Harry’s POV:
"Alright, that’s it for today. Hit the showers."
Coach had unexpectedly let us out of practice an hour early. Much to my disappointment, Taylor had a dinner to attend with her parents forcing me to spend my evening alone. She had been distancing herself lately, making me wonder if I’d done anything to provoke this kind of behavior. Usually, we rode to and from school together everyday, but for the last week she had insisted she drive herself. At first, I didn’t think much about it assuming that she would possibly be running late a few mornings and didn’t want me to have to wait on her. But then again, she had been acting weird ever since Saturday morning.
I had dropped by to visit for a bit only to be greeted by her overly-excited mother at the door. Taylor’s father seemed just as excited as his wife had while Taylor’s eyes just seemed to sparkle with a new light. I could already tell there was something they weren’t telling me. But as usual, I brushed it off knowing her family had a tendency to overreact to events no matter how important it was.
Steam filled the locker room as the team showered up and got ready to head home for the day. Niall sat on the bench opposite of me smiling down at his phone. My curiosity peaked and I whipped a towel at him to grab his attention.
"What’s with the school-girl smile, Horan?"
His face immediately flushed, stuffing his phone in his bag. “N-nothing.”
Horan was nervous? Well that’s strange. All my life I had known Niall and he was never one to be anything less than a big-headed cocky-ass jock. To see him so flustered about something was rare, and I was reveling in it.
"Why so nervous?"
"Fuck off!" He defended, obviously more flustered than I’d taken into account. My amusement only soared higher as he scrambled to answer his phone, his cheeks flushing to a deeper red.
"If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were interested in a girl- wait, are you?"
"What? N-no, of course not! Relationships aren’t my thing. I’m more of a hump and dump guy, you know that."
I did know that, all too well. I’d seen him break just about every desperate girl’s heart that came across his horny path. But his words didn’t have me convinced, he was definitely interested in someone and I had a gut feeling I knew exactly who it was.
*
"Today you’ll need a partner for this assignment, so go ahead pick your partner."
My eyes immediately traveled over to my girl, who was already making her way towards my desk. She had decided on wearing my favorite skirt that she owned; the short, frilly, green one that accentuated her long legs and made her eyes pop. Her top was cut low, much to my appreciation, showing off her perfect cleavage. A little soccer cleat charm hanging on a silver chain rested in the valley of her breasts, making me smile. It had been a gift from me to her on our one year anniversary back when we were sophomores and she hadn’t taken it off since.
"Missed you this morning."
She smiled, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek, careful for Mr. Cunningham not to see. He was our old geyser of a chemistry teacher and believed that chemistry made the world go ‘round and nothing else mattered. From the first day, he had always kept a skeptical eye out for Taylor and I as if we were going to fuck right there on the lab table— not that I hadn’t fantasized about that, without an audience of course.
"I missed you too." Her small hand brushed through my hair once as she smiled softly at me.
"So I was thinking that this weekend, we could go up to Winthrop and spend the weekend. Catch a game maybe?"
"Um, that sounds great but I’m actually going out of town this weekend."
She hadn’t mentioned that before. How long had she known?
"Oh, where are you going?"
"Nashville."
"To see Tyler?"
She nodded, smiling a bit. Tyler was her older brother who was a student at Vanderbilt. She absolutely adored him and it made me happy to know that she was that close to her brother despite the five-year age difference. He was a great guy, I’d met him on a few occasions when he was in town and taken a liking to him immediately.
"Oh, erm, have fun."
"I was going to see if you wanted to come, if possible."
"Of course."
"Good, because I don’t want to drive to Nashville all by myself."
"Oh, so I’m only your chauffeur?" My voice was oozing with sarcasm.
"Well yes. But I wasn’t going to pay you, well, not with money." Her voice trailed, an eye dropping to a wink, that sultry grin plastered on her face. My heart pounded and I felt myself harden slightly at just the thought of a whole weekend shacked up in a hotel room with her.
"Well we’ll have to go over payment options, I’m sure you understand."
"Of course."
Wink.
