Our flight arrived in Nashville around two p.m., and of course, when we stepped into the terminal, fans surrounded us in no time. The boys were so sweet to all of the fans; they stopped, talked to them, signed things and posed for pictures. A few people even asked Brooke and me for pictures. We finally made it outside and crowded in another tour bus, but this one had a huge picture of the guys on the side of it. When we were all inside, we got settled down in the front part of the bus.

“The United States …” Liam started, looking out the window.

“How does it feel?” Zayn asked, looking at me.

I let out a sigh. “I don’t know. Ask me again tomorrow when we’re in my home town.”

“Are you excited or nervous?” Louis chimed in.

“I get to see my best friend from back home. I miss him, you know?” I felt a tight grip on my hand. I looked over to see Niall looking forward, but making sure he had me in his grasp. I continued talking. “I want you guys to meet him. If he wasn’t there for me after my father died, I probably would be dead right now.”

We got to the venue a little after that, but I stayed on the bus. Flying took a real toll on me, and I just wanted to sleep the rest of the day. I wouldn’t have to worry about missing the show because I found out that the venue they were playing at were streaming the show online. When I got myself settled on the back lounge’s couch, I pulled out my phone to make a call.

“Hello, Evelyn?” he answered.

“Hi Adrian,” I replied.


~*ADRIAN’S POV*~

“Where are you?” I asked her. I was lying on my couch whenever she called me. I hadn’t talked to her since she told me she was going on tour two months ago. She had texted me a few times, but I never read them. I just couldn’t bring myself to think about her being with those guys.

“On a bus in Nashville.”

I shot up. “You’re in the US?”

“Yeah, I texted you a few times but you never replied…”

“Oh … yeah, I’m sorry, Evelyn. When are you coming to Atlanta?”

“Uh, yeah, tomorrow.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously!”

“Am I going to get to see you?”

She told me where to meet her and at what time and we got off the phone with each other. She was so close to me. After four months, I could see the girl I’ve loved ever since I first laid eyes on her. It was so good to hear her voice, and now I could physically see her. This also meant I could give the One Direction guys a piece of my mind. I read the tabloids about her, and I also read what the fans have to say. If it wasn’t for them, she wouldn’t be put down like this. She deserves the best for her, and it wasn’t with them.

~*EVELYN’S POV*~

“Evelyn …. Ev...”

I woke up to the feel of someone lightly shaking my shoulder. I slowly opened my eyes to see Niall sitting beside me with a smile on his face.

“What … what time is it?” I mumbled.

“It’s around eight in the morning.”

“Oh … I guess I fell asleep watching the show last night,” I said, sitting up.

Niall had a fake look of sadness on his face. “Did it bore you that much?”

I playfully hit him on the arm. “Not what I meant.”

I stood up and got myself ready for what that day held. It was the day that I was going to see my best friend from back home. But it was the day I was going to see someone else.

After I put on my outfit which consisted of a white tank top that said “Do What You Want” on it, black skinny jeans that were ripped in a lot of places, and a black pair of boots, I went to find Brooke, who was lying down in a bunk. She moved over and let me join her, and I closed the bunk’s curtain behind me.

“What’s up?” she asked me.

“I think I’m going to visit my mom while we are in Atlanta, today.”

She widened her eyes at me. “What”

“Yeah … I thought about it last night before the guys went on. I haven’t spoken to her in around five months. I know for a fact Madelyn hasn’t. She hates what my mom became. But she didn’t need the abandonment that we gave her.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?”

“No, I don’t. But I feel like a part of me will be so relieved if I do this … will you go with me?”

“Zayn got the zoo booked for us today, but I guess I can –“

“No, no, it’s okay. I’ll see if Niall will go.”

We hugged and then I exited her bunk. Niall was sitting with the rest of the guys in the front of the bus, so I joined them. I sat in Niall’s lap because they were all sprawled out enough to where there were no seats. He secured my spot by placing his hands on my leg.

“We’re only an hour away from Atlanta, Evelyn,” Louis said to me.

“How are you feeling?” Liam asked.

