P.S.

Harry ran up the stairs, his feet pounding against the cement as he rhythmically focused on his breathing. Inhaling and exhaling in time with his steps, he pushed any other thoughts from his mind and concentrated solely on his pacing.

He wasn’t stupid. He knew what city they were in, and he knew who lived mere miles from the stadium. But he couldn’t allow himself to think about that, to think about her. She’d made her decision and asked him not to contact her again. As much as it pained him, he would respect her wishes and countdown the hours until he wasn’t in her vicinity anymore. Maybe then, he could find a way to get Olivia off his mind.

“Mate!” Zayn panted, jogging through the aisle to meet Harry. Harry didn’t stop running and offered Zayn only a sideways glance and a nodding invitation to join him. Zayn scoffed and shook his head. “Fuck no,” he laughed. “But hey, I got that number for you. Gigi’s friend?”

Ugh, Harry thought to himself. In a moment of weakness during a self-deprecating drunken stupor after his call to Olivia, Harry decided it would be a good idea to ask his friends to hook him up with someone – anyone. He didn’t think Gigi would be offering up any of her friends to him, but she’d surprised Harry. Maybe because Hailey was already in the Bahamas with Justin Bieber, but Harry liked to believe it was because Gigi knew Harry was actually a decent guy.

“Didn’t think Gi had any friends left for you,” Zayn teased as he watched Harry turn around and run down the stairs. He carried on down the aisle between the seats, continuing to talk as Harry ran.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Lucky me,” he commented dryly. He appreciated the effort, but now that he was sober, he didn’t want Gigi’s friend’s number. But, he sullenly realised, it was his only option.

“She’s a cute blonde thing, modelled for Victoria’s Secret,” Zayn continued. “Right up your alley!”

Harry stopped running and turned to Zayn. “What do you mean, right up my alley?” he wondered. “I don’t only date blonde models, mate!” he reminded Zayn, though anyone who took a look at his dating record would vehemently disagree. “Kendall’s brunette. And Olivia…” he trailed off. Even mentioning her name proved difficult. He shook his head as though to rid his mind of the memory of Olivia. “But… whatever,” he sighed, resting his hands on his knees. “Guess if she’s cool…” He hated the idea of being seen out with yet another Victoria’s Secret model. It was becoming a joke and Harry hated being the butt of a joke.

Zayn snickered. “She’s stacked, anyway,” he joked. “What! She is!” Zayn exclaimed, laughing at Harry’s glare.

Harry shook his head at Zayn as he stretched his legs. “There’s more to chicks than just being stacked,” he reminded his friend. He refrained from telling Zayn Olivia would easily out-stack whatever model Gigi decided to set him up with, anyway. Then he remembered he was supposed to be forgetting about Olivia.

“Yeah, but tits sure are nice,” Zayn mused. He shrugged at Harry. “Look, if you don’t want her number, it’s up to you. I just thought… I mean, you asked for it…” he reminded Harry.

Harry blew out an exasperated breath. “Yeah, I know,” he replied. “Just… ah, never mind,” he determined. “Text me the number,” he told Zayn, taking off up the stairs before his friend could reply. Just because he had the number didn’t mean he had to use the number. But he would.

Harry thundered through the stadium, up and down, up and down. The crew was busy with the stage set up but there weren’t many members of the tour hanging out in the stadium. Most ventured backstage to the greenroom and helped themselves to whatever food and drinks the promotor provided. Despite this, Harry didn’t immediately notice the familiar brunette standing to the side of the stage, watching him.

After receiving the unexpected text from Olivia, Gemma quickly pulled through and contacted Lou Teasdale, who was touring with the boys and setting up at the venue. Olivia had met Lou just once, before the Dunkirk premiere, but luckily Olivia had made a good enough impression that Lou was eager to help reunite Holivia.

