Hiiiii 

I hope you guys like this chapter, i really liked writing it (:

I'm going on vacation this weekend so next update will probably be next week.

Enjoy & please comment/vote <33

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H a r r y

I pull up in front of the fraternity house and am lucky enough to find a parking spot right across the street from it. The lawn is crowded with people, some standing and talking while others are passed out with their faces turned into the grass. The front door is wide open and I can't see inside from this distance, but what I can see is the amount of people pouring out of it. I want to avoid any one recognizing me so I dial Nicole's number, ready to ask her to at least bring Kaydence to the front door that way I won't have to go in and risk being seen. She doesn't answer after I've called twice, so I pull the beanie on my head down a little more, making the hair on my forehead hang up to my eyebrows.

I shove the car door of Nicole's fucking bug open and make my way across the street, threading through the people on the lawn till I reach the front door. When I step inside the first thing I notice is how fancy the house is, even with half the people here littering the floor with red solo cups. I kick several away from my feet as I saunter further into the house, until I've reached the kitchen and look around for Nicole's dark hair, or Kaydence's brown eyes. I don't find them in there, and move on to a room that is so large I'm positive everyone here could fit in this room alone if they wanted. I push past several bodies until I'm in an adjoining room where the beer seems to be held. Several lads are standing around a keg, laughing as they watch their friend try to stand on it but failing miserably.

I don't see Nicole in this room either, and am about to call her phone again as I turn the corner into the next room when I suddenly spot her. She's standing in the corner of the room, drinking out of a plastic cup while leaning against the wall. I start to head towards her and once I've shoved a few people that were in my way as I near her, I see Kaydence.

She's sitting on a cushioned bench against the wall, with her head tilted upwards and her face slightly turned to the side. My eyes follow to where she is staring and I suddenly notice the lad sitting next to her. His lips are moving at a rapid rate, and Kaydence seems to be trying extra hard to focus on the words leaving his mouth. She nods her head in agreement to whatever he has just said and he smiles at her before placing his hand on her upper thigh. What the fuck.

Jealousy shoots through me like fire and my nostrils are flaring when his hand moves higher, his fingers brushing the inside of her leg. I keep my feet glued to the ground and ball my hands into fists to keep from walking over and punching the shit out of him. I stare at them, waiting for Kaydence to push his hand away or to tell him to go fuck himself but she doesn't do either. Instead, she laughs loudly at whatever else he says and I don't hesitate to walk over to them this time.

"Kaydence." I say once I've reached them and she turns her head slowly to look at me, the smile on her face growing while the corner of her eyes crinkle.

"Oh look who decided to join the party." She grins wider and pokes my stomach. She really is wasted.

"I'm not here to join the party, I'm here to take you and Nicole away from it." I glance over to where I saw Nicole standing and just when I do she looks our way and sees me, her face falling with relief. I gesture for her to walk over and she sways on her feet slightly, but manages to make it over completely fine.

"You're drunk too?" I ask her and don't hide the disapproval tone in my voice.

"It took you awhile to get here so I drank more but I'm not drunk, just tipsy but I'm fine." She pauses and glances down to a laughing Kaydence who is now leaning on the lad next to her. "She is the one who needs help."

I nod in agreement and grab Kaydence's upper arm, ready to pull her on her feet when she leans away from my touch and scowls at me. "Don't touch me unless you plan on letting me stay."

"You're not staying, it's time to go home."

"You are such a party pooper Harry." She stops and looks at the douche bag next to her. "He acts like my mom, even though I already have two moms', I don't need another one." She slaps her hand against her knee and I'm thrown off about what she just said. I stare at her in confusion, ready to take advantage of the fact that she's drunk and will probably tell me anything I want to know but I need to get her home first.

"Kaydence, if you don't stand up I'm going to have to drag you myself to the car."

"Ooooh," she wiggles her eyebrows and fingers dramatically. "I am so terrified." She rolls her eyes and laughs, then leans over to take the cup out of her friend's hand as she brings it to her lips and drinks out of it. I scowl at her when she brings the cup back down and without thinking, slap the cup out of her hands.

The cup falls to the floor, a small amount of alcohol spilling onto the wooden floor. "Hey!" Kaydence barks at me, her eyebrows furrowing together while her bottom lip juts out. It's still cute, a little voice whispers in my head. "What'd you do that for!"

"Because you're already pissed."

She blinks at me. "I am pissed, because you just slapped my drink out of my hand."

"Kay, 'pissed' in England means drunk." Nicole says from around me and giggles. God, I do not have the patience to deal with them.