“Well, nervous, actually,” I answered.

“Why nervous?” Niall asked, squeezing on my leg.

“I’m going to visit my mom today.”

The boys stayed quiet, but all stared at me surprised. They all knew of my mother and how this would make me feel, but no one said anything. Finally, someone spoke.

“Do you need someone to go with you?” I looked over at the raspy voice who asked me that question. That was the first time Harry had said anything to me since I bumped into him that night at the hotel.

“Yeah, I was hoping someone would…” I answered, not looking at him. I instead looked at Niall.

“We all have interviews … or zoo plans,” he answered, looking at the floor.

I started to cry. I knew Adrian wouldn’t go with me because my mom always hated him.

“I … I’ll go,” that same raspy voice from before said. I looked over at him.

“You don’t have any plans?”

“I have only one interview, and it’ll only take about ten minutes. I can go with you.”

I let a smile form on my face. Niall whispered in my ear, “Can we talk in the back?” I stood up and I grabbed his hand as I led us to the back room. He closed the door behind us.

“Are you sure that you want him to go with you?”

“No, but I need someone to go.”

“I mean, I have about two interviews, one news appearance, one radio interview –“

“Niall, it’s okay. This might be a good time for us to talk, anyways.”

He took his hands and put them around my waist, pulling me in close to him.
“Just be careful, okay?”

“It will be okay, Niall. Trust me.” I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his for a kiss. “Will you tell Harry to come back here?”

He nodded and left the room. A few seconds later, Harry returned and closed the door behind him. He sat down on the couch and I sat down beside him.

“Why did you offer to go?”

“Like I said, I only have one interview today. I’ll have plenty of free time.” He kept his eyes on the ground.

“How do you only have one interview? Niall has like, five.”

“I only agreed to do one. I haven’t been feeling too great for a while.” He finally looked up at me.
“Evelyn, I can’t tell you how sorry I am for-“

“Harry, stop,” I started. “That was a while back. You hurt me, yes, but I think the only thing we can do from this point on is try and be friends again.”

“Can we hug, or …”

I leaned over and hugged him. I can’t say I forgave Harry at this point, but agreeing to go with me to see my mother was definitely leading him in the right direction.

~*HARRY’S POV*~

We arrived at the woman’s penitentiary around two p.m. After we went through security, they took us to the visitation unit. We sat down at an empty table while a security officer went to get Evelyn’s mother. I studied our surroundings. There were only two doors, and they were both guarded by two officers. There was only one window, and the view outside was the side of another building. I had never been in a more depressing setting. Then that made me think. I looked over at Evelyn. I could see the fear and pain in her eyes from being in here. She used to talk to me about her mom all the time; how they used to go to a local ice cream shop every Wednesday to share a cookies and cream milkshake, how she used to sing with her until she lost her voice, how she used to help her mother plant petunia flowers …. I took her hand in mine when I noticed her eyes start to water. She didn’t hesitate to lock her fingers with mine. Her touch … it gave me goose bumps. I hope she didn’t notice. I missed her. I don’t know if I would ever forgive myself for losing her. I knew she was happy with Niall, but I just can’t help but think about how happy we could have been together. I pushed those thoughts aside when I felt her grip on my hand get tighter. I looked in front of me to see a woman sit down in front of us.

Evelyn started to sob. “Mom…”

-x-x-x-

We left the penitentiary about fifteen minutes after that and Evelyn was still in tears. I had my arm around her shoulder and her arm was around my waist. When we finally made it to the car we went in, I just pulled her into my arms and let her cry into my chest.

“Where to?” our driver asked.

“Centennial Park, please,” Evelyn mumbled. Why were we going there? I didn’t question it. I just rubbed her back and placed my head on top of hers. Having her in my arms again was something I needed to cherish, because after today, it likely wasn’t going to happen again.

~*EVELYN’S POV*~

As we arrived at Centennial Park, I pulled away from Harry and wiped the tears out of my eyes. The meeting with my mother was way more emotional than I expected. She looked like a totally different woman. She was a different woman. I couldn’t stay in there longer than fifteen minutes. I was glad Harry went with me, because I definitely couldn’t have done that alone.

