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The familiar houses we passed as we drove down the streets of my neighborhood, blurred on the other side of the window. My eyes briefly fell on each one before quickly darting to the next one. The heart in my chest was beating quickly the closer we got and my palms broke out into a sweat when I noticed the houses up ahead that were neighboring mine. I eagerly waited until I saw my house, a breath of relief silently passing through my lips when the only car I saw In the driveway was my old one. Niall slowed his car as we neared until he was rolling to a complete stop against the sidewalk. My gaze swept over the grass, lips pressing together when I saw how it was trimmed to perfection. Glad to see my mom hadn't stopped herself from hiring someone to do the housework while she was gone. She always cared too much about appearances.

Niall clearing his throat drew my attention away from the house I used to call home and I looked towards the front of the car to see him watching me curiously. "You alright Emmy?"

I stole a quick glance at Harry, who was also staring at my house but at hearing Niall speak he threw the passenger door open. "Yeah. I'm fine." I said distractedly as Harry climbed down from the car and grabbed his leather bag, hitching the strap over his shoulder. I looked back to Niall and smiled. "Thanks for the ride. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll pick you up here at six."

"Okay." I smiled and he returned it half heartedly, still tense from what had been said between him and Harry earlier. I shoved the door open, the strap of my duffel bag in hand. "Bye Niall."

"Bye Emmy."

I jumped down from the car, catching Harry swiftly nod to Niall in acknowledgment but I didn't see whether Niall had returned it before Harry shut the passenger door. I hadn't bothered to question why he was getting off at my stop when I knew full well leaving Niall to drop Harry off at his house was probably not the best idea. I had a feeling those two left alone together would only lead to a fight.

Harry's eyes met mine and I could see he wanted to say something to me but I turned my back to him. Jaw clenching in irritation I moved down the gravel walk way that lead to the front porch, my chin held high. I heard Harry sigh before he followed me closely, my feet stomping up the few steps on the porch dramatically that I could practically feel Harry rolling his eyes at my back. Maybe I was being childish but damnit, I was annoyed. And I wanted him to know it.

Reaching for the keys in the pocket of my bag, I shoved the right key into the hole before pushing the door open. I heard the beep of the alarm system and I tentatively peeked my head through the gap of the door, almost expecting my mom or my dad to come out of the kitchen. Though I knew that was very unlikely when my dad no longer lived here and my mom's car was clearly missing from the driveway. She was probably at work. Like always.

Stepping into the house, I moved to the side to let Harry in. He cautiously walked inside, his eyes taking in his surroundings. They darted from the hallway that lead to the kitchen, the living room that stood off to his left, the office that was to his right, and then the stair case that was somewhere in the middle of all that. I cleared my throat and he glanced at me, moving out of the way to allow me to close the door. He was staring distractedly at the pictures hanging on the walls and I frowned when he focused hard on one of me, my mom, and dad at the beach when I was five years old. A year just before they stopped paying attention to me.

"Come on." I said, looking away from the picture and heading towards the stair case. Harry followed close behind me, his feet lightly padding against the stairs compared to mine that were stomping. With my hand sliding over the banister, I turned to where my room was but for a brief second fear struck through me when I thought how my mom might of cleaned out my room. She wouldn't do that would she?

Pushing the thought away, I stopped once I reached my door and grabbed the door knob before turning it. The door swung open and my eyes took in my white room, the queen sized bed with the gray and white duvet neatly made sitting in the middle of it. My chest rose and fell in relief that everything seemed to be just how I left it, eyes taking in the few clothes that were on the floor of my opened walk in closet. They were scattered in a messy heap just the way I had left them the day I decided I couldn't live here anymore.

The brief memory of my frantic packing vanished when I remembered Harry behind me as he carefully stepped around me and walked into my room. I gazed at him as he looked around, his eyes falling to the black and white canvas I had of the view of London with fairy lights surrounding it. He walked around slowly, his hand still clutching the strap of his bag as he studied my belongings before he moved to the pictures I had plastered on the wall just above where my computer desk was. They were taped in a collage and his mouth twitched into a small grin as he looked at each picture. His forefinger lightly touched one specifically before he grabbed the end of it and carefully snagged it off the collage.