"Oh," She chuckles. "Well Harold, you are in America so speak proper English if you may." She says in her best attempt to mimic my accent.

"Ha. Alright, you've had enough fun so let's go." I begin to pull at her arm, when the asshole next to her grabs at her other arm to pull her back.

"She doesn't want to go though and we were talking..." He starts to drift off when I turn to glare at him and move to take a step towards him, making him retract his hand from Kaydence's arm.

I pull Kaydence up to her feet and she wavers, gripping my upper arm until she gets her balance back. She lets go of me and takes an uneasy step, only to stumble over her own feet and I quickly stride over to catch her. My arms move around her to keep her up and she laughs before leaning her head back on my shoulder, making it that much harder to help her stand on her own.

"Harry, she can't walk on her own there's no use in making her. So can you just carry her to the car? I'd like to leave already."

I bite my tongue from snapping at Nicole and turn Kaydence around to face me, holding her up by her shoulders as I start to move my arms behind her knees to pick her up. Kaydence stops me though by shoving at my chest but I still have a hold on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." She grumbles and ignore her as I try to pick her up again but she continues to shove me.

"Kaydence," I growl in annoyance and it seems to capture her attention. "Would you stop pushing me and just let me take you to the damn car?"

"Nope." She pops the 'p' and laughs, tossing her head back as she does. I take the opportunity of her being distracted in her own little world, and quickly bend down to lift Kaydence's arm and toss her over my shoulder. She shouts when I stand back up and begin to walk towards the front door and kicks her legs out in front of me, but I tighten my grip on her thighs to hold them in place.

"Put me down!" She yells against my lower back and I feel her hand come down against my ass several times. Without thinking I bring my own hand against her ass that is practically next to my face and she shrieks in surprise. She stops struggling against me for a moment but once she starts to move again, I pinch the back of her upper thigh.

"Keep it up and I'll slap it again." I mutter and she stops, letting her body hang limply over my shoulder. I carry her over the threshold of the doorway, glancing over my free shoulder to make sure Nicole is following close behind. I make my way across the lawn and step over several people passed out on the grass and I hear Kaydence laughing behind me, muttering 'bye' to the unconscious people.

"Are we almost there yet?" Kaydence whines behind me and I lift her higher on my shoulder, earning a groan from her.

"Don't do that," She says. "I'll throw up on you if you do that again, it hurts my stomach."

"I swear to fucking eternity if you throw up on me..."

"I won't if you don't do that again." Kaydence snaps behind me and Nicole ends up ahead of me when she sees her car across the street. I follow as close as I can behind her and Kaydence's hand comes to rest on my lower back when she starts to slip from my shoulders, and my grip on her is so tight I'm afraid I could be hurting her.

"You know, from this angle you have a really cute ass."

"You're drunk." I point out but she only laughs in return.

"Yes, that I am! But, drunk thoughts are sober thoughts."

"So you've always thought I had a cute ass?" I'm thankful she can't see the grin on my face.

"Well, from this angle I suppose so."

This time I'm the one who laughs and Kaydence is quiet before she joins me and playfully smacks my ass again. I sort of like drunk Kaydence, she's not as stand offish as the sober one and actually jokes around with me. It almost feels like nothing ever happened between us and all is right in the world but of course, this will all be forgotten in the morning so I'm going to try my best and enjoy this while I can. And maybe also use it to my advantage to get some answers.

When we reach the car I shove one of my hands into my front pocket and pull the car keys out, pressing the unlock button before Nicole opens the passenger side door.

"Should I put Kaydence in the back?" I ask her and she shakes her head.

"No, it'll be too complicated for you to climb back here while holding her so just put her upfront." She answers before shoving the seat forward and climbing in the back, then pulling it to it's original position. I bend down and set Kaydence on her feet as I hold her shoulders while she sways from side to side, blinking several times as she looks up at me.

"Can you try to get in the car on your own?" I ask and she nods before turning around and slowly moving to lower herself in the passenger seat. I move to grip her elbow to help her but she ends up flopping down into it as she leans her head back against the headrest. I grab her legs and move them into the car before closing the door once she's fully in, then walk around to the driver's side.

I start the car and glance over at Kaydence then Nicole to make sure they're both strapped in before I pull away from the curb and drive back down the way I came. Nicole is quiet the whole time and Kaydence keeps pointing at the most uninteresting things we pass as we drive, and it's quite comedic. Nicole leans forward halfway through the car ride to poke Kaydence in the shoulder only to tell her to, and I quote, "shut the fuck up, your voice is giving me a headache." Kaydence sticks her tongue out to Nicole in response and continues to talk endlessly, earning a groan from Nicole.