“Can I ask why we are here?” Harry asked me.

“Adrian should be here by now,” I stated.

Our driver parked and I got out of the car. It didn’t take long for me to spot him, because no one was at the park but him. We both ran up to each other and just hugged for a good minute. We backed away from each other, but we were still holding on. He finally spoke.

“I’m so happy to see you again.”

“So am I. I missed you so much.”

“What are your plans for today?”

“Well, I just visited my mom, and I-“

“You visited your mom? Alone?”

“I didn’t go alone. But, she just wasn’t the same person, and I couldn’t handle it. We left soon after we got there.”

“Who is we?”

I pulled away from him completely and pointed to the car, then made a motion for Harry to come our way. When he stepped out of the car, I looked at Adrian. He had a look of anger on his face that I couldn’t describe. When Harry came over to us, I introduced him.

“Adrian, this is-“

“Harry Styles. I know who you are.”

Harry stuck out his hand for Adrian to shake. “It’s nice to meet you Adrian, I’ve heard-“

Adrian slapped away Harry’s hand. “How dare you treat the woman I love like she’s a fucking object.”

“Uh, excuse me, what?” I chimed in. I looked at Harry, who just looked confused.

Adrian spoke up again, but this time he got up in Harry’s face. “She used to be this sweet, innocent girl but the moment you walked into her life, she changed.”

“She is still the kindest woman on the planet. I think you’re overreacting, mate.”

“Don’t ‘mate’ me. I heard about how you would have your way with her, make her feel wanted, and leave her feeling like a damn fool! Then you go and fuck another woman when you had the best thing you could ever have in your life standing in front of you? Who the fuck do you think you are?”

“I know she was the best thing in my life. I fucked that up, I know. She does too. We’ve talked about it, and we’re okay. This is none of your business.”

“You shouldn’t have even taken advantage of her in the first place!”

“Taken advantage? You think I raped her?”

“You had to have done something to her; the Evelyn I know wouldn’t have sex with someone she just met!”

“I had her consent, mate. And, believe this, even sometimes, she came on to me first!”

Next thing I know, Harry was on the ground, holding both of his hands to the left side of his face. Adrian was holding a fist with his hand with a look of “what did I just do” on his face. I was kneeling beside Harry, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Are you okay? Oh my god, Harry…”

“I’m fine, probably just got a black eye.”

I stood up and walked over to Adrian. “Evelyn, I don’t know what…I’m-”

“Adrian, fucking save it,” I interrupted. “Harry is right. Each time we had sex, I wanted it. Some days I wanted it more than he did. When we had sex, it wasn’t just a fuck. I felt something each time. But you know what? Harry is more than just a great fuck. He is one of my best friends. He has helped me through so much since I’ve met him. He’s supported me throughout everything, and what have you done since I’ve been in London? Nothing. You’ve been judging me since the moment I landed in England. Harry, Niall, Liam, Zayn, and Louis are the greatest people I’ve ever had in my life besides my father, and you just punched one of them.”

“Evelyn, I’m so sorry … I have been in love with you and I’m just pissed I couldn’t get to you sooner…”

“I’m sorry Adrian, but you really crossed the line. If you don’t turn around and leave now, I’m going to call security, and when they see what you did to Harry Styles, it isn’t going to be good.”

He shook his head and turned the opposite way and walked off. I went back to kneeling next to Harry who was supporting himself by propping himself up on his elbows.

“Did you mean all of that?” he asked me.

“Yeah, I did. I love all of you guys, and if he couldn’t accept that, then that’s just too bad.”

“I actually meant what you said about me being great in bed, but…”

“I will blacken your other eye, Styles.”

I helped him up and we made our way back to the car. When we got inside, I looked over at Harry.

“Thank you so much. For everything today.” I leaned over and hugged him. Within a few minutes, we were back at the arena.

Notes

ahh guys i fractured my foot!! so sorry this update took awhile, but i've just been resting because of that. thanks for reading! don't be afraid to comment or send a message xx