Starting Over

*Harry’s POV*

The lads and I have been back in London for a few days now. God we’ve missed being home. I’ve been staying with Liam because my house is still being fixed up and it’s been horrible. Sophia is over here constantly and I can tell it’s bugging the hell out of Liam. She’s acting like a lost puppy. She follows him everywhere from room to room, from activity to activity. She never lets him leave her sight. Like an over protective parent or a, dare I say, a stalker. It’s kind of creepy actually. Liam is the kind of guy who likes being in a relationship but likes his independence as well. He likes to be able to go out and see fans and hang out with the boys during the day and chill out with his lady at night. We’re very similar like that. Someone needs to tell Sophia to back off. Every time a fan looks at Liam or talks to him or hugs him to take a picture Sophia glares at them like their some kind of man stealer. It’s not right. Samy and Danielle never used to do that. I miss Samy. Danielle was such a sweet girl but Samy is just… right… they were effortless. Dani and Liam were amazing when it was working but they were always trying to keep it going, trying to patch it up. We all still talk to Danielle and she is really happy for Liam regardless of who he is with. El, Perrie, and I are the only ones who have been able to really talk to Samy lately. She just seems to broken to let anyone in other than us. She won’t even talk to Zayn.
I decide to go out and grab some food, I need some time out of this crazy house. I’m grateful Liam is letting me crash here but I may need to find a new place soon if Sophia keeps acting like this. I grab a quick shower and throw on my orange sweater and black jeans with my brown boots. I love my boots. They have been around the world and back with me. I’m about to head out the door when my phone starts playing “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, it’s Samy’s ringtone. I haven’t heard from her in what feels like ages and I’m so happy that she’s calling right now
“Hey Samy, what’s up?” I answer almost immediately. I’ve missed that girl so much. She and I have become really close over the past few months, she’s quickly become my best friend.
“I need to get out of this house for a bit, what are you up to?” she asks.
“About to go grab some food actually… you wanna come? I can be there in 10 minutes if ya like” I answer.
“Sounds like a dream come true!” She says dramatically. She’s so cute when she’s dramatic. I mean she’s always hot looking, and sweet, and so caring, and just plain perfect and… wait! What am I saying? We’re just friends. She’s still getting over Liam. No way, can’t go there, nuh uhh!
“Be right there, love” I say as I hang up the phone and head out the door.
I’m at her house in record time. I honk the horn and immediately see her start bouncing her happy way to my car. She looks so excited to be getting out of her house. I’m just as excited to get out of mine as well. Maybe we can make a day out of this.
*Samy’s POV*
“What’s up buttercup?” I say as I jump into Harry’s car.
He looks good today! No, no, no… stop thinking those thoughts. That’s Liam’s best mate. Liam, as in your ex. I shake the thoughts from my head and smile at Harry.
“I had a thought, how about we head to Holmes Chapel today? I miss my family and it’ll be a nice change of scenery for both of us. Plus my mom and Robin love meeting my friends. What do you say?” He asks.
“Done” I say without hesitation, “but I really do need to eat first” I laugh. I’m always hungry. Between my appetite and my Red Bull addiction I should weigh a million pounds… and be dating Niall. I eat more than he does (though he will deny it till the day he dies).
“Of course. Food was never not an option my dear” Harry laughs at me. “Let’s go to the diner” he says as he rounds the corner of the restaurant. I love the diner, tons of food for cheap. Plus it’s fast! My favorite combo: fast and cheap.
After we finish up our breakfast we are on our way to Holmes Chapel so that Harry can visit his family. He is so excited that he looks like a kid on Christmas. It’s absolutely adorable. We turn on The Beatles and start singing along. Harry turns down the music suddenly and gives me a quick glance before speaking.
“You ok?” he asks.
“Yeh, I’m excited to meet your family and see Holmes Chapel. You’ve told me so much about it and about them. I’m curious to see if you exaggerated” I giggle through my response.
“Me? Exaggerate? Never!” he says while laughing back. “How are you doing with the Liam situation though?” he suddenly becomes serious.
I know he’s worried about me. Everyone is. It’s been tough. I was finally ready to face my true feelings for Liam and he rejected me.
“Honestly, I’m ok. I’m glad that he’s happy with Sophia. He deserves to be happy. Chas’s starting to make me a little uncomfortable though and I keep getting hang up calls at the house from some number that I can’t seem to trace but other than that, I’m doing pretty well. We’re just not meant to be I guess” I answer honestly, too honestly.
