It Takes Patience III: Stripped
Chapter 16: In the Time that’s Given
*Reagan’s POV*
I sat on the love seat in the corner of the room, staring at the tiny illuminated screen in my hands. There were well over twenty texts and missed calls from Channel, but I couldn’t bring myself to call her back and talk to her, not over the phone.
Tomorrow.
I’m leaving England tomorrow, doomed once more to take an eleven hour plane ride alone. In any other circumstance I would be extremely happy. I’ve missed my friends, my family and have secretly ached to see them for a long time. Two and a half months of barely conversing with the people I love and who love me back unconditionally has been hard, no matter how much I try to deny it. But this was something different, something that I was dreading.
I knew it was something that I needed to do and had to do eventually, but I never thought it would be in less than twenty-four hours. Harry had been acting strange lately and I should have figured it would be because of this. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together when he asked me about going home only a few days ago.
I sighed deeply bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs for comfort as his words rattled around in my head as if they were a racquetball.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this anymore!”
The last thing I want to be is a burden and I know that what’s happened had put yet another weight on Harry’s laden shoulders. Though I have been somewhat selfish, I haven’t been blind. I can see it in his face. He’s still undeniably attractive, but I can see the way he tries to hide his worries behind his tired green irises. He has a disorder of his own and now that I think about it giving him more thought than I have in the past week, he’s been helping me with both of mine more than I have his.
He’s cured my anxiety attacks and even felt the need to take Peyton off of my hands the best and only way he knew how and It’s only caused him troubles in return. He still has nightmares about his past, he’s burdening himself with the future of his mom and himself, and now to top it all off he has a court date next week that could make everything worse than it already is for him, because of me.
Tears fill my eyes and I fight them back as I rest my head on my knees. His court date. I wanted to be here for him and I think I should be, but he needs me to be away. As much as I hate it, I understand what he meant. I need to be better for him, because of all of the weight that he carries and if this is the only way to do it, I need bite the bullet and get my wits about myself so that I can be his shoulder to lean on for once.
Harry had left the room half an hour ago and the house was quiet, but I know he hasn’t left. I stood from the love seat, leaving my phone there before I went to look for him.
I was prepared to go down the stairs but when I heard shifting down the hall, my feet carried me in that direction. I had never really ventured beyond the basement, family room, kitchen and of course Harry’s room, so everything that I was seeing now was new to me. There were pictures hanging on the walls and I took a minute to stop and admire them, but there was one picture in particular that caught my attention.
There was a curly haired green eyed girl and next to her stood a straight haired green eyed boy who hugged onto her for dear life in the middle of a pile of toys. Gemma and Harry couldn’t have been any older than six and three years old. In the very back of the picture almost in its corner, there was a man with a huge smile on his face, laughing at the children’s antics. I picked the frame up off of the nail that kept it on the wall to look at the back of the picture. In the corner in cursive handwriting, the initials stained in ink were G., H., & R. Styles. G. age 5, H. age 2.
R. Styles couldn’t have been anyone other than Harry’s father. His beautiful green glittering eyes were his gift to his beautiful children.
I put the picture back in its rightful place on the wall and continued down the hall until I saw Harry. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in what I assumed to be the guest room with what looked like a tattered piece of paper in his hands. His head was down and he was unaware of my presents by the door jamb of the bedroom. I could see his eyes move under his long lashes that I envy as he skimmed over the writing on the paper, before I lightly tapped on the door.
Harry jumped and then folded the paper up before he stood and walked towards the closet of the room, securing it in a box on the top of a shelf.
“I didn’t know you were right there.” A small grin graced his full lips as he ran a hand through his wild mess of a quiff.
I nodded my head before I replied.
“What time am I leaving tomorrow? Just wanted to know so that I could start getting my things together now.” Harry dropped his hand from his head and then put both hands behind his back.
“Early. I think your flight is at eleven so we should get to Heathrow at about nine or eight.” I nodded my head as a silence fell between us. I hate that I have so little time, but I might as well make the best of it with him while I still have the chance.
“Can you come help me pack my things?”
“Erm...yeah, I guess.”
I turned on my heel and padded back down the hall and could hear and feel Harry follow close behind me, before he gently grabbed my hand. My fingers wrapped with his tightly and all unsure feelings that developed seemed to dissolve with the contact.
An hour had passed and it seemed like the more I added to my luggage, the more Harry took out and put back into the drawers that he had cleaned out for me so that I didn’t have to burrow through luggage every morning.
“What are you doing, glasses? Just leave those here. You're over doing it!” H. threw a pair of my jeans back into an untidy pile.
“Harry, I asked you to help me but you’re really not. You’re making a mess and I think it would be better if you just got out of my way now...Move!.” I pushed against him but ended up sliding backwards on the hardwood floor myself, not being able to successfully move Harry back. He grinned and then pulled a weird face before he got up from the floor and sat on the bed, still watching over my every move from above.