*
"So Haley and Niall didn’t end up hooking up at the party.”
That surprised me honestly, as eager as the two looked as they rushed up the stairs the night of the party I was sure that Horan got laid.
"She said it was bad timing."
Typical girl mentality.
"She likes Niall, a lot. Has he said anything about her?"
Taylor was sitting in the passenger seat of my truck as we drove to Nashville. It was one in the morning and we had been driving for only five hours. To both of our surprise, neither of us were even remotely tired.
"I caught him smiling at his phone the other day in the locker room. I figured either he got some tits on snap-chat or he was texting her."
She chuckled, “Well I want to set them up. Maia is on board too. She’s going to see if Ashton can get something out of him too.”
Maia, better known as Taylor’s partner in crime, was well, ditzy to say the least. She was very intelligent, but when it came to common sense, she drew the shortest straw.
"I don’t think anyone can get anything out of him. Just let it happen Tay."
"But they’re my best friends, it has to happen. Do you not know how perfect it’ll be? Me and Haley getting ready for double dates together and then going to prom as a group. Then in college me and Haley will live together and you and Niall will make trips to see us.”
"Haley’s going to Vandy babe, you’re going to Winthrop."
Taylor’s POV:
Shit. I almost blew it.
"Oh yeah, I forgot."
I turned to face away from him to hide my face. I couldn’t believe I almost blew it. Don’t get me wrong, I wanted to tell him, but it wasn’t the right time. I had to get him to love Vandy as much as I did, and then I’d drop the bomb on him.
Vanderbilt University was very special to my family— nearly all the members were alumni. I’d heard story after story about their amazing experiences and how they dreamed for the youngest member to join the Vandy legacy. Soon enough, it became my dream too.
When I got my letter of acceptance, my parents were beside themselves, immediately making arrangements for me and Haley to live in our family condo right in campus square and calling all of my family. That night we went to a celebratory dinner that I wanted desperately for Harry to be at, but then again, I didn’t.
Haley was the only one I told, I mean, she was my best friend and all. She was extremely excited but knew to keep her mouth shut around Harry. I was still so torn about telling him, thinking it was best to just tell him later.
"What are you thinking about?"
Harry’s voice pulled me from my thoughts, his hand gripping my knee slightly. I turned to face him again, offering just a slight smile.
"A bunch of things."
"Like what?" Harry seemed to always want to know what I was thinking, no matter how scary or dangerous my thoughts might be. He was not one to keep his thoughts to himself and didn’t think it was fair if other’s did. It didn’t bother me much, except when I was thinking about stuff I didn’t feel like talking about with him. But he knew when I didn’t want to talk, backing out immediately or changing the subject.
"College."
"Don’t worry babe, I know you’ll love Winthrop as much as I do. We can walk to class together everyday, you’ll come to my games. We’ll hit a few parties here and there. And you’ll crash at my dorm some nights and others I’ll crash at yours. I’m telling you babe, it’ll be perfect."
I felt my heart clench, he really had everything planned out. I felt the need to cry at the thought of breaking his heart and his plans for us. But I managed to keep the tears back and muttered a weak, half-hearted. “Yeah, perfect.”
*
Vanderbilt was still full of life as we pulled into campus square. The bars beginning to become busy as the night-lifers flooded the streets. Despite the nightlife, Vandy still had the peacefulness I’d always loved. If you weren’t up for drinking and partying, there was a quaint little coffee shop just around the corner that stayed open until the early hours of the morning offering an amazing cup of hot chocolate and an open mic for anyone who’d take the chance.
As we pulled into the parking lot, I felt my eyes beginning to droop. My thoughts had exhausted me to the point of falling asleep wherever I ended up. Harry parked the truck and we got out with him carrying our bags. The trip up the stairs seemed to last forever, and I felt like I’d pass out right in the stairwell. Harry still seemed full of energy and I knew what was coming for me.
The condo still looked the same as it always did, decorated to my mother’s preferences. My bedroom was just a little passed my parents and suddenly I was aware that Harry and I were indeed alone for a whole weekend.