It all just kind of spilled out. My thoughts usually do when I’m around Harry. He somehow manages to get my inner most thoughts out of me so easily. I think it’s his genuine care when he asks. He seems to genuinely care about helping you through your feelings.
“Samy, you never know. It will all work out the way it’s supposed to and.. wait, what do you mean Chas’s making you uncomfortable and you are getting weird hang up calls? Samy, that’s not normal. Are you sure you can’t think of anyone who could be calling?” Harry questions as my response finally hits him.
“I’m honestly not sure who could be calling. Liam and I aren’t together plus I moved so I doubt it’s fans but who knows at this point. As far as Chas goes, it’s hard to explain” I answer briefly and with that we continue our drive to Harry’s hometown with nothing but the sounds of The Beatles guiding us along.
*Sophia’s POV*
The past few weeks have been perfect. Liam and I are together almost every minute of every day. I can tell that Harry is uncomfortable but I couldn’t care less. It’s not his house, it’s Liam’s and if Liam wanted some space, he’d tell me himself. Harry is just jealous that he has no one to be with. I think he and Samy would be perfect together, plus that would get her out of my way for good. I know that Liam still thinks about her. He sometimes talks in his sleep and it’s usually some conversation with Samy he had the night he proposed to her. He’ll stop thinking about her soon enough. At least that’s what I keep telling myself. I know that I was not his first choice, I’m the “B team” as they call it; his second choice, his back-up option, but he has millions of girls throwing themselves at him every moment of every day so I’m just happy to be on the list of options at all, even if it’s second string. Deep down I know that that’s pathetic and that I should be holding out for someone who wants me as their first choice, but I’ve been in love with Liam since high school. I know that he and Samy are meant for each other, but as long as they keep playing these back and forth games, there’s hope for me that I can permanently win him over.
*Liam’s POV*
Sophia is driving me absolutely mad but I feel so guilty about the whole mess that I’m just dealing with it. Harry has been gone for a few days and isn’t answering his phone. I guess he’s upset about Sophia never leaving. I hope he’s alright. Maybe he just went home. I wonder how Samy is. I really want to try to be friends with her again, especially since we both have moved on. At least that’s what I’m assuming… after all, she is living with Chas. It’s none of my business.
I grab my phone and dial Samy’s number, Sophia is out with her family for the day so I finally have some time to myself.
“Hello, this is Samantha” she answers very formally.
“Hey Samy” I say quietly.
“Liam? Is everything ok? What’s wrong? Did something happen to you, Louis, Zayn, Niall?” She asks panicked.
“No, we’re all fine. You forgot Harry though” I say half smiling.
“No I didn’t! I know he’s fine, he’s here with me silly!” she laughs back. “If everyone’s ok, then why the sudden need to call me?” she asks, her tone changing into defensive aggravation almost instantly.
“I just wanted to apologize. I’m sorry for everything. Everything that happened with us was all my fault. I know you’ve moved on now, I heard you’re living with Chas. Sophia and I are together as well. I’m happy for you. I just was hoping that we could be friends. I think we are both mature enough to move past this and be friends again… wait! What do you mean you’re with Harry? Where are you?” I ramble on and on.
“Liam, it wasn’t your fault at all. It was mine but I agree about being friends. Friends it is, but what do you mean moved on? Chas and I aren’t in a relationship! He moved here for school, not for me. Oh and Harry and I needed a break from London so we came to Holmes Chapel for a few days. He missed his family and I wanted to get away from Chas. He’s making me uncomfortable.” She rambled back.
“Uncomfortable how?” I push for details, if he’s hurting her, he’s gonna have to deal with me. Not just me but all 5 of us.
“Nothing, I’m just being paranoid” she tries to brush past the topic.
“Samy, please, tell me. It’s me. You know you can tell me anything” I push a little harder for details.
“No, really, it’s ok. I promise” she insists.
“Ok, but if you need me, I’m here… always. I love you Samy. Forever and always.” I blurt the last part out without thinking. Silence is all that can be heard from her end for a few moments.
“I love you too, Liam. Always and forever.” she answers back with hints of tears in her voice. “Good. Now tell Haz to hurry home, being alone with Sophia and no Haz is making me a little batty” I joke.
“Will do, tell Sophia hi for me!” she says.
“Alright, see you soon, Samy” I say as I hang up.
