming by your place to make sure you got home okay."

6:52am
Liam: "Harry...

Look I'm... I'm sorry for what happened man I..." he sighed. "Just call me as soon as you get this, I don't want to do this over the phone."

8:09am
Liam: "Hey man, I really need to talk to you. Call me back."

9:24am
Liam: "Harry where are you? No one's seen you since last night, Louis said you hadn't been home when he dropped by. I've been waiting outside your door for a couple hours now...please call me back."

10:59am
Liam: "I'm sorry, I know I'm probably the last person you want to talk to right now but I need to speak to you. Please just... get home soon."

11:42am
Liam: "Hey man. In case I don't see you, I just want you to know that I'm really fucking sorry for what happened. I feel like absolute shit about it, I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted to go behind your back like that, I'm sorry Harry. I'm a real fucking c**t, I know." He swallowed.

"I'm uh, about to head to the airport soon. I'm... going back home to help dad with the business and uh... I'll be getting someone to ship the rest of my stuff to London next week. My flight's in a couple hours... I still hope you'll come home before then so I can talk to you.

But if you don't, well I hope you get this message and I hope that maybe someday you can forgive me.

I'm sorry Harry, I really am."

He sighed again before disconnecting.

12:31pm
Louis: "Where the fuck are you man? Please don't be dead in a ditch somewhere. Call me! Jesus."

He texted Louis telling him he was fine and he just got home, explaining his phone was dead and last night was a long story to explain right now. He asked him if he and the guys were free to come over for a bit. Harry needed the distraction so he was relieved when Louis replied instantly saying they would be over shortly.

Harry was glad it was a Saturday and the boys were all free for a guys night in. When they arrived Harry noticed they'd brought enough beer to drown a damn giraffe in. As they entered they all greeted him by complaining how he'd given them a scare by running off like that last night and being unreachable.

Niall and Zayn set the beers in the fridge while Louis stayed by the door with Harry. He gave him a hug and looked at him solemnly, "how are you going?" He asked his friend.

Harry attempted to fake a smile but somehow his lips turned the wrong way and turned into a frown. "Alright..." he lied.

Louis slapped him on the back, "I'm sorry man."

Harry merely nodded in appreciation and they made their way to the couch where Zayn had seated himself with a beer. "So Liam's really gone huh?" Zayn asked, taking off his jacket as the heating in the house made it nice and toasty.

Harry took the single armchair adjacent him with a sigh. "Seems like it." He said tightly.

Niall walked in sipping a beer and handing Harry his own which he took eagerly. "I can't believe he'd leave just like that. Without even saying goodbye properly." His voice was thick with his strong Irish accent.

"How'd you guys find out?" Harry asked.

"He called us this morning, trying to see if we knew where you were. We all tried calling but your phone was still off. He told Louis it was important since he was leaving in a couple hours." Niall explained, sitting down.

Louis looked at Niall's empty hand as he took a seat and furrowed his eyebrows, "oi prick, where's mine?"

"You can get your own beer, your girlfriend's not cheating on you." Niall teased Louis.

"Don't be a twat," Louis bit, snatching Niall's beer from his hand and drinking it. Niall tried to fight for it back but Louis stuck his leg out to try and keep the distance while he quickly sipped more of the beer, spilling a little in the struggle.

Zayn interfered by saying, "bloody hell, Niall just get another fucking beer."

Harry laughed at his friends and the comical commotion they'd caused. Louis smirked with accomplishment and winked at Niall. Niall huffed, "tosser," and left to get himself another beer while the boys all laughed. This is exactly what Harry needed right now; his mates just goofing around and being stupid to distract him from the reminder that there was a painful, gaping hole in his heart.

They hung out together and continued chatting and joking while chugging down their beers. Zayn went into detail about how he finally got in with Natalie after months of begging and convincing. The guys gave him praise knowing how hard he had been trying with her.

As the hours ticked by, more and more beer cans and bottles were drained by the already drunk men. After they'd ordered pizzas, they finished another case of beer. Harry didn't really remember when they had all passed out downstairs but he awoke the next morning from the pounding in his groggy head.

He groaned, scrunching up his face vaguely noticing the feel of something resting on his belly. He squinted his eyes open against the blinding light coming through the windows in the lounge and realised it was Sunday morning. Harry glanced around to see Louis and Niall passed out on their seats before looking down and seeing Zayn sleeping half on him on the three-seater couch.

Harry flicked Zayn's forehead to which Zayn just moaned and rolled over falling off of him and the couch and thudding onto the carpet. His loud groan and fall seemed to wake the others up and the room was filled with hungover cries. Harry wanted to laugh at Zayn but his head hurt too much. He stood up lazily, stumbling on Zayn's foot, ignoring his cry, and went to the bathroom.

