Haze

For Lucy, fighting with Harry had the same effects of when she was drunk.

It would all start out like any normal argument—someone would say the wrong thing, one of them would be too tired to put up with the other's shit after a long and tiresome day or they were just having a bad day and needed to take out their anger on someone; someone who just happened to be their significant other. Then it always ended in one of them walking away, leaving a void inside both of them that, at the time, feeling like it would never be whole again.

Arguments like these were far and between for Lucy and Harry. But what lacked in occurrence definitely made up in duration.

Their fights can last for a few days—a week even—and in Lucy's mind it's like she's constantly drunk, in a haze she can't seem to find her way out of. She goes about her days aimlessly and everything is a blur by the time she wakes up the next morning. It's hard for her to focus on her classes and that's the one thing she's always been exceptional at her whole life. Her mates that she spent time with while on campus could notice something was off about her as well; they tried to uplift her somber spirit but each time they did it was like they were reopening a wound and pouring salt over it again and again.

All in all, it just made her feel worse than before.

Her emotions were all over the place, completely out of control, and they weighed down so heavily on the small girl that she feels too tired to even move. It’s the absolute worst time for anyone to talk to her, or simply come around her for that matter. Because when Lucy gets drunk all the worst parts about her are amplified. The words that leave her mouth are harsher than she actually means them to be, she has a lower tolerance for people’s stupidity, her usually bad temper can flare in an instant and worst of all: her walls that she tried so hard to break down (with the help of Harry) build back up around her at their strongest.

She shuts down and shuts everyone out; reverting back to the girl she was before. She returns to the world she lived in before she even met Harry Styles and frowned upon anyone who didn’t live their life the way she did, which made it even more difficult for the two young adults to make up. Harry had every right to be frustrated by Lucy’s stubbornness. Because when she got this way she was like a rock; hard to crack.

And so day by day, for an entire two weeks, when they would pass each other in the hallway of the flat complex—because Lucy always ended up staying with the same friend that happened to live on the same complex on the same floor—they didn’t speak to each other or even look at one another.

Eventually though, someone always gives in.

Usually it’s Harry. But sometimes it's Lucy, and when she does end up apologizing first it’s like waking up and realizing how stupid you’ve been all this time. She builds up the courage she needs to talk to him for the first time in weeks and rushes to the one spot where she had a feeling he would be. Sitting on the bench in the park, the one where they met on that one fateful late Monday evening where they were two strangers and talked and talked for hours like they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years who wanted to catch up on their lives.

Harry and Lucy ended up going to that bench every night to meet and talk. It became their spot.

She put on a navy blue pea coat and buttoned it up over the stripped jumper she was wearing before slipping her feet into a pair of brown Oxfords. She grabbed her purse and told her friend, Katie, that she was leaving and wouldn't know when she would be back. When Lucy arrived at the entrance to the park she immediately spotted the bench because it wasn't far from the entrance. When she got close enough, her eyes took in Harry's appearance; dressed in a simple white shirt, denim tight jeans and a brown jacket, his face tired like he hasn’t had a good night of sleep in weeks. Since the day of their fight.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets of the jacket before saying the one word she could muster: "Hi."

Harry looked up from his gaze on the ground and looked straight into Lucy's dark blue eyes. He slowly stood up, his eyes never once leaving hers. He took three steps towards her until he was standing right in front of the small blonde. One of his large hands left a jacket pocket and went up to caress her cold cheek, it warming up instantly at his touch.

Instead of speaking he leaned down and pressed his lips against her soft pink ones, capturing them in a long awaited kiss that held all their pent up emotions, frustrations and worries from the two weeks spent apart. Lucy’s arms wrapped around Harry’s neck, pulling him down closer towards her while his hands left her face and went around her waist, pressing her small body against his. When the two pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers and looked straight into his girlfriend’s dark blue eyes.

Harry knew how big Lucy's pride was and he knew how hard it was for her to suck it up and come to do this, so he didn't want her to feel uncomfortable. That's why he kissed her. And it's also because he really missed the feeling of her lips on his own. He'd much rather skip the talking part and go right to that. But he knew that wouldn't happen.

“Harry…” She sighed after pulling away, stepping back and running a hand through her hair.

“It’s alright, Luce,” he replied, sitting down next to her but leaving enough space so she wouldn't feel too overwhelmed.

“No it’s not! It’s not alright Harry! We shouldn’t spend two weeks apart because of some fucking stupid fight that wasn’t even about something that big in the first place. Haz, we passed each other so many times in that hallway and didn’t even bother looking at each other once. There’s something wrong with that, don’t you think?”

Harry nodded, but took some time to gather his thoughts before he spoke. “There is, Lucy, but we can’t stop fights from happening. Couples, it’s a natural thing to happen, and I know it’s a bloody horrible thing to go through, but it’s something we’ll have to learn to deal with if we’re still doing this.”

Lucy turned to face Harry with furrowed brows and a confused expression upon her face. “What do you mean if we’re still doing this?"

"I just don't want you to run away. I know this time was a lot harder on the both of us than it's ever been before, and we both grieved over it longer than ever. If you wouldn't mind working and talking things out with me next time instead of one of us leaving the flat, stay,” he turned so he was facing her, but when she didn’t turn her own body he jutted his hand forward and put his fingers under her chin to force her to look at him. “Don’t leave.”

A silence overtook the two young adults as Harry awaited Lucy’s answer. Minutes passed and he grew worried, thinking that she’d deny him and they’d have to break-up their year long relationship. But she ended up surprising him seconds later with the words that left her lips with a smile etched upon her face.

“Of course I’ll stay, Haz. I always do, don’t I?”