You Make it Real {A Harry Styles Fan Fiction}
Chapter 62
HARRY’S P.O.V.
As soon as Piper ran down the hallway and I realized she wasn’t stopping, I picked Andy up and grabbed my wallet before walking down the hall and knocking loudly on Liam’s door. After a few echoing slams against the door, he finally swung it open, eyes squinting because of the lights in the hall.
“What the-“
“Liam, I’m so sorry, but can you please watch Andy? There’s a bunch of food in our room. Here’s the key. Piper ran off after the room service attendant and I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
Liam nodded, still half asleep and entirely unaware of what was going on. I handed him our room key and my daughter who was staring at me in confusion and sadness.
“Be good for Uncle Liam, okay?”
She nodded and started to tear up so I kissed her forehead and ran off down the hallway, searching for my girlfriend.
PIPER’S P.O.V.
“I can explain, Piper. I really can. I shouldn’t, though.”
I stepped back and took another good look at Matthew. How the hell was he alive? I saw him die over a year ago.
“I don’t- I don’t understand. Is this some sort of sick joke? Are you like... his twin or something?”
I didn’t know what to think, much less what to say. I still felt like it was all a dream. Everything happened so fast.
“Can we sit down? I’ll tell you as much as I can. You just look like you might pass out.”
I took a deep breath and fought back the tears that were impossible to stop. I sat on the edge of the bottom step and held my knees close to my chest, unable to take my eyes off of the ghost of a man beside me.
“Please, just make sense of all of this.”
I gazed into his eyes and tried to find something, anything, that would prove him a fake. He had the same glimmer in his eye, though, that I remembered so clearly. I always scared myself into thinking I forgot what he really looked like, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He just exudes familiarity in his every movement.
“Piper, what you saw that night. It was a set up. It was all fake: the murderer, the eyewitness,
the blood. It was all to protect you. Well, you and everyone close to me.”
I felt my body begin to shake as his words rang through my ears. I couldn’t tell exactly how I felt, but I was definitely confused.
“What are you talking about? Please don’t try to sugar coat this, Matt. I need to know the truth. I spent too much time trying to be a human being again after you- well, after I thought you died. Those were the worst months of my life. My first inclination right now is to be angry, so please give me a reason to feel differently.”
He sighed and started to fiddle with his fingers.
“Two years ago, I started getting mixed up with some people that I shouldn’t have. I wanted easy money and I was just... stupid. I can’t give you details, but I ended up putting everyone in danger and if I tell you too much, I’m just defeating the entire purpose of faking my death. God, I didn’t want you to find out. You were never supposed to know, Piper. When I saw that your boyfriend was staying here, I tried to ask off of work, but they wouldn’t let me. I didn’t want to risk you being here and seeing me. Fuck-“
“Stop rambling. I’m so confused. Matt, we were so happy. Everything was going so well and you’re trying to tell me that the entire time you were living a double life? Why? Why did you need money?”
He sighed and I finally noticed the red surrounding his golden-brown irises as his hands shook, resting on his knees.
“I was trying to make a life for us. For you.”
He looked like he was going to continue speaking. He appeared to have more to say, but he just sat there with his mouth gaping and tears beginning to stream. I clasped my hand over my mouth in disbelief and tried to grasp the meaning of what he was telling me as I cried silently.
“Then tell me why you left. Why couldn’t you just stop it all, whatever it was? I don’t even care. I mean, I want to know, but I guess if you aren’t gong to tell me...” I ran my fingers through my scalp and tugged harshly. “I don’t even know what to say or ask, Matt. There are so many different things running through my head right now.”
He rested his hand on my knee and it felt comfortable. It felt like home, but at the same time it felt wrong.
“Piper, I’m sorry.” I shook my head violently and watched the tears fall onto the back of his hand. “No, look at me.”
I followed his instruction and my tired, sopping eyes met his glazed ones as he continued to speak.
“I’m sorry for everything,” the pain in his expression forced more sobs and I looked away, but he gently held my chin in his jittery fingers, “I can never repay you for what I did and you need to know that it was the only way I could be sure to keep you safe. Otherwise, I would have never left.”
I sniffed and continued to cry, no longer trying to hide myself from him. With everything out in the open, I didn’t feel the need to appear composed in any manner. I fell into him and buried my face in his chest as he held me weakly in his arms.
“I never thought I’d see you again. I spent so much time mourning you and feeling like I would never be happy again... until-“
“Until Harry?”
I nodded and he softly ran his fingers through my messy hair, trying to calm me.
“I know, Pie. It’s okay. I’m glad he makes you happy.”
The nickname felt like a ton of bricks being dropped on my heart. I hadn’t heard it in so long and coming from his lips, it sounded instinctive and sincere.