“You’re being so fucking rude, glasses. I was help- Hey, give me those?”
“Give you what?” I continued to fold and put more things into my bag, unaware as to what he wanted me to give him.
Harry stood from the bed and moved a shirt out of the way crumpling it as he did. I didn’t see what he balled up and put into his pocket until I saw the lace peek out of it from the top. I stood from the bed and quickly snatched my black laced thong back from him, with my cheeks burning a deep shade of crimson as a mischievous smile spread on his face.
“What do you need with these H?” The grin on his face got bigger and his eyes turned a darker shade of jade as my heart beat sped up and pounded against my ribcage.
I shook my head before I threw them back to him and he once again stuffed the skimpy material in his jean pocket.
“A parting gift.” The words fell out of my mouth changing the mood of the room instantly. Harry got back down on the floor sitting next to me and closed my suitcase before he proceeded to zip it.
“That’s all you need to pack really. You have clothes at home and that way when you come back, you won’t have to pack as much if you leave some things here.” His eyes met with mine and I nodded my head in agreement.
“You won’t be gone long. It won’t be long, love. You just need this time.” A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t speak around it in fear that the tears that pricked the back of my eyes would spill and betray me.
Harry’s large arms encircled me, allowing my nostrils to be filled with his scent before he pulled me on his lap. I stiffened momentarily as a flash of an unwanted clip flashed in my mind, but I fought the feeling to move out of Harry’s grasp and settled into him instead.
“I love you.” The words coming from him made goose bumps rise on my skin as they resonated through me.
“I love you, too.”
H. kissed me briefly on the lips before he let me go and I could do nothing but hope that within the time given, I could come back stronger for him more so than for myself.
I sat on the love seat in the corner of the room, staring at the tiny illuminated screen in my hands. There were well over twenty texts and missed calls from Channel, but I couldn’t bring myself to call her back and talk to her, not over the phone.
Tomorrow.
I’m leaving England tomorrow, doomed once more to take an eleven hour plane ride alone. In any other circumstance I would be extremely happy. I’ve missed my friends, my family and have secretly ached to see them for a long time. Two and a half months of barely conversing with the people I love and who love me back unconditionally has been hard, no matter how much I try to deny it. But this was something different, something that I was dreading.
I knew it was something that I needed to do and had to do eventually, but I never thought it would be in less than twenty-four hours. Harry had been acting strange lately and I should have figured it would be because of this. I don’t know why I didn’t put two and two together when he asked me about going home only a few days ago.
I sighed deeply bringing my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs for comfort as his words rattled around in my head as if they were a racquetball.
“I don’t know if I’ll be able to do this anymore!”
The last thing I want to be is a burden and I know that what’s happened had put yet another weight on Harry’s laden shoulders. Though I have been somewhat selfish, I haven’t been blind. I can see it in his face. He’s still undeniably attractive, but I can see the way he tries to hide his worries behind his tired green irises. He has a disorder of his own and now that I think about it giving him more thought than I have in the past week, he’s been helping me with both of mine more than I have his.
He’s cured my anxiety attacks and even felt the need to take Peyton off of my hands the best and only way he knew how and It’s only caused him troubles in return. He still has nightmares about his past, he’s burdening himself with the future of his mom and himself, and now to top it all off he has a court date next week that could make everything worse than it already is for him, because of me.
Tears fill my eyes and I fight them back as I rest my head on my knees. His court date. I wanted to be here for him and I think I should be, but he needs me to be away. As much as I hate it, I understand what he meant. I need to be better for him, because of all of the weight that he carries and if this is the only way to do it, I need bite the bullet and get my wits about myself so that I can be his shoulder to lean on for once.
Harry had left the room half an hour ago and the house was quiet, but I know he hasn’t left. I stood from the love seat, leaving my phone there before I went to look for him.
I was prepared to go down the stairs but when I heard shifting down the hall, my feet carried me in that direction. I had never really ventured beyond the basement, family room, kitchen and of course Harry’s room, so everything that I was seeing now was new to me. There were pictures hanging on the walls and I took a minute to stop and admire them, but there was one picture in particular that caught my attention.
There was a curly haired green eyed girl and next to her stood a straight haired green eyed boy who hugged onto her for dear life in the middle of a pile of toys. Gemma and Harry couldn’t have been any older than six and three years old. In the very back of the picture almost in its corner, there was a man with a huge smile on his face, laughing at the children’s antics. I picked the frame up off of the nail that kept it on the wall to look at the back of the picture. In the corner in cursive handwriting, the initials stained in ink were G., H., & R. Styles. G. age 5, H. age 2.
R. Styles couldn’t have been anyone other than Harry’s father. His beautiful green glittering eyes were his gift to his beautiful children.