When he came back to the room the guys were in the middle of an argument while Niall was stuffing his face with leftover pizza.

Louis stared at Niall with disgust while Zayn went on, "cold pizza is not the best hangover food, are you joking?"

Niall replied with a mouth full of pizza, "ith's fucking amathing, I'm thelling you."

Louis replied while trying to pat down his unruly hair, "you Irish are bloody weird..."

Harry walked in and stood next to the armchair Niall was in, grabbing a cold slice from the box in his lap and taking a bite. He looked at Louis before looking down at Niall, "Brits, am I right?"

Niall laughed and raised his eyebrow at an offended looking Louis. Zayn was just as shocked when he started arguing with Harry saying he was a Brit. Harry merely ignored him saying he was too hungover to continue debating and that he was right and they were wrong. Niall ate his cold pizza with a look of smug satisfaction.

The guys hung around for a few hours and chatted but not as animatedly as last night as they were all still trying to recover from their hangovers. Harry tried not to let his disappointment show when Zayn said he had a date with Nat and Niall was their ride.

He nodded as they got up to head out but Louis stayed on the couch. Niall and Zayn each gave him a tight hug. "Call us if you need anything," Niall said compassionately. He turned to look at Louis, "need a ride?"

"Nah," Louis waved him off.

The boys said bye and Harry was secretly relieved Louis wasn't leaving yet but he turned to make his way to the couch as Louis grabbed something from the kitchen. "You don't need to babysit me you know."

Louis came back with a laugh, "I'll give you a bottle but I'm not changing your diaper." He said and handed Harry a bottle of beer.

He smiled. "You sure you don't have to go? I'll be alright." Harry lied.

"Nah, Eleanor was at her parents this weekend, she won't be back 'til later. I can stay a bit longer." Louis took a seat on the single sofa and gave Harry the 'talk to me' look.

Harry put his beer down with a sigh and laid on the couch looking up at the ceiling, "well Doc, I guess it all started when I was 10 and I got bullied for picking my nose."

"Ha−ha. Come on, Harry."

Harry sat up, shoving his hands through his messy hair before rubbing his face with his elbows on his knees. He left his hands covering his face and a heavy breath escaped him just from the thought of Claire. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know where to start. So he got up to retrieve something in silence before sitting back down and placing the velvet box on the coffee table for Louis to see.

Louis stared at it for a while with a surprised expression. "...is that−"

"Yep." Harry leaned back and slumped into the couch.

Louis looked at him sincerely, "Harry... look man, I love you and all. But I have a girlfriend."

If Harry wasn't so miserable he would've laughed for real but he imitated Louis with sarcasm, "ha−ha."

Louis chuckled and leaned over to pick it up. He opened the box and let out a whoosh of breath seeing the rock up close. He looked at Harry seriously, "talk."

"Mate, I don't know..." He looked to the ceiling not knowing where to start. Harry instead asked Louis, "what did Liam say after I left?"

"Well, we didn't really talking about... what happened. Niall got him some ice for his face and tried to ask what was going on but he didn't say anything. He looked like he felt terrible, that was for sure."

"Because I punched him in the jaw," Harry spat insensitively.

"Liam can take a punch, Harry, you know what I mean. He left pretty much after you did and went home. We waited for Zayn before we left the party. I dropped them home before going to yours. Where were you?"

Harry sighed, "I was on my way to Claire's but I got... held back."

"Held back?" Louis repeated slowly with his eyebrow raised.

"I tried calling her while I was driving to hers but my phone died as soon as she answered. I ended up in fucking Blackbay somehow when my engine also just decided to die on me."

"You're joking. Blackbay? Of all places for your engine to die!"

"I know. God's cruel humour."

"Then what? Did you call−" Louis started but paused when he remembered his phone was flat.

Harry looked at him with a 'that's right' look.

"Cruel." Louis shook his head in disbelief.

"This girl was nearby. She helped me out. Told me what was wrong with the engine. Said I'd need a mechanic. I was so frustrated, I just needed to see Claire. She pointed me to a payphone but when I realised I didn't have any change I got mad..." Harry explained and lifted his bandaged hand to Louis.

"Her place was nearby and she had a first aid so she cleaned me up. She lent me her phone to call Claire. I called her. She started crying as soon as I confronted her about Liam. She tried to tell me it was because she was drunk and the room was dark and she thought he was me."

"You're joking." Louis spat.

"I wish I was." He sighed miserably. "She said she was sorry but I was too angry, I basically told her to fuck off.."