Lou had instructed Olivia to meet her at the loading dock near the west entrance. With an available parking spot and no Directioners milling about, Olivia felt the stars were appropriately aligning. Her stomach was in knots as she followed Lou through the backstage mazes. She’d tried to think of some kind of speech to recite to Harry when she saw him, but she was coming up blank. She had so much she wanted to tell him, but her words were far from organised thoughts.

As she followed Lou closer to Harry, Olivia wondered what his reaction would be. He would be surprised, of course, but would he be happy? Or had he grown tired of her indecisiveness and moved on? The rational side of Olivia told her he hadn’t moved on, just how she hadn’t moved on, and he would be thrilled to see her. However, the irrational side of her remained terrified at the idea of setting herself up for a possible rejection.

“Hey… where’s Harry at?” Lou said, asking the first band member she spotted.

Zayn looked back and forth between Olivia and Lou. He hadn’t met Olivia, but she wondered if he knew who she was. “Uhm… out there, running stairs…” he replied, gesturing past the stage. “Who’s your friend?”

“Mind your P’s,” Lou advised him, stepping past Zayn. Olivia couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard Lou whisper “Olivia” as she walked past Zayn. It didn’t matter, though. Everyone would know soon enough.

Lou stopped at the edge of the stage and nodded. “There’s your man,” she told Olivia. Olivia followed her gaze and saw Harry, running up and down the stairs near the middle of the stadium. Lou snickered. “Ever since the internet went wild about his tush, he doesn’t stop running. He’s like our very own Forrest Gump…” She laughed again, shaking her head as she patted Olivia’s arm. “Good luck, girl,” she added with a wink before heading back behind the stage.

“Thanks,” Olivia answered with an appreciative smile. As Lou disappeared, Olivia took a few tentative steps towards the section where Harry was running. He looked focused and determined as he sprinted and so sexy as the sweat glistened off his tattooed arms. Olivia realised she wasn’t breathing as she stared at this Adonis of a man, the man she was going to tell she wanted to be with forever.

Olivia stepped closer to the stands as Harry turned at the top of the stairs and began running down. She was almost right in front of him, but he didn’t look up. She watched as he ran, wondering if he would notice her. She wanted him to, but didn’t want to shout out to him. Not to mention, she enjoyed the view.

Harry slowed his pacing as he came to the bottom of the stairs and turned to run through the aisle between the chairs. A movement on the floor caught his eye, and he glanced up for just a moment before continuing his strides. He ran up a few stairs before he stopped abruptly, realising a moment later what his eyes saw. He turned around and there, in the middle of the stadium, was Olivia.

Despite his racing pace, his heart felt as though it stopped. He stared at Olivia, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him. Was she really here? After what seemed like an eternity of staring at her, he finally remembered how to use his feet and he descended the stairs. He didn’t take his eyes off her as he found the entrance to the floor.

Olivia began to walk towards Harry as he stepped onto the floor. She still didn’t know what she would say to him, but she hoped words would find her once in his presence. They stopped in front of one another and, for a moment, neither said a word.

Harry was the first to break the silence. “Hi…” he greeted slowly, his brow furrowing curiously. Just weeks ago, she told him not to call her anymore. Now she was here, and he didn’t know why. He hoped she was here as a single woman and while he suspected she was – why else would she have shown up? – he couldn’t be sure until he said more than hello. “What… why are you here?” he asked, hoping the words didn’t sound crass. He was confused and curious but he loved seeing her.

“Uhm…” Olivia began, the words not coming to her as she had hoped. She would be lying if she wasn’t disappointed by Harry’s question. She’d hoped for more of an enthusiastic greeting, but had to remind herself that she’d broken this man’s heart and toyed with his emotions. He was hesitant, with good reason. “I… heard you were in town, so…” she trailed off with a shrug, pursing her lips.

