Hiii bestiesss!

This is part two of a double update, so if you haven't read 41 already, go do that!

But look who's finally back! We got our boy Harry!

Let's see what's gonna go down in this one. So yeah...without further ado, I hope you enjoy this one, my precious rosy tulips 🌷

♬ ✥*

Harry.

Fuck.

I messed up.

Did someone possess my body to go over to Serenity's studio and confess my love for her there?

Are you that daft and stupid, Harry? Yes. Yes, you are, you son of a bitch.

I have no idea if she even feels the same way, or even wants anything to do with me, especially after what I did to her. Her studio means everything to her and I fucked up real bad. When I left her a month ago, I got on the phone with my lawyer to see what I could do, because there had to be a loophole in the contract.

That same time was when my brain decided to make an appearance from where it was — shoved far up my ass.

Yeah, that's exactly how it felt. Almost as if my heart had joined it too.

Though, my feelings had a mind of their own.

I couldn't wait to hear what she had to say in response to my confession. I knew that she didn't expect or see it coming, and I'm glad that it went that way.

There was one reason I left so suddenly and it was because of my own insecurities — even though those fucked me over before, but this was different.

I was afraid of hearing the truth so soon. I needed to give myself some time to breathe and think over what I'd done. Somehow, I believe that it was a mistake; but the bigger part of me, says it was the best decision I ever made. It had nothing to do with Serenity but only myself.

I never told Serenity in the past that my ex had cheated on me because just from the expression I got when I brought up some painful memories, she cried. She couldn't believe how cruel someone could be to another person — especially to someone they loved, but there was a bit more to that story that I didn't say.

I didn't say it, because I couldn't.

And it was the same reason as to why I couldn't wait.

Because the same day I told Madison I loved her was the same day she said she's been cheating on me. She went on saying that she regretted it and it was only a kiss. My younger self was young, naïve, and so fucking stupid. She was my first and only girlfriend at the time, so I believed and forgave her. It's just how I thought couples worked things out — even if it was cheating. A problem, you'd fix it with forgiveness.

That wasn't the case, though, and I found out the hard way.

What was even worse was that the night after I proposed and she said 'yes,' I came home early after work to spend time with my fiancée. But I walked into our apartment to see an unpleasant surprise.

Madison was fucking the guy she supposedly 'only kissed' — in our bed.

She played me from the start. My wealth was the only reason she wanted to be with me. It was all a game to her. She only wanted to marry me, then take half of what I owned when she planned to divorce me six months into our 'marriage.' Of course, that was her plan after I took the title of CEO.

Madison claimed what we had was 'true love' in the beginning, but my ongoing studies and work pushed her away from me. She firmly believed that I was the reason our relationship didn't work, that I was 'too busy' for us. With the heaviest feeling on my chest, I then proceeded to ask her how long she was cheating on me, and it turned out that it was three whole years.

Five whole fucking years, I remained a pathetic, gullible fool, utterly oblivious to what my 'relationship' actually was. Needless to say that I dumped her, and from then on forward, I refused to trust a single person ever again.

At least, that was until I met Serenity. The woman who showed what trust, honesty, kindness, and a relationship truly meant. The woman who made me fall head over heels for.

But I fucked up big time when it came to trust.

That's when my personal insecurities came out and it destroyed my real and honest relationship.

It changed things with the woman, and I failed to realise how in love with her I really was.

All I could tell her was 'I adore you,' when all I had to do was confess my sincere emotions — the ones that weren't buried down deep inside me as I thought.

Since I left Serenity's studio, I lost track of time when I buried myself in work. Papers upon projects, upon business calls, upon travel arrangements, and I ended up back where I started — thinking about my Essie.

That's if she'll ever be mine again.

Rubbing my palms over my face, I let out a groan when I realised it was well past midnight. Lately, it wasn't part of my routine for me to be here at this hour, since Essie introduced to me what 'peaceful sleep' actually was. Generally, that also meant on some nights, I had my arms wrapped around her waist, hearing her deep breaths, and taking in her sweet vanilla scent. That was one of the things I missed so fucking much.

