Harry’s POV

It’s been one week since David left, and things around here have most definitely changed. I was hoping that with his absence, it would be easier for Chloe to move on, but she’s only become worse; she’s very distant from me and everyone else, and I know it’s because she’s still dwelling about what happened with her douche-bag of a father. And it’s almost as if she’s depressed. I’ve been trying to everything and anything I can to get her back to her old self, but nothing’s working. I refuse to give up though; I’ll be her rock through this tough time.

It was also hard for Chloe to see my mum upset after David left. Chloe expressed to the both of us that she thinks it’s all her fault my mum kicked David out, but my mum assured her here was a lot more going on than what she knew.

My mum on the other hand was also a bit down since last week. She knew it was for the best to break things off with David, but she was upset nonetheless. Despite the women in my life going through a tough time, I’d be lying if I said this whole situation gave me some hope… Now that my mum and David had called off the engagement, all I could think about was finally being able to be a public couple with Chloe—no more hiding or sneaking around, just us against the world… but of course Chloe disagreed as soon as I brought the topic up on Thursday evening. She had told me she didn’t think it was a good idea, that we should at least wait a little just in case our parents got back together. She was probably right though, there's so much going on right now, maybe it is best for us to wait. I had agreed, because I didn’t want to press the topic when she was already so beaten down.

On Sunday, exactly seven days after her father left, Chloe literally began to feel sick. I think she became so upset with the situation that she made herself ill. I felt terrible for my girl, having a terrible cold while dealing with all this shit her father put on her… My poor baby…

She stayed home from school Monday and had called the doctor’s office to set up an appointment. I had told her I was staying home with her and would take her to her appointment, but she insisted I go to school. I’d stayed home with her last Monday through Wednesday after everything went down and she was too shaken up for school, so she told me I shouldn’t be missing anymore classes for her.

It was hard leaving her that Monday before school, but I was strong for her. I couldn’t be anything shy of that. I needed to be there for her, and I wouldn’t be much help if I wasn’t the shoulder she could lean on.



I was sketching random tattoo designs in my notebook as some lame movie played in the front of the room during my economics class. I was restless thinking about Chloe all alone at home. I wanted to know if she was okay, how her doctor appointment went, and if she needed anything…

It was like she knew what I was thinking that moment: my phone vibrated in my pocket, and when I pulled it out, her name flashed across the screen telling me I had a text from her.



From: Chloe
Just got back from the doctor… they weren’t sure what I have, so they just gave me so antibiotics to help with the nausea. had to get blood drawn :/



I cringed at her text… I know she hates needles. I should’ve been there for her.



To: Chloe
I’m sorry baby :( are you feeling any better? Do you want me to stop anywhere after school to get you anything?



If my econ teacher wasn’t such a crab-ass I’d dip out of class right now to get home.



From: Chloe
No, but thanks. I’m fine, at least I will be when these meds kick in. I just want to lay down.



To: Chloe
I’ll be home right at 3 then. Get some sleep baby.



She didn’t text back, so I figured she’d already fell asleep. I didn’t mind though—she really needs the rest. She’s had far too many sleepless nights the past week.

---

Later that evening, I left Chloe in her bedroom where she was still sleeping to go talk to my mum. I’m not that big of a dumb ass to know that I haven’t been the best son to her, but I know she needs me right now, so I’ve tried to be there for her as much as I have for Chloe. I’m not the only one who lost Gemma and my father, and my mum is going through a tough time at the moment.

“Hey, I’m making steaks for dinner. Is that okay with you?” She asks as soon as I enter the kitchen.

“Yeah, sounds fine… How was work?” I take a seat at the breakfast bar.

“Same old, same old. Do you know where Chloe is? I wonder if she’s feeling up to dinner tonight. Poor girl has been so sick.”

“Uh... I think she was sleeping.”

“That’s probably all she needs,” Mum shrugs.

I nodded to agree. Chloe’s been so off this week, and I’m starting to really worry. I thought she’d have gotten at least a little better by now. Now she’s actually sick and she just isn’t my Chloe anymore.

