CHAPTER 47

CLAIRE

There are moments.

Moments where the sheer reality takes your breath away.

Knocks it right out of your chest.

Time is made still, and you feel yourself solidify in a matter of seconds.

I'm seeing his face for the first time, it feels like. It feels like I haven't looked upon his face ever since that party in New York, where I left early and Harry had to stay behind. My eyes melt into his the moment his face appears, after the doors fall heavily on the floor, dissolving on the floor.

When I regained my first memory of him at our apartment, I knew I loved him.

Of course I love him.

I love him so much it hurts to think about the time when I didn't. When all I could see was the bad in him. I spent so much time trying to understand why he went to the measures he went to to keep me safe. And in the instant I remembered him, and all we went through together, I understood.

It wasn't a question on whether I would fall in love with him again or not. When I finally became myself again, I was already in love. I want him. I need him. I love him.

My heart is pounding and I'm mentally pinching myself to make sure that I'm seeing his face. But seeing his face also makes me face all of the times when I hurt him. I have created so many tears in his heart that I don't know how I will ever forgive myself.

I want to run to him. I want to feel his arms around me, and I want to hang onto his neck forever. I want to finally reunite with him, I want to feel his lips on mine so desperately. To see his eyes, remembering all of the times we have spent together... My whole being is desperate to be united with his again.

But all of those thoughts melt away when I'm brought back to reality. Zayn turns around in an instant, keeping the aim on my head.

"Harry!" I shout, my throat drying within seconds. His eyes glare at me, shifting between me and Zayn. I see his whole body freeze when he notices what Zayn has pointed right at me.

It doesn't take long for him to pull something out of the pocket of his coat... a gun.

"Well well well," Zayn smiles, walking to me. He grabs my neck, hoisting me up from the ground. Harry's eyes widen, and aims the gun right at Zayn, ready to fire.

"I wouldn't do that," Zayn says, placing the head of the gun against my temple, sending shivers down my spine.

"Claire," Harry breathes, and I notice a certain blonde boy appearing from behind him.

"Claire!" Niall cries, stopping himself from running to me. Zayn will shoot me if they get too close. Niall's obviously out of his mind, as I see hear his desperate breaths, his failing position and his intense insecurity. He must be nervous for Zayn telling me all that he did. But he already told me. I know everything.

"Niall! Great, come join the show!" Zayn swings his elbow, as he presses the hard cold metal against me.

"Let her go Zayn," Harry speaks, sharpening his aim, his strong arms steady as rock.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Zayn shakes his head, and kisses my ear. It causes Harry to flinch, and his eyes fill with anger.

I realize that this is the first time Harry has faced Zayn ever since we first met him at the restaurant 5 months ago. And by the looks of it, he is absolutely furious.

"Don't you dare touch her!" Harry shouts, his strong voice making the whole house shake. Niall stays silent, his lips parting, as if he doesn't know what to do with himself.

"What are you doing over there Niall? Shouldn't you be on this side?" Zayn question uneasily, holding a firm grip around my neck.

"Yeah, I told her everything. So you can give it up now." His voice speaks lowly into my ear, and it feels like my skin is on fire. His touch hurts so much.

Niall's face pales, his posture weakening. He mouthes "no" as he shakes his head, clearly in denial. My heart is beating out of my chest and adrenaline is pumping through my veins, but I still manage to be... angry. I look at his face now, and I can't feel anything but pure rage.

"Y- you told her?" Niall stutters, taking a step back, leaning against the wall. His eyes are already shiny, but I see tears gathering.

"Told her what?" Harry interrupts, looking over at Zayn, his hands still firm.

"You know that drug that I used to mess Claire's pretty little mind up?" he growls, and I see the rage booming out of Harry's eyes. It's almost terrifying.

"It would naturally pass through her system in a couple of days," he continues, and I see Harry's knuckles pale as he clenches his hand around the gun. His brows furrow, looking as confused as I was, just 10 minutes ago when this was all revealed to me.

"And the truth is that with the drug out of her system, she would be all healed with all her memories intact," Zayn's eerie voice makes my hair rise, but I try my best to stay calm under his arm. He has a gun pointed to my head, which he will fire any second. He's not letting his plan fall to shreds now, not when he he's fought so hard to get me here. Harry's eyes grows fourthly confused, making Zayn laugh sinisterly.

"Oh but how can that be? Claire spent week at your apartment and she didn't remember a thing!" Zayn mocks, finally turning to Niall.

"Niall here made sure she got her daily dose, making sure Claire wouldn't remember a thing!" Zayn finishes, and I see guilt turning Niall's eyes gray. But I turn to Harry when I feel a strong force of rage radiating out of him. I can feel it in the air. For a second, his eyes move to Niall.

Harry's lungs deflate of air, and his grip on the gun loosens when he realizes what Niall has been doing to me for the last month.

"I'm so sorry Claire, I n- never wanted to hurt you," Niall breathes weakly, letting a tear escape. But I have no sympathy for him.

"Why did you do this Niall? Why would you do that to me?" I ask sharply, disappointment, confusion and anger reaching my skin.

"I had a second chance! You forgot about him, and I am glad you did! Claire, he hurt you so much," he tries, taking a step forward. I shake my head and I close my eyes when I'm reminded that none of them know that I remember everything. Harry's lips part as his shoulders lower.