For a month, I'd been struggling to fall asleep every night. It ruined me on multiple occasions, and when I had no sleep, it made things worse by messing up my work. I wasn't focusing properly, nor was I eating well; it was destroying me without realising it — that was up until I got a warning from the BOD during a meeting. It woke me up and forced me to pay attention to my work. Even though Serenity was still on my mind, I had to push her back just slightly so I wouldn't lose my job. I had thousands of people under my wing, and having them working for someone else could put them in a living hell. I liked the others, but not enough to make sure the great employees Urban Corp. had, wouldn't get fired for small mistakes. 

So that's what helped — but I was borderline failure.

Flipping through more papers, I looked up when I heard my office door squeak open so quietly. I only knew how to properly use three of my senses very well. Smell, taste, and touch only amplified when I met a certain woman.

And that certain woman's eyes were what I was met with. She stood at the door, watching me carefully with her stunning sapphire gems. Her face was expressionless as I swallowed heavily, unsure what she was here for.

Again, you fucking idiot. You should know what she's here for.

"I thought I'd find you here," she spoke softly, her tone so angelic and beautiful. I missed it. "May I come in?"

Nervously, I cleared my throat and nodded. "Yeah. Of course."

Every step she made was slow and precise. I knew that she was going to talk about my outburst in her studio earlier. She wouldn't be my girl that I knew if she didn't bring it up.

"So, you made quite the entrance today," she stated, walking into my office.

And I was right.

It obviously hadn't been the first time Serenity was in here, but it looked like it was to her. Her fingers gently grazed over the surface of my cabinets, desk, and the framed photo of us in Banff, just after we road the gondola. Her eyes scanned over the picture, relishing in the moment that we shared together.

"Yeah, about that..." I started, "...I'm sor—"

But before I could finish, she snapped her focus directly back up at me.

"Do you know how many times I told you not to interrupt my class?" Her voice was harsh and firm. "And how many times I told you to never to swear in front of my students. They're still kids!"

"Um, I'm sor—"

"But no! You don't listen to me. You never fucking listen to me! You have to be 'Harry the CEO of Urban Corp.' and expect everything to go your way, do a few deals, and then leave. Everyone always does what you say, and you know how to use that power to your advantage."

Her words were sharp, and made me flinch, but truth filled those words entirely. It was true, even though it wasn't particularly the smartest. I should know better. I did know what was best for my company and me, but I clearly fucked that part up.

Slowly, I stood up from my chair, and attempted to speak.

"Seren—"

"No! You don't get to come to my studio, my personal work space, just to tell me you love me and then leave. I mean, who leaves after confesses their fucking feelings? Huh?"

"You just —"

"Harry —"

"Love interru—"

"You can't do —"

"Interrupting me," I showed a subtle smirk, but her eyes narrowed at me with a glare.

Fuck. Big mistake.

"For the love of God, shut up!"

And I did. She was furious and I knew that I didn't want to get swept up by Hurricane Serenity.

The problem was, she already swept me off my feet ages ago.

"You hurt me, Harry. You betrayed me and you took advantage of me and my trust for you to do that. You think by apologising while telling me that you love me is going to automatically make me forgive you?"

"No," I barely whispered.

She was right.

"You say that you 'adore me,' but that's not enough for me. It'll take time for me to do that — for you to gain my full trust back," her tone was back to soft and possibly vulnerable, "I need you to tell me that you'll never do something like that again. Can you tell me that?"

"I'll never do that again. I regret what I did. I wish I could take it all back. I honestly do," I said immediately, taking a risky step towards my sweet girl.

"You know, you're not the only one," she spoke calmly, surprising me by mimicking my action.

My brows furrowed. "Only one? For what?"

"You frustrate me too, Harry. I can read you and understand you, but at times, you also confuse the fuck out of me. It irritates me —" she paused, biting the corner of her lips while furrowing her brows. "— It irritates me to every extent imaginable..."