Me and my mum end up eating our dinner in silence. I don’t think she wants me to ask her if she’s doing okay, because I think it just makes her even more sad to talk about it. We talk about Chloe for a minute or so, but when the conversation dies down, all that can be heard is our forks scraping against the plates.

“Oh, you’re awake,” Mum abruptly puts her fork down and looks, at who I presume is Chloe, over my shoulder. “There’s more steak on the counter and I put the salad and potatoes in the fridge. Do you want me to make you a plate?” Mum stands up before Chloe can answer and heads for the fridge.

“Um, no… I’m not really hungry, but thank you,” Chloe tells her quietly.

I just want to wrap her in my arms until she feels better… Her voice holds the cutest rasp from her sore throat, and although she is pale from being sick, she’s still more beautiful than I deserve.

“Of course. I’ll put everything in the fridge though so you can have some later, if you change your mind.”

“Thanks,” Chloe smiles and stands by the table. “Uh, I was actually hoping I could talk to you guys…”

I put down my fork and wipe my mouth with a napkin as my mum sits back down in her place. “What is it?” I ask.

This whole week I’ve tried to stay positive for her, and for my mum, but I know the serious, almost scared (dare I say) look on her face is not because she’s feeling ill. Whatever she has to talk to us about, is something I don’t want to hear.

My gaze at Chloe is serious; I’m waiting for her to divulge whatever she has working in that brain of hers. She briefly glances at me with the nervous look—her bottom lip held hostage by her teeth and her breathing heavy. She quickly diverts her eyes and focuses on the table.

“What is it, sweetheart?” My mum asks, just noticing her reluctance to continue.

Chloe takes a deep breath. “I think it’s best that I move out.”

All at once, my world goes black. I feel dizzy. I’m angry. Sad. Heartbroken. Confused…

“I know you said you don’t mind me staying, but I think I need to leave. It’s not your responsibility to watch over me, and now that my father is gone, I think it’s appropriate for me to leave.”

I gape at her, but she won’t even look up from the damned table.

She can’t leave me.

“So do you think you’ll be moving into a place on your own?” I ask. I could live with that. It could be like our own little place away from everything that doesn’t matter in this world.

Chloe shakes her head and I watch as a tear slips from her cheek to the wooden tabletop. “My friend Cassidy back in Tempe said I could live with her until we graduate… Her parents agreed to let me stay in their guest room.”

Hold it in, Harry, I repeat in my mind. Stay calm, don’t do anything stupid.

“Oh, Chloe, you don’t have to do this,” my mum speaks, “you’ve become just as much my daughter as you can be, and you have to know that I don’t mind watching over you. Chloe, this is your home too, please don’t feel like you have to leave.”

Chloe shakes her head as a sob escapes her throat. “I can’t,” she whispers with a shaky voice.

I sit in my chair, staring at her as she keeps her focus on the table. Look at me, baby, come on.

I don’t know what to do.. what to say.. what to think.. how to act. This can’t be real.

“You wouldn’t want to transfer schools half way through the trimester though, would you?” I ask.

“I need to,” Chloe replies quickly. “It doesn’t feel right living here anymore.”

It feels like we sit in silence around the dinner table for hours. Not one word; the only sound Chloe’s soft cries.

“Chloe, I understand how you feel, but why don’t you go get some rest and sleep on this. Let’s talk again about this tomorrow, yeah?” Mum offers.

Chloe nods her head and looks at my mum. “Okay, I’m going to go to my room, then. Goodnight.”

And with that, she’s walking up the stairs, back to her room.

I want to run and chase after her, but I also know I need to give her space… As hard as that may be.

So I turn to my mum and say, “we can’t let her go. It’s not good for her to leave, she needs family right now.”

“I know Harry,” Mum sighs. “But this is her decision. We can’t make her stay… She’s eighteen, legally no one can tell her what to do. I’m proud of you for caring so much about her and helping her through this tough week, but if this is what she wants to do, we have to support her.” Mum takes my hand and holds it in hers.