"I remember this." He said, holding the picture closer to his face. He turned around and held the picture out for me to see. I walked over to him slowly, dropping my bag on the floor along the way before taking the picture In my hand. I looked down at it, staring at the group photo that was taken some time junior year when all periods of the sign language class took a trip to a school for the deaf. I was squatted down near the front, laughing when Lila had hooked her arm around my neck at the last minute and puckered her lips at the camera. My lips twitched into a smile but I froze as I took the rest of the picture in, noticing Harry standing on the far right side of where I was squatted with his arms crossed over his chest. He was faintly smiling but he wasn't looking at the camera. He was looking at me.

"I-I never noticed you in this picture before." I said in surprise, blinking at the picture repeatedly. "How did I not notice you?" I said more to myself than to him.

"Don't know. But I remember it clear as day." He said, leaning against my computer desk. "You and Lila were being so loud and the professor kept trying to quiet everyone down for the picture but you two kept laughing."

"Yeah, and we got threatened with an F in the class. That shut us up real quick."

He smiled slowly. "Yeah. I thought you were cute."

I nearly choked on my own spit and my eyes darted up to catch Harry's, his face becoming serious. "What? You did?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I used to purposely get to class early just so I could catch a glimpse of you walking out. You were always too busy talking with Lila, you never saw me."

"You wanted to see me? Why?"

He licked his lips, tilting his head as he stared at me and a small smile appeared on his mouth. "I didn't realize it then but it was because I had a huge crush on you," he chuckles lowly. "I always associated it with being a strong attraction towards you, but isn't that what a crush is?" He shrugs and I swear my heart has stopped beating. "So yeah. I was crushing on you. Had been since freshman year."

I breathed in through my nose, unable to believe what I was hearing. The one guy I had spent years ogling and daydreaming over...had a crush on me?

"What?" He asked when I only continued to stare at him with disbelief. "What is it?"

"You had a crush on me all through high school?"

He presses his lips together, watching me carefully before slowly nodding. "Yes, I suppose I did."

I blinked at him, feeling my still heart suddenly go into a frenzy. My stomach erupted with butterflies but I shook my head, remembering what had happened in the car. "That's not fair. You can't say things like that to get me to stop being angry."

"Angry at what? At me? For saying what I said to Niall?"

"Yes."

He straightened, dropping his arms that he had crossed to his sides. "You have no reason to be mad at me for that Emmeline. What I said to him needed to be said. I had to draw the line."

"I could have done it myself Harry. You were acting all smug and harsh about it."

"Harsh? Baby, that was not harsh. If I had it my way I would have physically threatened him. And you and I both know you were never going to say anything to him until he had already made a move on you. You're too nice to him."

"No, I'm not-,"

"You are." He interrupted and stepped towards me. "And I don't understand why if I'm being honest. The guy dropped you for a year and you're suddenly tip toeing around him. Why?"

"I am not tip-to-,"

"Yes you are." He said firmly, scoldingly that I was quick to shut up. "You defend him and you turn a blind eye to the way he looks at you. Why do you choose to ignore it?"

I didn't answer right away, knowing there was no use in denying it when I knew damn well he was right. I hated being wrong. "Because, he was my best friend and I get he pretty much kicked me to the curb, but I missed having him in my life. And I guess I don't want to lose his friendship. My relationship with my parents has changed and I just want to make sure I don't lose the only person left who has known me since my childhood."

He purses his lips, eyebrows furrowed as he stared at me. I felt vulnerable admitting that to him but I had to say it. He was right, and though I preferred if he would have let me be the one to explain the boundaries between Niall and I, Harry did have the right to do it.

"I understand." He said after a moment and then reached up to trace my lips with his forefinger. "I get it baby. But I refuse to let him disrespect our relationship and it needed to be said. I knew you weren't going to do it so I took the initiative. I get it now why you don't want to hurt him, but do you think its any better to let him believe there's a chance with you? That'll only hurt him more."

I sighed. "I know. You're right. I'm sorry." 

"It's alright." He stepped closer until he was cupping my face in his hands and tilting it upwards to gaze down at me. "Just promise me something?"

"Hm?"

"If he ever makes a move on you, you'll put him in check right away? And you'll tell me?"

"I doubt he will-,"

"Just promise me? You'll be honest?"

I pursed my lips but nodded into his hands, a small grin appearing on his lips. "I will."