"When I heard you woke up... I knew I would do everything to get back in your life. Then I found out that you had forgotten all about what happened in California," Niall fourthly explains, my heart aches when I see how heartbroken he is. But I won't let it get to me. He deliberately robbed me of myself.

"I got to the hotel room and Zayn had dropped off a note and several bags of scopolamine."

"The note said to get this in your food, your drinks... Otherwise, you would remember Harry again. And I couldn't have that! I needed a second chance," he weeps, drying his tears with the sleeve of his red shirt.

"I loved you too much to let you go, and I still do," he finishes with another tear, tugging at my heart. My eyes shift to Harry, and I expect him to be angry. So angry he can't keep himself from knocking Niall to the floor. But when I see his eyes staring at Niall, there is nothing but sadness in them. His friend betrayed him.

"Alright, enough!" Zayn suddenly interrupts him.

"I can already let you know that your presence is pointless. Claire is going to die tonight!" Zayn shouts psychotically, pushing me down to the floor. I hear Harry's unsteady breath, Niall's beating heart and Zayn's forceful hands as they release me from the chokehold, pursuing to push me down to my knees in front of him. I face Harry and Niall, and I can't see Zayn behind me. I want Harry to be the last thing I see.

"Don't do it Zayn!" Harry warns, and even I can tell that his gun is pointed directly between Zayn's eyes.

As a bead of sweat rolls down Harry's forehead, time suddenly slows down. Harry can't shoot, because Zayn will shoot me directly after. And Zayn can't shoot, because he knows that'll earn him a bullet right between his eyes.

A solid minute goes by, the air growing thicker as the warmth of their glare raises the tension in the room.

"Ah! I thought I could do it!" Zayn suddenly blurts, inhaling sharply through his teeth.

"I thought I could give you up, Claire."

He seems angered with himself, as he grabs my neck once more, lifting me up.

"You drive me so fucking WILD!" he breathes, the grip on the gun not weakening one bit.

"As much as I want Harry dead by his own hands, you are too important to me."

Zayn throws me to the side, and I crumple to the floor beside him. I gather enough strength to push myself off the ground, and I witness Zayn and Harry glare at each other. There is nothing holding any of them back now. Either one of them can pull the trigger at any time.

"Zayn! I'll go with you, just don't hurt him," I beg with all my might as I get to my feet, wiping away tear after tear.

"I've explained this to you love, he won't stop looking for you, so I have to kill him." His eyes doesn't leave Harry's, and I want to scream. I want to scream endlessly and let out everything that has been pent up inside me ever since I woke up. I want Zayn dead.

I turn to Harry.

"Harry," I begin calmly.

"I'm sorry Claire, I have to end this," he alerts, his hair falling before his eyes. I take one step towards him, and I am prepared to beg him to stop. Because If Harry shoots, he will get a bullet buried in him.

But Harry pulls the trigger, lunging a bullet right at Zayn's chest.

HARRY

The next chain of events happen so fast.

I see Zayn fall to his knees.

I see his eyes widen.

I hear his gun go off, pointing directly at me.

My eyes are closed, ready to accept my fate. I have ended Zayn's hold on Claire.

I don't care if I go now too. Claire doesn't even remember me, she can live without me. I am 23, I will never be 24. And that's okay. If it means saving Claire.

The entirety of the second that passes by makes my heart drop. Everything in me begs for the bullet to hit my chest.

But it doesn't.

I stop breathing, my muscles stiffen and my heart falls to the floor, when I open my eyes. I see Claire collapse on the floor right in front of me.

"Claire!" A strangled cry escapes my lungs when I see her body, fragile as glass, stained by the blood already seeping through her clothes.

"No, no!" I shout, falling to my knees beside her. I place her head on my lap, pressing my palm against the bleeding wound. The blood pours through my fingers, already pooling on the floor. I see the wound right below her chest, sourcing the red thick fluid.

"You're gonna be alright, Niall call an ambulance!" I yelp, brushing the hair away from her face. Niall walks out of the room, crying, already on the phone.

"Claire, you're gonna be alright. You're gonna be alright," I repeat, needing to believe it. I glance over at Zayn, and he is gasping for air, unable to move. I look into Claire's hazel eyes, as they weaken by the second. She breathes weakly, and she calmly places a hand on my cheek, as my heart beats out of my chest.

"I remember," she whispers.

A second passes where the measure of the sentence ties around me. She... remembers?

"I remember everything," she repeats, and I finally realize... She remembers me.

"I love you." Claire's voice pants as her hand searches for mine. Our fingers intertwine and I cling onto her, as the moment I've been longing for finally reaches me. Claire loves me again.

"And I love you Claire, hold on, hold on to me." I beg, tears already hitting her white shirt. She's gonna be alright. She has to be alright.

"I'm right here, it's me. And I'm sorry," she cries, her hand losing strength by the second. Her breath hitches, closing her eyes, as she exhales sharply.

"Don't, you're gonna be alright! You're gonna be alright!" I sob, holding her. My eyes lock deep into hers, and she tries to smile.

"Why did you do that, huh?" I cry, my voice failing as my stomach tightens from the cries escaping me. She got in front of me as Zayn pulled the trigger. She took the bullet that was meant for me.

"Because..." she gasps, struggling to take a proper breath. The fierce color in her eyes fade away, her lips growing pale. I shake my head, tightening my grip on her hand, as I feel her let go of mine. Her eyelids flutter before closing completely.

"I will always choose you."