"Sheesh," Louis leaned back, running his hand through his messy hair taking this all in.

"Yeah." Harry let out a breath.

"Then what?"

Harry retold the story he had told Liam in their car ride to the airport, explaining how she helped him see things a little more clearly and gave him some decent advice about his relationship with Claire. He told him how she helped him get his car parts and original car parts from a street gang before she gave him directions to Claire's place.

"I finally got there, knocked, it would've been around 3 or 4 in the morning, I don't even know. She answered the door and I could tell something was up straight away with the look on her face. She didn't seem happy to see me..."

"Well, I mean it was late, she was probably sleeping and was expecting−"

"No that wasn't it. Liam was over."

Louis stared at Harry in shock.

"Yeah." Harry said to Louis' silence. "I stormed in and saw him shirtless in her room. Tried to beat the shit out of him. Apparently dropped the box from my pocket during the fight... the girl came in and pulled me back before I stormed out."

"Wow..." Louis exhaled.

Harry stayed silent, letting him digest. They were quiet for quite some time.

"What was the girl's name?" He asked after a moment.

"She never actually told me." Harry responded. He was unsure whether to tell Louis about the girl. He glanced at his friend nervously but opened his mouth, "I slept with her."

"You slept with a girl whose name you didn't even know? That's..."

"Fucked?" Harry answered for him.

"Well, I was going to say kinky..." Louis grinned.

Harry laughed and it made him feel a little better knowing his mate wasn't judging him for it. "I'm glad you think so."

"Woah." Louis stared at Harry with a smirk covering his surprised face.

"What?" Harry asked in confusion.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" He raised his eyebrow even more confused.

"That little smile and blush." Louis pointed, wagging his finger at Harry's face. "I didn't know Harry Styles blushed!"

He smacked it away, "what? Shut up, I don't blush. You're delusional."

Louis continued to stare at him with a grin, "wow, who is this girl? Was she that good?" He winked.

Harry tried to hold back his grin but when he thought about their sweaty bodies entangled together he couldn't help but smile and turn his face away.

Louis laughed out loud, "oh my god, this girl's done a number on you! I haven't seen you grin and blush over a girl like this since high school."

"I'm not blushing!" He growled, trying to cover his cheeks by swiping his face with his free hand. Louis continued laughing in the back while Harry skulled the rest of his drink just to avoid him.

"So are you going to see her again?" Louis asked after he settled down.

Harry fiddled with the label of his beer, peeling off the edge and shaking his head, "nah, it was just a onetime thing..." Something that had risen in his chest from a moment ago seemed to deflate at his words and he felt his momentarily elevated mood come down.

Louis nodded, "fair."

Harry spoke up after some silence. "I dropped Liam to the airport this morning. He said..." his voice got caught in his throat. He cleared it and continued. "He said he loved her."

When Harry looked up at his friend he was shocked to see that Louis didn't seem taken aback like he had. "You're not surprised?"

Louis glanced at him and shook his head, "honestly, no. I don't know, I mean I'd seen them together and they always seemed very... I'm not sure how to put it," Louis thought. "Close."

It hurt Harry hearing those words. "I'm still shocked that it happened though. It's just not like Liam..."

"Yeah..." Harry said bitterly. "You think you know someone."

Harry and Louis talked for a little longer before Louis got a text from his girlfriend to say she was home. He went to the bathroom and Harry was still planted on the couch when he heard an unfamiliar ringtone sounding from somewhere.

He furrowed his brows and got up, following the sound down his hallway and into the laundry. It was muffled and he listened carefully before digging into his hamper and finding it to be coming from the pocket of his old jeans. He pulled out an old flip phone, realising it belonged to his mystery woman. He must have accidentally pocketed it the other night after borrowing it to call Claire.

The caller ID read: Work. Harry contemplated on whether or not he should answer it. He flipped it open, still considering, but it automatically answered the call. He was about to hang up when he heard a man speaking which Harry assumed was her boss. "Hey Avery I need you to work a double tomorrow and close up, can you do it?"

Avery? He thought. So that was the name of his mystery woman.

"Avery?"

Harry blanked and quickly hung up, not knowing what to do. He was somewhat glad he had answered now since he had learned her name. An unnoticed grin spread his lips when he realised he had an excuse to go and see her.

***

I'm so extremely sorry for the delayed update, just got a lot going on!

Also, I'm mainly working on my original book right now (this is sort of just a side thing I'm doing more for fun) so feel free to check that out - Captive To Captivated.

I update on a weekly basis for that story.

This story however will be on slow/random updates because I don't really know when I'll have the time to update or not so I hope you understand and I'm really really sorry about it :S

Please don't hate me D; ❤