"Good." His dimples deepened his cheeks and he bent down to press a sweet lingering kiss to my lips. He pulled back, green eyes flickering over my face before they took in my room. "I like your room by the way."

"Thanks." I laughed.

"And your house is nice." He commented, running his thumb against my cheek. "Hell of a lot nicer than nice."

I shrugged, stepping out of his hands before bending down to grab my bag. I tossed it onto my bed. "It's alright. My parents prefer spending their money on the kind of car they own and the vacations they take."

"I wouldn't say that. Your house is a mansion compared to the others on this street."

I sighed, growing uncomfortable with the topic of conversation so I chose not to respond. I hated discussing how much money my parents had because I was sure it was part of the reason why our family fell apart. Their success in their careers and the money they received from it drove them to wanting more, so they became consumed with working long hours. Growing greedy, until it eventually turned into a bad habit.

"You okay?"

I looked up when he sat on the edge of my bed beside where I stood. His hands splayed out behind him to hold himself up as he tilted his head at me, staring at me with worry.

"Yeah. It's just weird being back here." I said honestly and he grabbed my hand, tugging me to stand between his legs. My hands fell to his shoulders and his palms pressed into my lower back.

"I know. But your mom isn't here so maybe this visit won't be that bad? Plus you've got me." He grinned cheekily and I rolled my eyes when he laughed and tilted his head up to kiss my jaw sloppily. It drew a giggle out of me and I tried to pull away but his arms circling my waist pulled my closer. He bit down playfully on my neck and I yelped, a laugh bouncing off my walls when he immediately blew raspberries against my skin.

"Stop," I whined out between laughs but his arms around me lifted me off the floor and swiftly laid me back on my bed. He hovered over me, his mouth playfully biting and blowing on my neck and chest. I writhed beneath him, trying to escape his lips but he held me down.

"So ticklish." He mumbled with a wide smile, fingers lightly tickling my sides. I squeaked, then laughed louder. My eyes were beginning to tear up.

"Harry stop, please!" I yelled and he tickled again. My laughing was ridiculously loud but it came to a complete halt when the sound of  a door closing downstairs echoed through out the house. I froze, and Harry's hands stilled as well. My chest rose and fell quickly and Harry looked up at me slowly, green eyes meeting mine.

Heels clicking against the floor were heard next and I lightly pushed Harry off of me. He rolled off to the side and I quickly sat up, climbing off my bed and after a moment of hesitation, headed towards my door. I walked out of my room, slowly moving to the banister and looked down. My breathing accelerated when I saw my mom stepping on the first step of the stairs, her head faced down. I cleared my throat.

She nearly jumped ten feet into the air, her head snapping up to meet my eyes that were a replica of hers. She stared at me in surprise for a moment, her mouth hung with bafflement before she suddenly gathered herself. She straightened and her face turned emotionless as she gazed up at me.

"Emmeline." Her tone was slightly cold. "What are you doing here?"

No welcome home? I guess I should have known better. "Hi mom." I said to her with slight mock. "I'm visiting."

"Visiting who? Your father is not here."

I swallowed the ball at the back of my throat and forced myself to keep it together. "I know. I came to town to visit Niall's family. It's the anniversary of his father's death tomorrow."

"Well then why aren't you staying with him?"

Slowly, I breathed in through my nose then out. Her coldness towards me was no real surprise but it was far worse than it had ever been. I hated to admit it but her words felt like a jab to the heart. If she wanted to hurt me, she was succeeding.

Before I can answer her I hear the creak of a door and I look behind me to see Harry stepping out of my bedroom. He watches me cautiously and though I'm trying to send him a warning with my eyes, he either ignores it or doesn't see it because he walks to where I stand. His hand rests against the banister while the other touches the small of my back but the question on his tongue falls short when his gaze suddenly darts to my mom. His eyes widen just slightly and I see his body tense, back going rigid. I look down to see my mom staring at him in surprise, but her eyes are studying him. Silently judging.

"Oh," Harry says after a moment. "Hello Mrs. Reed."

I catch her jaw twitch at the name but she completely ignores his greeting. "Who are you?"

"I'm Harry." He says, taking a quick glance at me. "Emmeline's friend."

"He's my boyfriend." I say, knowing he only said friend in case I didn't want her to know. But I don't care. Let her know.