“I prepared myself for you being with someone else. I never thought I would have to witness it,
but of course you ended up with a super-celebrity. I’ve been keeping up with it all since those pictures surfaced of you guys at Disney. There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t think it would be advantageous for either of us.”
He sounded sad and for a second, I felt sorry for my relationship with Harry. I couldn’t though; I deserved to be happy, no matter how messed up it all was, and Harry brought something unknown into my life that I never knew existed. We had already been through just as much as Matt and I had in our years together; perhaps more. The mixture of resentment and sorrow overtook all emotion I possessed and pushed aside the thought that if none of this happened, I wouldn’t have Harry.
“I’ve missed you every day, Matt. Every god-damn day. I don’t know how to feel right now and I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I should be happy or furious. You made me believe you were fucking dead and although I believe every word you’re saying, I can’t help but to feel betrayed. Why couldn’t you have told me? We could have left together and lived the life we always wanted-“
“I could never do that to your family. You need your parents, and Cory needs you. There was no way I could put my problems on everyone like that.”
“You did, though!” I was surprised by my boisterousness and the anger leaving my body. I was letting it all go; all of the pain I kept mostly hidden for the past year. “You didn’t consider how you affected all of the people you thought you were saving. I would have rather died than imagine a life without you and dying seemed like the best choice in the beginning. I suppose I don’t know the full story, but you didn’t give us enough credit. Think of all the people who loved you- who love you. We’ve been hanging onto memories of you when we could have been making new ones!”
It was his turn to let his emotions go and I couldn’t decide if I had ever seen him so sad. I had seen him cry a handful of times, but nothing like this.
“I know, okay? I know I fucked it all up! I wish I wasn’t such an idiot, but don’t you think I’ve been telling myself the same things this entire time? I’ve been all alone since that night, Piper. I’ve had no one familiar and no one I can rely on. It’s me against the world, and it’s been hell. I wish with everything I have that I could go back and change it, but I can’t and-“
His words were cut short by the echoing of a door on the floor below us. We sat still and quiet, imagining it was a guest walking down to the lobby. However, the footsteps and panting grew closer and we both stood up as Harry landed on the platform in front of us. He looked between us and most likely saw the tears and sadness on both of our faces.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
He spoke between ragged breaths and leaned against the hand-rail as he examined Matthew over and over. Neither of us spoke, but I stood at Harry’s side, holding his free hand tightly in mine and wondering how to explain it to him when I hardly understood it myself. Before I could decide on a practical method, Matthew extended a still-unstable hand to Harry.
“I’m Matthew. It’s- uh, nice to meet you.”
Harry’s head shot over to face me and I nodded in confirmation, wiping some tears away from my cheeks.
“Matthew? Wait, the same Matthew that-“
“Died? Yeah, that’s me.”
Matt continued to hold his hand out awkwardly and Harry reluctantly took it, looking back at Matthew and again at me as he shook his hand feebly.
“I’m very lost.”
I squeezed his arm reassuringly as he finally caught his breath. He must have ran around the entire resort.
“I still am, too. Is there anyway we can all talk... Privately?”
Harry nodded, confusion still flooding his facade, and Matt followed suit as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“You can come up to our room in a half hour,” Harry faced me again after giving Matthew
permission, “we need to ask someone to look after Andy, eh?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
After a few awkward moments, Matthew gave me a weak smile and made a final promise to see us in thirty minutes. Harry and I walked in uneasy silence up the stairs to the floor we were staying on. Before we made it through the door to the hallway, he took my hands in his and
stared intently at me.
“Just promise me something, Piper.”
“Of course; what is it?”
He looked at the ground and repositioned his feet nervously before speaking shyly.
“Don’t leave me for him, okay? I know he’s familiar and you love him, but I can’t lose you.
Maybe that’s selfish, but-“
I couldn’t listen to it anymore. I lifted onto my toes and stopped his murmuring with my lips harsh against his. In that moment, I had no intention of leaving Harry for Matthew, but I also didn’t possess the strength to make that promise aloud.
As soon as Piper ran down the hallway and I realized she wasn’t stopping, I picked Andy up and grabbed my wallet before walking down the hall and knocking loudly on Liam’s door. After a few echoing slams against the door, he finally swung it open, eyes squinting because of the lights in the hall.
“What the-“
“Liam, I’m so sorry, but can you please watch Andy? There’s a bunch of food in our room. Here’s the key. Piper ran off after the room service attendant and I don’t know what the hell is going on.”
Liam nodded, still half asleep and entirely unaware of what was going on. I handed him our room key and my daughter who was staring at me in confusion and sadness.
