*two days later*

ASHLEY

It's a fine, Friday morning. It was cold, with frequent bursts of wind, but the sun still illuminated. The temperature is favorable and suitable for a long, cozy walk. Today's the last night of the camp. We're going back tomorrow morning. I had a really memorable time. I've become close to Harry and Zayn. Shawn and Mary are together. Ruby and Niall are happy. Everything is well and I don't need anything else. But the most shocking thing is, I haven't seen a single nightmare throughout the camp. It's also the first time that I felt comfortable with all the people around me. This is quite unusual, but I didn't let it to mess my mind up any further.

Harry has been extremely kind while giving me guitar lessons. I have learned quite a lot during the past few days and I am really into it. I am thinking of continuing my lessons, with him.

People began to clear up the campsite and packing their essentials. Some decided to explore the place one last time. I am almost done with all my packing. I just need to return the tent, which will be done the next day before we leave.

Since everyone was preoccupied by the clearing process, I decide to walk around, aimlessly around the place, although making sure I don't bump into someone again. I watch people as they move from one place to another, carrying enormous logs and putting them away. However, I stop at one point to spot Zayn, doing everything on his own, with no helping hand. I walk towards him and stop next to where he was squatting down. He smiles up at me.

'Hey' he says monotonously.

'Hi. Why are you alone?' I ask him.

'Oh well, no one wants to help me' he says and looks down, continuing his work. I squat down next to him and try to do the same thing as him. He notices and faces me, looking confused,

'What are you doing?' he asks.

'Helping you, of course' I tell him, but before he blurted out his genuine reply, I cut him off.

'Look, I know you're going to say "Oh it's alright,I can do it by my own OR I'm used to doing things by myself." But I'm not like that. I am still going to help you.' His expression conveys that he's completely taken aback by my words.

'Thanks, Ashley. Honestly, people don't really say these things to me. Hearing them what feels like after centuries gives me a good feeling. Thank you so much, for making me feel that way' he holds my hand and I let out a weak smile.

'Don't worry about that, Zayn' I tell him before we both continue doing the unfinished work. He packs his essentials and I clear out the nearby place. Zayn puts down his tent which surprises me. We have one more night left.

'Where are you going to sleep tonight?' I ask him.

'Probably near the fire. I've seen a few people sleeping yesterday, because they already put down their tent' he tells me and I release an inaudible 'oh'.

'I also want to leave this place as soon as possible, the next day' he adds and smiles.

'Beware, the nights are the coldest' I warn him jokingly and he chuckles.

'Don't worry about that, I'll be fine' he assures me. We both carry the heavy logs towards the disposal area. He brigs his folded tent afterwards and gives it to the landowner. His place is now cleared and he's moving near the fire, where 10 other campers are staying for the night.

We both get ourselves warm drinks. I get myself a cup of herbal tea, while Zayn gets a double espresso. He suggests that we go and sit near the lake, which is my favorite place here.

-

'It's so COLD!' Zayn shouts, as he dips his leg inside the lake water, since I invited him to do so. He shivers and I run his back.

'Don't worry, it'll be fine, eventually. The body will get used to it' I assure him.

'You're so different. I don't know how you are handling it' he exclaims.

'I cannot, I'm taking them out.' He rushes his feet out of the water.

'Your choice. It's the last day. And you know how cold the nights are' I pout.

'It's unbearable' he confesses.

The view is amazing. It's like an amazing canvas painted by the best artist. I would love to come back and camp again, during the summer of course.
Zayn and I spend the rest of the time talking about random things. It eventually reached to my school times and I let out a deep sigh. I loathed school. Especially all those 'friends'. They just put me in the worst situation in the end. I don't think they realize how worse they are.

'What can I say, it was the worst' I say.

'It's okay if you don't want to talk about it' Zayn interrupts but I shake my head. He understands it and allows me to continue.

'High school was at the peak of reasons why I suffered so much. Everyday, I would wish for it to be over. Jealousy, hatred, mockery. I had to face them every single day. And the worst part of it all, is when you lay your trust on someone, hoping they'll stand by your side. Instead, they turn their backs and did absolutely NOTHING that could help. I felt betrayed, used and criticized for no reason' I stop myself and get surprised at the fact that I spoke so much. Zayn looked disappointed and angry. He took every single one of my words to his heart.

'If I ever saw them, today, I would've taken them to where they belong' he says, clenching his feasts. I knew what he meant. Although, I don't think a prison would've been enough. Those people were complete psychopaths in my view.

'Anyway, I don't want you to get sad or feel down by talking about it. Promise me, you're not going to talk about something that makes you feel sad' he says while putting one arm around me and offering me another. I feel warm and protected with him.

'But what if I need-?' he interrupts and puts his index finger on my lip.

'You wouldn't. Because your life will be filled with happiness from now on. If no one else will, then I will for sure'.
Zayn's words fill me in. He gives me good hopes. I say an inaudible thank you but he understands it. He removes his fingers and hands when he realizes where they were.

'Sorry I didn't....mean to' he stutters but I stop him.