“You heard right…” Harry answered, a hint of a smirk appearing on his face. “Would have told you, but… I’m not supposed to call you anymore…” He allowed a small grin on his face as he spoke the words to show Olivia he was teasing her, but she looked to her feet as she blushed, missing his grin. He’d almost forgotten how much he loved when her face went red.

Olivia exhaled loudly, looking to the ground. “I know I did…” she mumbled, her face heating up. The reunion was not going as she expected. She longed for him to hug her, pull her into his arms and assure her that everything would be perfect now. But he kept standing an arms length from her, showing no signs of enveloping her any time soon. She had to remind herself that she was not the star of a Katherine Heigl rom-com and this was real life, with real, unscripted emotions.

“So… why are you here?” Harry asked, a slight chuckle in his voice. She was clearly nervous about showing up at the stadium, and he found it to be adorable. He only hoped she’d shown up for the reason he was thinking.

“I broke up with Ben,” Olivia blurted out. She looked up at Harry and saw his eyes widen. She wasn’t sure what to make of his reaction, but she continued to speak. “And I quit my job. And I don’t know if me coming here right after is like… appropriate, but I couldn’t wait to see you and I wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for everything from before… from when we dated and when we were in New York, and for any time I ever made you feel like you weren’t the most important person in my life. Because you are! You always have been, and I wish we hadn’t lost these four years, but I’m really hoping we can pick up and start over because I miss you and you’re the only one I want to spend my life with.”

Hearing Olivia’s confession surprised Harry, even though he realised he’d expected it. His eyes were wide and he couldn’t find the words to say to her. He was stunned and elated and all he wanted to do was kiss and hug his love, but Olivia kept talking, leaving Harry’s lips no chance to cut in.

When Harry didn’t immediately reply to Olivia’s admission, she didn’t know what else to do but keep talking. “I’m sorry if that’s not what you want, and if it’s not I’ll understand, but I just can’t imagine spending the rest of my life with anyone else! You’re my person, Harry, and I… I just don’t… Can you say something?” she pleaded. “I can take it, good or bad but just… say something!”

Harry chuckled, taking a step closer to Olivia. “I could say something if you’d shut up a minute…” he told her, a dimpled smirk on his face.

Olivia exhaled, feeling relief as she saw his smile. “I’m sorry, I just… you’re not talking so I’m going to keep talking and I just need to know what you’re thinking because I…”

Harry held up a finger, silencing Olivia. “Shhh… shut up…” he told her, laughing again. “You’re such a dope… and a fucking nut if you think I wouldn’t feel exactly the same way, love…” He grinned as he watched Olivia’s face segue from dejected to ecstatic. He reached out, combing his fingers through her hair. “You’re my person too. I want to grow old with you and play connect-the-dots with our liver spots and count each other’s wrinkles. Course, I’ll be counting yours ages before you can count mine,” he added teasingly.

Olivia let out a choked laugh, mixed with a sob. “Really?” she asked, her voice high-pitched with emotions. She’d spent so much time hoping he would feel the same way, but his admission still came as a surprise to her. “Like… really, really?” she asked, touching Harry’s hand that was still tangled in her hair.

Harry grasped Olivia’s hand, squeezing it tightly as he pulled her closer to him. “Really, really, really,” he promised her. He let out a soft sigh. “Look, I know we’ve got shit we have to work through and nothing’s going to get solved over night… But honey? This is it. You and me. I don’t want to fuck this up again. So… whatever it takes, whatever you need me to do… I’ll do it.”

“Me too,” Olivia told Harry. She wondered if Harry felt he was to blame for their relationship ending, the same way Olivia felt it was her fault. “I’ll do whatever it takes to be with you… and I won’t go around pulling chick’s hair… unless they actually deserve it,” she added with a wry smile.

Harry guffawed. “And I’ll keep myself from kissing ex-girlfriends,” he replied, rolling his eyes as soon as he heard the words. “Too soon, eh?” he questioned, noticing Olivia’s raised eyebrow.