That conversation went better than I thought it would. I guess we are on the road to becoming friends again. She admitted that she still loves me though. I can’t help but smile from ear to ear at that thought.

*Samy’s POV*
I put my phone back in my pocket and pull the sleeves of my hoodie back down to my wrists, making sure they’re hidden, before walking back into Anne’s house. She’s such an amazing woman; so warm and welcoming. She and Harry have been talking alone in the living room for the past hour so I had decided to go for a walk. That’s when Liam had called. I’m glad that he did. I’m glad that we are going to be friends.
“Hey goofball” Harry says as I enter. “We were beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost!”
“Nope, just needed some air. Holmes Chapel is beautiful. I love it here.” I answer. “Hey, Harry, can I talk to you though?” I ask him quietly. It’s time to tell him what’s been going on with me, Liam, and Chas. Harry is really the only one that I trust right now. He knows me better than anyone, even my friends from home. We’ve been growing apart lately. Plus, Chas has changed. He’s not him anymore.
“Sure, what’s up?” He says, motioning for me to join him on the couch. I sit down next to him and he drapes his arm around me and pulls me close to him. I snuggle up to him for a few moments before taking a deep breath and start my confessions about the past few weeks and months.
“Liam called. We decided that we should be friends. It will be better for everyone, including him and I if we can move past this and go back to being friends. I miss having him in life, regardless of whether it’s as a boyfriend or a friend. He’s always been there for me. He said that he thought Chas and I were living together, but I set him straight on that one. Oh! He says that you need to come home soon because Sophia is making him quote batty unquote.” I tease him.
“Good, I’m glad you guys are working on being friends. That means we can all hang out together again. And yeh, Sophia is making me batty as well so he’s on his own for now” he joked. “But what about Chas? I mean, I know you guys aren’t together but something’s been off with you two lately” he continues.
“Yeh, it has” I say cautiously. “Harry, there’s something that you need to know, but I need you to stay calm” I preface before continuing. The look on his face tells me that he’s skeptical of his abilities to keep calm given my request for him to do so. He knows me so well. He knows that when I tell him to keep calm it means that I’m about to say something bad. “Chas has been getting drunk a lot. When he’s drunk, he’s him. He’s my best friend. Unlike normal people, Chas is the same person whether he’s drunk or sober. At least he used to be. Recently he’s been different when he’s sober though. Not something that you would expect. He’s been acting very possessive of me. He keeps flirting with me and hitting on me. The other day, I came home and he was looking through my drawers in my room for photos of Liam. He said that he wanted them out of the house. He wanted the photos of all of you guys out of the house. That it was making him jealous and angry to have photos of a bunch of guys everywhere. He said it made me look like a slut. He was ripping things apart so I tried to stop him. That’s when he did this” I pause and roll up my hoodie sleeves to reveal large handprint bruises around my forearms. I also roll up my pant leg to show my swollen knee from where he had thrown a lamp and hit me.
“What the hell, Samy!” Harry jumps up and starts pacing back and forth in front of the couch while running his hands through his hair. “Why the hell didn’t you tell anyone? Samy, you’re living with a crazy person! He could seriously hurt you! That’s it. I’m gonna kill him. I’m calling the boys, we’re gonna go straighten him out right now” He says grabbing his phone and storming off.
“Harry, no! You promised you would stay calm. Leave Chas alone. It’s fine, I can handle it. I’m rarely even home” I try to calm him down before all hell breaks loose.
“First off, I made no such promise,” shit, he’s right… he didn’t promise. “Second, you can’t handle this. He hurt you. No one is allowed to do that. Ever. We all love you and he clearly needs to learn what that looks like” he says before giving me a big hug and walking off. I hear him close a bedroom door and lock it. Great. Now I can’t stop him.
*Harry’s POV*
That ass has been hurting her. He’s beyond dead. I conference call all the lads and fill them in. Immediately all the boys start yelling back and forth about how dead Chas is and how no one is allowed to hurt a woman, ever. The only voice missing is Liam’s.
“Liam, are you there?” I ask.
“Yeh” is his only response. That’s never good. One word answers from Liam are a really bad sign.
“Liam, wait for us, ok? Don’t do anything stupid” I say.
“Ok”
“Liam! Harry’s right, mate” Zayn chirps up.