It was as if Harry could hear my thoughts as he turned around with a playful smile. I sighed, knowing that he was thinking the same thing I was.
"So, we’ve never christened your bed here, have we?"
I rolled my eyes, chuckling at him a bit as he snaked his arms around my torso. My body went limp as I lost all the strength I had. He laughed, beginning to suck on my neck, a quiet moan crept from my throat.
"H-Harry, I’m too tired."
He continued with my neck, trying to turn me on. I knew his game— he wouldn’t stop until I was puddy in his hands. Which with my state, I already was physically, but mentally and emotionally, I was hard as rock.
"Harry, stop or you’re sleeping on the couch."
"But baby." He whined leveling his face with mine, lip jutting out in a pout.
"No."
He huffed, finally admitting defeat. “Fine, but you owe me.”
*
The next morning I woke up to Harry coming in from a run, dripping with sweat. He kissed my forehead as he passed me to enter the bathroom for a shower. It had been a while since Harry and I slept together without actually sleeping together, and it felt nice, comfortable.
Minutes later, Harry emerged from the steam-filled bathroom freshly showered with a towel loosely wrapped around his waist. I smirked as I looked at the boy that I called mine, no one got to see this but me, and well the guys on the soccer team, but that was different. I got to have him all to myself, I didn’t have to share. He was beautiful, really. The tan he’d gotten during the summer still lingered on his skin faintly, making him look sun kissed. Working out had helped define his muscles, much to my appreciation. His proudest part, his biceps were perfect to hold on to, I found my hands constantly gripping them, loving the feel of them. That shaggy, curly, dark hair that my fingers never failed to tangle themselves in. Those dimples that gave him his boyish charm and made me melt. And those eyes, those jade green eyes that I could get lost in for hours on end, were my favorite. Although looks aren’t everything, they were a plus.
"You’re staring." He smirked, not looking over at me as he shook out his curls before pushing them away from his forehead.
"I’m gazing." I said dreamily, my grin growing as his dimples indented his cheeks.
"It’s creepy."
I scoffed, “It’s romantic.”
Harry chuckled, walking to the bed where I sat to take me into his arms and tackle me further into the bed. He laid on top of me, peppering playful kisses to my face, jaw, and neck. My giggles filled the room as I tried to escape causing his grip to tighten. My legs wrapped around his waist and my arms around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck tugging slightly to lift his face to mine. Before I knew it, his lips were molding to mine. Sparks were flying just like always.
In the four years we’d been together, there was never a kiss we shared that I didn’t feel those same fireworks. Whenever Harry and I kissed, no matter if we’d been fighting or if it was just a innocent peck in the hallway at school, they were still there. Then came the butterflies that never failed to erupt in my stomach whenever I saw him, touched him, kissed him, or even heard his name. It’s the kind of thing you hear about in movies, the kind of love everyone talks about wanting to have. Much to my luck, I had it with Harry.
"I love you Bug."
I smiled at the nickname he’d given me the first time he’d met my family. He’d heard my grandmother call me ‘Taybug’, and from then on, to him, I was Bug. Usually, people thought it was kind of degrading for my boyfriend to call me something that people normally despise and destroy with their shoe, but to me it was just as nice as any other nickname he could give me.
"I love you too."
"So are we going to go see Tyler now? I’m sure they’ve got everything set up for tailgating."
"Yeah. I don’t know what to wear though."
"Well, you know I would say nothing, but since there’s going to be a multitude of older frat boys, I’m going to go with a turtle neck sweater and sweatpants." He added with a smirk.
I rolled my eyes at his usual over-protectiveness, “First of all, it’s September. Second of all, you can’t control me, I might want to leave you for a older frat boy.”
His eyebrow quirked and a smirk formed on his lips. “Oh really? Is that so?”
I nodded, challenging him. With that, his lips began on my neck again. This time, a little more rough than before, nipping at the skin. I knew what he was doing, he was leaving his mark on me, more like his claim on me. I moaned, reveling in his touch and roughness of his lips. I already knew I’d get hell from Tyler for this, but right now, I was kind of enjoying it.