“Be good for Uncle Liam, okay?”
She nodded and started to tear up so I kissed her forehead and ran off down the hallway, searching for my girlfriend.
PIPER’S P.O.V.
“I can explain, Piper. I really can. I shouldn’t, though.”
I stepped back and took another good look at Matthew. How the hell was he alive? I saw him die over a year ago.
“I don’t- I don’t understand. Is this some sort of sick joke? Are you like... his twin or something?”
I didn’t know what to think, much less what to say. I still felt like it was all a dream. Everything happened so fast.
“Can we sit down? I’ll tell you as much as I can. You just look like you might pass out.”
I took a deep breath and fought back the tears that were impossible to stop. I sat on the edge of the bottom step and held my knees close to my chest, unable to take my eyes off of the ghost of a man beside me.
“Please, just make sense of all of this.”
I gazed into his eyes and tried to find something, anything, that would prove him a fake. He had the same glimmer in his eye, though, that I remembered so clearly. I always scared myself into thinking I forgot what he really looked like, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. He just exudes familiarity in his every movement.
“Piper, what you saw that night. It was a set up. It was all fake: the murderer, the eyewitness,
the blood. It was all to protect you. Well, you and everyone close to me.”
I felt my body begin to shake as his words rang through my ears. I couldn’t tell exactly how I felt, but I was definitely confused.
“What are you talking about? Please don’t try to sugar coat this, Matt. I need to know the truth. I spent too much time trying to be a human being again after you- well, after I thought you died. Those were the worst months of my life. My first inclination right now is to be angry, so please give me a reason to feel differently.”
He sighed and started to fiddle with his fingers.
“Two years ago, I started getting mixed up with some people that I shouldn’t have. I wanted easy money and I was just... stupid. I can’t give you details, but I ended up putting everyone in danger and if I tell you too much, I’m just defeating the entire purpose of faking my death. God, I didn’t want you to find out. You were never supposed to know, Piper. When I saw that your boyfriend was staying here, I tried to ask off of work, but they wouldn’t let me. I didn’t want to risk you being here and seeing me. Fuck-“
“Stop rambling. I’m so confused. Matt, we were so happy. Everything was going so well and you’re trying to tell me that the entire time you were living a double life? Why? Why did you need money?”
He sighed and I finally noticed the red surrounding his golden-brown irises as his hands shook, resting on his knees.
“I was trying to make a life for us. For you.”
He looked like he was going to continue speaking. He appeared to have more to say, but he just sat there with his mouth gaping and tears beginning to stream. I clasped my hand over my mouth in disbelief and tried to grasp the meaning of what he was telling me as I cried silently.
“Then tell me why you left. Why couldn’t you just stop it all, whatever it was? I don’t even care. I mean, I want to know, but I guess if you aren’t gong to tell me...” I ran my fingers through my scalp and tugged harshly. “I don’t even know what to say or ask, Matt. There are so many different things running through my head right now.”
He rested his hand on my knee and it felt comfortable. It felt like home, but at the same time it felt wrong.
“Piper, I’m sorry.” I shook my head violently and watched the tears fall onto the back of his hand. “No, look at me.”
I followed his instruction and my tired, sopping eyes met his glazed ones as he continued to speak.
“I’m sorry for everything,” the pain in his expression forced more sobs and I looked away, but he gently held my chin in his jittery fingers, “I can never repay you for what I did and you need to know that it was the only way I could be sure to keep you safe. Otherwise, I would have never left.”
I sniffed and continued to cry, no longer trying to hide myself from him. With everything out in the open, I didn’t feel the need to appear composed in any manner. I fell into him and buried my face in his chest as he held me weakly in his arms.
“I never thought I’d see you again. I spent so much time mourning you and feeling like I would never be happy again... until-“
“Until Harry?”
I nodded and he softly ran his fingers through my messy hair, trying to calm me.
“I know, Pie. It’s okay. I’m glad he makes you happy.”
The nickname felt like a ton of bricks being dropped on my heart. I hadn’t heard it in so long and coming from his lips, it sounded instinctive and sincere.
“I prepared myself for you being with someone else. I never thought I would have to witness it,
but of course you ended up with a super-celebrity. I’ve been keeping up with it all since those pictures surfaced of you guys at Disney. There’s so much I want to say, but I don’t think it would be advantageous for either of us.”
He sounded sad and for a second, I felt sorry for my relationship with Harry. I couldn’t though; I deserved to be happy, no matter how messed up it all was, and Harry brought something unknown into my life that I never knew existed. We had already been through just as much as Matt and I had in our years together; perhaps more. The mixture of resentment and sorrow overtook all emotion I possessed and pushed aside the thought that if none of this happened, I wouldn’t have Harry.
