Hiya c; So, a somewhat short chapter >_< I'm so sorry. My mind has just been away from me lately ;P Do your best to enjoy<3

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Chapter 14 – Valerie’s P.O.V.

            “Harry, I’m supposed to die soon.”

            I watched intently through my blurry vision as his face twisted in confusion. I hadn’t meant to tell him, ever, really, but I knew it would come out. I just didn’t plan on it being today. When we were having a beautiful moment not too long ago. And now, still standing in our underwear, I just revealed part of the truth to him. All because my damn concealer washed off in the water.

            “What?” Harry asked softly, his eyebrows etching together distraughtly. “Valerie, what the hell does that mean?”

            “It means I have a rare heart disease called IHSS. In other words, Idiopathic Hypertrophic Subaortic Stenosis,” I told him, sucking in a sharp breath air. “It’s rarely ever found in females, but when it is, it’s more dangerous than it is to males. Not to mention that hardly anyone lives once they’re diagnosed with it. The average age is twenty-five, but the doctors don’t think I’ll even make it that long.”

            Harry shook his head. “You aren’t going to die, Valerie. You can’t,” he practically whispered, his voice cracking mid-sentence.

            I was literally flabbergasted (ha, what a beautiful word) at how much Harry already cared for me. He was almost crying with me, for God’s sake. I really don’t think this is real. I just… I can’t bring myself to believe it, and I don’t want to believe it. There’s no such thing as a happy ending.

            “Harry, I can’t stop it and I think it’s getting worse,” I said softly, a stray tear rolling down my cheek. “My chest has been hurting more often, and it always feels like someone is constantly shoving a knife through it. I’ve been taking my medicine and everything, but it’s not helping anymore.”

            “Don’t say that,” Harry nearly yelled, shaking his head violently with his eyes squeezed closed. He laced our fingers together again, squeezing my hands as if he never wanted to let go while he locked our foreheads together once more. “I can’t lose you when I just got you, Valerie. I can’t do it. I won’t do it.”

            Thinking of all the times I’ve dreamt Harry (or any of the 1D boys) saying that to me only made me cry harder. My mind slowly wandered back to my damn book once more, and how when Lauren told Harry, this is exactly how they stood. Both their hands locked together with their foreheads pressed on one another. Both of them crying about the same thing; Lauren dying with IHSS. Lauren’s character was basically me; the disease and everything. I just modified her looks in the book to make her sound prettier than me, because let’s be honest here; I’m not the fairest maiden in the kingdom.

            But I still can’t get one thing out my mind; how is it possible?

            For a book to have so many similarities to reality? It shouldn’t be possible. It isn’t possible. I’m clearly just assuming things and being my normal, stupid self. Yeah, we’ll go with that. It’s a lot more believable than a fan-fiction coming to life, right?

            “I’m sorry, Harry,” I whispered. “I could literally drop dead any moment and—“

            “Stop,” Harry said firmly. “Just stop saying things like that. I don’t want to hear it.”

            I slowly nodded my head against his, sniffing loudly as he pulled me into his bare chest. His arms wrapped around my waist as mine flung around his neck. Taking in his breathtaking scent, and feeling the warmth of his body radiate off of him and onto me, my tears just kept coming. I couldn’t agree with Harry more. I don’t want to hear the negative things, but they’re just inevitable. I could die any minute and never see it coming. Go straight into a heart attack, black out, and boom; bye-bye, Valerie.

Harry’s P.O.V.

            Holding Valerie was like holding an angel. You just couldn’t believe that God had gifted you with such an amazing and beautiful person. But you also knew that angels don’t stay on earth forever. Soon, they have to reunite with their campaigns while looking down on the rest of us. And for the first moment since I met Valerie, I wished she wasn’t an angel. I wished she wouldn’t leave me when I just got her. A few days ago she was squealing and hanging onto me as if her life depended on it. And now… Now she’s crying and hanging onto me as if her life depended on it.