I put the picture back in its rightful place on the wall and continued down the hall until I saw Harry. He was sitting on the edge of the bed in what I assumed to be the guest room with what looked like a tattered piece of paper in his hands. His head was down and he was unaware of my presents by the door jamb of the bedroom. I could see his eyes move under his long lashes that I envy as he skimmed over the writing on the paper, before I lightly tapped on the door.
Harry jumped and then folded the paper up before he stood and walked towards the closet of the room, securing it in a box on the top of a shelf.
“I didn’t know you were right there.” A small grin graced his full lips as he ran a hand through his wild mess of a quiff.
I nodded my head before I replied.
“What time am I leaving tomorrow? Just wanted to know so that I could start getting my things together now.” Harry dropped his hand from his head and then put both hands behind his back.
“Early. I think your flight is at eleven so we should get to Heathrow at about nine or eight.” I nodded my head as a silence fell between us. I hate that I have so little time, but I might as well make the best of it with him while I still have the chance.
“Can you come help me pack my things?”
“Erm...yeah, I guess.”
I turned on my heel and padded back down the hall and could hear and feel Harry follow close behind me, before he gently grabbed my hand. My fingers wrapped with his tightly and all unsure feelings that developed seemed to dissolve with the contact.
An hour had passed and it seemed like the more I added to my luggage, the more Harry took out and put back into the drawers that he had cleaned out for me so that I didn’t have to burrow through luggage every morning.
“What are you doing, glasses? Just leave those here. You're over doing it!” H. threw a pair of my jeans back into an untidy pile.
“Harry, I asked you to help me but you’re really not. You’re making a mess and I think it would be better if you just got out of my way now...Move!.” I pushed against him but ended up sliding backwards on the hardwood floor myself, not being able to successfully move Harry back. He grinned and then pulled a weird face before he got up from the floor and sat on the bed, still watching over my every move from above.
“You’re being so fucking rude, glasses. I was help- Hey, give me those?”
“Give you what?” I continued to fold and put more things into my bag, unaware as to what he wanted me to give him.
Harry stood from the bed and moved a shirt out of the way crumpling it as he did. I didn’t see what he balled up and put into his pocket until I saw the lace peek out of it from the top. I stood from the bed and quickly snatched my black laced thong back from him, with my cheeks burning a deep shade of crimson as a mischievous smile spread on his face.
“What do you need with these H?” The grin on his face got bigger and his eyes turned a darker shade of jade as my heart beat sped up and pounded against my ribcage.
I shook my head before I threw them back to him and he once again stuffed the skimpy material in his jean pocket.
“A parting gift.” The words fell out of my mouth changing the mood of the room instantly. Harry got back down on the floor sitting next to me and closed my suitcase before he proceeded to zip it.
“That’s all you need to pack really. You have clothes at home and that way when you come back, you won’t have to pack as much if you leave some things here.” His eyes met with mine and I nodded my head in agreement.
“You won’t be gone long. It won’t be long, love. You just need this time.” A lump formed in my throat and I couldn’t speak around it in fear that the tears that pricked the back of my eyes would spill and betray me.
Harry’s large arms encircled me, allowing my nostrils to be filled with his scent before he pulled me on his lap. I stiffened momentarily as a flash of an unwanted clip flashed in my mind, but I fought the feeling to move out of Harry’s grasp and settled into him instead.
“I love you.” The words coming from him made goose bumps rise on my skin as they resonated through me.
“I love you, too.”
H. kissed me briefly on the lips before he let me go and I could do nothing but hope that within the time given, I could come back stronger for him more so than for myself.
Notes
HI BEAUTIFUL NEW AND FAITHFUL SUBSCRIBERS!!! (Ah I love saying that!) Update for you all because, well I kind of love you! What did you think of this chapter? They kind of made up and are kind of accepting that Reagan has to leave, but could this be yet another quiet before another possible storm for #HaRea? I cant wait to Read the comments for this chapter so please leave me tons as I love communicating with you all <3 Also huge thank you for the comments from last chapter and the votes and subs!!!! Please keep them coming? They are so inspiring!
LOVE YOU ALL FOR READING!!!
P.S. Personal congrats to @wonderful. for her success on a beautifully written mystery story Demented!!! Go give it a read and fall in love with it as I have! Xx
P.P.S: No, Harry's Dad's name is not Des in this story, because I would feel bad saying that Des is dead. Xx
@XOXOH
Hi there lovely, I am a big fan of your books and you don't know how happy I am to see you back here. I LOVE THIS TRIOLOGY so dam much......so let me get this straight....you are not updating this story anymore on here? You are only going to continue this story on wattpad?? .....despite what decision you make I will be waiting for you because I want to know what will HAPPEN ....sorry I am weird xxx
8/22/15