"Harry, are you ready?" I ask from the bedroom when he gets out of the shower in the bathroom.

"Yeah, give me a minute." He replies.

I pull two out his sweatshirts from the dresser just in case it gets chilly later. We're going to Liam's for a bonfire, just to hang out and catch up with the guys. The first two weeks of school have been a little stressful, so it'll be nice to just relax.

"Alright, I'm ready." He joins me in the room, his hair still wet from the shower.

"Please be nice to your parents when we leave. They're leaving Sunday." I tell him.

His parents are staying here for a few days because one of Harry's aunts just got married, so they came for the wedding. Harry has ignored them for the most part, but I prefer that over him being rude.

"It's about time." He scoffs before taking my hand and leading us both downstairs.

"We're going to Liam's." Harry informs gran and his parents. They're sitting at the table talking and drinking tea.

"Be safe you two."

"We will, gran." I smile and wave to the three of them before we head out.

---

"I've never been to a real bonfire, what do you do!" Eleanor exclaims as we sit around the blazing fire in Liam's back garden.

"Roast marshmallows, tell ghost stories, sing songs." Louis tells his girlfriend and laughs.

"I don't have any marshmallows, sorry mate." Liam tells Louis and he pouts.

"Harry, you should sing." I whisper in his ear and cuddle further into him. He insisted I sit on his lap.

"Hell no." He laughs.

"Come on! You never sing." I pout.

"Because I don't like to in front of people." He admits.

"But you did for me! For me, baby?" I pout my lip and beg him.

He's sang to me once, and occasionally he'll mess around on the guitar I got him for Christmas last year, but nothing serious. He really is an amazing singer, I don't know why he doesn't do it more.

"I don't have my guitar." He states, shrugging his shoulders.

"Excuses, excuses." I shake my head.

"Niall! Do you have your guitar?" I ask am him across the fire.

"Yeah, in my car... Why?"

"Harry wants to sing."

I feel him try to cover my mouth, but he's too late.

"Dammit Aubrey." He squeezes my hips making me squeal.

"Haz! You're still singing?" Louis asks, amused.

"Not really." Harry says embarrassed.

"He's really good." I tell everyone proudly.

"Fine." He groans. I shift to get off his lap, put he wraps his arms around me so I stay in place.

Niall gets his guitar and Harry choses a song they both know. Everyone becomes quiet to listen, and my arms immediately cover with goosebumps when Niall begins playing the guitar and Harry sings.



The tar in the street starts to melt from the heat
And the sweats runnin' down from my hair
I walked 20 miles and I'm dragging my feet
I'll walk 20 more I don't care

I'll wander this world,
wander this world
Wander this world,
wander this world all alone

I'm like a ghost some people can't see
Others drive by and stare
A shadow that drifts on the side of the road
And It's like I'm not even there

And I'll wander this world,
wander this world
Wander this world,
wander this world all alone

Well I've never been part of the game
The life that I live is my own
All that I know is that I was born
To wander this world all alone, all alone

Some people are born with their lives all laid out
And all their success is assured
Some people work hard all their lives for nothin'
They take it and don't say a word
They don't say a word

Sometimes it's like I don't even exist
Even God has lost track of my soul
Why else would he leave me out here like this
To wander this world all alone

And I'll wander this world,
wander this world
Wander this world,
wander this world all alone

"Harry! I didn't know you could sing like that!" Liam says and Zayn agrees.

"I told you he was good." I laugh before kissing him.

"You're hot when you sing." I say against his lips.

"Oh really." He challenges.

"Yes, extremely." I smile.

Harry ends up making us change the subject from his singing. I think it's cute how he gets so embarrassed. He really has no reason to be, his talent is wonderful.

"So how are you liking Cambridge, Aubrey?" Liam asks me.

"I love it! It's so weird having English professors though!"

"I like it it too." Harry jokes because Liam only asked me.

"Wait, you're really going to be a doctor, Aubrey?" Louis asks me.

"I want to, yeah." I tell him.

"Isn't that like super hard?"

"Yeah, it's a lot of school." I laugh. "How's school going for you guys?"

"I'm going to go to the bathroom." Harry says and removes me in his lap. I sit back on the chair after he gets up.

We all end up talking about school and everything else imaginable while the night gets away from us.

"Aubrey, where's Harry?" Liam asks me so no one else can hear.

"I don't know, he said he was going to the bathroom, but it's been like an hour." I laugh.

"Is he okay?" Liam's looks nervous.

"Yeah! Well I mean he seemed fine? Maybe I should go check on him.."

"I can, if you want." He begins to get up.

"No it's fine, I should. You know, he's been acting strange lately."

"How?"

"I don't know.. I mean we're fine, but he's just been acting differently. I wouldn't even know how to explain it to you. Like he's distant, but he's not? Yeah that makes no sense." I laugh.

"I get it, I can tell actually. Like he's hiding something."

"Exactly! But he's not? I mean we talk about everything, I'm with him all of the time, it would be literally impossible for him to hide something from me."

"Maybe it's his parents being here. Don't worry about it, Aubrey." Liam comforts me and I thank him before getting up to go check on him.

When I get inside, I briefly talk to Liam's mom about school and gran before she tells me Harry is in the den watching a football game with Liam's dad.

"Hey Harry," I find him and sit beside him.

"Hey babe." Harry puts an arm around my shoulder.

"Hello Aubrey! Haven't seen you since you visited last! So Liam tells me you've moved here, how're you liking it?" Geoff asks me.

"Yeah, I love it. Cambridge is really great. I'm glad I came." I tell him.

"Liam loves it too. They have an excellent pre med program, I'm sure you love that."

"Yes, it's wonderful. Great professors."

"Hey, can we go? I'm getting tired, it's been a long day." Harry looks at me and I nod.

I'm exhausted too, we both had classes early this morning, so we both need to sleep.

"Well it was nice seeing you, Mr. Payne." I smile and walk out of the house with Harry.


"Are you okay? Why didn't you come back outside?" I ask Harry as we walk up to his car.

"Me and Geoff were just talking." He shrugs.

---

Today has been very rough. My anthropology class was at seven this morning so I had to get up really early. It's Saturday, why did I sign up for a class the meets on a saturday morning! I just wanted to sleep in like Harry got to. Lucky boy.

When I get back to gran's, I immediately hear Harry's dad yelling and Harry's voice adding in every once in awhile.

"Gran, what's going on?" I ask her in the kitchen.

"I really don't know. I woke up and they were fighting." She shrugs and continues to clean the dishes.

"Did Harry do something?" I don't know why Harry doing something is my initial thought, but I have no idea what to think.

"Not that I know of. I'm sorry, I thought they would settle down before you got home." She apologizes.

"It's fine." I assure her. "I'm just going to go get some homework done in my room."

I go up to Harry's room with the intention of starting my essay, but I end up impatiently waiting for Harry to come and explain the argument going on downstairs.

"Harry?" I gasp when he slams the door to his room and sits on the edge of the bed, gripping his hands tightly in his hair.

He lets out a loud, angry groan making me jump.

"Harry, what was that about."

He ignores me and stands up, his eyes are red and his hair is a mess, most likely from his habit of running his hands through it when he's upset.

"Talk to me!" I beg. His silence is killing me.

"It doesn't matter!" He yells and shoves the lamp off the table next to the bed. I jump and rush over him to stop him from breaking anything else.

Notes

all I'm going to say is that next chapter will be intense :)

theories anyone?!


oh, and the song Harry sings is Wander This World by Jonny Lang if you were wondering.