"But?" 

"...but that 'extent' is only imaginable, and there's so much more to it," she spoke quietly.

"What else is there?" I questioned in the same tone.

"There's everything. There's your demanding, rude, cocky, arrogant, disciplined, secret, stubborn, and predictable qualities that I dislike." She held her expression. "But there's also your caring, affectionate, kindhearted, generous, loyal, charming, determined, hidden lively side, and devoted qualities that I adore about you."

Before I could say anything else, she continued, "Do you know what else I adore?"

"What?"

"I adore the fact that you're a risk taker, and sometimes you act on impulse — just like what you did today. But, there's one more thing too."

I was at a loss for words. Absolutely fucking speechless. My heart was pounding as each second that passed by, unsure of the things that she'll say.

Clearing my throat, I asked, "And what's that?"

"Your love for me. You know why that's important?"

"Why?"

"Because, like you, you're always on my mind, too. You're on my mind more than you can possibly know. Harry, my pretty, handsome tiger, I love you — so, so much. My heart has been yours from the second you held my hand when we were walking in the carnival. I just wanted you to know. I need you to know that I love you."

My entire body froze at her words, just as she'd done to mine. My heart was pounding, hearing it beat like a drum in my ears. Goosebumps on my skin arose, lacking the frigid air, but a fever sparked in a cause. 

She loves me. 

But by the time I processed them, though, she'd already walked out of my office.

Did she leave? No shit, Styles. Of course, she did. She did exactly what you did to her. But when I left, did she even go after me? And again, of course, she did. I know Serenity. Even though she was furious with me, she wouldn't just let me leave the way I did. She had a class, too; she couldn't just abandon them. 

Snapping out of it, I swiftly walked out of my office, looking to see where she was — gone. I wasn't going to let her get away from me. I needed her. I practically ran to the elevators and sped off like a race car in Formula One. Turning the corner, I stopped in my tracks, completely breath taken.

Only a few feet away, there she was, in all her beautiful and stunning glory, standing right in front of me. My angel.

Her coat hung by her fingers in front of her body, swaying slightly as her gaze was on me. She was waiting for me, planning on staying with me tonight. 

"You honestly didn't think I'd leave after telling you something like that. Did you?" She smiled so brightly that the night sky outside would swear that the sun had risen.

"I thought maybe you did. Kind of like how I left," I barely whispered them, ashamed.

"I'm sure you had your reasons, but I'd never do that," she spoke softly, "Never, Harry."

Fuck. I love her.

"C'mere," I said, and she dropped her coat, taking three graceful strides towards me. I met her with one and grabbed hold of her waist, trapping her in my arms. I gazed deeply into her sapphire gems, seeing the sparkle, reflecting the faint lights in the far corner of the room — dazzling and so beautifully mesmerising. Her merlot lips were begging for my own to place themselves upon, but I resisted.

"Kiss me," she pleaded.

"I can't." I shook my head, closing my eyes, averting my gaze, refusing to give myself the honour of even looking at her. "I just wanna be close to you. I can't kiss you knowing I betrayed you. I just can't."

"I know we still need to talk about that more, but right now, I am demanding you to do something. For once in your life, just listen to me. Please," her tone was so incredibly desperate. Slowly, I let myself gaze at her beauty before she whispered those two words again, "Kiss me."

My lips grazed over hers, feeling her warm breath against me before I crashed them upon hers — as a meteor would against the moon.

Force, urgency, passion, love. All the words described our heart tugging, belly tingling, toe curling, and skin burning kiss. Just as her body moved so elegantly and gracefully, our lips danced from the sensual tango, the romantic waltz, the wild jive, and to the smooth foxtrot.

Resting on my chest, her hands crept their way up to the nape of my neck, fingers softly curling in my hair. I kept mine settled on her waist, my grasp had only tightened slightly making sure she wouldn't escape me — that she wouldn't escape my heart.

