Two Way Street

I woke up suddenly to screaming, profanity, and someone pounding on the door. I lazily rolled over on the couch, burying my face in one of the throw pillows. Harry would answer the door.

Sure enough, Harry walked through the apartment grumbling. I lifted my head curiously as he opened the door, noticing his lack of shirt. The door opened and light from the hallway.

“Lou, what the hell?”

Louis? I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Not even ten and he was barging in. I need my sleep, “Lou, go away. I’m trying to sleep.”

“Trying to sleep? Is that what people call it now?”

I raised an eyebrow, peeking around Louis’ body at Harry. “When someone is tired and they want to rest so they can get up early the next day because they have a job. That’s sleep. What are you thinking about?”

Lou’s eyes were dark and stormy, his face was red. “Maybe the fact that you haven’t moved in yet and you’re alone with him? Doesn’t that seem a but suspicious? Fishy? Promiscuous? Should I go on?”

I stood up and stared Lou in the eye, “Are you drunk?”

“No, I’m not. Is it true?”

I threw my hands up, “Is what true? You’re not giving me anything to go off of, sweetheart! What the hell are you talking about?”

“Liam said you were sleeping with Harry. Are you sleeping with him? Because if you are, there is no way in hell that you’re moving in here!”

My jaw dropped and Harry’s face turned bright red, “Liam said that? Liam Payne said that Harry and I were fucking? Oh god...Oh god, that’s so rich. And you believed him?”

Louis shrugged angrily, “You’re not exactly denying anything!”

“Wow, mate. Calm down,” Harry stepped forward and put his hands on Louis’ shoulder.

Louis turned around and hit Harry in the arm. Not very gently either. “Harry, leave before something happens to you, okay?”

“I’m not leaving you with her right now, Lou. Not while you’re in rage mode.”

“Fine. It’s not my fault if you leave with a broken nose and black eye,” Louis warned. He turned toward me again, “Are you going to explain yourself? Why you lied about sleeping around with Harry?”

I pressed my fist into my, willing the raging pulse that throbbed behind my eye. “How long have you know me, Louis William Tomlinson?”

“Nineteen years, Mara Louise Beckett.”

I took in a deep breath, trying to calm the angry tremors in my body, “And how many boyfriends have I had?”

“None,” he answered simply.

“How many times have I had sex?”

There was a pause, “None.”

“Are you my best friend?”

“Yes.”

Another breath, “Do you think I would tell me if I was sleeping with your friend? Do you think I would let you know something like that, especially something as important as that?”

“I hope you would, but considering he is my friend and I wouldn’t hesitate to castrate him, you might not.”

I grit my teeth, “Are you fucking kidding me? You think I’d really sleep with Harry? No offense, Harry. You’re beautiful, but honestly? I’m not easy. It’s only been a few days since we met and there is no way that I would throw myself at him just like that. Do you think I’d do that?”

“I don’t know what you’d do, Mara.”

I pulled my fist away from my eye. He seemed distant and foreign to me. I didn’t know this Louis. I didn’t know the person in front of me who doubted my integrity and my virtue. In truth, I knew he’d changed. He didn’t trust me anymore and it hurt worse than being called a bitch by Liam.

I grabbed my coat off the coat rack by the door on my way out and the football under the table, ignoring Harry’s pleas for me to stay. I couldn’t be in the same room with Louis. I couldn’t even look at that stranger anymore. I walk to the pitch, kicking the football ahead of myself.

My jaw hurt from gritting my teeth and when I unclenched, a muffled cry burst forth before I could find somewhere else to put the energy. Once I reached the pitch, I picked up the ball and drop kicked it as high and as far as I could. I ran after it, the physical exercise distracting me just a little bit from the pain I felt inside of my chest.

I honestly felt betrayed. Nineteen years of friendship down the drain because of something fucking Liam Payne said. I shouldn’t have seen him today. I shouldn’t have apologized to him for punching him in the face because that’s all I wanted to do now.

Laying on my back, I pulled tufts of grass out by the handful, letting out all my anger on the poor grass. I grit my teeth again, clenching my jaw to remain as quiet as I could. I had enough of silence. I sprinted with the football to the wall of an abandoned building on the far side of the park and kicked the ball repeatedly. It bounced back at me every single time and each time, I kicked it harder, my anger and frustration building.

How could he do that? I thought we were finally friends. I thought we’d finally patched things up between us. For God’s sake, how could I have been so fucking blind.

“Mar?”

I ignored the voice behind me and kept kicking the football at the wall, letting out angry grunts.

“Mara, stop.”

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned around and punched the air where the persons’ head was. Harry ducked to the side, his face pale and his green eyes wide. “Harry. Oh god, I’m so sorry. I thought it was Lou.”

“I don’t sound anything like Lou,” Harry said. He pushed my arms down.

“I’m still sorry.”

Harry shrugged, “It doesn’t matter. I don’t know what the fuck Lou was thinking. Especially believing Liam.”

I stretched my fingers and I heard them pop. I cringed, “Apparently a friendship of almost nineteen years doesn’t mean anything when he meets boys his age.”

Harry frowned, obviously upset too. “He just doesn’t want his best friend affiliated with me. I don’t think Lou especially cares for me.”

My eyes watered and I turned around, kicking the football at the wall again. I couldn’t cry. I wouldn’t let myself cry in front of Harry or anyone else, especially not Harry. Harry’s chin rested on my shoulder and his arms wrapped around my waist.

“I understand you not wanting to cry in front of me,” his voice was weak and it cracked. I turned around and hugged him tightly around his neck. I buried my face in the crook of his neck. “I don’t know what it’s like to be betrayed by your friend of that long, but I think you should know that no matter what happens between you and Lou, you’ll always have me.”

I didn’t let go of Harry for a long time and I think people were weirded out by two people just standing in a pitch hugging by an abandoned building. They raised their eyebrows and stared at us as the walked by even though it was really late at night. I looked up as tears escaped the corners of my eyes. The yellow stars poked out through the black velvet sky. “Thank you, Harry. Thank you.”

“No matter what happens, I’ll always be your friend. Even though we’ve known each other for like...a week. I know I’m not Louis, but I’ll always be by your side ready to comfort you and make sure you’re okay.”

I hugged him tighter one more time before I pulled back and kissed him on the cheek. “You have no idea how glad I am that I have you as a friend, Harry.”

He smiled and kissed my forehead, “Let’s go home, sweetheart.”

He stooped to pick up the football and tucked it under his arm.

“Can I ask you something?” I asked shyly.

He smiled at me, “Of course.”

“Would it be weird if I held your hand? Lou and I always hold hands whenever we walk. It’s just something that I’m used to when I’m walking with other people,” I craned my head down, ashamed of my question.

He giggled. He didn’t laugh, he giggled and it made me smile. “Of course you can, Mar-bear.”

“Mar-bear? Mar doesn’t even rhyme with bear,” I giggled when his hand took mine and our fingers’ folded together.

“It does now. Mar-bear is just awesome. Now you need to find a name for me,” he laughed as we walked down the street hand in hand.

I grinned, “It’ll come, lad. It’ll come.”