I simply shake my head. “I can’t let her go,” I say, more to myself than her.

I let go of her hand and get up from the table. Leaving my plate behind, I go after Chloe and head towards her room. She’s not leaving me. And if she insists on going, then I’ll go with her.



Chloe’s POV

As I pack my clothes into my suitcase, I can’t help the tears from falling out of my eyes and the sobs escaping my throat.

If you don’t want to go, then why are you going? My subconscious mocks me.

Because I need to, I think to myself. I can’t stay here. I need to get away, need to go back to where I belong.

I’m the reason Anne is so miserable because my father left. I know she says she doesn’t mind me being here, but I feel so awkward and guilty. I just need to go back where I should’ve stayed in the first place.

Harry.

His face haunts my mind, forcing me to cry even harder. I don’t want to leave him, but right now, I just need to leave. I love Harry, but I’m also about to break, and I need to get out of here to put all of the pieces back together. And I need to do it alone.

I don’t know if he’s going to say anything else to me, but by the way he reacted downstairs, I don’t think he knows what to do. Maybe he understands that I need space.

I continue to pack just the things I’ll absolutely need as I continue to cry. I hate dwelling on how things have worked out in the past months since I’ve moved here, but I can’t help it. I just have to keep reminding myself that I found Harry, and he made all of this worth it… Right?

Just as soon as I finish folding and packing away my clothes, Harry enters my closet. He doesn’t say anything, he just stands at the door with his arms crossed.

“Stop packing, Chloe.”

He stood there in silence for so long, that once he finally speaks, I startle.

“I mean it, Chlo, quit fucking packing!” He yells.

I drop the jacket it my hands to the floor and bury my face into my hands. It’s only a matter of seconds before his arms are surrounding my body, and he’s whispering into my ear how everything will be okay.

“You don’t need to go, baby, stay here, stay with me.”

“I can’t, Harry,” I tell him again. “I need to go back, I need to get out of here.”

“We can move out, I’ll buy an apartment, for the two of us. We can live there together.”

I shake my head as I sob into his chest. “No, Harry. No. I know you don’t understand, but I need to go back to Arizona. I belong there.”

“You belong here, Chloe. You belong with me!” His words are harsh and loud, but I know him well enough to know that he’s this close to breaking down as well.

“I can’t, Harry, please. Let me go.” A sob racks through my body. How is he supposed to let me go if I can’t even let him go.

“Don’t say that to me, Chloe. I’m not letting you go, and you’re not letting me go. Ever.”

“I need to go,” I whisper and begin to get up.

I’m too weak, so I need to leave before he changes my mind. I know it’s best for me to leave, so I need to. I love him, and I know I always will, but for now, I need to work on myself.

“No, Chloe. You’re not going anywhere. Don’t be like this.” Harry sniffles and I know he’s losing his strength. He knows he’s losing this battle, and he has nothing else to say that will convince me to stay.

“Harry, please,” I beg. For him to let me go, for him to understand, for him to wait for me while I figure my shit out.

“Please, what?” He yells. “We can work through this together, I’ve told you from day one that I’m here for you, why won’t you let me help you?”

“I need to be by myself Harry! I need to go home and work things through. I can’t be here anymore, and I shouldn’t even have stayed once my dad left. It’s time for me to go back to where I belong.”

“Stop saying shit like that, Chloe. You know that’s not fucking true. You belong here, with me. Now unpack your things and let’s go to bed. You’re tired, upset and sick. You won’t feel the same way in the morning.” Harry’s voice is quiet and calm as he holds his hand out to me.

I shake my head and walk into the bathroom to begin packing my toiletries. I shudder when I hear a loud crash in my closet, and Harry’s groan.

I don’t go back in there, because I know that’s what he wants. There’s another loud noise coming from the closet, and I finally realize that he’s kicking or punching at my shelves.

“NO!” He yells this over and over again. The loud banging and thrashing of the shelves in the closet drown out the sounds of my sobs.