She smirked at him. “Way too soon,” she told him, but her voice was light. She realised she didn’t care about that night with Taylor at all anymore. “But… I can think of one ex-girlfriend you’re allowed to kiss…” she added coyly, finding Harry’s other hand with her free one. A shock radiated through her as she stepped closer to him, gripping his hands tightly.

“You still want to call yourself my ex-girlfriend?” asked Harry, tugging Olivia closer to him. He let go of his hands in order to circle his arms around her waist. “Sorry, I’m sweaty…” he added in a murmur, letting out a quiet chuckle. He realised he felt nervous at the prospect of kissing Olivia again. Nervous, but eager.

Olivia shook her head. “I don’t want to be your ex-girlfriend anymore,” she whispered to Harry. She wrapped one arm around his neck but held the other one out in front of their touching bodies. “Want to write the question on my arm?” she teased him, remembering when he first asked her to be his girlfriend, so many years ago.

“You’re such a dork,” Harry laughed. He grabbed her hand and began pressing kisses up her arm. “Will… you… be… my… girlfriend… again…?” he asked, kissing her skin between each word and grinning as Olivia laughed at his antics. He pressed a final kiss on the tip of her nose with his last word. “Please?”

“Now who’s the dork?” Olivia asked, her arms linking behind Harry’s neck. She beamed as she looked into his eyes. Any past trepidations or worries about Harry’s potential reaction vanished as she held his gaze. It wasn’t always going to be easy, but it was always going to be wonderful. She rested her head against Harry’s forehead and nodded slightly. “But yes, my dork… I want to be your girlfriend again.”

“Phew!” Harry exclaimed dramatically, squeezing his arms around Olivia. “That would have been a shitty twist if you said no,” he teased. He loved being able to joke with her and not have her flip out at his teasing words. Harry realised he’d spent so much time over the last four years censoring and not being himself. With Olivia, he was always himself. He was looking forward to getting back to how life should be.

Olivia sighed. Harry’s sense of humour hadn’t changed, but she adored it. “Can you just kiss me already?” she asked him as she rolled her eyes. She punctuated her comment with a sassy smirk, her stomach tingling as she waited for Harry to kiss her.

Harry grinned. “Always a cheeky one…” he mused, staring into Olivia’s eyes as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. He felt his breath hitch in his throat as he leaned towards her, cupping her face in his hands before pressing his lips against hers.

Olivia felt her body shiver as Harry kissed her and the world fell away. His lips were slow and comforting, they felt like home. It was better than their first kiss, better than any kiss they’d ever shared. It was a kiss filled with promise, hope and more love than either one of them had ever known.

Harry felt Olivia’s fingers tangle through the damp curls against the back of his neck. He tightened his grip around her and pulled her closer, but she would never feel close enough. He was addicted to her, she was the half that made him whole. He could kiss her every minute of every day for the next hundred years and he would still desire more.

“So…” Harry began as their kiss slowly came to a close. “You got plans tonight?”

Olivia laughed. “Well, I tried my damnedest to get tickets to this pretty popular band’s show tonight, but they’re all sold out!” she told him with an exaggerated pout. “So I just don’t know what in the world I’m going to do!”

Harry reached his hand down, cupping Olivia’s bottom and giving it a squeeze. Oh, he missed her curves. “I might be able to pull some strings with that pretty popular band…” he teased. “I’ve also heard one of them has a pretty nice hotel room with room for one more…” he added, wiggling his eyebrows. He couldn’t wait to get alone with Olivia.

“It would be rude to not take that offer,” Olivia mused.

Harry nodded. “Very,” he agreed. He breathed out a happy sigh as he watched a cute smile appear on her face. “I’ve missed you, sweetheart,” he murmured. “And… I love you…” Oh, how wonderful it was to say those three words without the insurmountable guilt behind them.

Olivia beamed. “I love you too,” she told him. She couldn’t wait to spend forever telling him those words.

Notes