I could feel her quick beats against my chest and they were mutual to my own. Our rhythm was unique and coded, so that only we could understand what it meant. I truly meant my words to her that she was mine. She owned my heart, body, and soul in all ways possible. And what she told me in response that I was hers, that's all I ever wanted to be.

I knew that I wasn't good enough for Serenity and that she deserved the world; however, she thought otherwise. She once mentioned that I was 'the world' in its utmost beautiful form. I didn't understand it then, but I do now. She constantly told me how much I mean to her, even if the message didn't fully click for me at the time.

Our moments became memories that we've cherished together, each proving the love we have for one another. Just as I'd told her, I never thought I'd ever repeat those three words. Love is beautiful and worth experiencing with the one person who makes you feel like the ground is crumbling underneath you. The feeling of knowing you're both falling down, hand in hand, is the most incredible feeling of all. We knew that as long as we remained connected, we'd climb back up to the surface together.

Without realising it, we'd shifted ourselves so that her back was now against a wall, and she whimpered from the hit. I pulled back slightly to see her alluring face. She'd removed one of her hands to rub the injured spot. I leaned in to press a soft kiss on her bottom lip and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Those words held so much more meaning underneath them — and I'm sure she knew.

"It's okay," her voice was just as tender.

"Can you say it again?" I begged, softly brushing my nose against hers, "Please."

"I love you."

"Again."

"I love you."

"One more time. Please."

"I love you, Harry."

"You mean it? You promise?"

"I mean it with my whole heart and I promise with the entirety of my soul. Your turn..." she said while leaning in place a tender kiss on my lips. "...pretty."

Fuck. After over a month of being deprived of it, even hearing that made my heart flutter like never before. If butterflies filled my flower garden, their wings flying around in multiple colours and patterns would make it all much more beautiful and beguiling.

Which is exactly what she was.

"I hate that nickname." I furrowed my brows, even though we both knew it was a lie. The way my heart warmed whenever she said it, was something I couldn't get enough of. 

I never wanted that warm feeling to disappear.

"Yeah, well, suck it up..." she teased, "...princess."

I couldn't help but shake my head at her adorable antics.

I missed her so much.

"Always irritating, I swear." I chuckled and she lightly pushed at my chest.

"Always difficult, I swear," she remarked.

Slowly, I cupped her cheek with my right hand, and gently caressing her jaw with my thumb. A soft and adoring gaze was met with our eyes as I flickered back and forth between them, wholly enticed and mesmerised by her. It was an experience I would never get tired of.

"I love you. I love you, so, so much. Your name, Serenity, makes me happy. Not just because of it, but because you make me feel at real serenity when you're around. You make my heart feel at peace and warmth. You, my darling, always tell me that I'm so passionate about my work and mentioned how you love that about me. What you didn't know was that I'm much more passionate and dedicated to you. Darling, Essie, sugarplum, my starlight, I am eternally and forevermore executively devoted to you."

Her lips parted, and she pushed forward to place a delicate kiss upon my own before pulling back.

"Even Eros wouldn't be able to say something so romantic as that."

"He's got nothing on me."

"Oh, I know," she said with a shit-eating grin.

"Good, my love," I replied with a smile.

"You're going to have to say that a lot, handsome."

"Say what?"

"My love," she said softly. "You're not the only one that's crazy about hearing I love you."

"Two lovers in love, that love to talk about love,"

A light laugh escaped her lips. "Sounds like a tongue twister."

"A what?"

"How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" she babbled, and I raised a brow.

"What?"

"Never mind, pretty." Essie chuckled. "Can we sit back in your office?"

"Whatever you want, sweetheart." I smiled as I grabbed her hand and led her back to the office.

I expected her to want to sit in my chair, but she surprised me with sliding down against the wall parallel to the windows. Her spontaneity is one of the reasons why I fell in love wither. It was something so simple but still, somehow, heartwarming.

Crunching down, I sat adjacent to Serenity, and without hesitation,