            And in this case, in kind of did.

            I’ve never met anyone like Valerie before. Someone that’s always themselves, but then apologize right after. Someone that is so light-hearted, so beautiful that they can’t even be real. That they might just be a figment of your imagination, but you refuse to believe you’re dreaming. Because you want the reality of the beautiful girl with the perfect personality. You want the reality of the love you think you’re starting to feel.

            But then the bad news comes and you wish you would just wake up. You wish you didn’t feel the hurt and pain the dream brought and turned itself into a nightmare. You wish the dream was always a dream, but the truth is…

            There’s no such thing as a happy ending.

            And holding Valerie right now, I realized I wouldn’t get my happy ending with her. I wouldn’t come back from tour for her, because she most likely won’t be here. As much as I hate to think about it, she might not even be here tomorrow. I still had a week and a half left of vacation, and I was already coming up with ideas for placing to take her. For places to show her. Hell, I guess I thought I was falling pretty hard, because I even thought about asking her if she wanted to go on the rest of the tour with me. I could make arrangements for it with no problem, but those dreams are crushed as well.

            “Can you promise me something?” Valerie cried softly into my already wet shoulder from the lake.

            Feeling her hot tears and hearing her choked voice made me squeeze her tighter. “Anything.”

            Valerie sucked in a shaky breath as her hands slowly fell away from my neck, falling limply to her sides. Unwillingly, I pulled away and put my hands firmly on her shoulders. “Can you… can you promise me you won’t forget me? I know you meet new and pretty girls all the time, but—“

            “Valerie,” I cut her off, gently lifting her chin to lock our eyes. “No girl in the world could even compare to you, you’re that special to me.”

            Valerie let out a weak smile as I gently pressed my lips on hers, fearing it might be the last time I ever got to feel them. I haven’t even gotten used to the tingling feeling her lips give me every time they meet mine. I want to get used to it, before they’re gone.

Your hand fits in mine like it's made just for me,

But bear this in mind,

It was meant to be,

And I'm joining up the dots with the freckles on your cheeks,

And it all makes sense to me…

            Valerie slowly looked up as the words left my lips. I gave her a faint smile, remembering she said it was one of her favorites. Gently, I swiped my thumb across her cheek and flicked off her tears, then grabbed more of the lyrics.

You'll never love yourself half as much as I love you,

You'll never treat yourself right darlin',

But I want you to,

If I let you know I'm here for you,

Maybe you'll love yourself like I love you, oh,

I've just let these little things out of my mouth,

Cause it's you, oh it's you, it's you,

They add up to, and I'm in love with you,

And all these little things…

            Valerie’s tears picked back up as she smiled at me. I smiled back, cupping her cheeks with my hands and pressing a kiss onto her forehead.

            “You remembered?” Valerie breathed out as she sobbed, giggling slightly as she wiped her eyes.

            “Of course,” I smiled. “I listen more than you think.”

            Valerie’s grin stretched as her eyes sparkled with tears. “Can I… Can I please hug you again?” she choked out, her eyes pleading as I looked at her as if she were stupid.

            “It’d be an honor,” I smirked, right as Valerie giggled and leaped onto me. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I wrapped my arms around her waist, her face burying into my bare shoulder. I spun her around in a small circle, not seeming to get enough of her angelic laugh before I gently placed her on her feet again. I locked our lips once more before I pulled away and grinned. “How about we get you home now, yeah?”

            Valerie smiled. “What a lovely plan there, Styles,” she smirked, making me grin as she used my last name. “But there’s one problem.”

            I rose an eyebrow. “And what would that be?”

            Valerie’s cheeks flushed a bright red. “You’d be leaving me, then,” she said quietly, a smile still on her lips.

            I chuckled, managing a smile back. “I’ll never leave you, Valerie.” A pang of sadness then hit my heart as I lowered my voice, just so Valerie couldn’t hear. “Not even if you leave me.”