He begins yelling anything and everything. How much he loves me, why I can’t leave, how stupid of decision I’m making…

He finally comes into the bathroom and looks at me through the mirror. His fist is bloody, and his face is red and wet with perspiration.

“Stop fucking packing, Chloe! I told you you’re not going, so for once in your life, listen to me! Drop the bag and come to bed with me. You don’t know what you’re doing.” Harry’s voice is harsh, and his yelling forces me to take a step back.

“No,” I whisper. A tear trails down my cheek as I see the hurt and pain flash through his eyes. He knows he doesn’t have a fight anymore.

“Please, Chloe,” Harry pleads. His voice cracks, and he finally allows his tears to fall. “I love you, you can’t leave.”

“I love you too, Harry,” I cry. “But I need to figure some things out. I think better when I’m back in Tempe,”

“I’ll go with you. We can stay in a hotel until you figure things out. Then we’ll come back here and get an apartment or a house, or come back here. Whatever you want, Chloe.”

“Harry—“

“I’ll do whatever, just don’t leave me,” he whispers. He takes my hands and brings them to his mouth. Once he kisses each knuckle, he places them on his shoulders before caressing my face with his own hands. “I love you.”

I close my eyes, unable to look him in the eyes. I really can’t do this. I decide he might actually be right about some things… Harry is here for me, I know that, but I still believe I need to get away on my own for some time. But maybe, just maybe, it isn’t the best for me to just move away from him. It’s not fair.

“Just give me a week, Harry. I just need to go for a week, then I’ll come back. Okay?” I look him in the eyes finally and watch him inhale sharply.

“Are you going to come back, or are you lying to me again?”

I exhale. “I’ll come back,” I promise. “One week Harry, that’s all I ask.”

“I don’t want you to go, Chloe. Why can’t you think here?”

“I told you,” I whisper. “Please. It won’t be long, I just need Cassidy, and some time away from all of this.”

Harry closes his eyes and shakes his head. He pulls me to his chest and wraps his arms around my neck. “Please come back to me.”

“I will,”

“I can’t lose you.”

“I need to go.”

He nods but doesn’t let me go. After about five minutes, he finally pulls away, but only enough to look at me. His arms are still around me as he puts his mouth on mine, kissing me like I’m the only air left for him to breathe in the world.

I kiss him back, but as soon as he pulls away, I grab my suitcase and duffle bag.

“I love you, Chloe.” I turn back once he says this, and find him crying.

I leave my bags by my bedroom door, and walk back over to him. I take his face in my hands and look him in the eyes.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me. Thank you for being there for me. You’ll never understand how much you mean to me.”

“I’m still here for you,” he states.

“I know,” I whisper. “But I need you to know that I’m thankful for everything you’ve done. And that I’ll never forget you, or what we’ve done together. I don’t regret coming here, because I met you. I’m sorry I have to leave, but you need to know that I love you. I just need to work on myself before I can even think about anyone else.”

I take a deep breath and kiss him one last time before I have to go. I know I told him I’d only leave for a week, but honestly, I don’t know if that’s the truth. I need to say these things just in case. And he knows just as well as I do that this is my goodbye.

“I’m not going anywhere, Chloe. It’s me and you forever, baby. When you come back next week, things will be different, and we’ll be better,” he says, but I can hear the uncertainty in his voice. “I love you.” He releases his grip on my waist and let’s me walk away from him.

I take one last glance at him over my shoulder before grabbing my bags and heading downstairs. I don’t know how I manage to do it, but I keep myself together while I hug Anne goodbye and tell her I’ll keep in touch. I don’t tell her I’ll be back in a week’s time, because I can’t lie again.

As I pull out of the driveway and get on the road, my eyes fill with tears. Tears for what I’m leaving behind, tears for what I’ve lost, tears for everything I’ve been through and tears for the uncertainty of what my future holds.

Notes

Not gonna lie, cried while writing this... haha but I hope you like it!

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