PIPER’S P.O.V.

Harry rested his hand on my shoulder, but I brushed it away and hurried to the window, staring at the envelope for a few seconds before carefully tearing the top. I was scared that this was going to be the last memory I would ever have of Matthew and I didn’t want to rip it to shreds.
A loose leaf sheet of paper was folded neatly inside. My hands shook as I opened it and I leaned against the window so that the sunlight shone through and lit up the letter. I glanced up at Harry and he was staring at me with a worried expression.

“Do you want me to leave?”

I shook my head because I couldn’t bear to read this letter alone in Matthew’s abandoned apartment. Even if it was selfish of me, I needed Harry. He turned to Paul, nodding for him to step outside and wait for us. Harry wrapped me in his arms and kissed my forehead before sitting down on the floor, patting a spot next to him. I sat down, feeling weak at the knees already even though I hadn’t even read the first word.

“I’ll just sit here and hold your hand, okay?”

I nodded, still speechless and having no idea what to expect. I leaned my back against the wall, resting my hand on Harry’s knee. He held my hand between both of his and I felt a pang of guilt for putting him in this position. Either way, I was so thankful that he was there.
I held the open piece of paper in front of me, close enough so that I could see it through the tears that were building up in the corners of my eyes. I took a deep breath and told myself not to cry until I read it all. Harry was there to help me be strong and I had to follow through with that.


My dearest Pip,

I know you probably want to murder me right now; well, maybe murder isn’t the right word (ha ha). Okay, I know it isn’t the time for ridiculous puns and I’m sorry.

Anyway, by now I’ve been gone for a while. Well, it depends on how long it took you to bribe my boss. Knowing you, it wasn’t that long. Either way, I’m always ready to run. New York City isn’t the only place I’ve been. I started in Raleigh and kind of just moved north. I’ll be on my way to somewhere unknown to me even and I can’t express enough how important it is for you to not come looking for me.

I also trust that you’ll realize that it’s in the best interest of everyone if you keep this to yourself. I really hate to ask all of this of you, babe. Scratch that. Sorry for the pet name. I’ve never stopped loving you. There’s never been anyone else. No one that lasted more than a night; I know you don’t want to hear about that. God, I don’t know why I’m saying all of this. I’m never coming back. I can’t. Well, there’s always possibilities, but I don’t want you getting your hopes up.

Besides, Harry’s good for you. I can tell that he makes you happy and doesn’t put you in danger like I did.

I suppose that all that’s left to say is that I never meant to hurt you and I’m sorry I was such an idiot. If I wasn’t such a fuck up, we could be done with school, married maybe. This letter was supposed to be closure, but all it’s done is stir up old emotions from me and I hope it doesn’t do the same for you, but either way I had to say more. I hope you understand why I couldn’t stick around. Tell Harry that I’m glad I could meet him and that he better take care of you. Fuck, I don’t have any right to even say that, but still... I’m so so sorry again. I love you. Forever. I’m sorry I can’t be there to prove it all the time, but it will always be true.

Love, Matty

P.S. Sorry that this letter ended up being so sporadic and messy. I wish I had enough time to write you a proper letter full of closure, but I really need to go. God, I’m so sorry.

P.P.S. I'll keep an eye on you in the tabloids. Don't worry, I'll do my research before I believe everything I hear.


As I started to cry mid-letter, Harry wrapped his arm around my waist and stroked my side. When I was done, I dropped the letter between my legs and let it flutter to the ground while I curled into Harry’s chest. I couldn’t even bring myself to chuckle about Matt’s lame jokes.

“Are you okay, baby?”

I shook my head because, no, I wasn’t okay. This day was only half way over and had been one of the most emotional of my life.

“You can cry as much as you want. I’m right here. I’ve got you.”

I cried and cried. More than I had since I met Harry, which was surprising because I’d cried a lot in the past six months. After about fifteen minutes, I was laying on the ground, my head in Harry’s lap while he played with my hair. I wasn’t sobbing anymore, but my breathing was still ragged and I just felt exhausted.

“Do you want me to cancel our seats at the charity auction for tomorrow?”

I sat up and wiped away the remnants of tears on my cheeks.

“No, definitely not. I want to go.”

Harry grinned and pushed a piece of hair out of my face.

“There’s my girl.”

I forced a small smile and tried to push everything else out of my mind. I stood up and Harry put the letter back in the envelope, holding it carefully in his hand before standing up as well.

“How about we get lunch and find you something to wear.”

“Can we just eat at the hotel and take a nap first?”

“Of course. Whatever makes you feel better.”

I walked to him and fell into his body as he snaked his arms around me, holding me tight.

“I want to eat and cuddle with you.”

“Then, that’s what you’ll get.”

He kissed the top of my head and we walked hand in hand to the door. We opened it to find Paul
leaning against the wall across the hallway.

“Are you guys ready?”

He spoke softly and I was thankful that he was so understanding without prying too much.

“Yeah, just take us back to the hotel.”

Paul nodded to Harry and we all walked out to the car quickly, avoiding looking up from the sidewalk. The last thing we needed was speculation as to why we were in a bad part of town.
The car ride was silent, except for the faint sounds from the radio. No one spoke and I just laid against Harry’s shoulder, drifting in and out of sleep until we arrived.

“Hey, sweetheart. We’re here.”

Harry whispered to me, but I was still startled, half asleep and over-tired, drained from an emotional morning. I sat up abruptly and looked around to refresh my memory as to where I was.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s fine. M’sorry for- um.”

Harry chuckled at my mumbles. I didn’t even know what I was saying.

“Let’s get you to bed, love. Liam put Andy down for a nap a few minutes ago, so I’ll stay with you until she wakes up.”

I nodded, forgetting that Liam was watching her. I felt a little guilty for using him like that days in a row, but I knew he was happy to help. I kind of hoped Eleanor and Louis spent a little time with her. I didn’t know Eleanor, but I knew Louis had potential of handling things well if he tried.
Once we made it to the suite, Liam was sitting on the couch talking on the phone.

“Oh, Piper’s here. Do you still want to talk to her?”

My eyes shot open helplessly. I assumed he was talking to Riley and I just couldn’t bring myself to think of a good excuse for everything at the moment. Harry released my hand and walked over to Liam, taking the phone from him.

“Riley, hey. It’s Harry. Piper isn’t feeling well, but I promise that she’ll call you later.”

He waited for her response and thanked her for understanding before giving the phone back to Liam. I mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Harry and then walked into the bedroom. He followed behind me and we both stripped out of our clothes, leaving them wherever they fell. I was too tired to put my clothes away and way too tired to worry about picking up after Harry. I picked up the long sleeved shirt I had worn that morning and crawled under the sheets. Harry turned the lights off and soon enough I felt his warm body next to mine. While I normally fell asleep on his arm comfortably, I laid my head on his chest, gripping my arms around his waist tightly. Harry was the only constant man I knew I could always count on. He had seen me at my worst over and over, but he never faltered in picking up the pieces. I never wanted to let him go.

Notes

Sorry if there are mistakes... I'm tired and need to sleep. Anyway, does anyone have ideas for a name for the sequel?! :D This title is based on a song "You Make It Real" by James Morrison.. You should listen to it if you haven't yet!

But, I like basing it off of a song, so if you can think of one that describes Harry and Piper's relationship (probably more from Piper's pov) then give me ideas in the comments!!! Thanks!

Hope this chapter was okay. I know it was kind of short and didn't do much, but I didn't want to rush the story too much. Thank you guys for everything. I mean it <3