Chapter 13;

"Wake up beautiful," a familiar voice whispered in my ear. It wasn't Harry. I blinked my eyes against the harsh sunlight streaming through my window, I lifted an arm groggily to shield myself. I looked up into Sara's eyes and then groaned, falling back into my pillow. My head pounded, and I felt like it was just going to explode.

"Welcome to the wonderful world of hangovers," Sara chuckled, flopping onto my bed next to me. "Wait, I probably don't want to lay here. I bet you haven't changed the sheets yet," she stuck her tongue out at me and I reached over blindly to hit her.

"Please, spare me and put on some clothing," she cringed, covering her eyes, and then it all came rushing back.

"You're sure about this?" Harry whispered, looking down at me through glossy eyes. I nodded, and kissed him so that he'd know I was telling the truth. Old habits returned as I bit my tongue to hold back the moan that was dying to escape as he slowly broke the barrier that'd been built up for so long. He sucked gently on my collarbone, making it even harder. He's not like that. Just let it go. I repeated to myself in my head. With Daniel I had to be silent, and do what he told me. I knew that this could be different. Just. Let. Go. I opened my eyes for a moment, and they met Harry's instantly. His gaze was enticing and intense, and it was exactly what I needed to cut that final strand that kept my holding onto the past.

"You were quite loud last night G," Sara said, no trace of humor in her voice as I would've expected. Feeling around on the ground, I found Harry's Ramones shirt and slipped it over my head. Sara put a hand lightly on my arm, and I turned to look at her.

"I finally let go," I whispered and a tear rolled down my cheek. I'm not sure if it was from happiness, relief or from that fact that I had done something on my own for once. Sara's bright, mocking smile returned to her face.

"Just be a bit more quiet next time please. Some of us were trying to sleep." Her face was serious, but it didn't reach her eyes which gave insight to her night.

"Oh please, the only things sleeping in this house were the fish," I laughed and so did she.

Before she walked out the door, she glanced over her shoulder at me, "You might want to come out here before Niall ransacks your entire kitchen. He's hungry." I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rose slowly, letting each muscle stretch itself out one at a time. I found a pair of shorts on the floor and pulled them on, surveying the mess on my floor. I stepped over my bra, and Harry's underwear on my way out of the room. I giggled to myself then shut the door. A sharp, loud whistle rang out from the living room, and I looked down the hall in exasperation.

"Well would you look at that!" Tara snickered, as Harry's whistle died down, "The party animal has emerged from her slumber." I rolled my eyes, flicking her off playfully. Harry smirked as I wandered into the room and fell into a chair. He picked me up, and I squealed when he lightly pinched my butt. He sat down in the chair then placed me down gently on his lap.

"So last night," he muttered in my ear as he absentmindedly ran his hands through my hair.

"Last night, was amazing, to say the least." I whispered, flashing a smile.

"No need to whisper," Raina said meekly from a stool in the kitchen, "You're no good at it anyway. Plus, we all know what happened last night, so you might as well just be open about it." I looked at her in amazement, and she just shrugged, putting a forkful of eggs into her mouth. Liam leaned against the counter near the stove, spatula in hand. He really was like a daddy to these guys, he took care of everyone.

"What time is it" I asked, putting Raina off and looking around the room, waiting for an answer.

"It's 1:30," Niall chimed in, coming out of the bathroom upstairs. I looked up to see him leaning over the railing. It was quite nice having such an open house, and much easier to communicate. He had a towel wrapped tightly around his waist, and his wet hair dripped onto the living room floor. Sara came out of the bathroom, all smiles. She had the giggles as usual. How in hell had she gotten up there so quickly.

"We were conserving water," Niall laughed. Louis and Tara were lying next to each other on the floor, talking in hushed tones about God knows what. Zayn sat next to Raina, rubbing her back softly. I turned to look at Harry, and I noticed he was just staring at my wrists. My wrists. He took one of them into his hand and slowly brought it to his face to inspect it further.

"Daniel," I sighed, pulling my wrist back away from him, but he grabbed it, and when I tensed up, he loosened his grip.

"Don't ever do this again. You hear me?" he warned, kissing my scars delicately. I nodded. For once, someone cared, and that was a nice feeling.

"So how about we party one more night before the bitch gets here?" Sara sneered from the landing, fully clothed now. Well, if you wanted to call a bathing suit fully clothed. Harry shook his head, but still let a small smile escape.

"We can show you New Orleans," I smiled, and the idea seemed perfect.

"What the hell is this place?" Louis stammered, picking up one of the dolls off the shelf.

"Does this say Itching powder," Harry gaped, "Am I reading this properly?" I laughed and so did Sara. We'd decided that the boys should see an authentic "voodoo" shop, since Louisiana was famous for it.

"Get me out of here," Harry cried, quickly placing the vile back on the shelf and rubbing his hand clean on my tank top. Louis was busily playing with the doll in the corner, and Tara was near hysterics watching his facial expressions. Niall was looking through a book in the back of the shop, his face becoming more horrified with every page he flipped.

"Let's go somewhere else," I laughed, pulling Harry out of the shop, and the others filed out behind us. The sun was beating down on us, and my head was still thudding against my skull. I rubbed my temple gently, and Raina nudged me with her elbow.

"Here," she smiled, handing my a Tylenol. I nodded in appreciation and swallowed it dry.

"What is that outstanding smell," Niall said, looking around. Sara and I shared a smile, and led the boys in the direction of a small café that we visited regularly.

"What'll it be today girls," the waiter smiled, his thick Cajun accent making the boys lean in closer to try to understand.

"Give these boys the special," I said, explaining that they were from England and that we were helping them "experience New Orleans". The waiter nodded in approval and began to walk away.

"Sir!" Liam called after him, and the waiter turned to face him once more, "Please don't bring me anything that requires a spoon," and we all laughed, except Liam who just shrugged and sipped his water. Harry held my hand under the table, but his attention wasn't on me. He was almost fully turned in his chair, and was looking towards the roads. We'd brought them to historic parts of the city, and I wasn't going to lie, there was a lot to take in.

"It's no London, but it's home," I said faintly, nudging his arm softly.

"You're right, it's not London," he said as his emerald irises met mine, "but it's you, so I could stay here forever."