When I finally pull into the parking space in front of the apartment, Nicole moves to shove Kaydence's seat the moment I've stopped the car, but realizes there's no way Kaydence will get up that quickly.

"Hurry I have to pee!" I step out of the drivers seat and Nicole climbs over the console and out my side, not bothering to wait for Kaydence to get out. She runs in zigzags to the front door then stops halfway, spinning around on her heel. "I don't have the keys!" She shouts and crosses her legs as she bounces in place. I chuckle and briefly glance at a drunk Kaydence before jogging up to Nicole and handing her the car keys.

"Can you make sure Kay get's in her bed tonight? I'm about to pass out, that is after I pee of course."

I wave my hand at her and nod. "Sure, go ahead. I got her."

She throws me a quick smile then turns for the door as I walk back to the car, stopping at the passenger side and opening it slowly so Kaydence doesn't fall out. She's laying back on the seat with her forehead pressed to the door until I open it, and make her slip forward. She doesn't even bother to catch herself so I move quickly in front of her, reaching out to grip her shoulder.

"Ugh, don't touch me Styles." She groans and I roll my eyes at her before sliding my hand under her arms and lifting her up to her feet.

"I'm just trying to get you in bed."

"Oh is that what you're doing?," She manages to lift her head up and look me in the eye, an amused grin plastered on her face. "Harold, the least you could do is take me out to dinner first."

"Shut up, that's not what I meant." I mutter to her, ducking my head down to keep the blush creeping on my face hidden. Why the fuck am I blushing?  Fuck.

I kick the passenger door closed behind me, while Kaydence moves to wrap her arm around my neck as she leans all of her weight on me. I try not to take in her familiar scent or the way her chest is pressing hard into mine as I wrap my arm around her waist to steady her and lead us towards the back door. She trips over her own feet and my grip on her tightens even more every time she stumbles, and giggles to herself whenever she does.

We finally reach the door and I've never been more thankful when I see that Nicole left it half way open, and I'm able to easily pull Kaydence inside. I close the door as quietly as I can behind me and begin to lead Kaydence through the kitchen when she suddenly pulls away from me and falls near the counter, knocking over a glass cup sitting on it. It shatters to the floor, and I wince at the echo it creates, hoping it didn't disturb Nicole if she's already fallen asleep.

"Oopsy, I'm so clumsy." Kaydence laughs and slides her back against the counter until she's sitting on the floor, then reaches over to pick up a shard of glass. I take a step to stop her but by the time I'm in front of her, she's bleeding onto the tiled floor and staring widely at the cut on her finger.

"Well shit." She breathes and I choke back a laugh at her face expression. I take the sharp piece of glass away from her and set it on the counter, then move to get the broom.

"Please don't touch any more glass before you hurt yourself again."

"Yes sir." She salutes me and leans her head back against the cabinets, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes while I sweep the glass into a pile and push it towards the trash can. I'll pick it up later. When I look back over at Kaydence she's gazing at me in wonder and I quickly look away before I can get sucked into her brown eyes. I need to get her to bed.

"Come on, bed time." I reach my hand out for her to take, but she shakes her head in response and points behind me.

"First of all, I'm not tired. Second, I'm super thirsty." She grins up at me. "Would you please get me a glass of water Mr. Styles?"

Her bleeding finger is still pointing behind me. "Let me get you a band aid first." I quickly walk to the bathroom and open the bottom cabinets to find the box of band aids, opening it to take one out before walking back into the kitchen. Kaydence is still sitting where I left her and I kneel down next to her, opening the band aid and taking her hand in my palm. Her hand is still as soft as it used to be and I force myself to focus on her bleeding finger and not on how her fingers look so small next to mine. I wrap the band aid around the cut and lightly place her hand back into her lap, looking up to catch her eye. I'm very aware of how close she is to me, and that her bare shoulder is touching me. Her mouth is slightly open and her dark hair is shadowing the side of her face while the rest of it is being lit by the moon light coming in through the window. Her eyes are lighter than usual and her lips look extra red. And inviting...

"Can I have some water?" She suddenly asks and I blink away the thoughts flying through my head and nod vigorously before I stand up. I grab her a glass and pour her a cup of water, then hand it to her as I stay standing up this time. I don't want to be that close to her again. It's unsafe.

She brings the cup to her lips and takes several gulps, then places the cup on the floor next to her and leans her head back to look up at me.

"Thanks for helping me." She smiles but it doesn't reach the corner of her eyes and I give her a half smile in return.

"You're not exactly an easy drunk to take care of so, you owe me."

