Tell Me a Lie
Prologue
Light suddenly filled the room and there he was. I realized I had forgotten one very important detail as he stood before me rubbing his eyes sleepily. “Jesus, Harry!” I screamed, not even worried about waking Louis right now. Oh God oh God oh God how did I forget that he sleeps nude?
“Fuck!” he yelled when the sleepiness wore off enough and he realized what was going on. I had my eyes squeezed shut—not for my benefit, but more for his (not that he was embarrassed about...himself, but it would have been awkward if I would have just continued on talking and looking at him like he wasn't completely naked, but he was, and it was a fact I was all too aware of). Jesus Christ. I forced myself not to picture those delicious sculpted abs, everything else...
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” I whispered.
“How did you get in here?” Harry demanded. I heard him move around and wondered what he was doing.
I mentally rolled my eyes because he couldn't see anyway since they were closed. “I have a key, remember?”
He ignored that. “You can open your eyes,” he said in the most annoyed voice I'd ever heard. I opened my eyes and he wasn't naked anymore; he had thrown on a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans. I assumed they had been thrown on the couch since I knew he hadn't left to go find clothes.
He looked so upset, I hated it. I hated myself, I hated what I'd done to him. “Hazza,” I whispered. “Please.”
“Don't,” he snapped. “Don't you dare. You'd better bloody leave.”
“Harry, just let me—“
“No. I'm done. I've finally realized there's no point in fighting a battle I can't win anymore. As much as that pains me, it hurts worse knowing what I know. I'll just end up getting hurt again and you'll just end up happy as always, living life. I've honestly never felt the way I felt about you before. I was the player, the womanizer. I never expected to fall so hard for you. But I guess that was the biggest mistake I ever made, because you obviously didn't care about me at all. Did you ever? Were you just using me? I guess I'll never know, but I can't believe I was so foolish to actually fall in love with you. So I have no choice but to let go, even though it may take a while, I'll get over you. Don't come back here and expect to 'talk' after what you did to me, Scarlett.”
“Oh God, Harry,” I whispered. “You really think I'm that heartless? That I don't hate myself for what I did, that it doesn't hurt me to see you hurting and knowing I'm the reason?”
He glared at me, and there was no hope of forgiveness in his eyes, for the first time I could ever remember his eyes were cold and hard. “Even so, I hope you even feel half of what I felt some day so you can know what it's like.”
I wanted to cry, and I hated myself for that too. I was so, so stupid, falling to pieces like every female character I've ever hated in books. I knew he'd probably say something like this, but I had stupidly hoped maybe he wouldn't be so harsh, that even if we couldn't be together again he could somehow forgive me.
“You're right,” I said softly. “I should go.”
I walked past him toward the door, but then I stopped and turned toward him. He looked wary and took a step back, as if he thought I was about to try something. “I was the one who made the biggest mistake. I was so stupid to treat you like nothing, Harry.” I took another step toward him, and this time he didn't step back. I was shocked he was letting me speak. “You're still everything to me. And even if you can't forgive me, or don't want to forgive me, I hope someday you can, even if it doesn't mean we're friends again.”
Unconsciously I had continued stepping toward him. We were so close now, and I could feel the electricity, for me anyway, maybe even more intense than before. I heard his sharp intake of breath and figured he was feeling it too. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered, reaching up and fisting my hand in his gorgeous curls. Before I even knew what I was doing, my lips were on his, and it felt so good to back, even for this brief moment.
“Fuck!” he yelled when the sleepiness wore off enough and he realized what was going on. I had my eyes squeezed shut—not for my benefit, but more for his (not that he was embarrassed about...himself, but it would have been awkward if I would have just continued on talking and looking at him like he wasn't completely naked, but he was, and it was a fact I was all too aware of). Jesus Christ. I forced myself not to picture those delicious sculpted abs, everything else...
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“We need to talk,” I whispered.
“How did you get in here?” Harry demanded. I heard him move around and wondered what he was doing.
I mentally rolled my eyes because he couldn't see anyway since they were closed. “I have a key, remember?”
He ignored that. “You can open your eyes,” he said in the most annoyed voice I'd ever heard. I opened my eyes and he wasn't naked anymore; he had thrown on a wrinkled t-shirt and jeans. I assumed they had been thrown on the couch since I knew he hadn't left to go find clothes.
He looked so upset, I hated it. I hated myself, I hated what I'd done to him. “Hazza,” I whispered. “Please.”
“Don't,” he snapped. “Don't you dare. You'd better bloody leave.”
“Harry, just let me—“
“No. I'm done. I've finally realized there's no point in fighting a battle I can't win anymore. As much as that pains me, it hurts worse knowing what I know. I'll just end up getting hurt again and you'll just end up happy as always, living life. I've honestly never felt the way I felt about you before. I was the player, the womanizer. I never expected to fall so hard for you. But I guess that was the biggest mistake I ever made, because you obviously didn't care about me at all. Did you ever? Were you just using me? I guess I'll never know, but I can't believe I was so foolish to actually fall in love with you. So I have no choice but to let go, even though it may take a while, I'll get over you. Don't come back here and expect to 'talk' after what you did to me, Scarlett.”
“Oh God, Harry,” I whispered. “You really think I'm that heartless? That I don't hate myself for what I did, that it doesn't hurt me to see you hurting and knowing I'm the reason?”
He glared at me, and there was no hope of forgiveness in his eyes, for the first time I could ever remember his eyes were cold and hard. “Even so, I hope you even feel half of what I felt some day so you can know what it's like.”
I wanted to cry, and I hated myself for that too. I was so, so stupid, falling to pieces like every female character I've ever hated in books. I knew he'd probably say something like this, but I had stupidly hoped maybe he wouldn't be so harsh, that even if we couldn't be together again he could somehow forgive me.
“You're right,” I said softly. “I should go.”
I walked past him toward the door, but then I stopped and turned toward him. He looked wary and took a step back, as if he thought I was about to try something. “I was the one who made the biggest mistake. I was so stupid to treat you like nothing, Harry.” I took another step toward him, and this time he didn't step back. I was shocked he was letting me speak. “You're still everything to me. And even if you can't forgive me, or don't want to forgive me, I hope someday you can, even if it doesn't mean we're friends again.”
Unconsciously I had continued stepping toward him. We were so close now, and I could feel the electricity, for me anyway, maybe even more intense than before. I heard his sharp intake of breath and figured he was feeling it too. “I'm so sorry,” I whispered, reaching up and fisting my hand in his gorgeous curls. Before I even knew what I was doing, my lips were on his, and it felt so good to back, even for this brief moment.