“I know. I’m just upset. I talked to Samy an hour ago and she told me that Chas was making her uncomfortable. I should have made her tell me. I’m such an idiot. Why didn’t I push her more?” Liam is thoroughly pissed off with himself… even worse.
“Liam, it’s not your fault. I just got back to London so when are we heading over there to kick his ass?” Niall adds.
“Samy and I are leaving soon. We’ll talk when I get back. See you guys in a bit” I say and we hang up. I walk to Samy’s room and see her gathering her things.
“I figured after you talked to the boys that we’d be heading home to London so I’m getting ready” she looks at me out of the corner of her eye, yep, she knows me well.
“Good, let me just grab my things and we’ll head out” I say and head off to go finish packing my stuff up. After everything is all gathered by the door we say goodbye to my mom and Robin. My mom of course insists that Samy is welcome to Holmes Chapel anytime. In fact, she insists that Samy visit often. Samy promises to do just that and we head to the car and back to London.
*Several hours later*
“Samy, wake up love, we’re here” I say gently shaking her shoulders.
“Mmmmm… did I sleep the whole drive home?” she asks confused.
“Yep, it’s ok though. You needed rest. I brought you here to Liam’s house for now. The lads and I want to go check on Chas before I take you to your house” I half state half ask.
“Um… ok… I guess I don’t have a choice” she says rolling her eyes but I can tell she’s grateful.
We head into the house and Liam greets Samy immediately. Liam and I head off to Samy’s house where to the other guys are already waiting.
*Chas’s POV*
I wonder where the hell Samy has been for the last few days. She’s not answering the phone or texts. She knows better than to act like this. I hear a knock on the door, Samy must have forgotten her keys again. Stupid broad is always losing things. I throw the door open,
“forget your keys again, dumb ass?” I say before realizing that it’s that stupid boy band bestie, Harry, in front of me and not her. Of course he’s not alone, all the rest of those pop star wankers are with him.
“What do you want? Samy’s not even here” I snap at them.
“We want to talk to you, actually” Harry says as he pushes his way into the house followed by the rest of them. “See, we hear that you like to control people and beat on them, so we thought you’d like to have a go with us” he says smirking.
“Samy told you, huh? She deserves it. Hanging out with guys all the time makes her look like a slut and no girl of mine is a slut” I state coldly through gritted teeth.
“See, that seems to be the problem, mate. She’s not your girl. She doesn’t want to be. Can’t say that I blame her. You’re not much to look at and anyone who hits a woman is not really a man” Niall glares at me. Stupid Irish twit. What’s he gonna do? I could snap him like a twig. He’s on crutches for god sake.
“Did she send you over here?” I ask, genuinely interested and slightly concerned now. If Samy really is scared of me, then maybe I have changed more than I thought. Logically, I know that Samy and I are not together, but I’m so tired of her picking these kids over a man like me that it makes me nuts.
“Yeh, she knows, but we came over here on our own. She’s scared of you” Liam states calmly. Damn, if he can stay calm right now, he must be a saint. If the roles were reversed I’d be throwing punches first and asking questions later. I guess these guys aren’t as bad as I thought they were.
“Well, you can tell her that she’s safe now. I’m going back to America. I failed my exams so my visa was revoked. I’m leaving tonight. Tell her I’m sorry” and with that, I turn and walk away.
*Harry’s POV*
“So, you mean he’s going back to America?” Samy asked for the 23rd time. “Forever? But why didn’t he tell me? What’s wrong with him?!? Even if he hurt me, he’s still a big part of my life and my roommate and he should have told me! Now what am I going to do? I don’t want to live in that big house by myself” she rants on and on.
“I know, that’s why, he’s leaving and I’m moving in until my house is done and then you’re moving in with me. No discussion. Done deal. That way, you can have your roommate and you won’t have to be alone” I state.
“Ugh, yes dad!” she says sarcastically. It’s cute when she’s sarcastic. She tries to be mad but she can’t. Two seconds later she’s giggling away. “That sounds ok, I guess. If I have to live with anyone, I’m glad it’s you” she says looking into my eyes. I want to kiss her so badly right now. I can’t though. It would be wrong. She’s my best friend now.
“So it’s settled, Harry is moving in with you” Liam says, slightly skeptical and irritated. I think he’s jealous.
“Yep” Samy says giving him a ‘calm down’ look. I see him take a deep breath and nod. Wow, they’re not even together and she still has such a calming effect on him.