"Oh?" She raises her eyebrow. "And what do I owe thee?"

I can't keep the small grin from forming on my face. "I don't know."

"Bull fucking shit," She narrows her eyes at me. "You want something, so what is it?"

"You know for a drunk, you're pretty sharp with those wit remarks."

"I'm always sharp." She almost sounds offended and I chuckle at the scowl and disgusted look on her face.

"Mhm." I agree and bend down to pick her glass up off the floor.

"So, what is it you want?" She asks again.

"I said I don't know."

"And I said that was a load of freaking shit," She rolls her eyes at me and spreads her legs flatly on the floor, making me lean back on the counter. "Tell me tattoo man."

The old nickname stings and I try to push away the unwanted feelings that come with it, balling my hands into fists as I cross them over my chest. Kaydence seems unaware of the affect it had on me so I choose to answer her question as a distraction.

"I want answers." I state firmly, but she doesn't even blink.

"To what questions?"

Shit, I wasn't expecting that response. I was expecting 'We all want what we can't have Styles,' or 'you'll get answers when pigs fly,' or better yet just a flat out 'no.' I open my mouth to answer her quickly before she has the chance to change her mind at telling me anything, then shut it when I realize there are so many questions I want answered, that It's impossible to pick one.

Why did you leave me?

What did I do wrong?

Did you ever think about me?

What happened to you, that Nicole won't tell me?

Do you still love me?

And why did you kiss Max?

God, there's a whole fucking list of questions but I know I'll only get one answered tonight. Kaydence may be drunk yes, but I know getting her to answer one will be hard enough that getting two answers will be out of the question.

I think carefully before I ask her the question that I want to know the most right now, then lean down to look her in the face when I ask it.

"Why did you say earlier today that we were visiting your mum in Colorado?"

Kaydence blinks up at me and her brows knit in confusion as she tilts her head up at me, and then shrugs it off as if it isn't a big deal.

"Fuck it, I'm probably not going to remember this tomorrow morning." She laughs. "If I really don't remember, don't remind me okay?" She doesn't give me a chance to answer before she leans forward and plays with a piece of lint hanging from her shorts. "I said that because my mom is in Colorado, duh." She waves her hand as if the answer were obvious.

"Kaydence, your mum is dead..."

She sighs dramatically and pushes the hair on the side of her face back. "Not that mom, I mean my other mom."

"Other mum?" I stare at her with wide eyes and move to sit on the floor next to her. "What do you mean?"

She leans her head back and closes her eyes, a burp escaping her mouth but she doesn't seem to care that I'm here. "Whoops," She breathes and shakes her head slightly. "My other mom is in Colorado, my biological one." She's quiet for a moment, and then laughs lightly. "Biological is a funny word." She stops. "Actually it's a little hard to say. Such a tongue twister."

I stare at her in bewilderment. "Your Biological mum." I repeat. "But then that means..."

"That means my mom wasn't my real mom, and my ass of a dad wasn't my real dad, thank god for that one by the way." She sighs again. "I was adopted."

Fuck. I did not expect that at all. I thought...actually I had no idea what I thought but it wasn't that. I shake my head to clear it, and stare hard at Kaydence, waiting for her to react to this. How long has she known?

"When did you find out?"

"About eleven months ago." She mutters.

"After you left...?"

"Nope," She opens her eyes a little to look at me. "At the hospital."

I breathe in sharply and I turn to look at the floor. Fuck. All this time I had all these horrible thoughts and feelings towards her and she was dealing with something much bigger than me. But this couldn't have been the reason why she left...could it?

"Kayd-,"

She cuts me off when she suddenly sits forward and tries to stand up on her own. I quickly get to my feet so I can help her but she shrugs me off, muttering that she can do it on her own. It takes her several tries but she finally gets to both her feet as she brushes off the imaginary dirt on her shorts.

"Nice chat and all but I think I'll go to bed now."

"But-,"

"Goodnight."

"Kaydence, just listen to me,-"

"I'm tired." She gives me a sharp look and turns her head quickly, too fast, and she sways momentarily on her feet before walking towards the hallway.

"Kay, I just want to understand." I say without thinking and she stops for a moment before leaving, gripping the door frame as she turns to glance at me over her shoulder. Her eyes are hard and I can't read what she's thinking, but I can see her invisible wall going up as the seconds go by.

"I would think you would have gotten it by now," She says too calmly that I flinch at the unfamiliarity in her voice. "It's not your job to understand anything about me, anymore." I stare wide eyed at her in shock, with my mouth hanging slightly open as she spares me one last look and turns to leave me standing alone in the dark kitchen.