When Harry had determined I was marked up enough, his tongue ghosted over the now raw spot, making me wince slightly. His soft lips left lingering kisses around the sore before making his way back up to my mouth, molding his lips to mine one last time.
"You’re mine."
*
We finally made it to the quad after Harry had dragged me into the shower with him for a quickie before we got dressed. My brother spotted us immediately, walking up to welcome us as well as his girlfriend Jessica, who, as always, had a bright smile plastered on her pretty face.
"Hey Squirt." I stood on my tiptoes to wrap my arms around his neck,his wrapping around my waist, lifting me slightly. It had been a while since I’d seen him. Much to my disappointment, he’d cut his summer at home short when he and Jess decided to go backpack through Europe. But, I liked Jess a lot, so I learned to get over it.
"Hey bub. Hey Jess. How are you?" She immediately enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug.
"I’m good babe! How are you?"
"I’m great actually." I noted looking up at Harry, who was already smiling at me.
“What the fuck is that?”
Tyler pointed to my neck where Harry’s lips and teeth had been just two hours before, my hand instantly flying up to hide the dark mark that I’d tried desperately to cover up with concealer.
“It’s um, I burnt my neck with my curling iron.”
Tyler chuckled, unamused. “I’m not stupid little sis, I know what it is. I just wanted to hear you say it before I killed your boyfriend.”
He was merely joking, I knew he was. Harry could never do anything that Tyler didn’t like, well that is, unless he broke my heart, then all hell would break loose.
*
"So, there’s something I need to tell you guys, but you have to swear on your lives that you won’t tell Harry okay?"
Tyler and Jess looked at me with anticipation, practically falling out of their shared seat as they leaned forward awaiting my confession. My heart was pounding with excitement to tell them the great news, but I contained it quite well for Harry’s sake, not wanting him to gain suspicion.
I took a deep breath before saying, “I got into Vandy.”
My voice was barely above a whisper as I told them, I wasn’t even sure that they’d heard me. As I looked up at them, their wide smiles were the only confirmation I needed to know that they’d heard me loud and clear.
"Oh my god! Congratulations! You’re parents must be thrilled!" Jessica shouted a little too loudly, making Harry turn his head in our direction before turning back to his conversation with some frat boy.
"Shh! Harry doesn’t know!"
Tyler frowned, “Why doesn’t he know?”
"Because he has been planning for us to go to Winthrop together since sophomore year. He’s got everything planned out right down to date nights. I can’t bear to break his heart yet."
"You know you’re going to have to tell him sooner or later, right?"
"I know, but not right now. I have to get him to love it here. To see how much I love it and then maybe he’ll be a little more accepting."
"Have you told anyone else besides us and mom and dad?" Tyler asked, taking a sip of his Bud.
"I told Haley, because she’s coming here too."
"Well I’m proud of you Squirt."
"Thanks bub."
*
"Are you going to want to go into the game? Or do you want to stay out here and watch it on the TV?"
Harry was sitting in a lawn chair, I was in his lap sipping on my Mike’s Hard lemonade and playing with the curls at the nape of his neck.
"I’d rather skip the game and wonder campus, it’s been awhile since I’ve been here. I want to see if anything’s changed."
"Well, you want to go now? Everyone’s getting ready to head into the game."
I smiled, “Yeah, let’s go.”
As we walked through the quad and through the endless tents of tailgaters, he held my hand, our fingers laced between each other’s. Everything so far looked exactly the same as I remembered. Everything was beautiful. The once green trees were beginning to turn shades of orange and gold, the fall just beginning to make it’s way onto campus.
"I was thinking about Freshman year last night, how everything was so new and different. Ya know? Like we were little rookies and the upper class-men were vets. Now look at us, we’re the vets. It’s our senior year. I can’t believe how fast four years has passed."
I leaned into him, holding his hand in both of mine, resting my head on his arm. “I know, it’s crazy. But just think, we’ve lasted just as long. I think that’s a big accomplishment.”