*Samy’s POV*
Harry’s moving in with me. That makes me oddly happy for some reason. Very happy. He’s such an amazing guy. He’s my best friend. I know he would never hurt me.
“So, when do we go home?” I ask.
“Now if you want, my things are all packed” Harry replies.
“Works for me! I’m dying to get back and settle back into life again. You know that I love my routine” I giggle back sarcastically.
Harry and I load his stuff into his Range Rover and head for my house. Well, our house now. As we walk in, I see Chas’s stuff is gone and his keys are on the counter. It makes me sad to think about how much he changed but it’s good that he is going home. He can get himself figured out there. I show Harry up to his room and let him get settled.
“How about a movie night?” I ask him as I walk into his room unannounced.
“Sure, just us or do you want to call the others as well?” He asks back, un-phased by my intrusion.
“Up to you, I guess it’s ok if we invite the others if you want” I say back. “I’ll call everyone” and with that, I start making calls. An hour later, everyone was gathered in the living room and DVDs were picked out. Louis and Eleanor were cuddled up on the chaise lounge, Zayn and Niall were on one end of the couch, and Liam and Harry were on the other end with me right in between them. Sophia had decided to spend some time with her parents in Wolverhampton so she will be gone for a few days. Liam seems thrilled about that which is odd for someone who is supposed to be in a happy relationship. Oh well. For now, I’m just glad that I’m with everyone for the night.
We decide to watch “The Notebook” first on Harry and Niall’s insistence… I swear those two are more into chick flicks than El and I are. I immediately grab my snacks and snuggle up to Harry. He’s the perfect snuggle buddy, especially when he’s wearing his sweat pants and his big sweater. He’s like a comfy pillow just for me. Harry immediately knows what I want and adjusts himself so that I’m snuggled between his legs and leaning against his chest with his arms protectively around me and the blanket on top of us. Perfect. I look out of the corner of my eye and see Liam’s jaw clenched and eyes narrowed as he takes in the sight of Harry holding me. HE HAS SOPHIA!!! Good lord, he’s just a jealous guy. It’s cute though. He’s protective. So is Harry. I look up and see Harry giving Liam a kind of nasty look back. I wonder what that’s all about. I snuggle back into Harry and relax. After the movie is over, Harry decides to head to bed. He’s such a whimp sometimes. It’s only eleven pm! After Harry heads up I’m left in his spot with Liam on one side and Zayn on the other, just like the first night we all met. Awkward. We decide to watch “A Walk to Remember”, actually, El decided that that’s what we were going to watch. No one argued with her, it would have been pointless, El always wins. About halfway through the movie, I start crying like a baby. It’s so sad when she has to tell him about her cancer! All he wants to do is love her but she thinks he shouldn’t because she’s sick. Makes me sad. I’m a real mess now and I suddenly feel a pair of strong arms wrap around my waist and pull me close. I feel lips on my forehead followed by a chin on my shoulder and notice that I’m snuggled into someone’s neck crying like a fool. After a few minutes of being held by the most comforting arms I’ve ever felt in my life, I realize that those arms belong to none other than Liam. I look up and see his eyes staring straight into mine and his lips centimeters away from mine. Without thinking or caring about who is around, I stare into his eyes, grab his face, and kiss him. I don’t hold back. I can’t. He’s my everything. To my surprise, he doesn’t stop me, on the contrary, he kisses me back with even more passion. We are interrupted by gasps and the sound of Louis clearing his throat intentionally.
“Um… well then” Louis says
“Shit” I say before running out of the room, tears pouring down my face. Liam has Sophia. I just made him cheat on her. I’m the worst person ever.
“Samy, wait!” I hear Liam run after me and grab my waist. “I’m not sorry that this happened. I don’t want to be with her, I only want you. Please, don’t be upset. I only need to know one thing. Do you love me?” He says staring into my eyes.
“Liam, I’ve never stopped loving you. You’re my everything” I say before grabbing his face and kissing him again.
“I love you too. I’ve needed to hear you say that for months now. It’s been torture. I need to go see Sophia in the morning. I should never have been leading her on” he says. “After that, I’m yours, if you’ll have me” he half states, half asks with tears in his eyes and nervousness in his voice.
“You can’t do that to Sophia. I love you. I’ve never stopped, but I can’t be responsible for causing Sophia the same kind of pain that I’ve had to live with all these months” I say calmly but confidently. With that, I turn and head to my room in tears.

Notes