Forever and Infinity

Paisley

As soon as I got back to my apartment, I let the tears fall. I can't believe how stupid I was. I was actually going to tell him that I had cancer. And if I had an extra boost of confidence, I might've told him that I'm in love with him. What a mess that would've created. I don't know where that sudden rush of adrenaline had come from but I know that it's gone now.

I took my coat and boots off, lazily threw them on the floor, and walked into the kitchen. I poured myself a glass of milk and popped a pill in my mouth. I thought about making myself dinner, but decided against it.

I leaned my back against the fridge and drew in a breath. The coolness pressed against my back somewhat relieved me, even though I was still in a state of shock.

I don't know why I let myself in Harry's house. I don't know why I was completely heartbroken at the sight of his messy hair and the bruises lining his neck and all of the scratches that looked fresh.

Maybe I was a fool. A fool for being in love with someone I could never have. Someone that was obviously in a relationship with another girl; one that was much prettier than me.

When I was a little girl, I always had dreams of a perfect happy romance. I was that girl that cut out pictures from magazines of models wearing beautiful wedding gowns. I would play in my mother's jewelry and pretend that I was engaged. Then I'd plan out my whole wedding.

My mother had a silver ring that I was absolutely obsessed with. It was the only piece of jewelry she wouldn't let me touch. It had a large sapphire in the center surrounded by little diamonds, much like the royal engagement ring given to Kate Middleton by Prince William.

The ring had been passed down from generation to generation. My grandma had given it to my father and he proposed to my mother.

Two years after my parents got married, I was born, and six years after my birth, my father left on a business trip to the U.S. And didn't return. He was one of the many people who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attack.

My mother made the best of it. She didn't mope around, even though it was killing her. She was pregnant with my younger brother, Percy, at the time, and she tried her best to stay strong for us. Two years after Percy was born, when he was two and I was eight, my mother died.

My Aunt Ellie took Percy and I in, and she had left the house the way it was. In the will, my mother said that as soon as I was of age and I was ready, the house was mine.

I remember the last day at the house, after I had packed up my things and my aunt was distracted packing up Percy's things, I went into my parent's bedroom and opened the jewelry box atop my mother's dresser. I expected to see the sapphire engagement ring, but it wasn't there. I searched everywhere for it, and when I couldn't find it, I broke down and cried. I cried for days. I wanted that ring more than anything, not only because it was beautiful and I had admired it my whole life, but because it was my mother's and it meant a lot to her.

To this day, I still don't know what had become of the ring. I still hope it'll turn up, but the chances of that happening are slim.

My brother, Percy, who is now thirteen, still lives with my Aunt Ellie, and I haven't seen or talked to either of them in two months. Aunt Ellie still sends letters asking me about my treatments and if I'm feeling better, but I never replied. Percy sends drawings of his latest car designs and writes letters about his A+'s that he gets in engineering, but I don't reply.

You could say I'm a bad person. That I only care about myself. But the truth is, I'm just scared. I'm like a baby bird that tried to fly, but fell to the ground, broke a wing, and now is too scared to try again.

▪️▪️

I opened my eyes and rubbed them a few times before I was fully aware of the constant knocking sound.

I stood up and opened the door to reveal Harry.

It had been three days since the incident at his flat, and I wasn't really sure I was ready to face him again.

He brushed past me and walked into my apartment uninvited. I shut the door and turned around, but didn't meet his eyes.

"I broke up with her, you know," Harry said, scuffing his shoe on the wooden floor. "She was a little too feisty for me."

I could tell he was trying to break the tension, but I made it a little worse. I even surprised myself by saying something. "I could tell. The day I came over; you looked like you were almost lion food."

Harry was still for a second. I guess my sudden choice of words surprised him. "It wasn't what you think, Paisley. We never did anything. Mostly because I knew it wouldn't feel right with her."

"I know I was the cause of your breakup and the one before it."

"It wasn't your fault. They just didn't understand how important you are to me. They should've been understanding."

"Maybe you should be understanding and leave me alone."

The silence after that almost unbearable.

The clock on the wall became ten times louder as the two of us stood in the middle of the room.

Harry approached me slowly, and wrapped his arms around me. He leaned in, and whispered, "Maybe you should be understanding and understand that I can't leave you alone."

"And w-why is that?" I breathed. My stomach was doing flips, and I was shaking from the closeness. I wondered if he felt it too.

"Because you're my everything, Paisley."

I knew he didn't mean it in a romantic way, which was the way I wanted it to be.

"You're just saying that because you feel sorry for me."

Reluctantly, I pushed him off of me and ran out of my apartment, leaving Harry in there all alone.

Fresh tears found their way to my cheeks, and I decided that perhaps that wasn't the best thing to do.

But the sound of my name being yelled from his lips kept me running. He was coming after me. He wanted an explanation.

Notes

Just so we're clear (for anyone that was wondering) I do NOT write smut. It got kinda close in the last chapter, but nothing happened, sooooo.......

anyway, I really liked this chapter.

Please comment, vote, and subscribe!

xx