"Boyfriend." She repeated but she didn't sound happy. Her nose scrunched as she looked him over, her eyes lingering on his inked skin and the tight jeans he wore. I could have sworn her lip curled when she saw his scuffed boots touching her carpeted floor. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

"Well, why would you? You never call."

She doesn't respond and instead gazes at me harshly before turning her eyes back to Harry. Her eyes narrow at him and she tilts her head at him. "You look familiar." She comments. "What is your last name?"

Harry hesitates for a moment, licking his lips before his throat bobs as he swallows. "Styles."

"Harry Styles." She says to herself and I see the bulb light up in her eyes. "Your mother is Anne Styles." She observes then glances my way. "He's the boy I wrote that big fat check for?"

"He's the son of the woman who's life was on the line, yes." I answer firmly, sending her a glare. She frowns but says nothing else. Her eyes keep fleeting back and forth between Harry and I but she shakes her head and glances down at the rose gold Rolex watch on her wrist.

"I've got to get to the hospital." She says and begins making her way up the stairs, her heels clicking against the wood before the sound is gone once she reaches the carpet up where we stand. She merely glanced at me, her dark brown curled hair swaying on her shoulders. "I need you out of the house early tomorrow. I will be going out of town."

"Okay? What does it matter if I stay here or not?"

"You don't live here any longer, therefore I'd feel much more comfortable if you didn't stay here while I'm gone."

Her words and the way she was treating me like a stranger was another stab in the heart but I forced myself to push the pain away. I hid it from my face, pressing my lips together and simply nodding to her in return. I didn't have it in me to argue with her or tell her what a load of shit that was. I was her daughter for crying out loud but I guess that didn't matter.

She briefly looked at Harry once more before she turned her back to us and walked down the hallway that lead to her room. I stared after her, watching her disappear into her room then heard the door slam shut. Embarrassment filled me abruptly and I looked up at Harry, my eyes darting away the moment I caught the pity on his face. I stepped around him and walked back into my bedroom, leaving the door open when I knew fully well he was following.

I threw myself face first onto my bed, plastering it into my duvet and feeling my eyes sting. Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry. I chanted to myself repeatedly and then I heard the sound of my bedroom door closing before the bed shifted beside me. Harry's palm pressed into my back and he rubbed it in comfort.

"Hey," he said quietly and when I didn't respond he tried again. "Love, are you okay?"

I shrugged and then felt his body pressing into my side. He rolled into me, lying his arm across my back and kissing the top of my head. He said nothing else as he held me, hugging me even though I was unresponsive. The gesture meant more to me than he knew and even after we heard the closing of the front door minutes later, he continued to hold me. The sting in my eyes eventually became too much and I couldn't stop the tears from falling. They were silent, and not a sound left my lips but by the way Harry held me tighter, I was sure he knew.

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The car slowed in front of the restaurant that was always Mr. Horan's favorite before Niall turned into an empty parking spot. I could feel the tension rolling off of him and I took a peek at him, watching him frown as he looked up at the neon sign of the restaurant. The lights inside allowed us to see the many people eating inside, waiters and waitresses moving quickly around the room. Though Niall and I stayed completely still, watching the buzz of life happening through the window. I waited patiently for him to be ready to go in, knowing he was on edge about this dinner with his mom's boyfriend and his kids.

Two minutes later after glancing at the clock on the dashboard and sighing loudly, he unbuckled his seat belt. "Okay. Let's go in."

I nodded, opening the door and slipping out of the car. I landed on my black ankle boot heels with a thud, adjusting my maroon dress that fell mid thigh and pulling my black cardigan closer around my shoulders. The night air bit at my skin and I shivered, closing the door and wrapping my arms around myself to keep warm. I turned and walked around the front of the car where Niall waited for me. He smiled tightly and pressed his hand to the small of my back as he lead me towards the front.

"You look really nice by the way." He commented and glanced at me before looking straight ahead again. "Haven't seen your hair straight like that in years."

I shrugged. "Didn't feel like curling it. I was lazy." Truth be told, I forgot my curling iron and when I tried to go into my mom's room to borrow hers, I found she had locked her bedroom door. Another jab to my heart.

"Well It looks nice." He said with a small smile, holding the door of the entrance open for me.

"Thanks." I said as I stepped through and Niall nodded, motioning me to follow him as he stepped up the the hostess. There were about six different people sitting along the side couches, waiting to be seated.