'It's alright Zayn' I say and he smiles weakly. I get surprised when he removes his shoes and puts his feet slowly in the water. I open my mouth a bit and look at him admiringly.

'Woah you really did that. Finally!' I blurt out.

'It's cold, but if you can keep it, then it's worth it' he smirks, but not in that way though. In a....cute way?
We spend the rest of our time, joking and laughing. I'm honestly thankful to have been able to know Zayn, in person. I wish people could see this side of him.
-

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'You absolutely FLATTER ME!' Harry proudly says, when I show off what I learned. I've learned so much on the guitar. I can now play 'Honest' by my beloved brother on the guitar. Speaking of Shawn, I need to show off my skills to him too. He'll be amazed and shocked. I tell Harry what I'm thinking and he pouts. I can assume he's hatching some sort of plan.

'You're going to show it off, but, not in that stereotypical way' he says but I give him a look of confusion.

'Basically you're going to surprise him' he elaborates and I smirk at my thoughts.

'And I know exactly when to do that' I tell him. He whispers a 'when'. I whisper all my plans back in his ear. Harry looks at me with an impressed look.

'Absolutely splendid. Update me later okay?'

'Definitely my boss' I mimic a devoted army member. We high five a little bit too loudly for a few people to strike their eyes at us. We slowly walk away from the awkwardness to Harry's tent. He told me that the temperature keeps fluctuating, so  he's going to sleep in his tent tonight. He lugs out his huge guitar and straps it around his back. He excuses himself for a while to collect some essentials. As I wait for him, I spot Shawn waving his hands and charge towards me. I do the same and move a few steps in front. It feels so long since I've had a proper friendly conversation with my brother. He gently takes me into his arms and gives me  a warm hug. 

'I missed you' he whispers and I laugh.

'But I was here, in front of you, the entire time' I tell him as he lets go.

'Well this camp hasn't allowed me to talk to my little sister properly' he winks and I cross my arms with a pouted lip. 

'Well, I guess, I've seen that you had good company' he tells me as he glances at Harry, who's crouching on the ground and flipping through, what looks like a brochure. Shawn nudges my elbow and smirks weakly.

'Are you serious? Let me tell you, we're just friends. Just  friends' I try to sound as convincing as possible. But why am I trying anyway? I should already be convinced, I thought. 

'That's good. Make sure it is like that, always.' Shawn sounded serious at that note but I didn't quite understand what he meant.

'What do you mean?' I ask him.

'Look, Ash, this may sound absurd but it'll be really good if you don't form any sort of relationship with Harry, other than friendship of course. That's mainly because, all his past girlfriends just had to leave him. I don't know why the media is so interested in him. They keep throwing hate until they just give up. I don't want to say this, but, he is, unlucky, in love. He hasn't had a girlfriend in so long.'  

I try to absorb all those information. I never really looked into pop culture, so I had no idea. I glance over at Harry and a feeling of gloominess overshadows my heart.

'Ash, you've been recovering from your problems lately and I am overjoyed. I don't want you to go through that again. Ever.'  I still don't say anything. I feel sad, but angry at the same time. But I couldn't take it any longer.

'First of all, who told you all this?' I blurt out.

'I once had a chat with Liam and he eventually just spilled everything out. He was extremely sad about it. He was overshadowed with remorse. Honestly, I wish we could all help him but-' he breaks off. I take a deep breathe before I decide to tell Shawn about my thoughts.

'So you're basically telling me not to get into any sort of relationship with him?'

'Yes. It's for your own good.' Shawn tells me strictly.

'Well, I am completely uncertain about that, but I do know one thing for sure. Harry is not 'unlucky' in love. Just because he hasn't had a girlfriend. I'm gonna tell you one thing Shawn. That is, one day, there will be a person in his life, who'll be ready to fight against all odds, just to be with him. They'll love him so much that they wouldn't care about the hate. Those girlfriends. They were too weak and didn't deserve his love. Harry's one of the most wonderful people I've met in my life and he deserves to be loved. You'll see.' 

I convey my message word by word. He stood there in silence. I glance over at Harry again. A tear rolls down my cheek but I quickly wipe it off before Shawn's gaze falls on it. 

I look back at Shawn. He pats my shoulder and kisses my forehead before walking away, without saying a single word. I hope he understood what I tried to tell him. 

I walk back to Harry and slowly crouch down beside him. He's looking at a brochure of Jamaica tourism. He doesn't notice me until a minute or two.

'Oh hey where have you been?' he exclaims.

'Nowhere. Just, um, talked with Shawn.' My voice sounded shaky. I cannot tell Harry about what I am thinking.

'Is everything okay, Ash?' He puts one of his hands on top of one of mine. I close my eyes to hold it back. I sigh.

'Yeah. Everything's okay. Don't worry.' He doesn't take his eyes off me for a few seconds. I try to sound and look convincing but he probably sensed my trouble. I need to divert the topic.

'Anyway, we should be going. They have a barbecue party, right?'

'Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that. Let's go.' We both get up and start walking towards the fireplace. It's getting colder. We'll see the night sky in around two hours. I brush off all my concerns and try to be happy. It's the last day of camp and I shouldn't be sad, at all. At least for now.