“I’ve missed you every day, Matt. Every god-damn day. I don’t know how to feel right now and I don’t know what to say. I don’t know if I should be happy or furious. You made me believe you were fucking dead and although I believe every word you’re saying, I can’t help but to feel betrayed. Why couldn’t you have told me? We could have left together and lived the life we always wanted-“
“I could never do that to your family. You need your parents, and Cory needs you. There was no way I could put my problems on everyone like that.”
“You did, though!” I was surprised by my boisterousness and the anger leaving my body. I was letting it all go; all of the pain I kept mostly hidden for the past year. “You didn’t consider how you affected all of the people you thought you were saving. I would have rather died than imagine a life without you and dying seemed like the best choice in the beginning. I suppose I don’t know the full story, but you didn’t give us enough credit. Think of all the people who loved you- who love you. We’ve been hanging onto memories of you when we could have been making new ones!”
It was his turn to let his emotions go and I couldn’t decide if I had ever seen him so sad. I had seen him cry a handful of times, but nothing like this.
“I know, okay? I know I fucked it all up! I wish I wasn’t such an idiot, but don’t you think I’ve been telling myself the same things this entire time? I’ve been all alone since that night, Piper. I’ve had no one familiar and no one I can rely on. It’s me against the world, and it’s been hell. I wish with everything I have that I could go back and change it, but I can’t and-“
His words were cut short by the echoing of a door on the floor below us. We sat still and quiet, imagining it was a guest walking down to the lobby. However, the footsteps and panting grew closer and we both stood up as Harry landed on the platform in front of us. He looked between us and most likely saw the tears and sadness on both of our faces.
“Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
He spoke between ragged breaths and leaned against the hand-rail as he examined Matthew over and over. Neither of us spoke, but I stood at Harry’s side, holding his free hand tightly in mine and wondering how to explain it to him when I hardly understood it myself. Before I could decide on a practical method, Matthew extended a still-unstable hand to Harry.
“I’m Matthew. It’s- uh, nice to meet you.”
Harry’s head shot over to face me and I nodded in confirmation, wiping some tears away from my cheeks.
“Matthew? Wait, the same Matthew that-“
“Died? Yeah, that’s me.”
Matt continued to hold his hand out awkwardly and Harry reluctantly took it, looking back at Matthew and again at me as he shook his hand feebly.
“I’m very lost.”
I squeezed his arm reassuringly as he finally caught his breath. He must have ran around the entire resort.
“I still am, too. Is there anyway we can all talk... Privately?”
Harry nodded, confusion still flooding his facade, and Matt followed suit as he stuffed his hands in his pockets.
“You can come up to our room in a half hour,” Harry faced me again after giving Matthew
permission, “we need to ask someone to look after Andy, eh?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.”
After a few awkward moments, Matthew gave me a weak smile and made a final promise to see us in thirty minutes. Harry and I walked in uneasy silence up the stairs to the floor we were staying on. Before we made it through the door to the hallway, he took my hands in his and
stared intently at me.
“Just promise me something, Piper.”
“Of course; what is it?”
He looked at the ground and repositioned his feet nervously before speaking shyly.
“Don’t leave me for him, okay? I know he’s familiar and you love him, but I can’t lose you.
Maybe that’s selfish, but-“
I couldn’t listen to it anymore. I lifted onto my toes and stopped his murmuring with my lips harsh against his. In that moment, I had no intention of leaving Harry for Matthew, but I also didn’t possess the strength to make that promise aloud.
Notes
Well well well.... First of all, Don't get mad at me please haha. I feel like a lot of you think I'm going to break Harry and Piper up for good and that I'm going to ruin the story, but I don't plan on disappointing you guys so far into the story! Just sit tight and watch it play out ;* ILY guys!!!Second of all, WOW we hit 100,000 reads this weekend! :O That's not even much of an accomplishment, but then again, I get giddy and excited every time someone comments. haha.
Thirdly, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope it answered some of your questions! What do you think will happen next? What all will go through Piper's mind once things settle down a bit?
AND LASTLY, I will be wrapping this book up in the near(ish) future, but it will be set up with the definite possibility of a sequel. I just need to know if you guys want it. With school starting back on Wednesday, I can't be writing for no one to read, but I would love to write the sequel if you are all for it, so PLEASE let me know <3 <3 <3
Thank you so much for your support and kind comments/messages. I love hearing from you :*
@jasyjas18
awwww thank you so much! where is this awards nomination? lol I didn't know about it, but thank you so much!!!! :) I'm gonna start the sequel now ;) should be up today or tomorrow!
8/4/14