"Hi, I'm here for the party of Horan." Niall told the hostess. I didn't hear what she said to him but then she was clicking a few things on a computer in front of her before she smiled and waved for us to follow her. Niall looked tense as I walked behind him, the hostess threading through the aisles between several tables. It wasn't until we were in the middle of the restaurant did she stop and gestured us to where we were to be sitting. Niall's jaw clenched and the forced smile that grew on his face caused me to look at the table.

The first person I noticed was Niall's mom, who smiled widely at seeing me. I quickly went to her, bending down and wrapping my arms around her tightly. She hugged me back, kissing my cheek and squeezing me. She smelled like peppermint cookies.

"Oh Emmeline!" She pulled back and held my cheeks in her hand. "Look at you! You've grown so much! How long has it been? Over a year? You've changed!"

"It's been a year yes." I smiled at her. "How are you?"

"Oh I'm good honey. How are you? Oh I can't believe how beautiful you are." She shook her head, releasing my cheeks and sighing. "Niall is a fool to not snatch you up for himself."

I laugh uncomfortably and step back, choosing to ignore what she said. Looking up, my eyes fall on to the girl seated across from Maura and my smile falters. She looks to be around my age and her hair is dark and curled, wide eyes that flicker up to me a chocolate brown. Their surrounded with long eyelashes, cheekbones high and lips thin but painted with a pretty shade of pink lipstick. She was gorgeous.

"Hi." I chirped, stretching my hand out to introduce myself. "I'm Emmeline."

The girl stared up at me cautiously and I watched her back, my eyebrows pinching together slightly as I did. She looked familiar. Had she gone to my high school? I think so. "Leah." She said after a moment in an English accent, reaching over to shake my hand. She smiled at me kindly and I returned it, moving to sit beside her so Niall could sit next to his mom. There was still two empty chairs.

"Hi," Niall said once he settled into his seat and held his hand out to Leah. "I'm Niall, her son." He used his thumb to point at Maura, smiling at the girl beside me who blushed. "You must be Daren's daughter."

"I am." She nodded and returned Niall's smile. "My dad has told me a lot about you."

"You too," he said but then his eyebrows drew together. "He said you were like two years older than me though. No offense but you look younger." He laughed and Leah joined in, shaking her head and looking down at the table.

"That's because I am. I'm seventeen, turning eighteen in a month. I think my dad just got my brother and I mixed up." She shrugged.

"Speaking of your brother, where is he?"

"He couldn't make it after all." She replied shortly, reaching for her glass before sipping on her drink. She took a peek at me than looked away quickly.

"Ah, man that sucks. I was looking forward to meeting him." I roll my eyes inwardly, knowing he was not looking forward to it at all. "Where's your dad?"

"He had to take a business call outside. He should be back any minute." And as if on cue her eyes darted over my head and she jerked her chin. "Here he comes, actually."

I heard his voice before I actually saw him, the authority in it causing me to sit up in my seat. He walked right past our chairs, moving to sit at the head of the table. His head of dark hair was faced down as he held the phone to his ear, listening to whatever was being said on the other line. His sharp jaw ticked in what looked like irritation or impatience, and when he slapped his hand on the table I jumped. He raised his head, staring at the salt shaker on the table and I reeled back when dark chocolate brown eyes briefly landed on me. His eyebrows pulled together as he stared at me, mouth gaping open before he looked away again. There was something so beseechingly familiar about him too. 

"I don't care," he spat and I noticed he also had an English accent. Though it faded compared to Leah's. "Do whatever it takes to make it happen. I'm not paying you to fail so don't make me regret ever hiring you. I have to go now, I'm at a family dinner but tell them you work for Daren Malik if you have to." He ended the call and shoved his phone in his pocket, picking up his glass of wine to take a long sip from it just as those dark eyes met mine again. And then it clicked.

Malik.

Daren Malik.

Zayn Malik.

Oh my god.

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Dun dun DUNNNNN. You guys all thought Maura's boyfriend was going to Harry's dad lol NOPE. What a twist am I right? ;)

Colin Farrell plays Daren Malik!

Questions:

What do you think of em's reunion with her mom?

How many of you were shocked about who Daren was?

More will be explained in the upcoming chapters! Be patient, I think we're more than halfway through the book. It's going by so fast :( I'll update ago soon<3