He chuckled, “Me having to put up with you and your hard head for four years, yes that is a big accomplishment.”
I scoffed, rolling my eyes at his remark. “Yeah, yeah, yeah, you know you love me.”
“That, I do.” He smiled, kissing my temple as we continued to walk. “Do you remember the first party we went to together?”
“You mean the one where Ashton got so drunk and pissed Maia off so badly? Or the one where Haley shoved her tongue down Louis’ throat?” I laughed at the hysterical memories of my crazy friends, I would miss it all once we graduated. Sure we’d see each other when we came home for breaks, but how could you go from seeing each other everyday to seeing them rarely?
“Didn’t both happen at the same party?”
“All I remember is that’s the night that we hooked up in Haley’s bedroom. Still, to this day, she has no idea.”
“Are you serious?”
“Dead serious.”
Our laughter filled the quiet air before a comfortable silence engulfed us both. “Harry, do you like it here? I mean could you see yourself coming back for a visit?”
“It’s beautiful here, yeah. And of course we’ll come for a few games and to see Tyler.”
That wasn’t really the answer I was looking for. I needed him to love everything Vandy offered and had. I mean, if Vandy had me, he’d love it…Right?
*
“Ty, I don’t know what to do. I mean, do I tell Harry now, or just wait? It’s all so confusing. I want to be excited but I know I can’t around him yet, and I’m with him all of the time.”
Tyler and I sat by the small fire pit on the pool deck of the complex, wrapped in light blankets as the September air started to chill. Tyler leaned up in his pool chair, taking a sip of his water and looking at me thoughtfully and almost sympathetically.
“He deserves to know as soon as possible Tay. You can’t just wait until moving day and say ‘Surprise, I’m not going with you! I’m going out on my own to start my life!’ You may not think the time is right now, but soon it will be and you are going to have to tell him or let him know somehow.”
“I know, I just don’t want to break his heart because that will kill me. It’s killing me now Ty.”
“I know it is, but like I said, he deserves to know. If Jess got an offer to go to a school that would only benefit her, then I’d want to know and I’d be completely supportive of her if she wanted to take it. I’m sure Harry would be the same way.”
“I don’t know. The thing with Harry is that he doesn’t understand how much this means to me and our family. He doesn’t realize how absolutely in love I am with this place. I’ve tried to ease him into it but it doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Tay, did you even tell him you applied?”
I went silent, knowing I was probably going to get hell for this too. Tyler seemed to be taking Harry’s side in this whole ordeal, even though it was a one-sided battle with myself.
“How could you not tell him? I thought you told each other everything!”
“We do and I was going to but then I got accepted into Winthrop the same day and he was so excited, I couldn’t bear to even mention it.”
“Tay, I know you think you’re protecting Harry, but you’re really not. You’re only digging yourself in a deeper hole.”
His words stumped me, he was right. Tyler always knew what to say when, no matter how badly you didn’t want to hear it, he’d say it anyways. I’d always admired him for it, wanting to somehow develop his sense of bluntness but sadly failing. Throughout my life I’d managed to keep a multitude of things from a lot of people—my parents included. Like my three tattoos that I’d gotten on Spring Break, or the fact that I’d gotten a speeding ticket that I’d thankfully cried my way out of. As much as I wanted to be, I wasn’t an open book like Tyler.
“Why does life have to be so complicated?” My head dropped to his shoulder, his laugh making his chest vibrate. He kissed my head and rubbed my back comfortingly.
“I don’t know Squirt, but it is what it is.”

Notes

So this is chapter two! It took me FOREVER to write, but alas, here it is! I hope you guys like it!
I have so much in store for this story and I’m so excited to share it with you all! If you have any questions or would like the possibility of gaining an exclusive, please message/ask me! I would love to answer any question you might have pertaining to EHC!
So far this story has gotten amazing feedback from you guys, and for that, I am so thankful that you’ve stuck with me and put up with me and my unpredictableness (is that even a word?) thus far! Your kind words mean so much to me, so thank you!
Chapter three is going to be BIG, so stay tuned. xoxo